JP2023043148A - Autonomous traveling system and autonomous traveling method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an autonomous traveling system allowing a moving cart to readily and shortly move along a specific route, and making it possible to diminish a risk that the moving cart gets stuck in the middle of the route.SOLUTION: An autonomous traveling system allows a moving cart 1 to autonomously travel by passing through plural waypoints p within a specified area A. Obstacle position information a0 within the specific area A and waypoint information b are stored preliminarily. When the moving cart 1 is allowed to autonomously travel to a waypoint pi, the own position of the moving cart 1 is estimated based on obstacle information a acquired by an area measurement instrument 3 and the obstacle position information a0. A traveling route up to the waypoint pi is calculated using the estimated own position and waypoint information b. The moving cart is basically moved to the waypoint pi along the traveling route. When it is determined that the moving cart 1 that is moving gets struck and cannot reach the waypoint pi, abnormality processing of changing the waypoint p, which is a moving destination of the moving cart 1, from one to another is performed for fear the moving cart 1 may get stuck during autonomous traveling.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling device and an autonomous traveling method, and more particularly to an autonomous traveling device and an autonomous traveling method suitable for a cleaning device used to clean and remove deposits (accumulated powder) within a designated area. .

For example, in a coke factory, coal powder (falling powder) accumulates on the top of the coke oven due to leakage of coal powder from a charging car that charges coal into the furnace, or leakage of coal powder from a coal storage. If this accumulated coal dust is left unattended, the sulfur component in the coal dust will accelerate the corrosion of metal structures such as risers, and it will scatter around and adversely affect the environment. For the purpose of prevention, cleaning removal of coal dust deposited on the top of the furnace is carried out. However, cleaning and removing coal dust accumulated on the top of the furnace is heavy work performed in a high-temperature, dusty environment, and is also a dangerous work with the risk of heatstroke and dust inhalation.

Here, as a cleaning device that automatically performs cleaning work, for example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a cleaning device that cleans the entire area while performing mapping. This cleaning device classifies the entire cleaning area into three areas, an unknown area, an uncleaned area, and a cleaned area, and operates a robot to eliminate the unknown area. It has an autonomous driving logic that moves the boundary of and performs cleaning. Such a technique is very useful when sucking and cleaning a small amount of dust scattered over the entire surface in different cleaning areas where an unknown area exists every time.

Japanese Patent No. 6410704

When there is a large amount of fallen powder (usually 1 kg/m ² or more) such as at the top of a coke oven, it is necessary to use a very large device for the method of sucking and collecting this and storing it in a cleaning device. For this reason, it is preferable to use a scraper or the like to collect the fallen powder and accumulate it at a designated location. However, the cleaning device of Patent Document 1 recreates the mapping each time, and the origin and coordinate system change, so the same area, such as the top of the coke oven, is cleaned in the same pattern each time, and the powder is dropped at the specified location. It cannot be made to perform an action such as accumulation. In addition, there is also the problem that time efficiency is lowered if a step of searching for an unknown region is required to clean the same region with the same pattern each time.

On the other hand, in general SLAM technology, in which a map of the cleaning area is given and the robot runs autonomously, it is possible to clean the same area in the same pattern each time, and to collect fallen dust and accumulate it in a designated place. However, if a large amount of falling powder that exceeds the pushing force of the autonomous mobile device is accumulated on the top of the coke oven, stacking occurs without being pushed by the scraper, or objects are placed on the movement path is completely blocked, the autonomous mobile device is stuck there, making it impossible to continue cleaning.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and to provide an autonomous mobile device capable of traveling a fixed route easily and in a short time and reducing the risk of getting stuck in the middle of the route. To provide an autonomous driving method.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an autonomous mobile device and an autonomous traveling method for autonomously traveling a movable trolley while passing through a plurality of waypoints p within a specified area. When autonomously traveling up to _i , the self-position of the mobile cart is estimated by a method such as comparing the obstacle information a obtained in real time with the rangefinder and the obstacle position information a ₀ stored in advance, and this estimation The traveling route to the waypoint _pi is calculated using the self-position and the waypoint information b stored in advance, and the mobile cart is moved to the waypoint _pi according to the traveling route. . Then, in order to prevent the mobile trolley from getting stuck during autonomous travel, when it is determined that the mobile trolley in motion is in a stuck state where it cannot reach the waypoint _pi , the pre-stored waypoint information b and more preferably, even if it is determined that the traveling route of the mobile vehicle cannot be generated based on the obstacle information a, the pre-stored waypoint information b Based on this, an abnormality process is performed to change the via point p of the movement destination of the mobile trolley. That is, for example, when applied to an autonomous traveling device that scrapes and cleans deposits in a designated area while autonomously traveling, the scraper for cleaning cannot push a large amount of deposits, resulting in a stuck state. In addition, when the travel route is blocked by an obstacle that is not included in the pre-stored obstacle position information _a0 , the mobile cart is moved based on the pre-stored waypoint information b. Abnormality processing is performed to change the previous waypoint p so that the carriage does not get stuck during autonomous travel.

That is, the features of the autonomous mobile device and the autonomous mobile method of the present invention for solving the above problems are as follows.
[1] An autonomous mobile device that autonomously travels a mobile trolley (1) equipped with a driving device (2) for travel while passing through a plurality of waypoints (p) within a designated area (A),
Estimate the self-position of the mobile trolley (1), and based on the estimated self-position and the pre-stored waypoint information b, determine the travel route to the waypoint (p _i ) to which the mobile trolley (1) is moved. an arithmetic and control unit (4) for controlling the driving device (2) so that the mobile carriage (1) moves to the waypoint (p _i ) along its travel route,
An arithmetic control unit (4) determines whether or not a mobile trolley (1) moving toward a waypoint (p _i ) is in a stuck state in which it cannot reach the waypoint (p _i ). If it is determined that there is, the driving device (2) changes the waypoint (p) to which the mobile carriage (1) should be moved, and moves the mobile carriage (1) to the changed waypoint (p _n ). An autonomous mobile device characterized by controlling the

[2] The autonomous mobile device of [1] above, further comprising a rangefinder (3) that measures the surrounding environment of the mobile trolley (1) and acquires obstacle information a,
The arithmetic and control unit (4) compares the obstacle position information _a0 in the designated area (A) stored in advance with the obstacle information a acquired by the range measuring device (3) to determine whether the mobile cart An autonomous mobile device characterized by estimating the self-position of (1).
[3] In the autonomous mobile device of [2] above, the arithmetic and control device (4) determines a waypoint ( It is determined whether or not a travel route to p _i ) can be generated, and if it is determined that it cannot be generated, the waypoint (p) to which the mobile carriage (1) is to be moved is changed, and the waypoint ( An autonomous mobile device, characterized by controlling a driving device (2) to move a mobile carriage (1) to p _n ).

[4] In the autonomous mobile device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, the mobile carriage (1) includes a work tool (5) for performing a predetermined work within the designated area (A), and an actuator (6) for driving the tool (5);
The waypoint information b includes the carriage position of the mobile carriage (1), the carriage posture of the mobile carriage (1), the operation command of the actuator (6), and the waypoint (p _n ) information.
[5] In the autonomous mobile device of [4] above, the work tool (5) is a cleaning scraper (5a) that scrapes and cleans deposits in the designated area (A),
Autonomous, characterized in that the actuator (6) is an actuator (6a) that drives the cleaning scraper (5a) so that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface. running device.
[6] In the autonomous mobile device of [4] above, the work tool (5) includes a cleaning scraper (5a) for scraping and cleaning deposits in the designated area (A), and a cleaning scraper (5a) for cleaning. a rotating brush (5b) for scraping off deposits before;
The actuator (6) drives the cleaning scraper (5a) so that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface, and the rotating brush (5b). An autonomous mobile device, characterized in that it is an actuator (6b) that drives to rotate.

[7] In the autonomous mobile device according to any one of [1] to [3] above, when the mobile carriage (1) moves to the waypoint (p _i ), the arithmetic and control device (4) controls the waypoint ( From the moving distance ΔL to p _i ) and the attitude angle change amount Δθ, the target running time T to the waypoint (p _i ) is calculated, and the elapsed time actual value t from the start of movement of the mobile trolley (1) and the target running time An autonomous mobile device characterized by determining whether or not a mobile carriage (1) is in a stuck state by comparing T.
[8] The autonomous mobile device of [2] or [3] above, further comprising a movement amount detection device (7) for detecting the movement amount of the mobile carriage (1) from the operation amount of the drive device (2),
Arithmetic control unit (4) compares pre-stored obstacle position information _a0 in specified area (A) with obstacle information a acquired by rangefinder (3). An autonomous mobile device characterized by estimating the self-position of a mobile vehicle (1) by a particle filter based on the SLAM algorithm using the movement amount of the mobile vehicle (1) detected by a movement amount detection device (7). .

[9] An autonomous traveling method for autonomously traveling a mobile trolley (1) equipped with a driving device (2) for traveling while passing through a plurality of waypoints (p) within a designated area (A),
A step (a) of estimating the self-position of the mobile trolley (1);
Based on the estimated self-position and pre-stored way point information b, a travel route to a waypoint (p _i ) for moving the mobile vehicle (1) is calculated, and the mobile vehicle (1) moves along the travel route step (a) of controlling the driving device (2) to move to the waypoint (p _i ) according to
It is determined whether or not the mobile trolley (1) moving toward the waypoint (p _i ) is in a stuck state in which it cannot reach the waypoint (p _i ), and if it is determined to be in a stuck state, movement is performed. A step (c) of changing the waypoint (p) to which the carriage (1) should be moved and controlling the driving device (2) to move the mobile carriage (1) to the changed waypoint (p _n ); An autonomous driving method characterized by comprising:

[10] In the autonomous driving method of [9] above, in the step (a), the range measuring device (3) measures the surrounding environment of the mobile trolley (1) to obtain obstacle information a, which is stored in advance. It is characterized by estimating the self-position of the mobile trolley (1) by comparing the obstacle position information a ₀ in the designated area (A) where it is located and the obstacle information a acquired by the rangefinder (3) Autonomous driving method.
[11] In the autonomous traveling method of [10] above, further traveling to a waypoint (p _i ) to which the mobile cart (1) should move based on the obstacle information a acquired by the rangefinder (3) It is determined whether or not a route can be generated, and if it is determined that it cannot be generated, the waypoint (p) to which the mobile carriage (1) is to be moved is changed, and the mobile carriage is moved to the changed waypoint (p _n ). An autonomous traveling method characterized by comprising a step (d) of controlling a driving device (2) to move (1).

[12] In the autonomous traveling method according to any one of [9] to [11] above, the mobile trolley (1) includes a work tool (5) for performing a predetermined work within the designated area (A), and an actuator (6) for driving the tool (5);
An autonomous traveling method characterized by performing work with a working tool (5) while traveling a mobile trolley (1) within a designated area (A).
[13] In the autonomous traveling method of [12] above, the work tool (5) is a cleaning scraper (5a) for scraping and cleaning sediments on the ground within the designated area (A),
The actuator (6) is an actuator (6a) that drives the cleaning scraper (5a) so that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface,
The mobile trolley (1) is driven within the designated area (A), and while the scraper (5a) for cleaning is driven by the actuator (6a), the deposit is scraped by the scraper (5a) for cleaning, and the scraped deposit is scraped off. An autonomous driving method characterized by moving to a predetermined place and accumulating.

[14] In the autonomous traveling method of [12] above, the work tool (5) includes a cleaning scraper (5a) for scraping and cleaning deposits on the ground within the specified area (A), and the cleaning scraper (5a) ), a rotating brush (5b) for scraping the deposits in front of
The actuator (6) drives the cleaning scraper (5a) so that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface, and the rotating brush (5b). A rotationally driven actuator (6b),
The mobile cart (1) is driven within the specified area (A), and the cleaning scraper (5a) and the rotating brush (5b) are driven by the actuators (6a) and (6b) to rotate the cleaning scraper (5a). An autonomous traveling method characterized by collecting deposits with a brush (5b), moving the collected deposits to a predetermined location, and accumulating them.

In the present _invention , the mobile trolley is made to travel autonomously while passing through a plurality of waypoints p within a designated area. The self-position of the mobile trolley is estimated by a method such as comparing information a with pre-stored obstacle position information _a0 , and this estimated self-position and pre-stored waypoint information b are used. Since the travel route to the via point _pi is calculated and the mobile carriage is moved to the via point _pi according to the travel route, the mobile carriage can be easily moved to a desired location along the fixed route in a short time. For example, when applied to an autonomous mobile device that scrapes and cleans deposits in a designated area with a cleaning scraper (including when using a rotating brush) while autonomously traveling, the same area is cleaned every time. can be cleaned in the same pattern, and deposits can be accumulated at designated locations, so that designated areas can be cleaned easily and efficiently in a short time.

When it is determined that the moving vehicle is in a stuck state where it cannot reach the waypoint _pi , the waypoint p to which the mobile vehicle moves is changed based on the waypoint information b stored in advance. More preferably, even when it is determined that the traveling route of the mobile vehicle cannot be generated based on the obstacle information a, the abnormality is such that the waypoint p of the destination of the mobile vehicle is changed based on the waypoint information b stored in advance. Since the processing is performed, the risk of the mobile trolley getting stuck during autonomous travel can be reduced, and the mobile trolley can be moved to a desired location more reliably and in a short time by autonomous travel.

For this reason, for example, when applied to an autonomous traveling device that scrapes and cleans deposits in a designated area with a cleaning scraper (including a case where a rotating brush is also used) while autonomously traveling, the cleaning scraper If a large amount of deposits cannot be pushed through and become stuck, or if the travel route is blocked by an obstacle that is not included in the pre-stored obstacle position information _a0 , the pre-stored Abnormality processing is performed to change the waypoint p of the movement destination of the mobile trolley based on the waypoint information b that has been stored, so that the mobile trolley can be prevented from being stuck during autonomous travel. can be done systematically. In addition, even when changing the waypoint p of the movement destination of the mobile cart when a stuck state occurs or the travel route cannot be generated, the waypoint p of the change destination is specified in advance, so a complicated abnormality processing program can be executed. It has the advantage of not needing to be implemented.
From the above, the autonomous traveling device and method of the present invention are suitable as a cleaning device for the top of a coke oven where coal dust (falling powder) accumulates, and the work of cleaning and removing deposits can be performed efficiently and appropriately. can do.

1 is a side view schematically showing an embodiment of an autonomous mobile device of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the autonomous mobile device of the embodiment of FIG. 1; FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a control system of each component of the autonomous mobile device of the embodiment of FIG. 1; Block diagram of the arithmetic and control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing another embodiment of the autonomous mobile device of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a plan view of the autonomous mobile device of the embodiment of FIG. 5 FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the control logic of the autonomous mobile device of the present invention; Explanatory diagram showing the building plane where the test described in the example was performed in a coordinate system FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing, based on FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing, based on FIG. 9, the movement trajectory of the autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) of the example of the present invention in Test Example 1 of the embodiment; FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing, based on FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing, based on FIG. 11, the movement locus of the autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) of the example of the present invention in Test Example 2 of the embodiment; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing, based on FIG. 11, the movement trajectory of a conventional autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) in Test Example 2 of the embodiment; FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing, based on FIG. 8, the cleaning route by the autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) of the example of the present invention in Test Example 3 of the embodiment. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the movement trajectory of the autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) of the example of the present invention in Test Example 3 of the embodiment based on FIG. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing, based on FIG. 14, the movement trajectory of a conventional autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) in Test Example 3 of the embodiment; Explanatory drawing showing an overview of DEM analysis in Test Example 4 of the embodiment Explanatory drawing showing the shape of scrapers and rotary brushes of Types A and B in Test Example 4 of the embodiment Explanatory drawing showing the shape of Type C scraper/rotating brush in Test Example 4 of the embodiment Graph showing the number of remaining particles around the obstacle (pillar) in Test Example 4 of the embodiment

The autonomous traveling apparatus of the present invention is an autonomous traveling apparatus in which a mobile carriage 1 equipped with a driving device 2 for travel is autonomously traveled in a designated area A while passing through a plurality of waypoints p. to the waypoint _pi autonomously, the self-position of the mobile trolley 1 is determined by a method such as comparing the obstacle information a obtained in real time with the rangefinder and the obstacle position information _a0 stored in advance. Then, using this estimated self-position and pre-stored waypoint information b, the travel route to the waypoint _pi is calculated, and the mobile vehicle 1 is moved to the waypoint _pi according to the travel route. The basic principle is to let Then, in order to prevent the mobile cart 1 from getting stuck during this autonomous travel, when it is determined that the mobile cart 1 is in a stuck state where it cannot reach the waypoint _pi , a pre-stored waypoint It is stored in advance even when it is determined that the travel route of the mobile trolley 1 cannot be generated based on the obstacle information a, and more preferably, when it is determined that the travel route of the mobile trolley 1 cannot be generated based on the point information b. Abnormality processing is performed to change the waypoint p of the movement destination of the mobile trolley 1 based on the waypoint information b.

For this reason, the autonomous mobile device of the present invention performs the mobile carriage 1 equipped with the driving device 2 for traveling, the estimation of the self-position of the mobile carriage 1, the calculation of the travel route, and the determination of the stuck state. Arithmetic control device 4 for controlling the driving device 2 to autonomously travel the mobile carriage 1 based on the above, and more preferably, a movement amount detection device 7 for detecting the movement amount of the mobile carriage 1 from the operation amount of the driving device 2. Prepare. The constituent members of the device of the present invention will be described later in detail, taking the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 as an example.
As a case where the mobile trolley 1 gets stuck in a stuck state while autonomously traveling, for example, it is applied to an autonomous traveling device (cleaning device) that scrapes and cleans deposits in the designated area A with a cleaning scraper while autonomously traveling. In such a case, the scraper for cleaning cannot push out a large amount of deposits, resulting in a stuck state, but the present invention is not limited to this.

A driving device 2 for traveling provided in the mobile carriage 1 includes a traveling rotator such as a wheel or endless track, a driving source such as a motor for rotating the traveling rotator, and steering means for the traveling rotator. .
In addition, the estimation of the self-position of the mobile trolley 1 can be performed by, for example, providing a range measuring device 3 to the autonomous mobile device, measuring the surrounding environment of the mobile trolley 1 with this range measuring device 3, acquiring obstacle information a, and obtaining obstacle information a in advance. The calculation control unit 4 compares the stored obstacle position information _a0 within the specified area A with the obstacle information a obtained by the range finding device 3 .
The range finding device 3 may acquire obstacle information a around the mobile trolley 1 in real time. Those that obtain a are used.
In addition to using the obstacle information a acquired by the range finding device 3, the self-position of the mobile trolley 1 may be estimated based on position information obtained by a satellite positioning system such as GPS.

The obstacle information a is shape and position information of obstacles (for example, structures, structural parts of buildings, facilities, and other objects) existing around the mobile cart 1 .
The obstacle position information _a0 is position information of an object that may hinder the movement of the mobile trolley 1 within the designated area A, and is usually position information of structures, structural parts of buildings, equipment, etc. However, these is not limited to
The waypoint information b is information about waypoints p when the mobile trolley 1 moves to the destination. Cart posture (cart posture angle θ), waypoint change destination n (waypoint p _n ) when waypoint p is changed, work tool 5 as described below for mobile car 1, and actuator for driving it 6, and j pieces of data are written in the order of waypoints p ₁ to _pj through which the mobile carriage 1 travels. The carriage attitude is the direction (azimuth angle) in which the mobile carriage 1 is facing in xy coordinates, that is, the azimuth angle (azimuth angle) at the point of arrival at the waypoint.
The obstacle position information _a0 and the waypoint information b are stored in advance in storage means (storage device).

Here, the obstacle position information _a0 stored in the storage means (storage device) may be information given by an obstacle map or the like, or information measured and stored in advance. may be As a method of measuring the obstacle position information _a0 in advance, for example, there is a method of using a 3D shape measuring device such as a 3D scanner. Specifically, the 3D shape of the specified area A is scanned using a 3D shape measuring device different from the mobile cart 1, and the obstacle position information _a0 is created by creating a 3D CAD model from the scan data. In this way, by creating the obstacle position information _a0 using the 3D shape measuring device, it is possible to reflect information such as deformation of obstacles due to retrofitted equipment and aged deterioration compared to the case of using an obstacle map. , and it is possible to create accurate obstacle position information _a0 .

The mobile carriage 1 can include a work tool 5 for performing a predetermined work within the designated area A and an actuator 6 (work actuator) for driving the work tool 5 .
Although there is no particular limitation on the work tool 5 provided on the mobile carriage 1, the autonomous mobile device of the present invention is suitable for a cleaning device that collects and cleans deposits within the designated area A while autonomously traveling. The work tool 5 is, for example, a cleaning scraper 5a that scrapes and cleans deposits within the designated area A, or a cleaning scraper 5a+rotating brush 5b.

Further, the mobile carriage 1 can be provided with various work tools 5 for performing predetermined work within the designated area A, not limited to the scraper 5 for cleaning described above. For example, a sprinkler for spraying cleaning liquid (such as water), an arm for lifting an object (such as a lid of a coal inlet) in the designated area A, and the like can be used. In that case, the actuator 6 drives the work tool 5, such as a sprinkler device or an arm, to move between the use position and the non-use position.
It should be noted that the mobile trolley 1 does not necessarily need to be equipped with the work tool 5 .

1 and 2 schematically show an embodiment of an autonomous mobile device of the present invention, where FIG. 1 is a side view and FIG. 2 is a plan view. The autonomous traveling device of the present embodiment is a cleaning device that scrapes and cleans deposits in the designated area A with the cleaning scraper 5a while autonomously traveling. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a control system for each component of this autonomous mobile device.
The autonomous mobile device includes a movable cart 1, and the movable cart 1 includes wheels 20, a drive source (such as a motor) for the wheels 20, a steering mechanism for the wheels 20, and the like as a driving device 2 for traveling. The driving device 2 allows the mobile carriage 1 to travel in any direction (forward or backward).

The movable cart 1 is equipped with a range measuring device 3, an arithmetic control device 4, a movement amount detector 7, a storage device 8, and the like. and an actuator 6a (actuator 6) for moving the cleaning scraper 5a up and down.
In addition, this autonomous traveling device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "cleaning device") cleans the road surface by scraping deposits (accumulated powder) on the road surface with the cleaning scraper 5a as it travels on the road surface. Therefore, it does not have a sediment suction mechanism or a sediment storage mechanism.

The range finding device 3 measures the distance between surrounding obstacles (for example, structures, structural parts of buildings, equipment, and other objects) and the mobile cart 1, or photographs the surroundings to detect the obstacles. 2D or 3D shape and position information acquisition device. Regardless of the type of the range finding device 3, for example, one or more of a laser range finder, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a radar sensor using radio waves, a depth camera, a stereo camera, etc. can be used. From the viewpoint of 2D or 3D laser type laser range finder is preferable.
The movement amount detection device 7 is composed of, for example, a wheel encoder or the like, and detects (estimates) the movement amount of the mobile trolley 1 from the movement amount of the wheels 20 constituting the driving device 2 .

In the storage device 8, the obstacle position information _a0 and the waypoint information b in the designated area A are stored in advance. As described above, the obstacle position information _a0 within the specified area A usually includes position information of structures, structural parts of buildings, facilities, etc., and the waypoint information b includes: Carriage position (x coordinate, y coordinate) of mobile carrier 1 at each waypoint p, carrier attitude of mobile carrier 1 (carriage posture angle θ), operation command m of actuator 6, and mobile carrier 1 is in a stuck state. This includes information on the waypoint change destination n (waypoint p _n ) in the event that a travel route cannot be generated. By giving an actuator operation command m that specifies the carriage position (x coordinate, y coordinate), the carriage posture (posture angle θ of the carriage), and the actuator operation (raising, lowering operation) to be taken by the mobile carriage 1 at each waypoint p , the movable carriage 1 can be moved to a desired position, and the sediments in a desired area can be collected and accumulated at a desired position. In addition, by giving information of a waypoint change destination n (waypoint _pn ) when the mobile carriage 1 is in a stuck state or when a travel route cannot be generated, the mobile carriage 1 can be prevented from being stuck.
Note that the method of determining the waypoint change destination n (waypoint p _n ) is arbitrary, but in general, a waypoint that allows for the most efficient movement and work is selected as the waypoint change destination.

The arithmetic and control unit 4 causes the mobile trolley 1 to travel autonomously so as to reach the destination point (the final waypoint p) through the predetermined waypoints p in sequence. At that time, the obstacle position information a ₀ in the designated area A stored in advance in the storage device 8 is compared with the obstacle information a acquired by measuring the surrounding environment with the rangefinder 3 to move. Estimate the self-position of the trolley 1 . This self-position estimation method preferably uses a SLAM algorithm using a Kalman filter, an extended Kalman filter, a particle filter, a Bayesian filter, etc. In particular, it is possible to estimate the self-position of the mobile trolley by a particle filter based on the SLAM algorithm. is preferred.

Further, when estimating the self-position by the SLAM algorithm, in addition to the obstacle position information a ₀ and the obstacle information a obtained by the measurement by the range measuring device 3, the movement amount detection device 7 such as a wheel encoder By combining odometry, the self-position of the mobile trolley 1 can be estimated with high accuracy while reducing the computational load. Further, instead of the odometry by the movement amount detection device 7, information such as positioning by GPS and IMU output can be combined, and similar effects can be expected.

The arithmetic and control unit 4 calculates a traveling route to the waypoint _pi for moving the mobile carriage 1 based on the waypoint information b stored in advance in the storage device 8 and the estimated self-position (calculating the traveling route ), and controls the driving device 2 so that the mobile carriage 1 moves to the waypoint _pi according to its traveling route. By repeating the calculation of the traveling route and the control of the mobile carriage 1 based on the calculation for each waypoint p for cyclic movement, the mobile carriage 1 is caused to autonomously travel to the destination point (the final waypoint p). . That is, when the movable vehicle 1 moves toward the i-th waypoint p in order to travel through the predetermined waypoints p in order and autonomously travel to the final waypoint p, the waypoint information b is read. It is set as a next waypoint, and a travel route is generated (calculated) and autonomous travel is performed. When the mobile trolley 1 reaches the i-th way point p, the way point information b of the (i+1)-th way point p is read and set as the next way point to move autonomously. Repeat until p is reached. When the mobile trolley 1 autonomously travels toward the i-th waypoint p, it normally estimates its own position at regular time intervals until it reaches the target point (i-th waypoint p). A travel route to the target point is generated based on the determined self-position, and the vehicle travels along the travel route. While repeating this procedure, the vehicle travels toward the target point, and reaches the target point (the i-th waypoint p) when the distance between the target point and the self-position that is sequentially estimated falls below a certain value. It is determined that
Further, the arithmetic and control unit 4, "While the mobile trolley 1 is moving toward the i-th way point p" or/and "After reaching the i-th way point p", the i-th way point The actuator 6b is controlled based on the actuator operation command m in the information b, and the cleaning scraper 5a is driven so that the cleaning scraper 5a moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface.

Furthermore, in order to prevent the mobile cart 1 from getting stuck during autonomous travel, the arithmetic and control unit 4 determines whether the mobile cart 1 moving toward the waypoint _pi is in a stuck state in which it cannot reach the waypoint _pi . If it is determined that the mobile cart 1 is in a stuck state, the waypoint p to which the mobile cart 1 should be moved is changed based on the waypoint information b, and the mobile carriage 1 is moved to the waypoint change destination n (waypoint p _n ). The driving device 2 is controlled to move the carriage 1 . That is, when it is determined that a stuck state is reached while heading for the i-th waypoint p, the n-th waypoint information By changing and setting b to the next waypoint p, the stagnation of the mobile trolley 1 is avoided.
As described above, as a case where the mobile cart 1 is stuck in a stuck state during autonomous travel, for example, there is a case where the scraper 5a for cleaning cannot push a large amount of deposits and the stuck state occurs. Examples include, but are not limited to.

Whether or not it is in a stuck state can be determined, for example, by the travel time (elapsed time t from the start of travel) to the waypoint _pi . In this case, when the mobile cart 1 moves to the waypoint _pi , the arithmetic and control unit 4 calculates the movement distance ΔL to the waypoint _pi and the attitude angle change amount Δθ (change in the attitude angle θ of the cart). A target travel time T (target travel time) from the point pi to the via point _pi is calculated, and the elapsed time t (actual value) from the start of movement of the mobile trolley 1 is compared with the target travel time T to determine whether the mobile trolley 1 is Determine whether or not it is in a stuck state. That is, when the elapsed time t exceeds the target running time T (t>T), it is determined that the vehicle is stuck.

Here, the target running time T is, for example, the distance between the i-th and i+1-th way points p when the i-th way point p is reached and the i+1-th way point p is set as the next way point. Calculation is performed using ΔL and attitude angle change amount Δθ (change in attitude angle θ of the truck). The target running time T is preferably calculated by the following equation (1) using coefficients α, β, and γ determined by taking into account the translational speed and turning speed of the mobile trolley. Acceleration/deceleration, turning acceleration/deceleration, etc., may be taken into consideration and derived by other equations.
T = αΔL + βΔθ + γ (1)

As another method for determining whether or not the vehicle is in a stuck state, for example, an autonomous mobile device that autonomously travels and cleans the designated area A by scraping the deposits in the designated area A with the cleaning scraper 5a as in the present embodiment. In this case, a load detector such as a load cell is provided on the support arm 9 of the cleaning scraper 5a. It may be determined whether or not the mobile trolley 1 is in a stuck state by comparing the load detected by the load detector with a threshold value. In addition, a camera is attached to the movable cart 1 to photograph the deposits to be scraped by the cleaning scraper 5a, and the accumulated state of the deposits is checked by image recognition to determine that the movable cart 1 is in a stuck state. Alternatively, it may be determined that the mobile trolley 1 is in a stuck state when a state of no movement for a predetermined time or longer is detected by observing the change in the position of the mobile trolley 1 over time.

More preferably, the arithmetic and control unit 4 detects obstacles not included in the obstacle position information _a0 stored in advance in the storage device 8 (for example, an object placed on the travel route to perform a certain task). In order to prevent the traveling route from being blocked by the movable cart 1 and the movable cart 1 to be stuck, based on the obstacle information a acquired by the measurement by the range measuring device 3, the via point p _i If it is determined that it cannot be generated, the waypoint p to which the mobile carriage 1 should be moved is changed based on the waypoint information b, and the waypoint change destination n (waypoint The driving device 2 is controlled to move the mobile carriage 1 to the point p _n ). That is, when it is determined that the travel route cannot be generated by the obstacle information a when heading to or on the way to the i-th waypoint p, the waypoint at the time of stacking the i-th wayway information b By referring to the change destination n and setting the n-th waypoint information b to the next waypoint p, the stagnation of the mobile trolley 1 is avoided.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the arithmetic and control unit 4. As shown in FIG. The arithmetic control unit 4 includes a self-position estimation unit 40, a route generation unit 41, a control unit 42, a stack determination unit 43, a route generation determination unit 44, and the like.
In moving the mobile trolley 1 to the waypoint _pi , the self-position estimation unit 40 uses the obstacle position information _a0 stored in the storage device 8 and the obstacle The self-position of the mobile trolley 1 is estimated by taking in the object information a and comparing (verifying) both pieces of information. Here, when performing self-position estimation by the SLAM algorithm, the amount of movement of the mobile trolley 1 detected by the movement amount detection device 7 (wheel encoder, etc.) is taken in, and by combining the odometry by the movement amount detection device 7, the self-position A position estimate can be made.

The route generating unit 41 takes in the information of the self-position estimated by the self-position estimating unit 40 and the waypoint information b stored in the storage device 8, and based on these, the waypoint p _i A travel route to is generated (calculated) and output to the control unit 42 . Based on the command, the control unit 42 controls the driving device 2 so that the mobile carriage 1 moves to the intermediate point _pi according to the traveling route. Here, based on the information of the self-position taken from the self-position estimation unit 40, the route generation unit 41 reaches the waypoint _pi when the distance between the self-position and the waypoint _pi becomes equal to or less than a certain value. judge that it did.
In addition, the route generation unit 41 outputs to the control unit 42 an operation command for the actuator 6 (actuator 6a in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2) based on the waypoint information b _regarding the waypoint pi, and based on the command, the control A unit 42 controls the actuator 6 .
The stuck determination unit 43 receives the elapsed time t from the start of movement from the control unit 42, compares this elapsed time t with the target running time T, and when t>T, the vehicle is moving toward the waypoint _pi . It is determined that the mobile trolley 1 is in a stuck state in which it cannot reach the waypoint _pi , and the stuck occurrence information is output to the route generation unit 41 . Based on this, the route generation unit 41 changes the waypoint p to which the mobile carriage 1 should be moved according to the waypoint information b, and generates (calculates) a travel route to the changed waypoint _pn . is output to the control unit 42 . Based on the command, the control unit 42 controls the driving device 2 so that the mobile carriage 1 moves to the waypoint _pn according to the traveling route. Further, the route generation unit 41 outputs an operation command for the actuator 6 based on the waypoint information b regarding the waypoint _pn to the control unit 42, and the control unit 42 controls the actuator 6 based on the command.

The route generation determination unit 44 takes in obstacle information a obtained by measuring the surrounding environment with the rangefinder 3, and based on this obstacle information a, the traveling route to the waypoint _pi to which the mobile carriage 1 should move is determined. It determines whether or not it can be generated, and outputs route generation impossibility information to the route generation unit 41 when it is determined that it cannot be generated. Based on this, the route generation unit 41 changes the waypoint p to which the mobile carriage 1 should be moved according to the waypoint information b, generates (calculates) a travel route to the changed waypoint _pn , and calculates it. Output to the control unit 42 . Based on the command, the control unit 42 controls the driving device 2 so that the mobile carriage 1 moves to the waypoint _pn according to the traveling route. Further, the route generation unit 41 outputs an operation command for the actuator 6 based on the waypoint information b regarding the waypoint _pn to the control unit 42, and the control unit 42 controls the actuator 6 based on the command.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning scraper 5a, which is the work tool 5, is a member that scrapes deposits (accumulated powder) on the road surface as the mobile carriage 1 travels with its lower end in contact with the road surface. In the present embodiment, it is composed of a plate-shaped (wall-shaped) dozer member arranged along the width direction on the front side of the mobile carriage 1 (the front side in the traveling direction during cleaning), and the mobile carriage 1 via a support arm 9 so as to be vertically movable.
The actuator 6a drives the cleaning scraper 5a via the support arm 9 so that the cleaning scraper 5a moves up and down to contact or leave the road surface. Further, it is preferable that the cleaning scraper 5a is always pressed against the ground by the actuator 6a so that the lower end of the cleaning scraper 5a is in close contact with the ground (cleaning surface) while the cleaning scraper 5a is in contact with the road surface. When the object to be cleaned is coal powder, it is not necessary to control the pressing force, but depending on the particle size and density of the sediment, the pressing force may be controlled.

A slide-type guide mechanism (so-called slide guide, etc.) is normally used as a mechanism for vertically movably supporting the cleaning scraper 5a. This guide mechanism is composed of, for example, a guide portion provided along the vertical direction on the carriage 1 and a slide member provided on the support arm 9 and engaged with the guide portion so as to be slidable. The actuator 6a drives the cleaning scraper 5a so that the cleaning scraper 5a moves up and down by moving the slide member of the support arm 9 up and down along the guide so that it touches or separates from the road surface. do. The actuator 6a is composed of, for example, a hydraulic cylinder, a ball screw, or the like.

The cleaning scraper 5a has a plate-like main body 50 (dozer main body) along the width direction of the mobile cart 1, and encloses (damages) the collected deposits so as not to escape to the outside in the width direction of the mobile cart. For this purpose, side plate portions 51 (side dozer portions) are connected to both ends of the plate-like main body portion 50 . That is, the cleaning scraper 5a is configured in a flat U-shape by a plate-like body portion 50 and side plate portions 51 connected to both ends thereof.
The main body of the cleaning scraper 5a is usually composed of a metal plate-like member or the like, but at least a part of the lower end (for example, the lower end of the plate-like main body 50) scrapes the deposits on the road surface. In order to make it easier, it is preferable to configure it with a rubber flat plate, a resin or metal brush, etc. In particular, deposits with a small particle size and bulk density such as coal powder (usually, coal powder has a particle size of 1 mm or less) , bulk density of 1.0 g/cm ³ or less), and the sediments can be recovered with high dust collection efficiency. However, a flat plate made of resin or metal may be used depending on the properties of the surface to be cleaned (unevenness, etc.), the particle size of the sediments, and the density.

The scraper 5a for cleaning may be supported by the movable cart 1 via a support arm so as to be vertically rotatable. It moves (drives), and is composed of, for example, a rotary actuator provided at the pivot portion of the support arm, or a hydraulic cylinder connected between the carriage 1 and the support arm.
The cleaning device comprising the cleaning scraper 5a and the actuator 6a as described above runs with the lower end of the cleaning scraper 5a in close contact with the road surface by the actuator 6a, thereby reliably and efficiently removing deposits on the road surface. The collected sediments can be moved to a predetermined place and accumulated. In addition, since the cleaning scraper 5a is vertically movable, when cleaning is not performed, the mobile carriage 1 can be driven with the lower end of the cleaning scraper 5a separated from the road surface.

5 and 6 schematically show another embodiment of the autonomous mobile device of the present invention, where FIG. 5 is a side view and FIG. 6 is a plan view. The autonomous mobile device of the present embodiment is also a cleaning device that scrapes and cleans deposits within the designated area A while autonomously traveling. , and a rotating brush 5b for scraping off deposits is provided in front (front or front center) of this cleaning scraper 5a.
The number of rotating brushes 5b may be one or plural, and their arrangement is arbitrary, but normally, as shown in FIG. be done. In this embodiment, the cleaning scraper 5a includes only the plate-like body portion 50 (dozer body portion), and the rotating brushes 5b are arranged at both ends of the plate-like body portion 50 in the width direction. 1 and 2, and a pair of rotating brushes 5b may be arranged outside the distal end portions of both side plate portions 52 of the scraper 5a.

Each rotating brush 5b has an actuator 6b for rotational driving. Therefore, the cleaning device of this embodiment includes an actuator 6a for driving the cleaning scraper 5a so that the cleaning scraper 5a moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface, and a rotating brush 5b. It has an actuator 6b that is rotationally driven.
Each rotating brush 5b is a vertical rotating brush whose rotation axis is substantially perpendicular to the road surface (including cases where it has a certain inclination with respect to the vertical direction). Deposits deposited on the road surface can be scraped out in front of or in the front center of the cleaning scraper 5a. The rotary brush 5b may be a horizontal rotary brush whose rotary shaft is substantially parallel to the road surface (including cases where it has a constant inclination with respect to the horizontal direction). Further, the rotating brush 5b may be configured so that its rotation speed can be controlled according to the particle size and density of the sediments.

The basic configuration and function of the cleaning scraper 5a and the actuator 6a for driving it are as described in the embodiment of FIGS.
5 and 6, when the work tool 5 includes a cleaning scraper 5a and a rotating brush 5b, the actuator operation command m included in the waypoint information b includes the cleaning scraper 5a. In addition to those relating to operation, those relating to the operation of the rotating brush 5b are also included. Based on the actuator operation command m, the arithmetic and control unit 4 controls the actuator 6a to drive the cleaning scraper 5a, and also controls the actuator 6b as indicated by the phantom lines in the configuration diagram of FIG. to rotate (including driving and stopping) the rotating brush 5b.

The autonomous traveling method of the autonomous traveling device is performed according to the flow shown in FIG. The mobile trolley 1 starts from the initial position, and in step S1, the route point number i=1 (route point p _i =p ₁ ) is set. Then, in step S2, the waypoint information b of waypoint number 1 (waypoint p ₁ ) is read, and in step S3, the target running time T to the waypoint number 1 is calculated. Also, the self-position of the mobile trolley 1 is estimated in step S4, and the traveling route is generated in step S5.
If the travel route can be generated (success in step S5), autonomous travel is started toward waypoint number 1 (waypoint p ₁ ) in step S6. On the other hand, if the travel route could not be generated (step S5 failed), the waypoint number i (waypoint p _i ) is changed to the waypoint change destination n in step S7, and the waypoint number i is changed to the waypoint n in step S8. Determine if the score is greater than j. If the waypoint number i is less than or equal to the number of waypoints j (No in step S8), the process returns to step S2 and the waypoint information of the waypoint change destination n is read. On the other hand, if the waypoint number i is greater than the number of waypoints j (Yes in step S8), an error is determined in step S9, an error is displayed, and the flow ends.

During autonomous driving toward waypoint number 1 (waypoint p ₁ ) in step S6, the elapsed time t from the start of traveling is measured, and in step S10 it is determined whether or not the elapsed time t exceeds the target travel time T. do. If the elapsed time t does not exceed the target travel time T (No in step S10), it is determined in step S11 whether the target point (via point number 1) has been reached. On the other hand, if the elapsed time t exceeds the target running time T (Yes in step S10), the process proceeds to step S7, and thereafter the flow is the same as described above. That is, in step S7, the waypoint number i (waypoint p _i ) is changed to the waypoint change destination n, and in step S8, it is determined whether or not the waypoint number i is greater than the number of waypoints j. If the waypoint number i is less than or equal to the number of waypoints j (No in step S8), the process returns to step S2 and the waypoint information of the waypoint change destination n is read. On the other hand, if the waypoint number i is greater than the number of waypoints j (Yes in step S8), an error is determined in step S9, an error is displayed, and the flow ends.

Whether or not the target point (via point number 1) has been reached in step S11 is determined based on the estimation of the self-position. That is, until the target point is reached, the self-position is estimated at regular time intervals, a travel route to the target point is generated based on the estimated self-position, and the vehicle travels along the travel route. While repeating this procedure, the vehicle travels toward the target point, and when the distance between the sequentially estimated self-position and the target point (via point number 1) becomes equal to or less than a certain value, it is determined that the vehicle has reached the target point. If it is determined that the target point (via point number 1) has been reached (Yes in step S11), the next via point is set in step S12 (i=i+1), and in step S13 the via point number i becomes the via point number j. Determine whether it is above (i≧j). If the waypoint number i is less than the number of waypoints j (No in step S13), the process returns to step S2 and repeats the flow after step S2. On the other hand, if the via point number i is greater than or equal to the via point number j in step S13 (Yes in step S13), the flow ends. If it is determined in step S11 that the target point (via point number 1) has not been reached (No in step S11), the process returns to step S2, and the flow from step S2 onwards is repeated.

Next, the autonomous driving method of the present invention will be described.
This autonomous traveling method is a method for autonomously traveling the mobile carriage 1 using the device configuration as described above. Therefore, it is an autonomous traveling method in which a mobile carriage 1 equipped with a driving device 2 for traveling is autonomously traveled in a designated area A while passing through a plurality of waypoints p. ), and based on the pre-stored waypoint information b and the estimated self-position, the traveling route to the waypoint _pi to which the mobile carriage 1 is to be moved is calculated, and the mobile carriage 1 travels along the traveling route. A step (a) of controlling the driving device ₂ so as to move to the point pi, and determining whether or not the mobile carriage 1 moving toward the waypoint _pi is in a stuck state in which it cannot reach the waypoint _pi . When it is determined that the vehicle is in a stuck state, changing the waypoint p to which the mobile vehicle 1 should be moved, and controlling the driving device 2 to move the mobile vehicle 1 to the changed waypoint _pn . (C) is provided.

In addition, this autonomous driving method can adopt more specific embodiments as shown in (i) to (v) below.
(i) In the step (a), the range measuring device 3 measures the surrounding environment of the mobile trolley 1 to obtain obstacle information _a . By comparing with the obstacle information a acquired by the ranging device 3, the self-position of the mobile trolley 1 is estimated.
(ii) Further, based on the obstacle information a acquired by the range finding device 3, it is determined whether or not a travel route to the waypoint _pi to which the mobile cart 1 should move can be generated, and it is determined that it cannot be generated. In this case, a step (d) of changing the waypoint p to which the mobile carriage 1 should be moved and controlling the driving device 2 to move the mobile carriage 1 to the changed waypoint _pn is provided.

(iii) The mobile carriage 1 includes a work tool 5 for performing a predetermined work within the designated area A and an actuator 6 for driving the work tool 5. The work is performed with the work tool 5 while
(iv) In the case of (iii) above, the work tool 5 is a cleaning scraper 5a that scrapes and cleans deposits on the ground within the designated area A, and the actuator 6 moves the cleaning scraper 5a vertically. The actuator 6a drives the scraper 5a for cleaning so that it touches the road surface or separates from the road surface. The scraper 5a scrapes the deposits, moves the scraped deposits to a predetermined location, and accumulates them.

(v) In the case of (iii) above, the work tool 5 includes a cleaning scraper 5a for scraping and cleaning deposits on the ground within the designated area A, and a rotating brush for scraping the deposits in front of the cleaning scraper 5a. 5b. The actuator 6 includes an actuator 6a that drives the cleaning scraper 5a so that the cleaning scraper 5a moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface, and an actuator 6b that rotates the rotating brush 5b. The mobile trolley 1 is driven within the designated area A, and while the cleaning scraper 5a and the rotating brush 5b are driven by the actuators 6a and 6b, deposits are scraped by the cleaning scraper 5a and the rotating brush 5b, and the scraped deposits are removed. Move it to the designated place and stack it.

The details of the autonomous traveling method of the present invention as described above and the device used for implementing the method are as described above for the autonomous traveling device, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The autonomous traveling device and method of the present invention are suitable as a cleaning device for the top of a coke oven where coal dust (falling powder) is deposited, and can efficiently and appropriately clean and remove deposits. .

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for the autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) of the present invention equipped with a cleaning scraper 5a as a work tool 5, multiple pillars (obstruction The following cleaning tests (Test Examples 1 to 3) were conducted in a building where objects were lined up. In this test, coal dust to be cleaned was sprayed between the pillars in advance, and while the cleaning device was running autonomously, the coal dust was scraped by the cleaning scraper 5a and collected at the coal dust collection site.
The cleaning scraper 5a provided in the cleaning device has a width of 0.4 m, and the lower end portion is composed of a flat plate made of rubber.
Figure 8 shows the plane of the building where the test was carried out in a coordinate system, showing the positions of multiple pillars, the area where coal dust was scattered, the initial position of the truck (starting point), the final position of the truck (end point), and the coal dust collection. location is indicated.

FIG. 9 shows the cleaning route by the cleaning device (Points [1] to [13] described below are indicated by circled numbers in FIG. 9. The same applies to FIGS. 10 to 16. ), the cleaning route by this cleaning device cleans (moves) between point [1] → point [2], collects coal dust, and temporarily stores and accumulates near point [2]. Similarly, between point [3] → point [4], between point [5] → point [6], between point [7] → point [8], and between point [9] → point [10] in sequence. (move) to collect coal dust and temporarily store and accumulate near point [4], point [6], point [8], and point [10], respectively. Next, clean (move) between point [11] → point [12], collect the coal powder temporarily accumulated in multiple places as described above, and collect all the coal at the coal powder collection site at point [12]. It is a route that accumulates powder and then heads for the final point [13].

Table 1 shows the xy coordinates of points [1] to [13].

The cleaning device performs cleaning along the cleaning route passing through the points [ ₁ ] to [ ₁₃ ] as described above. FIG. Table 2 also shows the waypoint information b given to the cleaning device for each waypoint. This waypoint information b is a csv file containing only numerical values. From the left, the x-coordinate of the truck position, the y-coordinate, and the attitude angle θ of the truck (indicating which direction the truck is facing when it reaches the waypoint). ), an actuator operation command m (indicating how to operate the cleaning scraper 5a until reaching the waypoint), when it is determined that the cleaning scraper 5a is stuck, and when it is determined that the travel route cannot be generated. It is the waypoint change destination n (the waypoint p _n of the change destination), and the mobile trolley 1 reads in order from the first line as waypoints and performs autonomous travel. The actuator operation command m is "1" for pushing the cleaning scraper 5a down onto the road surface, and "0" for lifting the cleaning scraper 5a away from the road surface. The reason why the change destination n of the waypoint _p17 is _p18 , which does not actually exist, is that the waypoint _p17 is the final position, so that an error is forcibly caused to end the process.

As long as the cleaning device does not "become stuck in the middle of movement" or "cannot generate a traveling route", the cleaning device sequentially passes through the waypoints p ₁ to p ₁₆ based on the waypoint information b in Table 2. ₁₇ (the final position), and at each waypoint, it performs an operation based on the waypoint information b (turning of the mobile trolley 1 based on the trolley attitude angle θ, operation of the actuator 6 based on the actuator movement command m). That is, the following movements and actions are performed (see FIG. 9).
First, it moves from the initial position to the point [1] (via point p ₁ ), where the cleaning scraper 5a is lowered onto the road surface and its lower end is pressed against the road surface.
The operation of raising and lowering the cleaning scraper 5a based on the waypoint information b of the next waypoint _pi may be executed during movement before reaching the waypoint _pi , but It is preferably executed when starting a move to _i .

Move forward to clean (move) from point [1] (route point p ₁ ) to point [2] (route point p ₂ ), collect coal dust, and temporarily store and accumulate near point [2]. At this point [2] (waypoint p ₂ ), the cleaning scraper 5a is lifted and separated from _the road surface. Next, while moving to the point [3] (via point p ₄ ), the mobile carriage 1 is turned by 90°, and the cleaning scraper 5a is lowered to the road surface and its lower end is pressed against the road surface.
Move forward to clean (move) between point [3] (route point p ₄ ) → point [4] (route point p ₅ ), collect coal dust, and temporarily store and accumulate near point [4]. At this point [4] (waypoint _p5 ), the cleaning scraper 5a is lifted and separated from the road surface, and then it turns 90 degrees while moving backward to return to point [3] (waypoint _p6 ). Next, while moving to the point [5] (via point _p7 ), the mobile carriage 1 is turned 90°, and the cleaning scraper 5a is lowered to the road surface and its lower end is pressed against the road surface.

Move forward to clean (move) between point [5] (waypoint _p7 ) and point [6] (waypoint _p8 ), collect coal dust, and temporarily store and accumulate near point [6]. At this point [6] (via point p ₈ ), the cleaning scraper 5a is lifted and separated from the road surface, and then it turns 90 degrees while moving backward to return to point [5] (via point p ₉ ). Next, while moving to point [7] (via point p ₁₀ ), mobile carriage 1 is rotated by 90°, and cleaning scraper 5a is lowered onto the road surface and its lower end is pressed against the road surface.
Move forward to clean (move) between point [7] (way point _p10 ) and point [8] (way point _p11 ), collect coal dust, and temporarily store and accumulate near point [8]. At this point [8] (waypoint _p11 ), the cleaning scraper 5a is lifted and separated from the road surface, and then it turns 90 degrees while moving backward to return to point [7] (waypoint _p12 ). Next, while moving to point [9] (via point p ₁₃ ), mobile carriage 1 is turned by 90°, and cleaning scraper 5a is lowered onto the road surface and its lower end is pressed against the road surface.

Move forward to clean (move) between point [9] (passage point _p13 ) and point [10] (passage point _p14 ), collect coal dust, and temporarily store and accumulate near point [10]. At this point [10] (via point p ₁₄ ), the scraper 5a for cleaning is lifted and separated from the road surface, and after turning the mobile cart 1 by 60°, it moves while moving to the point [11] (via point p ₁₅ ). The carriage 1 is turned by 150°, and the scraper 5a for cleaning is lowered to the road surface and its lower end is pressed against the road surface.
Cleaning (moving) between point [11] (way point p ₁₅ ) → point [12] (way point p ₁₆ ), collecting the coal dust temporarily accumulated at multiple places as described above, and collecting it at point [ 12] Accumulate all the coal dust at the coal dust collection point (waypoint p ₁₆ ). At this point [12] (via point p ₁₆ ), the scraper 5a for cleaning is lifted and separated from the road surface, and after turning the mobile cart 1 by 120°, it reaches the final position, point [13] (via point p ₁₇ ). Go and complete the cleaning task.

[Test Example 1]
In this test example, about 1 kg/m ² of coal powder was sprayed between the pillars to a substantially uniform thickness (the total amount of coal powder sprayed was 1.25 kg), and a cleaning test was performed using a cleaning device. . FIG. 10 shows the movement locus of the cleaning device based on FIG.
The cleaning device was able to move sequentially through waypoints p ₁ to p ₁₆ to waypoint p ₁₇ (final position). The amount of coal dust (recovery amount) collected at the coal dust collection point (route point p ₁₆ ) was 1.04 kg. The recovery rate is 83% when calculated by (recovery amount)÷(spray amount)×100, and it can be seen that the coal dust was appropriately cleaned.

[Test Example 2]
In this test example, about 1 kg/ ^m2 of coal powder is spread between the pillars other than the positions shown in Fig. 11 (positions between points [5] and [6]) so that the thickness is almost uniform. 11 (the position between point [5] and point [6]) was sprayed with approximately 10 kg/m ² of coal powder to a substantially uniform thickness (the total spray amount of coal powder was 3 .5 kg), a cleaning test was performed using a cleaning device in the same manner as in Test Example 1. FIG. 12 shows the locus of movement of the cleaning device based on FIG.
In this test, the cleaning device was able to move up to point [5] (via point p ₇ ) in the same manner as in Test Example 1, but point [5] (via point p ₇ ) → point [6] (via point p ₈ ) In the middle of cleaning (moving) between, the coal dust can not be pushed out, and when the elapsed time t after departing from point [5] (way point p ₇ ) exceeds the target running time T, it is in a stuck state determined to be. As a result, based on the waypoint information (waypoint change destination n) _at the waypoint _p8 , the next waypoint to move to is changed to the waypoint _{p10 .} moved. After that, it was possible to move along the same route as in Test Example 1. The amount of coal dust (recovery amount) collected at the coal dust collection point (route point p ₁₆ ) was 0.82 kg. The recovery rate (collected amount) ÷ (spray amount (excluding the spray amount between point [5] and point [6])) x 100 is 82%, and the coal dust can be properly cleaned. It turns out that The target running time T was obtained by the formula (1), and the coefficients α, β and γ were set to 0.5, 0.5 and 20, respectively.
For comparison, FIG. 13 shows the movement trajectory when the cleaning device autonomously travels with the general SLAM technique. In this case, during cleaning (moving) from point [5] (waypoint p ₇ ) to point [6] (waypoint p ₈ ), the coal dust cannot be pushed out, and point [6] (waypoint p ₈ ) It became impossible to run in front of it, and the cleaning device (moving trolley) was stuck.

[Test Example 3]
In this test example, a pail was placed as an obstacle at the position shown in Fig. 14 (near point [6]) to make it physically impossible to go to point [6]. A cleaning test was performed using a cleaning device in the same manner as in Test Example 1, with about 1 kg/m ² of coal powder sprayed between the columns so as to have a substantially uniform thickness (spray amount: 1.0 kg). FIG. 15 shows the movement locus of the cleaning device based on FIG.
In this test, the cleaning device was able to move up to point [5] (via point p ₇ ) in the same way as in Test Example 1. At point [5] (via point p ₇ ), the Based on the obtained obstacle information a, it is determined that a travel route cannot be generated toward the waypoint _p8 . As a result, based on _the waypoint information (waypoint change destination n) at the waypoint _p8 , the next waypoint to move to is changed to the waypoint _{p10 .} moved. After that, it was possible to move along the same route as in Test Example 1. The amount of coal dust (recovery amount) collected at the coal dust collection point (route point p ₁₆ ) was 0.78 kg. The recovery rate was 78% when calculated by (recovery amount)÷(spray amount)×100, indicating that the coal dust was appropriately cleaned.
For comparison, FIG. 16 shows the movement trajectory when the cleaning device autonomously travels with the general SLAM technique. In this case, since the travel route was completely blocked by the pail, it was impossible to go to point [6], and the mobile cart was stuck.

Next, Test Example 4 was conducted to evaluate the cleaning ability of the autonomous mobile device (cleaning device) of the present invention having a cleaning scraper 5a and a rotating brush 5b as work tools 5 as shown in FIGS. As such, the following cleaning test simulation was performed.
[Test Example 4]
In this cleaning device, when dust (deposits) is scraped while pressing the cleaning scraper 5a against the floor surface, the dust is scraped out in front (front center) of the cleaning scraper 5a by the rotating brush 5b.
In this test, under the conditions shown below, the dust was modeled in advance as a mixture of Φ5mm (assuming powder) and Φ50mm (assuming lump), and the dust cleaning efficiency was calculated by particle behavior calculation, generally called DEM analysis. Evaluate improvements.
FIG. 17 shows an outline of the DEM analysis, and the system model shown in FIG. 17 was used to simulate the dust scraping behavior in a narrow space formed by columns and walls. The basic conditions for this analysis are shown below.
・Cross-sectional dimensions of the pillar: 200 mm x 200 mm
・Wall shape: simulated as a vertical plane in contact with the pillar ・Particle size of dust (deposits): powder 0.5 mm, clump 50 mm
・Powder repose angle: 54° (Adjust the friction coefficient between particles to be within ±5°)
・Density of dust (sediment): 1.4 g/cm ³
・Initial placement of dust (deposits): Area of 200 mm x 200 mm in plane and 50 mm in height in front of the pillar ・Lumps (large particles): 3 x 3 are placed at equal intervals so that they are in contact with the four corners of the boundary of the above range ・・ Powder (small particles): Random filling in areas other than lumps in the above range / cleaning scraper speed: 0.4 m / s (+ Y direction)

ここで、Case１～４で使用したTypeＡ、Ｂのスクレーパ・回転ブラシの形状を図１８－１に、同じくTypeＣのスクレーパ・回転ブラシの形状を図１８－２にそれぞれ示す。
図１９は、ＤＥＭ解析の結果を示すものであり、回転ブラシによる側方への塵（堆積物）の掻き出し能力を比較するため、Case１～４における柱手前の範囲（ｘ方向で壁面から２００ｍｍ以内の範囲）での残存小粒子個数（粉の粒子数）の時刻歴を示したものである。この解析の結果、回転ブラシを使用したCase２～４では、取り残した粒子数が回転ブラシなしのCase１と比較して２０％程度低減できることが分かった。
以上のような事前評価をもとに、上記試験例１～３と同様に清掃試験を実施したところ、石炭粉の回収率が８０％程度→９０％程度に向上し、回転ブラシを使用することの効果を確認できた。 In this analysis, four cases in which the shapes and conditions of the cleaning scraper 5a and the rotating brush 5b were changed as shown in Table 3 were examined.

Here, the shapes of Type A and B scrapers and rotating brushes used in Cases 1 to 4 are shown in Figure 18-1, and the shapes of Type C scrapers and rotating brushes are shown in Figure 18-2.
Fig. 19 shows the results of DEM analysis. In order to compare the ability of the rotating brush to scrape out dust (deposits) to the side, the area in front of the pillar in Cases 1 to 4 (within 200 mm from the wall in the x direction) range), showing the time history of the number of remaining small particles (the number of powder particles). As a result of this analysis, it was found that in Cases 2 to 4 using a rotating brush, the number of leftover particles can be reduced by about 20% compared to Case 1 without a rotating brush.
Based on the preliminary evaluation described above, a cleaning test was conducted in the same manner as in Test Examples 1 to 3 above. was able to confirm the effect of

As shown in Test Examples 1 to 4 above, the cleaning device (autonomous traveling device) of the present invention moves autonomously by sequentially passing through the waypoints p _i based on the waypoint information b stored in advance. At the same time, it performs the operation necessary for cleaning, and when it is determined that it is stuck while moving toward the waypoint p _i , the waypoint p to move to is changed based on the waypoint information b. Then, by moving to the change destination waypoint _pn , it is possible to avoid being stuck. Furthermore, even when it is determined that the travel route to the via _point pi to be moved cannot be generated based on the measured obstacle information a, the via point p to be moved is changed based on the via point information b, By moving to the change destination waypoint _pn , it is possible to avoid getting stuck. As a result, it can be seen that the specified area can be efficiently cleaned to the end without getting stuck in the middle of the moving path.

Reference Signs List 1 mobile carriage 2 drive device 3 rangefinder 4 arithmetic control device 5 work tool 5a cleaning scraper 5b rotary brushes 6, 6a, 6b, actuator 7 movement amount detection device 8 storage device 9 support arm 20 wheel 40 self-position estimation unit 41 Path generation unit 42 Control unit 43 Stack determination unit 44 Path generation determination unit 50 Plate-like main body 51 Side plate A Specified area p, p _i , p _n via point

Claims (14)

An autonomous mobile device that autonomously travels a mobile trolley (1) equipped with a driving device (2) for traveling while passing through a plurality of waypoints (p) within a designated area (A),
Estimate the self-position of the mobile trolley (1), and based on the estimated self-position and the pre-stored waypoint information b, determine the travel route to the waypoint (p _i ) to which the mobile trolley (1) is moved. an arithmetic and control unit (4) for controlling the driving device (2) so that the mobile carriage (1) moves to the waypoint (p _i ) along its travel route,
An arithmetic control unit (4) determines whether or not a mobile trolley (1) moving toward a waypoint (p _i ) is in a stuck state in which it cannot reach the waypoint (p _i ). If it is determined that there is, the driving device (2) changes the waypoint (p) to which the mobile carriage (1) should be moved, and moves the mobile carriage (1) to the changed waypoint (p _n ). An autonomous mobile device characterized by controlling the further comprising a rangefinder (3) that measures the surrounding environment of the mobile trolley (1) and acquires obstacle information a;
The arithmetic and control unit (4) compares the obstacle position information _a0 in the designated area (A) stored in advance with the obstacle information a acquired by the range measuring device (3) to determine whether the mobile cart 2. The autonomous mobile device according to claim 1, wherein the self-position of (1) is estimated. An arithmetic and control unit (4) determines whether or not a travel route to a waypoint (p _i ) along which the mobile cart (1) should move can be generated based on the obstacle information a acquired by the rangefinder (3). If it is determined that it cannot be generated, change the waypoint (p) to which the mobile trolley (1) should be moved, and move the mobile trolley (1) to the change destination waypoint (p _n ) 3. Autonomous mobile device according to claim 2, characterized in that it controls the drive (2). The mobile carriage (1) comprises a work tool (5) for performing a predetermined work within the designated area (A) and an actuator (6) for driving the work tool (5),
The waypoint information b includes the carriage position of the mobile carriage (1), the carriage posture of the mobile carriage (1), the operation command of the actuator (6), and the waypoint (p The autonomous mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information of _n ) is included. The working tool (5) is a cleaning scraper (5a) for scraping and cleaning deposits in the designated area (A),
The actuator (6) is an actuator (6a) for driving the cleaning scraper (5a) such that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface. Item 5. The autonomous mobile device according to Item 4. The working tools (5) are a cleaning scraper (5a) for scraping and cleaning the deposits in the designated area (A) and a rotating brush (5b) for scraping the deposits in front of the cleaning scraper (5a). ,
The actuator (6) drives the cleaning scraper (5a) so that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface, and the rotating brush (5b). 5. Autonomous mobile device according to claim 4, characterized in that it is an actuator (6b) that drives to rotate. When the mobile cart (1) moves to the waypoint ₍ p _i ), the arithmetic control device (4) determines the waypoint (p _i ) is calculated, and the actual value t of the elapsed time from the start of movement of the mobile vehicle (1) is compared with the target travel time T to determine whether the mobile vehicle (1) is in a stuck state. 4. The autonomous mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination is made. further comprising a movement amount detection device (7) for detecting the movement amount of the mobile carriage (1) from the operation amount of the drive device (2),
Arithmetic control unit (4) compares pre-stored obstacle position information _a0 in specified area (A) with obstacle information a acquired by rangefinder (3). , the moving amount of the moving vehicle (1) detected by the moving amount detection device (7) is used to estimate the self-position of the moving vehicle (1) by a particle filter based on the SLAM algorithm. Or the autonomous mobile device according to 3. An autonomous traveling method for autonomously traveling a movable trolley (1) equipped with a driving device (2) for traveling while passing through a plurality of waypoints (p) within a designated area (A),
A step (a) of estimating the self-position of the mobile trolley (1);
Based on the estimated self-position and pre-stored way point information b, a travel route to a waypoint (p _i ) for moving the mobile vehicle (1) is calculated, and the mobile vehicle (1) moves along the travel route step (a) of controlling the driving device (2) to move to the waypoint (p _i ) according to
It is determined whether or not the mobile trolley (1) moving toward the waypoint (p _i ) is in a stuck state in which it cannot reach the waypoint (p _i ), and if it is determined to be in a stuck state, movement is performed. A step (c) of changing the waypoint (p) to which the carriage (1) should be moved and controlling the driving device (2) to move the mobile carriage (1) to the changed waypoint (p _n ); An autonomous driving method characterized by comprising: In the step (a), the surrounding environment of the mobile cart (1) is measured by the range measuring device (3) to obtain obstacle information a, and the obstacle position information a within the pre-stored designated area (A) is obtained. _10. The autonomous traveling method according to claim 9, wherein the self-position of the mobile trolley (1) is estimated by comparing 0 with the obstacle information a acquired by the rangefinder (3). Furthermore, based on the obstacle information a acquired by the ranging device (3), it is determined whether or not a travel route to the via point (p _i ) to which the mobile cart (1) should move can be generated. When it is determined that the mobile carriage (1) is to be moved, the waypoint (p) is changed, and the driving device (2) is operated to move the mobile carriage (1) to the changed waypoint (p _n ) 11. The autonomous driving method according to claim 10, further comprising a step of controlling (d). The mobile carriage (1) comprises a work tool (5) for performing a predetermined work within the designated area (A) and an actuator (6) for driving the work tool (5),
The autonomous traveling method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the work is performed with the work tool (5) while the mobile carriage (1) is traveling within the designated area (A). The work tool (5) is a cleaning scraper (5a) for scraping and cleaning the ground deposits in the designated area (A),
The actuator (6) is an actuator (6a) that drives the cleaning scraper (5a) so that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface,
The mobile trolley (1) is driven within the designated area (A), and while the scraper (5a) for cleaning is driven by the actuator (6a), the deposit is scraped by the scraper (5a) for cleaning, and the scraped deposit is scraped off. 13. The autonomous traveling method according to claim 12, wherein the objects are moved to a predetermined place and accumulated. The work tool (5) consists of a cleaning scraper (5a) for scraping and cleaning deposits on the ground within the designated area (A), and a rotating brush (5b) for scraping the deposits in front of the cleaning scraper (5a). and
The actuator (6) drives the cleaning scraper (5a) so that the cleaning scraper (5a) moves up and down to touch or leave the road surface, and the rotating brush (5b). A rotationally driven actuator (6b),
The mobile cart (1) is driven within the specified area (A), and the cleaning scraper (5a) and the rotating brush (5b) are driven by the actuators (6a) and (6b) to rotate the cleaning scraper (5a). 13. The autonomous traveling method according to claim 12, wherein the brush (5b) collects deposits, moves the collected deposits to a predetermined location, and accumulates them.

Images