JP2024013398A - Autonomous robot, autonomous robot control method, and inspection system using autonomous robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide: a snake robot (mobile body) which can autonomously travel in a three-dimensional space such as an underground of a building or a disaster site to implement inspection in a place which it is difficult for persons to enter to work; and a system therefor.

SOLUTION: There is provided a mobile body which autonomously travels within a prescribed space and comprises: driving means constituted of a multi-link mechanism consisting of a plurality body parts and a plurality of joints connecting the body parts; and storage means which stores information about a route on a step which the mobile body passes. When the mobile body passes the route on the step, the mobile body is controlled in a passage control mode based on three-dimensional space information including information of height and depth of the step.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

COPYRIGHT: (C)2024,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous robot, an autonomous robot control method, and an inspection system using an autonomous robot, and particularly relates to an autonomous robot having a snake-like shape.

Structures such as buildings have electricity, gas, and water pipes and pumps for pumping up underground water, and these facilities are mainly installed in the underground space of the building (also called an underground pit). When constructing a new building or performing maintenance, inspections are conducted to ensure that these underground facilities are properly installed and operating, as well as to check for deterioration of the concrete in the underground space itself. Specifically, an inspector passes through a narrow access door, enters a small compartment, and inspects the condition of the piping by visually inspecting it, taking photographs, or using the human senses. ing. Additionally, remote control via wireless or the like may be difficult. The area where the pipes are installed is in a very narrow area, and there are not enough permanent lighting fixtures. In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide is high, and it is designated as a hazardous area of oxygen deficiency under the Industrial Safety and Health Act and other laws, making it a place where inspectors are likely to be exposed to danger.

The use of robots is expected to be one way to solve the above-mentioned problems. For example, it is conceivable to utilize an autonomous robot (hereinafter also simply referred to as a "snake robot") having an elongated snake-like shape (see Patent Document 1). Snake robots are robots that imitate biological snakes, and can move their joints in a variety of ways like snakes, allowing them to carry out inspections and search for victims at disaster sites. Additionally, snake-like robots can freely move their shape to perform various actions. In particular, snake-shaped robots have a shape that is suitable for entering narrow and complex areas such as disaster sites and plant equipment. It is effective for inspection of piping, etc.

One of the problems when performing inspection using a snake-shaped robot is the difficulty in controlling (operating) the snake-shaped robot. For example, a snake-like robot generally has dozens of joints, and it is difficult for a human operator to remotely control all the joints of the snake-like robot. Regarding this point, Patent Document 2 discloses a snake-shaped robot that runs inside a pipe and performs an inspection. However, Patent Document 2 assumes that the snake-shaped robot runs inside a pipe having approximately the same diameter as the snake-shaped robot itself. By limiting the snake-shaped robot's travel range in advance as in Patent Document 2, it becomes relatively easy to control the snake-shaped robot itself. It is difficult to utilize it in the original free space. In addition, in order to facilitate control in three-dimensional free areas where communication between the operator and the robot is impossible or unstable, such as underground spaces for building inspections or disaster sites, where the radio wave conditions are poor, it is necessary to An autonomous snake-like robot is more desirable than a remote-controlled (remote-type) robot, but this is not considered in Patent Document 2.

JP2019-084665A JP2020-507486A

According to one aspect of the present invention, a snake-like robot and its system are capable of autonomously running in a three-dimensional free space such as an inspection or disaster site to perform inspections in difficult places. The purpose is to provide

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movable body that autonomously moves within a predetermined space, the drive unit comprising a multi-connected mechanism composed of a plurality of body parts and a plurality of joints connecting the body parts. and a storage means for storing information regarding the route on the step that the moving object passes, and the storage means includes information on the height and depth of the step when the moving object passes the route on the step. A moving object is provided, characterized in that the moving object is controlled in a passage control mode based on original spatial information.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a snake-like robot and its system are capable of autonomously running in a three-dimensional free space such as an inspection or disaster site to perform inspections in difficult places. It is possible to provide the following.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a robot in a case where the robot's posture and the reference posture match. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a robot in a case where the posture of the robot is a lifting posture. FIG. 4 is a plan view of a foundation beam of a building to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 5 is a side view of an internal beam of a foundation beam of a building to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a robot control device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a robot control device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in which a robot control device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied operates a robot. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in which the robot control device operates the robot. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a robot operation to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a robot operation to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a robot operation to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in which the robot control device operates the robot. FIG. 14 explains part of the information processing (particularly S13010 and S13020) in FIG. 13 from another aspect, and shows an example of the flow of the operation of moving up and down the entrance.

An embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described below.

<Robot system configuration>
The configuration of the robot system 1 will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot system 1 according to an embodiment. The robot system 1 includes a robot 10 and a robot control device 20. In addition, in the robot system 1, a part or all of the robot 10 and the robot control device 20 may be configured integrally.

The robot 10 has a head E that is a part that corresponds to the head of a snake and is equipped with a camera, a sensor, etc., a rearmost part Z that is a part that is the part that corresponds to the tail of a snake, and a main body part M that has a plurality of joints. It is a snake-shaped robot. Note that in the robot 10, the head E may be configured integrally with the main body M.

The head E is supported by the main body M and moves according to the movement of the main body M. Note that the head E may be configured to move independently of the movement of the main body M instead of moving in accordance with the movement of the main body M.

The head E includes one wheel portion W in this example. The wheel portion W is covered with a slippery resin such as plastic so that it can slide sideways. Note that the head E may be configured without the wheel portion W. Further, the head E may be configured to include two or more wheel portions W. The wheel portion W has a pair of wheels. In addition, the wheel part W may be replaced with the structure provided with one pair of wheels, may be provided with one wheel, and may be provided with three or more wheels. In the following, for convenience of explanation, when a wheel of a certain part of the robot 10 is referred to as a wheel, it refers to a wheel of a wheel unit W of the part. That is, when a certain part of the robot 10 is provided with one wheel part W, the number of wheels in the part is two. Moreover, when a certain part of the robot 10 is provided with two wheel parts W, the number of wheels of the part is four.

Further, the head E is connected to a first end, which is the end selected by the user as the leading end of the two ends that the main body M has. The head E and the main body M may be connected by any method, for example, by some link member. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the end on the opposite side to the first end among the two ends that the main body M has will be referred to as the second end.

A camera, a sensor, and the like included in the head E are connected to the robot control device 20 by wireless communication so as to be communicable. Thereby, the camera, sensor, etc. perform operations based on the control signals obtained from the robot control device 20. Here, wireless communication is performed using a communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), for example. Note that the camera, sensor, etc. may be connected to the robot control device 20 via a cable through wired communication based on a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB (Universal Serial Bus).

In this example, the rearmost portion Z is a portion that is provided with one wheel portion W among the portions that the robot 10 has. Note that the rearmost portion Z may be configured without the wheel portion W. Moreover, the rearmost portion Z may be configured to include two or more wheel portions W. Further, the rearmost portion Z is supported by the main body M and moves according to the movement of the main body M. Note that the rearmost portion Z may be configured to be able to move independently of the movement of the main body M instead of moving in accordance with the movement of the main body M.

Further, the rearmost portion Z is connected to the aforementioned second end portion of the two end portions that the main body portion M has. The rearmost portion Z and the main body portion M may be connected by any method, for example, by some link member.

The main body M is a snake-shaped manipulator (in this embodiment, a "multiple main body ``a mobile body with a multi-connected mechanism consisting of a main body section and a plurality of joints connecting the main body section'' or a ``snake-shaped robot''. Here, 3 may be any integer greater than or equal to 5. In addition, the main body part M may be configured to include the same number of second joints J2 as the number of first joints J1, or may be configured to include a larger number of second joints J2 than the number of first joints J1. It's okay. Further, the main body portion M may have a configuration including less than (n-1) second joints J2, or may have a configuration including more than (n-1) second joints J2. It's okay.

The main body M also includes a link member L that connects the plurality of joints. Below, as an example, a case will be described in which the link member L is a link member that connects the first joint J1 and the second joint J2. That is, in this example, in the main body M, a first joint J1 and a second joint J2 are arranged from the first end to the second end. , second joint J2, ■, first joint J1, and the first joint J1 and second joint J2 are alternately arranged (provided) in this order. That is, the main body M has 2(n-1) link members L. Note that in the main body M, the first joint J1 and the second joint J2 may be arranged in another order.

Further, the main body portion M includes (n−1) wheel portions W. Note that the main body portion M may have a configuration including fewer than (n−1) wheel portions W. Further, the main body M may be configured to include more than (n-1) wheel parts W if the wheel parts W can be attached by some method so as not to hinder the movement of the robot 10. . Moreover, the main body part M may be configured without the wheel part W.

Further, the main body M is configured such that, for each of the (n-1) second joints J2, the rotation axis of the second joint J2 and the axle (rotation axis) of the wheel of the wheel portion W are aligned. A wheel portion W is provided at the second joint J2. That is, the main body M has 2(n-1) wheels (that is, (n-1) pairs of wheels). In addition, when the posture of the robot 10 and a reference posture described later match, the main body M includes two wheels that the head E has, two wheels that the rearmost portion Z has, and two wheels that the main body M has. The (n-1) wheel portions W are arranged such that all of the 2(n+1) wheels including the 2(n-1) wheels of M can touch the ground on one plane. provided. That is, in this case, when the robot 10 is placed on a certain plane, all the wheels of the robot 10 are grounded on the plane. It should be noted that among the 2(n+1) wheels, the material of the circumferential surface of each wheel excluding the head E is desirably a material with a high coefficient of friction (such as rubber) to prevent skidding. The material for the circumferential surface of the head E is preferably a material with a low coefficient of friction (eg, plastic resin, etc.) because it causes sideways sliding when changing direction.

In the following, as an example, one wheel part W included in the head E, one wheel part W included in the rearmost part Z, and (n-1) wheel parts W included in the main body part M are combined. A case will be described in which all (n+1) wheel portions W have the same configuration. In addition, the main body part M connects the rotational axis of the second joint J2 and the axle of the wheel (rotation axis ) may be configured such that the wheel portion W is provided at the second joint J2 so that the two do not coincide with each other. Moreover, a part or all of the (n+1) wheel parts W may have mutually different configurations.

Here, the first joint J1 is a joint that has a rotation axis parallel to the first direction when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match. Note that the first joint J1 may be a joint having a rotation axis non-parallel to the first direction in this case. Here, in this example, the posture of the robot 10 is represented by the rotation angle of each of a plurality of joints included in the robot 10. Note that the posture of the robot 10 may be expressed by other quantities depending on the robot 10.

The reference posture is a posture that serves as a reference among the postures of the robot 10. In this example, the reference posture is such that among the postures of the robot 10, all of the plurality of joints (that is, n first joints J1 and (n-1) second joints J2) of the robot 10 are aligned in one straight line. It refers to the posture of standing on top. More specifically, the reference posture is a posture of the robot 10 in which the positions of the plurality of joints are aligned on a straight line. In this example, the position of the first joint J1 is represented by the position of the center of gravity of the first joint J1. In this example, the position of the second joint J2 is represented by the position of the center of gravity of the second joint J2. In the following, for convenience of explanation, when the posture of the robot 10 matches the reference state, a virtual straight line passing through the positions of each of the plurality of joints will be referred to as a straight line CL. Furthermore, as an example, a case will be described below in which, when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match, the rotation angles of each of the plurality of joints included in the robot 10 are all 0. That is, in this example, each of the plurality of joints is a joint that can rotate up to the upper limit or lower limit angle in the joint's movable range with 0 as the reference rotation angle. Note that the position of the first joint J1 may be represented by another position corresponding to the first joint J1. Further, the position of the second joint J2 may be represented by another position corresponding to the second joint J2. Furthermore, the reference posture of the robot 10 may be another posture of the robot 10 instead of this posture.

The first direction is one of the directions orthogonal to the straight line CL when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the first direction coincides with a direction perpendicular to the ground plane (that is, the normal direction of the ground plane) when the robot 10 in this case is placed on the ground plane. Note that the first direction may not coincide with the direction perpendicular to the ground plane in this case.

The ground plane is a flat surface on which the robot 10 can be placed. The ground plane is, for example, a flat surface such as an indoor floor surface or an outdoor ground surface, but is not limited to these and may be any other flat surface. As described above, when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match, all of the 2(n+1) wheels of the robot 10 can be grounded on one plane. That is, in this case, when the robot 10 is placed on the ground surface, all of the wheels are grounded on the ground surface. Moreover, in this case, since all the wheel parts W have the same configuration mutually in this example, the straight line CL is a straight line parallel to the ground contact surface.

Further, the second joint J2 is a joint that has a rotation axis parallel to the second direction when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match. In this case, the second direction is a direction different from the first direction among directions orthogonal to the straight line CL. Below, as an example, a case will be described in which the second direction is a direction perpendicular to each of the straight line CL and the first direction in this case. That is, in this case, when the robot 10 is placed on the ground plane, the rotation axis of the second joint J2 becomes parallel to the ground plane.

Here, with reference to FIG. 2, the reference posture of the robot 10, the first joint J1, and the second joint J2 will be explained. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the robot 10 when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match. As shown in FIG. 2, when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match, the robot 10 has a plurality of joints (i.e., n first joints J1 and (n-1) second joints J1). The positions of the joints J2) are aligned on one straight line (virtual straight line CL shown in FIG. 2).

Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the robot 10 is placed on the plane MN. That is, the plane MN shown in FIG. 2 is an example of the above-mentioned ground plane. In this example, since the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture match, all of the plurality of wheels of the robot 10 are in contact with the surface MN.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 2, the first direction is the direction indicated by the arrow AN in FIG. 2, and is a direction perpendicular to the plane MN (that is, the normal direction to the plane MN). Therefore, the rotation axes of the n first joints J1 of the robot 10 shown in FIG. 2, which are indicated by dotted lines A1 in FIG. 2, are parallel to the direction. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the second direction is the straight line CL and a direction perpendicular to the direction. Therefore, the rotation axes of the (n-1) second joints J2 of the robot 10 shown in FIG. 2, which are indicated by dotted lines A2 in FIG. 2, are parallel to the direction. be.

Return to Figure 1. Each of the n first joints J1 included in the robot 10 includes an actuator (not shown). Further, each of the (n-1) second joints J2 included in the robot 10 includes an actuator (not shown). The actuators included in each of the n first joints J1 and the actuators included in each of the (n-1) second joints J2 are communicably connected to the robot control device 20 by radio. As a result, the actuators included in each of the n first joints J1 and the actuators included in each of the (n-1) second joints J2 operate on the robot based on the control signal acquired from the robot control device 20. Operate 10. Here, wireless communication is performed using a communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), for example. Note that some or all of the actuators included in each of the n first joints J1 are connected to the robot control device 20 via a cable through wired communication based on standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark) and USB. It may also be a configuration. In addition, some or all of the actuators included in each of the (n-1) second joints J2 can be connected to the robot control device through wired communication performed by standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB via a cable. 20 may be used.

In addition, the robot 10 has (n+1) wheels W (that is, one wheel W that the head E has, one wheel W that the rearmost part Z has, and (n- 1) At least a portion of the wheel portions W) are provided with an actuator (not shown) that rotates each wheel. That is, in this example, at least some of the wheels of the (n+1) wheel units W are active wheels that are rotated by an actuator. Further, among the (n+1) wheel units W, the wheels of the wheel units W other than the wheel unit W having an active wheel are passive wheels that are not rotated by the actuator. The (n+1) wheel units W included in the robot 20 include a wheel unit W having one pair of active wheels, a wheel unit W having one pair of passive wheels, and one pair of both active wheels and passive wheels. It is constituted by at least a part of the wheel portion W having as a wheel. In the following, as an example, a case will be explained in which the (n+1) wheel parts W included in the robot 20 are composed of a wheel part W having a pair of active wheels and a wheel part W having a pair of passive wheels. do. An actuator included in the robot 10 that rotates an active wheel included in the robot 10 is communicably connected to the robot control device 20 by radio. Thereby, the actuator rotates the active wheel based on the control signal obtained from the robot control device 20. Here, wireless communication is performed using a communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), for example. Note that some or all of the actuators may be connected to the robot control device 20 via a cable through wired communication based on standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB.

The robot control device 20 is a control device that controls (operates) the robot 10 in this example. The robot control device 20 controls the robot 10 to move autonomously according to the acquired operation information.

More specifically, the robot control device 20 sets a control point T, which is a virtual point that moves together with a predetermined part of the parts of the robot 10, on the robot 10. The predetermined portion is, for example, the center of gravity of a camera, a sensor, etc. that the head E has. Note that the predetermined portion may be another portion of the robot 10 instead of the center of gravity. The control point T is, for example, TCP (Tool Center Point). Note that the control point T may be another virtual point instead of TCP.

Furthermore, the robot control device 20 associates a control point coordinate system that is a virtual three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system that moves together with the control points T set on the robot 10. The position of the control point T is expressed by the relative position of the origin in the control point coordinate system with respect to the origin in the reference coordinate system, which is a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. Further, the attitude of the control point T is expressed by the relative direction of each coordinate axis in the control point coordinate system with respect to the direction of each coordinate axis in the reference coordinate system. Note that the position of the control point T may be represented by another position corresponding to the control point T. Further, the attitude of the control point T may be represented by another direction depending on the control point T.

The reference coordinate system is an inertial system that is stationary relative to the control point coordinate system. For example, the robot control device 20 matches the control point coordinate system at the timing before the robot control device 20 starts moving the robot 10 and at the timing when the robot control device 20 receives an operation from the user to set the reference coordinate system. Identify a three-dimensional coordinate system as a reference coordinate system. Note that, instead of this, the robot control device 20 may be configured to specify another three-dimensional coordinate system, such as a three-dimensional coordinate system set at a predetermined position by the user, as the reference coordinate system. Further, the robot control device 20 may be configured to specify a three-dimensional coordinate system that matches the control point coordinate system at another timing as the reference coordinate system.

The robot control device 20 rotates each of the plurality of joints included in the robot 10 based on a closed loop system described below so that the speed of the control point T matches the target speed indicated by the operation information. Thereby, the robot control device 20 can cause the robot 10 to perform an operation desired by the user. That is, the speed at the control point T is a controlled variable in the closed loop system.

The speed of the control point T includes a control point translation speed, which is the speed at which the position of the control point T is translated, and a control point rotation speed, which is the speed at which the attitude of the control point T rotates. In addition, the translation speed includes an X-axis translation speed, which is the speed at which the position is translated along the X-axis in the control point coordinate system, and a speed at which the position is translated along the Y-axis in the control point coordinate system. It includes the Y-axis translation speed and the Z-axis translation speed, which is the speed at which the position is translated along the Z-axis in the control point coordinate system. In addition, the rotation speed includes an X-axis rotation speed, which is the speed at which the posture rotates around the X-axis, and a Y-axis rotation speed, which is the speed at which the posture rotates around the Y-axis. , and the Z-axis rotation speed, which is the speed at which the posture rotates around the Z-axis.

The target speed includes a target translational speed that is a target for matching control point translational speeds, and a target rotational speed that is a target for matching control point rotational speeds. In addition, the target translation speed includes an X-axis target translation speed that is a target for matching the X-axis translation speed, a target Y-axis translation speed that is a target for matching Y-axis translation speeds, and a target that is a target for matching Z-axis translation speeds. Each of the Z-axis target translation speeds is included. In addition, the target rotation speed includes the X-axis target rotation speed to match the X-axis rotation speed, the Y-axis target rotation speed to match the Y-axis rotation speed, and the Z-axis rotation speed. It includes each of the Z-axis target rotational speeds that are the targets to match.

Further, the robot control device 20 controls the robot 10 based on the closed loop system described below to match the speed of the control point T with the target speed, and selects one of the plurality of joints of the robot 10 desired by the user. The rotation angle of each of the above joints can be made to match the rotation angle desired by the user. Thereby, the robot control device 20 operates the robot 10 and controls the speed of the control point T in a state where at least a portion of the robot 10 is lifted from the surface MN on which at least a portion of the wheels of the robot 10 are in contact with the ground. It is possible to match the target speed. Further, the robot control device 20 operates the robot 10 and can move the parts of the robot 10 that are not lifted from the plane MN without moving the position and orientation of the control point T in the state. As a result, the robot control device 20 can cause the robot 10 to perform the operation desired by the user.

Note that the robot control device 20 may be configured to operate the robot 10 according to an operation program stored in the robot control device 20 in advance.

The robot control device 20 is, for example, an information processing device such as a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, a tablet PC, a multifunctional mobile phone terminal (smartphone), a mobile phone terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like. Note that the robot control device 20 may be another information processing device instead of these information processing devices.

Note that the robot control device 20 may be communicably connected to a device that can be manually operated from the outside by wireless.

<Explanation of the foundation beam including the passageway through which the robot will pass>
FIG. 4 is a plan view of a foundation beam of a building to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 5 is a side view of an internal beam of a foundation beam of a building to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 5 is a side view of the internal beam 7 taken along line EE in FIG. The internal beam 7 is provided with various through holes. Although the through hole is circular, it may be rectangular or other shape. The on-site casting part 7B is provided with four first through holes 16 through which drainage pipes 23 pass (one drainage pipe 23 is shown as an example in FIG. 4). The three first through-holes 16 are for passage of drainage pipes for discharging wastewater generated in bathrooms, toilets, kitchens, washrooms, etc. The drainage pipe 23 is usually connected to a public sewer pipe buried underground outside the building 1. For this reason, the drainage generated in each building is collected in one or several drainage pipes 23 within the building, and routed to the underground space 8 partitioned by the outer peripheral beam 6 and the internal beam 7. It passes through the outer peripheral beam 6 and is discharged to the outside of the building 1. The other first through-hole 16 is for a drainage pipe (hereinafter referred to as a drain pipe to distinguish it from the above-mentioned drainage pipe) for draining rainwater and the like to pass therethrough. In this embodiment, the drain pipe is also connected to the public sewer pipe like other drainage pipes. The on-site casting part 7B is further provided with a vent 17 and a communication pipe 18. The vents 17 are provided to allow air to communicate with each section 8A of the underground space 8 divided by the internal beams 7 in order to ensure the safety of people entering the underground space 8. The communication pipe 18 is provided at the bottom of the internal beam 7 in order to disperse water when flooding occurs in one section 8A of the underground space 8. The central PCa section 7A is provided with an access port 19 for allowing people to move between the sections 8A, and a common through hole 20 for water supply piping and gas piping. The PCa portion 7A at the end is provided with a vent 17, a communication pipe 18, a through hole 21 for a heavy electric cable, and a through hole 22 for a low electric cable.

<Hardware configuration of robot control device>
The hardware configuration of the robot control device 20 will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the robot control device 20.

The robot control device 20 includes, for example, a processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a storage section 22, and a communication section 24. These components are communicatively connected to each other via a bus BS. Further, the robot control device 20 communicates with the robot 10 via the communication unit 24.

The CPU 21 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 22. The storage unit 22 is, for example, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a ROM (Read-O nlyMemory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Note that instead of being built into the robot control device 20, the storage section 22 may be an external storage device connected through a digital input/output port such as a USB. The storage unit 22 stores various information, various programs, etc. that are processed by the robot control device 20. Additionally, information regarding the route over the steps that the robot passes may also be stored. The communication unit 24 includes, for example, a digital input/output port such as a USB, an Ethernet (registered trademark) port, and the like.

<Functional configuration of robot control device>
The functional configuration of the robot control device 20 will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration applicable to the hardware configuration of the robot control device 20 of FIG. 6.

The robot control device 20 includes a control section 22, a self-position estimation section 24, and a robot control section 26. Furthermore, a photographing section 28 may be provided. Further, although not shown, a storage unit that stores arbitrary data may be provided.

The control section 22 controls the entire operation of the self-position estimating section 24, the robot control section 26, and the photographing section 28. Travel route information and operation instruction information such as imaging at a predetermined position inputted by the user are given as divided instructions by the control section to the self-position estimating section 24, the robot control section 26, and the photographing section 28. When the robot is operating, the control unit 22 constantly aggregates and monitors information from the self-position estimating unit 24, robot control unit 26, and imaging unit 28, and adjusts each unit so that the robot operates in accordance with the operation instruction information. Instructs parts to perform actions and standby.

The robot control unit 26 controls the entire robot control device 20 according to instructions given from the control unit 22. The control unit 26 includes a navigation unit 261 , an autonomous movement joint angle calculation unit 262 , and a passageway passage unit 263 . These functional units included in the control unit 26 are realized, for example, by the CPU 21 in FIG. 6 executing various programs stored in the storage unit 22. Further, some or all of the functional units may be a hardware functional unit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

The navigation unit 261 calculates the leading speed of the robot based on the target point and the target leading position and orientation given from the control unit 22. The navigation unit 261 determines the leading position and orientation that the robot should move from its current orientation to the target orientation, according to the leading position and orientation given from the control unit 22 and the current position and orientation of the robot acquired before and while the robot is running. The speed (translational speed of the XY axes and rotational speed of the Z axis) is calculated sequentially and transmitted to the robot as instructions for running speed and angle.

The autonomous movement joint angle calculation unit 262 allows the following body and wheels to pass along the same path or approximately the same path as the path taken by the leading body and wheels of the robot when the robot moves autonomously. , a processing unit that calculates each joint angle of the robot.

The passageway passage section 263 is a processing section necessary for controlling the robot when the robot passes through the passageway.

<Processing in which the robot control device operates the robot>
The process by which the robot control device operates the robot will be described below. In the explanation of this embodiment, the robot control device may be the main operating body, or the robot may be the main operating subject (autonomous control), but those skilled in the art are free to decide which one should be the main operating subject. Note that design changes can be made.

For example, in the inspection control mode, the robot of this embodiment is controlled to pass through an inspection route that can pass through all the inspection points and steps included in the two-dimensional space information, and all the inspection points included in the two-dimensional space information are If there is no interference between the head of the moving object itself and the following part, and the last inspection point is the starting point for passing control mode, stabilize the operation of passing control mode at the last inspection point. The robot is controlled to avoid obstacles included in the two-dimensional spatial information, and at the inspection point, it collects environmental information around the inspection point. Act like get.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, the process by which the robot control device 20 operates the robot 10 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in which the robot control device 20 operates the robot 10.

In S8010, the robot is introduced into the inspection entrance.

In S8020, the room is inspected. Here, one or more locations (waypoints) are inspected according to inspection position information specified in advance by the instructor. When inspecting multiple locations, the inspection order and inspection route are specified in advance by the instructor. During the operation of S8020, self-position estimation of the robot and two-dimensional posture control based on the self-position estimation result are always performed. Self-position estimation is performed by matching information regarding the robot's self-position, the planned movement position, and the posture to be taken at the movement destination, LiDAR information, and a preliminary map. If there are multiple designated locations and there are obstacles or grooves along the route, the sensor will detect them and the robot will move to the next designated location while avoiding the obstacles or grooves as appropriate. Moving. Obstacle avoidance control is performed in an inspection control mode based on two-dimensional information. When the vehicle reaches a level difference such as the entrance specified in the inspection position information, the process moves to the operation of passing through the entrance in S8030.

In S8030, the vehicle passes through a step such as an entrance. When passing through a level difference such as an entrance, the robot passes through by sequentially controlling the passing posture based on information on the height and depth of the entrance instructed in advance and the planned movement posture of the robot. Please also refer to the diagram illustrating an example of robot operation in FIG. 12. After the robot passes through a step such as an entrance through the operation in S8030, it inspects the room in S8020 in the next room.

In S8040, feedback is performed. Similar to S8020 and S8030, the return route is designated by the instructor before the start of the inspection, and the robot operates similarly to S8020 and S8030.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in which the robot control device operates the robot. Further, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a robot operation to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In this embodiment, an example of the inspection control mode based on two-dimensional spatial information will be described using the flowchart of FIG. 9 with reference to FIG. 10.

In S10010, a map containing points to be measured by the robot is selected or input from the outside. The robot performs a process of acquiring environmental information using any environmental recognition means such as an infrared sensor or LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging).

In S10020, one or more measurement points (WayPoints) are input on the map. For example, a robot may read data from two-dimensional information such as a design drawing and automatically calculate a route that passes through multiple measurement points based on measurement points arbitrarily specified by the user. It may be specified arbitrarily by the user. In addition, if there is a point (transit point) that you want to pass between the measurement point and another measurement point, set it as necessary. An example of the reason for setting route points is to enable the robot to move smoothly by avoiding difficult places such as obstacles and ditches. In this embodiment, a route is set such that the user starts from the entrance of the access port, climbs through the access port, passes through the access port, and enters the small room.

In S10030, an infrared sensor is used to search around the robot. This allows for self-location estimation and environmental mapping. Here, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, simultaneous execution of self-position estimation and environmental map creation) may be used. Here, SLAM is a general term for technology that simultaneously estimates the self-position of a mobile object and creates an environmental map, and by utilizing SLAM, a mobile object can create an environmental map in an unknown environment. Use the map information you have built to avoid obstacles and accomplish specific tasks.

In S10040, the robot is moved to the measurement point based on the created environmental map. When the robot's head reaches the measurement point, the robot stops moving. When moving the robot, control it while avoiding obstacles.

In S10050, upon reaching the measurement point, the robot inspects the room. For example, a robot uses an imaging unit attached to its head to take pictures of the surroundings of a measurement point, or obtains information from a thermometer, gas leak sensor, etc.

In S10060, it is determined whether all measurement point data has been acquired. Move to the next measurement point, if any. If it has gone around all the measurement points, it will return home.

In S10070, the robot returns home. When returning home, you may return along the route you have traveled so far. If it is possible to turn on the spot, you may turn and return. You can also enter from the head and come back from the end.

In S10080, information acquired in the inspected room is collected.

<Processing for the robot to pass through steps on the route>
As shown in FIG. 11, in this embodiment, an operation method will be described in which a route for a robot to pass through a step such as an entrance is determined in advance and the route is accurately followed. In this embodiment, it is also referred to as passage control mode. In this embodiment, in addition to accurately following the route, the speed may also be adjusted so that the target angle and angular velocity do not exceed hardware constraints.

When a multi-connected mobile robot passes through an access port, it is expected that the corners of the body and the access port will come into contact. When passing through autonomously, it is preferable to avoid contact with the corners of the entrance.

In addition, examples of requirements that take into account the load on the pitch joint and the ground contact polygon are listed below.
Requirement (1) There is no interference between the corners of the fuselage and the access port Requirement (2) Reduction of load torque when lifting the fuselage Requirement (3) Prevention of falling Requirement (4) Target angle and angular velocity are within hardware limits fits

As a passing operation that satisfies these requirements, an operation that follows the route shown in FIG. 11(B) may be used. The pitch joint angle and wheel angular velocity that will cause the robot to move along this route are determined from the geometric relationship between the route and the link length, and are input to the motor. In FIG. 11, l4 is intended to prevent the abdomen of the robot from interfering with the corner portion and falling over when the head enters the opening. This corresponds to requirement (1). In order to satisfy requirement (2), l2 is a straight line in the vertical direction. l3 needs to be as short as possible to satisfy requirement (3). However, if it is too short, there is a risk that the link will skip l3 and straddle l2 and l4, exceeding the joint range of motion, so a correction length l3, adj may be added to the link length, and the length of l3, adj may be arbitrary. .

In calculating the wheel angular velocity, since the pitch joint may move on the x-axis or on the z-axis, in this embodiment, the geometric mean of the position differences of each axis is used. At this time, the rotational speed ωi of the i-th wheel can be expressed by Formula 1.

Here, Δxi and Δzi are the differences between the i-th pitch joint positions, r is the wheel radius, and Δt is the time per step.

In the path following operation of this embodiment, the pitch joint at the rear end of the robot is used as a reference joint, and the length that this joint moves per one step is input. Changes in each pitch joint angle that occur when the reference joint moves by the input length and the corresponding wheel angular velocity are geometrically determined and applied to each motor to realize passing motion by path following. In path following motion, not all joints move along the path at the same speed, and the movement speed of each joint varies depending on the shape and position of the path, so if you try to always move the reference joint at the same speed, The joint angle or wheel may be driven at an angular velocity that exceeds the motor's hardware performance. Therefore, the differences in all pitch joint angles and wheel angular velocities are monitored for each step, and the amount of movement of the reference joints is adjusted using a dichotomous method so as not to exceed a threshold determined based on the performance of the motor.

Table 1 shows an example of each parameter related to the geometric information of the step and the information on the shape of the robot. In addition, regarding the path of l7 that passed through the entrance and descended to the floor, assuming that the actual site is narrow, the pitch joint angle is set to follow l7, and the angle of yaw joint J1 is set to rotate with a constant curvature. You may also add processing to do so.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 12, the multi-connected mobile robot may be tilted slightly with respect to 90 degrees. As a result, the lifted part of the body tilts toward the wall, pressing against the wheels, and the frictional force is used to suppress swinging in the yaw angle direction.

By calculating the pitch joint angle, etc. from the geometric relationship between the route and the link length, it is possible to deform with high precision and pass through the access port. Routes 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 are determined with the dimensions of the entrances known. Examples of values for paths l1, l2, l3, l4, l5, l6, and l7 are as follows.

Route l1 is arbitrary.
Route l2 is assumed to be h _adj +h.
Route l3 is assumed to be l _link +l3 _adj .
The route l4 is assumed to be h _adj .
The route l5 is assumed to have the width of the access port +r _w -l3.
Route l6 is assumed to be h. (In this example, they are referred to as opening height h, step height h, etc.)
Route l7 is arbitrary.

Further, the size of the access port is, for example, longer than the length l _link (link length) and larger than the height l4.

In addition, in this example, an example of the passage control mode in which the robot passes through a passageway using three-dimensional control was explained, but it is also possible to use a passage control mode in which the robot passes through a passageway (of a relatively large diameter, such as is mainly used in large-scale buildings). In addition to access entrances, this embodiment can also be applied to inspection openings (of relatively small diameter, such as those used mainly in small-scale buildings) such as ventilation openings, communication pipes, and through holes. It is possible. That is, if there is a step on the route, this embodiment can be applied.

Note that in this embodiment, the heights of the routes l2, l4, and l6 are shown in the vertical direction from a flat bottom surface such as the floor, but in another embodiment, the routes l2, l4, and l6 may be tilted may be configured.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow in which the robot control device operates the robot. In particular, an example of the operation of the passage control mode is shown in a flowchart. Information on the route for passing through the step is determined from blueprint information read in advance by the robot control device. The blueprint information includes three-dimensional information about the steps to be passed, and geometric information such as the height and width of the steps. In this embodiment, a first height and a second height are determined. The first height in this example corresponds to the height reached by route l2 in FIG. 12, and the second height is a height lower than the first height by l4 (in other words, , h+rw). Once the first height and the second height can be determined, other routes l1 to l7 may be determined by arbitrary settings by those skilled in the art; for example, geometric information of steps or information on the shape of the robot may be used. The respective routes l1 to l7 may be determined based on the following.

In S13010, when transitioning to the passage control mode, information on the route of the step to be passed is read. Here, as an example of the criterion for shifting to the passage control mode, it may be based on the fact that the head of the robot has passed a predetermined spatial position.

In S13020, the route for the robot to pass is moved by a predetermined distance along the route determined in S13010 based on the current spatial position (three-dimensional coordinates) of the robot and the physical positional relationship with the step to be passed. The amount of movement of each wheel of the robot (such as angular velocity) and the movement of each body is calculated so that the robot can move. Furthermore, in the calculation, the performance of hardware such as each wheel, the influence of movement of the center of gravity of the robot, etc. may also be taken into consideration.

In S13030, the robot is moved a predetermined distance based on the calculation result.

In S13040, information such as the spatial position of each wheel and body of the robot that has moved a predetermined distance is fed back via a sensor or the like.

In S13050, it is determined whether the vehicle has passed through a step. An example of the basis for determining that the robot has passed a step may be based on the fact that the last wheel of the robot has passed a predetermined spatial position. If it is determined that the step has been passed, the passage control mode is ended and the mode is shifted to the inspection control mode. When it is determined that the step has not been passed, the process returns to S13020 and continues the process.

FIG. 14 explains part of the information processing (particularly S13010 and S13020) in FIG. 13 from another aspect, and shows an example of the flow of the operation of moving up and down the entrance.

In S14010, a route is planned (a route is set in advance based on the blueprint information. Leaning to avoid falling, load torque reduction, and avoidance of abdominal interference may be considered).

In S14020, the moving speed is set to the maximum.

In S14030, joint angles are calculated so that all joints are on the path when moving on the path at the set movement speed.

In S14040, the joint angular velocity is calculated from the difference between the current joint angle and the joint angle in S14030, and if the joint angular velocity exceeds the hardware performance limit, the movement speed is halved and the process returns to S14030. If the value is within the hardware performance limit, that value is used for operation.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art will be able to make various alternatives, modifications, and variations based on the above explanation, and the present invention can be implemented in various ways without departing from the spirit thereof. It is intended to include any alternatives, modifications or variations.

Claims (10)

A mobile body that autonomously moves within a predetermined space,
multiple body parts;
a driving means comprising a multi-connection mechanism comprising a plurality of joints connecting the main body;
storage means for storing information regarding a route on a step that the moving object passes;
Equipped with
A moving object, characterized in that when the moving object passes through a route on the step, the moving object is controlled in a passage control mode based on three-dimensional spatial information including information on the height and depth of the step. The moving body according to claim 1,
In inspection control mode, the moving object is controlled based on two-dimensional spatial information,
When the moving object passes a step on the route, switching from the inspection control mode to a passage control mode and controlling the moving object based on three-dimensional spatial information,
After the moving body passes a step on the route, the moving body is controlled by switching from the passage control mode to the inspection control mode. In the inspection control mode, the moving body is controlled to pass through an inspection route that can pass through all inspection points included in the two-dimensional spatial information and the steps,
All inspection points on the two-dimensional information can be checked at the last inspection point if there is no interference between the head of the moving object itself and the following part, and the last inspection point is the starting point of the passage control mode. , the driving route is set in consideration of the posture for stable operation in the passage control mode,
The moving object is controlled to avoid obstacles included in the two-dimensional spatial information,
The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein the mobile body acquires environmental information around the inspection point at the inspection point. The moving object according to claim 1, wherein in the passage control mode, the moving object passes through the predetermined obstacle by controlling the attitude of the moving object. The mobile object according to claim 1, wherein the environmental information is image information captured around the inspection point. The route has a first height and a second height with respect to the step set in advance based on blueprint information,
The moving object according to claim 1, wherein the blueprint information includes at least three-dimensional information about a step to be passed and geometric information about the height and width of the step. The movement according to claim 1, characterized in that when passing the step, control is performed such that the entire moving body is tilted and moved along the wall surface while pressing the wheels on the head of the moving body to prevent it from falling over. body. According to claim 1, when passing the step, the forward speed of the robot is adjusted so that the rotational speed of a motor mounted on each joint of the robot does not exceed an upper limit value caused by hardware. The mobile object described.
A method for controlling a mobile body that autonomously moves within a predetermined space, wherein the mobile body has a multi-connection mechanism composed of a plurality of body parts and a plurality of joints connecting the body parts. The method includes:
A method for controlling a moving body, comprising the step of controlling the moving body in a passage control mode based on three-dimensional spatial information when the moving body passes through a step on a route. A program for controlling a mobile body that autonomously moves within a predetermined space, the mobile body having a multi-connection mechanism composed of a plurality of body parts and a plurality of joints connecting the body parts. The program has:
A program comprising the step of controlling the moving object in a passage control mode based on three-dimensional spatial information when the moving object passes through a step on the route.