JP2506149B2 - Work vehicle guidance system using beam light - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial application] The present invention relates to a vehicle body on the ground side such that a plane forming a predetermined inclination angle with respect to an imaginary plane parallel to a road surface for guiding light beams is drawn. Beam light projecting means for projecting while scanning along the traveling direction is provided, and a pair of light receiving means for detecting a light receiving position in the up and down direction is provided on the work vehicle side with a set interval in the vehicle front and rear direction, Based on the light receiving position information of the pair of light receiving means, a deviation detecting means for detecting a deviation of the guiding light beam with respect to a set traveling locus along the scanning direction, and the work vehicle based on the detection information of the deviation detecting means. Relates to a work vehicle guiding apparatus using beam light, which is provided with steering control means for controlling the steering so that the vehicle automatically travels along the set traveling locus.

[Conventional technology]

This type of work vehicle guidance system using beam light detects a deviation from the set traveling locus based on the light receiving position in the vertical direction by a pair of light receiving means spaced in the vehicle body front-rear direction, and detects the work vehicle. The vehicle automatically travels along the set traveling locus.

By the way, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 12, the pair of light receiving means (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) are attached so that the positions thereof in the lateral direction of the vehicle body are the same. In the figure, (V)
Is a work vehicle, (A) is a guidance light beam, and (B) is a light beam projection means.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

Conventionally, since the pair of light receiving means are mounted so that the positions in the lateral direction of the vehicle body are the same, as shown in FIG. 12, the position of the working vehicle (V) in the vehicle traveling direction is the beam. The position apart from the light projection means (B) and in the vehicle body lateral direction with respect to the beam light projection means (B) is
At a position close to the installation side of the beam light projecting means (B), the pair of light receiving means (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) and the beam light projecting means (B) are almost aligned in a straight line,
Even if the vehicle body is slightly inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle body, the guiding light beam (A) is blocked by the light receiving means (S ₂ ) on the side closer to the beam light projecting means (B), and the beam light projecting means is provided. The light receiving means (S ₁ ) on the side far from (B) cannot receive the guiding beam light (A).

In addition, the light receiving means (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) are actually used.
Since the light receiving surface of the vehicle has a width in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, the light receiving means (S ₂₎ on the front side is increased as the working vehicle (V) moves away from the beam light projecting means (B) even if the vehicle body slightly tilts. )
As a result, there is a disadvantage that the light receiving means (S ₁ ) on the rear side is in a state of being shielded from the guiding beam light (A) for a long time, and the work vehicle cannot be guided properly.

That is, when the positions of the pair of light receiving means in the lateral direction of the vehicle body are the same as in the conventional case, there is a disadvantage that the traveling locus for automatically traveling the work vehicle cannot be set in the vicinity of the installation location of the beam light projection means. , Improvement was desired.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances,
The purpose is to minimize the range in which one of the pair of light receiving means provided in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is in a state in which the reception of the guiding beam light to the other is blocked.

[Means for solving the problem]

A work vehicle guidance system using beam light according to the present invention is provided on the ground side along a vehicle traveling direction so as to draw a plane that forms a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a virtual plane parallel to a traveling road surface. Beam light projecting means for projecting while scanning is provided, and a pair of light receiving means for detecting a light receiving position in the vertical direction is provided on the work vehicle side at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. Deviation detecting means for detecting a deviation of the guiding light beam with respect to the set traveling locus along the scanning direction based on the light receiving position information, and based on the detection information of the deviation detecting means, the work vehicle has the set traveling locus. A steering control means for controlling the steering so that the vehicle automatically travels along the steering wheel is provided, and its characteristic configuration is as follows.

That is, the pair of light receiving means is provided so as to be positioned at a set interval also in the lateral direction of the vehicle body.

[Work]

Since the work vehicle is steered so as to automatically travel along a set travel locus along the scanning direction of the guidance light beam, the direction of the vehicle body does not greatly tilt. Therefore, by providing a pair of light receiving means in the lateral direction of the vehicle body at a set interval as well, the light receiving surfaces of the pair of light receiving means are separated from the light receiving surface by the beam at the position where the work vehicle and the beam light projecting means are separated from each other. The light is not positioned on the line connecting the light projecting means, so that the state where one light receiving means blocks the optical path of the guiding beam light to the other light receiving means does not continue.

〔The invention's effect〕

Therefore, by a simple modification in which the pair of light receiving means is provided in the vehicle width direction at a set distance, the work vehicle is located at a position where the vehicle width direction approaches the installation location of the beam light projection means. In addition, it is possible to properly guide even at a position away from the light beam projection means. As a result, the range in which the work vehicle can be guided can be expanded by one beam light projection means.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment in the case where the present invention is applied to a cleaning work vehicle that cleans a passage or the like of a building while automatically traveling will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, while scanning the guide light beam (A) along the longitudinal direction of the passage, which is the working range, the light is projected in the lateral width direction of the passage and in the direction inclined upward. A laser beam projection device (B) as a beam light projection means is attached to a wall surface portion that is a substantially intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the passage, and is in a direction intersecting the scanning direction of the guidance beam light (A). A pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) as a pair of light receiving means for detecting the light receiving position in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.
Are located on the diagonal line in the vehicle body front-rear direction so that they are located at a first set interval (La) in the vehicle body front-rear direction and at a second set interval (Lb) in the vehicle body width direction. It is provided at the upper part of the front and rear ends.

However, although not described in detail, the pair of photodetectors (S ₁ ),
Each of (S ₂ ) is a one-dimensional CCD image sensor or PSD.
By using the elements and the like, these light receiving surfaces are attached to the upper portion of the vehicle body so as to be elongated in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.

Then, as will be described later, in each of the plurality of work strokes set along the longitudinal direction of the passage and aligned in the lateral width direction of the passage for each work width, the work vehicle (V ) Automatically travels along a set travel locus (m) along the longitudinal direction of the passage, based on the light receiving position information of the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ). Distance from the wall with B) (L)
And the inclination (ψ) with respect to the set traveling locus (m) in each work stroke are detected, and the steering control is performed based on the detected information, and both ends in the longitudinal direction of the passage are reached. Along with this, one stroke is moved laterally in the lateral direction of the passage to automatically move to the next work stroke.

However, in the work vehicle (V), since the light receiving surfaces of the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) are directed toward the wall surface side to which the laser light projection device (B) is attached, The vehicle will be automatically driven by repeating forward and backward for each stroke.

Next, a means for detecting the distance (L) from the wall surface based on the information of the light receiving position (X ₁ ) (X ₂ ) of each of the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ). explain.

As shown in FIG. 2, the guide beam (A) is parallel to the traveling surface of the work vehicle (V) and with respect to a virtual plane (F) passing through the projection position of the guide beam light (A). Then, it is projected toward the lateral side surface of the work vehicle (V) from the direction in which the set angle (θ) is inclined.

Therefore, the distances (L ₁ ) and (L ₂ ) to the light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) of the work vehicle (V) with respect to the set position of the laser beam projector (B), that is, the wall surface of the passage. Are light receiving positions (X ₁ ) and (X ₁ ) in the vertical direction where the light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) receive the guiding beam light (A) with reference to the virtual plane (F). It can be obtained from the following equation (i) based on X ₂ ) and the set angle (θ). Here, the light receiving positions (X ₁ ) and (X ₂ ) correspond to the height values from the virtual plane (F), as shown in FIG.

Li = Xi / tan θ (i) (i = 1,2) However, from the light receiving position information of one of the light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ), the set travel locus (m) in each work stroke Since it is not possible to detect the inclination (ψ) with respect to, the inclination (ψ) is detected from a pair of front and rear light receiving position information.

That is, as shown in FIG. ₁ , the light receiving position (X ₁ ) in the vertical direction of each of the front and rear photodetectors (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ),
From (X ₂ ), in the above formula (i), the distance (L ₁ ) and (L ₂ ) in the vehicle body width direction to the wall surfaces on the front and rear sides of the vehicle body
From the values of both distances (L ₁ ) and (L ₂ ) and the mounting distance (La) in the front-rear direction of the pair of front and rear photodetectors (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ), the following (ii) ), The inclination (ψ) with respect to the set traveling locus (m) is obtained.

However, since the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) are attached at the second set distance (Lb) in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, the both distances (L ₁ ) and (L ₂ ) From one of the second
The value obtained by subtracting the set interval (Lb) will be used as the value of the distance from the wall surface.

ψ = sin ⁻¹ ((L ₁ + Lb−L ₂ ) / La) (ii) The value of the distance (L) of the vehicle body from the wall surface is determined by the pair of front and rear light receivers (S ₁ ), ( The value of the position obtained based on the light receiving position information of one of S ₂ ) may be used, but in order to remove the influence of the inclination (ψ), both distances (L ₁ ) and (L ₂ The average value of the values in () may be used.

Although not described in detail, since the value of the obtained distance (L) does not directly indicate the position in the lateral width direction with respect to the set traveling locus (m) in each work stroke, the work vehicle (V) is set as described above. In order to automatically travel along the travel locus (m), the value of the obtained distance (L) is converted into a value corresponding to the position of the set travel locus (m) in each work stroke and used. .

That is, the process of calculating the position in the width direction with respect to the set traveling locus (m) based on the distance (L) from the wall surface or the value thereof and the process of obtaining the inclination (ψ) are the deviation detecting means (100). Will correspond to.

 Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described in detail.

Explaining the structure of the working vehicle (V), as shown in FIG. 4, traveling wheels (1) which can be individually stopped by a traveling motor (M ₁ ) are provided on the front, rear, left and right of the lower part of the vehicle body. Is provided.

However, the traveling wheels (1) are configured to be steered separately by front and rear by a steering motor (M ₂ ) with each pair of left and right.

The steering operation configuration by the steering motor (M ₂ ) will be described. As shown in FIG. 5, the traveling wheels (1)
Each of the support members (2) for supporting the shaft is swingably supported around the vertical axis, and the traveling wheel (1) swings around the vertical axis at the upper end of the support member (2). Rotating bodies (3) that rotate in conjunction with each other are attached to each other, and a link mechanism (4) that connects the rotating bodies (3) to the left and right is provided, and the traveling wheels (1) form a pair of left and right. It is supposed to change direction.

A gear portion that meshes with a steering gear (5) driven by the steering motor (M ₂ ) is formed on one outer circumference of the left and right rotating bodies (3).

In the figure, (6) is a gear type transmission unit for connecting the steering motor (M ₂ ) and the steering gear (5),
(S ₆ ) is a steering angle detecting potentiometer for detecting the current steering angle of the traveling wheel (1).

Then, in each of the work strokes, a two-wheel steering type that steers only a pair of left and right traveling wheels (1) on the front side in the vehicle traveling direction is used, and when moving to the next work stroke, When all of the traveling wheels (1) are shunted in a parallel steering type in which they are steered in the same phase and at the same angle and are moved to the next passage, the parallel steering type and the pair of left and right traveling wheels ( A four-wheel steering system is used in which the front and rear of 1) are steered so as to have opposite phases and the same angle.

Therefore, in each work stroke, the detected distance (L) to the wall surface and the set travel path (parallel to the wall surface) so that the work vehicle (V) automatically travels along the set travel path (m). The target steering angle (θf) is set based on the value of the inclination (ψ) with respect to m), and steering control is performed in a two-wheel steering system.

The target steering angle (θf) is calculated by using the following equation (iii) as the deviation value of the distance (L) and the inclination value (ψ) with respect to the set traveling locus (m) increase. It is set to a large value.

θf = α ₁ · x + α ₂ · ψ + α ₃ · β (3) However, in the above formula (iii), x is based on the value of the distance (L) from the wall surface and the position of the work stroke currently traveling. The position in the lateral direction of the vehicle body with respect to the set traveling locus (m) calculated by the above. Further, β is the current steering angle of the traveling wheel (1), and α ₁ , α ₂ and α ₃ are constants set according to the steering characteristics.

In other words, the target steering angle (θ
The process of operating the pair of left and right traveling wheels (1) on the front side with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle body by setting f) corresponds to the steering control means (101).

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, ultrasonic sensors (S ₃ ) for non-contact detection of obstacles around the vehicle body are provided on the front, rear, left and right side surfaces of the work vehicle (V), and A bumper-type contact sensor (S ₄ ) is provided for making an emergency stop when another object comes into contact. Further, in order to prevent the work vehicle (V) from falling at a stepped portion such as a stairway, a distance to the floor surface is provided at each of the vehicle body outer sides than the traveling wheels (1) below the vehicle body. A step sensor (S ₅ ) using an ultrasonic sensor for non-contact detection of whether or not is provided.

However, among the ultrasonic sensors (S ₃ ) for detecting obstacles provided around the vehicle body, the sensors provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body detect the end positions of the work strokes at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the passage, as described later. It is also used as a means for doing.

In FIG. 4, (7) is a rotating brush for cleaning, and (8)
Is a water absorbing device provided in each of the front and rear of the vehicle body, and (9) is a power cord so that operating electric power for the traveling motor (M ₁ ) and the steering motor (M ₂ ) can be supplied from the outside. A cord reel (10) which can be paid out according to a distance from a power outlet (11) (see FIG. 3) attached to a wall surface on one end side in the passage longitudinal direction, wherein the beam light projection device ( It is attached to the side part of the vehicle body opposite to the installation side of B). The rotating brush (7) and the water absorbing device (8) are provided so as to be movable in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. When cleaning the wall of the passage, the rotating brush (7) and the water absorbing apparatus (8) should be used in a state of being projected to the outside of the vehicle body. Has become. Also, although not described in detail, the plug (10a) of the power cord (10) is automatically connected by pushing the plug (10a) into the power feeding capacitor (11) in the inserting direction, In addition, when it is pushed again in the inserting direction, it is automatically pulled out.

Explaining the laser beam projection apparatus (B), as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a semiconductor laser (13) as a light source is provided inside a case (12) which also serves as a member for attaching to the wall surface. ) And a laser beam projected from the semiconductor laser (13) as the guiding beam light (A), and the work is performed through a beam light projecting window (14) formed on the side surface of the case (12). Inclining the set angle (θ) set to a value smaller than 45 degrees with respect to an imaginary plane (F) that is parallel to the floor surface of the passage serving as the traveling surface of the vehicle (V) and passes through the beam light projection position. And a polygon mirror (15) for scanning along the length direction of the set traveling locus (m) for traveling the work vehicle (V) in the direction of the direction, that is, the longitudinal direction of the passage. ) Rotating the scanning motor (16) and the semiconductor Drive the laser (13) and said scanning motor (16) (17) are provided. In the figure, (18) is a switch for operating and stopping the laser beam projection device (B).

The work vehicle (V) is connected to the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ),
A control configuration for automatically traveling based on the light receiving position information of the guiding light beam (A) by (S ₂ ) will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, a control device (19) using a microcomputer is provided. The pair of photodetectors (S ₁ ),
(S ₂ ) and information detected by various sensors, and various traveling control information preset and stored, the traveling motor (M ₁ ) and the steering motor (M ₂ ) are automatically operated. Is configured.

In FIG. 8, (20) is a drive device for the rotary brush (7), (21) is a rotary encoder for detecting the rotation of each of the traveling motors (M ₁ ), and (22) is the work vehicle ( V) the number of work strokes in each aisle to automatically travel,
The operation panel (23) for setting and inputting various traveling control information such as the inclination angle (θ) and the passage width is a device for attaching / detaching the plug (10a) to / from the power outlet (11).

By the way, although not described in detail, when the work vehicle (V) is manually driven, various operation levers and switches provided on the operation panel (22) are manually operated.

Next, the automatic running of the work vehicle (V) will be described in detail while explaining the operation of the control device (19) based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, before the start of traveling, with the work vehicle (V) being positioned in the passage which is the working range, the plug (10a) of the power cord (10) is connected to the passage lengthwise. Power supply outlet (1
1) and set the work vehicle (V) in a state in which the work vehicle (V) can travel with the electric power supplied from the power outlet (11), and then, the number of work strokes and passage widths for each passage, and Various kinds of traveling control information such as the value of the inclination angle (θ) of the guiding light beam (A) for each passage is input using the operation panel (22).

Next, based on the entered information,
That is, it is determined whether or not the number of set traveling loci is an even number, and when the number is set to an even number, the pair of photodetectors (S ₁ ),
By controlling the steering based on the information of (S ₂ ), the power supply outlet (11) is moved to the start point (ST) set at the corner of the passage opposite to the installation side. On the other hand, if it is an odd number, it is moved to the start point on the side of the passage corner where the power outlet (11) is installed.

That is, as will be described later, the work vehicle (V) runs while dragging the power cord (10), so that the floor surface cleaned by the power cord (10) is not polluted. The work start position is set on the side where the power cord (10) is not on the floor surface cleaned.

Whether or not the work vehicle (V) has arrived at the start point (ST) and whether or not the work vehicle (V) has arrived at the location where the power outlet (11) is installed is determined by the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ). ，
The distance (L) from the wall surface in the lateral direction of the vehicle body detected by (S ₂ ) and the wall surface in the longitudinal direction of the passage detected by the ultrasonic sensors (S ₃ ) provided at the front and rear of the vehicle body. The determination is made based on the distance (l) (see FIG. 1).

After moving the work vehicle (V) to the start point (ST), the drive speed of each of the traveling motors (M ₁ ) is set so that the work vehicle (V) travels at the set speed. , The rotating brush (7) and the water absorbing device (8)
To start cleaning.

After the cleaning is started, as described above, the deviation with respect to the set traveling locus (m) in the currently traveling work stroke is detected based on the light receiving position information of the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ). At the same time, the steering control is performed based on the detected deviation information.

Next, ultrasonic sensors (S ₃ ) provided in front of and behind the vehicle body
Based on the detection information of the one on the vehicle traveling direction side, it is determined whether or not the stroke end is reached.If the stroke end is reached, cleaning and traveling are stopped, and the set stroke is set. Based on the number and the number of travels actually traveled, it is determined whether or not the work is completed, and if the work is completed, the entire process is completed.

When the work is not completed, the vehicle body is moved in parallel to the next work process side by the parallel steering method, and it is determined whether or not it is the final process.

In the case of the final step, after performing the withdrawal process for withdrawing the power cord (10) from the power outlet (11), the rotary brush (7) and the water absorbing device (8) are connected to the vehicle body. It will be projected to the lateral side and the running in the final stroke will be started. If it is not the final stroke, the traveling in the next work stroke is started as it is.

That is, in the final step, the power cord (10) is used to prevent the floor surface that has been cleaned from being soiled,
The power cord (10) is unplugged for running. Therefore, although not described in detail, the work vehicle (V) is equipped with a battery so that the work vehicle (V) can travel without power supply from the outside.

To explain the movement to the next stroke, when the end of the work stroke is reached, the forward / reverse movement is switched and the parallel steering type is used to move the distance corresponding to the work width toward the next work stroke toward the inside of the passage. Then, switching back and forth again, based on the light receiving position information of the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) and the distance measurement information by the ultrasonic sensor (S ₃ ) for detecting the obstacle. After moving to the work stroke end portion which is the start end portion of the next work stroke, the forward and backward movements are switched again to start the traveling and cleaning work in the next work stroke.

[Another embodiment]

In the above-described embodiment, a case where a pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) as a pair of light receiving means is provided in a state of being fixed to the upper portion of the vehicle body is shown. For example, as shown in FIG. It may be moved vertically to be used depending on the light receiving position range in each work process. In this case, the receiver (S ₁ ),
Since the length of the light receiving surface of (S ₂ ) can be shortened, the light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) can be constructed at low cost. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, the traveling distance from the traveling start point in each set traveling locus (m) detected based on the rotation speed of the traveling motor (M ₁ ) and the beam light Based on the installation position of the projection device (B), the light receiving surfaces of the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) are automatically oriented toward the beam light projection device (B). May be. In this case, regardless of the position of the work vehicle (V), the guiding beam light (A) can be stably applied to the light receiving surfaces of the pair of light receivers (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ).

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the so-called 2 is used so that only the traveling wheel (1) on the front side with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle body is steered.
The case where the vehicle is configured to travel in the wheel steering form has been exemplified, but for example, the position (x) in the lateral direction of the vehicle body
Of the front and rear traveling wheels (1) in the same phase by the parallel steering type steering, and the inclination (ψ) of the front and rear traveling wheels (1) in the opposite phase. You may make it perform by the four-wheel steering type which steers the same angle. In addition, steering control may be performed in a two-wheel steering manner so as to correct only the position (x) in the lateral direction of the vehicle body based on the light receiving position information of _one light receiver (S ₁ or S ₂ ). Of course, the specific configurations of the deviation detecting means (100) and the steering control means (101) can be changed in various ways.

Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to various work vehicles other than the work vehicle for cleaning, and the specific configurations of the respective parts can be variously changed.

It should be noted that reference numerals are added to the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the structures of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of a work vehicle guiding system using light beams according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the relationship between a guiding light beam and a light receiver, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, and FIG. Is a plan view of a work process, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a work vehicle, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of essential parts showing a steering operation configuration, FIG. 6 is a cutaway side view of a beam light projection device, and FIG. The front view, FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the control configuration, and FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the control operation.
FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the relationship between the guiding light beam and the light receiver in another embodiment, and FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing still another embodiment of the light receiver. FIG. 12 is a schematic plan view of a conventional example. (A) ... Beam light for guidance, (B) ... Beam light projection means, (V) ... Work vehicle, (S ₁ ), (S ₂ ) ... Light receiving means,
(La), (Lb) ... set interval, (100) ... deviation detection means, (101) ... steering control means, (θ) ... predetermined inclination angle.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. On the ground side, a guide beam light (A) is scanned along a vehicle traveling direction so as to draw a plane forming a predetermined inclination angle (θ) with respect to an imaginary plane parallel to a road surface. A beam light projecting means (B) for projecting while being provided is provided, and a pair of light receiving means (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ) for detecting the light receiving position in the vertical direction are provided on the work vehicle side at a set interval ( La) is provided separately, and the deviation of the guiding light beam (A) from the set traveling locus along the scanning direction is detected based on the light receiving position information of the pair of light receiving means (S ₁ ) and (S ₂ ). Deviation detecting means (100), and steering control means for controlling the steering so that the work vehicle (V) automatically travels along the set travel locus based on the detection information of the deviation detecting means (100). (101) is a work vehicle guide device using beam light, wherein: Light receiving means _{(S 1), (S 2} ) is,
A work vehicle guidance device that uses beam light and is also installed at a set distance (Lb) in the vehicle width direction.