JP7107757B2 - Autonomous mobile device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile device.

There are autonomous mobile devices such as service robots, unmanned carriers, and unmanned aircraft that autonomously move to a predetermined position based on map information generated from information on the position and shape of obstacles such as walls. This autonomous mobile device detects surrounding obstacles using a laser scanner or the like mounted on the autonomous mobile device, compares the obstacle information with map information, and recognizes the current position while selecting a travel route. there is

By the way, even in areas where there are no obstacles, areas with steps or areas where the road surface is slippery are not suitable for the autonomous mobile device to travel. Also, if there is an obstacle that cannot be detected by the mounted laser scanner, the current position may be misidentified.

For this reason, in the autonomous mobile device described in Patent Document 1, an area that is not suitable for the autonomous mobile device to travel or an area with an obstacle that cannot be detected by a laser scanner is set as an entry prohibition area that prohibits the autonomous mobile device from entering. there is Based on the no-entry area map indicating the no-entry area and the environment map indicating the obstacle area where the obstacle exists, the current position of the autonomous mobile device is recognized based on the environment map, and the no-entry area map is recognized. The driving route of the autonomous mobile device is determined from the environmental map.

JP 2011-128899 A

The autonomous mobile device of Patent Literature 1 can autonomously move without traveling through no-entry areas or obstacle areas.
However, depending on the form of the autonomous mobile device, a disturbance such as a wheel slip or a gust of wind may cause the device to enter the no-entry area. In particular, in a complicated indoor environment, since the area in which the vehicle can travel is narrow, the travel route approaches the no-entry area, and the frequency of entering the no-entry area increases. There is a problem that the autonomous mobile device becomes incapable of traveling once it enters the no-entry area.

When an autonomous mobile device enters a no-entry area, an appropriate response differs depending on the situation of each no-entry area. For example, if the road surface in the no-entry area is a slippery area and there is a possibility that the vehicle will fall over and become uncontrollable, it is necessary to immediately stop driving. In addition, in the case of an area where there is a step on the road surface of the no-entry area, if the vehicle enters the area only slightly, it may be possible to escape from the no-entry area. In addition, when the outside of the service area of the autonomous mobile device is set as the no-entry area, it is desirable to return to the service area.

An object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile device capable of not only preventing entry into a no-entry area, but also executing an appropriate behavior (hereinafter referred to as entry-time behavior) when entering the no-entry area. That's what it is.
Hereinafter, in this specification, an area in which behavior is restricted when entering is referred to as an entry suppression area. The no-entry area of Patent Document 1 can also be regarded as one aspect of the entry-restricted area in that the operation is restricted to stop when entering.

In order to solve the above-described problems, an autonomous mobile device of the present invention is an autonomous mobile device that determines a travel route by estimating its own position based on area information indicating the position of an obstacle and detection information on the obstacle. an entry suppression area setting means for setting an entry suppression area in the area information; an entry behavior setting means for setting a behavior when entering the entry suppression area for each entry suppression area; and if the self-position is not included in the entry suppression region, the vehicle is controlled so as not to enter the entry suppression region, and if the self-position is the and a driving control unit that controls driving in accordance with the entry behavior of the entry suppression region when included in the entry suppression region, and the entry behavior setting means is configured to set the entry behavior in the entry suppression region and the entry behavior. Scenario management means for setting an entry behavior for each entry suppression area based on scenario information defining behavior execution conditions, and the travel control means controls the entry behavior according to the entry behavior set by the scenario management means. It was designed to control the running of the suppression area .

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the autonomous mobile device of this invention, when an autonomous mobile device enters into an approach suppression area|region, since an appropriate behavior is individually performed according to an area|region, the availability of an autonomous mobile device can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the control block structure of the autonomous moving apparatus of embodiment. It is an external view showing the front and side of the autonomous mobile device of the embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the area|region where an autonomous mobile device autonomously runs. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a partial area of area information; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing display color management information; It is a figure which shows the behavior management information at the time of an approach. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing behavior information at the time of approach; It is a figure explaining the operation|movement flow of an autonomous mobile device. It is a figure which shows the control block structure of the autonomous moving apparatus in other embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a region in which the autonomous mobile device autonomously travels; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of scenario information; It is a figure explaining other operation|movement flows of an autonomous mobile device.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
<<First embodiment>>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a control block configuration of an autonomous mobile device 1 according to an embodiment.
The autonomous mobile device 1 is composed of a mobile device 10 that autonomously travels to a predetermined position in an area, and an operation setting device 19 that sets operating conditions and action commands for the mobile device 10 .

More specifically, the operation setting device 19 includes command input means 13 for inputting commands such as a target position and speed for running to the mobile device 10, and a command input means 13 for setting an area to suppress the entry of the mobile device 1. An entry suppression area setting means 14 and an entry behavior setting means 15 for setting a behavior to be taken by the mobile device 10 when the mobile device 10 has entered the entry suppression region are provided.

The mobile device 10 includes travel control means 11 for controlling the movement of the mobile device 10, mobile device 12 for moving the mobile device 10 in accordance with a signal from the travel control device 11, the state of the surrounding environment and the mobile device. A moving state recognition means 16 is provided for recognizing a moving state such as speed based on information obtained from 12 .
For example, the moving state recognition means 16 acquires distance information to structures around the moving apparatus 10 by a laser scanner such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging).

The travel control means 11 includes a map generation unit 111 that generates a map to be referred to when recognizing the position of the mobile device 10, a command obtained from the command input means 13, and an entry suppression area obtained from the entry suppression area setting means 14. information, setting of behavior at the time of entry for each entry suppression area obtained from behavior setting means 15 at the time of entry, storage unit 112 for storing map information, and movement state obtained from movement state recognition means 16 A self-position estimating unit 113 for estimating which point in the map the self is located, and a movement control unit 114 for calculating a command signal for controlling the driving of the moving means 12 and transmitting it to the moving means 12. It is

FIG. 2 is an external view showing the front and side surfaces of the autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment. The autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment can detect the positions and movements of obstacles using the LiDAR installed therein, calculate a route for avoiding a collision, and autonomously move to a target location.

On the head of the mobile device 10, a tablet control device 18 is provided that notifies the mobile device 10 of its own state to the outside and functions as an operation setting device 19 (see FIG. 1). The traveling control means 11 and the movement state recognition means 16 including LiDAR are built in the body of the movement device 10 (see FIG. 1), and the legs of the movement device 10 have a pair of differential sensors as the movement means 12. It has a drive wheel driven by two driving wheels and one free wheel.

In the autonomous mobile device 1 of FIG. 2 , the operation setting device 19 is installed as a function of the tablet control device 18 , but the operation setting device 19 is wirelessly connected to the mobile device 10 via a laptop computer 17 (not shown). may be
That is, the user of the autonomous mobile device 1 can remotely operate the autonomous mobile device 1 from the laptop computer 17, and can operate the mobile device 10 by the tablet control device 18 attached to the autonomous mobile device 1. Direct manipulation is also possible.

Hereinafter, a method for setting the entry suppression area and the behavior at the time of entry of the autonomous mobile device 1 will be described in detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an area in which the mobile device 10 autonomously travels.
The mobile device 10 estimates its own position based on the position of the wall detected by the mounted LiDAR, and autonomously travels in the travel area surrounded by the wall indicated by the thick line.

A chair is provided in the running area. An entry suppression area 302 is set around the chair in consideration of the occupied area when a person sits down, and the entry behavior is stopped around the entry suppression area 302. An entry suppression area 301 is set in which the entry route is reversed.
The mobile device 10 is controlled to escape from the entry suppression area 301 when the mobile device 10 enters the entry suppression region 301 due to a disturbance.

If the mobile device 10 enters the entry suppression area 301 and then enters the entry suppression area 302, the mobile device 10 is stopped. For example, when the mobile device 10 attempts to escape from the entry suppression area 301, such an event may occur when detecting the approach of an obstacle such as a person or another mobile device 10 and performing an avoidance action. be.

In this way, by setting an entry suppression area in stages for an object that the mobile device 10 should not approach, it is possible to cause the mobile device 10 to perform different behaviors according to the degree of approach to the entry suppression region. It becomes possible.

Also in the running area is a freshly waxed floor with cones at the four corners. An area surrounded by this cone is set as an entry suppression area 305 .
When the mobile device 10 enters the entry suppression area 305, the mobile device 10 is stopped. This minimizes damage such as peeling off the wax that has just been applied.

It should be noted that an entry suppression area may be provided so as to surround the entry suppression area 305 in which the movement of the mobile device 10 at the time of entry is to go backwards on the approach path.
As a result, it is possible to further prevent entry into the wax-applied region.

Further, in the travel area on the left side of the paper surface of FIG. 3, stairs are provided outside the travel area. In order to prevent the mobile device 10 from entering the stairs, an entry suppression area 304 is provided in which the behavior at the time of entry is set.
Since there is a possibility that a person may suddenly descend in the restricted entry area 304 , when the moving apparatus 10 enters the restricted entry area 304 , the moving apparatus 10 is made to quickly escape from the restricted entry area 304 .

Specifically, when the mobile device 10 enters in the vertical direction of the paper surface of FIG. Then, when entering in the direction of the stairs on the paper surface, escape in the direction opposite to the approaching direction. In other words, in the entry suppression region 304, the entry behavior is set so that the behavior differs depending on the entry direction.
Of course, regardless of the approach direction of the mobile device 10 , the approach route may be reversed to escape from the approach restraint area 304 .

Since the mobile device 10 cannot run on stairs, the stair area can be regarded as an entry suppression area in which the entry behavior is set to stop, similar to the entry suppression area 302 . Therefore, even in this example, it can be regarded as an example in which the entry suppression area is provided step by step for the object to which the mobile device 10 is not desired to approach.

In addition, in the travel area on the left side of the paper surface of FIG. 3, an entry suppression area 303 is set at the connection between the service area, which is the travel area of the autonomous mobile device 1, and the outside of the service area. It is
When the mobile device 10 enters the entry restricted area 303, the mobile device 10 reverses the entry route so as to return to the service area.

In addition, the mobile device 10 notifies the user that the mobile device 10 has deviated from the service area as behavior when entering the restricted entry area 303 . This notification is issued by the tablet control device 18 of the mobile device 10 (see FIG. 2).
Such an event may occur when the autonomous mobile device 1 moves in cooperation with or tracks the user.

In this example, since the mobile device 10 does not autonomously travel in an area outside the service area, the area outside the service area can be regarded as an entry restricted area in which the behavior upon entry is set to stop. Therefore, even in this example, it can be regarded as an example in which the entry suppression area is provided step by step for the object to which the mobile device 10 is not desired to approach.

In the above description, it has been described that the entry suppression area is provided in stages for the object that the mobile device 10 should not approach. In addition, an entry avoidance area for controlling the behavior of the mobile device 10 so as not to enter the entry prohibited area can be provided to control the autonomous travel of the mobile device 10 .

Next, a method of controlling the movement of the mobile device 10 by setting the entry suppression area and setting the behavior when entering the entry suppression area will be described.
In the autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment, the travel area of the mobile device 10 is divided into rectangular areas of a predetermined size, and the areas and travel routes are managed as two-dimensional area information.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing area information of the area 309 in FIG.
Information corresponding to one rectangular area in the area information records an identifier indicating the type of the area (obstacle, travel area, restricted area, restricted area).
For example, an obstacle such as a wall, a chair, a cone, etc. is assigned an identifier "255", and a travel area is assigned an identifier "0". In FIG. 4, the area corresponding to the interior of the chair has the identifier "0", but since it is an area surrounded by obstacles and cannot run, the identifier "255" may be used.

Then, an identifier for specifying the area is assigned to each of the entry suppression areas, and the identifier is recorded in the area information corresponding to the position of the area. In FIG. 4, the entry suppression area 301 is assigned to the identifier "80", and the entry suppression area 302 is assigned to the identifier "200" and recorded.

At this time, it is preferable to limit the numerical range of the identifier for each type of area. Thus, the type of area can be identified by determining the numerical range.
Also, for obstacles such as walls, chairs, and cones, it is better to assign different identifiers to obstacles that are easily detected by the mounted LiDAR and obstacles that are difficult to detect. In self-position estimation (FIG. 9), which will be described later, it is possible to improve the matching accuracy between position information of obstacles that can be easily detected in area information and detection results of LiDAR.

The autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment determines the travel route of the mobile device 10 using a map, and the area information partially shown in FIG. 4 is associated with the map for determining the travel route. Alternatively, this area information may be used as a map.
This area information is stored in the storage unit 112 (see FIG. 1).

In the autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment, the setting of the entry suppression area performed by the entry suppression area setting means 14 and the setting of the entry behavior of the entry suppression area performed by the entry behavior setting means 15 are performed by the operation setting device 19 (tablet This is done by the GUI (Graphical User Interface) of the control device 18 or the laptop computer 17). For this reason, as shown in FIG. 5, display color management information that associates a display color with each identifier that specifies an area is provided. This display color management information is stored in the storage unit 112 (see FIG. 1).
At this time, the visibility of the regions can be improved by aligning the hue system for each region type.

The entry suppression area setting means 14 sets an area specified by performing a drag operation on the displayed area information screen as an entry suppression area. For example, in FIG. 3, when a rectangular area is specified by performing a drag operation so as to surround a chair displayed as an obstacle, the entry suppression area setting means 14 registers the specified rectangular area in the area information as an entry suppression area. do.

More specifically, when a rectangular area is designated, the entry restraint area setting means 14 generates an identifier specifying the area, and records the generated identifier in the area corresponding to the designated rectangular area in the area information. Accordingly, the entry suppression area setting means 14 sets the entry suppression area in the area information.

When the set entry suppression area is right-clicked, the entry behavior setting means 15 opens a pop-up window for setting the entry behavior when the mobile device 10 enters the right-clicked entry suppression area.
At this time, in order to associate the entry behavior set in the pop-up window with the entry suppression area, the entry behavior management information shown in FIG. record.
This entry behavior management information is stored in the storage unit 112 (see FIG. 1).

In the pop-up window, when you enter the restricted entry area by right-clicking, you can select one of the following behaviors when entering: "stop on the spot", "go back on the path you entered", or "pass in the direction you entered". Set the type of operation and the type of alarm to be issued, such as "warning display", "warning sound", or "no alarm".
Note that when the mobile device 10 enters an entry suppression area in which the behavior upon entry is set to "stop on the spot", the mobile device 10 stops after entering, which means the end of autonomous travel. Therefore, it is desirable to issue a "warning display".

The entry behavior set in the pop-up window is recorded in the entry behavior information shown in FIG. 7 for each entry suppression area.
This entry behavior information is stored in the storage unit 112 (see FIG. 1).

That is, in the entry behavior information of FIG. 7, the "operation type" and the "alert type" are recorded as the entry behavior when the mobile device 10 enters the entry suppression area for each entry behavior identifier. It is The "behavior when approaching" is not limited to the "type of action" or "type of alarm", and other actions may be added.

Next, the operation flow of the autonomous mobile device 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
First, in step S<b>201 , the autonomous mobile device 1 uses the map generation unit 111 to generate a map of the travel area including the arrangement of obstacles in the area where the mobile device 10 travels, and stores the generated map in the storage unit 112 . . The autonomous mobile device 1 estimates the position of the mobile device 10 based on this map and positional information of obstacles detected by the LiDAR of the mobile state recognition means 16, and formulates a travel route. In addition, in the autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment, it is assumed that the map and the area information in which the mobile device 10 travels are the same.

In step S<b>202 , the autonomous mobile device 1 sets an entry suppression area to the map (area information) stored in the storage unit 112 by the entry suppression area setting means 14 . At this time, an identifier is assigned to each entry suppression area that has been set.
In step S<b>203 , the autonomous mobile device 1 uses the entry behavior setting means 15 to set the behavior when entering each of the set entry suppression regions. The set entry behavior is stored in the storage unit 112 as entry behavior management information so as to be specified by the identifier of the entry suppression area.

With the above steps, the initial setting process of the autonomous mobile device 1 is completed.
In step S<b>204 , the autonomous mobile device 1 waits for the setting information of the target position in the map (area information) for autonomous travel of the mobile device 10 and the user's movement command to be set in the command input means 13 . When the movement command is set, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S205, the autonomous mobile device 1 collates the position information of obstacles such as walls obtained by the movement state recognition means 16 (LiDAR) with the map (area information) of the storage unit 112 by the self-position estimation unit 113. to estimate the position of the mobile device 10 on the map.
Specifically, by collating the position of an identifier indicating an obstacle that can be easily detected by the movement state recognition means 16 (LiDAR) on a map (area information) and the detection result of the movement state recognition means 16 (LiDAR), the self Estimate location.

Further, by grasping the size of the rectangular area of the map (area information) in advance, the real environment position of the mobile device 10 can be estimated.

In step S206, the autonomous mobile device 1 determines whether or not conditions for terminating autonomous travel of the mobile device 10 are satisfied. Here, the end conditions are the case where the position of the mobile device 10 on the map (area information) estimated in step S205 becomes equal to the target position for autonomous travel of the mobile device 10 set in step S204, and This is either the case where a stop command is received from the input means 13 or the case where the mobile device 10 (to be described later) enters an entry suppression area in which the behavior at the time of entry is stopped.

In step S<b>206 , when the mobile device 10 satisfies the termination condition (Yes in S<b>206 ), the autonomous mobile device 1 terminates the autonomous traveling operation of the mobile device 10 . If the termination condition is not satisfied (No in S206), the process proceeds to step S207.
In step S206, instead of comparing the position on the map (area information), whether the distance between the target position in the real environment of autonomous traveling of the mobile device 10 and the estimated position in the real environment is equal to or less than a predetermined value. may be determined.

In step S207, the autonomous mobile device 1 determines whether the mobile device 10 exists within the entry suppression area. The determination is made based on whether or not the value of the position of the mobile device 10 estimated in step S205 on the map (area information) is the value assigned to the identifier of the entry restraint area.
If the value of the estimated position of the mobile device 10 is the value of the identifier of the entry suppression area, it is determined that the mobile device 10 has entered the entry suppression area (Yes in S207), and the process proceeds to step S209. If the value of the estimated position of the mobile device 10 is not the value of the identifier of the restricted entry area (No in S207), it is determined that the mobile device 10 has not entered the restricted entry area, and the process proceeds to step S208.

In step S208, the autonomous mobile device 1 refers to the map (area information) to formulate a travel route for the mobile device 10, and controls the mobile device 12 using the mobile control unit 114 to cause the mobile device 10 to travel to the target position. .
At this time, since the travel route is determined with reference to a map (area information) in which obstacles and entry suppression areas are set, the mobile device 10 travels while avoiding entry into the entry suppression areas. .
Then, the process returns to step S205, and the autonomous mobile device 1 continues the processing of autonomous travel.

In step S209, the autonomous mobile device 1 uses the identifier of the position of the mobile device 10 estimated in step S205 on the map (area information) as the identifier of the entry suppression area, and refers to the entry behavior management information described with reference to FIG. , to obtain the identifier of the on-entry behavior. Then, with reference to the entry behavior information described with reference to FIG. 7, the entry behavior corresponding to the entry behavior identifier is acquired.

Then, in step S210, the autonomous mobile device 1 executes the entering behavior acquired in step S209.
After executing the entering behavior, the autonomous mobile device 1 returns to step S205 and continues the processing of autonomous travel.

When the autonomous mobile device 1 detects the approach of a person or another autonomous mobile device by the mobile state recognition means 16 (LiDAR) in parallel with the above-described autonomous traveling processing based on the map (area information), the mobile device It goes without saying that 10 avoidance actions are controlled.

In this embodiment, in FIGS. 3 and 4, an identifier for specifying the area is assigned to each of the entry suppression areas, the identifier is recorded in the area information corresponding to the position of the area, and the display color corresponding to the identifier is displayed. It has been described that the area is displayed on the screen in , and the entry suppression area is set by the GUI. However, when setting a large number of entry suppression areas, the display screen may become complicated.
In this case, the entry suppression area may be displayed in the same color.

Alternatively, the entry suppression area may be represented by a polygon, only pixels corresponding to the positions of the vertices of the polygon may be displayed, and an identifier may be written to identify the entry suppression area.
As will be described later, by running the mobile device 10 based on the area information, it is determined whether or not to enter the entry suppression area regardless of the screen display, so there is no problem even if the display of the entry suppression area is simplified. .

According to the autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment, since the autonomous mobile device 10 is controlled to autonomously travel by providing an entry suppression area for setting the behavior at the time of entry, the appropriate behavior can be executed when the mobile device 10 enters. Unnecessary stoppages can be suppressed, and the availability of the mobile device 10 can be improved.
In addition, by displaying maps that control autonomous driving in association with autonomous driving area information on a GUI, it is possible to easily set the entry suppression area and the behavior at the time of entry, and the operability of the autonomous mobile device 1 is improved. .

<<Second embodiment>>
In this embodiment, an autonomous mobile device 1 that sets a plurality of entry behaviors for each of the entry suppression areas and selects and executes the entry behavior based on a predetermined condition will be described.
For example, in the entry suppression region 304 of FIG. 3, it has been explained that, depending on the direction of entry, the entry behavior of traveling in the direction of travel is selected, and the entry behavior of traveling in the opposite direction is selected so as to escape. is a form for implementing this.
In this specification, the setting information of the entry behavior defined for each of the entry suppression areas and the operating conditions for this entry behavior is referred to as a scenario.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a control block configuration of the autonomous mobile device 1 of this embodiment.
The control block configuration of the autonomous mobile device 1 in FIG. However, it is different in that a state management unit 115 is provided.

The scenario management means 21 and the state management section 115 added in FIG. 9 will be described in detail below.
In FIG. 9, parts with the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 are common control blocks, and description thereof is omitted here.

The state management unit 115 added to the travel control unit 11 notifies the command determination unit 212 of the scenario management unit 21 of the state of the mobile device 10 according to the state of the movement control unit 114 . Specifically, the state management unit 115 determines whether or not the mobile device 10 has entered the entry suppression area, positional information of obstacles obtained from the mobile state recognition means 16, and traveling information (position, speed, direction, etc.) of the mobile device 10. is notified to the command determination unit 212 . In addition, the state management unit 115 notifies the command determination unit 212 of command information being executed by the travel control means 11 .

The scenario storage unit 211 of the scenario management means 21 stores the scenario information described in FIG. 11 and the entry behavior information (see FIG. 7) in which the behavior is recorded for each identifier for identifying the entry behavior.
The command determination unit 212 of the scenario management unit 21 refers to the scenario storage unit 211 based on the state of the mobile device 10 obtained from the state management unit 115 to determine an operation command, and determines the behavior of the mobile device 10 in the entry suppression area. set.

Next, the operation of the scenario management means 21 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a travel area in which the mobile device 10 of this embodiment autonomously travels.
A chair is provided in the travel area, and an entry suppression area 301 is provided around the chair. Here, the identifier of the entry suppression area 301 is assumed to be "80".
Also in the running area is a freshly waxed floor with cones at the four corners. The area surrounded by this cone is set as an entry suppression area 305 (identifier is "82").

Stairs are provided outside the travel area, and an entry suppression area 304 (identifier is "83") is set in front of the stairs.
In addition, an entry suppression area 303 (identifier is "81") is set at the connection between the service area, which is the travel area of the autonomous mobile device 1, and the outside of the service area.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of scenario information stored in the scenario storage unit 211. As shown in FIG.
The scenario information is in a format that extends the entering behavior management information described with reference to FIG. More specifically, the scenario information includes, for each "entrance suppression area identifier" that specifies an approach suppression area, the "predetermined entry behavior identifier" that is the identifier of the entry behavior to be performed when the execution conditions for executing the entry behavior described later are not met. Identifier of time behavior” and “Set behavior when entering a specific state”. The "setting of behavior when entering in a specific state" is composed of "execution conditions" of the behavior when entering and "identifier of behavior when entering" which is executed when the execution conditions are satisfied.

The “execution condition” is an “execution command” that is conditional on a command that is being executed by the traveling control means 11 when the mobile device 10 is notified from the state management unit 115 and enters the entry suppression area, and and "time" with the time when entering into the entry suppression area as a condition. Then, when both the condition of "in-execution instruction" and the condition of "time" are satisfied, the behavior at entry corresponding to the identifier set in "identification of behavior at entry" is executed.

Here, the identification of the entering behavior by the identifier is performed with reference to the entering behavior information described with reference to FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, the entry behavior information is stored in the scenario storage unit 211 , but may be stored in the storage unit 112 of the traveling control means 11 .

The command determination unit 212 sets the mobile device 10 calculated based on the position information notified from the state management unit 115 and the entry suppression area as the “execution conditions” in addition to the “execution command” and “time”. "Distance to an obstacle" conditional on the distance to an object, and "entry direction" conditional on the direction of entry when the mobile device 10 enters the entry suppression area are used as execution determination conditions for the behavior at the time of entry. can be done.

Hereinafter, the operation of the mobile device 10 in the entry suppression area of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
The entry suppression area 301 operates based on the condition determination and entry behavior settings corresponding to the identifier "80" of the entry suppression area 301 in the scenario information shown in FIG.

Specifically, when it is detected that the mobile device 10 has entered the entry suppression area 301, the execution conditions of the "in-execution command" and "time" are determined. When entering the entry suppression area 301 for the first time, the execution condition is not satisfied because the "in-execution command" is not "backtracking". Therefore, the identifier "B" of the "default entry behavior identifier" is executed as the entry behavior. Here, the behavior information at the time of entry in FIG. 7 is referred to, and "backtracking on the route at the time of entry" is executed.

Then, when it is detected that the mobile device 10 has entered the entry suppression area 301 again, the execution condition is satisfied because the "in-execution command" is "backtracking", and the identifier "A" of the "identifier of behavior at entry" is Executed as an entry behavior. Here, the "stop on the spot" is executed with reference to the behavior information at the time of entry in FIG.
In other words, when the mobile device 10 enters the entry suppression area 301, the mobile device 10 is controlled to stop when the mobile device 10 cannot turn back.

The entry suppression area 303 operates based on the setting of the condition determination and entry behavior corresponding to the identifier "81" of the entry suppression area 303 of the scenario information shown in FIG.
In this case, the "behavior setting when entering in a specific state"("executioncondition" and "identifier of behavior when entering") is not set.
Therefore, when it is detected that the mobile device 10 has entered the entry suppression area 303, the identifier “B” of the “default entry behavior” is executed as the entry behavior. Here, the behavior information at the time of entry in FIG. 7 is referred to, and "backtracking on the route at the time of entry" is executed.

By changing the identifier to be set in the "predetermined behavior when entering", other behaviors when entering can be set. That is, the method of controlling the behavior at the time of entry based on the scenario information can also perform the control operation of the behavior at the time of entry into the entry suppression area described in the first embodiment.

The entry suppression area 305 operates based on the setting of the condition determination and entry behavior corresponding to the identifier "82" of the entry suppression area 305 of the scenario information in FIG.
In the entry suppression area 305, the movement of the moving device 10 becomes possible due to the drying of the applied wax. Therefore, the "time" condition is used as an execution condition, and the approach behavior is changed before and after the wax drying time.

That is, when it is detected that the mobile device 10 has entered the entry suppression area 305, if the “time” is “after 13:00” which is the drying time, the identifier “B” of the “behavior when entering” is the behavior when entering. otherwise, the "default entry behavior" identifier "A" is executed as the entry behavior. Here, the entry behavior information in FIG. 7 is referred to, and if it is "after 13:00", the entry behavior is "backtracking", and if not, the entry behavior is "stop on the spot". is done.

As an example of setting other scenario information, the following scenario information can be set.
For example, in the scenario information of FIG. 11, instead of the execution condition of the "in-execution command" in the entry suppression area 301, the "distance to the obstacle" is set as the condition, and the distance between the mobile device 10 and the obstacle is "obstacle This is an example of performing the behavior at the time of entry of the "identifier of the behavior at the time of entry" of the "behavior setting at the time of entry in a specific state" if it is equal to or less than the "distance to".

In this scenario, when the mobile device 10 enters the entry suppression area 301, if the distance between the mobile device 10 and the obstacle is equal to or less than a predetermined value, "stop in place" is executed, and the mobile device 10 and the obstacle If the distance to the object is greater than a predetermined value, "go back along the route taken when entering" is executed.
This operation is the same as the operation of the entry suppression area provided around the "chair" in the first embodiment.

Next, the scenario information of the entry suppression area 304 in FIG. 10 will be described.
In the entry suppression region 304, when the mobile device 10 enters toward the stairs, the mobile device 10 escapes from the entry suppression region 304 by going backwards, and moves in the direction in which the mobile device 10 passes in front of the stairs (vertical direction on the paper surface). ), the vehicle passes through the entry suppression area 304 in the traveling direction.

In order to achieve this, the scenario information is provided with an "execution condition" that satisfies the condition when the "approach direction" indicating the approach direction when the mobile device 10 enters the approach suppression area is the "stair direction". , and the behavior at the time of entry when the condition is satisfied is set to "go back on the route when entering". Also, the default approach behavior is "pass in the direction of travel".

The control based on the above scenario information may be performed as the process of step S209 in the operation flow diagram of the autonomous mobile device in FIG.
Step S203 is read as scenario information setting.

In the explanation of the scenario information above, an example was explained in which a set of execution conditions for an approaching behavior was set for one approaching suppression area. You may make it set different behavior at the time of an approach with an execution condition.

According to the autonomous mobile device 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to set the behavior at the time of entry according to the state of the entry suppression area based on the scenario information, so the availability of the mobile device 10 can be improved.

<<Third Embodiment>>
This embodiment shows the autonomous mobile device 1 that can set the behavior at the time of entry according to the state of the entry suppression area by setting the behavior at the time of entry after the mobile device 10 starts traveling. In this embodiment, the description of the parts common to the autonomous mobile device 1 of the above-described other embodiments will be omitted.

FIG. 12 is a diagram explaining the operation flow of the autonomous mobile device 1 of the embodiment.
The operation flow of the autonomous mobile device 1 described with reference to FIG. No) is different in that the entry behavior is set in step S203.

The process of step S212 is performed by determining whether or not an entry behavior identifier is set in the target entry suppression area in the entry behavior management information of FIG. More specifically, when the identifier of the behavior when entering is Null information, or when the identifier of the behavior when entering in the behavior information when entering in FIG. , it is determined that the identifier of the behavior at the time of entry is not set.

In step S203, the operation setting device 19 (the tablet control device 18 or the laptop computer 17) is used to actually run the autonomous mobile device 1 in the target entry suppression area, and to correspond to the state of the target entry suppression area. The behavior at the time of entry is obtained and set as the behavior information at the time of entry shown in FIG. If the identifier of the entering behavior is not registered in the entering behavior management information of FIG. 6, the identifier corresponding to the obtained entering behavior is set.
Then, in step S210, the set entry behavior is performed.

When the mobile device 10 enters the target entry suppression area again, it is determined in step S212 that the setting has been completed, and the entry behavior set in step S203 is performed.

In step S203, in place of the operation setting device 19 (tablet control device 18 or laptop computer 17), a remote controller equipped with a lever, such as a radio-controlled propo for remote control, is used, or the device is moved directly by hand. You may make it set behavior at the time of an approach by moving the apparatus 10. FIG.

Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modifications. The above embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations.
Also, part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment.

For example, in the first embodiment, the identifier of the behavior at the time of entry of the behavior management information at the time of entry shown in FIG. A control method for setting behavior at entry may be applied.
Further, in the second embodiment, the control method of setting the behavior at the time of entry after running of the third embodiment may be applied to the entry suppression area in which the identifier of the behavior at the time of entry in the scenario information shown in FIG. 11 is not set. .

Reference Signs List 1 autonomous mobile device 10 mobile device 11 travel control means 111 map generation unit 112 storage unit 113 self-position estimation unit 114 movement control unit 12 movement means 13 command input means 14 entry suppression area setting means 15 entry behavior setting means 16 movement state recognition Means 19 Operation setting device

Claims (9)

An autonomous mobile device that determines a travel route by estimating its own position based on area information indicating the position of an obstacle and the obstacle detection information,
entry suppression area setting means for setting an entry suppression area in the area information;
entry behavior setting means for setting behavior when entering the entry suppression area for each entry suppression area;
It is determined whether or not the self-position is included in any of the entry suppression regions, and if the self-position is not included in the entry suppression region, the traveling is controlled so as not to enter the entry suppression region. , when the self-position is included in the entry suppression area, traveling control means for controlling traveling according to the behavior at the time of entering the entry suppression area ,
The entry behavior setting means comprises scenario management means for setting the entry behavior for each entry suppression area based on scenario information defining conditions for executing the entry behavior in the entry suppression area and the entry behavior,
The autonomous mobile device , wherein the travel control means controls travel in the entry suppression area in accordance with the entry behavior set by the scenario management means . In the autonomous mobile device according to claim 1 ,
The scenario information includes an execution condition for performing a predetermined entry behavior, an identifier of a first entry behavior performed when the execution condition is satisfied, and a second entry behavior performed when the execution condition is not satisfied. An autonomous mobile device characterized by including a behavior identifier and setting information. In the autonomous mobile device according to claim 2 ,
The scenario management means
determining whether the execution condition is met or not based on the command being executed, the time, the self-position or travel information in the traveling direction, or the distance to the obstacle;
when it is determined that the execution condition is met, the entry behavior corresponding to the identifier of the first entry behavior is set as the entry behavior of the target entry suppression area;
The autonomous mobile device, wherein when it is determined that the execution condition is not met, the entering behavior corresponding to the identifier of the second entering behavior is set as the entering behavior of the target entry suppression area. In the autonomous mobile device according to claim 3 ,
The execution condition of the scenario information is that the direction of approach is in the direction of the obstacle,
the identifier of the first approach behavior in the scenario information indicates a behavior of reversing the route when entering;
The autonomous mobile device, wherein the identifier of the second approach behavior in the scenario information indicates a behavior of passing in a direction of travel. In the autonomous mobile device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
The entry suppression area setting means displays an obstacle on the screen corresponding to the area information so that the entry suppression area can be set, and displays the inputted entry suppression area in an identifiable manner. Autonomous mobile device. In the autonomous mobile device according to claim 5 ,
The entry suppression area setting means enables the entry suppression area to be set as a polygon, displays the vertices of the polygon so that the input entry suppression area can be identified, and displays the identifier of the entry suppression area. An autonomous mobile device characterized by: In the autonomous mobile device according to claim 1,
The autonomous mobile device, wherein the entry behavior setting means sets the entry behavior of the entry suppression area into which the entry suppression area has been entered. In the autonomous mobile device according to claim 1,
The entry suppression area setting means sets multiple entry suppression areas in the area information according to the distance from the obstacle,
The autonomous mobile device, wherein the entry behavior setting means sets the entry behavior of the entry restraint area so as to limit travel in stages according to the distance from the obstacle. In the autonomous mobile device according to claim 8 ,
The entry suppression area setting means sets a first entry suppression area set to surround the obstacle and a second entry suppression area set to surround the first entry suppression area,
The entering behavior setting means sets the behavior when the vehicle enters the first entry suppression area to stop running, and sets the behavior when entering the second entry suppression area to reverse the route when the vehicle enters the vehicle. An autonomous mobile device characterized by:

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