JP7166712B2 - personal mobility - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technology for automatically driving personal mobility such as an electric wheelchair.

As a technology for performing automatic driving of personal mobility, a technology for controlling travel of personal mobility so that it travels to a destination while avoiding obstacles according to a set route is known (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). ).

WO2014/091611 WO2012/039280

In personal mobility vehicles such as electric wheelchairs that travel in the same space as pedestrians, when performing automatic driving that travels to the destination according to a set route, people in various places such as station premises, shopping districts, scrambled intersections, and pedestrian malls. When a personal mobility vehicle enters a crowded space where people come and go in different directions, it will be surrounded by many moving obstacles, making it difficult to move in the direction of the route while avoiding the obstacles.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a personal mobility that can follow a set route even in a space crowded with pedestrians and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a personal mobility that performs automatic driving following a set route, pedestrian detection means for detecting at least the position and movement direction of a pedestrian in front of the personal mobility, Congestion detection means for detecting congestion in front of the personal mobility vehicle; and pedestrians whose positions and moving directions are detected by the pedestrian detection means when the congestion detection means detects the congestion. a leader setting means for selecting a pedestrian whose moving direction detected is consistent with the direction in which the route travels and setting the pedestrian as a leader; and assigning the personal mobility to the leader set by the leader setting means. and a trailing travel control means for causing the vehicle to travel subsequently.

Here, such a personal mobility may be configured such that the following travel control means causes the leader to travel following the leader within a predetermined distance.

Further, in the above-described personal mobility, the pedestrian detection means detects the position and moving direction of the person in front of the personal mobility, and the congestion detection means detects the presence of the person detected by the pedestrian detection means. It may be configured to detect human congestion in front of the personal mobility device based on the position.

Further, in the above personal mobility, in the leader setting means, if the movement direction of the pedestrian set as the leader detected by the pedestrian detection means deviates by a predetermined level or more from the direction in which the route is advanced For example, from among the people detected by the pedestrian detection means, a pedestrian whose moving direction is consistent with the direction in which the route is advanced is selected and set as a new leader, and the following travel is performed. In the control means, when a new leader is set by the leader setting means, the personal mobility may be configured to run following the new leader.

Further, in the above personal mobility, when the personal mobility becomes unable to follow the set leader in the leader setting means, the person detected by the pedestrian detection means A pedestrian whose direction of movement is consistent with the direction of travel of the route is selected from among them and set as a new leader. is set, the personal mobility device may be configured to follow the new leader.

According to this type of personal mobility, when the area ahead is congested, other pedestrians whose direction of movement is consistent with the direction of travel on the route are automatically set as leaders. You will be able to proceed according to the route while being guided by the leader.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a personal mobility vehicle that automatically drives according to a set route, a pedestrian detection means that detects at least the position of a pedestrian in front of the personal mobility vehicle; congestion detection means for detecting congestion in front of the mobility; and selection of a specific pedestrian from pedestrians whose positions are being detected by the pedestrian detection means when the congestion detection means detects the congestion. from the user of the personal mobility, and sets the pedestrian whose selection is accepted as a leader; and travel control means.

According to such personal mobility, when the front is congested, the user selects another pedestrian whose moving direction is consistent with the direction of travel of the route and sets it as a leader to reduce congestion. Among them, you will be able to progress according to the route while being guided by the set leader.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide personal mobility that can proceed according to a set route even in a space crowded with pedestrians and the like.

It is a figure which shows the electric wheelchair which concerns on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a travel system for an electric wheelchair according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a flow chart which shows automatic driving control processing concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the processing example of the automatic operation control processing which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the other automatic operation which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the leader designation|designated screen which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described by taking an application to an electric wheelchair as an example.
FIG. 1 shows an electric wheelchair according to this embodiment.
FIG. 1a shows a side view of the electric wheelchair, and FIG. 1b shows a top view of the electric wheelchair.
As shown in the figure, the electric wheelchair according to this embodiment is a four-wheel device having a chair on which the user sits, and is equipped with a traveling system for traveling without relying on human power.
The traveling system includes a self-propelled system 1 and an automatic operation control device 2, as shown in FIG.
The self-propelled system 1 is a system that allows an electric wheelchair to travel according to the user's driving operation and the control of the automatic operation control device 2, and a battery or a motor that rotates the driving wheels of the electric wheelchair using the battery as a power supply. , levers and switches for receiving the user's driving operation, brakes, and the like.

The automatic driving control device 2 is a device that controls the self-propelled system 1 to automatically drive the electric wheelchair. Then, the automatic driving control device 2 includes a display 101, a touch panel 102 arranged on the display surface of the display 101, a navigation system 103, a GPS receiver that performs satellite positioning of the current position and traveling direction of the electric wheelchair. device 104, beacon receiver 105, multiple radars 106, multiple cameras 107, surrounding situation monitoring unit 108, target tracking processing unit 109, individual recognition unit 110, and travel control unit 111. Here, shown in FIG. Thus, the display 101 and the touch panel 102 are arranged at positions where they can be visually recognized and operated by the user of the electric wheelchair. In addition, the plurality of radars 106 and the plurality of cameras 107 are arranged so that each camera 107 can photograph the surroundings of the electric wheelchair in all directions, and each radar 106 can detect objects around the automobile in all directions. .

Next, the navigation system 103 searches for a route from the current position of the electric wheelchair measured by the GNNS receiver 104 to the destination set by the user or the like, and sets it as a guidance route.

The surrounding situation monitoring unit 108 monitors the size, shape, position, and movement vector of objects around the electric wheelchair obtained by analyzing the images captured by each camera 107, and the surroundings of the electric wheelchair captured by each radar 106. Based on the size, shape, position and movement vector of the object, the type of each object around the electric wheelchair is identified, and the position and movement vector of each object are calculated. Here, as the types of objects, humans, bicycles, automobiles, structures, and other objects are identified.

Further, the target tracking processing unit 109 tracks an object selected by the travel control unit 111 and set as a leader from among the objects around the electric wheelchair calculated by the surrounding situation monitoring unit 108 . That is, the target tracking processing unit 109 performs processing to continuously identify the position and movement vector calculated for the object set as the leader by the surrounding situation monitoring unit 108 as the position, position and movement vector of the leader.

In addition, the personal recognition unit 110 refers to images captured by the respective cameras 107 and preset face and physical features of the recognition target person, and calculates the position of the recognition target person.
The beacon receiver 105 also receives a beacon transmitted from a beacon transmitter paired with the beacon receiver 105 and detects the position and direction of the beacon transmitter.
After the navigation system 103 has set the guidance route, the traveling control unit 111 performs the following traveling control processing to control the self-propelled system 1 until the electric wheelchair arrives at the destination. Self-driving wheelchairs.

FIG. 3 shows the procedure of this travel control process.
As illustrated, in the travel control process, the travel control unit 111 determines whether or not the front of the electric wheelchair is crowded with people based on the positions of the people calculated by the surrounding situation monitoring unit 108 ( step 302).

Then, if the surrounding area is not crowded with people, the vehicle is controlled to travel along the guidance route (step 318), and the process returns to step 302. Here, the control of traveling along the guidance route controls the self-propelled system 1 so as to proceed at a predetermined speed in the direction along the guidance route when there is no obstacle approaching in front, and the vehicle approaches in front. When there is an obstacle, the self-propelled system 1 is controlled so as to decelerate to a speed that does not contact the approaching obstacle, stop the vehicle, or detour around the obstacle.

The presence or absence of an obstacle approaching in front is determined based on the positions and movement vectors of objects around the electric wheelchair calculated by the surrounding situation monitoring unit 108 .
On the other hand, when the surrounding area is crowded with people (step 302), among the pedestrians in front of the electric wheelchair calculated by the surrounding situation monitoring unit 108, there are pedestrians moving in the direction of the guided route. exists (step 304). Here, for example, if the azimuth difference between the direction in which the pedestrian is traveling and the direction in which the guidance route is proceeding at the position on the guidance route closest to the pedestrian is within 10 degrees, the pedestrian is roughly guided along the route. It is determined that the pedestrian is moving in the direction of travel. Among the objects calculated by the surrounding situation monitoring unit 108, an object whose type is a human, whose position is in front of the electric wheelchair, and whose movement vector indicates a low speed is a pedestrian in front of the electric wheelchair. Applicable.

If there are no pedestrians moving in the approximate direction of the guided route among the pedestrians in front, the process proceeds to step 318 to control traveling along the guided route, and returns to the processing of step 302. .

On the other hand, if there are pedestrians in front who are moving in the direction of the guided route, one of the existing pedestrians who is closest to the electric wheelchair will be the leader. set (step 306).

Then, the following travel control is started to control the self-propelled system 1 to follow the leader at a short distance (for example, 1 m) (step 308). Note that in the following travel control, based on the position and movement vector of the leader identified by the target tracking processing unit 109, the speed and direction of travel following the leader at a distance shorter than a predetermined distance are determined. is calculated, and the self-propelled system 1 is controlled so that the electric wheelchair travels in the calculated traveling direction at the calculated speed. However, even in the following travel control, if there is an obstacle approaching ahead, the self-propelled system 1 is controlled so as to decelerate or stop at a speed that does not come into contact with the approaching obstacle. The reason for following the leader at a distance shorter than the predetermined distance is to prevent other persons from entering between the electric wheelchair and the leader.

Then, the direction of travel of the leader deviates from the direction of travel of the guidance route by a predetermined level or more (step 310), the occurrence of impossibility of traveling following the leader (step 312), and congestion with people in front. It monitors for the occurrence of a situation where it is not (step 316).

In addition, it is not possible to run after the leader when the leader's movement speed exceeds the maximum speed at which the electric wheelchair can travel safely, when the distance from the leader becomes too large, or when the leader becomes too long. This occurs when the electric wheelchair goes to a structural part where the electric wheelchair cannot go, such as stairs, or when another pedestrian cuts in between the leader and the electric wheelchair.

Then, if either a deviation of a predetermined level or more from the direction in which the guided route is to be advanced (step 310) or the vehicle cannot follow the leader (step 312), then the following travel control is once terminated. (Step 320), returning to the process from step 304, among the pedestrians in front of the electric wheelchair calculated by the surrounding situation monitoring unit 108, is there a pedestrian moving in the approximate direction of the guidance route? If it exists, one of the existing pedestrians who is closest to the electric wheelchair is set as the leader, and then the following travel control is resumed (step 308). If not, the process proceeds to step 318 to control traveling along the guidance route, and returns to the process of step 302 .

On the other hand, when the front is not congested with people (step 316), the following travel control is terminated (step 316), and the processing from step 302 is returned to.
The travel control processing performed by the travel control unit 111 has been described above.
Here, FIG. 4 shows a processing example of such travel control processing.
Now, as shown in FIG. 4a, a guidance route R for the electric wheelchair S is set. A pedestrian who is moving in the direction in which the guidance route R is to proceed is set as the leader T from among the pedestrians in front of.

After that, as shown in FIGS. 4b and 4c, the electric wheelchair S is automatically driven so that the electric wheelchair S follows the leader T at a short distance.
As a result, even in a crowd, the electric wheelchair S can be guided by another pedestrian T and can proceed along the road opened by the other pedestrian T and follow the guidance route R. .
In the above embodiment, the pedestrian is set as the leader, but in the running control process, any low-speed moving object other than the pedestrian may be set as the leader.
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above.
Further, in the above embodiment, the automatic driving control device 2 is provided with a mode for controlling the self-propelled system 1 in another form in addition to the mode for performing the above-described travel control processing, and the user selects each mode. You may enable it to switch arbitrarily.

That is, for example, a companion following mode is provided, in which the electric wheelchair S follows the companion C at a short distance, as shown in FIGS. 5a, b, and c. The self-propelled system 1 may be controlled.

Here, the control of the self-propelled system 1 that makes such an electric wheelchair S follow the companion C at a short distance interval is to have the companion C carry a beacon transmitter, and the beacon receiver 105 By calculating the position of the companion from the position and direction of the detected beacon transmitter, and controlling the self-propelled system 1 to follow the companion C at a short distance based on the calculated position. be able to.

Alternatively, the control of the self-propelled system 1 that causes such an electric wheelchair S to follow the companion C at a short distance interval is to set the companion C as a recognition target person in the personal recognition unit 110 and perform personal recognition. Based on the position of the companion C recognized by the unit 110, the companion C is set as the leader, and the same processing as the above-described travel control processing is performed so that the companion C follows the leader at a short distance interval. It can also be performed by controlling the self-propelled system 1 at the same time.

Here, in the case where such a companion following mode is provided, when the companion C or the electric wheelchair S deviates from the guide route R by a predetermined level or more in the travel control unit 111, a message notifying the deviation is displayed. may be output by voice or display.

In addition, for example, the automatic driving control device 2 is provided with a leader designation mode, and in the leader designation mode, at least when the front of the electric wheelchair is crowded with people, the user of the electric wheelchair walks ahead. The self-propelled system 1 accepts the designation of a pedestrian, sets the pedestrian who has received the designation as a leader, and follows the set leader at a short distance interval by the same processing as the traveling control processing described above. may be controlled.

Here, in the case where such a leader designation mode is provided, the designation of the pedestrian to be the leader by the user of the electric wheelchair is, for example, as shown in FIG. The display 101 displays an image representing the front of the vehicle, and the user designates a pedestrian in the displayed image using the touch panel 102, and the designated pedestrian is set as a leader. good. In this case, when the leader is set, the pedestrian set as the leader is displayed on the display 101 with a mark M, as shown in FIG. The user may be able to identify the pedestrian set as the leader from the displayed image.

According to such a leader designation mode, when the area ahead is congested, the user selects a pedestrian whose moving direction is consistent with the direction in which the route advances and sets it as a leader, thereby reducing congestion. You will be able to proceed according to the route while being guided by the leader set in the.
In addition, the above embodiment is similarly applicable to arbitrary personal mobility other than an electric wheelchair.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Self-propelled system, 2... Automatic operation control apparatus, 101... Display, 102... Touch panel, 103... Navigation system, 104... GNNS receiver, 105... Beacon receiver, 106... Radar, 107... Camera, 108... Surrounding situation Monitoring unit 109 Target tracking processing unit 110 Individual recognition unit 111 Running control unit.

Claims (3)

Personal mobility that performs automatic driving that travels according to a set route,
Pedestrian detection means for detecting at least the position and movement direction of a pedestrian in front of the personal mobility;
congestion detection means for detecting congestion in front of the personal mobility;
When the congestion detecting means detects the congestion, the moving direction detected from among the pedestrians whose positions and moving directions are detected by the pedestrian detecting means matches the direction in which the route travels. a leader setting means for selecting a pedestrian who is walking and setting it as a leader;
a following travel control means for causing the personal mobility device to travel following the leader set by the leader setting means;
The leader setting means is
The leader is not changed until the movement direction of the pedestrian set as the leader detected by the pedestrian detection means deviates from the direction in which the route is advanced by a predetermined level or more,
If the movement direction of the pedestrian set as the leader detected by the pedestrian detection means deviates from the direction in which the route is advanced by the predetermined level or more, the pedestrian detected by the pedestrian detection means selecting a pedestrian whose moving direction is consistent with the direction of travel of the route and setting it as a new leader;
The following travel control means includes:
A personal mobility vehicle comprising: when a new leader is set by the leader setting means, the personal mobility is caused to run following the new leader. The personal mobility according to claim 1,
The following travel control means causes the personal mobility to travel so as to follow the leader within a predetermined distance. The personal mobility according to claim 1 or 2,
The pedestrian detection means detects the position and movement direction of a person in front of the personal mobility,
The personal mobility, wherein the congestion detection means detects congestion due to people in front of the personal mobility based on the positions of the people detected by the pedestrian detection means.

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