JP7205220B2 - Travel control device and travel control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cruise control device and a cruise control system.

BACKGROUND ART As a conventional travel control device, for example, a technique such as that described in Patent Document 1 is known. The travel control device described in Patent Literature 1 includes a device body and a running section for running the device body. The device main body includes a first position estimation unit that estimates the position of the device main body using an iGPS transmitter that emits a rotating fan beam, and data acquired by sensors such as a CCD camera for image processing, an infrared camera, and a laser range finder. switching between the first position estimation unit and the second position estimation unit for estimating the position of the device main body by matching with the map information and the means for acquiring the position information of the device main body, and a control unit that advances the apparatus main body along a predetermined route by controlling the traveling unit.

JP 2015-161577 A

By the way, there is a guidance method in which the position of the mobile object is estimated using, for example, a self-position estimation technique when the mobile object is caused to travel along a travel route, and the mobile object travels along a virtual guide line based on the estimation result. and a guidance method in which a sensor detects an actual guide line installed on the floor and the moving body is caused to travel along the actual guide line based on the detection result. In this case, when the traveling section of the moving body switches from the section in which the virtual guide line is set to the section in which the actual guide line is set, if the actual guide line is not detected by the sensor, the moving body is moved along the real guide line. cannot be run

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to ensure that a moving object travels along an actual guide line when the traveling section of the moving object switches from the section in which the virtual guide line is set to the section in which the actual guide line is set. It is an object of the present invention to provide a travel control device and a travel control system capable of

One aspect of the present invention has a virtual guide line that is virtually set on the data, and a real guide line that is installed on the floor so as to follow the virtual guide line on the data and is physically detectable. A travel control device for automatically traveling a mobile object along a travel route, comprising: a storage unit for storing a position on the travel route; a position estimation unit for estimating the position of the mobile object; a first calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation between the virtual guide line and the moving object based on the position of the guide line and the position of the moving object estimated by the position estimation unit; a detection unit that detects the actual guide line; A second calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving object based on the detection value of the detection unit; Controlling the driving unit of the moving body so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line, and actually guiding the moving body based on the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving body calculated by the second calculation unit A travel control unit that controls the drive unit so that it travels along the line, and a travel section of the moving object that switches from the first guidance section in which the virtual guide line is set to the second guidance section in which the actual guide line is set. also includes a speed control unit that controls the drive unit to decelerate the moving body when the actual guide line is not detected by the detection unit.

In such a travel control device, when the mobile body travels in the first guidance section, the position estimation unit estimates the position of the mobile body, calculates the amount of deviation between the virtual guide line and the mobile body, and calculates the deviation amount. Based on the amount, the driving section is controlled so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line. After that, when the moving body travels in the second guidance section, the actual guide line is detected by the detection unit, the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving body is calculated, and the moving body is actually guided based on the deviation amount. A drive is controlled to run along the line. Here, even if the traveling section of the moving body is switched from the first guidance section to the second guidance section, if the detection section does not detect the actual guide line, the driving section is controlled to decelerate the moving body. The number of position estimations performed per unit distance by the position estimator increases. Therefore, since the position estimation accuracy of the position estimation unit per unit distance is increased, the detection unit is more likely to overlap the actual guide line, and the actual guide line is more likely to be detected by the detection unit. As a result, when the travel section of the mobile body is switched from the first guide section to the second guide section, the mobile body can be reliably traveled along the actual guide line.

The speed control section may control the drive section to decelerate the moving body, and then control the drive section to accelerate the moving body when the detection section detects the actual guide line. With such a configuration, when the actual guide line is detected by the detection unit after the moving body decelerates, the traveling speed of the moving body increases, so the moving body can reach the destination quickly.

The speed control unit drives to decelerate the moving object when the detecting unit does not detect the actual guide line even when the moving object travels a specified distance from the switching point between the first guidance section and the second guidance section. part can be controlled. With such a configuration, it is possible to easily and reliably detect the state in which the guidance system in which the moving body travels along the actual guide line cannot be implemented.

The actual guide wire may be a magnetic guide wire, and the detection unit may be a magnetic sensor that detects the magnetic guide wire. With such a configuration, it is possible to realize a system including the travel control device and the actual guide line at low cost.

Another aspect of the present invention is a travel control system including a travel control device that automatically travels a mobile body along a travel route, wherein the travel route is a virtual guide line virtually set on data. and a real guide line that is installed on the floor so as to follow the virtual guide line on the data and can be physically detected, and the travel control device includes a storage unit that stores the position of the travel route, and a movement A position estimating unit for estimating the position of the body, and a deviation amount between the virtual guide line and the moving object based on the position of the virtual guide line stored in the storage unit and the position of the moving object estimated by the position estimating unit. a first calculator that calculates, a detector that detects the actual guide line, a second calculator that calculates the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving body based on the detection value of the detector, and a first calculator Based on the amount of deviation between the virtual guide line and the moving body calculated by, the driving unit of the moving body is controlled so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line, and the actual calculated by the second calculating unit A travel control unit that controls a drive unit to cause the moving object to travel along the actual guide line based on the amount of deviation between the guide line and the moving object; a speed control unit that controls the driving unit to decelerate the moving body when the actual guide line is not detected by the detection unit even after switching from the first guidance section to the second guidance section in which the actual guide line is installed. .

In such a travel control system, when the moving body travels in the first guidance section, the position estimation unit estimates the position of the moving body, calculates the amount of deviation between the virtual guide line and the moving body, and calculates the amount of deviation between the virtual guide line and the moving body. Based on the amount, the driving section is controlled so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line. After that, when the moving body travels in the second guidance section, the actual guide line is detected by the detection unit, the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving body is calculated, and the moving body is actually guided based on the deviation amount. A drive is controlled to run along the line. Here, even if the traveling section of the moving body is switched from the first guidance section to the second guidance section, if the detection section does not detect the actual guide line, the driving section is controlled to decelerate the moving body. The number of position estimations performed per unit distance by the position estimator increases. Therefore, since the position estimation accuracy per unit distance by the position estimating unit is high, the detecting unit is likely to overlap the actual guide line, and the actual guide line is more likely to be detected by the detecting unit. As a result, when the travel section of the mobile body is switched from the first guide section to the second guide section, the mobile body can be reliably traveled along the actual guide line.

According to the present invention, when the traveling section of the moving body switches from the section in which the virtual guide line is set to the section in which the actual guide line is set, the moving body can be reliably made to travel along the actual guide line. can.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a travel control system according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a travel control device shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing details of a control processing procedure executed by a travel control unit shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing details of a control processing procedure executed by a speed control unit shown in FIG. 2; FIG. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing how a moving body travels and the estimated position of the moving body calculated by the self-position estimator when the traveling section of the mobile body switches from the virtual guidance section to the magnetic guidance section.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a travel control system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a traveling control system 1 of the present embodiment is a system for unmanned traveling of a moving body 2 such as a forklift from a start point 3A to a destination point 3B. A travel control system 1 includes a travel control device 10 that automatically travels a mobile object 2 along a travel route 3 from a start point 3A to a destination point 3B.

The travel route 3 has a virtual guide line 4 that is virtually set on the data, and a magnetic guide line 5 that is actually installed on the floor and is a physically detectable real guide line. The magnetic guide line 5 is installed closer to the destination point 3B than the virtual guide line 4 so as to follow the virtual guide line 4 on the data.

A section in which the virtual guide line 4 is set is a virtual guidance section P (first guidance section) in which a virtual guidance system in which the moving body 2 travels along the virtual guide line 4 is implemented. The section in which the magnetic guide line 5 is installed is a magnetic guidance section Q (second guidance section) in which a magnetic guidance system in which the moving body 2 travels along the magnetic guide line 5 is implemented.

The positions of the travel route 3 including the start point 3A and the destination point 3B are represented by two-dimensional coordinates (XY coordinates). Here, the two-dimensional coordinates of the starting point 3A are (0, 0). The two-dimensional coordinates of the destination point 3B are (100, 0). Although the travel route 3 is a straight route in FIG. 1, it may be a curved route.

A virtual mark 6 is set in the virtual guidance section P. As shown in FIG. A magnetic mark 7 is installed on the floor surface of the magnetic induction section Q. As shown in FIG. The virtual mark 6 and the magnetic mark 7 are travel instruction marks 8 associated with travel instruction data for the moving object 2 to travel. A virtual mark 6 is a mark virtually set on the data. The magnetic marks 7 are physically detectable marks. The magnetic mark 7 is embedded beside the magnetic guide wire 5 on the floor surface. Here, the first (first) travel instruction mark 8 from the start point 3A is the virtual mark 6 . The second (2nd) and third (3rd) running instruction marks 8 from the start point 3A are magnetic marks 7. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cruise control device 10. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 2 , the travel control device 10 is mounted on the mobile body 2 . The cruise control device 10 includes a self-position estimator 11 , two magnetic guide sensors 12 , a magnetic mark sensor 13 and an automatic cruise control unit 14 .

The self-position estimator 11 is a position estimator that estimates the position of the mobile object 2 . The self-position estimator 11 estimates the self-position of the moving body 2 using SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technique. SLAM is a self-localization technique that performs self-localization using sensor data and map data. SLAM uses a laser range scanner or the like to simultaneously estimate its own position and create an environment map.

The self-position estimator 11 has a laser sensor 15 , an encoder 16 , a gyro sensor 17 and a SLAM controller 18 . The laser sensor 15 detects the distance to objects around the moving body 2 by irradiating the surroundings of the moving body 2 with laser light and receiving the reflected light. The encoder 16 detects the amount of movement of the moving body 2 by measuring the position of the moving body 2 . The gyro sensor 17 detects the amount of rotation of the moving body 2 by measuring the angular velocity of the moving body 2 .

The SLAM controller 18 is composed of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input/output interface, and the like. The SLAM controller 18 performs an estimation calculation of the self position of the mobile body 2 based on the distance to objects around the mobile body 2 detected by the laser sensor 15 and the environment map data around the mobile body 2 . The position of the moving body 2 is represented by two-dimensional coordinates (XY coordinates) and orientation.

At this time, the SLAM controller 18 performs a time series calculation called a particle filter (sequential Monte Carlo method), for example, based on the amount of movement of the moving body 2 detected by the encoder 16 and the amount of rotation of the moving body 2 detected by the gyro sensor 17 . The self-position of the moving body 2 is estimated stochastically using a data prediction technique.

In a particle filter, a large number of possible next states from the current state are represented by a large number of particles (particles), and the weighted average calculated according to the likelihood of all particles (likeliness of the object to be tracked) is assumed to be the next state. to track.

Specifically, first, particles are re-scattered according to the likelihood (weight) in the previous frame (resampling step). Next, an appropriate model is used to estimate the position of the tracked object in the current frame, and the particles are slightly moved (estimation step). Subsequently, the likelihood and weight (normalization) of each particle in the current frame are calculated (observation step). At this time, the weight of the particles near the actual position of the tracked object obtained from the estimation result is increased. Then, a region where particles with large weights are concentrated becomes a tracking target.

The magnetic guide sensors 12 are attached to the front and rear of the lower portion of the moving body 2 (see FIG. 5). 5 schematically shows the position of the magnetic guide sensor 12. As shown in FIG. The magnetic guide sensor 12 is a magnetic sensor (detector) that detects the magnetic guide wire 5 . The magnetic guide sensor 12 extends in the width direction (horizontal direction) of the moving body 2 . By providing two magnetic guide sensors 12 at the front and rear of the moving body 2, not only the amount of positional deviation between the moving body 2 and the magnetic guide wire 5 but also the amount of deviation in the direction of the moving body 2 and the magnetic guide wire 5 can be detected. can do.

The magnetic guide sensor 12 outputs an electric signal corresponding to the position where it overlaps the magnetic guide wire 5 as a detection value. For example, the output value of the magnetic guide sensor 12 is (detection value) is different. Therefore, it is possible to determine the positional relationship between the magnetic guide sensor 12 and the magnetic guide wire 5 based on the detection value of the magnetic guide sensor 12 .

The magnetic mark sensor 13 is attached to the lower portion of the moving body 2, although not shown. A magnetic mark sensor 13 is a magnetic sensor that detects the magnetic mark 7 .

The automatic travel control unit 14 performs predetermined processing based on the position of the moving body 2 estimated by the self-position estimator 11 and the detection values of the magnetic guide sensor 12 and the magnetic mark sensor 13, and starts the moving body 2. The traveling motor 19 and the steering motor 20 are controlled so as to automatically travel from the point 3A to the destination point 3B.

The traveling motor 19 is a motor that rotates traveling wheels (not shown). The steering motor 20 is a motor that rotates steering wheels (not shown). The travel motor 19 and the steering motor 20 constitute a driving section of the moving body 2 .

The automatic travel control unit 14 is composed of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input/output interface, and the like. The automatic travel control unit 14 includes a storage section 21, a first deviation amount calculation section 22 (first calculation section), a virtual mark detection section 23, a second deviation amount calculation section 24 (second calculation section), a travel It has a control section 25 and a speed control section 26 .

The storage unit 21 stores information related to the travel of the moving object 2, such as the travel route 3, the positions of the travel instruction marks 8, travel instruction data, and the like. The storage unit 21 stores the positions of the travel route 3 and the travel instruction mark 8 as two-dimensional coordinates. The travel instruction data is associated with the travel instruction mark 8 as described above. The travel instruction data includes, for example, an acceleration instruction, a stop instruction, a right turn instruction, a left turn instruction, and the like.

Based on the position of the virtual guide line 4 stored in the storage unit 21 and the position of the moving body 2 estimated by the self-position estimator 11, the first shift amount calculation unit 22 calculates the position of the virtual guide line 4 and the moving body 2. Calculate the amount of deviation from At this time, the first deviation amount calculator 22 calculates the deviation amount between the position coordinates of the virtual guide line 4 and the position coordinates of the moving body 2 and the deviation amount between the direction of the virtual guide line 4 and the direction of the moving body 2. calculate.

The virtual mark detection unit 23 detects the virtual mark 6 based on the position of the virtual mark 6 stored in the storage unit 21 and the position of the moving body 2 estimated by the self-position estimator 11 . Specifically, the virtual mark detection unit 23 detects the virtual mark when the moving object 2 overlaps the virtual mark 6 on the two-dimensional coordinates or when the moving object 2 passes the virtual mark 6 on the two-dimensional coordinates. 6 is detected.

The second displacement amount calculator 24 calculates the amount of displacement between the magnetic guide wire 5 and the moving body 2 based on the detection value of the magnetic guide sensor 12 . At this time, the second deviation amount calculator 24 calculates the deviation amount between the position coordinates of the magnetic guide wire 5 and the position coordinates of the moving body 2 and the deviation amount between the direction of the magnetic guide wire 5 and the direction of the moving body 2. calculate.

The traveling control unit 25 controls the traveling motor so that the moving object 2 travels along the virtual guide line 4 based on the amount of deviation between the moving object 2 and the virtual guide line 4 calculated by the first deviation amount calculating unit 22 . 19 and the steering motor 20 . Further, the travel control unit 25 causes the moving body 2 to travel along the magnetic guide line 5 based on the amount of deviation between the magnetic guide line 5 and the moving body 2 calculated by the second deviation amount calculating unit 24. It controls the travel motor 19 and the steering motor 20 .

Furthermore, when the virtual mark 6 is detected by the virtual mark detection unit 23 , the travel control unit 25 controls the travel motor 19 and the steering motor so that the moving body 2 travels according to the travel instruction data associated with the virtual mark 6 . 20. Further, when the magnetic mark sensor 13 detects the magnetic mark 7 , the travel control unit 25 controls the travel motor 19 and the steering motor 20 so that the moving body 2 travels according to the travel instruction data associated with the magnetic mark 7 . to control.

The speed control unit 26 decelerates the moving body 2 when the magnetic guide line 5 is not detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 even if the traveling section of the moving body 2 switches from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q. It controls the travel motor 19 . Further, after controlling the travel motor 19 to decelerate the moving body 2, the speed control unit 26 controls the travel motor 19 to accelerate the moving body 2 when the magnetic guide wire 5 is detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12. 19.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the details of the control processing procedure executed by the travel control unit 25. As shown in FIG. This process is executed when the moving body 2 starts traveling from the start point 3A to the destination point 3B.

In FIG. 3, the traveling control unit 25 first determines whether or not a guidance method switching flag, which will be described later, is 0 (step S101). When the travel control unit 25 determines that the guidance method switching flag is 0, it determines whether the virtual mark 6 has been detected by the virtual mark detection unit 23 (step S102).

When the travel control unit 25 determines that the virtual mark 6 has been detected, it acquires travel instruction data corresponding to the number of the travel instruction mark 8 corresponding to the virtual mark 6 from the storage unit 21 (step S103). Then, the travel control unit 25 outputs a control signal corresponding to the acquired travel instruction data to the travel motor 19 and the steering motor 20 (step S104). For example, when the acquired travel instruction data is an acceleration instruction, the travel control unit 25 outputs a control signal to the travel motor 19 to increase the rotational speed of the travel motor 19 . As a result, the traveling speed of the moving body 2 is increased.

After step S104 is executed, or when it is determined in step S102 that the virtual mark 6 is not detected, the travel control unit 25 determines whether the virtual guide line 4 calculated by the first shift amount calculation unit 22 and the moving body 2 is acquired (step S105). Then, the traveling control unit 25 outputs a control signal to the traveling motor 19 and the steering motor 20 so that the amount of deviation between the virtual guide line 4 and the moving body 2 becomes 0 (step S106). As a result, the position coordinates and orientation of the moving body 2 come closer to the virtual guide line 4 .

When the travel control unit 25 determines in step S101 that the guidance method switching flag is not 0, that is, that the guidance method switching flag is 1, it determines whether the magnetic mark 7 has been detected by the magnetic mark sensor 13 (procedure S107).

When the travel control unit 25 determines that the magnetic mark 7 is detected, it acquires the travel instruction data corresponding to the number of the travel instruction mark 8 corresponding to the magnetic mark 7 from the storage unit 21 (step S108). Then, the travel control unit 25 outputs a control signal corresponding to the acquired travel instruction data to the travel motor 19 and the steering motor 20 (step S109). For example, when the acquired travel instruction data is a stop instruction, the travel control unit 25 outputs a control signal to the travel motor 19 to stop the rotation of the travel motor 19 . As a result, the moving body 2 comes to a stop.

After step S109 is executed, or when it is determined in step S107 that the magnetic mark 7 is not detected, the travel control unit 25 determines whether the magnetic guide line 5 calculated by the second displacement amount calculation unit 24 and the moving body 2 is acquired (step S110). Then, the travel control unit 25 outputs a control signal to the travel motor 19 and the steering motor 20 so that the amount of deviation between the magnetic guide wire 5 and the moving body 2 becomes 0 (step S111). As a result, the position coordinates and orientation of the moving body 2 come closer to the magnetic guide line 5 .

After step S106 or step S111 is executed, the travel control unit 25 determines whether or not the moving body 2 has reached the destination point 3B (step S112). When the travel control unit 25 determines that the moving body 2 has not reached the destination point 3B, it executes the procedure S101 again. When the traveling control unit 25 determines that the moving body 2 has reached the destination point 3B, the processing ends.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the details of the control processing procedure executed by the speed control unit 26. As shown in FIG. This process is also executed when the mobile body 2 starts traveling from the start point 3A to the destination point 3B, similarly to the travel control unit 25 . Note that the guidance method switching flag is set to 0 before execution of this process.

In FIG. 4, the speed control unit 26 first acquires the position of the moving body 2 estimated by the self-position estimator 11 (step S121). Subsequently, the speed control unit 26 determines whether the traveling section of the moving body 2 has switched from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q based on the estimated position of the moving body 2 (step S122). When the speed control unit 26 determines that the traveling section of the moving body 2 has not switched from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q, the step S121 is executed again.

When the speed control unit 26 determines that the travel section of the moving body 2 has switched from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q, the magnetic guide sensor 12 adjusts the magnetic guide line 5 based on the detection value of the magnetic guide sensor 12. is detected (step S123).

At this time, the speed control unit 26 sets the ratio of the magnetic guide sensor 12 to 0.7 or less, for example, when the center in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic guide sensor 12 is 0 and both ends in the longitudinal direction of the magnetic guide sensor 12 are 1. When the region overlaps the magnetic guide wire 5, it is determined that the magnetic guide wire 5 has been detected. This makes it possible to accurately determine whether or not the magnetic guide wire 5 has been detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 .

When the speed control unit 26 determines that the magnetic guide wire 5 has been detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12, it sets the guidance method switching flag to 1 (step S124). The guidance method switching flag is a flag for switching the guidance method of the moving body 2 from the virtual guidance method to the magnetic guidance method.

When the speed control unit 26 determines that the magnetic guide wire 5 is not detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12, the moving body 2 moves from the switching point R (see FIG. 1) between the virtual guidance section P and the magnetic guidance section Q. It is determined whether or not the vehicle has traveled a specified distance (for example, several meters) (step S125).

When the speed control unit 26 determines that the moving body 2 has traveled the prescribed distance from the switching point R, it outputs a control signal for decelerating the moving body 2 to the traveling motor 19 (step S126). At this time, the speed control unit 26 outputs a control signal to the traveling motor 19, for example, to reduce the traveling speed of the moving body 2 to 1/2 or less. As a result, the running speed of the moving body 2 is reduced.

After that, the speed control unit 26 determines whether the magnetic guide wire 5 is detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 based on the detection value of the magnetic guide sensor 12 (step S127). When the speed control unit 26 determines that the magnetic guide wire 5 has been detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12, it outputs a control signal for accelerating the moving body 2 to the travel motor 19 (step S128). At this time, the speed control unit 26 outputs to the traveling motor 19 a control signal for accelerating the moving body 2 to the speed just before the moving body 2 decelerates. In this case, the moving body 2 runs under the same running conditions as immediately before deceleration. Then, the speed control unit 26 sets the guidance method switching flag to 1 (step S124).

In the traveling control system 1 configured as described above, the moving body 2 first travels in the virtual guidance section P according to the virtual guidance method. That is, the mobile object 2 travels along the virtual guide line 4 based on the position of the mobile object 2 estimated by the self-position estimator 11 . After that, the moving body 2 travels in the magnetic induction section Q according to the magnetic induction method. That is, the moving body 2 travels along the magnetic guide line 5 based on the detection value of the magnetic guide sensor 12 . Here, when the traveling section of the moving body 2 is switched from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q, it is necessary to switch the guidance method of the moving body 2 from the virtual guidance system to the magnetic guidance system in a certain section.

However, as shown in FIG. 5(a), if the magnetic guide sensor 12 is not on the magnetic guide wire 5, the magnetic guide wire 5 will not be detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12. I can't switch between methods. Therefore, even though the moving body 2 is traveling in the magnetic guidance section Q, the virtual guidance method is performed by assuming that the magnetic guide line 5 is a virtual guide line. In this case, it takes time to calculate the position estimation of the moving body 2 by the self-position estimator 11, so it is difficult to switch the guidance method of the moving body 2 to the magnetic guidance method in a desired section.

Therefore, even if the traveling section of the moving body 2 switches from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q, the moving body 2 is decelerated when the magnetic guide wire 5 is not detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 . That is, the first section in the virtual induction section P and the magnetic induction section Q is the normal speed section V1 in which the moving body 2 travels at the normal speed. A section after the normal speed section V1 in the magnetic induction section Q becomes a low speed section V2 in which the moving body 2 travels at a low speed. When the moving body 2 is accelerated after that, the section after the low speed section V2 in the magnetic induction section Q becomes the normal speed section V1 again.

By decelerating the moving body 2 in this way, as shown in FIG. The number of estimations will increase. Therefore, since the position estimation accuracy per unit distance by the self-position estimator 11 is increased, the probability that the magnetic guide sensor 12 overlaps the magnetic guide wire 5 is increased. The reason is as follows.

That is, when the particle filter is used for the position estimation calculation as described above, the particles must be moved in the estimation step. At this time, the shorter the interval between the estimated positions, the smaller the amount of error in the detection values of the encoder 16 and the gyro sensor 17, so the position estimation accuracy increases. Also, the shorter the interval between the estimated positions, the closer the probability density distribution in the vicinity of the estimated positions to the true value, so the position estimation accuracy increases.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the moving body 2 travels in the virtual guidance section P, the position of the moving body 2 is estimated by the self-position estimator 11, and the position of the moving body 2 is estimated by the virtual guide line 4 A deviation amount is calculated, and the traveling motor 19 and the steering motor 20 are controlled so that the moving body 2 is caused to travel along the imaginary guide line 4 based on the deviation amount. After that, when the moving body 2 travels in the magnetic induction section Q, the magnetic guide wire 5 is detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12, the amount of deviation between the magnetic guide wire 5 and the moving body 2 is calculated, and based on the deviation amount The travel motor 19 and the steering motor 20 are controlled so that the moving body 2 travels along the magnetic guide line 5 . If the magnetic guide sensor 12 does not detect the magnetic guide wire 5 even if the traveling section of the moving body 2 is switched from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q, the traveling motor 19 is operated to decelerate the moving body 2 . By controlling , the number of position estimations performed by the self-position estimator 11 per unit distance is increased. Therefore, since the position estimation accuracy per unit distance by the self-position estimator 11 increases, the magnetic guide sensor 12 easily overlaps the magnetic guide wire 5 and the magnetic guide wire 5 is easily detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 . As a result, when the traveling section of the moving body 2 is switched from the virtual guidance section P to the magnetic guidance section Q, the moving body 2 can be reliably made to travel along the magnetic guide line 5 .

Further, in the present embodiment, when the magnetic guide wire 5 is detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 after the moving body 2 decelerates, the traveling speed of the moving body 2 increases by accelerating the moving body 2. , the moving body 2 can reach the destination 3B quickly.

Further, in the present embodiment, when the magnetic guide sensor 12 does not detect the magnetic guide line 5 even when the moving body 2 travels a prescribed distance from the switching point R between the virtual guidance section P and the magnetic guidance section Q, the movement Since the body 2 is decelerated, it can be easily and reliably detected that the magnetic guidance system in which the moving body 2 travels along the magnetic guide line 5 cannot be implemented.

Further, in the present embodiment, the magnetic guide wire 5 is installed on the floor surface and the magnetic guide wire 5 is detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12, so that the traveling control system 1 can be realized at low cost.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, when the magnetic guide sensor 12 does not detect the magnetic guide line 5 even when the moving body 2 travels a specified distance from the switching point R between the virtual guidance section P and the magnetic guidance section Q, the moving body 2 is decelerated, but the form is not particularly limited, and if the traveling speed of the moving body 2 is predetermined, the moving body 2 is decelerated from the switching point R between the virtual guidance section P and the magnetic guidance section Q. The moving body 2 may be decelerated when the magnetic guide wire 5 is not detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 even after running for a predetermined time.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the magnetic guide wire 5 is detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 after decelerating the moving body 2, the moving body 2 is accelerated to the speed immediately before the deceleration of the moving body 2. However, it is not particularly limited to that form, and the moving body 2 may be accelerated to a speed higher than the speed immediately before the moving body 2 decelerates, or to a speed lower than the speed immediately before the moving body 2 decelerates. The moving body 2 may be accelerated. Further, even if the magnetic guide wire 5 is detected by the magnetic guide sensor 12 after the moving body 2 is decelerated, the moving body 2 does not have to be accelerated.

In the above embodiment, the magnetic guide wire 5 is installed on the floor as a physically detectable actual guide wire, but the actual guide wire is not particularly limited to this, and may be an electromagnetic guide wire or the like. good too. When an electromagnetic guide wire is used as the actual guide wire, an electromagnetic sensor that detects the electromagnetic guide wire is used.

In the above embodiment, the self-position estimator 11 estimates the position of the moving body 2 by using the SLAM technique using laser as the self-position estimation technique. is not limited, and a SLAM method using an image captured by a camera, a GNSS (global navigation satellite system) positioning method using a satellite, or the like may be used.

In addition, the traveling control device 10 of the above embodiment is a device for automatically traveling a forklift as the moving body 2 along the traveling route 3, but the present invention is applicable to a vehicle capable of automatically traveling, such as a carrier. Applicable to the whole body.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Traveling control system, 2... Moving object, 3... Traveling route, 4... Virtual guide line, 5... Magnetic guide line (actual guide line), 10... Traveling control device, 11... Self position estimator (position estimating unit) , 12... magnetic guide sensor (magnetic sensor, detection unit), 19... travel motor (drive unit), 20... steering motor (drive unit), 21... storage unit, 22... first deviation amount calculation unit (first calculation unit ), 24... second deviation amount calculator (second calculator), 25... traveling controller, 26... speed controller, P... virtual guidance section (first guidance section), Q... magnetic induction section (second guidance section), R... switching point.

Claims (5)

Move along a travel route having a virtual guide line virtually set on the data and a real guide line installed on the floor so as to follow the virtual guide line on the data and physically detectable A running control device for automatically running a body,
a storage unit that stores the positions of the virtual guide line and the actual guide line ;
a position estimation unit that estimates the position of the moving body;
a first calculation for calculating a deviation amount between the virtual guide line and the moving object based on the position of the virtual guide line stored in the storage unit and the position of the moving object estimated by the position estimating unit; Department and
a detection unit that detects the actual guide line;
a second calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving body based on the detection value of the detection unit;
controlling a driving unit of the moving body so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line based on the amount of deviation between the moving body and the virtual guide line calculated by the first calculating unit; a travel control unit for controlling the driving unit to cause the moving object to travel along the actual guide line based on the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving object calculated by the second calculating unit; When,
When the actual guide line is not detected by the detection unit even when the traveling section of the moving body switches from the first guidance section in which the virtual guide line is set to the second guidance section in which the actual guide line is set. and a speed control unit that controls the driving unit so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line assuming that the actual guide line is the virtual guide line and the moving body is decelerated. Control device. The speed control unit controls the driving unit to decelerate the moving body, and then controls the driving unit to accelerate the moving body when the actual guide line is detected by the detection unit. The traveling control device according to claim 1. The speed control unit controls the movement of the moving object when the actual guide line is not detected by the detection unit even if the moving object travels a specified distance from a switching point between the first guidance section and the second guidance section. 3. The traveling control device according to claim 1, wherein the driving section is controlled so as to cause the body to travel along the virtual guide line and decelerate the moving body. The real guide wire is a magnetic guide wire,
The traveling control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the detection section is a magnetic sensor that detects the magnetic guide wire. A travel control system equipped with a travel control device that automatically travels a mobile body along a travel route,
The travel route has a virtual guide line that is virtually set on the data, and a real guide line that is installed on the floor so as to follow the virtual guide line on the data and can be physically detected. ,
The travel control device is
a storage unit that stores the positions of the virtual guide line and the actual guide line ;
a position estimation unit that estimates the position of the moving body;
a first calculation for calculating a deviation amount between the virtual guide line and the moving object based on the position of the virtual guide line stored in the storage unit and the position of the moving object estimated by the position estimating unit; Department and
a detection unit that detects the actual guide line;
a second calculation unit that calculates the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving body based on the detection value of the detection unit;
controlling a driving unit of the moving body so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line based on the amount of deviation between the moving body and the virtual guide line calculated by the first calculating unit; a travel control unit for controlling the driving unit to cause the moving object to travel along the actual guide line based on the amount of deviation between the actual guide line and the moving object calculated by the second calculating unit; When,
When the actual guide line is not detected by the detection unit even when the traveling section of the moving body switches from the first guidance section in which the virtual guide line is set to the second guidance section in which the actual guide line is set. and a speed control unit that controls the driving unit so that the moving body travels along the virtual guide line assuming that the actual guide line is the virtual guide line and the moving body is decelerated. control system.

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