JP7238659B2 - moving body - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a moving object that a user can get on and off while traveling.

Patent Literature 1 discloses an excursion support system that supports an excursion behavior in which a user walks through commercial facilities such as streets and shopping malls. This excursion support system includes a travel route passing through a plurality of points set in advance, and a plurality of small moving bodies that self-propelled on the travel route at low speed and that a user can get on and off while traveling. An operation unit is arranged on the upper surface of the front left and right struts of the small mobile body, and when the user presses the operation unit when getting on or off the vehicle, the self-propelled speed decreases for a predetermined period of time.

JP 2016-45805 A

Moving bodies that allow people to get on and off while running are expected to be effectively used as a handy means of transportation in divided areas such as theme parks and amusement parks. When a user gets into a running moving body, it is preferable that the moving body can provide a state in which the user can easily get in, and after getting on the moving body can provide a state in which the user can stably ride.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for realizing ease of riding on a mobile object.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is a mobile body on which a user can get on and off while running, comprising a base on which the user rides, an operating mechanism that rotatably supports the base, a control unit for controlling the actuation mechanism.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the technique for implement|achieving ease of riding of a mobile body can be provided.

It is a figure which shows the example of the environment where a person and a moving body coexist. (a) is a side view of a mobile body, (b) is a perspective view of a mobile body. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the control system of an Example. It is a figure which shows the state which several users are riding on the mobile body. It is a figure which shows a mode that rotation control of a base is carried out. It is a figure which shows the state which adjusted the weight balance of the advancing direction right and left. It is a figure which shows the state which made the base parallel to the horizontal surface.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an environment where people and mobile objects coexist. This coexistence environment is realized, for example, within a partitioned area 1 such as a theme park or an amusement park, and it is preferable that the plurality of moving bodies 10 have an autonomous running function and can freely run within the area 1 . The autonomous driving function includes a collision avoidance function for avoiding collisions with objects other than itself, such as other moving bodies 10 and people. The moving body 10 processes in real time the information detected by various sensors mounted thereon, and controls the traveling direction and running speed.

The moving body 10 has a base on which a person can ride. The base surface is preferably provided at a height of several tens of centimeters from the wheel bottom surface so that a person can easily get on. The moving body 10 preferably runs at a speed similar to that of a pedestrian, for example, at a speed of 5 kilometers per hour or less. By setting the upper limit of the speed of the moving body 10 to be low, the user can get into the running moving body 10 and get off the running moving body 10 .

As one operation, a plurality of moving bodies 10 may travel within the area 1 along a set circuit route. If various attractions are located in Area 1, the circuit route may be configured to stop at multiple attractions. When the user gets on the moving body 10, if the destination of the user is included in the round route of the moving body 10, the user gets off at the destination. On the other hand, if the destination of the user is not included in the round route of the moving body 10, the user gets off at the nearest point and walks to the destination, or transfers to another moving body 10. You can go to your destination.

As another operation, the mobile body 10 may travel along a circular route when no user is on board, and travel toward the destination indicated by the user when the user is on board. When different destinations are instructed by a plurality of users, the moving body 10 may set the order of stopping by, for example, in the order of the instructions or in the order of proximity to the current location. The moving body 10 may continue to travel along the set circuit route or may travel along a different route unless the destination is instructed by the user.

2(a) shows a side view of the moving body 10, and FIG. 2(b) shows a perspective view of the moving body 10. FIG. The mobile body 10 includes a vehicle body 12 containing a control system, a drive mechanism, and a battery, a standing body 14 standing from the vehicle body 12, and a base 16 operably supported by the vehicle body 12 by an operating mechanism 26. Prepare. The base 16 is a disk-shaped member, and its upper surface constitutes a flat surface on which the user stands. A handrail 18 composed of a pair of struts and a horizontal bar connecting the struts is provided on the upper surface of the base 16, and the user holds the handrail 18 while the moving body 10 is running to stabilize the riding posture. Let The upper surface of the base 16 is wide enough for about 4 to 6 users to stand and is formed in a circular shape as shown in the figure. It is preferable that the upper surface of the base 16 is processed to prevent slipping.

The moving body 10 has a plurality of wheels 24 . The moving body 10 may have at least three or more wheels 24 and preferably four or more wheels 24 . The drive mechanism built into the vehicle body 12 includes at least a motor that rotates the wheels 24 and an actuator that adjusts the direction of the wheels 24 . The control system determines the traveling direction and running speed of the moving body 10 and controls the operation of the motors and actuators.

Various sensors 22 a, 22 b, 22 c, 22 d, and 22 e (hereinafter referred to as “sensors 22 ” unless otherwise specified) are provided on the vehicle body 12 and the erected body 14 . The sensor 22 detects various information around the moving body 10 and supplies the detected information to the control system.

The sensor 22 includes a plurality of image sensors and periodically photographs the surroundings of the mobile object 10 . The imaging cycle may be, for example, 1/30 [second]. A plurality of image sensors are provided on the vehicle body 12 and the standing body 14 so as to photograph the entire circumference of the mobile body 10 . Also, at least one image sensor periodically captures the space in which the occupant exists, that is, the space above the base 16 . In the example shown in FIG. 2, the sensor 22c may be an image sensor that captures an image of the passenger space on the base 16. As shown in FIG. The captured image of the passenger space may be used by the control system to identify the occupant's situation. As another type of sensor 22, sensors for detecting temperature, humidity, illuminance, acceleration, and the like may be mounted.

The standing body 14 is provided in front of the moving body 10 . A terminal device 20 having a display and a speaker is arranged on the upper portion of the erected body 14 . The terminal device 20 may be equipped with a microphone that acquires the voice of the user. A user inputs a destination to the terminal device 20, and is provided with peripheral information and the like from the terminal device 20. - 特許庁The terminal device 20 may have a touch panel as input means. Further, the control system may be provided with a voice recognition function, and the control system may receive the input of the destination by supplying the voice signal emitted by the passenger to the control system from the microphone.

The operating mechanism 26 operably supports the base 16 with respect to the vehicle body 12 . The operating mechanism 26 supports the base 16 at least rotatably with respect to the vehicle body 12 and further supports it so as to be tiltable in the longitudinal direction with respect to the vehicle body 12 . The control system controls the actuation mechanism 26 to rotate the base 16 or tilt the base 16 to improve ride comfort for the user.

FIG. 3 shows functional blocks of the control system of the embodiment. The control system 2 includes a terminal device 20, a sensor 22, an operating mechanism 26, a sensor information processing section 30, a control section 40, a communication section 50, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 52, a map holding section 54, and a plurality of motors 56. Prepare. The sensor information processing section 30 has an occupant information acquisition section 32 , an object detection section 34 and an inclination detection section 36 . The control unit 40 has a reception unit 42 , a travel control unit 44 , an occupant position specifying unit 46 and a base control unit 48 . The control system 2 of the embodiment is mounted on the mobile body 10 and controls the operation of the mobile body 10 . The communication unit 50 may have a wireless communication function, be capable of inter-vehicle communication with the communication unit of another mobile body 10, and be capable of receiving instruction information transmitted from a mobile communication terminal such as a user's smart phone. GPS receiver 52 detects the current position based on signals from satellites.

In FIG. 3, each element described as a functional block that performs various processes can be configured by a circuit block, memory, or other LSI in terms of hardware, and is loaded in memory in terms of software. It is realized by a program or the like. Therefore, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof, and are not limited to either one. In the embodiment, the control system 2 is mounted on the mobile body 10, but in another example, the sensor information processing unit 30 and the control unit 40 in the control system 2 may be provided in a management server device that manages the mobile body 10. good.

<Behavior of mobile object 10 when no user is on board>
The map holding unit 54 holds map information indicating road positions in area 1 . A circular route in area 1 is set for the moving body 10 . When a plurality of moving bodies 10 exist in area 1, each moving body 10 may have a different circuit route. In area 1 where various attractions are arranged, it is preferable that the circuit route is defined so as to stop at a plurality of attractions.

When there is no passenger, the traveling control unit 44 refers to the map information and uses the current position information supplied from the GPS receiver 52 to control the moving body 10 so as to travel along the circuit route. This running mode is called a "lap mode". As described above, the travel control unit 44 preferably sets the travel speed to 5 kilometers per hour or less.

Based on the detection information from the sensor 22, the object detection unit 34 recognizes objects existing around the moving body 10 and detects information about the objects. For example, the object detection section 34 may detect the position of the object from the image captured by the image sensor. Objects to be detected include static objects such as structures and gutters that obstruct travel, and movable objects (moving objects) such as people and other moving bodies 10 . The object detection unit 34 detects relative position information of other objects with respect to itself and supplies it to the travel control unit 44 . The traveling control unit 44 determines the traveling direction and traveling speed so as to avoid collision with other objects, and controls the traveling of the mobile body 10 .

When the object detection unit 34 recognizes a person in the captured image, it monitors the movement of the person. If it is recommended that the user make a predetermined gesture when trying to get on the moving object 10 in the area 1, the object detection unit 34 monitors whether the person is making a predetermined gesture. For example, if a gesture of extending a hand upward and waving it left and right is defined as an expression of intention to ride on the moving body 10, the object detection unit 34 monitors whether the user is performing this defined gesture. When the object detection unit 34 detects that the gesture has been made, the object detection unit 34 supplies the travel control unit 44 with position information of the user and information indicating that the user has made a predetermined gesture. As a result, the traveling control unit 44 causes the mobile body 10 to travel in the direction of the user so that the user can easily get on the vehicle.

Note that the user may transmit the intention to board the vehicle from, for example, a smartphone. In this case, there is a management server device that supervises and manages a plurality of moving bodies 10 in area 1, and the management server device receives the location information of the user who has transmitted the desire to board, and receives the moving bodies running nearby. 10 may be directed to the user. When the moving object 10 approaches the user, the object detection unit 34 detects the user making a predetermined gesture, and the travel control unit 44 causes the moving object 10 to travel in the direction of the user. . The traveling control unit 44 may decelerate the moving body 10 so that the user can easily board the vehicle when it approaches the user who intends to board the vehicle.

<Behavior of mobile object 10 with user on board>
A function of the mobile object 10 traveling toward the destination indicated by the user will be described below. When the user gets on the moving body 10, he/she can operate the terminal device 20 to input the destination. A user operates the touch panel of the terminal device 20 , and the reception unit 42 receives input of a destination from the terminal device 20 . When the reception unit 42 has a voice recognition function, when the user speaks the destination into the microphone of the terminal device 20, the terminal device 20 supplies a voice signal to the reception unit 42, and the reception unit 42 receives the voice signal. A destination input may be accepted by converting the signal to a character string. The reception unit 42 supplies the received destination to the travel control unit 44 .

After obtaining the destination, the travel control unit 44 refers to the map information and derives the travel route from the current position information supplied from the GPS receiver 52 . The travel control unit 44 determines the travel direction according to the derived travel route, and controls the travel of the moving body 10 at a travel speed equal to or lower than the upper limit speed. This travel mode is called a "destination mode".

Even when a user is already on the moving body 10, the walking user can get on the running moving body 10 if there is room in the capacity. When the receiving unit 42 receives another destination from the user who has newly boarded and supplies it to the travel control unit 44, the travel control unit 44 may determine the order of stopping at a plurality of destinations and determine the direction of travel. .

In the mobile body 10 of the embodiment, the base 16 is rotated to face the user before getting on the mobile body 10, so that the user can easily get on the mobile body 10. - 特許庁
FIG. 4 shows a state in which a plurality of users are riding on the moving body 10. As shown in FIG. Here, three users A, B, and C are riding the moving body 10 .
The occupant information acquisition unit 32 acquires information indicating the condition of the occupant from the sensor 22 . The occupant information acquisition unit 32 receives a photographed image of the passenger space from the sensor 22, which is an image sensor, and estimates the position on the base 16 on which the occupant rides by image analysis. The estimated occupant position is provided to the occupant position identifying unit 46 .

The occupant position identifying unit 46 identifies the position of the base 16 on which the occupant is riding. The occupant position specifying unit 46 may specify the position on the base 16 on which the occupant is riding by being provided with the occupant position on the base 16 estimated by the occupant information acquiring unit 32 . By specifying the position of the passenger, the passenger position specifying unit 46 can specify the position on the base 16 where the passenger is not on, that is, the position where the new user can easily get on.

The occupant position identifying unit 46 can also identify the position of the occupant on the base 16 based on the detection information from the pressure sensor arranged near the surface of the base 16 . In this case, a plurality of pressure sensors are arranged without gaps in the vicinity of the surface of the base 16, and the pressure sensors arranged at positions receiving the load of the occupant output detection information of the load to the occupant information acquisition unit 32. The arrangement coordinates of the pressure sensor that detects the load correspond to the position of the base 16 on which the passenger is riding. The occupant position specifying unit 46 specifies the position on the base 16 on which the occupant is seated by being provided with the arrangement coordinates of the pressure sensor that detects the load from the occupant information acquiring unit 32 . Thereby, the occupant position specifying unit 46 can specify a position on the base 16 where no occupant is on, that is, a position where a new user can easily get on.

The operation of the moving body 10 when another user D gets on while users A, B, and C are on board will be described. When the object detection unit 34 detects that the user D is making a gesture defined as an expression of the intention to ride while the mobile object 10 is running, the position information of the user D and the predetermined and information indicating that the gesture of . As a result, the traveling control unit 44 causes the moving body 10 to travel in a direction approaching the user D so that the user D can easily get on the vehicle.

FIG. 5(a) shows a mobile object 10 with three people on it heading toward a user D. FIG. The object detection unit 34 tracks the behavior of the user D, and the travel control unit 44 moves so that the user D is positioned on the left or right side of the traveling direction of the moving body 10 . In the example shown in FIG. 5A , the travel control unit 44 causes the mobile body 10 to travel so that the user D is positioned on the left side of the mobile body 10 .

FIG. 5(b) shows how the user D gets on the base 16. FIG. The base control unit 48 rotates the base 16 so as to face the space where no occupant exists toward the user D who is trying to get in from the left side of the vehicle body. For this purpose, the occupant position specifying unit 46 provides the base control unit 48 with information indicating the position on the base 16 where no occupant is on, and the base control unit 48 receives this information, and the base 16 on which no occupant is on. A rotation angle for directing the space of the base 16 to the left side of the vehicle body is derived, and the base 16 is rotated by the rotation angle. As a result, when the mobile body 10 arrives at the user D, the empty space on the base 16 is directed toward the user D, so that the user D can smoothly board the mobile body 10.例文帳に追加becomes.

A plurality of lighting elements may be arranged around the base 16, and the base controller 48 may turn on the lighting elements at the corresponding position in order to indicate the boarding position to the user D. As a result, the user D can understand the boarding position at a glance, and can smoothly board the moving object 10 .

The base controller 48 may adjust the rotation angle of the base 16 in order to adjust the left-right weight balance of the base 16 during running.
FIG. 6 shows a state in which the right and left weight balance with respect to the traveling direction is adjusted. The base control unit 48 adjusts the rotation angle of the base 16 based on the position on the base 16 on which the occupant rides so that the left and right weights are even. As a result, stable running of the moving body 10 is realized. When the occupant information acquisition unit 32 can measure the weight of each occupant, the base control unit 48 uses the weight of each occupant to derive the rotation angle at which the left and right weights on the base 16 become equal. When the occupant information acquisition unit 32 cannot measure the weight of each occupant, the base control unit 48 assumes that each occupant has the same weight, and derives the rotation angle at which the left and right weights on the base 16 become equal. you can

The base controller 48 may control the base 16 to be parallel to the horizontal plane when the mobile body 10 is traveling on a slope.
FIG. 7 shows a state in which the base 16 is controlled to be parallel to the horizontal plane. The inclination detector 36 detects the inclination angle α of the road from the detection information of the acceleration sensor, and supplies it to the base controller 48 . The base controller 48 controls the tilting mechanism of the operating mechanism 26 in the front-rear direction so that the base 16 is horizontal with respect to the horizontal plane. This allows the occupant to stand on the base 16 in a stable posture.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiment is merely an example, and that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component, and that such modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2... Control system, 10... Moving body, 16... Base, 26... Operating mechanism, 30... Sensor information processing part, 32... Passenger information acquisition part, 34... Object detection unit 36 Inclination detection unit 40 Control unit 42 Reception unit 44 Driving control unit 46 Passenger position identification unit 48 Base control unit.

Claims (3)

A mobile object that allows a user to get on and off while traveling,
A base on which the user rides,
an occupant position identifying unit that identifies a position on the base where the user is on or a position on the base where the user is not on;
an operating mechanism that rotatably supports the base;
A base for rotating the base by controlling the operating mechanism based on information indicating a position on the base on which the user is riding or information indicating a position on the base on which the user is not riding. a control unit ;
A mobile object comprising: The base control unit directs the space of the base on which no user is on, to the user who newly tries to get on, based on the information indicating the position on the base on which the user is not on. rotating the base so as to
The moving object according to claim 1, characterized by: The base control unit rotates the base so as to adjust the left and right weight balance with respect to the traveling direction based on information indicating the position on the base on which the user is riding.
The moving object according to claim 1, characterized by:

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