JPH01130207A - Running control system for running robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To satisfactorily execute the change between guided lines by setting a prescribed distance which is shorter than a distance D between both guided line end points and larger than D/2 and running autonomously a running robot. CONSTITUTION:A running control system for a running robot 14 is provided with a running robot controller 11 and a guidance current generator 12. This controller 11 executes mutual communication of a command and data to the running robot 14 through the guidance current generator 12 and guided lines 13a-13b, and brings the running robot 14 to moving control by a prescribed carrying plan. Also, each guided line 13a-13b is a go-and-return line electrically, respectively, and in the end part, intersections P1, P2 are formed, and constituted so that they can be detected by the running robot 14. In this state, in case the running robot 14 is changed from one guided line 13a to the other guided line 13b, an intermediate point PM is set virtually, the robot is allowed to execute an autonomous run which has fixed a rotating speed of a driving wheel to a prescribed value and moved by a distance (d), and brought to guidance run after a guidance magnetic field has been searched.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial Application Denominator> The present invention relates to a traveling control system for a traveling robot, and particularly to a traveling control system for causing a traveling robot to travel from one guideway to another guideway.

<Prior Art> There is a travel control method in which a guide line is buried, a guide signal of a predetermined frequency is generated on the guide line, and a traveling robot is moved along the guide line while detecting the guide signal. In such guided driving, guidance! fsI? If 5 is continuous, the traveling robot can be moved correctly along the guide line and stopped at the destination.

However, depending on the environment in which the guide line is buried, the guide line cannot be buried continuously and may have to be separated into several parts. In such a case, it is necessary to accurately transfer the traveling robot from one guideway to the other guideway.

In conventional transfer driving, when one reaches the end of the guide line, the rotation of the left and right drive wheels of the four running bots is fixed at a constant value, and the attitude of the current sowing point is maintained. It has been moved up to the point where it has been transferred.

<Problem to be solved by the invention> However, in such a conventional boarding and transfer method, there is a discrepancy between the traveling route of the traveling robot and the guidance route, causing the robot to meander for a while, or in extreme cases, to move to the next guidance route. There were times when the line could not be detected and the line derailed.

From the foregoing, an object of the present invention is to provide a traveling control system for a traveling robot that can correctly transfer from one guideway to another guideway.

Means to solve problems〉 FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the present invention.

11 is a traveling robot control device, 12 is an induced current generator,
13a, 13b are guide lines, 14 is a traveling robot, 15 is a section where no guide line is buried, p,, p
2 is the end point of each guide line.

When transferring the traveling robot 14 from one guide line 13a to the other guide line 13b, a predetermined pressure GLCI is applied from an end point P on one guide line 13a near the end point P2 on the other guide line 13b. An intermediate point P is virtually set at the position of , and the traveling robot 14 is caused to run autonomously with the rotational speed of both left and right drive wheels fixed at a constant value until it has traveled a distance d, and after it has traveled a distance d, it is guided. The vehicle is caused to run while searching for the induced magnetic field of the track 13b, and after the guided magnetic field is searched for, the vehicle is caused to travel along the guided track 13b.

<Embodiment> FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the present invention, in which 11 is a traveling robot control device, 12 is an induced current generator, and 13a.

13b is a guide line, 14 is a running Q-bot, 15 is a section where no guide line is buried, and Pl and P2 are intersections (end points) of each guide line.

The traveling robot control device 11 communicates commands and data with the traveling robot 14 via the induced current generator 12 and the guide lines 13a to 13b, and controls the movement of the traveling robot 14 according to a predetermined transfer plan. Induced current generator 12
are the low frequency induced currents of frequencies f, , f2, respectively.
The induced current is generated in the second guide lines 13a and 13b, and the traveling robot 14 detects this induced current, and the guide line 1
This is to guide the vehicle so that it does not deviate from 3a and 13b.

Each guide line 13a, 13b is an electrically reciprocating line, and has an intersection (end point) P at the end.
P2 is formed, and each intersection p, , p2 can be detected by the traveling robot 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the back side of the traveling robot 14 has a pair of left and right drive wheels 14a, 14a', a motor that rotates the drive wheels, and a pulse coder that generates a pulse every time the drive wheels rotate by a predetermined angle. A pair of servo units 1
4b, 14b', magnetic sensors 14c, 14c', and an intersection detection antenna 14d for detecting intersections P, P2 (see FIG. 1) of buried wires that are guide lines.
Communication antenna 14e, guide and reception antenna 14f
and is provided.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a travel control circuit in a travel robot, where RDv is a travel drive unit, and left and right drive wheels 1
motors MT and MT' connected to 4a and 14a';
Servo amplifier SAMP that drives motors MT and MT'
and a servo controller SvC. Note that the left and right drive wheels 14a.

Pulse coders PCD and PCD' are connected to 14a'.

INFI is the communication transmitting antenna 14e (see Figure 2)
The first ink 7ace, lNF2, transmits data to the outside via the guide and receiving antenna 14f (Figure 2), and the second interface, lNF
3 are intersection detection antennas 14d and 14d' (second
This is an interface that takes in signals from (see Figure).

MC0M is a control microcomputer and is connected to the external traveling robot control device 1 via the interface TNFI, 2.
1 (see FIG. 1), as well as mutual communication of commands and data, as well as intersection detection antennas 14d, 14d',
(See FIG. 2) and each detection signal from the pulse coders PCD and PCD' are input, and a predetermined control signal is output to the travel drive section RDV to perform travel control.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the travel control process of the present invention, and the method of the present invention will be explained below according to this flowchart.

In addition, a virtual intermediate point P is set in advance near the intersection (end point) P2 on the guide line 13b (and at a predetermined distance d from the intersection (end point) P1 on the guide line 13a,
The distance Fad and the distance gID between both intersections are set in the control microcomputer MC0M.

Now, the traveling robot 14 follows normal guided travel.
(See Figure 1) reaches the intersection P1, which is the end point of the guide line 13'a, the microcomputer MCOM (Figure 3) detects the traveling robot by changing the output signal of the intersection detection antennas 14d and 14d' (Figure 2). 14 recognizes that the vehicle has arrived at the intersection P1. As a result, the microcomputer switches control from guided driving to autonomous driving (step 10).
1). Incidentally, in autonomous running, the rotational speed of the left and right drive wheels 14a, 14a' is fixed at a constant value, and the running robot is moved while maintaining the previous posture.

While the microcontroller is running autonomously, the running robot is running the distance gId.
Check whether it has moved (step 102); if it has not moved d, it continues autonomous running; if it has moved d, the running stomach bot then runs while searching for the induced magnetic field of frequency f2 on the guide line 13b (step 103). In this guided magnetic field search running, the vehicle searches for the guided magnetic field while finely weaving by changing the rotational speed of the left and right drive wheels, and runs in the direction where the guided magnetic field is stronger.

If the current driving mode is the search driving mode, the microcomputer checks whether the received electric field strength (antenna input level) of the guide/receiver antenna 14f is above a predetermined level (104, 105), and if it is below the predetermined level, guides. Continue magnetic field search drive.

However, if the antenna input level is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the guided magnetic field search run is switched to guided run where the vehicle moves along the guide line 13b (step 106).

After that, the microcomputer checks whether the traveling robot 14 has moved a total of distance giD between the two intersections from the beginning (step 107), if it has not moved, continues guided travel in step 106), and if it has moved D, it returns to the first one. Ending the travel control process from the guide line to the second guide line <Effects of the Invention> According to the present invention, the predetermined pressure fid is set shorter than the distance between both guide line end points and greater than D/2. Then, the traveling robot moves autonomously until it moves a distance d, and the distance #d
After moving, it is configured to run while searching for an induced magnetic field, and after the induced magnetic field is searched, it is configured to run guided.
It is possible to correctly transfer the traveling robot from one guideway to the other guideway.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a block diagram of the entire system that implements the present invention, Figure 2 is an external view of the back side of the traveling robot, Figure 3 is a block diagram of the traveling control system of the traveling robot, and Figure 4 is the processing of the present invention. This is a flowchart. 11... Traveling robot control device, 12... Induced current generator, 13a, 13b... Guide line, 14... Traveling robot, 15... Section where guide line is not buried, P,, P
2. Intersection (end point) patent applicant for each guideway
Agent for FANUC Co., Ltd.
Patent Attorney Chiki Saito Figure 1 Figure 2 14f Figure 03 DV

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a traveling control system for a traveling robot that causes the traveling robot to travel from one guideway to the other guideway, a predetermined distance d that is shorter than the distance D between both guideway end points and larger than D/2 is set, and the distance d A traveling control method for a traveling robot, characterized in that the robot is made to travel autonomously until it moves, is made to travel while searching for an induced magnetic field after moving a distance d, and is made to travel guided after the induced magnetic field is searched.