JPH02111186A - Forward monitoring device for automatic drive device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent collision accident or the like between an automatic driver and an obstacle in advance by mounting a forward monitor able to sense surely a forward obstacle in the progressing direction and controlling the drive and stop of the automatic driver based on the result of monitor by the forward monitor. CONSTITUTION:When the drive of an automatic driver 8 is stopped at a specific location, a camera 1 picks up a forward scenery in the progressing direction and a picture data subject to pickup and processing is stored in a picture storage device 6 as a study data when the present drive is in the study mode. In the case of the automatic drive not being in the study mode, a picture data subject to pickup and processing at a specific location and a study picture data subject to pickup storage at the same specific location are compared by a comparator 4, and when both the pictures are dissident and it is discriminated to be the presence of an obstacle, then the succeeding pickup is executed after the wait of a prescribed time. Even when number of times of pickup reaches the specified number and the state is discriminated in the presence of the obstacle, the execution of the pickup is stopped to raise an alarm.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is directed to an unmanned) transport aircraft A'6, whose conversion is being promoted.
・t3 of goods automatically travels along a predefined route, etc.
The present invention relates to a forward monitoring device that is mounted on an automatic traveling device that performs transportation work, etc., and monitors the presence or absence of obstacles in front of the automatic traveling device in the direction of travel.

(Conventional technology) In recent years, with the automation of factories and unmanned management of warehouses, unmanned operation of transportation equipment that transports parts, products, and other goods within factories and warehouses has been promoted. An automatic driving device has been proposed.

This type of automatic traveling device usually has running and stopping automatically controlled by a microcomputer, and transports goods by traveling along a prescribed route according to a control program stored in advance in the storage device of the microcomputer. It is set up like this.

More specifically, there are track-type vehicles that transport goods by automatically traveling on tracks (rails) laid down along pre-specified routes, and rail-type vehicles that transport goods by automatically traveling on tracks (rails) laid down along pre-specified routes, as well as tape attached to the floor of pre-specified routes and A trackless type that detects guided cables, etc. with a sensor and automatically runs along the tape or cable, or a signal from a guide transmitter embedded in the floor along a predefined route. Various types of automatic traveling devices have been proposed, such as guided type devices that automatically travel under guidance.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in these various automatic driving devices, as mentioned above, tracks provided on predefined routes,
It simply travels repeatedly according to a predetermined program along tapes, cables, guidance signals, etc., and there is no particular monitoring device, so if an item falls during the travel route, In the event that an unexpected situation occurs, such as when an object is accidentally placed on the driving route or when a person accidentally enters the driving route, these objects, people, and automated driving equipment can be This has been a problem as there have been cases where vehicles have collided with each other, leading to serious accidents.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is installed in an automatic traveling device to monitor the presence or absence of an obstacle in front of the automatic traveling device in the direction of travel of the automatic traveling device, and to prevent a collision between the automatic traveling device and an obstacle. The purpose is to provide a forward monitoring device for automatic traveling equipment [π] that prevents accidents from occurring.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automatic traveling device that is installed in an automatic traveling device that automatically travels along a predefined route and performs work such as forwarding goods. A forward monitoring device that monitors the presence or absence of an obstacle in front of the automatic traveling device in the traveling direction of the automatic traveling device includes a camera that photographs the front of the automatic traveling device in the traveling direction of the automatic traveling device at each specific point on the predetermined route; An image processing device that divides an image of each specific location into a plurality of pixels and converts each pixel into binarized image data; a storage device that stores image data of each specific location taken by the camera at each specific location on the route and converted by the image processing device as learning image data during a learning drive performed in a non-operational state; Comparison of image data photographed by the camera at each specific location during automatic driving with the equipment and binarized by the image processing device with learning image data for each specific location stored during the learning. a determination device that determines the presence or absence of an obstacle ahead in the direction of travel based on the comparison result by the comparison device and transmits the determination result; and a determination device that controls traveling and stopping of the automatic traveling device based on a signal from the determination device. It is characterized by a different control device.

(Function) According to the forward monitoring device for an automatic driving device according to the present invention, a learning vehicle travels along a predefined route without obstacles, and photographs are taken at specific points along the predefined route. Image data is stored, and during automatic driving, the image data taken at each specific location on a predefined route is compared with the learning image data stored for each specific location.

The presence or absence of an obstacle is determined based on the comparison result, and the determination signal is sent to the control device that controls running and stopping of the automatic traveling device. Stop control is easily possible.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an illustrated example.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a forward monitoring device of an automatic traveling device according to the present invention. This device is installed in the automatic traveling device 8 that performs the above operations, and monitors the presence or absence of obstacles in front of the automatic traveling device 8 in the direction of travel. A camera 1 that photographs the front in the direction of travel of the automatic traveling device 8, and images of the specific locations taken by this camera 1 are divided into a plurality of pixels and each pixel is converted into binarized image data. The image processing device 2 and the image processing unit 2 process the images taken by the camera 1 at each specific point on the route during a learning run which is performed before the automatic traveling device 8 runs automatically and when there are no obstacles on the travel route. a storage device 6 for storing image data of rattan at specific locations converted by the device 2 as learning data; and an image processing device that performs IQ k for each specific location by the camera when the automatic traveling device 8 is automatically traveling. and a comparison device B4 for comparing the image data binarized by the step 2 with the learning image data for each specific location stored at the time of the learning.

Based on the comparison result by the comparison device 4, the presence or absence of an obstacle ahead in the direction of travel is determined, and the determination result is used for the driving/running of the automatic traveling device 8.
The configuration includes a discriminating device 5 that sends information to a control device 7 that controls stopping, and the automatic traveling system RA8 is configured to
The control device 7 that controls the stop automatically stops the traveling of the automatic traveling device 8 when a determination signal indicating the presence of an obstacle is transmitted from the determining device 5.

Incidentally, the image data from the image processing device 2 is transferred to the switching circuit 3.
The switching circuit 3 operates to switch to the storage device 6 side during learning driving so that the learning image data is stored in the storage device 6. do.

Here, as the camera 1, a monocolor camera using a well-known CCD t''A and other elements is used, and as shown in FIG. This is performed at each specific location (for example, A, B, C, D, E, etc. in the figure) predetermined in 9. It should be noted that each specific location (A, B in the figure, etc.) is predetermined in advance.

When photographing each of C, D, and E), the automatic traveling device 8 stops traveling and enters a standby state, and photographs the front in the direction of travel in the stopped state. Further, as shown in the figure, the specific locations are determined for each bevel angle and each branch, and the distance between the specific locations is set within a range that does not exceed the photographing range of the camera 1.

The image processing device 2 captures the image photographed by the camera 1 as one screen of still images, A/D converts the one screen of still images, and converts the one screen of still images into a plurality of images (usually several hundred to several thousand) in the form of a matrix. The gray level of each pixel is divided into white and black based on the intermediate gradation, and then binarized into ``0'' and ``1'' depending on whether it is white or black, and transmitted as image data.

The storage device 6 usually consists of a non-volatile image memory, and stores learning image data for each specific location that is photographed and image-processed during the learning run of the automatic travel device 8. The comparison device 4 transmits the learning image data for each specific location to the comparison device 4.The comparison device 4 is configured using a well-known microprocessor, etc., and the comparison device 4 transmits learning image data for each specific location (A in Fig. 2) during actual automatic driving. , B, C, D, E) and the image data that has been image-processed and the storage device 6.
The comparison result, that is, whether there is a match or not, is sent to the discrimination device 5.

The discrimination device 5 is a well-known microprocessor, RAM, R
The comparison result by the comparison device 4 is compared with the discrimination reference data in the memory according to the discrimination program stored in the memory, and the presence or absence of an obstacle is determined. is transmitted to the control device 7.

The control device 7 is a well-known microprocessor or RAM.
, a memory consisting of a ROM, various control circuits, a clock circuit, etc., and the memory contains control programs for automatic driving, a monitoring device camera 1, an image processing device 2, a comparison device 4, and a discrimination device. A control program for controlling the operation of the device 5 and the image storage device 6, and various control data are stored, and a judgment signal from the discrimination device 5, a signal from various sensors provided in the automatic traveling device 8, and a variety of control data are stored. The system is configured to automatically control the running, stopping, turning, etc. of the automatic traveling device 8 and the operation of the monitoring device at each specific location based on the following.

Next, an example of the control operation of the monitoring device by the control device 7 will be explained according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In FIGS. 1 and 3, when the control based on the control table π7 is started (Sl) and the movement of the automatic traveling device 8 is started (Sl), first, A, B, C, D in FIG.

A stopping position at a predetermined specific location as shown by E is detected, and the automatic traveling device 8 stops traveling at the first specific location (S3).

When the automatic traveling device 8 stops traveling at a specific location, the camera 1 then photographs the scenery ahead in the direction of travel (S
4), the photographed image is binarized by the image processing device 2,
It is transmitted as image data (S5). Here, it is determined whether the current driving is during learning or driving, and in the case of learning, the process proceeds to step 7 (S7), and the previously photographed and processed image data is stored in the image storage device 6 as learning image data ( S7). Then, forward control of the automatic traveling device 8 is started and the automatic traveling device 8 moves to the next specific location (S8). When the automatic traveling device 8 moves to the next specific location and a stop position is detected (S12), the automatic traveling device 8 stops at that stopping position (513), and then determines whether the entire movement has been completed, i.e. , it is determined whether or not the final destination has been reached, and if the entire journey has not been completed, the camera 1 takes a picture again (S4), processes the image (S5), and stores the learning image data (S7). The control is repeatedly executed until all the strokes are completed, and the control is ended at the time when all the strokes are completed (S20).

In addition, if it is determined in the previous step 6 (S6) that the current state is automatic driving rather than learning, then step 9 (S6)
Proceeding to step 9), the image data photographed and processed at a specific location and the learning image data captured and stored at the same specific location are compared by the capture device 4, and the comparison result is sent to the discrimination device 5. It is determined whether the two images match (
SIO). As a result of this determination, if the two images do not match and it is determined that there is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step 15 (515), and the number of times n of photographing is counted. Here, the number of shots n is usually specified to be about 3 to 4 times, and if the number of shots n is less than the specified number, the process proceeds to step 28 (318),
After waiting for a predetermined time (S19), the photographing is performed again (
S4), image processing (S5), comparison (S9), discrimination (51
0) is repeated. If the number of shots n reaches the specified number and it is still determined that there is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step 17 (S17), stops the shooting, and issues a warning (517), automatic driving device 8 And the operation of the monitoring device is ended (S21). Further, when re-photographing, if the photographed image data and the learning image data match in step 10 (510) and it is determined that there is no obstacle, the control proceeds to step 11 (Sll) and the automatic traveling device 8 moves forward. is started. Then, when the next stop position at a specific point is detected in step 512 (512), the automatic traveling device 8 is stopped at that stop position, and it is determined whether the entire movement has been completed or not. It is determined whether or not the point has been reached, and if the entire journey has not been completed, photographing by camera 1 (S4), image processing (S5), and comparison (
A series of controls including S9) and determination (510) are repeated.

If it is determined in step 14 (514) that all the steps have been completed, the control is terminated at that point (514).
20).

As described above based on the control program shown in FIG. The situation ahead in the direction of travel is photographed by the camera 1 at each predetermined specific location, and this photographed image is compared with a learning image taken during a learning run to determine the presence or absence of an obstacle. Automatic driving based on the judgment result! Because of the 41"4 configuration in which the running and stopping of the vehicle is controlled, it is possible to reliably detect the presence of obstacles such as objects or people in the running route, thereby preventing collisions and the like.

Note that the device configuration of the forward monitoring device is not limited to that shown in FIG. 1, and various modifications can be made, and the monitoring operation control program is not limited to that shown in FIG. 3, but can be modified in various ways. Changes are possible.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above based on the illustrated embodiments, according to the present invention, an automatic traveling device such as an automatic transport machine used in an automated factory or warehouse, etc. Equipped with a forward monitoring device that can reliably detect obstacles, and controlling the running and stopping of the automatic traveling device based on the results obtained by the forward monitoring device, the automatic traveling device and obstacles can be easily detected. It is possible to prevent collisions and the like, and ensure safe running operation of the automatic running device.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to further ensure the safety and improve the reliability of automatic traveling devices, and it is possible to further promote automatic management of factories, warehouses, etc.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic installation of a forward monitoring device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a travel route of an automatic traveling device and specific locations on the travel route, and FIG.
The figure is a flowchart showing an example of an operation control program for a forward monitoring device according to the present invention. 1...Camera, 2...Image processing device, 3...
-Switching circuit, 4... Comparison device, 5... Discrimination device, 6... Image storage device, 7... Control device, 8...
... Automatic traveling device, 9... Travel route, A, B, C,
D, E...Specific location.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a forward monitoring device that is installed in an automatic traveling device that automatically travels along a predefined route and performs work such as transporting goods, and monitors the presence or absence of an obstacle in front of the automatic traveling device in the direction of travel, a camera that photographs the forward direction of the automatic traveling device at each specific location along the route; and an image of each specific location taken by the camera is divided into a plurality of pixels, and each pixel is binarized. an image processing device that performs conversion processing into image data; and an image processing device that performs a conversion process to image data; and a camera that photographs specific locations along the route during a learning run that is performed before the automatic driving device runs automatically and when there are no obstacles on the travel route. a storage device that stores image data of each specific location converted by the image processing device as learning image data; and a storage device that stores image data of each specific location converted by the image processing device as learning image data; a comparison device that compares the binarized image data with the learning image data for each specific location stored during the learning; and a comparison result by the comparison device that determines whether or not there is an obstacle ahead in the direction of travel. 1. A forward monitoring device for an automatic traveling device, comprising: a discrimination device that transmits a result; and a control device that controls traveling and stopping of the automatic traveling device based on a signal from the discrimination device.