JPH04223504A - Automatic traveling direction correcting system for automatic traveling car - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable an automatic traveling car by itself to guide the car within a correcting range of a work robot installed in the car by moving the car forward while automatically correcting the traveling direction of the car so as not to run away considerably from a reference line. CONSTITUTION:Proximity sensors 6 and 7 installed in a traveling car 5 are made to detect metallic tape 3 attached to a floor along a reference line for a traveling route, and when the metallic tape 3 enters a detecting range of either one of the proximity sensors 6 and 7, the car operates the steering for traveling wheels 8 to change the direction of traveling wheels so that the other proximity sensor can approaches the metallic tape 3.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for automatically correcting the running direction of a self-propelled vehicle such as an interior work robot.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Up to now, the present inventors have developed an interior construction robot that automatically performs the work of fastening plasterboard B such as a ceiling board or wall board of a building, as shown in FIG. This interior work robot mainly includes a traveling truck section, a board position/attitude control section, and a board fastening section. The traveling truck section has four drive wheels 11 provided on the lower side of the traveling truck 10, and a steering device 12.
This allows you to move while freely changing the direction of travel. The board position/attitude control section is configured to control the position and attitude of the handling table 17 using the vertical expansion/contraction mechanism 13, the X-direction movement mechanism 14, the Y-direction movement mechanism 15, the rotation mechanism 16, and the like. Therefore, suction cup 1
The fastening position and posture of the gypsum board B held on the handling table 17 are controlled via the handle 7a. The board fastening section supplies screws one by one from the screw feeder 18a to the screw fastening unit 18, and fastens the gypsum board B to the light iron base (W bar) F attached to the ceiling slab. .

By the way, when the above-mentioned interior construction robot automatically attaches the gypsum board B, it moves straight on its own to just below the attachment position on the ceiling, but while it moves straight by the length of one board, it If the direction of movement changes due to the influence of surface irregularities, etc., and if you stop at the changed position and start the pasting work, it may not be possible to paste the gypsum board B to the correct position on the light rail base F. There is. This is because the gypsum board B is corrected to the correct position and attitude by the above-mentioned position/attitude control unit, especially the X/Y direction movement mechanisms 5 and 6 and the rotation mechanism 7, etc., but the robot In other words, if the position of the traveling trolley 1 shifts, the above board position/
The attitude control unit exceeds its correction ability,
There were problems such as not being able to paste the plasterboard B in an accurate position.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to correct the direction of movement of a traveling trolley when it travels. Automatic running direction of a self-propelled vehicle that allows the vehicle to be guided within the range that can be corrected by a position control device installed on the working device on the vehicle and work accurately and efficiently. The purpose is to provide a correction system.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The automatic running direction correction system for a self-propelled vehicle of the present invention is provided by pasting a metal tape on a reference line of a running route or along a floor surface parallel to the reference line, and Two proximity sensors are installed facing the floor on a mobile trolley that runs on its own along a running route, and when the metal tape enters the detection range of one of the proximity sensors as the trolley moves forward, it detects the presence of the other proximity sensor. It is characterized in that the proximity sensor changes the steering of the traveling wheels in the direction of approaching the metal tape. It is also characterized in that when the metal tape is located between the detection ranges of the two proximity sensors, the steering of the traveling wheels is set in the straight direction.

[0006] Furthermore, in the automatic running direction correction system for a self-propelled vehicle of the present invention, a metal tape is pasted on the reference line of the running route or along a floor surface parallel to the reference line, and a metal tape is pasted along the running route. One proximity sensor is attached to a self-propelled trolley facing the floor, and the steering direction of the running wheels is set slightly to either the right or left. The present invention is characterized in that when the tape moves out of the detection range of the proximity sensor, the steering of the running wheels is changed so as to bring the proximity sensor closer to the metal tape. Another feature is that when the metal tape is within the detection range of the proximity sensor, the steering is returned to its original state.

Furthermore, the system of the present invention is an interior construction robot that attaches plasterboard to the ceiling of a building.
The floor surface directly under the light rail base on the ceiling is used as a reference line, and the system moves the robot's trolley forward by the distance of one gypsum board while correcting the direction of travel along the reference line. shall be.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a light rail substructure, which is installed below a ceiling slab (not shown) of a building. The end of the existing gypsum board B is fastened to one side in the longitudinal direction of the lower surface of the light iron base 1, and the end of the adjacent gypsum board, that is, the end of the gypsum board to which fastening work is to be performed, is fastened to the other side. Fasten the parts.

A predetermined distance s from the end surface of the existing gypsum board B (the center in the longitudinal direction of the lower surface of the light iron base 1) directly below p.
A metal tape 3 as a reference line is pasted on the floor surface 2 at a distance of The metal tape 3 may be attached directly below the position p.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a sensor mounting frame, which is attached to the traveling carriage 5. As is clear from FIG. 2, the sensor mounting frame 4 is provided with two proximity sensors 6 and 7 facing toward the floor surface 2. The proximity sensors 6 and 7 are of a type that reacts only to metal, and as shown in FIG. 3, when placed on the metal tape 3, they output an output signal h1 of a predetermined level, If it is off, the output signal h0 becomes 0 or a low level. The distance between the two proximity sensors 6 and 7 is wider than the width of the metal tape 3 and narrower than the correction tolerance range of the robot. Note that the two proximity sensors 6 and 7 are preferably arranged in a direction perpendicular to the running direction. Further, the proximity sensors 6 and 7 are not limited to being set on the sides of the traveling trolley 5 as described above.
It may be set in any position: front, rear, or bottom. 8 is a running wheel.

Next, a method of automatically correcting the traveling direction of the traveling carriage, that is, the robot body using the apparatus of the above embodiment will be explained. In FIG. 4, first, the traveling cart 5 is installed at a position M1 so that the metal tape 3 is placed between the two proximity sensors 6 and 7. In this state,
These two proximity sensors 6 and 7 do not output any signals (output=h0), and the steering wheel 8 is in a straight-ahead state (neutral point). However, due to unevenness of the floor surface 2, for example, the traveling trolley 5 moves forward slightly to the left and gradually separates from the metal tape 3, and the metal tape 3 reaches the position M2.
When detected by the outer proximity sensor 6, an output signal h1 is output, and the steering of the running wheels 8 is changed in a direction to bring it closer to the metal tape 3, that is, to the right. When the traveling trolley 5 moves slightly to the right and approaches position M3, the metal tape 3 enters between the two proximity sensors 6 and 7, and when it goes out of the detection range of both sensors 6 and 7, the steering of the traveling wheels 8 is changed to straight-ahead state again. Even though the steering wheel has been changed to the straight direction, when the traveling trolley 5 continues to the right and the metal tape 3 enters the detection range of the inner proximity sensor 7 at position M4, the sensor 7 is activated. The steering wheel 8 is changed to the left. In order to guide the metal tape 3 to be always positioned between the proximity sensors 6 and 7 while repeating such steering changes of the traveling wheels 8, the traveling vehicle 5 does not deviate greatly from the reference line, and the traveling vehicle 5 is guided to the target. The robot moves forward to a position near the position and stops, and the correction device of the interior work robot on the traveling trolley 5 corrects the gypsum board B to an accurate position.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment in which one proximity sensor 9 is provided in order to simplify the control system, and the steering position of the running wheels 8 is normally set at the neutral point ( Set it slightly to the left from the straight-ahead direction. Therefore, the proximity sensor 9 will not come off the metal tape 3 to the right.

As shown in FIG. 6, as the traveling carriage 5 moves forward, it gradually moves to the left, and when the metal tape 3 is out of the detection range of the proximity sensor 9 as at position N2,
Based on the output signal h0 from the proximity sensor 9, the running wheels 8
Turn the steering wheel to the right to change. When the traveling trolley 5 advances to the right and the metal tape 3 enters the detection range of the proximity sensor 9, the steering of the traveling wheels 8 is returned to the straight traveling state. As mentioned above, since the normal steering wheel is slightly biased to the left, the traveling trolley 5 tends to gradually move forward to the left even though it is not affected by the unevenness of the floor surface 2, so the above correction is made again. Repeat until you reach the desired position. Note that the moving distance of the traveling trolley 5 is calculated by detecting the number of revolutions with a rotary encoder attached to the axle of the traveling wheel 8. The normal steering wheel may be set slightly to the right.

[0014]

[Effects of the Invention] (1) A metal tape is pasted on the floor surface, and the steering of the traveling wheels is controlled by detecting when the metal tape enters or exits the detection range of the proximity sensor. can be guided forward reliably and accurately with a simple device. (2) Since the traveling trolley is guided forward without significantly deviating from the reference line, the working robot on the traveling trolley is always within the range of correction ability, and the robot work can be done efficiently without stopping or requiring human intervention. I can do it well.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between a metal tape pasting position and a proximity sensor.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of a metal tape and a proximity sensor.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a metal tape detection operation by a proximity sensor.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the present correction system.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of a metal tape and a proximity sensor according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present correction system.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the interior construction robot.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Light railway foundation 2　Floor surface 3 Metal tape 4 Sensor mounting frame 5　Traveling trolley 6,7 Proximity sensor 8. Traveling wheels 9 Proximity sensor a Distance B Gypsum board h0, h1 Output signal p Direct point

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claim 1: A metal tape is pasted on the reference line of the traveling route or along the floor parallel to the reference line, and two proximity sensors are attached to the floor of the traveling trolley that is self-propelled along the traveling route. In addition to attaching the metal tape toward the surface, as the traveling cart moves forward, when the metal tape enters the detection range of one of the proximity sensors, the other proximity sensor changes the steering of the traveling wheels in the direction of approaching the metal tape. Features an automatic driving direction correction system for self-propelled vehicles. 2. The self-propelled vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the metal tape is located between the detection ranges of two proximity sensors, the steering of the traveling wheels is set in a straight direction. Automatic driving direction correction system. 3. A metal tape is pasted on the reference line of the traveling route or along the floor parallel to the reference line, and one proximity sensor is attached to the floor of the traveling trolley that is self-propelled along the traveling route. At the same time, the steering direction of the traveling wheels is set slightly to either the right or the left, and if the metal tape moves out of the detection range of the proximity sensor as the traveling trolley moves forward, the proximity sensor will be activated. An automatic running direction correction system for a self-propelled vehicle, characterized by changing the steering of the running wheels so that they approach the metal tape. 4. The automatic running direction correction system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein when the metal tape is within a detection range of a proximity sensor, the steering is returned to its original state. 5. In an interior construction robot that attaches plasterboard to the ceiling of a building, the floor surface directly below the light rail base of the ceiling is set as a reference line, and the system according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is used to move along the reference line. , an automatic running direction correction system for a self-propelled vehicle, which is characterized by correcting the running direction of a robot carriage and moving it forward by a distance corresponding to one sheet of gypsum board.