JPH11102220A - Controller for moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correct the rotating angle of a robot while considering the environment to use the robot. SOLUTION: An environment parameter is set concerning the environment of whether it is easily skid on the surface of floor or not (S301). Based on the environment parameter, the rotating speed of the robot is found (S302). Based on an encoder connected to a wheel, the rotation at a target angle θis performed (S304), the real rotating angle is detected by a gyro at the time of rotation end (S305) and when an error is more than a prescribed value, the rotation for correction is performed (S306).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a moving body, and more particularly to a control apparatus for a moving body that performs correction control for accurately rotating the moving body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a robot (a kind of moving body) that works while moving in a predetermined area is known. So that the robot can work all over the area,
A zigzag running as shown in FIG. 15 is employed. In the zigzag travel, the robot travels straight from the start point to the goal for a distance L, rotates 90 °,
The straight traveling of the pitch p and the rotation of 90 ° are repeated.

In order to perform the zigzag traveling accurately, it is necessary to rotate the robot exactly 90 degrees. However, a slip may occur between the floor surface and the wheels of the robot, and accurate rotation cannot be performed only by measuring the number of rotations of the wheels with the encoder. Therefore,
A control method has been devised in which a gyro sensor is mounted on a robot, the actual rotation angle of the robot with respect to the floor is measured, and rotation is performed to correct a deviation (error) of the rotation angle due to wheel slip.

[0004]

However, the conventional control method has the following problems (1) and (2).

(1) First Problem The conventional control method has a problem that it takes time to correct the angle. For example, when the target rotation angle is 90 °, the robot may continue to reciprocate between 89 ° and 91 ° (becoming a kind of oscillation state) by repeating the correction.

(2) Second problem For example, when the floor surface is dry, slippage is unlikely to occur between the wheel and the floor surface, but when wax is applied to the floor surface, slippage occurs. Easy to occur. However,
In the conventional technology, the correction method was uniform,
Correction was not properly performed according to the situation, and the correction was insufficient in terms of accuracy and work time.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a control apparatus for a moving body which can quickly and accurately correct the rotation angle of the moving body.

According to one aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a control device for a moving body sets a rotating section for rotating the moving body and a rotation speed of the moving body according to an environment in which the moving body moves. A setting unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a control device for a moving body includes: a determination unit for determining an error in a rotation angle of the moving body after the rotation of the moving body; And a first setting unit that sets a rotation speed of the moving body by the rotating unit according to an environment in which the moving body moves.

[0010] More preferably, the judging section of the control device for the moving body judges an error by a gyro.

[0011] More preferably, the control device of the moving body further includes a second setting unit for setting the first predetermined value according to an environment in which the moving body moves.

[0012] More preferably, the control device of the moving body includes:
When the number of times of rotation for correction by the rotating unit exceeds a second predetermined value, a change unit that changes the rotation speed of the moving body by the rotating unit is further provided.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, a moving body control device includes: a determining unit for determining a rotation angle error of a moving body after the rotation of the moving body; A rotating unit that sometimes rotates the moving body for correction, and a setting unit that sets a predetermined value according to the environment in which the moving body moves.

According to these inventions, the rotational speed of the moving body is set according to the environment in which the moving body moves.
It is possible to provide a control device for a moving body that can quickly and accurately rotate the moving body.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view.

Referring to the figure, a robot includes a gyro 101 for measuring an actual rotation angle of the robot, motors 103R and 103L for driving left and right wheels, and
Encoders 105R and 105 for detecting the number of rotations of the motor
L and a pulley 107 for transmitting the driving force of the motor
R, 107L and belt 109 passed between pulleys
R, 109L, wheels 111R, 111L for moving the robot by rotating in contact with the floor, and a free wheel 1 that can rotate freely and supports a part of the weight of the robot.
13 and a working unit 115 for applying wax, disinfecting solution, and dry wiping on the floor surface.

When the wheels 111R and 111L rotate in the same direction, the robot moves forward / backward,
As each of 11R and 111L rotates in the opposite direction, the robot rotates around the gyro 101.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control circuit of the robot shown in FIG. A control circuit includes a control unit 201 including a CPU and the like, and the motors 103R, 103
The gyro 101 and the encoders 105R and 105L described above include a driving unit 203 including 03L and the like, a memory 205 for storing programs and constants, and the like.

When the robot is rotated at the target angle around the gyro 101, the motors 103R and 103L are rotated in the opposite directions by the control unit 201 and the drive unit 203. Then, the rotation of the target angle is attempted by measuring the number of rotations of the motors 103R and 103L by the encoders 105R and 105L. If the rotation at the target angle has been completed, then the gyro 101 measures the angle at which the robot has actually rotated. When there is a difference between the target angle and the measured angle, an error between the target angle and the measured angle is corrected by the correction rotation (rotation for correction). These are the encoders 105R, 105
This is performed by rotating the robot by an angle corresponding to the error using L.

After the correction rotation, the angle of the robot is further measured by the gyro 101. If there is an error with the target angle, the robot is rotated for further correction.

As described above, the encoders 105R and 105L and the gyro 101 are used for rotating the robot. The reasons for using the encoders 105R and 105L and the gyro 101 together are as follows.

(1) The encoder can detect angle data in real time. However, when the wheel slips during the rotation of the robot due to a small friction coefficient between the wheel and the floor surface or an obstacle, the correct rotation angle cannot be detected.

(2) If a gyro is used, a correct rotation angle can be detected even if a wheel slips during rotation. However, the gyro cannot be used for real-time control in driving control of a robot or the like because of a low data sampling frequency and response speed.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of the rotation operation of the robot in the present embodiment.

Referring to the figure, an environment parameter is set in step S1. This environment parameter is a parameter indicating an environment in which the robot works. In the first embodiment, a liquid material parameter indicating the type of liquid material applied to the floor surface by the robot is used as the environmental parameter.

In step S2, the rotational speed of the robot is obtained based on the environmental parameters. In step S3,
The rotation operation of the robot is performed according to the obtained rotation speed. At this time, the gyro 10
1 and encoders 105R and 105L are used.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing details of the rotation operation of the robot according to the first embodiment.

Referring to the figure, in step S101, a liquid material parameter indicating what liquid material is used in work section 115 is set as an environmental parameter. Here, one of “dry wiping”, “disinfectant”, and “waxing agent” is set.

In step S102, the optimum rotation speed v1 of the robot is obtained based on the liquid material parameters. Here, referring to FIG. 6, when the time is taken on the horizontal axis and the rotation speed is taken on the vertical axis, the rotation speed of the robot increases proportionally from time 0 to t1, and keeps a constant speed from time t1 to t2. It decreases between times t2 and t3. The optimum rotation speed v1 of the robot indicates the rotation speed of the robot between times t1 and t2.

The optimum rotation speed v1 is obtained by the following equation. v1 = v0 / k Here, v0 is the rotation speed when performing dry wiping, and k is a parameter for determining the speed.

The value of k is obtained from the liquid material parameters using the table shown in FIG. This table is stored in the memory 205
Is stored in That is, referring to FIG. 7, when the liquid parameter is dry wiping, the value of k is 1, when the liquid parameter is a disinfectant, 2 is set for k, and when the liquid parameter is wax, k is set to k. 3 is substituted for the value.

This is to reduce the rotational speed of the robot, since slipping easily occurs between the wheel and the floor in the order of dry wiping, disinfectant, and wax.

That is, by lowering the rotation speed of the robot, slip between the wheels and the floor surface is prevented, and errors in the rotation angle of the robot are reduced. Also, in the application of the wax agent, since the uncoated portion is not allowed, the error of the rotation angle of the robot is reduced.

On the other hand, in the case of an operation such as dry wiping in which a slip does not occur between the wheel and the floor, the operation is performed quickly by increasing the rotation speed of the robot.

In step S103, for example, ± 3 ° is set as the threshold value θmin for slip detection. This value indicates an allowable error in the rotation angle of the robot.

At step S104, the motors 103R, 1
By 03L, rotation of the target angle θ is performed as shown in FIGS. At this time, encoders 105R and 105L are used for measuring the rotation angle. If the rotation has been completed, the gyro 101 measures the angle θg at which the robot has actually rotated in step S105. If the value of | θ-θg | is smaller than θmin (YES in S105), the rotation process ends.

On the other hand, if NO in step S105,
In step S106, the value of θ-θg is substituted for θ, and the processing from step S104 is repeated.

According to this embodiment, since the rotation speed of the robot is set according to the liquid, the robot can be rotated appropriately according to the situation.

Further, for example, when the target angle of rotation of the robot is 90 ° and θmin is ± 3 °, if the rotation speed of the robot is too high in wax application, the robot corrects between 86 ° and 94 °. In such a case, the rotation of the robot can be stopped at an appropriate position by reducing the rotation speed of the robot to an appropriate speed.

Although only the rotation operation of the robot has been described here, the straight traveling operation is the same as in the prior art.

[Second Embodiment] Since the hardware configuration of the robot after the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description will not be repeated here.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the rotation operation of the robot according to the present embodiment.

Referring to the figure, in step S201, the parameters of the floor surface state are set as environmental parameters.

Referring to FIG. 10, the parameters of the floor surface state are constituted by the floor material and the inclination. A parameter k for determining the speed is stored as a table for each of the parameters of the floor surface state. That is, k is 2 when the floor material is a tree and there is no inclination on the floor surface. When the floor material is a tree and the floor surface is inclined, k is 3.
When the floor material is vinyl chloride and the floor surface is not inclined,
k becomes 4. When the floor material is vinyl chloride and the floor surface is inclined, k is 5. When the floor material is glass and there is no inclination on the floor surface, k is 6. When the floor material is glass-based and the floor surface is inclined, k is 7.

This is because, when working on a slippery floor surface or a sloping floor surface, if the robot is rotated at a high speed, there is a high possibility that a slip will occur between the wheels and the floor surface, and accurate rotation cannot be performed. This is to reduce the rotation speed of the robot because there are many.

The processes in steps S202 to S206 are the same as those in steps S102 to S106 in FIG. 5, and thus description thereof will not be repeated.

[Third Embodiment] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a rotation operation of a robot according to a third embodiment.

In this embodiment, step S3
At 01, an environment parameter composed of a plurality of parameters is set, and at step S302, a parameter k for speed determination is obtained based on the environment parameter. The processing in other steps is the same as in FIG. As the environmental parameters, the liquid material parameters and the floor condition parameters used in the first and second embodiments are used in combination. For example, when both the liquid material parameter and the floor condition parameter are used, the sum of the respective parameters k for determining the speed is used as the parameter k for determining the speed in this embodiment. of course,
Instead of simple addition, weighting may be performed for addition or subtraction, or the largest parameter k for speed determination may be employed.

Further, the parameter k for determining the speed is not limited to these parameters, and the user may appropriately increase or decrease the parameter k in consideration of work time, work accuracy, and the like.

[Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a rotation operation of a robot according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In steps S401 to S403, the process of FIG.
Similarly to 101 to S103, liquid material parameters are set, and the optimal rotation speed v is obtained from the liquid material parameters,
The threshold value θmin for slip detection is set.

In step S404, 0 is substituted for the number N of times of the correction rotation, and the value of N is initialized. In step S405, a threshold value Nmax of the number of corrections for changing the parameter for determining the speed is set. In this embodiment, for example, five times are set as the value of Nmax.

Next, in step S406, rotation of the robot by the target angle θ is performed. At this time, encoders 105R and 105L are used for measuring the rotation angle. If the rotation is completed, step S4
At 07, the gyro 101 measures the angle θg at which the robot has actually rotated. Then, the value of | θ-θg |
If it is smaller than min (YES in S407), the rotation process ends.

On the other hand, if NO in step S407,
In step S408, the number N of correction rotations is incremented by one. In step S409, it is determined whether the number N of times of the correction rotation does not exceed the threshold value Nmax. If YES, the value of θ-θg is substituted for the target angle θ in step S410, and the rotation of the target angle θ is performed again from step S406.

If "NO" in the step S409, the rotation speed v is changed so that the rotation speed v of the robot becomes slow in a step S411. This is because even if a rotation operation for correcting only the threshold value Nmax is performed, the error of the rotation angle of the robot exceeds the threshold value θmin, and thus the error is reduced by lowering the rotation speed v of the robot. To make less. Thus, the robot does not reciprocate in the same angle range due to the rotation for correction.

[Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a rotation operation of a robot according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In steps S501 to S503, the process of FIG.
Similarly to the steps 201 to 203, the parameters of the floor surface state are set, the optimum rotation speed v is obtained from the parameters of the floor surface state, and the threshold value θmin for slip detection is set.

The processing in steps S504 to S511 is as follows.
This is the same as S404 to S411 in FIG.

In this embodiment, the optimum rotation speed v is first set based on the parameters of the floor surface state (S501, S502). If it is not less than θmin, the rotation speed v of the robot is reduced (S511).

As a result, when the floor is slippery and the correction rotation does not work well, the rotation speed v is reduced, so that the robot can be rotated accurately.

[Sixth Embodiment] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a rotation operation of a robot according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

In steps S601 to S603, the environmental parameters are set in the same manner as in S301 to S303 in FIG. 11, and the optimum rotational speed v is obtained from the environmental parameters.
The threshold value θmin for slip detection is set.

The processing in steps S604 to S611 is as follows:
This is the same as S404 to S411 in FIG.

In this embodiment, the optimum rotation speed v is obtained based on an environment parameter composed of a plurality of parameters, and the robot is rotated. Then, even if Nmax correction rotations are performed, the rotation speed v is reduced if the rotation error of the robot is equal to or more than θmin. Thereby, the robot can be rotated accurately.

In the above embodiment, the rotational speed v of the robot is determined based on the environmental parameters (liquid material parameters, floor condition parameters).
Threshold value of slip detection θmi based on environmental parameters
n may be changed. That is, for example, when performing a wax application operation, a high accuracy is required for the rotation angle, and thus the value of θmin is reduced. Conversely, when an operation such as disinfectant application is performed, high accuracy is not required. The value may be increased. In this case, the number of correction rotations is reduced, so that the operation time can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a robot according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the robot shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the robot in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of rotation control of the robot.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating rotation control of the robot according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a change in rotation speed in a rotation operation of the robot.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a table of liquid material parameters and a parameter k for determining a speed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a traveling direction of a robot and a rotation angle θ.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating rotation control of the robot according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a table of floor surface state parameters and a parameter k for determining a speed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating rotation control of a robot according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating rotation control of a robot according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating rotation control of a robot according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating rotation control of a robot according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a specific example of an operation pattern of the robot.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 101 Gyro 105R, 105L Encoder 201 Control unit 203 Drive unit

Claims (6)

[Claims] An apparatus for controlling a moving body, comprising: a rotating unit configured to rotate a moving body; and a setting unit configured to set a rotation speed of the moving body in accordance with an environment in which the moving body moves. A determining means for determining an error in the rotation angle of the moving body after the rotation of the moving body; and correcting the moving body when the error exceeds a first predetermined value. A rotating means for rotating the moving body, and first setting means for setting a rotation speed of the moving body by the rotating means in accordance with an environment in which the moving body moves. 3. The control device for a moving body according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit determines an error by a gyro. 4. The control device for a moving body according to claim 2, further comprising a second setting unit configured to set the first predetermined value according to an environment in which the moving body moves. 5. A change means for changing a rotation speed of a moving body by the rotating means when the number of times of rotation for correction by the rotating means exceeds a second predetermined value. Item 5. The control device for a moving object according to any one of Items 2 to 4. 6. A determination means for determining an error in the rotation angle of the moving body after the rotation of the moving body, and rotating the moving body for correction when the error exceeds a predetermined value. A control device for a moving body, comprising: a rotating unit; and a setting unit configured to set the predetermined value according to an environment in which the moving body moves.