JPH11282532A - Self-running robot control method and device via mark detection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To comprehensively fill a scheduled area as much as possible by starting the spiral run of a self-running robot when a land mark prepared in the area is detected by a mark sensor of the robot when running the robot. SOLUTION: A CPU 8 decides the operations of drive systems of right and left motors 14 and 15, etc., based on the proximity and contact information received from a proximity sensor 26 and a contact sensor 25. Then the CPU 8 performs its functions as individual modules to control the forward and backward movements, the stop and the turn actions of a self-running robot. The features of run pattern of the robot include the random run, fine tuning random run and spiral run patterns. Furthermore, a mark response spiral run pattern is started when a land mark prepared on the floor surface of a scheduled area is detected by a land mark sensor that is attached on the under surface of the robot. In a particular, the efficiency of the robot is improved when the mark response spiral run is combined with the spiral/random run.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a self-propelled robot by detecting a mark, and more particularly to a method for controlling a self-propelled robot based on a signal detected by a mark sensor of the self-propelled robot in a given area. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a self-propelled robot by detecting a mark capable of running as comprehensively as possible in the above-mentioned area in a short time by starting a spiral running.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Self-propelled robots, such as a cleaning robot, a lawn mowing robot, a plastering robot, and an agricultural spraying robot, which perform a predetermined operation by automatically traveling in a given area are known. For example, a cleaning robot described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-46246 circulates around a room before starting cleaning, detects the size, shape, and obstacles of the room and maps a traveling area, that is, a cleaning area. Do. Thereafter, based on the coordinate information obtained by this mapping operation, spiral traveling is performed in which the radius of the zigzag traveling or the round traveling is reduced for each revolution to clean the entire room. The robot detects a wall surface with a contact sensor and an ultrasonic sensor to determine a course, and detects the end of the orbit with a distance meter. Similarly, a robot that runs comprehensively on the entire floor surface is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-257533.

[0003] In the conventional robot as described above, the situation of the traveling area is sufficiently grasped based on information detected by a large number of sensors, and the robot travels accurately and efficiently covering the traveling area. Various drive system actuators such as motors are controlled. As a result, the control system becomes extremely complicated and expensive, and the processing speed is reduced. Further, there are problems that a long time and skill are required for initial settings such as setting of thresholds for mapping, teaching and various processes, and that an obstacle avoidance operation is delayed.

The present inventors have found that a cleaning robot, a mowing robot, or the like does not need to run the entire target area without leakage and with high precision, and some unworked areas may remain or the traveling locus may overlap. Focusing on the fact that no major problem may occur, a robot traveling control method and apparatus that can travel in a given area almost comprehensively with a simpler configuration have been proposed earlier (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-208). 29768).

The proposed self-propelled robot is provided with various sensors for detecting boundaries and obstacles in the work area, a wheel speed sensor, and the like, and gradually turns a turning radius around an arbitrary point in the area. In the spiral running mode (a, c in FIG. 6), the spiral running is stopped, and when the distance to the boundary or the obstacle falls within a predetermined value, the spiral running is stopped, and a predetermined angle is set so as to move away from the boundary of the area. Turn and go straight,
Thereafter, the system further includes a random running mode (b in FIG. 6) in which turning and straight running are repeated a predetermined number of times each time a boundary of the area is detected (fine tuning). In this case, the simulation result shows that the optimum turning angle α is 135 ° in order to improve the efficiency (hereinafter, referred to as “working efficiency”) that enables the vehicle to run faster and exhaustively in the area. Was. Here, the running pattern in which the turning angle α is set to 135 ° is called fine tuning random running.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (c), after the spiral running is performed, the mode is shifted to the random running mode, and the spiral running is restarted at a position where the vehicle has traveled a predetermined distance from the last turn. . The scheduled number of turns and the last straight travel distance are determined in advance by a simulation model so that the time to reach a desired coverage ratio is minimized.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing a result of simulating the operation time and the degree of progress of the operation by the robot. The vertical axis represents the ratio of the area of the area covered by the robot traveling in a given area, and the horizontal axis. The axis indicates the elapsed time from the start of traveling. The robot's flat area is 20cm in diameter
The traveling speed was set to 13 cm / sec. The traveling area is a 4.2 mx 4.2 m square in the case of Fig. (A), and a 4.2 mx 8.4m rectangle in the case of Fig. (B).

Note that the coordinate system traveling shown in FIG. 1 is a system in which the vehicle travels along a course set in advance so as to cover the entire work area. The proportion of the covered area increases proportionally.
In comparison, in other driving methods including swirl driving,
It is difficult to aim for complete coverage of the area because the growth of the worked area is slowing down.

Thus, as an example, when the efficiency is compared with the time required to run over 80% of the area, FIG.
In the case of FIG. 8 (a), among the three traveling modes except the coordinate system traveling, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (c), the spiral traveling / random traveling combined with the fine tuning random traveling is the shortest. It can be seen that the time (about 1800 seconds) covers 80% of the area. In the case of FIG. 18B in which the area is doubled, almost the same tendency was obtained. Also, in this case, the number of turns for maximizing the work efficiency indicating what percentage of the entire travel area is covered in a unit time (1 second) is five times, and the straight traveling time after the turn is 15 to It was found from the above simulation that the time and the number of turns did not affect each other.

[0010]

Even with the proposed robot, work can be performed relatively efficiently with a certain amount (about 80% of the total area) of covering or filling, but it is necessary to further increase the covering ratio. Then, there is a problem that it takes a very long time.

According to the present invention, in a relatively short time, the coverage ratio is 9
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a self-propelled robot by detecting a mark that is relatively easy to increase to about 0%.

[0012]

The present invention comprises a sensor for detecting a boundary of an area to be traveled, starts turning from an arbitrary position in the area, and detects the boundary and an obstacle by the sensor. When the robot's mark sensor detects a landmark previously provided in the scheduled area during these runs by performing a combination of spiral running in which the turning radius is gradually increased and random running as required, and By starting the spiral running (or returning to the top when the spiral running is being performed), the travel scheduled area is covered as comprehensively as possible.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a self-propelled robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view. In these figures, a robot 1 is disposed on each of the right and left sides of a main body case 2 and is driven by a separate motor (not shown).
4 is configured to perform forward, backward, stop, and turn operations. The wheels 3 and 4 are provided with respective sensors (not shown) for detecting the number of rotations. The main body case 2 is made of a flexible material and has a substantially semi-cut eggshell shape.
Contact sensors 25F, 25B, and 2B that detect contact with an obstacle in front, rear, left, and right directions between the inner periphery and the main frame therein.
5L and 25R are attached. When these contact sensors are collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as “sensor 25”.

Further, the robot 1 is provided symmetrically with boundary sensors composed of a plurality of pairs of infrared sensors for detecting boundaries and obstacles in a non-contact manner. That is, the sensors 26R and 26L are provided forward in the traveling direction of the robot 1, 26MR and 26ML diagonally forward, and 26RR and 26R backward.
L are respectively arranged. The suffix R in each code is for detecting an obstacle on the right side in the running direction, and the suffix L is for detecting an obstacle on the left side in the running direction. In the following description, when all the boundary sensors are collectively referred to, they are simply referred to as “sensor 26”. These sensors are preferably infrared sensors, but any type of sensor, such as an ultrasonic or other optical sensor, as long as it is a proximity sensor that can detect obstacles within a predetermined short distance (eg, 10-15 cm). May be used. Regarding the configuration of the main body of the self-propelled robot, the details of the contact sensor, and the contact switch, refer to another patent application filed by the present applicant (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-36).
No. 4774), the description of the specification is cited and integrated here.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a control device of a self-propelled robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The control device 7 includes a CPU 8, and the drive circuit 16 manages input and output of a proximity sensor 26 such as an infrared sensor. A plurality of pairs of proximity sensors 26 arranged frontward, rearward, diagonally forward, etc., a contact sensor 25 arranged on a bumper or the like around the main body, and rotation speed sensors of motors 14 and 15 for driving left and right wheels 3 and 4. (Encoder) 1
A detection signal of “0” is input to the CPU 8 via the digital input unit 9.

On the other hand, the CPU 8 has a digital output unit 11
Via the right wheel electromagnetic brake 12, the left wheel electromagnetic brake 13, and the right wheel motor (hereinafter referred to as "right motor").
14 and a left wheel motor (hereinafter referred to as “left motor”) 15. Various instructions based on the processing in the CPU 8 are input to the right and left wheel electromagnetic brakes 12 and 13 and the right and left motors 14 and 15 through the digital output unit 11, respectively. What is supplied to the right and left motors 14 and 15 through the digital output unit 11 is a rotation direction instruction signal. Right and left motor 1
The CPU 8 is connected to the D / A converter 17 to 4 and 15.
, A rotation speed instruction is input.

With the above-described configuration, the CPU 8 is controlled based on the proximity and contact information from the proximity sensor 26 and the contact sensor 25.
Determines the operation of the drive system such as the right and left motors 14,15. The robot can move forward, backward, stop,
And turning operations, the control functions for which are realized individually by the functions of the CPU 8 as modules. The input processing of information from the sensors 25 and 26 and the operation determination processing are always in operation, but the control modules for turning, stopping, and retreating are usually in a sleep state, and only the straight-ahead control is activated. Have been. Note that, as will be easily understood, turns other than the pivot turn are included in the functions of the straight-ahead control module.

The operation determining section 18 of the CPU 8
The control operation shown in FIG. 17 is performed in a conditionally reflective manner on the basis of the information from 5 and 26. The operation determining unit 18 generates an action plan according to the state of the signal from each of the sensors 25 and 26 and outputs an execution request. A drive system (actuator) including the right and left wheel electromagnetic brakes and the right and left motors is controlled based on the execution request. In this way, the motion of the entire robot,
Operations such as reverse, stop, and gentle turning, sharp turning, pivot turning, and super turning are determined. However, also in the embodiment of the present invention, instead of immediately executing the action plan generated based on the output from each of the sensors, prioritization is performed based on the urgency set in advance, and the action having a high urgency is performed. Execute the plan first. This priority is the same as that of the robot previously proposed by the present inventors, except for stop control at the time of obstacle detection by the contact sensor. .

The features of the running pattern of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention include the above-described random running, fine tuning random running, and spiral running pattern.
The point is that a new mark response spiral running pattern is started when a mark provided in advance in the running area is detected.

Each traveling pattern of the robot according to the present invention will be described. First, a random running which is a basic running pattern of the robot 1 will be described. In the random running, as shown in FIG. 5, the robot 1 placed in the area A surrounded by the boundary or the wall B moves straight and enters within a predetermined distance from the wall B, and then pauses and turns at a predetermined angle (necessary). (They may retreat by a predetermined distance before that.), And then go straight again to another wall surface B. At this time, the turning angle α (see FIG. 5B) for the turning operation in the vicinity of the wall surface B can be randomly selected and set for each turning operation.

The inventor of the present invention has a swirl / random running pattern shown in FIG. 6 in which the random running is combined with the spiral running, and the random running (preferably, fine tuning random running) is repeated at a predetermined number of times to perform the spiral running. It was also found that the combination of the mark response swirling (described in detail later) can further improve the working efficiency.

Here, the spiral / random running will be described in more detail. In FIG. 6, the robot 1 is moved to an area A.
Put in. This area A is assumed to be a rectangular room surrounded by a wall B. The position where the robot 1 is first placed is arbitrary.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the robot 1 starts the spiral running at the position where the robot 1 is placed. The spiral running is a running pattern in which the turning radius is gradually increased by a predetermined amount in the turning running, and as will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. It is controlled based on the judgment.

Here, the speeds of the left and right wheels 3 and 4, that is, the rotational speeds of the motors 14 and 15, are calculated so that there is no gap in the running locus, and these speeds are updated to gradually increase the turning radius. . When the vortex expands and it is recognized based on the output of the sensor 26 that the robot 1 has approached the wall surface B within a predetermined distance, the spiral running is stopped and the robot 1 moves to the next spiral running start position. (Preferably, fine tuning) is started (FIG. 6B). The shaded portions in FIGS. 6B and 6C are the traveling locus of the robot 1, that is, the area filled by the traveling.

The trigger for stopping the spiral running and moving to the start position of the next spiral running is as follows. Robot 1
Is approaching the wall B, and when the sensor 26 detects that the wall B is within the predetermined distance from the robot, the turning operation described with reference to FIG. 5 is performed. For example, when the robot 1 detects the wall surface B, the robot 1 stops at that position, and if necessary, retreats by a predetermined distance, turns around at 135 ° (or another arbitrary angle), and returns. The vehicle goes straight away from the wall B. In this case, it is of course possible to avoid the wall surface B by performing a pivot turn or a sharp turn with a small angle.

In this way, the vehicle turns straight back on the wall B, and when approaching another wall B, the vehicle travels straight by changing the direction of travel by retreating and turning a corner or simply turning so as to move away from the wall B again. When the turn-back operation is performed on the wall surface B a predetermined number of times N in this manner, the vehicle travels straight ahead for a scheduled time T (corresponding to the planned distance D) so as to move away from the wall surface on which the last turn-around operation was performed, and stops at that position. The spiral running similar to the above is restarted (c in FIG. 6). Thereafter, these operations are repeated. In the following description, the distance D that travels straight away from the wall surface that last turned back is time T
However, the designer or the user can arbitrarily select which of the distance D and the time T is used for control.

Both the number N and the time T (or the distance D) need to be set to appropriate values. Number N
If the number is too small, it is too close to the previous swirl traveling range, so that the probability of traveling in the same range increases and the work efficiency is not good. Conversely, if the number N is large, the straight traveling time (distance) becomes too long and the efficiency increases. Is not good. Also, if the time T is too short or too long, the spiral running starts relatively close to the wall surface and immediately approaches the wall surface to interrupt the spiral running, which is not efficient.

The most efficient time T and the number of turns N can be determined by simulation. One example of the result is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 9-297 filed earlier by the present applicant.
No. 68 is disclosed in the specification.

The operation of the control device 7 will be described with reference to a flowchart. First, input processing of the contact sensor 25 and the proximity (boundary) sensor 26 will be described. In FIG. 7, in step S100, it is determined whether the sensor 26 has detected a boundary (wall) or an obstacle (hereinafter, referred to as a wall). As described above, these sensors generate a sensing output when the distance to a boundary or an obstacle becomes 10 to 20 cm, and this output is taken into the control device in step S110 as a proximity signal. According to the proximity signal of the sensor, the turning (and turning) direction at the time of random running is determined. Specifically, depending on which of the left and right sensors has generated the proximity signal, it normally turns to the opposite side to the signal generation sensor, and when the left and right sensors generate the proximity signal, An instruction to turn in the direction opposite to the direction of the previously detected sensor is generated.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the input processing of the contact sensor 25. In step S80, it is determined whether or not the contact sensor has generated a detection signal. When the detection signal is generated, an instruction to stop the robot is generated in step S90, and zero speed is output to the left and right motors 14, 15. At the same time, the left and right wheel brakes 12, 13 are energized. The input processing of these proximity sensors 25L and 26 and the contact sensor is executed by a timer interrupt every 10 msec, for example.

The running control operation of the robot based on the output signals of the above sensors will be described with reference to the general flow of FIG. In step S1 at the beginning of the operation, the running mode pointer initially set to, for example, 0 is updated to 1, and the running mode to be executed first is read. In the present invention, as described above, swirl and random running modes are provided. The order in which these traveling modes are executed depends on the size, shape, presence / absence of an obstacle, and the like of the region to be traveled. It was confirmed that good results were obtained. Therefore, in the following description, it is assumed that the spiral running is set in step S1.

In step S2, it is determined whether or not a stop instruction has been issued. If the stop instruction has been issued, the running is stopped in step S47. If there is no stop instruction, a running pattern to be currently executed is determined and determined in step S3 based on the pointer. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the current pattern is a spiral running, the process proceeds to step S5 to execute the spiral processing of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 10, the spiral running process of the present invention will be described. In step S20, the process waits for receiving a spiral processing start instruction from the operation determining unit 18 of the CPU 8. The spiral running of the robot 1 is executed at the start of the operation described with reference to FIG. 6 and subsequently to the random running or the side running, but in any case, the pointer updated in the above-described step S1 is stored in the memory designated by the pointer. Specified by data. It should be noted that the transition to the spiral traveling during traveling is performed when the scheduled time T has elapsed (or when the vehicle has moved forward by a prescribed distance) from the last turning operation of the random traveling, or when the traveling along the side has been completed, the vehicle turns toward the inside of the area, After that, it will take place after going straight to some extent.

If there is an instruction to start the spiral processing, in step S21, after the time T, that is, after the last turn of the pivot,
For example, 26 seconds is set in the timer as the straight traveling time until the start of the spiral, and the timer is started. Since the spiral processing start instruction is output almost at the same time as the last, that is, the start of the N-th super turning operation, (see step S33 in FIG. 11),
At the time T of step S21, the retreat time and the super-swirl turning time for the super-swift turning (see step S35 in FIG. 11).
And are included. In step S22, it is determined whether or not the time T has elapsed. If the time T has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S24. Step S until time T elapses
Proceeding to 23, it is determined whether or not there is a processing stop instruction. If there is a processing stop instruction before the time T elapses, the process returns to step S20 and waits.

In step S24, it is determined whether or not the spiral has ended. If the sensor 26 or 25L detects a boundary, a wall surface, or an obstacle, or if there is a stop instruction based on the detection signal of the contact switch, the determination in step S24 becomes positive. In the present embodiment, the robot 1 moves 1
When approaching within 0 to 20 cm, the wall is detected and the spiral running is terminated, but this value is appropriately set by selectively adjusting the sensor limit according to the type of work and requirements. be able to. If the determination in step S24 is affirmative, a stop instruction is issued and the process ends, but if negative, the process proceeds to step S25. In step S25, the size of the spiral, that is, the speed of the left and right wheels 3 and 4 for determining the turning radius is calculated and set.
In accordance with the set speeds of the left and right wheels 3 and 4, an instruction of the rotational speed is given to the left and right motors 14 and 15, and the spiral running is performed.

In step S26, the update time t of the speed of each of the wheels 3 and 4 is calculated so that the spiral smoothly expands, and the time t is set as a timer to start the timer. In step S27, it is determined whether or not the time t has elapsed. If the time t has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S24. In step S28, the presence or absence of a processing stop instruction is monitored,
If there is no stop instruction, steps S27 and S28 are repeated until the time t elapses. On the other hand, when there is an instruction to stop, an instruction to stop running is issued.

Returning to FIG. 9, when it is determined in step S3 that the running pattern to be executed at present is a random running, the process proceeds to step S8, where the next operation to be performed is
It is determined whether the operation is a retreat, a forward movement, or a corner turn for random running. Although description is omitted, it is usually desirable to first perform a retreat operation when shifting from spiral running to random running. The vortex is stopped and the robot shifts to random running when the robot is sufficiently close to the boundary (wall surface) B. If the robot immediately performs a normal turning or (super) pivot turning operation at that position, the robot collides with the wall B. After retreating to make room,
This is because it is desirable to take a procedure of turning at a predetermined angle (super) pivot and moving forward.

If the next operation selected in step S8 is "retreat", the flow advances to step S9 to determine whether the vehicle is currently retreating. Immediately after stopping the swirl or running along the side, the vehicle does not retreat, so this determination is negative, and the process proceeds to step S10 and stops instantaneously (20 to 30 ms).
Proceed to step S11. If the determination in step S9 is affirmative, step S10 is skipped and the process proceeds to step S11. In step S11, a request for starting the retreat processing is made. The retreat processing will be described later (see FIG. 12). Step S
When the retreat process is started in response to the retreat process request in step S11, the determination in step S9 becomes affirmative.
0 is skipped and the retreat operation is continued.

If it is determined in step S8 that a turning operation is performed, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, it is determined whether or not the current pivot turn is being performed. Initially, the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step S13, and the instant (2
(0-30 ms) Stop. In step S14, a request to start the super turning operation is issued. In the subsequent processing cycle, the determination in step S12 is affirmative, and step S1
The process proceeds to step 5 to perform an escape mode process. When the robot 1 gets into the corner of the area, a state occurs in which the robot 1 cannot escape from the corner only by the ordinary retreat and the turning of the super base, so that the escape mode processing is performed at the time of the turning of the base. Since the escape mode processing is not a main part of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted, but the detailed description of Japanese Patent Application No. 9-42879 is referred to and integrated here.

When the turning at the predetermined angle (for example, 135 °) is completed by the turning of the swivel, the determination in step S8 in the next processing cycle is “forward”. Accordingly, the process proceeds to step S16, and it is determined whether the vehicle is currently moving forward. At first, the process proceeds to step S17 and instantaneously (20 to 3
(0 ms) After stopping, the process proceeds to step S19 via the hunting prevention process in step S18, and a forward process start request is issued. According to the request for starting the forward processing, the robot 1
Moves forward, and when the presence of the wall surface is detected by the front sensor 26 or the side sensor 25L, an operation (border running or random running) mode to be performed next is determined in accordance with the detection. Since the hunting prevention processing is not a main part of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. However, the detailed description of Japanese Patent Application No. 9-42878 is incorporated here for the sake of precaution, and is integrated here.

In the super turning operation shown in FIG. 11, a process start instruction is waited for in step S30. In step S31, the number of times of super-spot turns (hereinafter, simply referred to as "number of super-spots") n
Is incremented (+1). In step S32, it is determined whether or not the number n of times of super-return reaches the number N of times of return. Since the initial value of the number of times of superposition n is set to “0”, the number of times of superposition n is “1” in the first routine,
The determination in step S32 is negative, and step S34
And jumps to step S35. In step S35, the turning time is calculated.

As is apparent, the turning time of the robot is determined by the turning time. In this embodiment, the time corresponding to the turning angle of 135 ° for the fine tuning random running is calculated. After the turning time has been calculated, the process proceeds to step S36, and an instruction is issued to cause the right wheel 3 and the left wheel 4 to reverse each other. Here, whether the right wheel 3 and the left wheel 4 are rotated forward or backward is determined by the “turning direction” depending on the sensor output. As described above, the turning direction is set so as to turn to the opposite side to the sensor that first detected the obstacle, depending on which of the left and right sensors of the main body detected the obstacle such as a wall first.

In step S37, it is determined whether or not a stop instruction has been issued. When the stop has been instructed, the flow returns to step S30.
When there is no stop instruction, the process proceeds to step S38, and it is determined whether or not the super-revolution is completed. When the super pivot turns,
Proceeding to step S39, an instruction for forward rotation is given to the left and right wheels 3 and 4, and the vehicle returns to the straight running as the basic running mode.

If the number of times of superposition n reaches the number of times of return N, the process proceeds from step S32 to step S33.
An instruction to start a spiral process (or another running process determined by the progress mode pointer) is issued. Then, step S34
Then, clear the number n of the super-potentials used for determining whether or not to turn the super-posts. Subsequently, in steps S35 to S39, the processing of the pivot turn is completed, and the next processing start instruction of the pivot turn is awaited.

In the retreat processing of FIG. 12, step S5
If it is 0, it waits for a processing start instruction. In step S51, an instruction to reverse the right wheel 3 and the left wheel 4 is issued. Step S
At 52, it is determined whether or not a stop instruction has been issued, and if the stop has been instructed, the process returns to step S50. If there is no stop instruction, the process proceeds to step S53 to determine whether or not the scheduled retreat time has elapsed.
Proceed to 4 to give an instruction for forward rotation to both left and right wheels 3 and 4.

FIG. 4 shows a mark sensor 5 mounted on the lower surface of the robot 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
(5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e) and landmarks (hereinafter referred to as landmarks) arranged on the floor of the planned traveling area of the robot 1
(Referred to simply as a “mark”). In this example, the mark 6 is formed in six concentric circles, and the mark sensor (hereinafter, simply referred to as “sensor”) 5 includes five Hall elements 5a to 5e.
In addition, a plurality of pieces are arranged at equal intervals on a straight line perpendicular to the center line and symmetrically with respect to the center line. Preferably, the central sensor 5c is located on the center line of the main body 1 as shown in the figure, but is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, since the sensor 5 is a Hall element having a sensing surface having a width of about 5 mm, the mark 6 is linearly formed by a thin magnet plate having a width of about 5 mm. The interval between two adjacent circular magnet lines (mark circles) is 5
mm or more. As will be easily understood by those skilled in the art, the mark is not limited to the magnet material as in this example, but may be a light or electromagnetic wave radiation source or a magnetic material (permeability material). Accordingly, the mark sensor can be constituted by a light / electromagnetic wave detecting element, an induction coil and the like.

As shown, the diameter of the innermost mark circle is L, the diameter of the outermost mark circle is R, and the sensor 5a in the width direction of the robot body 1 (direction perpendicular to the forward direction).
When the arrangement interval of ~ 5e is D, D + α <L, R
It is preferable to satisfy the relationship of <5D. α is the line width of the mark circle. If this condition is satisfied, when two adjacent sensors pass through the innermost mark circle,
Also, it is possible to reliably detect when the sensor 5c at the center has just passed through the innermost mark circle.

Referring to the flowchart of FIG.
A method for detecting the passage of a mark arranged as described above will be described.
Here, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, when at least one sensor passes through the innermost mark circle, in other words, at least one sensor passes the mark circle (detection). The number of times is twice the number of concentric circles (in this example, 6 ×
When 2 = 12), it is determined that a mark has passed. In order for at least one sensor to pass through the innermost mark circle, at least three of the five sensors need to detect magnetism. In the mark sensor process of FIG. 13, one of the sensors 5a to 5e is a mark sensor.
Triggered when a lock detection output is generated.

In step S71, it is determined whether or not more than the predetermined number of sensors (in this example, three or more) have generated detection outputs. If the result is affirmative, the flow advances to step S72 to determine the maximum mark detection number. It is determined whether Ni is equal to 2n. Here, n is the number of multiple circles of the mark.
As described above, when at least one sensor passes through the innermost mark circle, this condition is satisfied, and it is determined that the robot 1 has passed the mark. If the determination is affirmative, the flow advances to step S73 to determine whether or not the maximum mark detection number Ni has already been registered. This determination is based on the fact that, when the same response mark is passed twice or more, when the mark response swirl travel is doubled and started, the trajectory of the swirl almost completely folds, and on the contrary, the filling efficiency of the target area is reduced. Therefore, this is a process for avoiding such a situation. At the first passage, this judgment is negative,
In the next step S74, the spiral running starts (or FIG.
(Return to the top of the spiral running process) is generated, and the maximum detection number Ni is registered, and this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if the determination in step S73 is affirmative, that is, if the Ni has been registered, all the markers are registered in step S75.
It is determined whether the mark has been passed. If all the marks have been passed, a stop of travel is instructed in step S76 to stop all operations of the robot 1. If any of the determinations in steps S75, S71, and S72 is negative,
The process ends as it is.

As can be seen from the above description, in this embodiment, each land is identified by making the number of multiple circles constituting one land mark different. At least one of the intervals can be made different, or it can be identified by a combination of the line width and the interval between lines as in a well-known bar code, or by further combining these with the number of multiple circles. When the line interval is made different, for example, the mark can be identified by comparing a combination of the maximum and the second (and / or third) mark detection number.

The land mark is not limited to the concentric arrangement as described above. It will be easily understood that any closed curve that is convex outward may be multiplexed, such as a multiple ellipse.

Next, the arrangement position and the number of land marks in the target area will be described. As described above, the land mark 6 determines the starting point of the spiral movement in response to the mark, and the position of the land mark in the target area is determined based on the following viewpoint.

(A) Mark response spiral running of the present invention
The landmarks may be better located at the relatively corners, as it improves the ability of conventional random / swirl running to fill the corners of the area relatively weakly. (B) If the spiral is started from the center of the target area, a larger spiral can be drawn continuously and the filling efficiency can be improved. Therefore, it is better to arrange the spiral in the center as much as possible.

Based on the above viewpoints, the present inventors have made FIG.
With respect to the four types of landmark arrangements shown in (a) to (d), simulations were performed on the situation of the increase in the filled area as the work time elapses. The results of the simulation are shown in FIG. 16 by curves A to D, and the data of the conventional random / spiral running is shown by curve P for comparison. Various conditions such as the work target area and the shape and dimensions of the robot and the running speed of the robot in this simulation are the same as those in the case of FIG. 18B.

FIG. 15A shows an example in which four marks are arranged near the four corners of the rectangular area A. As can be seen from the curve A, the time required to fill 80% of the area is the conventional random / The time required to fill 90% was reduced by about 15%, although it was about 11% longer than that of the spiral running.

FIG. 9B shows an example in which five marks are arranged symmetrically on the center line in the longitudinal direction (traveling direction) of the rectangular area. % Filling time is about 7 times compared to the conventional random / swirl running.
%, And the time to fill 90% is also reduced by about 10%.

FIG. 9C shows an example in which the above-mentioned items (a) and (b) are combined and nine marks are arranged near the four corners of the rectangular area and on the center line in the longitudinal direction. As can be seen, the time to fill 80% of the area was reduced by about 12% and the time to fill 90% was reduced by about 14% compared to conventional random / swirl running.

FIG. 9D shows an example in which two marks are added near the four corners of the rectangular area in addition to the above (c), and a total of 17 marks are used. As can be seen from curve D, the time to fill 80% of the area was reduced by about 10% and the time to fill 90% was reduced by about 32% compared to conventional random / swirl running.

Summarizing the above, according to the present invention, the filling rate is 60 to 60% as compared with the conventional random / swirl running.
It can be seen that it is reduced around 70%, but is considerably improved in the range of 80 to 90%.

[0062]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be expected. Unlike traveling control of a moving object with high accuracy while detecting its own position according to preset traveling route information,
By simply performing random running such as spiral running or turning / straight running in the running area, it is possible to run the area almost comprehensively and efficiently.

Based on only the combination of the detection results obtained by the proximity sensors provided in front and side of the robot and the detection results of the marks arranged in advance in the running area,
Since the running mode and the running parameters to be executed are determined, the control is simplified and very cheap.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a positional relationship between a mark sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention and landmarks provided in a work target area.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a random running pattern which is a basic running pattern of the robot according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a random / spiral running pattern.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a proximity sensor input process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a contact sensor input process.

FIG. 9 is a general flowchart of a traveling control process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a spiral running process according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a super-spinning turn processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating retreat processing according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating mark-responsive spiral running according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a landmark passing state of the mark sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view showing some arrangement examples of landmarks.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a simulation result showing a relationship between a degree of progress of an operation using various landmark patterns and an elapsed time according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the output of each sensor and the control activated in the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the efficiency of spiral / random traveling of a robot proposed by the present inventors in comparison with other traveling modes.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... robot, 3 ... right wheel, 4 ... left wheel, 25,
26: sensor, 7: control device, 18: operation determination unit,
20 ... Selection section

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. A boundary sensor for detecting a boundary of a planned traveling region, and a mark sensor for detecting a mark disposed at an appropriate position in the region, and fills the planned traveling region as comprehensively as possible. A self-propelled robot that travels as described above, wherein the spiral running is started from an arbitrary position in the area, and the turning radius is gradually increased until the boundary is detected by the boundary sensor. A method of controlling a self-propelled robot, comprising: performing a spiral running and a newly started mark-responsive spiral running in response to a mark detection signal of the mark sensor. 2. When a boundary is detected by the boundary sensor during the spiral running, the spiral running is stopped, and a random run including a turn at a predetermined angle in response to the boundary detection and a subsequent forward movement of a predetermined distance is scheduled. The control method for a self-propelled robot according to claim 1, wherein the spiral running is performed after repeating the number of times. 3. Before turning when a boundary is detected,
3. The control method for a self-propelled robot according to claim 2, wherein retreating of a predetermined distance is performed. 4. The control method for a self-propelled robot according to claim 1, wherein a spiral running mode is executed at the start of running. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the turning is approximately 1 with respect to the traveling direction.
The control method for a self-propelled robot according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the angle is 35 °. 6. A mark response swirl running in response to the detection signal is detected, and when a mark in which the mark response swirl running is started is detected again thereafter, the mark response swirl running in response to the detection of the mark is inhibited. The method for controlling a self-propelled robot according to claim 1. 7. The mark is constituted by a multiple closed curve, and the mark sensor is provided in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot body.
A mark detection signal is generated when a plurality of sensors are provided separated by a predetermined distance from each other, and it is detected that at least one sensor has passed inside the innermost closed curve as the robot advances. The control method for a self-propelled robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein 8. A mark detection judgment and a detection mark based on a combination of detection outputs of at least two mark sensors.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the discrimination is performed.
The control method for a self-propelled robot according to any one of the above. 9. The control method for a self-propelled robot according to claim 1, wherein one of said mark sensors is arranged on a center line of the robot body. 10. The control method for a self-propelled robot according to claim 1, wherein said mark-responsive spiral running is executed by interruption to a control means. 11. The mark sensor is a magnetic sensor,
11. The control method for a self-propelled robot according to claim 1, wherein the mark is formed of a magnet. 12. A control device for a self-propelled robot that travels so as to cover a planned travel area as comprehensively as possible, wherein the control apparatus is arranged on a peripheral edge of a robot body, and the robot is configured to control the travel travel area. A plurality of boundary sensors that detect proximity within a predetermined distance from each of the boundaries to generate a proximity output, and are disposed on the periphery of the robot body, and when the robot comes into contact with the boundary of the planned traveling area. A contact sensor that generates a contact output, and a mark sensor that is disposed below the robot body and that generates a mark detection signal when the robot passes a mark disposed at an appropriate position in the planned travel area. Control means for generating a turning signal in response to the proximity output and generating a mark-responsive spiral running start signal in response to a mark detection signal. Control device for self-propelled robot. 13. The control of a self-propelled robot according to claim 12, wherein a plurality of mark sensors are provided at a predetermined distance from each other in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the robot body. apparatus. 14. The control device for a self-propelled robot according to claim 13, wherein one of the mark sensors is arranged on a center line of the robot body. 15. When a mark in which a mark response spiral running start signal is generated in response to the detection signal is detected again thereafter, the mark response spiral running in response to the detection of the mark is inhibited. The control device for a self-propelled robot according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein: 16. A storage unit for registering a mark in which a mark response spiral running start signal has been generated in response to the detection signal, wherein the control unit includes a mark sensor.
16. The self-propelled robot according to claim 12, further comprising: means for retrieving whether or not the detected mark is registered in the storage means when a mark is detected. Control device. 17. The mark is formed as a multiple closed curve,
17. The control device for a self-propelled robot according to claim 12, wherein each mark has a different multiplex number from each other. 18. The mark according to claim 12, wherein the mark is arranged near a corner of the planned traveling area.
8. The control device for a self-propelled robot according to any one of 7. 19. The self-diagnosis device according to claim 12, wherein a plurality of said marks are arranged on a center line along a longitudinal direction of said scheduled traveling region and are separated from each other. Control device for running robot.