JPS58181114A - Controller for running direction of unattended running vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To run an unattended running vehicle automatically with a high precision in a wide range, by using a rate integral gyro provided with a torquer and operating the rate integral gyro with a closed loop when the vehicle is turned and using directly the direction detecting output when it goes straight. CONSTITUTION:When the unattended running vehicle reaches a turning point, a closed loop for feedback to a torquer 18 is constituted by a switching signal Si2 from a central controller, and the signal passing through the torquer 18 is converted to an azimuth signal proportional to the angle of turning through an integration circuit 23, and turning is controlled on a basis of this signal until it coincides with a prescribed angle of turning. When straight running is controlled, a switch circuit 21 is used to open the closed loop by a switching signal Si1 from the central controller, and the connection to the torquer 18 is broken, and the output obtained by subjecting the output of a rate integral gyro 11 to amplification and modulation is used for the control of straight running as an output signal S0 directly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a running direction control device for an unmanned vehicle suitable for use in transporting cargo within a factory or as a labor-saving device having an automatic driving function.

If an unmanned vehicle is equipped with a traveling distance detecting means, such as a wheel rotation speed detection mechanism, and a traveling azimuth detecting means, such as a gyro device, the traveling distance information and the traveling azimuth information are combined, and information on a desired traveling route can be obtained. As soon as a special guideway such as a line or optical reflective tape is installed, the unmanned vehicle can automatically run.

By the way, the gyro used as the means for detecting the traveling azimuth angle can be a so-called free gyro with two degrees of freedom or a type that performs integral processing on a rate gyro with - degrees of freedom, but in both cases it is difficult to detect the azimuth with high precision. This and the fact that the detection range is limited have been obstacles to the practical use of unmanned vehicles.

The present invention was made in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional ones, and uses a rate integrating gyro equipped with a torquer as a traveling direction detecting means, and when an unmanned vehicle reaches a turning point, a control circuit performs the rate integrating gyro. While the gyro operates in a closed loop, during straight-ahead driving control, the closed loop is opened and the azimuth detection output of the rate-integrating gyro is directly used.Thus, the azimuth of the unmanned vehicle can be detected with high precision and over a wide range. It is an object of the present invention to provide a traveling direction control device that can control the vehicle direction.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail based on illustrated embodiments. First, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a driving route in one usage mode of an unmanned vehicle. In the figure, (1) is an unmanned vehicle, EIt
, ~St4 indicates the station where the unmanned vehicle (1) travels. For example, if it is in a factory, it corresponds to a work station for machining and assembly, and the unmanned vehicle (1) moves cargo between each station. It is designed to be loaded with fuel and run automatically. Further, in the same figure, 81 to e8 indicate drawing line elements (hereinafter referred to as paths) of the driving route of the unmanned vehicle (1), and 2 and 4 indicate turning points of the unmanned vehicle (1).

In FIG. 1, when the unmanned vehicle (1) wants to travel from the starting point Vs of station 8t to the target point Vf i of station St4, the path e1→e3→e
One traveling route can be assumed in which the vehicle passes through 5→e8 and turns by a predetermined angle at the turning point 4, v2. In the case of such a driving route, the dynamic range required for direction detection is greatly different when traveling in a straight line on a path and when turning at a turning point.If only a normal gyro, such as a free gyro, is used, the detection accuracy will be insufficient. There is a problem,
The present invention has been made in order to cope with such circumstances, and includes a configuration described below.

Next, to briefly explain the structure of the unmanned vehicle (1), Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the unmanned vehicle (1). In the figure, (2) is the drive wheel, and (8) is the caster wheel. ,
A device (7) through which a drive motor (4) drives the drive wheels (2) is configured to store various information necessary for automatic driving. Further, (8) and (9) are a battery and a servo amplifier required to operate the drive motor.

The traveling direction control device (10) according to the present invention includes a rate integrating gyro α1) and a control circuit (121), and is mounted near the center of the unmanned vehicle (1), and is mounted on a central control device (121).
6).

For example, if a diagonally upward drive system is provided independently and symmetrically with respect to the traveling direction of the unmanned vehicle (),
By rotating the drive wheels (2) equilaterally at the turning points v1 and v2 in the figure, it is possible to perform PIT turning, which changes only the direction without driving the position, which is an advantageous means for traveling in narrow spaces and controlling traveling. becomes. Incidentally, even if the turning method draws a general arcuate trajectory, the present invention can be utilized.

FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining the principle of the rate-integrating gyro (11), which is one component of the present invention. In the figure, 04) is the rotor, 04) is the fixed gimbal, 05) is the movable gimbal, ( 16) is a viscous damping mechanism, A is a spin shaft that coincides with the rotation axis of the brush rotor (1B), A2 is an input shaft, A3 is an output shaft, and the output shaft A has an output angle θ.
A pickoff (17) that detects the output shaft A3 is engaged with a torquer (18) that can drive the output shaft A3 in an instant. Then, when the input angle ψ acts around the input shaft A2, an output angle θ proportional to the input angle ψ is generated by the action of the viscosity damping mechanism 06) according to the output rules.
It is designed to detect this.

By the way, in general, the range of input angle ψ that can be detected with high accuracy in a rate integrating gyro is limited to approximately ±5.6 history. Therefore, the signal from the pickoff (1r) is transferred to ToruCa (18
) and give reverse rotation to the output shaft A according to the output angle θ, the rate-integrating gyro will try to re-balance even if the input angle ψ becomes large, so the allowable input angle range will effectively become infinite. can do. In this case, the signal from pickoff 07) will be proportional to the input angular velocity.

Based on the above matters, the running direction control device of the present invention is constructed as shown in FIG. 4.

That is, when the sea 1 - integrating gyro 01) detects the input angle ψ, the pick-on (
Since a signal proportional to the input angle ψ is output from 17), this is first passed through the above pickoff (
17) usually uses a microsynchronizer or a synchro that outputs a current voltage, so the amplitude modulation circuit (Incorporated) is required to increase the amplitude.
If a newly developed sample-and-hold circuit that is functional and synchronized with the father current frequency is formed, AC/DC conversion can be easily performed. The converted signal is guided to a switch circuit (21),
The switch circuit (21) receives a switching signal from the central controller (6) and connects (i) from the amplifying modulation circuit (20) to the next-stage torquer drive circuit (transfer) 1 or outputs it directly. The torquer drive circuit (22) converts the input DC Km pressure signal into a DC current and outputs the torquer (
It plays the role of sending out strong signals.

Therefore, the closed loop from the above-mentioned pickoff +17) to the torquer (Tsukuda) is balanced so that the four-rotation direction of the output shaft A in Fig. 6 is returned to the input angle ψ detected by the rate integrating gyro α1). The polarity relationship is predefined as shown in FIG. If we perform the prescribed integration, the input angle ψ
It is possible to obtain an output signal proportional to , and there is no limited range of the input angle ψ. The amplification modulation circuit (4), the switch circuit (21), etc. together constitute the control circuit (4) in FIG.

Based on the above configuration, the traveling direction control device of the present invention operates as follows. To explain with reference to FIG. 1, when an unmanned vehicle (1) travels from station St to station 8t4 via bus e1→e2→e5→e8, first, while traveling on the first path e, Switching signal 81 from central control fitting (6). The output from the rate-integrating gyro 0η passes through the amplification modulation circuit and the switch circuit (21), and then directly becomes the output signal S. The information is then input to the central control device (6) and used for subsequent straight-ahead travel control. Next, when the unmanned vehicle (1) reaches the turning point ■1, the central control unit w (6) sends out a switching signal 812 to connect the amplifying modulation circuit (2o) and the torquer drive circuit (2). Make it. As a result, the above-mentioned closed-loop system is configured, and the angular velocity signal corresponding to the turning of the unmanned vehicle (1) is sent to the integrating circuit (■), so the angle signal obtained by integrating this signal is ) is proportional to the turning angle of
This is returned to the central control unit (6) as an output signal and stored in advance! It is only necessary to perform the turning operation until the turning angle matches the reference turning angle stored in (γ). At the next path e3, turning point v2, etc., operations similar to those described above may be performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the unmanned vehicle reaches a turning point, the output signal of the rate 8 minute gyro is provided to the rate integrating gyro via the amplification modulation circuit, the switch circuit, and the torquer drive circuit. A closed loop is configured to feed back to the torquer, and the signal generated by the torquer is passed through an integrating circuit to control turning and straight running, when the switch circuit opens the closed loop to cut off the connection to the torquer, and the amplifying modulation circuit Since it is equipped with a control circuit that directly converts the output of the azimuth signal into an azimuth signal, it is possible to obtain an azimuth detection signal that is suitable for the straight-ahead or turning driving state of the unmanned vehicle.
It is easy to ensure a high 8/N ratio and a wide dynamic range in detecting the driving direction, and as a result, the unmanned vehicle (1) can be driven automatically over a wide range with high precision.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a travel route in one usage mode of an unmanned vehicle, FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of an unmanned vehicle, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram explaining the principle of a rate-integrating gyro, and FIG. The figure is a configuration diagram showing a traveling direction control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. (1)...Unmanned vehicle, shout...driving direction control device,
(11)・[Yes]・L'-)8 minute gyro, (18J
...Toruca, Inc....Width modulation circuit, (21).
・・Switch circuit, (2)) −・・Toruka drive circuit, −
)...Integrator circuit surface, the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or equivalent parts. Agent Shin Kuzuno - -10- Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an unmanned vehicle that uses a rate-integrating gyro as a traveling direction detection means to obtain information on the traveling route, and when the unmanned vehicle reaches a turning point, the output signal of the rate-integrating gyro is amplified by an amplification modulation circuit. A closed loop is formed which feeds back to the torquer included in the rate integrating gyro via a switch circuit and a torquer drive circuit, and turning is controlled by the signal passed through the torquer, and the closed loop is opened by the switch circuit during straight running control. A running azimuth control device for an unmanned vehicle, comprising a control circuit that cuts off connection to the torquer and directly uses the output of the amplification modulation circuit as an azimuth signal.