JPS5914015A - Automatic traveling vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a work from interruption by steering an unattended moving body so as to be by-passed or backed after once being stopped and then by- passed by output signals from plural obstacle sensors arranged on the front of the moving body. CONSTITUTION:Four photosensors S1-S4 and contact type obstacle sensors 5a-5d are arranged on the front of the unattended moving body. Outputs from the sensors S1-S4 and 5a-5d are inputted and operated to/by a microcomputer muCOM 8 to actuate a solenoid valve 9, drive a hydraulic cylinder 10, steer a front wheel 3 and then operate a stepless speed change device 11 through a motor. If an obstacle is detected on the left side of the diagonal front for instance, the moving body is by-passed in the right direction, and when the obstacle is detected on the front, the moving body is once stopped, backed by a prescribed distance and then by-passed to start advance. Consequently, the work is prevented from interruption. The system is properly used for a lawn mower.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic vehicle, and more specifically, the present invention is configured to automatically travel unmanned along a predetermined course set in advance, and when an unexpected obstacle is present within the predetermined course. The present invention relates to a self-driving vehicle configured to avoid collisions with other vehicles.

Automated vehicles that run unmanned have been proposed in the past, but the means for avoiding collisions with obstacles that has been put into practical use in such autonomous vehicles is to stop driving when an obstacle is detected in front of them. It was simply structured in a similar manner.

Even with such conventional means, collisions with obstacles can be avoided by avoiding collisions, but the work cannot be completed if a lawnmower or other work vehicle is configured as such an autonomous vehicle in order to interrupt the operation midway. There are drawbacks.

An object of the present invention is to eliminate such drawbacks of conventional automatic driving vehicles and to provide an automatic driving vehicle that can continue traveling while avoiding collisions with obstacles even when there is an obstacle.

In order to achieve such an object, the configuration of an automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention is an automatic driving vehicle in which an obstacle detection sensor is mounted on the front of the vehicle body, and control is performed to avoid collision with an obstacle. The obstacle detection sensor has a detection section that receives a plurality of detection bands in the left and right directions of the aircraft. Obstacle avoidance control is activated by a detection signal from one of the detection sections, and this control also starts when a signal is issued. The method includes a step of horizontally boarding the V-can when traveling around an obstacle based on the detected detection unit, and a step of temporarily stopping the V-can when traveling around an obstacle when the central detection unit issues a signal; The next step includes the step of retreating the aircraft a predetermined distance, then the step of performing a predetermined amount of steering operation, and the step of moving the aircraft forward. The obstacle detour driving sequence is characterized in that it includes a step of performing a predetermined amount of steering operation without moving the aircraft backward.

Because of this configuration, when the automatic driving vehicle of the present invention detects an obstacle in the front center of the vehicle on a predetermined course, it first moves backward to move away from the obstacle, avoids a collision, and at the same time detours around the obstacle. Obstacles that are located in biased positions are bypassed without regressing, which results in unnecessary large detours, making it possible to efficiently detour around obstacles that unexpectedly exist on the driving course. It is something.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In this embodiment, a lawn mower is configured as an automatic driving vehicle of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, the lawn mower of this embodiment moves across the lawn mowing work area (4) by following the boundary between the unmowed area (B) and the mowed area (@). The machine is configured to cut grass, and the machine +11 is
As shown in Fig. 2, a lawn mower (4) equipped with a disc-shaped cutting blade is connected to the middle part of the front wheel (3) and rear wheel (8') of the vehicle body (2) so as to be movable up and down. is held at a constant height from the ground by

If there are no obstacles on the running course, as shown in Fig.
(8m), rs
s), rss), the vehicle runs while detecting boundaries. That is, these photosensors (91), Cam
), (ag), rSg) are used to determine whether the area is on the uncut area (Sl) or the area that has been cut (01). ,
84), if one set is on uncut ground,
the other set of outer photosensors (Sl) or rs;
) is on the mowed ground, and when it reaches the turn bank (Dl) around the lawn mowing area, it turns in the direction of the turn bank (Dl) that was previously on the uncut land side. It is composed of

In addition, the fact that the Ekotai CD+ reached the pre-mowed land (carp, Ekotai) is due to two sensors (sl) -rS.
g) , (Ss) and (SJ are all on the already-cut side).

Next, the obstacle avoidance means will be explained.

At the front of the vehicle body (2), as shown in Figure 8, there are obstacle detection sensors (5
) is installed.

The obstacle sensing sensor (6) has t detection members, which are contact members r5m), (5b), rSg), (5d), and these contact members r6m), r5b), (5c),
r5d) is configured to rotate backward by a force that exceeds the biasing force, and is configured as a movable member of a switch that emits a signal by rotating so as to detect the backward rotation. There is.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the automatic travel control V-stem of the lawn mower of this embodiment, and the arithmetic unit (8) whose main part is a microcomputer includes the photo sensor (81),
(Ss), (8m), rs fog) and the switch r5m), (6b), (5) of the obstacle detection sensor (5)
c), r5sl) are input, and based on these signals, the electromagnetic valve (9)... is operated to move the hydraulic V cylinder actuator, which is the actuator, and the front wheel (3) is activated.
In addition to steering the steering wheels, the continuously variable transmission (II) is operated via the motor.

Figure 4+al, (bl is a flowchart of the obstacle avoidance program in the calculation unit (8). The detour when the central switch (5b) issues a signal is shown in Figure 6. The conofrogram is This is an interrupt process activated by the obstacle detection sensor (5).

This program first memorizes which contact member of the obstacle detection sensor touched the obstacle, and later determines the direction to go around the obstacle, and this direction is the opposite side of the contact member. It is. After storing this information, if the central switches r5b) and (We) issue a signal, the aircraft is moved backward by a predetermined distance, a detour direction is determined just before the start of forward movement, and the aircraft moves forward by steering in that direction.

If the switch (5m, r5d) on one side issues a signal, the vehicle decelerates and at the same time steers to go around the obstacle. In this way, when the aircraft deviates from the boundary, which is the original travel course, by a predetermined distance, the aircraft moves forward by a predetermined distance in parallel with the boundary, which is the original direction.

After performing this forward movement, the control is returned to the original tracing travel control, so that the aircraft approaches the boundary and gradually copies the travel that follows the boundary. The lawnmower of this embodiment is configured to bypass obstacles on the course based on such control.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings illustrate embodiments of the automatic driving vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a lawn mower running on a predetermined course as an automatic driving vehicle, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lawn mower, and FIG. The figure is a block diagram of the control V-stem, and Figure 4 is the V-stem for bypassing obstacles.
The flowchart of the process is shown in FIG. Ill... Airframe, (6)... Obstacle detection sensor, (5m) - (fid) -... Detection unit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] This is an automatic driving vehicle in which an obstacle detection sensor (6) is mounted on the front of the aircraft body 111, and control is performed to avoid collisions with obstacles. Detection part (5m) with each receiving band
〜(5d), and any of the detection units (5@)〜(5d
), the obstacle avoidance control is activated by the detection signal from the detectors (5a) to (5) that issued the signal.
It has a step of horizontally executing the obstacle detour driving sequence based on d), and temporarily stops the aircraft +11 in the obstacle detour driving sequence when the central detection units r5b) and (5c) issue a signal. step, then the aircraft (
1) by a predetermined distance, followed by a step of performing a predetermined amount of steering operation, and then a step of moving the aircraft (1) forward. An automatic driving vehicle characterized in that an obstacle detour driving sequence when the vehicle (l) issues a signal includes a step of causing the vehicle (l) to perform a predetermined amount of steering operation without retreating.