JPS6215610A - Traveling control method for autonomous traveling robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To minimize the overrun width of a cleaning range by correcting the traveling reference coordinates after inversion of the advancing direction due to a U-turn, etc. with the deflection amount of only the preceding rectilinear travel carried out before inversion of the direction. CONSTITUTION:A cleaning robot repeats the parallel rectilinear traveling and the right and left U-turns to clean the entire surface of a floor. The maximum right and left deflection values Amax and Bmax from a drive reference line 28 for rectilinear traveling or meandering traveling 20 are calculated from the advancing distance data given from a traveling distance measuring device 6 and the traveling direction data given from a advancing direction measuring device 7 and stored in a storae device 2. Then the coordinates of the traveling standard line for curved traveling or the rectilinear traveling direction to be restarted after inversion of the advancing direction are corrected based on said values Amax and Bmax.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to autonomous running robots, and particularly to efficient running control.

[Background of the invention]

How does a conventional autonomous cleaning robot operate?

As shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-97608, this is a combination of forward movement and left/right rotation of 90'', moving in the lateral direction with a constant pitch width P. However, if the movement pitch width is constant, the pitch The width must be set considerably smaller than the cleaning width of the vacuum cleaner, taking into account meandering due to unevenness of the floor surface and changes in frictional resistance during all forward travel from the start to the end of travel.Therefore, in the conventional technology, However, there was no consideration given to running efficiency and economy, as there was no need to wastefully overspread the cleaning range.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile robot that travels all over the floor efficiently and economically.

[Summary of the invention]

The autonomous mobile robot of the present invention calculates the maximum amount of deviation from the running reference line when running straight or curved while repeatedly running straight or curved along the running reference line and reversing the direction of travel. Then, the coordinates of the running reference line for straight running or curved running that starts again after the direction of travel is reversed are corrected based on the maximum value of the amount of blur. This method minimizes travel overlap and efficiently travels over the entire floor surface.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the autonomous mobile robot of the present invention will be described using an example of a cleaning mobile robot.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cleaning traveling robot.

In Fig. 2, there is an arithmetic processing unit that controls the 1#-i traveling robot, a storage device that stores the data of the two-digit arithmetic processing unit 1, and an input port 3 that is used to input signals from each measuring device to the arithmetic processing unit 1. , an output boat for sending signals from the 4-digit arithmetic processing unit 1 to each drive device; 5 is an obstacle detection device for detecting obstacles in front of the vehicle while driving; and 5 measures the rotation speed of the 6-digit wheels. This is a traveling direction measuring device that measures the traveling direction of a robot such as a traveling distance measuring device or a 7-digit gyro. Devices 5, 6, and 7 are connected to input port 3. 8 is a wheel-driven stomach, 9 is a cleaning device, 8 and 9
is connected to output capo) 4.

Next, the operation will be explained. How the robot runs.

An example in which the vehicle is run inside a rectangular room 10 shown in FIG. 3 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 3, the running method of the cleaning robot of the embodiment is as shown in FIG. Travel to end point 19 and clean the entire floor surface.

When the robot runs in a straight line, if you look at it in detail, it will meander as shown at 20 in FIG. 4 due to unevenness of the floor surface and changes in the contact resistance between the floor surface and the wheels.

Figure 4 shows the external shape of the 21-piece robot body, the dust intake port 23 of the cleaning device provided at the front of the 22-piece pot body 21, and the
and 24 are the front wheels, 25 and 26 are the rear wheels, and 27 is the self-position of the robot. The robot (robot) is assumed to run straight parallel to the y-axis of the x7 coordinate. Reference numeral 28 denotes a travel reference line that is a straight line parallel to the y-axis along which the robot should move straight, and its X coordinate is referred to as the travel reference coordinate in this embodiment, and is designated as Xl. Broken line 2
9 and 30 are the curves at the left and right ends of the range to be cleaned by the dirt intake port 22.

Let Amax and Bmax be the maximum values of the amount of left-right vibration from the travel reference line 28 during the meandering travel 20 in FIG.

Note that the 1st digit is the cleaning width of the dust inlet.

FIG. 5 shows an example of traveling in which the vehicle repeatedly goes straight and makes U-turns as shown in FIG. The following describes how to set the driving reference coordinates for straight-ahead driving.

In FIG. 5, 20 was described in FIG. Travel reference line 281C
This is a traveling trajectory that snakes along the road. Curves 29 and 30
The left and right boundaries of the range to be cleaned by the dirt intake port 22 as the vehicle travels in the meandering direction 20 are shown, and the shaded area is the cleaning range. The straight line 31 is the boundary line between the area that has been completely cleaned and the area that has not been completely cleaned.
This is a straight line parallel to the y-axis passing through the point 32 where the X coordinate of 0 is the minimum. Dimensions Amax and Bmax are meandering travel trajectory 2
This is the maximum value of the amount of left-right vibration from the 00 travel reference line 28.

A curve 33 is a travel locus in which the robot that traveled in step 20 above detects an obstacle in front and makes a U-turn, then meanders along a straight travel reference line 34 on which it should travel straight again. Curves 35 and 36 are the left and right boundaries of the range that is cleaned by the suction port 22 as the meandering travel 33 progresses. U
The running reference coordinate of the X coordinate of the running reference line 34 after the turn is x
b.

Next, a method of driving control performed by the arithmetic processing device 1 shown in FIG. 2 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, first, the initial value of the travel reference coordinate X& at the start of travel is set, and the initial designation of whether the U-turn is a right U-turn or a left U-turn is performed. Next, Amax and Bmxf: OK.

Next, the obstacle detection device 5 shown in FIG.

Determine if there are any obstacles ahead. If there is no obstacle ahead, the process proceeds downward and the wheel drive device 8 is commanded to run straight ahead. Next, wheel mileage data is input from the mileage measuring device 6, and traveling direction data is input from the traveling direction measuring device 7. The self-position coordinates (xi, yl) of the robot are calculated using these traveling distance data and traveling direction data.

Next, compare the value obtained by subtracting the self-position coordinate x1 from the travel reference coordinate Xa) Ca
If Xi≧-, Amx=x*-xz. Conversely, if xa-ti (Amx, then Amax is the value of 11.Similarly, from the self-position coordinate Xi to the travel reference coordinate x
1t - minus value X* - compared to Xa and Bmx 1)
If C1Xa≧Bmax, then Bmx = xi-xa
shall be. Conversely, xi −Xa (if Bmax, then Bm&X
is the value of 11. In the above method.

The maximum value of the amount of left and right vibration from the meandering 200 travel reference line 28 in FIG. 4 is determined, and the Armx
and Bmax values are stored.

If an obstacle is detected in front of the vehicle, the process proceeds sideways and the wheel drive device 8 is commanded to stop running. Next, determine whether a U-turn is possible. If a U-turn is possible, make a right U
Switch between a turn and a left U-turn.

Next, the travel reference coordinates for straight forward travel after a U-turn are set. In setting the travel reference coordinates, meandering travel 20 in Fig. 5
The X coordinate of the boundary line 31 that is completely cleaned by (
1) Expression Xa: xa +T - Atmx -= (1) And the cleaning boundary due to the meandering run 55 after the U-turn, 1I3
5 and the distance 01 from the boundary 1131, the deviation amount Amax and Bmax from the travel reference line 28 of the meandering travel 20 before the U-turn, and K.

C=k(Amax+Bmax)=(2)
Here, k is a coefficient that takes into account measurement errors of the mileage measuring device 6 and the traveling direction measuring device 7.

Therefore, the travel reference coordinate xbf after the U-turn is: y-
Set the coordinates moved by c. That is, the travel reference coordinate xb is set to the value of equation (3).

xb = Xa + 1- (f + k) Amax
−k Bmax −= (3) Next, the wheel drive device 8
Then, the robot is instructed to run in a U-turn so that its own position after the U-turn is at the running reference coordinate n in equation (3) above.

An example of setting this self-position to an arbitrary travel reference coordinate xbK is shown in the sixth example.
This is explained in Fig. 7 and Fig. 7. Figure 6 shows the traveling reference coordinate xb
In this example, the reference coordinate Xa before the turn is moved sideways by the left and right wheel distance p1 (xb=xa+P1).

FIG. 7 is an example in which xb' is moved to the right by an arbitrary distance P2 narrower than the wheel spacing (xb=xa+p*).

In Figure 6, 38.39 is the robot body, 40.41.4
2 indicates a wheel, As, and 44 indicate the self-position of the stomach bot. The wheel 40 is rotated 180@ to 42 around the wheel 41, and the self position 43 of the robot is rotated to 44. Therefore, the traveling reference coordinate Xb is expressed as Xb = Xa + pl, where pl is the distance between the left and right wheels.

In Figure 7, 45, 46, and 47 are the stomach bot bodies.

48.49.50.51 indicates the wheels, and 52.55.54 indicates the robot's self-position. Wheel 49t-1 Turn around wheel 48 to 50, then turn wheel 4B to the right around wheel 50 to 51, and the robot's self-position 1f! :
52 to 53,541. Therefore, the traveling reference coordinate Xb moves to the right by an arbitrary distance p2 depending on the amount of turning of the wheel 49 at sat (xb = xa +
pz) can be done.

Referring again to FIG. 1, after causing the wheel drive device 8 to perform a U-turn with the above-mentioned travel reference coordinates specified, the travel reference coordinates X& before the U-turn are set to the values of the travel reference coordinates xb after the U-turn. Change. Then, the process returns to the connector symbol ■ in FIG. On the other hand, when it is determined whether a U-turn is possible, if the U-turn is not possible, the wheel drive device 8 and the cleaning device 9 are stopped because cleaning has been completed in the travel control example shown in FIG.

In the above explanation, the running direction was set as straight running parallel to the y-axis, and the running reference coordinate was set as the X coordinate, but conversely, the running direction was set as I
The same effect can be obtained even if the vehicle is set to travel in a straight line parallel to the axis and the travel reference coordinates are t-y coordinates.

Next, the effects of the embodiment will be explained. As shown in FIG. 3, the prior art is a driving method in which the vehicle travels in a straight line and moves horizontally by a fixed pitch width in a driving control in which the vehicle travels all over the floor surface by repeating straight traveling and turf.

In general, when an autonomous robot moves straight through feedback control of the amount of deviation from the running reference line, there are differences in the unevenness of the floor surface and changes in the frictional resistance between the floor surface and the wheels), and there is also a time delay in feedback control. Because of this, it becomes a meandering ride.

In the conventional technology, in order to eliminate the cleaning residue, the overlap in the cleaning range is considered to be the worst, and the amount of deviation from the driving reference line during all straight driving from the start of driving 18 to the end of driving 19 in Fig. 2 is calculated. Must be set to maximum value.

For example, if the cleaning width 1 is set to 50, the travel start 18 in Fig.
The amount of blur when driving straight from the time to the end of the trip.

12 straight runs 12.13.14.15...
Among them, only 14 scratches were ±10 scratches), and the other 11 vibrations were ±3 cIL, so the overlap of the cleaning range would have to be 10 cm on the left and right, considering the worst case scenario. Further, the pitch width in this case becomes as small as 30 (:II).

On the other hand, the overlap of the cleaning range in this embodiment is caused by U
Maximum value of left and right blur during the previous straight run before the turn A+n
Loading soil ((1+
k) Amax+kBmax). The coefficient of this measurement error includes α0
1 to α02, so it can be ignored in the cleaning robot of this embodiment.

As described above, in the embodiment, the overlap of the cleaning range considering meandering travel is determined only by the amount of vibration Amax and Bmax in the previous straight travel before the U-turn. Since there is no need to consider the worst case of the amount of blur in straight running, the overlap can be reduced accordingly.

For example, under the same conditions as the example of the prior art, the cleaning width is 1t-50.
cIL, and the amount of blur in straight running from the start of running 18 to the end of running in FIG. j
4,15. If only 14 of them were ±10clI, and the other 11 vibrations were ±3clI,
The overlap of the embodiment can be reduced to S,1clI on average, which is smaller than 101 of the conventional example. Also, the horizontal movement II (pitch width can be widened to about 471 on average).

Therefore, according to this embodiment, when traveling all over the floor by repeatedly traveling straight and making U-turns, overlap in the cleaning range can be minimized, and the floor can be efficiently cleaned. . Moreover, it also has the effect of being economical because the time required for cleaning can be shortened.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, by correcting the travel reference coordinates after a reversal of the traveling direction due to a U-turn or the like, based on the amount of deviation of the previous straight travel before reversing the direction, it is possible to keep the overlap width of the cleaning range to a minimum. This has the effect of making it possible to efficiently clean the floor surface. Moreover, since the cleaning can be performed efficiently, the time required for cleaning can be shortened, which also has the effect of being economical.

In the embodiment, the traveling reference line is described as a straight line, but even if the traveling reference line is a curved line, the same effect as described above can be obtained. In the embodiment, the blurred view from the travel reference line was determined based on the robot's own position, but the same effect can be obtained by determining the amount of blurring of the cleaning boundary line.

Further, although the embodiment has been described using a cleaning robot as an example, it is required to travel all over the room. For example, when applied to a traveling robot for painting, the efficiency of painting work can be improved, the work can be completed in a short time, and the amount of paint used can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the running of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the cleaning robot, and FIG. 5 is a plan view of an example of how the cleaning robot runs. , FIGS. 4 and 5 are explanatory diagrams of a method of setting travel reference coordinates, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are plan views showing an example of U-turn travel in the travel control of the embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Arithmetic processing unit, 2... Storage device, 3... Input boat, 4... Output boat, 5... Obstacle detection device. 6... Mileage measuring device, 7... Traveling direction measuring device. 8... Wheel drive device, 9... Cleaning device. Part 2 (2) Figure 3 Cow diagram

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) A data measuring device for determining the position of the robot, an arithmetic processing device for calculating the measured data and instructing the running method, a storage device for storing the calculation results, and an arithmetic processing device for calculating the robot's position. In an autonomous robot that is equipped with a wheel drive device that runs according to commands and that repeatedly travels straight along a parallel and straight running reference line and reverses the direction of travel, a processing unit calculates the position of the robot from the running reference line. Travel control for an autonomous robot, characterized in that the maximum value of the amount of shake is calculated, and the coordinate value of a travel reference line during straight-ahead travel after reversal of the direction of travel is corrected by the maximum value of the amount of shake during the previous straight-ahead run. Method. 2) In the method for controlling the movement of an autonomous mobile robot as set forth in claim 1, instead of running straight along a parallel and straight reference line and repeatedly reversing the direction of movement,
2. The autonomous mobile robot travel control method according to claim 1, wherein the autonomous mobile robot travels repeatedly along a curved travel reference line and reverses the traveling direction.