JPS63150707A - Automatic operation unmanned vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the tracking performance with respect to a running track by providing a traveling path detection sensor before and after front and rear wheels and using the traveling path detection sensor toward each progressing direction of the front and rear wheels so as to read the traveling track thereby applying steering. CONSTITUTION:Front wheel traveling path detection sensors 11, 12 are arranged before and after the front wheel 1 and rear wheel side traveling path detection sensors 13, 14 are arranged before and after the rear wheel 2. In the case of the forward traveling, the sensors 11, 13 send a signal to a front wheel drive motor and the rear wheel steering motor while detecting the difference between the traveling track read tape 5 and the optical reflection on the floor 6 to apply both when drive traveling along the tape 5. In the case of the backward drive, the sensors 12, 14 apply both wheel drive traveling similarly as the forward drive. Thus, very excellent tracking performance is attained with the unmanned vehicle without fallen out of the traveling track.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an unmanned vehicle used as a transportation device. for example,
This relates to an automatic driving method for battery-powered electric unmanned vehicles (trackless).

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional battery-powered electric unmanned vehicle operates in a configuration as shown in the plan view of FIG. 3, and the three-wheel system is the most common. In Fig. 3, 1 is the front wheel, 2 is the rear wheel, 3 is the front wheel running path detection sensor, 4 is the rear wheel running path detection sensor, 5 is the running track reading tape, 6 is the floor, 7 is the front wheel driving shaft, 8
is the rear wheel driving axis, 9 is the front wheel origin detector, 10 is the rear wheel origin detector, and when moving forward, the rear wheel origin detector 1 is in a stationary state.
A signal is sent from 0 to the rear wheel steering motor (not shown), the rear wheel driving shaft 8 is rotated, and the rear wheel 2 is moved to the running trajectory reading tape 5.
is moved parallel to. Thereafter, while the front wheel running path detection sensor 3 detects the difference in light reflection between the running trajectory reading tape 5 and the floor surface 6, a signal is sent to the front wheel steering motor (not shown), the front wheel driving shaft 7 is rotated, and the front wheel driving shaft 7 is rotated. 1 runs along the running trajectory reading tape 5.

When going backwards, a signal is sent from the front wheel origin detector 9 to the front wheel steering motor in a stationary state, the front wheel driving shaft 7 is rotated, and the front wheel 1
is moved parallel to the running trajectory reading tape 5. After that, while detecting the difference in light reflection between the running trajectory reading tape 5 and the floor surface 6 by the rear wheel running path detection sensor 4, a signal is sent to the rear wheel steering motor, and the rear wheel driving shaft 8 is rotated to rotate the rear wheel 2. The vehicle travels along the traveling trajectory reading tape 5.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional driving system, since the wheels on the rear side in the direction of travel are fixed, a device for detecting the origin state is required, and a device for detecting the origin state is required. Tracking performance is affected by the fixing accuracy of the rear wheels, and there is a problem that the minimum turning radius is thick (the minimum turning radius is thick) because it is easy to fall off the tape for reading the running track.Even if you drive with both wheels, the rear wheels will It came off and could not be used.

Also, if followability is poor, (1) The driving space for unmanned vehicles will become wider.

(2) The accuracy of delivery of conveyed objects deteriorates.

There are other problems.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a self-driving unmanned vehicle with a simple configuration and good followability.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a driving path detection sensor in front and behind each of the front wheels and rear wheels of an electric unmanned vehicle, and detects the driving path in each direction of travel of the front wheels and rear wheels. It is equipped with an automatic driving means that uses detection sensors to read the traveling trajectory.

According to the present invention, with the above-described configuration, since both wheels are controlled while the traveling trajectory is detected by the traveling path detection sensors of both wheels, the traveling followability of the traveling trajectory reading means is extremely good.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a plan view of the configuration of a battery-powered electric unmanned vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are plan views showing the operating principle when moving forward. With the symbols in the figure, 11 and 12 are road detection sensors placed before and after the front wheels, 13 and 14 are road road detection sensors placed before and after the rear wheels, and when moving forward, the road detection sensors on the front wheels' moving direction side are used. 11 and the rear wheel traveling direction side running path detection sensor 13, while detecting the difference in light reflection between the running trajectory reading tape 5 and the floor surface 6, the front wheel steering motor (
(not shown) and a rear wheel steering motor (not shown) to perform two-wheel driving along the traveling trajectory reading tape 5. The operating principle of the front wheels 1 at this time is, as shown in Fig. 2a, that the front wheels are installed so that the pitch distance W2 of the running path detection sensor 11 of the front wheels is equal to or narrower than the width w1 of the running track reading tape. When both sensors are on the track reading tape 5, no signal is sent to the steering motor and the wheels remain as they are.As shown in Figure 2, one sensor is on the track reading tape 5. When it comes off, a signal is sent from the sensor on the side that came off, and a signal is sent to the steering motor, and the front wheel driving shaft 7 is turned so as to return the sensor on the side that came off, onto the traveling trajectory reading tape 5.

It goes without saying that the operating principle for the rear wheels 2 is similar. When going backwards, the travel path detection sensor 1 on the other side of the front wheel
2 and the running road detection sensor 14 on the other side of the rear wheels, the vehicle performs two-wheel driving in the same way as when moving forward.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, since the vehicle runs by steering both wheels, the unmanned vehicle does not deviate from the running track and has extremely excellent tracking performance, which is extremely useful in practice.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the configuration of an electric unmanned vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the principle of operation during forward movement, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the configuration of a conventional example. 1...Front wheel, 2...Rear wheel, 5...
・・Travel trajectory reading tape, 6・・・・Floor surface, 7・
...Front wheel driving shaft, 8...Rear wheel driving shaft, 1
1', 12...Front wheel side road detection sensor, 13
．． 14...Rear wheel side road detection sensor 〇 Name of agent Patent attorney Toshio Nakao and 1 other person No. 1
Figure 2 (phantom (b) W2≦W1 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] An automatic driving unmanned vehicle is provided with automatic driving means that includes road detection sensors in front and rear of each of a front wheel and a rear wheel, and reads a running trajectory using the road detection sensors on each of the front wheels and the rear wheels in the traveling direction.