KR102524030B1 - Mapping method for automatic guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

It is about a map generation method for an automatic guided vehicle that uses map matching-based location recognition technology to create a map that does not require taxiways and enables safe autonomous driving. Basic map data generated based on the location information obtained from the location information acquisition unit is acquired as raw data and transmitted to the control server, and the map data received from the control server is used to map the nodes and nodes that are corners by using a map matching algorithm. Creates edge data that connects, converts the created node and edge data into editable excel map data, applies changed environment information to excel map data to edit excel map data, and edits excel map data By creating a route based on the map, simulating the created route, and supplementing the created route using the route simulation results, new map data can be created even when the location of the work target or node is changed at the work site. It is possible to conveniently create a path by simply changing the node attribute information without need.

Description

Mapping method for automatic guided vehicle {Mapping method for automatic guided vehicle}

The present invention relates to a method for generating a map of an Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV), and in particular, it is possible to generate a map that does not require a taxiway and enables safe autonomous driving by using a location recognition technology based on map matching. It relates to a method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle.

An Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) is used as a part of logistics automation for automatically moving objects or products within a work space of an industrial site.

Such an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) recognizes a driving guideline path pre-installed by a user and a command of an identifier installed on the driving guideline path, and automatically drives along the corresponding path to perform work. The driving path of the automated guided vehicle may be defined by various means such as wires installed under the ground or in the air, optical or magnetic tapes installed on the ground or on a wall, laser, or GPS.

To create a route for autonomous driving, a map of the workspace must be created.

1 illustrates a process of generating a map in an existing AGV.

Acquire raw data, which is location data, while driving in the workspace using navigation.

Subsequently, the obtained raw data is processed to generate node data, which is a corner, and edge data is generated by connecting the generated node data.

A map is created using the node and edge data generated in this way, a route for the AGV to perform its mission is created based on the generated map information, and the created route is transmitted to the AGV. The AGV performs its mission while autonomously driving based on the received route information.

And when performing missions while driving autonomously, the AGV generates location information in real time and transmits it to the server, and the server monitors the AGV through the location information transmitted from the AGV.

However, this method of generating maps has limitations in generating optimal maps and routes because raw data cannot be modified. In particular, when setting up the AGV, it is impossible for the user of the product to set up the AGV, and the expert of the AGV supplier must set it up, which takes a lot of time to create a map, and wastes and loses human/time. In addition, when the node properties (unloading, loading, charging, standby, etc.) on the route are changed, there is an inconvenience in that map data must be newly created each time it is changed. In particular, since it is impossible for a user to generate map data and requires an expert, real-time performance is poor, resulting in poor space utilization in a production site.

Meanwhile, a conventionally proposed technique for setting a path of an automatic guided vehicle is disclosed in <Patent Document 1> below.

<Patent Document 1> is a step of arranging a plurality of nodes on a travel path on which an automatic moving cart moves, a node attribute related to a work to be performed by an automatic moving cart at a node, and a work attribute related to a work to be performed in a section connected to the node A driving route is generated by including the step of receiving input for each of the plurality of nodes and generating a route sequence including node attributes and section attributes.

Through this, it provides a method of creating, inserting, deleting, and changing the movement path of an automatic moving cart, and a visualization method of a driving route calculated based on this, and a search method using work results.

However, this prior art also has the inconvenience of having to place a plurality of nodes on the driving route, and it is impossible to simulate the pre-mission for the created route, so if an error occurs after assignment of the mission, the route has to be reset again.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication 10-2018-0063696 (2018.06.12. Publication) (Route setting method of automatic moving cart)

Therefore, the present invention is proposed to solve various problems occurring in the general method of generating a map of an unmanned guided vehicle and the prior art, and uses a location recognition technology based on map matching so that taxiways are unnecessary and safe. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle capable of generating a map capable of autonomous driving.

In order to achieve the above object, the "method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle" according to the present invention,

(a) Acquiring basic map data as raw data from navigation and transmitting it to the control server

(b) generating edge data obtained by connecting nodes, which are corners, using a map matching algorithm from the map data received from the control server;

(c) converting the generated node and edge data into editable Excel map data in the control server;

(d) loading the Excel map data in the map editor of the control server and editing the Excel map data by applying changed environment information to the Excel map data;

(e) generating a route based on the Excel map data modified in the control server, simulating the created route, and complementing the created route using a route simulation result.

In the above step (b),

(b1) visually expressing only location data in the received map data;

(b2) fitting the visually expressed location data with a straight line using a fitting algorithm;

(b3) generating node data using distance information of a straight line from position data fitted to the straight line;

(b4) normalizing nodes by adjusting node intervals in the generated node data;

(b5) setting attributes to the normalized nodes;

(b6) generating edge data by connecting nodes in which the properties are set;

(b7) characterized in that it includes the step of saving the generated node data and edge data as an Excel file.

Step (b3) above is characterized in that node data is generated by adjusting the distance of the created nodes.

In the above, the node properties of the step (b5) are characterized in that they include unloading, loading, charging, standby, and locked status.

Step (b6) above is characterized in that direction information including unidirectional or reverse direction is included in the generated edge data.

In addition, the "method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle" according to the present invention,

(f) transmitting the route supplemented by the control server to the automatic guided vehicle and assigning a task;

(g) transmitting location information to the control server in real time while performing a mission through autonomous driving using route information according to a mission assigned to the automatic guided vehicle.

According to the present invention, it is possible to generate a map that does not require an taxiway and enables safe autonomous driving by using a location recognition technology based on map matching.

In addition, according to the present invention, since raw data of a map capable of autonomous driving can be modified, there is no need to create new map data even when node properties are changed, and a route is generated by simply editing only attribute information in the generated map data. There are advantages to helping you do it.

1 is a flowchart showing a conventional AGV map creation process;
2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a map generation system to which a map generation method for an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention is applied;
3 is a flowchart showing a method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention;
4 is a flowchart of generating a map using 3D raw data in the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The terms or words used in the present invention described below should not be construed as being limited to a conventional or dictionary meaning, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his/her invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the present invention based on the principle that it can be.

Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention, so various equivalents and equivalents that can replace them at the time of the present application It should be understood that variations may exist.

2 is a configuration diagram of a map generation system to which a map generation method for an automatic guided vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied, comprising a location information acquisition unit 100, a control server 200, and an automatic guided vehicle 300. can include

The location information acquisition unit 100 acquires location information using a location information acquisition device such as a navigation device, and transmits the obtained location information to the control server 200 as 3D (X, Y, Z) location data do. The location information acquisition unit 100 acquires location information while moving.

The control server 200 acquires the location information obtained from the location information acquisition unit 100 as basic map data, and processes the acquired map data with a location recognition map matching algorithm to obtain node and edge data. After creating and converting the node and edge data into editable Excel map data, editing the Excel map data by applying environment information to the Excel map data, creating a route based on the edited Excel map data, and After simulation, the route is modified based on the simulation result, and the map and route information are delivered to the automatic guided vehicle (AGV).

The control server 200 acquires the basic map data as raw data through the location information acquisition unit 100, and uses the map matching algorithm to obtain the received map data, so that a node, which is a corner, and an edge connecting the nodes (Node) A location information processing module 201 that generates edge) data and converts the generated node and edge data into editable Excel map data, loads the Excel map data from the location information processing module 201, and loads the Excel map data A map editor 202 that edits Excel map data by applying changed environment information and creates a route for performing a mission; a simulation module that simulates the created route and supplements the created route using the route simulation result ( 203), a route mission management module 204 that transmits the route supplemented through the simulation module 203 to the automatic guided vehicle 300 as a mission, and location information in real time when the automatic guided vehicle 300 performs its mission An AGV monitoring module 205 that acquires and manages the state of an automatic guided vehicle, an event/alarm management module 206 that generates an alarm when the automatic guided vehicle 300 deviates from a route or an event occurs, and the location information acquisition unit 100 ) or the automatic guided vehicle 300 and a network interface module 207 for transmitting and receiving data through a network.

The automatic guided vehicle 300 serves to transmit location information to the control server 200 in real time while performing missions through autonomous driving in a work space at an industrial site using route information according to an assigned mission. This automatic guided vehicle 300 is operated unmanned.

3 is a conceptual diagram showing a "method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle" according to the present invention, in which the location information acquisition unit 100 such as navigation acquires basic map data as raw data and transmits it to the control server 200 , Generating edge data obtained by connecting a node, which is a corner, using a map matching algorithm to the map data received from the location information processing module 201 of the control server 200, wherein the control server 200 Converting the generated node and edge data in the location information processing module 201 of the server 200 into editable Excel map data (XML map data), in the map editor 202 of the control server 200 Loading the Excel map data, editing the Excel map data by applying the changed environment information to the Excel map data, and generating a route for performing the mission, the route created by the simulation module 203 of the control server 200 , and supplementing the generated path using the path simulation result.

In addition, in the "method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle" according to the present invention, (f) the route mission management module 204 of the control server 200 transmits the supplemented route to the automatic guided vehicle 300 and performs the mission. (g) transmitting location information to the control server 200 in real time while performing a mission through autonomous driving using route information according to a mission assigned by the automatic guided vehicle 300; can include

A method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle according to the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 .

First, in order to generate map data for control of the automatic guided vehicle 300, initially using the location information acquisition unit 100, which is a location information acquisition device such as a navigation system, while moving the space of an industrial site, Acquire location information. The location information acquisition unit 100 transmits the acquired location information to the control server 200 as 3D (X, Y, Z) location data (S10).

The control server 200 acquires basic map data from the location information obtained from the location information acquisition unit 100 as raw data, and processes the acquired map data with a location recognition map matching algorithm to generate nodes and edges. After creating data, converting the node and edge data into editable Excel map data, editing the Excel map data by applying environment information to the Excel map data, and creating and creating a route based on the edited Excel map data. After simulating the route, the route is modified based on the simulation result, and the map and route information are delivered to the automatic guided vehicle (AGV).

For example, the location information processing module 201 of the control server 200 acquires basic map data as raw data through the location information acquisition unit 100, and uses the map matching algorithm to obtain the received map data for a corner node. Creates (Node) and edge data that connects nodes. Then, the created node and edge data are converted into editable excel map data. That is, the location information processing module 201 automatically creates a map within the space of an industrial site using 3D raw data.

To this end, only the location data is visually expressed in the basic map data, which is the received raw data, and the location data is stored in the internal memory (S20). When the two-value data is connected, it becomes a curve-like shape.

Next, the position data of the visually expressed curve is fitted with a straight line using a fitting algorithm (S30). Here, the fitting algorithm may use various known fitting algorithms, and in the present invention, a linear regression algorithm will be used.

Next, node data that is a corner is generated using the distance information of the straight line from the position data fitted to the straight line (S40). Here, the node can be regenerated by properly adjusting the distance of the node. Node data may include node ID, node name, node type, location X, and location Y information.

Subsequently, nodes are normalized by adjusting node intervals in the generated node data (S50). Normalizing the nodes here may also use a known normalization algorithm. Node normalization can be implemented by adjusting node distances.

Next, attributes are set to the normalized nodes (S60). Here, the node properties may include information such as unloading, loading, charging, standby, and locking.

Subsequently, edge data is generated by connecting nodes in the nodes where the properties are set (S70). Here, unidirectional or reverse direction information may be included in the generated edge data. Unnecessary edges can be removed as needed.

Subsequently, the generated node data and edge data are saved as an Excel file (CSV file) (S80).

In the same process as above, the 3D raw data is created and saved as Excel map data in the form of an Excel file. The structure of Excel map data is DTDDFILE, which has a DTD (Digital Twin Diagram) file structure.

Thereafter, Excel map data is loaded from the location information processing module 201 in the map editor 202, and the Excel map data is edited by applying the changed environment information to the Excel map data. Such Excel map data becomes a map for environment recognition.

Here, the map editor 202 is a part that changes environment information into node properties when node properties are changed. Node properties change when changes occur, such as a change in the position of an object, a change in a charging part, or a locking of a node's path in an industrial workspace.

When node properties are changed in the map editor 202, by loading Excel map data and changing only the node property information, the process of creating new map data even if node properties, that is, the work environment is changed, can be eliminated as before. there is. In addition, there is an advantage in that a new optimal route can be created in real time even in a changed work environment by resetting only the node attribute information in real time from the Excel map data.

After complementing and correcting the Excel map data, an optimal route is created based on the modified Excel map data. Here, when creating a path, an edge lock state is given to recreate the path. If an obstacle is found or the road is forcibly locked from the HMI, the routes of all AGVs are re-searched, and the route is re-corrected when a matched route is found.

Here, path generation may use various path generation algorithms, and in the present invention, it is assumed that the Dijkstra algorithm for finding the shortest path between nodes is used as an embodiment.

Next, the simulation module 203 simulates the created path.

Path simulation is to simulate a path created by inputting a start node and an end node. The simulation module 203 can simulate multiple AGVs by virtually creating task tasks and creating automatic routes for multiple AGV integrity tasks.

The simulation module 203 supplements the generated path using the path simulation result to create an optimal path.

The optimal route thus generated is transmitted to the automatic guided vehicle 300 through the route task management module 204 as route task data. When a route is delivered to the automatic guided vehicle 300, map data may also be transmitted together, or the map data may be transmitted in advance prior to route delivery. Here, the route task data may be data having an edge ID array of 10 -> 21 -> 22 -> 23 -> 65 -> 68 -> 71.

The automatic guided vehicle 300 performs the mission while standing by at the waiting position or charging position, storing map data and route information, and autonomously driving the route to which the mission has been assigned. At this time, the automatic guided vehicle 300 generates location information in real time while performing the mission through autonomous driving using route information according to the assigned mission and transmits it to the control server 200 .

The AGV monitoring module 205 of the control server 200 obtains location information in real time when the automatic guided vehicle 300 performs its mission and manages the state of the automatic guided vehicle. Here, by displaying the location information obtained in real time on the screen, the manager can check the mission performance status of the automatic guided vehicle 300 in real time.

While monitoring the mission performance of the automatic guided vehicle 300 in real time, when a route deviation or an event occurs, the event/alarm management module 206 generates an alarm to prevent the automatic guided vehicle 300 from departing from the route or performing other tasks. Become aware of situations where you can't.

Here, data is transmitted and received through a data interface between the location information acquisition unit 100 and the control server 200 or between the control server 200 and the automatic guided vehicle 300 through the network interface module 207 .

As described above, the present invention can generate a map that does not require an taxiway and enables safe autonomous driving by using a location recognition technology based on map matching.

In addition, by allowing the raw data of a map capable of autonomous driving to be modified, there is no need to create new map data even when node properties are changed, and it is possible to regenerate a route by simply editing only the attribute information in the generated map data. promotes convenience.

Although the invention made by the present inventors has been specifically described according to the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is common knowledge in the art that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is self-evident to those who have

100: location information acquisition unit
200: control server
201: location information processing module
202: map editor
203: simulation module
204: route task management module
205: AGV monitoring module
206: event/alarm management module
207: network interface module
300: automatic guided vehicle (AGV)

Claims (6)

As a method of generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle (AGV) working unmanned at an industrial site,
(a) Acquiring basic map data generated based on the location information obtained from the location information acquisition unit that acquires location information from the workspace in the industrial site as raw data and transmitting it to the control server
(b) generating edge data obtained by connecting nodes, which are corners, using a map matching algorithm from the map data received from the control server;
(c) converting the generated node and edge data into editable Excel map data in the control server;
(d) loading the Excel map data in the map editor of the control server and editing the Excel map data by applying changed environment information to the Excel map data;
(e) generating a route based on the Excel map data modified in the control server, simulating the created route, and supplementing the created route using the route simulation result. Map generation method of .
In claim 1, the step (b),
(b1) visually expressing only location data in the received map data;
(b2) fitting the visually expressed location data with a straight line using a fitting algorithm;
(b3) generating node data using distance information of a straight line from position data fitted to the straight line;
(b4) normalizing nodes by adjusting node intervals in the generated node data;
(b5) setting attributes to the normalized nodes;
(b6) generating edge data by connecting nodes in which the properties are set;
(b7) A method for generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle, comprising the step of saving the generated node data and edge data as an Excel file.
The method of claim 2, wherein the step (b3) generates node data by adjusting the distance of the created node.
[Claim 3] The method of generating a map of an automatic guided vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the node properties in step (b5) include unloading, loading, charging, standby, and locking.
The method of claim 2, wherein step (b6) includes direction information including unidirectional or reverse directions in the generated edge data.
In claim 1, (f) transmitting the supplemented route in the control server to the automatic guided vehicle and assigning a task to it; (g) transmitting location information to the control server in real time while performing a mission through autonomous driving using route information according to a mission assigned to the automatic guided vehicle; Map creation method.

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