KR20210132949A - Mapping method for automatic guided vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for generating a map of automatic guided vehicles, which uses a map matching-based location recognition technology to generate a map which does not require a guide road and enables safe autonomous driving. According to the present invention, basic map data generated on the basis of location information, which is acquired by a location information acquisition unit acquiring the location information in a workplace within an industrial site, is acquired as raw data and transmitted to a control server. The control server uses a map matching algorithm on the received map data to generate nodes which are corners and edge data connecting the nodes; converts the generated nodes and the edge data into editable Excel map data; edits the Excel map data by applying changed environment information to the Excel map data; generates a path on the basis of the edited Excel map data; simulates the generated path; and supplements the generated path by path simulation results. Accordingly, even if the location of a work target is changed or the nodes are changed on a work site, the path can be conveniently generated by simply changing node attribute information without generating new map data.

Description

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

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

As a part of logistics automation for automatically moving goods or goods within the work space of an industrial site, an Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) is used.

Such an autonomous vehicle (AGV) recognizes the driving guideline path installed in advance by the user and the command of the identifier installed on the driving guideline path, and automatically drives along the corresponding path and performs the operation. The driving route of the automatic transport vehicle may be defined by various means such as an electric wire installed under the ground or in the air, an optical or magnetic tape installed on the ground or wall, or a laser or GPS.

To create a route for autonomous driving, it is necessary to create a map of the workspace.

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

It acquires raw data, which is location data, while driving through the workspace using navigation.

Next, the obtained raw data is processed to generate node data that is an edge, and edge data is generated by connecting the generated node data.

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

And when performing a mission while autonomous driving, 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 map generation method cannot modify the raw data, so there is a limit in generating an optimal map and route. In particular, when setting up the AGV, it is impossible for the product user to set up the AGV, and the expert of the AGV supplier must do the setup, so it takes a lot of time to create a map, and waste of human/time and loss occurs. 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 every time it is changed. In particular, since it is impossible for a user to generate map data and an expert is required, real-time performance is deteriorated, and the space utilization of the production site is also deteriorated.

On the other hand, the conventionally proposed technique for setting the path of the automatic transport vehicle is disclosed in the following <Patent Document 1>.

<Patent Document 1> is a step of arranging a plurality of nodes on a driving path on which an automatic moving bogie moves, a node attribute related to a task to be performed by the automatic moving bogie in a node, and a work attribute related to a task to be performed in a section connected to the node and generating a route sequence including a node attribute and a section attribute.

Through this, it provides a method of creating, inserting, deleting, and changing the movement route of the automatic moving bogie, and a visualization method of a travel route calculated based on it, and a search method using the work result.

However, this prior art also has the inconvenience of disposing a plurality of nodes on the driving path, and since it is impossible to perform a pre-mission simulation for the generated path, there is a disadvantage that the path needs to be re-established if an error occurs after assigning the mission.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Patent No. 10-2018-0063696 (published on June 12, 2018) (Route setting method of automatic moving bogie)

Therefore, the present invention has been proposed to solve the problems that occur in the general method for generating maps of unmanned vehicles as described above and in the prior art. Using a map matching-based location recognition technology, a taxiway is unnecessary and safe An object of the present invention is to provide a map generation method for an autonomous vehicle capable of generating a map capable of autonomous driving.

In order to achieve the above object, the "map generation method of an automatic transport vehicle" according to the present invention,

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

(b) generating edge data by connecting a node that is an edge to a node using a map matching algorithm based on the map data received from the control server;

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

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

(e) generating a route based on the Excel map data modified by the control server, simulating the generated route, and supplementing the generated route using the route simulation result.

In the above step (b),

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

(b2) fitting the visually expressed position data to a straight line using a fitting algorithm;

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

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

(b5) setting an attribute in the normalized node;

(b6) generating edge data by connecting nodes from the node in which the property is set;

(b7) saving the generated node data and edge data as an Excel file.

In the step (b3), the node data is generated by adjusting the distance of the generated node.

In the above, the node properties of step (b5) include unloading, loading, charging, standby, and whether or not locked.

In the step (b6), it is characterized in that the generated edge data includes direction information including a unidirectional direction or a reverse direction.

In addition, the "map generation method of an automatic transport vehicle" according to the present invention,

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

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

According to the present invention, there is an effect of generating a map that does not require a taxiway and enables safe autonomous driving by using a map matching-based location recognition technology.

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

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

Hereinafter, a method for generating a map of an automatic transport 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 conventional or dictionary meanings, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of terms in order to best describe his invention. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea 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 It should be understood that there may be variations.

2 is a block diagram of a map generating system to which a map generating method of an automatic transport vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied, and includes a location information acquisition unit 100 , a control server 200 and an automatic transport vehicle 300 . may include

The location information acquisition unit 100 acquires location information using a location information acquisition device such as a navigation device, and delivers the acquired location information as 3D (X, Y, Z) location data to the control server 200. 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 node and edge data into editable Excel map data, edit the Excel map data by applying the environment information to the Excel map data, and create a route based on the edited Excel map data. After the simulation, the route is corrected based on the simulation result, and the map and route information are transmitted to the automatic transport vehicle (AGV).

This control server 200 acquires the basic map data as raw data through the location information acquisition unit 100, and uses the map matching algorithm for the received map data to the edge (Node) connecting the node with the edge (Node) edge) data, a location information processing module 201 that 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 adds the data to the Excel map data. A simulation module ( 203), a route mission management module 204 for delivering the route supplemented through the simulation module 203 to the automatic transport vehicle 300 as a mission, and location information in real time when the automatic transport vehicle 300 performs a mission The AGV monitoring module 205 for acquiring and managing the status of the autonomous vehicle, the event/alarm management module 206 for generating an alarm when the vehicle 300 deviates from the path or an event occurs, and the location information acquisition unit 100 ) or the automatic transport vehicle 300 and a network interface module 207 for transmitting and receiving data through the network.

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

3 is a conceptual diagram showing a "map generation method for an automatic transport 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 connecting a node and a node, which is an edge, using a map matching algorithm based on the map data received from the location information processing module 201 of the control server 200, the control converting the generated node and edge data into editable Excel map data (XML map data) in the location information processing module 201 of the server 200, 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 a mission, the route generated by the simulation module 203 of the control server 200 and supplementing the generated path by using the path simulation result.

In addition, in the "map creation method of an automatic transport vehicle" according to the present invention, (f) transmits the route supplemented by the route task management module 204 of the control server 200 to the automatic transport vehicle 300 and performs the task The step of giving, (g) transmitting the location information to the control server 200 in real time while performing the mission through autonomous driving using the route information according to the mission assigned by the automatic transport vehicle 300 is further may include

A method for generating a map of an automatic transport 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 the control of the automatic transport vehicle 300, initially, the location information acquisition unit 100, which is a location information acquisition device such as navigation, is used to create a map while moving the space of the industrial site. Obtain location information. The location information acquisition unit 100 transmits the acquired location information as 3D (X, Y, Z) location data to the control server 200 (S10).

The control server 200 acquires the basic map data as raw data for the location information obtained from the location information acquisition unit 100, and processes the acquired map data with a location recognition map matching algorithm to obtain a node and an edge. Create data, convert node and edge data into editable Excel map data, apply environmental information to Excel map data to edit Excel map data, and create and create routes based on the edited Excel map data. After the route is simulated, the route is modified based on the simulation result, and the map and route information are transmitted to the automatic transport vehicle (AGV).

For example, the location information processing module 201 of 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 for the received map data to be a corner node. Creates edge data that connects (Node) and Node. 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 in the space of the industrial site by using the 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). Connecting the two-dimensional data results in a curve-like shape.

Next, the position data of the visually expressed curve is fitted to a straight line using a fitting algorithm (S30). Here, as the fitting algorithm, various known fitting algorithms may be used, and in the present invention, a Linear Regression Algorithm is used.

Next, node data, which is an edge, is generated using distance information of a straight line from the position data fitted with the straight line (S40). Here, the node can be regenerated by appropriately adjusting the distance of the node. The node data may include node ID, node name, node type, location X, and location Y information.

Next, the node is normalized by adjusting the node interval in the generated node data (S50). Normalizing the nodes here can also use a known regularization algorithm. Node normalization can be implemented by adjusting the node distance.

Next, an attribute is set in the normalized node (S60). Here, the node attribute may include information such as unloading, loading, charging, standby, or whether it is locked.

Next, edge data is generated by connecting nodes from the node in which the property is set ( S70 ). Here, the generated edge data may include unidirectional or reverse direction information. Unnecessary edges can be removed as needed.

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

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

Thereafter, the Excel map data is loaded from the location information processing module 201 in the map editor 202, and the changed environment information is applied to the Excel map data to edit the Excel map data. This Excel map data becomes a map for environment recognition.

Here, the map editor 202 is a part that changes the environment information to the node attribute when the node attribute is changed. Node properties are changed when a change occurs, such as a change in the location of an object, a change in a charging part, or a lock in the path of a node in the work space of an industrial site.

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

After supplementing and correcting the Excel map data, an optimal route is generated based on the corrected Excel map data. Here, when creating a path, the edge lock state is given to regenerate the path. If an obstacle is found or the HMI forcibly locks the path, the path of all AGVs is re-searched, and when a matching path is found, the path is re-corrected.

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

Next, the simulation module 203 simulates the generated path.

Path simulation is to simulate a path created by inputting a start node and an end node. The simulation module 203 may simulate a plurality of AGVs by virtually creating a work task and generating an automatic path for a plurality of AGV integrity tasks.

The simulation module 203 generates an optimal path by supplementing the path generated by using the path simulation result.

The optimal route generated in this way is transmitted to the automatic transport vehicle 300 through the route mission management module 204 as route mission data. When a route is transmitted to the autonomous vehicle 300 , map data may also be transmitted or the map data may be transmitted in advance before route delivery. Here, the route mission data may be data having an array of 10 -> 21 -> 22 -> 23 -> 65 -> 68 -> 71 edge IDs.

The automatic transport vehicle 300 performs a task while storing the map data and route information to be transmitted, and autonomously driving the route to which the task is assigned, in a state in which it stands by at the standby position or the charging position. At this time, the automatic transport 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 the generated location information to the control server 200 .

The AGV monitoring module 205 of the control server 200 manages the state of the autonomous transport vehicle by acquiring location information in real time when performing the task of the autonomous transport vehicle 300 . Here, by displaying the location information acquired in real time on the screen, the manager can check the task performance status of the automatic transport vehicle 300 in real time.

During real-time monitoring of the task performance status of the automatic transport vehicle 300, when a route departure or an event occurs, the event/alarm management module 206 generates an alarm to prevent the automatic transport vehicle 300 from departing from the route or performing other tasks. Recognize situations where you can't.

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

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

In addition, since the raw data of the map capable of autonomous driving can be modified, there is no need to create new map data even when the node properties are changed, and the route can be regenerated by simply editing only the property information in the generated map data. brings convenience to

Although the invention made by the present inventor has been described in detail according to the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it is common knowledge in the art that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. 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: path mission management module
205: AGV monitoring module
206: event / alarm management module
207: network interface module
300: automatic transport vehicle (AGV)

Claims (6)

A method of generating a map of an automatic transport vehicle (AGV) that works unmanned at an industrial site, comprising:
(a) acquiring the basic map data generated based on the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit that acquires location information in the work space within the industrial site as raw data and transmitting it to the control server
(b) generating edge data by connecting a node that is an edge to a node using a map matching algorithm based on the map data received from the control server;
(c) converting the generated node and edge data in the control server into editable Excel map data;
(d) loading the Excel map data in a map editor of the control server, and editing the Excel map data by applying the changed environment information to the Excel map data;
(e) generating a route based on the Excel map data modified by the control server, simulating the generated route, and supplementing the generated route using the route simulation result. of map generation method.
The method according to claim 1, (b) step,
(b1) visually expressing only location data in the received map data;
(b2) fitting the visually expressed position data to a straight line using a fitting algorithm;
(b3) generating node data using distance information of a straight line from the position data fitted with the straight line;
(b4) normalizing the nodes by adjusting the node interval in the generated node data;
(b5) setting an attribute in the normalized node;
(b6) generating edge data by connecting nodes from the node in which the property is set;
(b7) storing the generated node data and edge data as an Excel file.
The method according to claim 2, wherein in step (b3), the node data is generated by adjusting the distance between the generated nodes.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the node attribute in step (b5) includes whether to unload, load, charge, stand by, or lock.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the step (b6) includes direction information including a one-way direction or a reverse direction in the generated edge data.
The method of claim 1 , further comprising: (f) transmitting the route supplemented by the control server to the automatic transport vehicle and assigning a task; (g) transmitting the location information to the control server in real time while performing the mission through autonomous driving by using the route information according to the mission assigned by the autonomous vehicle; How to create a map.

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