KR20230111347A - Ultra-thin mobile which transports structures for testing autonomous driving performance of vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an ultra-thin mobile body for transporting a test object for testing autonomous driving performance of a vehicle is provided. The movable body may include a base plate on which the test subject is seated; and a pad including an inclined plate formed outside the base plate. at least one main wheel provided inside the pad and moving the pad; and a driving unit including a chassis supporting the main wheel. and a main support that connects the pad and the moving unit and removes a driving obstacle caused by an obstacle adjacent to the moving body by changing at least one of a distance and an angle between the pad and the moving unit.

Description

Ultra-thin movable body transporting test objects for testing the autonomous driving performance of vehicles

The present invention relates to an ultra-thin mobile body for transporting a test object for testing autonomous driving performance of a vehicle.

Fully self-driving technology aims to eliminate human involvement in the driving of the vehicle, in which case there are questions about safety, so there is a growing demand for technology to test the safety of autonomous driving technology.

For example, an autonomous vehicle must be able to perform emergency braking or direction change when an obstacle such as a person or animal suddenly appears in front, and safe autonomous driving is possible only when emergency braking performance or direction change performance exceeds a predetermined standard. Therefore, in order to test the autonomous driving performance of such an autonomous vehicle, a technology capable of suddenly appearing an obstacle in front of the vehicle is required.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultra-thin mobile body for transporting a test object for testing autonomous driving performance of a vehicle to solve the above problems.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an ultra-thin mobile body for transporting a test object for testing autonomous driving performance of a vehicle is provided. The movable body may include a base plate on which the test subject is seated; and a pad including an inclined plate formed outside the base plate. at least one main wheel provided inside the pad and moving the pad; and a driving unit including a chassis supporting the main wheel. and a main support that connects the pad and the moving unit and removes a driving obstacle caused by an obstacle adjacent to the moving body by changing at least one of a distance and an angle between the pad and the moving unit.

In addition, the main support portion, at least one cam gear in contact with one side of the base plate (Cam Gear); and at least one gear motor for driving the cam gear, wherein the one side of the base plate moves up and down between a first state and a second state higher than the first state by rotational driving of the cam gear.

In addition, the cam gear is rotationally driven around an eccentric shaft, and one area of the cam gear may protrude outward relative to the eccentric shaft relative to an opposite area.

In addition, the cam gear may include at least one first cam gear provided on one side of the main support and at least one second cam gear provided on the other side, and the gear motor may include at least one first gear motor and at least one second gear motor connected to the first cam gear and the second cam gear, respectively.

In addition, the movable body may include a normal driving mode in which the first cam gear and the second cam gear are in the first state; a ramp entry mode in which only one of the first cam gear and the second cam gear is in the second state; and a lifting driving mode in which the first cam gear and the second cam gear are in the second state.

In addition, a driving situation detection unit; and a controller that determines a driving mode as one of the normal driving mode, the ramp entry mode, and the lifting driving mode based on the data collected through the driving situation sensor.

In addition, the receiving unit for receiving the driving mode signal transmitted from the user terminal; and a controller configured to determine a driving mode as one of the normal driving mode, the ramp entry mode, and the lifting driving mode based on the driving mode signal.

In addition, the main support portion, the body portion coupled to the base plate; at least one coupling portion provided at an upper end of the body portion and having a coupling hole to which the cam gear is coupled; A shock absorber may be included that connects the main body and the moving part and absorbs the impact by moving the main body downward when an impact is applied to the pad or the main wheel.

The vehicle may further include an auxiliary support portion including at least one auxiliary wheel that connects the inner side of the inclined plate and the chassis and assists driving of the main wheel.

According to the present invention, it is possible to test the performance of an autonomous vehicle, such as emergency braking performance or direction change performance, by transporting a test object made in the shape of a person or a bicycle in front of a running vehicle.

In addition, according to the present invention, even if the vehicle under the autonomous driving performance test fails to find the test object and passes by while bumping into the test object, the vehicle can move on top of the moving object, and thus damage to the vehicle and the moving object can be minimized.

In addition, according to the present invention, at least one of the distance and the angle between the pad and the moving unit is changed, and a driving obstacle caused by an obstacle adjacent to the moving body can be eliminated.

In addition, according to the present invention, the coupling of the pad and the moving part and the driving by the main wheel can be assisted by the auxiliary support provided with the auxiliary wheel.

In order to more fully understand the drawings cited in the detailed description of the present invention, a brief description of each drawing is provided.
1 is a perspective view of a moving body according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a moving object in a normal driving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view of a moving body in a lifting driving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of a movable body in a ramp entry mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining a buffer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the contents described in the accompanying drawings. In addition, a method of configuring and using a device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the contents described in the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals or numerals in each drawing indicate parts or components that perform substantially the same function. For convenience described below, directions of up, down, left, and right are based on the drawings, and the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the corresponding directions.

Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, may be used to describe various elements, but elements are not limited by the terms. Terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The terms and/or include a combination of a plurality of related items or any one of a plurality of related items.

Terms used in this specification are used to describe embodiments, and are not intended to limit and/or limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms include or have are intended to indicate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be connected to another part, this includes not only the case where it is directly connected but also the case where it is indirectly connected through another component in the middle. In addition, when a part includes a certain component, this means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

1 is a perspective view of a moving body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, an ultra-thin mobile body 1000 for transporting a test object for testing autonomous driving performance of a vehicle is provided. Specifically, the self-driving vehicle must be able to perform emergency braking or direction change when an obstacle such as a person or animal suddenly appears in front, and safe autonomous driving is possible only when emergency braking performance or direction change performance exceeds a predetermined standard. The movable body 1000 transports a test object made in the shape of a person, animal, or bicycle in front of a vehicle in motion to test the performance of the autonomous vehicle, such as emergency braking performance or direction change performance.

However, it is not limited to such uses, and the movable body 1000 may be used for various purposes according to embodiments to which the present invention is applied.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a mobile body in a normal driving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a moving body in a lifting driving mode according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5 , the movable body 1000 may include a pad 100 , a transport unit 200 , a main support unit 300 and/or an auxiliary support unit 400 .

A test object for a performance test of an autonomous vehicle may be seated on the pad 100 . At this time, the pad 100 covers the moving part 200, the main support part 300, and/or the auxiliary support part 400 from the outside, so that foreign substances are introduced into the moving body 1000, and parts of the moving part 200, the main support part 300 and/or the auxiliary support part 400 can be prevented from being damaged. In addition, the pad 100 is formed below a predetermined height with respect to the ground, so that the position and shape of the test object seated on the pad 100 can be easily observed through a front camera or sensor of the vehicle.

In an embodiment, the pad 100 may include a base plate 110 and an inclined plate 120 . For example, the base plate 110 may be formed flat so that a test object may be seated thereon, and the inclined plate 120 may be formed outside the base plate 110 to have a predetermined inclination. At this time, due to the inclination of the inclination plate 120, the vehicle may ride in and out of the upper part of the pad 100 while riding the inclination plate 120. That is, even if the vehicle under the autonomous driving performance test fails to find the test object and bumps into the test object, the vehicle may move on the top of the pad 100 so that the progress of the tire may not be hindered. Accordingly, damage to the vehicle and the movable body 1000 can be minimized.

The moving unit 200 may move the pad 100 . Specifically, the moving unit 200 is directly/indirectly coupled to the lower portion of the pad 100 and may move together with the pad 100 .

In an embodiment, the driving unit 200 may include at least one main wheel 210 and a chassis 220 supporting the main wheel 210 . For example, two main wheels 210 may be provided at the front and two at the rear with respect to the moving direction of the moving unit 200, but are not limited thereto.

Although not shown, according to embodiments, the driving unit may further include a driving unit for driving the main wheel 210 . For example, the driving unit may include all types of power means for driving the main wheel 210, such as an engine and a motor.

The main support part 300 connects the pad 100 and the moving part 200, and changes at least one of a distance and an angle between the pad 100 and the moving part 200 to remove obstacles caused by obstacles adjacent to the moving body 1000. Specifically, when an obstacle such as a stone, a slope, a bump, or a hill is disposed on the path on which the moving body 1000 moves, the inclined plate 120 of the pad 100 collides with the obstacle and the operation of the moving body 1000 may be hindered. Driving may not be hindered.

In an embodiment, the main support part 300 may include a main body part 310, at least one coupling part 320, at least one cam gear 330, at least one gear motor 340, and a buffer part 350.

In an embodiment, the body portion 310 may be coupled to the base plate 110 and support the base plate 110 .

In an embodiment, the body portion 310 may be coupled to the base plate 110 so as to be movable. Accordingly, at least one of the distance and angle between the pad 100 and the main body 310 can be changed, and thus at least one of the distance and angle between the pad 100 and the moving unit 200 can be changed.

In the embodiment, a base plate 111 is provided at the lower end of the base plate 110, a vertical hole 112 is formed through the base plate 111, and the main body portion 310 is bolted to the vertical hole 112. It can be moved up and down with respect to the base plate 110 while moving along the vertical hole 112. However, the coupling method between the body portion 310 and the base plate 110 is not limited thereto, and all couplings capable of moving up and down may be applied.

In the embodiment, the coupling part 320 is provided at the upper end of the body part 310, and the gear hole 321 to which the cam gear 330 (in particular, the eccentric shaft) is coupled may be formed through. At this time, the gear hole 321 may be formed in a horizontal direction with respect to the base plate 110, and the cam gear 330 may be bolted to the gear hole 321. Accordingly, the horizontal position of the cam gear 330 may be changed in the gear hole 321 corresponding to the area of the base plate 110 .

In the embodiment, the cam gear 330 may come into contact with one side of the base plate 110 . At this time, one side of the base plate 110 in contact with the cam gear 330 may move up and down between a first state and a second state higher than the first state by the rotational drive of the cam gear 330 . More specifically, in the first state, the height of the base plate 110 in contact with the cam gear 330 may be minimum, and in the second state, the height of the base plate 110 in contact with the cam gear 330 may be maximum, but is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, the cam gear 330 is rotationally driven around an eccentric shaft, and one area of the cam gear 330 may protrude outward relative to the eccentric shaft relative to an opposite area. That is, when the one region of the cam gear 330 is located at the upper end of the eccentric shaft, one side of the base plate 110 may be in the second state, and when the opposite region of the cam gear 330 is located at the upper end of the eccentric shaft, one side of the base plate 110 may be in the first state.

In the embodiment, the cam gear 330 may include at least one first cam gear 331 provided on one side of the main support part 300 and at least one second cam gear 332 provided on the other side. For example, the first cam gear 331 may be disposed at the front of the moving body 1000 based on the traveling direction to lift the front of the pad 100, and the second cam gear 332 may be disposed at the rear based on the traveling direction of the moving body 1000 to lift the rear of the pad 100, but is not limited thereto. In addition, two first cam gears 331 and two second cam gears 332 may be provided at the front and rear of the movable body 1000, respectively, but are not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, gear motor 340 may drive cam gear 330 . For example, the gear motor 340 may be an electric motor coupled to an eccentric shaft of the cam gear 330, but is not limited thereto and may include any type of power means capable of driving the cam gear 330.

In the embodiment, the gear motor 340 may include at least one first gear motor 341 and at least one second gear motor 342 connected to the first cam gear 331 and the second cam gear 332, respectively.

In an embodiment, the movable object 1000 may drive while the driving mode is switched between a normal driving mode, a ramp entry mode, and a lifting driving mode. At this time, the normal driving mode is a driving mode in which the first cam gear and the second cam gear are in the first state, the slope entry mode is a driving mode in which only one of the first cam gear and the second cam gear is in the second state, and the lifting driving mode may be a driving mode in which the first cam gear and the second cam gear are in the second state.

In the embodiment, the buffer unit 350 connects the body unit 310 and the driving unit 200, and when an impact is applied to the pad 100 or the main wheel 210, the body unit 310 is moved downward to absorb the impact. For example, the shock absorber 350 may include a shock absorber and a buffer spring, but is not limited thereto, and various configurations for absorbing shock may be applied.

The auxiliary support part 400 may assist in coupling the pad 100 and the moving part 200 . For example, the auxiliary support 400 may connect the inside of the inclined plate 120 and the chassis 220, and accordingly, the pad 100 is not only vertically connected to the chassis 220 through the main support 300, but also connected laterally to the chassis 220 through the auxiliary support 400, so that it can be more stably combined with the chassis 220. Also, for example, the auxiliary support part 400 covers the lower part of the pad 100 and can prevent foreign substances on the floor from being introduced into the moving body 1000 .

In an embodiment, the auxiliary support part 400 may limit the degree of descent of the pad 100 by the buffer part 350 . For example, when the base plate 110 and the inclined plate 120 descend as the shock absorber 350 descends, the angle of the auxiliary support 400 is changed correspondingly. When the end of the auxiliary support 400 comes into contact with the chassis 220 of the moving unit 200 due to this angle change, the additional angle change of the auxiliary support 400 is limited, thereby limiting the downward movement of the inclined plate 120, thereby limiting the base plate 120's descent. The lowering of the plate 110 and the main support 300 may also be limited.

In an embodiment, at least one auxiliary wheel 410 may be provided in the auxiliary support part 400 . The auxiliary wheel 410 may assist the driving of the main wheel 210 . For example, when the movable body 1000 drives in the ramp driving mode and enters the ramp, the auxiliary wheel 410 may contact the inclined surface to assist driving, and in addition, the driving of the main wheel 210 may be assisted in various forms.

Depending on the embodiment, the moving object 1000 may be autonomously driven without a user's driving operation. In this case, the movable body 1000 may further include a driving condition detecting unit (not shown). For example, the driving condition detector may include a GPS sensor, a camera, a distance sensor, and the like, but is not limited thereto and may include any device capable of detecting the driving condition of the moving object 1000.

Depending on the embodiment, the movable body 1000 may be driven manually according to a user's driving operation. In this case, the moving object 1000 may further include a receiver (not shown) for receiving a driving mode signal transmitted from a user terminal. For example, the receiving unit may be a wired and/or wireless receiving unit. For example, the receiver may include a Bluetooth receiver, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) receiver, a Near Field Communication (WLAN) receiver, a Zigbee receiver, an infrared data association (IrDA) receiver, a Wi-Fi Direct (WFD) receiver, an ultrawideband (UWB) receiver, and the like, but is not limited thereto. The receiver may be implemented with at least one module or chip.

Although not shown, in an embodiment, the movable body 1000 may further include a controller (not shown). For example, when the moving object 1000 is driven autonomously, the controller may determine the driving mode based on data collected through the driving situation sensor, and when the moving object 1000 is driven manually, the controller may determine the driving mode based on the driving mode signal received by the receiver. The control unit may be electrically/physically connected to at least some of the components of the movable body 1000 to control their operations. For example, the control unit may generally control components within the mobile body 1000 by executing a program stored in the mobile body 1000 . For example, the controller may include at least one processor.

The movable body 1000 according to FIGS. 1 to 5 is exemplary, and various configurations may be applied according to embodiments to which the present invention is applied.

6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a control unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , in step S610 , the control unit may start the driving of the movable body 1000 . For example, while the moving object 1000 is in a stopped state, the driving situation sensor may detect information around the moving object 1000 (for example, whether or not there is an autonomous driving test vehicle operating around the moving object 1000) and transmit the detected information to the control unit, the control unit may generate a driving start signal through a predetermined algorithm based on the received information, and may operate the driving unit 200 of the moving object 1000 when the driving start signal is generated. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various embodiments may be applied, such as operating the driving unit 200 when the control unit receives a driving start signal from the user terminal through the receiving unit.

In step S620 thereafter, the controller may determine the surrounding situation. The determination of the surrounding situation may be made based on information received through the driving situation sensor. Specifically, the driving situation detector may detect surrounding information (for example, obstacles around the moving object 1000) while the moving object 1000 is driving and transmit the detected information to the control unit, and the control unit may determine the surrounding situation through a predetermined algorithm based on the received information.

In step S630 thereafter, the controller may determine the driving mode of the moving object 1000 . Specifically, the controller determines the driving mode as normal driving mode when no obstacle is detected around the moving body 1000, determines the driving mode as ramp entry mode when a ramp is detected in the traveling direction of the moving body 1000, and determines the driving mode as lifting driving mode when an obstacle such as a stone is detected around the moving body 1000. When the driving mode is determined, the controller may change the driving mode by manipulating the main support 300 .

After step S630, the controller may proceed to step S620 again. That is, the controller can control the operation of the moving object 1000 according to the real-time driving situation by determining the driving mode by continuously determining the surrounding situation.

The operation of the control unit according to FIG. 6 is exemplary, and various methods may be applied according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

As described above, the optimum embodiment has been disclosed in the drawings and specifications. Although specific terms have been used herein, they are only used for the purpose of describing the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention described in the claims or defining the meaning. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

100: pad 110: base plate
111: support plate 112: vertical hole
120: inclined plate 200: operating unit
210: main wheel 220: chassis
300: main support part 310: body part
320: coupling part 321: gear hole
330: cam gear 331: first cam gear
332: second cam gear 340: gear motor
341: first gear motor 342: second gear motor
350: buffer part 400: auxiliary support part
410: auxiliary wheel 1000: moving body

Claims (9)

As an ultra-thin mobile body that transports a test object for testing the autonomous driving performance of a vehicle,
a base plate on which the test subject is seated; and a pad including an inclined plate formed outside the base plate.
at least one main wheel provided inside the pad and moving the pad; and a driving unit including a chassis supporting the main wheel. and
and a main support unit connecting the pad and the moving unit and changing at least one of a distance and an angle between the pad and the moving unit to remove a driving obstacle caused by an obstacle adjacent to the moving body. According to claim 1,
The main support part, at least one cam gear in contact with one side of the base plate (Cam Gear); and at least one gear motor driving the cam gear;
A moving body in which the one side of the base plate moves up and down between a first state and a second state above the first state by the rotational drive of the cam gear According to claim 2,
The cam gear is rotationally driven about an eccentric shaft, and one area of the cam gear protrudes outward relative to the eccentric shaft than an opposite area. According to claim 2,
The cam gear includes at least one first cam gear provided on one side of the main support and at least one second cam gear provided on the other side,
The gear motor includes at least one first gear motor and at least one second gear motor connected to the first cam gear and the second cam gear, respectively. According to claim 4,
The movable body may include a normal driving mode in which the first cam gear and the second cam gear are in the first state; a ramp entry mode in which only one of the first cam gear and the second cam gear is in the second state; and a lifting travel mode in which the first cam gear and the second cam gear are in the second state. According to claim 5,
driving situation detection unit; and a control unit that determines a driving mode as one of the normal driving mode, the ramp entry mode, and the lifting driving mode based on the data collected through the driving situation sensor. According to claim 5,
a receiving unit receiving a driving mode signal transmitted from a user terminal; and a controller that determines a driving mode as one of the normal driving mode, the ramp entry mode, and the lifting driving mode based on the driving mode signal. According to claim 2,
The main support portion may include a body portion coupled to the base plate; at least one coupling portion provided at an upper end of the body portion and having a coupling hole to which the cam gear is coupled; and a shock absorber that connects the main body and the driving part and absorbs the impact by moving the main body downward when an impact is applied to the pad or the main wheel. According to claim 1,
The movable body further includes an auxiliary support portion connecting an inner side of the inclined plate and the chassis, and provided with at least one auxiliary wheel that assists driving of the main wheel.