TWI665538B - A vehicle performing obstacle avoidance operation and recording medium storing computer program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A moving body includes: a plurality of driving wheels, which are driven by a plurality of motors; an obstacle sensor; an external sensor, which repeatedly scans the environment and outputs sensor data in each scan; According to the sensor data, sequentially generate and output the position information of the moving body; the control circuit controls the movement of the moving body while referring to the position information; and the storage device stores the detour path data defining the reference detour path, the reference detour path It is a combination of a first path related to the first direction and a second path related to the second direction different from the first direction. While the moving body is moving along a preset movement path, the output of the obstacle sensor detects an obstacle in the traveling direction at the first position, and the control circuit uses the detour path data. A detour path from a first position to a second position on a previously set movement path is set, and the moving body is moved along the detour path.

Description

Moving body performing obstacle avoidance action and recording medium of computer program recording the same Field of invention

The present disclosure relates to a moving body that performs an avoidance action of an obstacle.

Background of the invention

Research and development of moving bodies such as unmanned transport vehicles and mobile robots are ongoing. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-223634, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-205652, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-242489 disclose systems that control the movement of each moving body. The movement is controlled so that a plurality of autonomous moving bodies do not collide with each other.

Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-223634

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-205652

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-242489

Summary of invention

The present disclosure does not limit a certain exemplary embodiment, but provides a technique for allowing a moving body to smoothly avoid obstacles when there are obstacles on a moving path.

The moving body of the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is a moving body that can move autonomously, and the moving body is provided with: a plurality of driving wheels; a plurality of motors, each of which is connected to the plurality of driving wheels; an obstacle sensor , Detecting obstacles; external sensors, repeatedly scanning the environment, and outputting sensor data for each scan; position estimation device, based on the aforementioned sensor data, sequentially generates and outputs position information, the position information Is information indicating estimated values of the position and orientation of the moving body; the control circuit controls the movement of the moving body while rotating the plurality of motors while referring to the position information output by the position estimating device; and The storage device stores detour data defining a reference detour, which is a combination of a first path in a first direction and a second path in a second direction different from the first direction. Period during which the moving body moves along a preset movement path In the meantime, when an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction at the first position based on the output of the obstacle sensor, the control circuit uses the circuitous path data to set a movement path from the previously set path. A detour path from the first position to the second position above, and the moving body is moved along the detour path.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when an obstacle is detected at the first position at the first position by the output of the obstacle sensor while the mobile body is moving along a preset movement path, The control circuit uses the detour path data to set a detour path from the first position to the second position on the previously set movement path, and moves the moving body along the detour path. The detour path is defined by a reference detour path, which is a combination of a first path related to the first direction and a second path related to the second direction different from the first direction. This simplifies the setting of the detour.

1‧‧‧ users

2, 2a, 2b ‧‧‧ access points

3‧‧‧ Switching Hub

4‧‧‧ reflection point

5‧‧‧traction trolley

6‧‧‧ plates

7‧‧‧rail

10, 10a, 10b, 10c‧‧‧AGV (moving body)

11a, 11b‧‧‧Drive wheel (wheel)

11c, 11d, 11e, 11f

12‧‧‧Frame

13‧‧‧ transfer station

14‧‧‧ Walking control device

14a‧‧‧Microcomputer

14b, 52‧‧‧Memory

14c‧‧‧Storage Device

14d, 54‧‧‧communication circuit

14e‧‧‧Position estimation device

14f, 57‧‧‧communication bus

14g‧‧‧chip circuit

14h‧‧‧laser positioning system

14j‧‧‧obstacle sensor

15‧‧‧laser rangefinder

15a‧‧‧laser beam

16a, 16b‧‧‧motor

17‧‧‧Drive

17a, 17b‧‧‧motor drive circuit

18‧‧‧ coding unit

18a‧‧‧1st rotary encoder

18b‧‧‧2nd rotary encoder

20‧‧‧Terminal devices (mobile computers such as tablets)

40‧‧‧ Map

50‧‧‧operation management device

51‧‧‧CPU

53‧‧‧Location database (location DB)

55‧‧‧Map Database (Map DB)

56‧‧‧Image Processing Circuit

58‧‧‧Monitor

70, 70a, 70b, 70p, 70q‧‧‧ obstacles

100‧‧‧ Mobile Management System

a, a0, a1‧‧‧ Judgment action

b, b1, b2‧‧‧ move action

B, B _right , B _left , b1 ~ b3‧‧‧ detour

Bd‧‧‧ Detour data

c, c1‧‧‧ Direction change action

D1, D2‧‧‧ distance

Dmax1‧‧‧The first maximum allowable distance

Dmax2‧‧‧2nd maximum allowable distance

G‧‧‧ Finish

M‧‧‧Map Information

M1, M2, M3, M4 ‧‧‧ partial map data

M ₁ 、 M ₂ 、 M ₃ 、 M _n 、 M _{n + 1} 、 P1 ~ P4‧‧‧Position

R‧‧‧moving path

RD‧‧‧Movement data

S‧‧‧ starting point

S’‧‧‧ mobile space

S10, S12, S14, S16, S18, S20, S22, S24, S26, S28, S30, S32, S34, S36, S38, S40, S50, S52, S54‧‧‧ steps

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a movement path during general walking of the AGV.

FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a stop operation when an AGV detects an obstacle.

FIG. 1C is a diagram showing an obstacle avoidance operation of the AGV.

FIG. 1D is a diagram for explaining a reference detour.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a basic configuration example of the mobile management system 100.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a moving space S 'where an AGV exists.

FIG. 4A is a diagram showing an AGV and a traction trolley before connection.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a connected AGV and a traction trolley.

FIG. 5 is an external view of an exemplary AGV according to this embodiment.

FIG. 6A is a diagram showing a first hardware configuration example of an AGV.

6B is a diagram showing a second hardware configuration example of the AGV.

FIG. 7A is a diagram showing an AGV that generates a map while moving.

FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an AGV that generates a map while moving.

FIG. 7C is a diagram showing an AGV that generates a map while moving.

FIG. 7D is a diagram showing an AGV that generates a map while moving.

FIG. 7E is a diagram showing an AGV that generates a map while moving.

FIG. 7F is a diagram schematically showing a part of the completed map.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a map constituting one floor by a plurality of partial maps.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the operation management device.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an AGV movement path determined by the operation management device.

FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an example of a detour route B when an obstacle 70 is present on the movement route R. FIG.

FIG. 11B is a diagram for describing notations on the diagram regarding the obstacle detection operation and the detour operation performed by the mobile body 10.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a roundabout path when a plurality of obstacles 70a are present.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a roundabout path when a plurality of obstacles 70a are present.

FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram showing a case where a plurality of obstacles 70a are present. Illustration of trail example.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing three examples of the movement path R that cannot be returned to the original.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing three examples of the movement path R that cannot be returned to the original.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing three examples of the movement path R that cannot be returned to the original.

FIG. 18A is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the microcomputer 14a performed by the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 18B is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the microcomputer 14a performed by the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 19A is a diagram for explaining an operation example of the mobile body 10 performed by another example.

FIG. 19B is a diagram for explaining an operation example of the moving body 10 performed by another example.

FIG. 19C is a diagram for explaining an operation example of the mobile body 10 performed by another example.

FIG. 19D is a diagram for explaining an operation example of the moving body 10 performed by another example.

FIG. 19E is a diagram for explaining an operation example of the moving body 10 performed by another example.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing performed by the microcomputer 14a according to another exemplary embodiment.

Forms used to implement the invention

<Terms>

"Unmanned delivery vehicle" (AGV) refers to a trackless vehicle that loads goods into the body by human or automatic means, and automatically walks to the indicated location, and then unloads the goods by human or automatic means. "Unmanned transport vehicle" includes unmanned tractor and unmanned forklift.

The term "unmanned" refers to a situation in which the operation of a vehicle is set up so that no one is required to perform it, and it does not exclude the case where an unmanned delivery vehicle transports "a person (such as a person performing loading and unloading of goods)".

"Unmanned tractor" refers to a trolley that pulls a cargo or unloaded cargo in a manual or automatic manner and automatically walks to the indicated location.

"Unmanned forklift" refers to a trackless track with automatic masts that has a mast that moves up and down the forklift and other goods, and automatically moves the goods to the forklift and the like and walks to the indicated place. vehicle.

A "trackless vehicle" refers to a vehicle having wheels and an electric motor or engine that rotates the wheels.

A "moving body" refers to a device that moves by carrying a person or a cargo, and includes a wheel, a biped or multipedestal walking device that generates a driving force for movement, a propeller, and a propeller. The term "mobile body" in this disclosure includes not only a narrow unmanned transport vehicle, but also a mobile robot, a service robot, and a drone.

"Automatic walking" includes the following two types of walking: unmanned transport The vehicle walks according to the instructions of the computer's operation management system connected by communication, and the unmanned transport vehicle autonomously walks according to the control device it has. Autonomous walking includes not only walking by an unmanned transport vehicle along a predetermined path toward a destination, but also walking following a tracking target. In addition, the unmanned transport vehicle may perform manual walking temporarily in accordance with the instructions of the operator. Although "automatic walking" generally includes both "guided" walking and "unguided" walking, in this disclosure it refers to "unguided" walking.

"Guided" is a method of continuously or intermittently setting an inducer to use the inducer to induce an unmanned transport vehicle.

"Non-guided" is a method of induction without setting an inducer. The unmanned transport vehicle according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is equipped with its own position estimation device, and can walk in a non-guided manner.

"Self-position estimation device" is a device that estimates its own position on the environment map based on sensor data, where the sensor data is obtained by an outer-boundary sensor such as a laser range finder data of.

The "outside sensor" is a sensor that senses a state outside the moving body. Among the external sensors, there are, for example, a laser rangefinder (also called a three-dimensional scanner), a camera (or an image sensor), a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a millimeter-wave radar, and an ultrasonic wave. Sensors and magnetic sensors.

The "built-in sensor" is a sensor that senses the state inside the moving body. Examples of built-in sensors include rotary encoders (sometimes Will be referred to simply as "encoder"), acceleration sensors, and angular acceleration sensors (such as gyroscope sensors).

"SLAM (Simultaneous Positioning and Ground Construction)" is the abbreviation of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping, and refers to the situation of simultaneously performing its own position estimation and environmental map production.

<Illustrative embodiment>

Hereinafter, an example of a map making device and a map making system of the present disclosure will be described with reference to additional drawings. Furthermore, detailed explanations that are not necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well-known matters or repeated descriptions of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is because it is necessary to avoid the following description from becoming unnecessarily verbose so as to be easily understood by those skilled in the art. The inventors of the present invention provided additional drawings and the following description so that those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can fully understand the present disclosure. It is not intended to limit the subject matter described in the scope of a patent application by them.

FIGS. 1A to 1C show basic operation examples of the mobile body 10 performed by the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In FIGS. 1A to 1C, a movement path R connected between the start point S and the end point G is shown. In this specification, as an example of a moving body, an "unmanned transport vehicle" (AGV) is illustrated. In this case, the moving path is sometimes called a "walking path". In the illustrated example, the movement path R is a straight line. As will be described later, the moving body 10 includes an obstacle sensor that detects at least an obstacle in the moving direction of the moving body 10.

FIG. 1A shows a movement walking along a movement path R Moving body 10.

FIG. 1B shows a moving body 10 that stops walking when an obstacle 70 is detected on the movement path R by the obstacle sensor. When the moving body 10 removes the obstacle 70, it resumes walking.

FIG. 1C shows a moving body 10 that avoids the tortuous path of the obstacle 70 when the obstacle 70 is detected on the movement path R by the obstacle sensor. FIG. 1C shows that the avoidance direction of the obstacle 70 is a detour route B _right on the right side of the movement path R and a detour route B _left on the left side based on the traveling direction. To set the avoidance direction to the right or left, it can be set in the moving body 10 in advance.

In the present disclosure, the detour route B is set using a "reference detour route".

Figure 1D shows an example of a typical detour path. The "reference detour path" is a path defined by a combination of paths in at least two directions. That is, the reference detour path is a path defined by a combination of a first path related to the first direction and a second path related to the second direction different from the first direction. In the example of FIG. 1C, the first direction is a direction perpendicular to the path R (the vertical direction on the paper surface), and the second direction is a direction parallel to the moving path R.

When a bypass route is set for avoiding the obstacle 70, the moving body 10 moves the first route in one unit and moves in the first direction, and sets the second route into one unit and moves in the second direction, for example.

As shown in FIG. 1D, although the first direction and the second direction of the reference bypass path are orthogonal to each other in the preferred embodiment, they may not be orthogonal. In the case of non-orthogonal, there may be a path having a path in another direction or a plurality of directions different from the first direction and the second direction. Therefore, although in the example shown in FIG. 1D, the circuitous path is a "ㄈ" shape, the shape of the path may be formed, for example, when the hexagonal shape is bisected by a straight line passing through its center.

In the example of FIG. 1D, the distance of the first path and the distance of the second path are both fixed values and equal. But they do not need to be the same value. In the embodiment described later, the second path is an example in which the distance of the second path is not a fixed value.

Although for the convenience of explanation, this example is described as an example of a right-side detour, as long as those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains should clearly understand that the detour can be set for the left side as well as the right side. In the following description, the reference sign B _right of the detour is omitted from the description of the additional word "right" indicating that it is the right side.

A more specific example of a case where the moving body is an unmanned transport vehicle will be described below. In this manual, the abbreviation may be used to describe an unmanned transport vehicle as "AGV". In addition, in the following description, as long as there is no contradiction, the same applies to moving bodies other than the AGV, such as a mobile robot, a drone, or a manned vehicle.

(1) The basic structure of the system

FIG. 2 shows a basic configuration example of an exemplary mobile body management system 100 of the present disclosure. The mobile management system 100 contains at least 1 An AGV10, and an operation management device 50 that performs operation management of the AGV10. In FIG. 2, a terminal device 20 that can be operated by the user 1 is also described.

AGV10 is an "unguided" unmanned transfer trolley that can be used without an inducer such as a magnetic tape during walking. The AGV 10 can perform its own position estimation and send the results of the estimation to the terminal device 20 and the operation management device 50. The AGV 10 can automatically walk in the moving space S 'in accordance with an instruction from the operation management device 50. AGV10 can also be operated in a "tracking mode" that follows a person or other moving body.

The operation management device 50 is a computer system that tracks the position of each AGV 10 and manages the walking of each AGV 10. The operation management device 50 may be a desktop personal computer, a notebook personal computer, and / or a server computer. The operation management device 50 communicates with each AGV 10 through a plurality of access points 2. For example, the operation management device 50 sends the data of the coordinates of the position to which each AGV 10 should go next to each AGV 10. Each AGV 10 periodically transmits, for example, every 100 milliseconds, data showing the position and orientation of the display itself to the operation management device 50. When the AGV10 arrives at the indicated position, the operation management device 50 will further transmit the data of the coordinates of the position to be next. The AGV 10 can also walk in the moving space S 'in response to the operation of the user 1 who has been input to the terminal device 20. An example of the terminal device 20 is a tablet computer. Typically, the walking of the AGV10 using the terminal device 20 is performed at the time of map production, and the walking of the AGV10 using the operation management device 50 is performed after the map production.

Fig. 3 shows an example of the moving space S 'where three AGVs 10a, 10b, and 10c exist. All AGVs are set in the map Walk deeper. AGV10a and 10b are used to transport the goods placed on the roof. AGV10c walks following AGV10b ahead. In addition, for convenience of explanation, although reference characters 10a, 10b, and 10c are attached to FIG. 3, they are described below as "AGV10".

In addition to the method of transporting the goods placed on the roof, the AGV10 can also use a traction trolley connected to itself to transport the goods. FIG. 4A shows the AGV10 and the traction trolley 5 before connection. Casters are provided under each foot of the traction trolley 5. The AGV10 is mechanically connected to the traction trolley 5. FIG. 4B shows the AGV10 and the traction trolley 5 connected. When AGV10 is walking, traction trolley 5 will be towed by AGV10. By towing the traction trolley 5, the AGV 10 can carry the goods placed on the traction trolley 5.

The connection method between the AGV 10 and the traction trolley 5 may be any method. Here is an example. A plate member 6 is fixed to the top plate of the AGV10. The traction trolley 5 is provided with a guide rail 7 having a slit. The AGV 10 is close to the traction trolley 5, and the plate 6 is inserted into the slit of the guide rail 7. When the insertion is completed, the AGV10 penetrates the plate 6 and the guide rail 7 by an electromagnetic lock pin (not shown), and locks the electromagnetic lock. With this, the AGV 10 and the traction trolley 5 can be physically connected.

Refer to Figure 2 again. Each AGV 10 and the terminal device 20 can be connected in a one-to-one manner, for example, and perform communication in accordance with the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard. Each AGV 10 and the terminal device 20 can also perform communication in accordance with Wi-Fi (registered trademark) using one or a plurality of access points 2. The plurality of access points 2 are connected to each other through, for example, a switching hub 3. Pick up. In FIG. 2, two access points 2 a and 2 b are described. The AGV10 is wirelessly connected to the access point 2a. The terminal device 20 is wirelessly connected to the access point 2b. The data transmitted by the AGV 10 is received at the access point 2a, transferred to the access point 2b through the switching hub 3, and transmitted from the access point 2b to the terminal device 20. The data transmitted by the terminal device 20 is received at the access point 2b, transferred to the access point 2a through the switching hub 3, and transmitted from the access point 2a to the AGV 10. Thereby, bidirectional communication between the AGV 10 and the terminal device 20 can be realized. The plurality of access points 2 may be connected to the operation management device 50 through the switching hub 3. Thereby, bidirectional communication can also be achieved between the operation management device 50 and each AGV 10.

(2) Production of environmental maps

In order to allow the AGV10 to walk while estimating its own position, a map in the moving space S 'can be created. The AGV10 is equipped with a position estimation device and a laser rangefinder, and can use the output of the laser rangefinder to create a map.

AGV10 is transferred to the data acquisition mode by the user's operation. In the data acquisition mode, the AGV10 started acquiring sensor data using a laser rangefinder. The laser rangefinder periodically emits a laser beam such as infrared or visible light to the surroundings, and scans the surrounding space S. The laser beam is reflected on the surface of a structure such as a wall, a pillar, or an object placed on the floor. The laser range finder receives the reflected light of the laser beam, calculates the distance to each reflection point, and outputs data showing the measurement result of the position of each reflection point. At each reflection point The position reflects the arrival direction and distance of the reflected light. The data of the measurement results obtained by one scan may be referred to as "measurement data" or "sensor data".

The position estimation device stores sensor data in a storage device. When the acquisition of the sensor data in the moving space S 'is completed, the sensor data that has been stored in the storage device is sent to the external device. The external device may be, for example, a computer having a signal processor and a map making program installed.

The signal processor of the external device overlaps the sensor data obtained from each scan. The signal processor can make a map of space S by repeating the overlap processing. The external device will send the information of the created map to AGV10. AGV10 will save the data of the created map in the internal storage device. The external device may be the operation management device 50 or other devices.

It is also possible to make maps by AGV10 instead of external devices. As long as the circuit such as the microcontroller unit (microcomputer) of the AGV10 can perform the processing performed by the signal processor of the external device described above. When making a map in AGV10, it becomes unnecessary to send the accumulated sensor data to an external device. It can be considered that the data capacity of the sensor data is generally large. Since it is not necessary to send the sensor data to an external device, occupation of a communication line can be avoided.

Furthermore, the movement in the movement space S 'for acquiring the sensor data is realized by the AGV10 walking according to the user's operation. For example, the AGV10 is A walking instruction is received, and this walking instruction is a command which instructs a movement to the front-back, left-right, and left-right directions. The AGV10 walks forward, backward, left, and right in the moving space S 'in accordance with a walking instruction, and creates a map. When the AGV10 is connected to a control device such as a joystick in a wired manner, it is also possible to walk forward, backward, left, and right in the moving space S 'according to a control signal from the control device, and create a map. The sensor data can also be obtained by a person pushing a measurement trolley equipped with a laser rangefinder.

In addition, although a plurality of AGV10 are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the AGV may be one. When there are a plurality of AGV10s, the user 1 may use the terminal device 20 to select one AGV10 from the registered plurality of AGVs, and make the map of the moving space S '.

When making a map, each AGV10 can use this map to automatically walk while estimating its own position. The description of the process of estimating its own position will be described later.

(3) The composition of AGV

FIG. 5 is an external view of an exemplary AGV10 according to this embodiment. The AGV10 has two driving wheels 11a and 11b, four casters 11c, 11d, 11e, and 11f, a frame 12, a transport table 13, a travel control device 14, and a laser rangefinder 15. The two driving wheels 11a and 11b are each Set to the right and left of the AGV10. The four casters 11c, 11d, 11e, and 11f are arranged at the four corners of the AGV10. In addition, although the AGV10 also has a plurality of motors connected to the two driving wheels 11a and 11b, the plurality of motors are not shown in FIG. 5. In addition, in FIG. 5, one driver located on the right side of AGV10 is shown. The moving wheels 11a and the two casters 11c and 11e and the casters 11f on the left rear part are not shown because the left driving wheels 11b and the left front casters 11d are hidden behind the frame 12. The four casters 11c, 11d, 11e and 11f can be freely wound. In the following description, the driving wheels 11 a and 11 b are also referred to as wheels 11 a and 11 b, respectively.

The walking control device 14 is a device that controls the operation of the AGV 10, and includes an integrated circuit mainly including a microcomputer (to be described later), an electronic component, and a substrate on which it is mounted. The walking control device 14 performs the above-mentioned transmission and reception of data with the terminal device 20 and pre-processing calculations.

The laser rangefinder 15 is an optical device that measures a distance to a reflection point by emitting a laser beam 15a such as infrared or visible light, and detecting the reflected light of the laser beam 15a. In this embodiment, the laser rangefinder 15 of the AGV10 uses, for example, the front side of the AGV10 as a reference to illuminate a space in a range of 135 degrees to the left and right (270 degrees in total), and emit pulses while changing the direction by 0.25 degrees The laser beam 15a detects the reflected light of each laser beam 15a. With this, data on the distance to the reflection point in a direction determined at an angle of 1081 steps in total every 0.25 degrees can be obtained. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the scanning of the surrounding space by the laser rangefinder 15 is substantially parallel to the floor surface and is planar (two-dimensional). However, the laser rangefinder 15 can also perform scanning in the height direction.

The AGV10 can make a map of the space S based on the position and direction (direction) of the AGV10 and the scanning results of the laser rangefinder 15. The map can reflect the configuration of walls, pillars, and other structures placed on the floor, as well as the objects placed on the floor. Map data is saved In a storage device provided in the AGV10.

Generally, the position and direction of a moving body are called a pose. The position and direction of a moving body in a two-dimensional plane are expressed by a position coordinate (x, y) in an XY rectangular coordinate system and an angle θ with respect to the X axis. Hereinafter, the position and direction of the AGV10, that is, the posture (x, y, θ) may be simply referred to as "position".

The position of the reflection point viewed from the emission position of the laser beam 15a can be represented by polar coordinates determined by the angle and distance. In the present embodiment, the laser rangefinder 15 outputs sensor data expressed in polar coordinates. However, the laser rangefinder 15 may convert a position represented by a polar coordinate into a right-angle coordinate and output it.

Since the structure and operation principle of the laser rangefinder are well known, a more detailed description is omitted in this specification. Examples of objects that can be detected by the laser rangefinder 15 are people, goods, shelves, and walls.

The laser rangefinder 15 is an example of an external sensor for sensing the surrounding space to obtain sensor data. As another example of such an external sensor, an image sensor and an ultrasonic sensor can be considered.

The walking control device 14 can compare the measurement result of the laser rangefinder 15 and the map data held by itself to estimate its current position. Furthermore, the map data maintained can also be map data produced by other AGV10.

FIG. 6A shows a first hardware configuration example of the AGV10. FIG. 6A also shows a specific configuration of the walking control device 14.

The AGV10 includes a walking control device 14, a laser rangefinder 15, two motors 16a and 16b, a driving device 17, wheels 11a and 11b, and two rotary encoders 18a and 18b.

The walking control device 14 includes a microcomputer 14a, a memory 14b, a storage device 14c, a communication circuit 14d, a position estimation device 14e, and an obstacle sensor 14j. The microcomputer 14a, the memory 14b, the storage device 14c, the communication circuit 14d, and the position estimation device 14e are connected by a communication bus 14f, and can transfer data to each other. The laser rangefinder 15 is also connected to the communication bus 14f through a communication interface (not shown), and sends the measurement result, that is, the measurement data, to the microcomputer 14a, the position estimation device 14e, and / or the memory 14b.

The microcomputer 14 a is a processor or a control circuit (computer) that performs calculations for controlling the entire AGV 10 including the walking control device 14. The microcomputer 14a is typically a semiconductor integrated circuit. The microcomputer 14a sends a PWM (Pulse Width MModulation) signal, which is a control signal, to the driving device 17 to control the driving device 17 and adjusts the voltage applied to the motor. Thereby, each of the motors 16a and 16b can be rotated at a desired rotation speed.

One or more control circuits (for example, a microcomputer) for controlling the driving of the left and right motors 16a and 16b may be provided independently of the microcomputer 14a. For example, the motor drive device 17 may be provided with two microcomputers each controlling the drive of the motors 16a and 16b. These two microcomputers can also perform coordinate calculations using the encoded information output by the encoders 18a and 18b to estimate the moving distance of the AGV10 from a given initial position. Again, the 2 micro The computer can also use the coded information to control the motor drive circuits 17a and 17b.

The memory 14b is a volatile storage device that stores computer programs executed by the microcomputer 14a. The memory 14b may be used as a working memory when the microcomputer 14a and the position estimation device 14e perform calculations.

The storage device 14c is a non-volatile semiconductor memory device. However, the storage device 14c may be a magnetic recording medium represented by a hard disk, or an optical recording medium represented by an optical disk. In addition, the storage device 14c may include a head device for writing and / or reading data to and from any recording medium, and a control device for the head device.

The storage device 14c stores map data M of the walking space S, data of one or a plurality of moving paths (moving path data) RD, and detour path data Bd. The map data M is created by the AGV 10 operating in a map making mode, and is stored in the storage device 14c. The movement path data RD can be transmitted from the outside after the map data M has been created. The detour route data Bd is prepared in advance to define the reference detour route, and is stored in the storage device 14c. The reference roundabout path may be defined as a combination of a first path and a second path, where the first path is a path related to a first direction, and the second path is a path related to a second direction different from the first direction . In this embodiment, although the map data M, the moving route data RD, and the detour route data Bd are stored in the same storage device 14c, they may be stored in different storage devices.

An example of the movement path data RD will be described.

In the case where the terminal device 20 is a tablet computer, the AGV10 receives movement path data showing the movement path from the tablet computer RD. The movement path data RD at this time includes mark data showing positions of a plurality of marks. "Mark" shows the passing position (passing point) of the walking AGV10. The movement path data RD includes at least a start mark indicating a walking start position and an end mark indicating a walking end position. The movement path data RD may further include position information of a mark of one or more intermediate passing points. When the moving route includes one or more intermediate passing points, a moving route is defined as a route in which a start mark sequentially passes through the walking passing point to reach an end mark. In addition to the coordinate data of the mark, the data of each mark may also include data of the direction (angle) and walking speed of the AGV10 before moving to the next mark. When AGV10 temporarily stops at the position of each mark, and performs its own position estimation and notification to the terminal device 20, the data of each mark may include the following data: time required for acceleration to reach the walking speed, And / or the deceleration time required to decelerate from this walking speed until the next marked position stops.

Instead of the terminal device 20, the operation management device 50 (for example, a personal computer and / or a server computer) may control the movement of the AGV 10. In this case, the operation management device 50 may instruct the AGV 10 to move to the next mark each time the AGV 10 reaches the mark. For example, the AGV10 will receive the following data from the operation management device 50 as the movement path data RD indicating the movement path: the coordinate data of the destination position to be next, the distance to the destination position, and the angle of the forward angle. data.

The AGV10 can use the created map and sensor data output by the laser rangefinder 15 obtained during walking to estimate itself Position and walk along the stored movement path.

The communication circuit 14d is, for example, a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication in accordance with Bluetooth (registered trademark) and / or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) specifications. All specifications include wireless communication specifications using frequencies in the 2.4 GHz band. For example, in the mode of making maps by walking the AGV10, the communication circuit 14d performs wireless communication according to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and communicates with the terminal device 20 in a 1: 1 manner.

The position estimation device 14e performs its own position estimation processing during map creation processing and walking. The position estimation device 14e creates a map of the moving space S 'based on the position and orientation of the AGV10 and the scanning results of the laser rangefinder. When walking, the position estimation device 14e receives sensor data from the laser rangefinder 15 and reads the map data M stored in the storage device 14c. The local map data (sensor data) produced by the scanning result of the laser rangefinder 15 is matched with a wider range of map data M to match its own position on the map data M ( x, y, θ). The position estimation device 14e is data that generates "reliability" that indicates the degree to which the local map data matches the map data M. Each data of the position (x, y, θ) and the reliability can be transmitted from the AGV 10 to the terminal device 20 or the operation management device 50. The terminal device 20 or the operation management device 50 can receive various data of its own position (x, y, θ) and reliability, and display it on the built-in or connected display device.

In this embodiment, the microcomputer 14a and the position estimation device 14e are separate components, but this is only an example. child. It may also be a single chip circuit or a semiconductor integrated circuit that can perform each operation of the microcomputer 14a and the position estimation device 14e independently. FIG. 6A shows a chip circuit 14g including a microcomputer 14a and a position estimation device 14e. Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the microcomputer 14a and the position estimation device 14e are separately provided.

The obstacle sensor 14j is an infrared sensor that detects an obstacle by, for example, emitting infrared rays and detecting reflected light.

The two motors 16a and 16b are respectively mounted on two wheels 11a and 11b, and each wheel is rotated. That is, the two wheels 11a and 11b are driving wheels, respectively. In this specification, the motors 16a and 16b are assumed to be motors that drive the right and left wheels of the AGV 10, respectively.

The moving body 10 further includes a coding unit 18 that further measures the rotation position or rotation speed of the wheels 11 a and 11 b. The encoding unit 18 includes a first rotary encoder 18a and a second rotary encoder 18b. The first rotary encoder 18a measures the rotation at a certain position of the power transmission mechanism from the motor 16a to the wheel 11a. The second rotary encoder 18b measures the rotation at a certain position of the power transmission mechanism from the motor 16b to the wheel 11b. The encoding unit 18 sends the signals obtained by the rotary encoders 18a and 18b to the microcomputer 14a. The microcomputer 14a can also control the movement of the mobile body 10 using not only the signal received from the position estimation device 14e but also the signal received from the encoding unit 18.

The drive device 17 includes motor drive circuits 17a and 17b for adjusting a voltage applied to each of the two motors 16a and 16b. Each of the motor driving circuits 17a and 17b is Contains a so-called inverter circuit. The motor drive circuits 17a and 17b adjust the application of the current that can flow to each motor by turning on or off the PWM signals sent from the microcomputer 14a or the microcomputer in the motor drive circuit 17a. Due to motor voltage.

FIG. 6B shows a second hardware configuration example of the AGV10. The second hardware configuration example is different from the first hardware configuration example (FIG. 6A) in that the laser positioning system 14h and the microcomputer 14a are connected to each component in a one-to-one manner.

The laser positioning system 14h includes a position estimation device 14e and a laser rangefinder 15. The position estimation device 14e and the laser rangefinder 15 are connected by, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable. The operations of the position estimation device 14e and the laser rangefinder 15 are as described above. The laser positioning system 14h outputs information showing the posture (x, y, θ) of the AGV10 to the microcomputer 14a.

The microcomputer 14a has various general-purpose I / O interfaces or general-purpose input / output ports (not shown). The microcomputer 14a is directly connected to other components in the walking control device 14 such as the communication circuit 14d and the laser positioning system 14h through the universal input / output port.

6B is the same as the configuration of FIG. 6A except for the configuration described above. Accordingly, description of the common configuration is omitted.

The AGV10 in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided with a safety sensor such as a bumper switch (not shown). The AGV10 may also be provided with an inertial measurement device such as a gyro sensor. Just use the built-in sense of rotary encoders 18a and 18b or inertial measurement devices. With the measurement data measured by the measuring device, it is possible to estimate the moving distance of the AGV10 and the change amount (angle) of the direction. The estimated values of these distances and angles are called odometry data, and can function to assist the position and orientation information obtained by the position estimation device 14e.

(4) Map information

FIG. 7A to FIG. 7F schematically show the AGV10 moving while acquiring sensor data. The user 1 can also manually move the AGV 10 while operating the terminal device 20. Alternatively, the unit equipped with the walking control device 14 shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B or the AGV10 itself may be placed on a trolley and the user 1 may push or pull the trolley with his hand to obtain a sensor. data.

In FIG. 7A, shown is an AGV 10 using the laser rangefinder 15 to scan the surrounding space. A laser beam is emitted at each prescribed step angle for scanning. The illustrated scanning range is a schematic display example, and is different from the scanning range of 270 degrees in total described above.

In each of Figs. 7A to 7F, the position of the reflection point of the laser beam is schematically displayed by using a plurality of black dots 4 indicated by a symbol "‧". The laser beam scanning is performed in a short cycle during a period in which the position and direction of the laser rangefinder 15 are changed. Therefore, the number of real reflection points is much larger than the number of reflection points 4 shown in the figure. The position estimating device 14e accumulates, for example, the position of the black dot 4 obtained as a result of walking in the memory 14b. By letting the AGV10 continue scanning while walking, the map data is gradually completed. In FIGS. 7B to 7E, for simplicity, only the scanning range is shown. The scan range is for illustration, and the above The example of a total of 270 degrees is different.

The map can also be made by using the microcomputer 14a in the AGV 10 or an external computer according to the sensor data after obtaining the sensor data necessary for map production. Alternatively, a map can be made in real time based on the sensor data obtained by the moving AGV10.

FIG. 7F is a diagram schematically showing a part of the completed map 40. In the map shown in FIG. 7F, the free space is separated by a point cloud corresponding to a set of reflection points of the laser beam. Another example of a map is a grid-occupied map, which distinguishes the space occupied by an object from free space in grid units. The position estimation device 14e stores map data (map data M) in the memory 14b or the storage device 14c. It should be noted that the number or density of the black dots shown in the figure is only an example.

The map data obtained in this way can be shared by a plurality of AGV10.

A typical example of an algorithm in which AGV10 estimates its own position based on map data is ICP (Iterative Closest Point) matching. As described above, the map data M can be estimated by matching the local map data (sensor data) produced by the scanning results of the laser rangefinder 15 with a wider range of map data M. Position (x, y, θ) on itself.

When the area where AGV10 is walking is wide, the data amount of map data M will increase. Therefore, there may be inconveniences such as an increase in the production time of a map, or an excessive amount of time required for the estimation of its own position. Sex. In the case of inconvenience like that, the map data M may be divided into data of a plurality of local maps to be produced and recorded.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which the entire area of one floor of one factory is covered by a combination of four partial map data M1, M2, M3, and M4. In this example, a local map data covers an area of 50m × 50m. In each of the X direction and the Y direction, and at the boundary between two adjacent maps, a rectangular overlapping area with a width of 5 m is provided. This overlapping area is called a "map switching area". When the AGV10 walking while referring to a local map reaches the map switching area, it will switch to walking with reference to other neighboring local maps. The number of partial maps is not limited to four, and can be appropriately set according to the area of the floor on which the AGV10 walks, and the performance of the computer that performs map production and its own position estimation. The size of the partial map data and the width of the overlapping area are not limited to the examples described above, but can be arbitrarily set.

(5) Configuration example of operation management device

FIG. 9 shows an example of a hardware configuration of the operation management device 50. The operation management device 50 includes a CPU 51, a memory 52, a position database (position DB) 53, a communication circuit 54, a map database (map DB) 55, and an image processing circuit 56.

The CPU 51, the memory 52, the location DB 53, the communication circuit 54, the map DB 55, and the image processing circuit 56 are connected by a communication bus 57 and can transfer data to each other.

The CPU 51 is a signal processing circuit (computer) that controls the operation of the operation management device 50. Typically, the CPU 51 is a semiconductor integrated circuit.

The memory 52 is a volatile storage device that stores a computer program executed by the CPU 51. The memory 52 may be used as a working memory when the CPU 51 performs calculations.

The position DB53 stores position data, which is data showing each position that can be a destination of each AGV10. The position data can be represented by, for example, coordinates set virtually by a manager in a factory. Location data is determined by management.

The communication circuit 54 performs wired communication in accordance with an Ethernet (registered trademark) standard, for example. The communication circuit 54 is connected to the access point 2 (FIG. 1) in a wired manner, and can communicate with the AGV 10 through the access point 2. The communication circuit 54 receives data to be transmitted to the AGV 10 from the CPU 51 through the bus 57. The communication circuit 54 transmits data (notification) received from the AGV 10 to the CPU 51 and / or the memory 52 via the bus 57.

The map DB55 stores data on maps inside factories such as the AGV10. The map may be the same as the map 40 (FIG. 7F) or may be different. As long as the map has a correspondence relationship with the position of each AGV10 on a one-to-one basis, the format of the data is not limited. For example, the map stored in the map DB 55 may be a map created by CAD.

The position DB53 and the map DB55 can also be constructed on a non-volatile semiconductor memory, or on a magnetic recording medium represented by a hard disk, or an optical recording medium represented by an optical disk.

The image processing circuit 56 is a circuit that generates data that can be displayed on the monitor 58. The image processing circuit 56 is operated only by a manager It operates when the management device 50 is operated. In this embodiment, a more detailed description is intentionally omitted. The monitor 58 may be integrated with the operation management device 50. The processing of the image processing circuit 56 may be performed by the CPU 51.

(6) Operation of the operation management device

An outline of the operation of the operation management device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a movement path of the AGV 10 determined by the operation management device 50.

The outline of the operations of the AGV 10 and the operation management device 50 is as follows. In the following, the following example is explained: A certain AGV10 is now located at the position M ₁ and will pass through several positions to walk to the final destination, which is the position M _{n + 1} (n: a positive integer greater than 1). Furthermore, a display connected to the recording position after M ₁ M ₂ should pass, then at each position to be adopted after the position M ₂ M _3, etc. the position coordinate information on the position DB53.

CPU51 running management apparatus 50 is the reference position and the reading position M DB53 ₂ coordinate data, to generate a traveling instruction toward the position M _2. The communication circuit 54 sends a walking instruction to the AGV 10 through the access point 2.

The CPU 51 periodically receives data showing the current position and the direction from the AGV 10 through the access point 2. In this way, the operation management device 50 can track the position of each AGV 10. When CPU51 M ₂ coincides with the position has been determined that the current position of the AGV 10, reads the coordinates of the position data M _3, and generates traveling toward the position M ₃ and sent to the command AGV10. In other words, when the operation management device 50 determines that the AGV 10 has reached a certain position, it sends a walking instruction toward the position to be passed next. With this, AGV10 can reach the final destination position M _{n + 1} . The passing position and destination position of the AGV10 mentioned above are sometimes referred to as "markers".

(7) Obstacle avoidance action by the moving body 10 of the first example

Hereinafter, various examples of the avoidance operation of the mobile body 10 when an obstacle is detected on the movement path R will be described.

FIG. 11A shows an example of a roundabout path B when an obstacle 70 is present on the moving path R.

Now, a case may be considered in which the obstacle 70 is detected in the traveling direction at the position P1 while the moving body 10 is moving from the starting point S along the previously set movement path R. At this time, the microcomputer 14a uses the detour path data Bd to set the detour path B from the position P1 to the position P4 on the movement path, and moves the mobile body 10 along the detour path B.

The detour route B shown in FIG. 11A is constituted by the most basic reference detour route. The "reference detour path" is defined by the first movement path and the second movement path. When the positions P1, P2, P3, and P4 shown in FIG. 11A are used, the reference bypass route can be defined as follows in this embodiment. First, the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other. The reference detour path is defined by a first path from the position P1 to the position P2, a second path from the position P2 to the position P3, and a first path from the position P3 to the position P4.

The first path from the position P1 to the position P2 is a path parallel to the first direction, and the moving body 10 is moved in a direction away from the moving path R, which is equivalent to a distance D1. When reaching position P2, the moving body 10 is counterclockwise The direction is rotated, and the direction is changed from the first direction to the second direction. The second path from the position P2 to the position P3 is a path parallel to the second direction, and the moving body 10 is moved corresponding to the distance D2. When the position P3 is reached, the moving body 10 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, and changes the direction from the second direction to the first direction. The first path from the position P3 to the position P4 is a path parallel to the first direction, and the moving body 10 moves in a direction close to the moving path R corresponding to the distance D1. When the position P4 is reached, the moving body 10 rotates clockwise, and changes the orientation from the first direction to the second direction. Thereby, it is possible to bypass the obstacle 70 and return to the original movement path R, and then move along the movement path R afterwards.

FIG. 11A shows a first maximum allowable distance Dmax1 related to the first direction and a second maximum allowable distance Dmax2 related to the second direction. The detour path B is set such that the distance from the first direction of the movement path R falls within the first maximum allowable distance Dmax1, and the movement distance in the second direction falls within the second maximum allowable distance Dmax2. The data of the first maximum allowable distance Dmax1 and the second maximum allowable distance Dmax2 are stored in the storage device 14c in advance by, for example, an administrator of the mobile body 10. Furthermore, in an environment using a plurality of moving bodies 10, each of the data of the reference detour path, the first maximum allowable distance Dmax1, and the second maximum allowable distance Dmax2 may be independently set for each moving body 10.

Here, reference will be made to FIG. 11B, and descriptions on the drawings regarding the obstacle detection operation and the detour operation performed by the mobile body 10 will be described. The meaning of each operation of the symbols a to c is shown as an example in FIG. 11B. That is, the obstacle determination operation a, the movement operation b, and the first Direction change operation c between the path and the second path. In this specification, the distance moved by the movement b may be referred to as a "minimum avoidance distance". The "minimum avoidance distance" refers to the minimum distance away from the original path.

After FIG. 12, the same symbols are assigned to the respective operations, and descriptions of the respective operations a to c are omitted. In addition, for the convenience of explanation, actions a to c that require special attention are sometimes described as "action a1" or the like.

FIG. 12, FIG. 13, and FIG. 14 are examples of detours when a plurality of obstacles 70 a are present. When the obstacle 70a is detected by the first obstacle determination operation a, the microcomputer 14a sets a reference circuitous path.

In FIG. 12, the microcomputer 14 a performs the first movement operation b for detours. After the movement of the distance D1, the microcomputer 14a detects another obstacle 70b on the tortuous path in the second direction by the obstacle determining action a1. Accordingly, the microcomputer 14a further continues the movement operation b1 in the first direction. The movement after the further distance D1 is the same as the example after the position P2 in FIG. 11A. However, the movement performed by the last movement b2 is D2 * 2.

In FIG. 13, the microcomputer 14a performs the first movement operation b for detours, and performs the direction switching operation c after the movement of the distance D1. When the moving action b1 is performed on the detour in the second direction, which is the traveling direction, the microcomputer 14a detects another obstacle 70b on the detour in the second direction, which is the obstacle determining action a1. Thereby, the microcomputer 14a moves further along the first direction toward the original direction. The moving action b2 is performed in a direction in which the path R moves away. After the further distance D1 is moved, it is the same as the example of FIG. 12.

In addition, although the obstacles 70a and 70b are each shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, this is only an example. The above-mentioned processing may be performed when the long object is arranged to traverse on a plurality of detours along the second direction.

In FIG. 14, the movement of the mobile body 10 when an obstacle is detected between the plurality of movement movements b is shown. The operation when each obstacle is detected is compared with the examples of FIGS. 12 and 13.

In particular, the obstacle determining operation a1 will be described. The position at which the obstacle determination operation a1 is performed corresponds to the position where, when viewed in the second direction, the position corresponding to the distance D2 is moved from the position at which the first determination operation a0 was performed. The microcomputer 14a determines whether it is possible to return (return) to the direction of the movement path R in units of distance D2 from the position where the first determination action a0 was performed. In the case of this example, since an obstacle has been detected by the determination action a1, the movement action b1 in the second direction is continued. In addition, the direction switching action c1 is an action performed by determining the result of the action, that is, when the obstacle does not exist. Thereby, the microcomputer 14a moves the moving body 10 in a direction close to the moving path R in the first direction.

15 to 17 show three examples in which the return to the original movement path R cannot be performed. Counting from the first determination operation a0, when the detour path cannot be set within the first maximum allowable distance Dmax1 for the first direction (FIG. 15), the microcomputer 14a determines that the return to the moving path R cannot be performed, and The moving body 10 stops. Again, against In the case where the detour cannot be set within the second maximum allowable distance Dmax2 in the second direction (FIG. 16), the microcomputer 14 a also stops the moving body 10. In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, when the presence of an obstacle has been detected in all the return directions of the movement path R, the microcomputer 14 a also stops the moving body 10.

After the moving body 10 is stopped, for example, a manager may move the moving body 10 to a different position and restart the moving body 10.

18A and 18B are flowcharts showing the processing procedure of the microcomputer 14a according to this embodiment.

In step S10, the microcomputer 14a starts normal walking. In FIG. 18A, the state table walking on the movement path R is described as "normal operation".

In step S12, the microcomputer 14a determines whether an obstacle has been detected from the output of the obstacle sensor 14j. When an obstacle is not detected, the normal operation in step S10 is continued, and when an obstacle is detected, the process is advanced to step S14.

In step S14, the microcomputer 14a determines whether the first maximum allowable distance Dmax1 has been reached. This process is achieved by, for example, using the output position information of the position estimating device 14e to store the position at the time point when the path of departure from the moving path R is stored, and the microcomputer 14a calculates the position and the current direction Position difference. If it is determined not to have arrived, the process proceeds to step S16, and if it is determined to have arrived, the process proceeds to step S26.

In step S16, the microcomputer 14a controls the movement direction The moving body 10 is caused to travel in a direction away from the moving path R in the first direction. Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

The processing of step S18 is performed immediately before the mobile body 10 starts to move. In step S18, the microcomputer 14a again determines whether an obstacle has been detected by the same process as in step S12. If an obstacle is not detected, the process proceeds to step S20, and if an obstacle is detected, the process proceeds to step S22.

In step S20, the microcomputer 14a determines whether or not the movement in the first direction at the minimum avoidance distance has been completed. The moving distance information is the same as the method described in step S14.

In step S22, the microcomputer 14a determines whether the second maximum allowable distance DmaX2 has been reached. This process is also implemented by the same process as that of step S14. That is, it is achieved by using the output position information of the position estimating device 14e to store the position at the point in time when it is away from the moving path R, and the microcomputer 14a calculates the position and the current position regarding the second direction. Difference. If it is determined not to have arrived, the process proceeds to step S24, and if it is determined to have arrived, the process proceeds to step S26.

In step S24, the microcomputer 14a controls the moving direction so that the moving body 10 moves in a direction along the second direction. Next, the process proceeds to step S20 (FIG. 18B). The processing in step S18 is performed immediately before the mobile body 10 starts to move.

In step S26, the microcomputer 14a stops the moving operation of the mobile body 10. The reason is because the avoidance of the obstacle 70 has failed. Its knot As a result, after the operation stop is determined, the obstacle detection is stopped before the mobile body 10 is restarted by a manager, for example, so as to suppress power consumption.

In step S28 in FIG. 18B, the microcomputer 14a again determines whether an obstacle has been detected by the same process as in step S12. When an obstacle is not detected, the process proceeds to step S30, and when an obstacle is detected, the process returns to step S14.

In step S30, the microcomputer 14a determines whether or not the movement in the second direction at the minimum avoidance distance has been completed. The moving distance information is obtained in the same manner as the method described in steps S14 and S20.

In step S32, the microcomputer 14a controls the moving direction so that the moving body 10 moves in the first direction and in a direction close to the moving path R. Then, the process proceeds to step S34.

In step S34, the microcomputer 14a again determines whether or not an obstacle has been detected by the same process as in step S12. When an obstacle is not detected, the process proceeds to step S36. When an obstacle is detected, the process returns to step S22.

In step S36, the microcomputer 14a determines whether or not the movement in the first direction at a distance equivalent to the minimum avoidance distance has been completed. The moving distance information is obtained in the same manner as the method described in steps S14, S20, and S30. If the movement is not completed, return to step S32 and continue the movement. If the movement has been completed, the process proceeds to step S38.

In step S38, the microcomputer 14a determines whether or not the mobile body 10 has arrived. Movement path R. At this time, the microcomputer 14a only needs to compare whether the current position output from the position estimating device 14e is the same as the position at the time point when the first direction is separated from the movement path R. When the mobile body 10 has reached the movement path R, the process proceeds to step S40, and when it does not reach, the processes after step S32 are executed while continuing to move.

In step S40, the microcomputer 14a determines that the movement path R has been returned and the avoidance operation has been completed. Thereby, the movement on the movement path R can be resumed (normal operation).

The above-mentioned operations of FIGS. 12 to 14 are examples of the setting of the detour route. When it is determined that an obstacle is present at first, and it is further determined that an obstacle is present later, it is not always necessary to move the moving body 10 in a direction away from the moving path R. This is merely an example of the selection of moving the moving body 10 in a direction away from the moving path R in a case where a plurality of detours can be set. In addition, even in a case where the vehicle is moving in a direction approaching the moving path R, the selection of moving in a direction away from the moving path R may be performed again afterwards. In addition, the movement in the second direction may not only proceed in the direction from the starting point S toward the end point G, but may also advance in the direction from the end point G to the starting point S.

(8) Obstacle avoidance operation by the moving body 10 of the second example

The inventor of the present invention observed the situation after an obstacle was placed on the movement path R of the mobile body 10. As a result, the following knowledge was obtained: the placement of obstacles is temporary, and when a certain period of time has passed, the obstacles are often removed. When going through several times and setting a detour, the moving distance becomes longer and it takes time to move. therefore, The following problem was found: the moving body 10 continued to walk on the circuitous path even though the obstacle was actually removed.

19A to 19E are diagrams for explaining different operation examples of the mobile body 10. The operation described below is a different operation example of the mobile body 10 in the situation shown in FIG. 12.

As shown in FIG. 19A, while the mobile body 10 is walking on the movement path R, the microcomputer 14a detects the obstacle 70p by the action a1 at the position P1. As a result, a detour is set and the movement operation b is performed. Next, the microcomputer 14a detects the obstacle 70q in the traveling direction by the determination action a2 at the position P2. In the example of FIG. 12, the microcomputer 14 a performs another movement operation b1 to move the moving body 10. However, in reality, the moving body 10 may also select a moving action b2 (FIG. 19B), and may also select another other moving action b3 (FIG. 19B). In addition, not only two directions (the first direction and the second direction), but also alternative routes can be selected.

In this example, the microcomputer 14a selects, as a detour route, a route for moving the mobile body 10 from the position P2 to the position P1 among a plurality of detour routes. FIG. 19C shows the moving body 10 that has moved the movement b2 back to the position P1.

The position P1 is a position where an obstacle 70p has been detected on the movement path R. The microcomputer 14a of the mobile body 10 returned to the position P1 determines again whether or not there is an obstacle 70p in the original movement path R at the position P1. According to the above-mentioned knowledge, the possibility that the obstacle 70p has been removed is high. What can be fully considered is that even if the obstacle 70p still exists, it will still be removed as long as it stands by for a period of time.

When the obstacle 70p has been removed at the position P1, the microcomputer 14a of the mobile body 10 moves the mobile body 10 along the original movement path R. When the obstacle 70p is not removed, the microcomputer 14a of the mobile body 10 causes the mobile body 10 to wait at the position P1 for a predetermined time, and waits for the obstacle 70p to be removed. After that, as long as the obstacle 70p has been removed, the microcomputer 14a may move the mobile body 10 along the original movement path R.

According to the above operation, the moving body 10 can temporarily walk on the detour, and when there is no obstacle on the detour, the detour is used to return to the movement path R relatively quickly.

When there is an obstacle on the detour, it is to return to the original position and determine whether the obstacle has been removed. If it has been removed, it is possible to quickly start walking on the moving path R. On the other hand, even if it waits for a certain period before the removal, it is possible to walk on the moving path R more quickly than to repeatedly set the detour path.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing up to FIGS. 19A to 19E. The flowchart shown in FIG. 20 is an alternative process to FIG. 18B. In principle, the processing shown in FIG. 18A is performed in common. However, when the processing shown in FIG. 20 is executed, the processing shown by “B” surrounded by a circle in FIG. 18A is not included. This is because the processing from step S28 to step S14 included in FIG. 18B is not included in FIG. 20.

The difference between the process of FIG. 20 and the process of FIG. 18B is that steps S50, S52, and S54 are provided in FIG. In Figure 20, for and The same processes (steps) in FIG. 18B are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions thereof are omitted. In this example, the obstacle detection in step S28 is performed before the movement in the second direction is intended. In other words, a situation is assumed in which an obstacle 70 is present in the direction of travel in the second direction and the mobile body 10 has not yet moved in the second direction.

In step S50, the microcomputer 14a selects a return path from among a plurality of available detour paths. The return path refers to the path followed by walking along the path to this point. After that, the process proceeds to step S32.

In step S52, the microcomputer 14a determines whether an obstacle has been detected. The obstacle at this time refers to an obstacle 70 that has to be set for a detour while walking on the moving path R. When an obstacle is continuously detected, for example, the microcomputer 14a waits until an obstacle is not detected. In the case where no obstacle is detected, the process proceeds to step S54. As described above, according to the knowledge and knowledge of the inventor of the present invention, since obstacles can be removed in a short period of time in most cases, it is conceivable that in most cases in step S52, no obstacle is detected The time is short.

In step S54, the microcomputer 14a resumes walking along the movement path R.

The configuration and operation of the mobile body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure have been described above.

The above-mentioned comprehensive or specific aspects can also be implemented by a system, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium. or Alternatively, it may be realized by any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium. Specifically, the processing of FIGS. 18A, 18B, and 20 described above can be implemented as a computer program executable by a microcomputer 14a, which is a computer. Computer programs can be distributed on recording media such as CD-ROMs, magnetic disks such as hard disks, and semiconductor memories such as flash memories. Alternatively, a computer program can use an electrical communication circuit to send and receive as an object of a commercial transaction.

Industrial availability

The moving body and the moving body management system of the present disclosure can be ideally used for the movement and transportation of goods, parts, finished products and the like in factories, warehouses, construction sites, logistics, and hospitals.

Claims (14)

A moving body is capable of moving autonomously, and the moving body is provided with: a plurality of driving wheels; a plurality of motors each connected to the foregoing plurality of driving wheels; an obstacle sensor to detect an obstacle; an external sensor to repeat Scan the environment and output sensor data for each scan; the position estimation device sequentially generates and outputs position information based on the sensor data, which indicates the position and orientation of the moving body ( information about the estimated value of the orientation); the control circuit, while referring to the position information output by the position estimation device, rotates the plurality of motors to control the movement of the moving body; and a storage device that stores a predetermined reference circuit The detour route information of the route. The reference detour route is a combination of a first route in a first direction and a second route in a second direction different from the first direction. The moving body is set in advance along the route. While the movement path was moving, an obstacle was detected in the traveling direction at the first position by the output of the obstacle sensor. When obstructing an object, the control circuit uses the detour path data to set a detour path from the first position to the second position on the previously set movement path, and moves the moving body along the detour path. For example, the moving body of claim 1, wherein the first direction and the second direction are orthogonal to each other, and the detour path is a path in which the moving body sequentially moves as follows: parallel to the first direction and away from the prior The direction of the set moving path moves in parallel to the second direction, and moves in a direction parallel to the first direction and close to the previously set moving path. For example, the moving object of claim 2, wherein the first path has a first predetermined distance and the second path has a second predetermined distance. When the detour is referred to as a first detour, the moving object is at the first When moving on the detour path is equivalent to the first predetermined distance and reaching the third position, the output of the obstacle sensor detects an obstacle in the direction of travel in the second direction. Using the detour route data, a second detour route from the third position to the fourth position on the first detour route is set, and the moving body is moved along the second detour route. For example, the moving object of claim 2, wherein the first path has a first predetermined distance and the second path has a second predetermined distance. When the detour is referred to as a first detour, the moving object is at the first The movement on the detour is equivalent to the first predetermined distance to reach the third position, and at the fourth position during a period of further movement in a direction parallel to the second direction, the output of the obstacle sensor is used, When an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction, the control circuit sets a second detour path from the fourth position to the fifth position on the first detour path, and causes the moving body to follow the second detour path. The second detour path is a path in which the moving body sequentially moves from the fourth position to a direction parallel to the first direction and moving away from the previously set movement path is equivalent to the first 1 A predetermined distance is parallel to the second direction, and the movement is equivalent to a shorter distance than the second predetermined distance, and is parallel to the first direction and close to the previously set Corresponds to the direction of movement path of the first predetermined distance. If the moving object according to claim 2, wherein the traveling direction is a direction parallel to the second direction and the output of the obstacle sensor detects an obstacle in the traveling direction, The control circuit may set a new detour path. The new detour path is a detour that moves the moving body in a direction parallel to the first direction and away from the previously set movement path from the position where the obstacle is detected. path. If the moving body according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the moving direction is a direction parallel to the second direction and the moving body has walked more than the second predetermined distance, the control circuit sets A path parallel to the first direction and moving the moving body in a direction approaching the previously set moving path. If the moving object according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the storage device holds first distance data and second distance data, wherein the first distance data indicates a first maximum allowance regarding the first direction The distance data, the second distance data is information showing the second maximum allowable distance in the second direction, and the control circuit refers to the first distance data and the second distance data to set the following path as The detour path: a path in which the distance from the first direction of the previously set movement path is within the first maximum allowable distance and the movement distance in the second direction is within the second maximum allowable distance. The moving body according to claim 7, wherein the control circuit stops the moving body in a case where the distance from the movement path set in advance in the first direction exceeds the first maximum allowable distance In the case where the moving distance in the second direction exceeds the second maximum allowable distance, or there are one or more obstacles in the direction close to the previously set movement path and in the second direction in the case of. A recording medium recorded with a computer program for controlling the movement of a mobile body that can move autonomously, the mobile body includes: a plurality of driving wheels; a plurality of motors, each of which is connected to the plurality of driving wheels; an obstacle sensor , Detecting obstacles; external sensors, repeatedly scanning the environment, and outputting sensor data for each scan; position estimation device, based on the aforementioned sensor data, sequentially generates and outputs position information, the position information It is information indicating estimated values of the position and direction of the moving body. The control circuit controls the movement of the moving body while rotating the plurality of motors while referring to the position information output by the position estimating device. A computer; and a storage device that stores detour data defining a reference detour, the reference detour being a first path related to a first direction and a second path related to a second direction different from the first direction In combination, while the moving body is moving along a preset movement path, the output of the obstacle sensor is used. When an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction at the first position, the computer program causes the control circuit to use the bypass path data to set the position from the first position on the previously set movement path to The detour in the second position moves the moving body along the detour. A moving body is capable of moving autonomously, and the moving body is provided with: a plurality of driving wheels; a plurality of motors each connected to the foregoing plurality of driving wheels; an obstacle sensor to detect an obstacle; an external sensor to repeat Scan the environment and output sensor data for each scan; the position estimation device sequentially generates and outputs position information based on the sensor data, and the position information indicates the position and direction of the moving body Information of the estimated value; and a control circuit that rotates the plurality of motors while referring to the position information output by the position estimating device to control the movement of the moving body, while moving along the movement path set in advance When an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction at the first position based on the output of the obstacle sensor, the control circuit sets a detour path from the first position and moves the moving body. During the movement along the detour, the output of the obstacle sensor is used to detect the direction of travel at the second position. Further there is an obstacle, the control circuit causes the movable body is moved from the second position to the first position again. For example, the moving object of claim 10, wherein there are a plurality of detour paths at the second position, and the detour paths are detour paths that can avoid the obstacle detected at the second position, and the control circuit Among the plurality of detours, a detour is selected as a path for moving the mobile body from the second position to the first position again. For example, if the moving object of claim 11 moves from the second position to the first position again, when the obstacle sensor does not detect an obstacle on the first path, the control circuit causes the movement. The body moves again along the previously set movement path. For example, if the moving object of claim 11 moves from the second position to the first position again, when the obstacle sensor detects an obstacle on the first path, the control circuit causes the moving body to It waits until the obstacle is removed, and when the obstacle is removed, the control circuit moves the mobile body again along the previously set movement path. A recording medium is recorded with a computer program for controlling the movement of a mobile body that can move autonomously, the mobile body includes: a plurality of driving wheels; a plurality of motors, each of which is connected to the driving wheels; an obstacle sensor, Detect obstacles; external sensors repeatedly scan the environment, and output sensor data for each scan; position estimation device, based on the aforementioned sensor data, sequentially generates and outputs position information. The position information is Information indicating the estimated value of the position and direction of the moving body; and a control circuit, while referring to the position information output by the position estimating device, rotating the plurality of motors to control the movement of the moving body, in During the movement along the preset movement path, when an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction at the first position by the output of the obstacle sensor, the computer program causes the control circuit to perform: The detour is set from the first position and the moving body is moved. During the movement along the detour, Output by the obstacle sensor, and in the second position is detected in the traveling direction additionally there is an obstacle, so that the movable body is moved from the second position to the first position again.