TWI736788B - Target-following carrier - Google Patents

Abstract

A target-following carrier is disclosed. The target-following carrier includes a target-end device, a moving carrier and a target following assembly. The target-following carrier provided by the present invention utilizes two techniques to detect the distance between a target and the moving carrier. When said detected distance is shorter than a control exchange distance, distance data from laser rangefinders replace that from two RF modules. Therefore, a relative-distanced following can be applied to the target. Meanwhile, the target following assembly can be made compact to mount on any moving carriers, such as a smart luggage or a golf cart, fulfilling the requirements from the market.

Description

Target vehicle

The present invention relates to a vehicle, especially a target following vehicle using two different detection technologies.

For short walks with items, people can choose backpacks or luggage to put all items in it. If the size of the item to be carried is large, a cart or even an electric car may be a good choice to save energy. For example, when people play golf, golf carts can carry all the equipment that people need on the golf course. However, people may have one step demand: can heavy auxiliary equipment follow me at any time? Of course, they need to be smart and motivated.

In real life, such an invention does exist. For example, COWAROBOTTM R1 smart luggage provides users with a solution for luggage following, which allows people to let go of their hands and do other things. The smart luggage includes a wristband worn on the user's hand, which communicates wirelessly with the smart luggage. On the telescopic pole, there is a group of laser modules. The laser camera is mounted on the handle of the telescopic rod to receive the reflected laser beam from the environment, and further recognize the human image to calculate the position of the person to follow. At the same time, the control module next to the laser camera controls the power wheel module to move when its owner is walking. If the smart suitcase is lost and its owner cannot be found, the wristband will warn you. The owner can go back to where he was before to find the smart suitcase. The smart luggage can help people travel, shop and move heavy objects.

The smart luggage and related applications have been widely accepted worldwide. remove With drones, people need assistance equipment to follow them on the ground. However, such a target following system (not including the power wheel module) is too expensive, and the tracking effect still needs to be improved. Therefore, the present invention aims to provide another useful target-following system and related applications to meet the aforementioned requirements.

This paragraph of text extracts and compiles certain features of the present invention. Other features will be revealed in subsequent paragraphs. Its purpose is to cover the spirit and scope of the additional patent application, various modifications and similar arrangements.

該訊號接收射頻模組到該訊號發射射頻模組的方向與該移動載具上該訊號接收射頻模組所位之處的一前方平面之一法線方向間的一方向角；該控制器發送命令來控制該移動載具的移動；及該控制器動態由該些雷射測距儀中之一追蹤該標的以便能連續計算該相對距離。該至少3個雷射測距儀當中的一第一雷射測距儀的追蹤方向實質沿著該法線方向以用於發出及接收雷射光束；該控制器持續計算該估計距離與該方向角，並驅動該移動載具朝向該標的移動而維持該方向角實質為0度直到該估計距離短於一控制交換距離；當該估計距離短於該控制交換距離時，該控制器仍計算該估計距離與該方向角，同時驅動該移動載具以保持該相對距離於一預定範圍內及維持該法線方向實質朝向該標的。 According to one aspect of the present invention, a target following vehicle is disclosed here. The target following vehicle includes: a target end device, a mobile vehicle and a target following assembly. The target terminal equipment includes: a signal transmitting radio frequency module, working to emit radio frequency signals; a first power module, electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module, to provide power required for operation; a first control unit , Electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module and the first power module to manage the operation of the signal transmitting radio frequency module; and a fixed module carrying the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the first power module and the The first control unit is installed on a target to be followed. The mobile vehicle includes: a housing with an accommodating space; a mobile module integrated with the housing to move on the ground according to received commands; and a second power module detachably connected to the Enclosure, working to provide electricity. The target follower assembly is installed on the mobile vehicle and is electrically connected to the second power module. The target follower assembly includes: a signal receiving radio frequency module, paired with the signal transmitting radio frequency module, and working to receive The radio frequency signal emitted by the signal transmitting radio frequency module; at least 3 laser rangefinders are installed next to the signal receiving radio frequency module, and each laser rangefinder calculates a relative distance between itself and the target ; And a controller that signals the signal-receiving radio frequency module and the at least 3 laser rangefinders, and the controller operates to transmit the radio frequency from the signal-transmitting radio frequency module and receive the radio frequency from the signal-receiving radio frequency module Signal, calculate an estimated distance between the signal transmitting RF module and the signal receiving RF module, and

A direction angle between the direction from the signal receiving radio frequency module to the signal transmitting radio frequency module and a normal direction of a front plane on the mobile vehicle where the signal receiving radio frequency module is located; the controller sends Command to control the movement of the mobile vehicle; and the controller dynamically tracks the target by one of the laser rangefinders so that the relative distance can be continuously calculated. The tracking direction of a first laser rangefinder among the at least three laser rangefinders is substantially along the normal direction for emitting and receiving laser beams; the controller continuously calculates the estimated distance and the direction And drive the mobile vehicle to move towards the target to maintain the direction angle at substantially 0 degrees until the estimated distance is shorter than a control exchange distance; when the estimated distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the controller still calculates the Estimate the distance and the direction angle, and simultaneously drive the moving vehicle to keep the relative distance within a predetermined range and maintain the normal direction substantially toward the target.

In one embodiment, when the estimated distance is found to be shorter than the control exchange distance, the controller may further check whether the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control exchange distance or if no laser rangefinder has tracked The subject; if any of the situations occurs, the controller uses the estimated distance and the direction angle to drive the mobile vehicle. The predetermined percentage can be between 50% and 90%.

In another embodiment, when the controller uses the relative distance and a relative angle, the relative angle is formed between the normal direction and the connection line from the first laser rangefinder to the target to drive When the vehicle is moved, the controller also checks whether a difference between the direction angle and the relative angle falls within a predetermined angular error range; if the difference falls within the predetermined angular error range, the relative distance is compared with the relative angle. Angle continues to drive the mobile vehicle; if the The difference does not fall within the predetermined angular error range, and the mobile carrier is driven with the estimated distance and the direction angle. The predetermined angle error range can be +3%~-3%.

According to the present invention, the normal direction substantially facing the target can be maintained by the following: if a second laser rangefinder on the left of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, the mobile vehicle Turn left until the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, and if a third laser rangefinder on the right of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, turn the mobile vehicle to the right Turn until the first laser rangefinder tracks the target. The tracking direction of the second laser rangefinder and/or the third laser rangefinder deviates from the tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder to a predetermined angle. The predetermined angle is not greater than 45°. The control exchange distance can be between 1.5m and 2.5m.

In another embodiment, the target follower assembly further includes an antenna module connected to the signal receiving radio frequency module for receiving signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, wherein the antenna module includes: a whole Directional antennas, which receive the signal from the signal transmitter RF module for pairing and stop operation after the pairing is completed; and at least 3 directional antennas, each directional antenna receives signals from a specific horizontal angle range, of which any two directional antennas The difference in the central direction angle of the specific horizontal angle range is a multiple of a fixed angle. When the at least 3-directional antenna cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the omnidirectional antenna can start pairing again.

The target terminal device may further include a warning unit, which is electrically connected to the first control unit and the first power module to provide warning messages. If the at least three directional antennas cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the controller sends an alarm signal to the alarm unit to emit the alarm message. The warning unit can be a buzzer, LED, micro speaker, or micro motor. The alarm message can be in the form of buzzer, sound, music, light, or vibration. The first power module can be a low-power secondary battery pack or a low-power primary battery. The second power module can be a high-power secondary battery pack.

In yet another embodiment, the mobile module may further include: a wheel set unit having at least two wheels, wherein the wheels rotate to push, stop and rotate the mobile carrier; and a motor coupled to the wheel set Unit, outputting power to drive the wheel unit; and a second control unit, electrically connected to the wheel unit and the motor, and controlling the operation of the wheel unit and the motor according to commands received from the controller.

The target following vehicle provided by the present invention uses two technologies to detect the distance between the target and the moving vehicle. When the detected distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the distance data from the laser rangefinder replaces the distance data from the radio frequency module. Therefore, relative distance following can be applied to the target. At the same time, the target follower assembly can be compactly installed on any mobile carrier, such as a smart suitcase or a golf cart. Compared with similar products on the market, it can reduce the total cost of the resulting target-following carrier and improve the tracking ability.

10: Target follower vehicle

20: Subject

100: target end device

110: Signal Transmitting RF Module

120: The first power module

130: The first control unit

140: fixed module

150: warning unit

200: mobile vehicle

210: Shell

211: accommodating space

212: fixed plate

220: mobile module

221: Wheel Unit

222: Motor

223: second control unit

230: The second power module

300: Target follower assembly

310: Signal receiving RF module

320: Laser rangefinder

321: The first laser rangefinder

322: The second laser rangefinder

323: The third laser rangefinder

330: Controller

340: Antenna Module

341: Omnidirectional antenna

342: Directional antenna

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a target following vehicle according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of a mobile module; Figure 3 shows the definition of an estimated distance and a direction angle; Figure 4 shows an arrangement of a laser rangefinder; Figure 5 shows another arrangement of the laser rangefinder; Figure 6 shows the relationship between a control exchange distance, a relative distance and an estimated distance; Figure 7 shows the antenna arrangement; Figure 8 shows an embodiment of the present invention A schematic diagram of a target device; and FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of following the target.

The present invention will be described more specifically by referring to the following embodiments.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which discloses an embodiment of a target follower vehicle 10 according to the present invention. The target follower vehicle 10 includes three main parts: a target end device 100, a mobile vehicle 200, and a target follower assembly 300. The detailed description of these components, functions and their interactions will be described in the following related diagrams.

The target terminal device 100 is used to install on a target to be followed. In application, the subject can be a person moving on the ground. The target is followed so that certain carry items can be moved accordingly. For example, if the subject is a tourist, the subject vehicle 10 can be a smart suitcase that automatically moves with the tourist. The subject vehicle 10 can also be a golf cart, if the subject is a golfer. The target terminal device 100 has a signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, a first power module 120, a first control unit 130, and a fixed module 140. The signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 can work to emit radio frequency signals. In this embodiment, the signal-transmitting radio frequency module 110 transmits radio frequency signals in one direction; in other embodiments, the signal-transmitting radio frequency module 110 may transmit the radio frequency signals in two directions. That is, the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 can also receive radio frequency signals.

The first power module 120 is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, and it can provide power required for operation to any electronic components connected to it. Because the target device 100 should be designed as compact as possible so that it will not become a burden for the target to carry, the selection of the first power module 120 should be carefully considered. In practice, the first power module 120 is a low-power secondary battery pack, such as a lithium battery, which can be charged when the power is exhausted or is at a low level. For convenience, the first power module 120 can be designed to use a low-power primary battery, such as a mercury battery. The present invention is not limited.

The first control unit 130 is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and the first power module 120. The first control unit 130 may take the form of an integrated circuit. The function of the first control unit 130 is to manage the operation of the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110. If possible, the first control unit 130 may be designed to control the power output and recharging of the first power module 120.

The fixed module 140 is installed on the tool to be followed. Therefore, it can carry the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, the first power module 120 and the first control unit 130. In practice, the fixed module 140 can be mounted to a target moving part, such as a human wrist, in the form of a wrist strap. The fixing module 140 can also be designed as an ornament attached to a sling or installed in a key ring.

The mobile carrier 200 is the main part of the mobile following target, and it includes a housing 210, a mobile module 220, and a second power module 230. The housing 210 is used to accommodate carrying items, such as clothes purchased by tourists. Therefore, the housing 210 has an accommodating space 211, as shown by the dashed frame in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the accommodating space 211 is completely enclosed by the housing 210 and can be opened for use when the housing 210 is opened. In other embodiments, the housing 210 may have several openings, and the accommodating space 211 can be connected to the space of the housing 210. A good example of this application is a smart golf cart. The golf equipment can be placed in the accommodating space 211, and the golf cart body is the housing 210.

The movement module 220 is responsible for the movement of the mobile carrier 200. It is integrated with the housing 210 and can move on the ground according to received commands. According to the present invention, the mobile module 220 may further include several sub-modules, as shown in FIG. 2. The sub-modules are a wheel unit 221, a motor 222, and a second control unit 223. The wheel unit 221 is an element group and has at least two wheels, which rotate to push, stop and rotate the mobile carrier 200. In practice, the wheel set unit 221 may be several non-powered wheels with at least one power wheel, and some wheels can be controlled to change the direction of their rotation axis (direction wheels). The wheel unit 221 can also be The combination of the wheel. Of course, in order to improve off-road performance, the wheel set unit 221 may be a plurality of crawler wheels with crawler belts attached around them. However, the wheel unit 221 itself has no power. Therefore, the motor 222 is coupled to the wheel unit 221 to output electric power to drive the wheel unit 221. Any type of motor suitable for driving the designed wheel unit 221 can be used, and the invention is not limited thereto. If necessary, the number of motors 222 can be more than one to achieve fine direction control or increase speed.

Like the first control unit 130, the second control unit 223 may be in the form of an integrated circuit, electrically connected to the wheel unit 221 and the motor 222, and can control the wheel unit 221 and the motor 222 according to commands received from a controller 330 Operation.

The second power module 230 is detachably connected to the housing 210. That is, if the mobile carrier 200 only needs to use its carrying function without the target following function, the second power module 230 can be removed from the housing 210 to reduce the total weight of the mobile carrier 200 or perform maintenance. Similarly, the second power module 230 works to provide power. Unlike the first power module 120, the second power module 230 must provide higher power and should be rechargeable. Therefore, the second power module 230 should be a high-power secondary battery pack.

The target follower assembly 300 is a key part for performing target following and controlling the movement of the mobile carrier 200. It is installed on the mobile carrier 200 and electrically connected to the second power module 230, as shown by the dotted line on the right in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, a wire (the dotted line on the right) connecting the target follower assembly 300 and the second power module 230 is embedded in the housing 210; in other embodiments, the wire can be installed on the surface of the housing 210 (In the accommodating space 211 or the external environment). The target follower assembly 300 should preferably be assembled on the outer surface of the housing 210 or embedded in the housing 210 with a part of it exposed to the outside. On the one hand, it saves the occupancy of the accommodating space 211; on the other hand, the target follower assembly 300 can be easily installed or disassembled for maintenance. The target follower assembly 300 includes three sub-modules: a signal receiving radio frequency module 310, at least three laser rangefinders 320 and the controller 330. The following is a description of these sub-modules.

訊號接收射頻模組310到訊號發射射頻模組110的方向(實線)與移動載具200上訊號接收射頻模組310所位之處的一前方平面的一法線方向N間的角度所定義。這裡，具有光滑平面的一固定板212用來安裝訊號接收射頻模組310，以便指出該法線方向N。在其它實施例中，法線方向N可以由訊號接收射頻模組310上任何設備的任何平面來定義只要不會因外力或熱量而輕易地被改變。事實上，已經有技術用射頻訊號計算前述的估計距離De和方向角θ，任何技術都可以應用於本發明。本發明的關鍵特徵是通過射頻訊號和至少3個雷射測距儀320的結果控制標的與移動載具200間的距離。 The signal receiving radio frequency module 310 is selected according to the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 in the target terminal device 100, so that the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 can be paired with the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, and work to receive transmissions from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 Radio frequency signal. Similarly, the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 can also send and receive radio frequency signals in both directions. Preferably, the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 and the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 use 5.8G (802.11a/n/ac) bandwidth. The two RF modules together provide data for calculating an estimated distance and a direction angle. For a better understanding, please refer to Figure 3, which defines an estimated distance De and a direction angle θ. The estimated distance De is defined as the distance between the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and the signal receiving radio frequency module 310, which is calculated by the radio frequency signal sent from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and received by the signal receiving radio frequency module 310. The estimated distance De is "estimate", because the radio frequency signal may float during transmission, resulting in incorrect calculation of the true distance. The direction angle θ is given by

Defined by the angle between the direction (solid line) from the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 to the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and a normal direction N of a front plane on the mobile vehicle 200 where the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 is located . Here, a fixed plate 212 with a smooth plane is used to install the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 to indicate the normal direction N. In other embodiments, the normal direction N can be defined by any plane of any device on the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 as long as it is not easily changed due to external force or heat. In fact, there have been techniques to calculate the aforementioned estimated distance De and direction angle θ using radio frequency signals, and any technique can be applied to the present invention. The key feature of the present invention is to control the distance between the target and the mobile vehicle 200 through the radio frequency signal and the results of at least three laser rangefinders 320.

Please see Figure 4, which shows an arrangement of the laser rangefinder 320. Each laser rangefinder 320 finds (calculates) a precise relative distance Dr between the target 20 and itself through the laser beam emitted and reflected by a target 20. The number of laser rangefinder 320 should be at least three, such as three, four, five or more. Preferably, the number should be odd, which means There will be a center laser rangefinder 320. In this embodiment, in order to simplify the complexity of the target following assembly 300, three laser rangefinders 320 are used for illustration. They are a first laser rangefinder 321, a second laser rangefinder 322 on the left side of the first laser rangefinder 321, and a third laser rangefinder on the right side of the first laser rangefinder 321. Distance meter 323. A laser rangefinder 320 has a laser beam transmitter (not shown) and a laser beam receiver (not shown). When the emitted laser beam is reflected by the target 20 and then received (the first laser rangefinder 321), the relative distance Dr can be obtained. However, when the emitted laser beam is not reflected (the second laser rangefinder 322 and the third laser rangefinder 323 are also the same), there is no available distance data. It also means that the associated laser rangefinder 320 cannot detect or track the target 20. No matter how many laser rangefinders 320 are used, they should be installed next to the signal receiving RF module 310. This is because the reference for calculating the distance De and the relative distance Dr should be as close as possible.

Each laser rangefinder 320 has a tracking direction, which is the direction in which the laser beam is emitted. In this embodiment, the tracking directions of the three laser rangefinders 320 are different. The tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder 321 is 0°, pointing upward. In other words, the tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder 321 is substantially along the normal direction N for emitting and receiving the laser beam. The tracking direction of the second laser rangefinder 322 is 10° counterclockwise. The tracking direction of the third laser rangefinder 323 is rotated clockwise by 10°. This means that the tracking direction of the second laser rangefinder 322 and/or the third laser rangefinder 323 can deviate from the tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder 321 to a predetermined angle. In this example, the predetermined angle is 10°. Preferably, the predetermined angle can be greater but should not be greater than 45°. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the tracking directions of the three laser rangefinders 320 are the same. However, the second laser rangefinder 322 and the third laser rangefinder 323 are farther away from the first laser rangefinder 321. This arrangement of the laser rangefinder 320 is also within the scope of the present invention. The arrangement difference between Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 is that the arrangement in Fig. 4 should be applied to a movement with a narrower front. The vehicle 200, such as a smart suitcase, and the arrangement in FIG. 4 should be applied to a mobile vehicle 200 with a wider front, such as a golf cart.

The controller 330 is signally connected to the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 and the at least three laser rangefinders 320. At the same time, in order to issue a command to control the second control unit 223, a connecting line as shown in FIG. 1 (the dotted line on the left) is used. Similarly, the connecting wire can be embedded in the housing 210 or can be provided on the surface of the housing 210. The controller 330 operates to calculate the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ, sends a command to the second control unit 223 to control the movement of the mobile vehicle 200, and dynamically tracks the target 20 by one of the laser rangefinders 320 , So that the relative distance Dr can be calculated continuously.

The present invention uses two techniques to obtain the distance between the target and the tracker itself (laser rangefinder 320 or signal receiving radio frequency module 310). The controller 330 uses the feedback message from the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 to calculate the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ, so that the absolute position identification can be obtained. At the same time, the controller 330 also uses the results of the laser rangefinders 320 to obtain relative position recognition. The accuracy of the latter is better than the former. Therefore, when the target is closer to the controller 330 (the tracker has the same reference), the relative distance Dr can be used to represent the "true distance". The estimated distance De is used when the target is far away from the controller 330, because there may be many obstacles between the laser rangefinder 320 and the target, and the relative distance Dr may be incorrect. However, at what distance can the relative distance Dr and the estimated distance De be switched? Here, a control exchange distance Dce is defined as the boundary between the relative distance Dr and the estimated distance De. In practice, the relative distance Dr should preferably fall between 1.5m and 2.5m. A better situation is 2m. Please see Figure 6, which shows the relationship between the control exchange distance Dce, the relative distance Dr, and the estimated distance De. Generally speaking, it is estimated that the distance De can be very far, ranging from 2m to more than 20m. If the distance between the controller 330 and the target is shorter than the control exchange distance Dce (obtained by the signal receiving radio frequency module 310), the relative distance Dr from the laser rangefinder 320 takes over as the real distance. Although the adoption comes from For the distance data of the laser rangefinder 320, the controller 330 continues to calculate the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ in response to occasional needs.

The controller 330 drives the mobile carrier 200 to move toward the target so that the distance therebetween is shortened. At the same time, the controller 330 maintains the direction angle θ to be substantially 0 degrees until the estimated distance is shorter than the control exchange distance Dce. As described above, when the estimated distance De is shorter than the control exchange distance Dce, the controller 330 still calculates the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ, and at the same time drives the mobile vehicle 200 to keep the relative distance Dr within a predetermined range, and maintain the method The line direction N is substantially towards the target. The predetermined range, such as 0.5 m, is set to keep the mobile vehicle 200 away from the target to avoid collision. The normal direction N is substantially oriented toward the target by the following method to maintain the method. Please refer to Figure 4. If the second laser rangefinder 322 on the left of the first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20, it means that the normal direction N has rotated a little bit clockwise, just turn the mobile vehicle 200 to the left until The first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20. The normal direction N is substantially toward the target 20. Conversely, if the third laser rangefinder 323 on the right of the first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20, this means that the normal direction N has rotated a little counterclockwise, and you only need to move the vehicle 200 to the Turn right until the first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20. The normal direction N is again substantially toward the target 20.

在另一個條件下，當控制器330利用相對距離Dr與一相對角度，該相對角度形成於法線方向N及由第一雷射測距儀321至標的20的連線之間，來驅動移動載具200時，控制器330也會檢查是否方向角θ與該相對角度的差異落於一預定角度誤差範圍內。如果該差異落於該預定角度誤差範圍內，以相對距離Dr與相對角度持續驅動移動載具200。如果該差異未落於該預定角度誤差範圍內，以估計距離De和方向角θ驅動移動載具200。預定角度誤差範圍不應設的太大，一個較佳例子可以為+3%~-3%。 The frame rate (data acquisition frequency) of the laser rangefinder 320 and the signal receiving RF module 310 may be dozens of times per second, such as 10 times per second. Therefore, when something or someone quickly enters between the target and the controller 330, it is difficult to find the distance between them. Therefore, there are some special designs to switch the distance decision control to solve the above problems. When the estimated distance De is found to be shorter than the control exchange distance Dce, the controller 330 can further check whether the relative distance Dr is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control exchange distance Dce, or the laser rangefinder 320 does not track the target. This is to check whether someone breaks in suddenly or the subject is missing. If one of the conditions occurs, the controller 330 uses the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ to drive the mobile vehicle 200 instead of using the relative distance Dr determined by the laser rangefinder 320. Preferably, the predetermined percentage is between 50% and 90%.

Under another condition, when the controller 330 uses the relative distance Dr and a relative angle formed between the normal direction N and the connection line from the first laser rangefinder 321 to the target 20 to drive the movement When carrying the vehicle 200, the controller 330 will also check whether the difference between the direction angle θ and the relative angle falls within a predetermined angle error range. If the difference falls within the predetermined angular error range, the moving carrier 200 is continuously driven with the relative distance Dr and the relative angle. If the difference does not fall within the predetermined angular error range, the mobile carrier 200 is driven with the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ. The predetermined angle error range should not be set too large, a better example can be +3%~-3%.

According to the present invention, the target follower assembly 300 may further include an antenna module 340. The target follower assembly 300 also includes a signal receiving radio frequency module 310 to receive signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110. The antenna module may include an omnidirectional antenna 341 and at least three directional antennas 342. The layout of the antenna is shown in Figure 7. The omnidirectional antenna 341 receives the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 for pairing, and it stops operating after the pairing is completed. That is, the omnidirectional antenna 341 is used to establish a connection between the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and the signal receiving radio frequency module 310. The number of directional antennas 342 is preferably 3, 5, or 7. Each direction antenna 342 can receive signals from a specific horizontal angle range. For example, a directional antenna 342 marked by a dot receives a signal from the top side of FIG. 7, where a specific horizontal angle range is represented by two dashed lines. The difference between the central direction angles of the specific horizontal angle range of any two-directional antenna 342 is a multiple of a fixed angle. In FIG. 7, the central direction angle of the specific horizontal angle range of the any direction antenna 342 faces the outside along the line between itself and the omnidirectional antenna 341. The direction angle θ can be determined by the signal received by the direction antenna 342. For example, the two-directional antennas 342 marked with diagonal lines receive signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110. A more precise direction angle θ can be obtained by the signal strength found in the directional antenna 342. The direction angle θ falling between the center direction angles of the specific horizontal angle range of the two-directional antenna 342 is actually closer to the one with stronger received signal strength.

Sometimes, if the target moves too fast to follow (causing the target to be farther away from the signal receiving RF module 310 where the signal can be reached) or there is noise in the environment, the signal transmitting RF module 110 and the signal receiving RF module 310 The connection will be interrupted. That is, the at least 3-directional antenna 342 cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110. If this happens, the omnidirectional antenna 341 will start pairing again. Thus, the connection can be re-established.

In other embodiments, the target end device 100 may further include a warning unit 150. Refer to Figure 8. The warning unit 150 is electrically connected to the first control unit 130 and the first power module 120, and can provide warning messages. In practice, the warning unit 150 may be a buzzer, an LED, a micro speaker, or a micro motor. Therefore, the warning message may be in the form of buzzer, sound, music, light or vibration. If the directional antenna 342 cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, the controller 330 will send an alarm signal, and the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 and the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 will be sent to the warning unit 150 to emit the alarm message.

According to the present invention, a method of following the target is also provided. Please refer to Figure 9, which shows the flow of the method. A first step of the method is to provide a signal transmitting radio frequency module installed on a target, a signal receiving radio frequency module installed on a mobile vehicle, and a signal receiving radio frequency module installed next to the signal receiving radio frequency module At least 3 laser rangefinders (S01). The functions of the devices mentioned are the same as those of the correspondingly named devices above. Then, the next step is to calculate an estimated distance and a direction angle (S02). The definitions of the estimated distance and direction angle are the same as those disclosed in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated. It should be noted that the tracking direction of a first laser rangefinder in these laser rangefinders is substantially along the normal direction disclosed in the previous embodiment for emitting and receiving laser beams.

A third step is to drive the mobile vehicle toward the target while maintaining the direction angle substantially at 0 degrees (S03). In this step, the movement of moving the vehicle toward the target is controlled by position data (estimated distance and direction angle). Next, it is a repetitive loop process from calculating the position data to guide the moving vehicle: Step S02 and Step S03 are repeated until the estimated distance is shorter than a control exchange distance (S04). The control exchange distance has the same definition in the previous embodiment. In practice, the control exchange distance should be between 1.5m and 2.5m.

As mentioned above, once the distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the distance between the moving vehicle and the target is determined by the laser rangefinder. In this way, the next step is to dynamically track the target by one of the laser rangefinders, so that a relative distance between the laser rangefinder and the target can be continuously calculated while calculating the estimated distance and the direction angle ( S05). Dynamic tracking means that no laser rangefinder is assigned to track and find the distance between it and the target. As long as one of the laser rangefinders finds the target, its data can be used until the first laser rangefinder takes over the work. The last step of the method is to drive the mobile carrier to keep the relative distance within a predetermined range and maintain the normal direction substantially towards the target (S06). The target can be followed in this way.

However, for radio frequency modules and/or laser rangefinders, there are some unpredictable conditions that interfere with distance measurement. Therefore, there must be some additional steps to deal with these problems. Before the data from the laser rangefinder can be used stably, inspection steps must be taken. for example. After step S05, there are two additional steps: check whether the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control exchange distance or there is no laser rangefinder tracking the target (S05-1) and if any of the steps S05-1 If a situation occurs, repeat steps S02 and S03; otherwise, perform step S06 (S05-2). Step S05-1 determines whether the relative distance has dropped significantly, or the laser ranging has lost the target tracked by the RF module. In other words, it checks whether someone or something suddenly appears between the target and the laser rangefinder, or the laser rangefinder cannot catch Subject. If step S05-1 occurs, step S05-2 allows the data calculated by the radio frequency module to be used to determine where the target is now. After determining the target position, the method will continue with step S04. Here, the predetermined percentage should fall between 50% and 90%.

In another case, there may be additional steps after step S06. The first step is to check whether the difference between the direction angle and a relative angle falls within a predetermined angular error range, the relative angle formed in the normal direction and the connection line from the first laser rangefinder to the target Between (S07). The second step is if the result of step S07 is yes, repeat step S06; if the result of step S07 is no, repeat step S02 and step S03. Steps S07 and S08 are used to deal with the situation where someone suddenly appears between the target and the laser rangefinder, causing different direction judgments caused by the radio frequency module. Preferably, the predetermined angle error range is +3%~-3%.

As with the target following vehicle, this method also provides the same procedure to maintain the normal direction substantially facing the target. This is achieved by the following method: if a second laser rangefinder on the left of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, turn the mobile vehicle to the left until the first laser rangefinder Track the target, and if a third laser rangefinder on the right of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, turn the mobile vehicle to the right until the first laser rangefinder tracks The subject. Preferably, the tracking direction of the second laser rangefinder and/or the third laser rangefinder deviates from the tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder to a predetermined angle. Similarly, the predetermined angle should not be greater than 45°.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to those defined by the attached patent scope.

10: Target follower vehicle

100: target end device

110: Signal Transmitting RF Module

120: The first power module

130: The first control unit

140: fixed module

200: mobile vehicle

210: Shell

211: accommodating space

220: mobile module

230: The second power module

300: Target follower assembly

310: Signal receiving RF module

320: Laser rangefinder

330: Controller

Claims (19)

A target follow-up vehicle, including: a target end device, including: a signal transmitting radio frequency module, working to emit radio frequency signals; a first power module, electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module, for providing operation Power required; a first control unit, electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module and the first power module, and managing the operation of the signal transmitting radio frequency module; and a fixed module, carrying the signal transmitting radio frequency module , The first power module and the first control unit are installed on a target to be followed; a mobile vehicle including: a housing with an accommodating space; a mobile module integrated with the housing, Move on the ground according to the received command; and a second power module, which is detachably connected to the housing to work to provide power; and a target follower assembly, which is installed on the mobile vehicle and is electrically connected The second power module includes: a signal receiving radio frequency module, paired with the signal transmitting radio frequency module, working to receive the radio frequency signal emitted by the signal transmitting radio frequency module; at least 3 laser rangefinders, Installed next to the signal receiving radio frequency module, each laser rangefinder calculates a relative distance between itself and the target; and a controller, which signals the signal receiving radio frequency module and the at least 3 lasers Rangefinder, the controller operates to calculate an estimate between the signal transmitting radio frequency module and the signal receiving radio frequency module by using the radio frequency signal sent from the signal transmitting radio frequency module and received by the signal receiving radio frequency module Distance, and by

A direction angle between the direction from the signal receiving radio frequency module to the signal transmitting radio frequency module and a normal direction of a front plane on the mobile vehicle where the signal receiving radio frequency module is located; the controller sends Commands to control the movement of the mobile vehicle; and the controller dynamically tracks the target by one of the laser rangefinders so that the relative distance can be continuously calculated, wherein one of the at least three laser rangefinders The tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder is substantially along the normal direction for emitting and receiving laser beams; the controller continuously calculates the estimated distance and the direction angle, and drives the moving vehicle to move toward the target The direction angle is maintained at substantially 0 degrees until the estimated distance is shorter than a control exchange distance; when the estimated distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the controller still calculates the estimated distance and the direction angle, and drives the mobile carrier at the same time. It can maintain the relative distance within a predetermined range and maintain the normal direction substantially towards the target. For the subject follow-up vehicle described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, when the estimated distance is found to be shorter than the control exchange distance, the controller further checks whether the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control exchange distance or There is no laser rangefinder to track the target; if any of the situations occurs, the controller uses the estimated distance and the direction angle to drive the mobile vehicle. For the subject follow-up vehicle described in item 2 of the scope of the patent application, the predetermined percentage is between 50% and 90%. For the target following vehicle as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, when the controller uses the relative distance and a relative angle, the relative angle is formed in the normal direction and from the first laser rangefinder to the When driving the moving vehicle between the target connection lines, the controller also checks whether a difference between the direction angle and the relative angle falls within a predetermined angle error range; if the difference falls within the predetermined angle error range Inside, the mobile vehicle is continuously driven by the relative distance and the relative angle; if the difference does not fall within the predetermined angular error range, the mobile vehicle is driven by the estimated distance and the direction angle. For the target following vehicle described in item 4 of the scope of patent application, the predetermined angle error range is +3%~-3%. For the target following vehicle as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the normal direction substantially facing the target is maintained by the following: if a second laser on the left of the first laser rangefinder If the rangefinder tracks the target, turn the mobile vehicle to the left until the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, and if a third laser rangefinder is on the right of the first laser rangefinder When the instrument tracks the target, turn the mobile vehicle to the right until the first laser rangefinder tracks the target. The target following vehicle as described in item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the tracking direction of the second laser rangefinder and/or the third laser rangefinder deviates from the tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder To a predetermined angle. As the subject follower vehicle described in item 7 of the scope of patent application, the predetermined angle is not greater than 45°. As for the subject follow-up vehicle described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the control exchange distance is between 1.5m and 2.5m. For example, the target follower vehicle described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the target follower assembly further includes an antenna module connected to the signal receiving radio frequency module for receiving signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, The antenna module includes: an omnidirectional antenna, which receives signals from the signal transmitter RF module for pairing and stops operation after the pairing is completed; and at least 3-directional antennas, each of which receives from a specific horizontal angle range The difference of the central direction angle of the specific horizontal angle range of any two-directional antenna is a multiple of a fixed angle. For the subject follower vehicle described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, when the at least 3-directional antenna cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the omnidirectional antenna starts pairing again. For the subject follow-up vehicle described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, the subject end device further includes a warning unit electrically connected to the first control unit and the first power module to provide warning messages. For example, the target follower vehicle described in item 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein if the at least three directional antennas cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the controller sends an alarm signal to the warning unit to release the signal Alarm message. For the subject follow-up vehicle described in item 12 of the scope of patent application, the warning unit is a buzzer, LED, micro speaker, or micro motor. For example, the subject follow-up vehicle described in item 12 of the scope of patent application, wherein the form of the warning message is buzzer, sound, music, light, or vibration. For the subject follower vehicle described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the first power module is a low-power secondary battery pack or a low-power primary battery. As the subject follower vehicle described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the second power module is a high-power secondary battery pack. For the subject follow-up vehicle described in claim 1, wherein the moving module further includes: a wheel unit with at least two wheels, wherein the wheels rotate to push, stop and rotate the moving vehicle; and a motor , Coupled to the wheel unit, and output power to drive the wheel unit; and A second control unit is electrically connected to the wheel unit and the motor, and controls the operation of the wheel unit and the motor according to commands received from the controller.

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