WO2014091611A1

WO2014091611A1 - Autonomous travelling apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2014091611A1
Application number: PCT/JP2012/082412
Authority: WO
Inventors: 一野瀬　亮子; 山本　健次郎; 大島　章; 太紀飯村
Original assignee: 株式会社日立製作所
Priority date: 2012-12-13
Filing date: 2012-12-13
Publication date: 2014-06-19
Also published as: JPWO2014091611A1; JP5891314B2

Abstract

The present invention is an autonomous travelling apparatus autonomously travelling to a place of destination according to a route, wherein the intention of a user is reflect ed while ensuring smooth travelling when a travelling path is autonomously de termined according to the result of sensing of an ambient environment during travelling. The autonomous travelling apparatus is provided with an obstacle detection unit (6) for detecting an obstacle, an avoidance path planning unit (7) for planning one or more avoidance paths for avoiding an obstacle and se lecting one avoidance path therefrom according to a predetermined rule, a travelling control unit (10) for controlling a travelling mechanism so as to travel according to the selected avoidance path, a display unit (2) for presenting one or more planned avoidance paths to the user, and an avoidance metho d manipulation unit (9) for the user to select a discretionary path from among the presented avoidance paths. If the user selects an avoidance path within a s election period after the display unit (2) has started presenting avoidan ce paths, the avoidance path planning unit (7) changes the selected avoida nce path to the avoidance path selected by the user and the travelling cont rol unit (10) controls a travelling mechanism (11) so as to travel according to the selected avoidance path thus changed.

Description

Autonomous traveling device

The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling device that autonomously travels to a destination, and more particularly to an autonomous traveling device capable of reflecting the user's intention when sensing surrounding environment and autonomously determining a traveling route according to the result.

In recent years, an autonomous traveling apparatus has been developed which autonomously travels to a destination while estimating its own position with a sensor such as a satellite positioning system or a range measuring sensor, on a general public road where no infrastructure such as a traveling rail or a guide is installed. There are an auto type that travels on a road, a personal mobility type that can run on a sidewalk, and the like as an autonomous traveling device that carries people. The autonomous traveling device detects a nearby person or object with a sensor at any time, and travels while seeking a route for avoiding travel so as not to collide with or contact with them. In particular, people, bicycles and other vehicles move vertically and horizontally in large areas without sidewalks and lanes. In addition, people who stand on the floor, signboards and decorations are placed, and there are grasses, etc., and obstacles to travel exist in various places. There are a number of routes which travel while avoiding a collision with an obstacle, depending on whether the obstacle is to be avoided from the right or left, or how long it takes to be separated from the obstacle. In order to select a route to travel from among them, conventionally, it has been selected by evaluation such as the one having the shortest time to reach the target position, the one having the shortest path, and the like. Also disclosed was a method of reflecting the intention of the operator in the selection.

For example, in Patent Document 1, obstacles which cause obstacles in traveling are detected, via points passing left or right of each obstacle are calculated, and an avoidance route connecting via points of the obstacles is obtained. (1) shortest path, (2) shortest arrival time, (3) angular change minimum, (4) velocity change minimum, (5) passing behind moving obstacle, (6) width of avoidance path Evaluate at least one of the areas, set priorities, and select an avoidance path.

Further, in Patent Document 2, once an obstacle is detected, the traveling is once stopped, a plurality of avoidance paths for avoiding the right and left of each obstacle are sought, all the avoidance paths are presented to the remote pilot, and the remote pilot avoids the path. A method of selecting is disclosed.

JP 2008-65755 A JP 2007-310698 A

When a person avoids people and objects around him / her, it is different from one person to another, from the right, from the left, from the left, from the distance, etc. Therefore, if the autonomous mobile device performs an avoidance method different from the judgment of each person when riding on the autonomous mobile device, there is a possibility that the rider may feel discomfort. For example, if you pass near an obstacle or you think that it is better to avoid from the right in view of the surrounding conditions than the distance that the rider wants to secure, avoid from the left, It will make you feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, if you run away slowly from the obstacle than the distance the rider thinks is appropriate, you will feel frustrated. In patent document 1, when selecting an avoidance path | route, consideration about this point was not enough.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, it is possible to reflect the intention of the operator in the avoidance path selection. However, in order to temporarily stop traveling in order to cause the operator to select a route, in an environment with many obstacles such as a sidewalk, the vehicle may frequently stop temporarily, which may hinder smooth traveling.

In view of such problems, the present invention is an autonomy capable of reflecting the intention of the passenger in route selection while performing smooth traveling in order to alleviate the psychological effects such as discomfort to the passenger and improve comfort. To provide a traveling device.

The present invention is provided with the following means in order to solve the above-mentioned subject.

An obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle as a travel obstacle, and one or more avoidance routes for avoiding the detected obstacle, and an avoidance route plan for selecting one avoidance route from among them according to a predetermined rule And a traveling control means for controlling the traveling mechanism to travel along the selected avoidance route, the display unit presenting the planned one or more avoidance routes to the user, and After the avoidance route presenting means starts presenting the avoidance route, the user operates the avoidance method manipulation means to select the avoidance route within the selection period. In this case, the avoidance route planning means changes the selection avoidance route to the avoidance route selected by the user, and the traveling control means controls the traveling mechanism to travel along the changed selection avoidance route.

According to the autonomous traveling device of the present invention, the obstacle avoidance traveling can be performed while reflecting the obstacle avoidance judgment of the passenger while the smooth traveling is performed. Therefore, the discomfort of the passenger is suppressed and the comfort is improved. It is possible.

Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be apparent from the description of the embodiments below.

It is a figure showing the example of composition of the autonomous traveling device concerning one example of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the obstacle characteristic determination and the avoidance method of the autonomous running apparatus based on one Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the avoidance route plan of the autonomous mobile device which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the avoidance route presentation of the autonomous traveling apparatus which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the avoidance method operation device of the autonomous traveling device concerning one example. It is a figure which shows the concept of the timing of obstacle detection and avoidance path planning of the autonomous running device concerning one example, the avoidance method presentation, and the avoidance method operation reception. It is a figure which shows the example of the avoidance path | route selection of the autonomous running apparatus based on one Example. It is a figure which shows the other example of the avoidance path | route selection of the autonomous running apparatus based on one Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the position change of the avoidance path | route of the autonomous traveling apparatus which concerns on one Example. It is a figure which shows the other example of the avoidance path | route of the autonomous running apparatus which concerns on one Example. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of the autonomous traveling operation | movement of the autonomous traveling apparatus which concerns on one Example. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of operation | movement regarding the avoidance method operation of the autonomous traveling apparatus concerning one Example, and the avoidance method change with respect to it. It is a flowchart which shows the other example of the flow of the autonomous traveling operation | movement of the autonomous traveling apparatus which concerns on one Example.

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described using the drawings.

In this embodiment, an example of an autonomous traveling device that autonomously travels to a destination according to a route will be described.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a configuration example of an autonomous traveling device of the present embodiment.

Reference numeral 1 denotes an autonomous traveling device such as an autonomous traveling vehicle or autonomous traveling personal mobility. A computer 29 is mounted on the autonomous mobile device 1. The computer 29 includes the central processing unit 100, the main storage unit 200, and the auxiliary storage unit 300, receives a signal input from an external device or sensor via the input interface 22, and sends a signal to the external device via the output interface 23. Output Various programs are stored in the main storage unit 200, storage areas for storing data necessary for the execution of the programs are secured in the main storage unit 200 and the auxiliary storage unit 300, and the central processing unit 100 operates according to the programs. To implement the various execution means described below.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a display device such as a liquid crystal display provided in the autonomous traveling device 1, and presents information to a passenger of the autonomous traveling device 1.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an input device such as a touch panel combined with the display device 2, and a user of the autonomous mobile device 1 inputs information.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a self position estimation unit for obtaining the current position and orientation of the autonomous mobile device 1. The program 4p of the self position estimation unit 4 measures the output of the satellite positioning system 24 and the surroundings measured by the range sensor 25 It is a program for estimating the self position and the direction using shape data, data of the wheel rotation number counter 26 that counts the rotation number of the wheels of the traveling mechanism, or the like. Specifically, in the method of estimating the self position and orientation,
(1) A method of using output data of the satellite positioning system 24 as a self position,
(2) A method of estimating the position and direction by matching the data of the range measurement sensor 25 with the environmental shape map,
(3) A method of accumulating the number of revolutions of the wheel to estimate the position and direction,
(4) A method of estimating the self-position and orientation with higher accuracy by fusing the results of each method of (1) to (3),
and so on.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a route planning unit, and the program 5p of the route planning unit 5 is a program for planning a route according to the destination input by the user. Specifically, for example, the map stored in the map information storage unit 13 provided in the auxiliary storage device 300 is displayed on the display device 2. When the user selects a destination from among them and inputs a destination with the input device 3, a route connecting the route from the current position to the destination is planned based on the road information on the map. In general, the route is in the form of connecting line segments in map coordinates. The autonomous traveling device 1 performs traveling control by a method of tracing line segments in order and autonomously travels.
Reference numeral 6 denotes an obstacle detection unit, and the program 6p of the obstacle detection unit 6 uses the autonomous traveling device 1 based on the surrounding shape data measured by the range finding sensor 25 or the environment information acquisition sensor 27 such as a camera or stereo camera. Is a program that detects the position and shape of an object near the. Since the positions and speeds of surrounding pedestrians and bicycles change from moment to moment, obstacle detection is periodically repeated. Generally, the detection cycle is suitably several ms to several tens of ms according to the traveling speed of the autonomous traveling device 1 and the measurable distance of the sensors constituting the environment information acquisition sensor 27.

7 is an avoidance route planning unit, and the program 7p of the avoidance route planning unit 7 avoids when traveling along a route planned by the route planning unit 5 based on the position and shape of the object detected by the obstacle detection unit 6 It is a program that determines whether or not there is something to be done, and when there is something to be avoided, plans an avoidance route. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience, there is nothing to be avoided, and when traveling along the route as it is, the traveling route will be called an avoidance route.

There are various methods for avoiding route planning, and the following three methods are representative.
(A) A potential method in which a virtual repulsive force acts on an autonomous traveling device from an obstacle and a virtual attractive force works in the direction of a destination, and the resultant force is a traveling direction.
(B) As shown in Patent Document 1, via points are provided by providing via points on the left and right of the obstacle and connecting via points of the obstacles in the direction of the destination.
(C) An empty space search method that detects left and right empty spaces of an obstacle and sets a route to the empty space.

Among them, since the potential method can only determine the advancing direction from the current position, in order to obtain the avoidance path, the advancing direction from the current position is determined and the virtual direction is advanced virtually for that direction. The steps of determining the traveling direction and determining the traveling direction are repeated several steps to obtain an avoidance route. When planning an avoidance route, in general, an avoidance route is planned starting from a position on the traveling direction side by a predetermined distance from the current position of the autonomous traveling device 1 in consideration of control delay to the wheel motor and tracking delay.

Also, among the above three methods, although the methods (b) and (c) can plan a plurality of avoidance paths, the potential method can obtain only one avoidance path. In the present invention, it is necessary to request a plurality of avoidance paths so that the user can select another avoidance path. Therefore, in the potential method, another avoidance path is planned, for example, by applying a virtual force to the left or right constantly to obtain a resultant force.

When planning an avoidance route, it is desirable to adjust the avoidance width from the obstacle (the distance to the obstacle) and the passing speed with the obstacle according to the characteristics of the obstacle. If you want to avoid stationary objects, you should avoid narrow width and speed should be normal speed, but when avoiding human beings, it is safer to have large width and slow speed in preparation for sudden changes in human movement. is there. In addition, if there are one or two grasses, you may travel by crossing. An example is shown in FIG. 2 in which the obstacle characteristics are represented by the degree of caution, and the avoidance range and speed are set by the degree of caution. The prudence is divided into multiple stages, for example, three stages, usually high and very high. The stationary object is usually determined in the first stage, and the human being in the second stage is characterized as being very high in the second stage, and those that may have sudden movement changes such as bicycles and children are very high in the third stage. The second stage requires a higher degree of caution (warning) than the first stage, and the third stage requires a higher degree of caution than the second stage. Determination of stationary objects, humans, bicycles, children, etc. is made based on the shape, the change in position or shape from previous obstacle detection information, the color of the camera image, etc. And, for example, when the degree of caution is normal, the speed at passing is also normal, the avoidance width is also normal, and when it is recognized as grass etc, it is assumed that it is good. If the degree of caution is high, the passing speed will be slow, the range of avoidance will be large, and all obstacles will be avoided without straddling. When the degree of caution is very high, the passing speed is very slow, the avoidance width is very large, and all obstacles are avoided without any delay.

In the case of a moving object, it is desirable to plan an avoidance route so as not to cross the moving direction in consideration of the moving direction.

After planning a plurality of avoidance routes, the avoidance route planning unit 7 selects one according to a predetermined selection rule. The selected avoidance path is hereinafter referred to as a selection avoidance path. As the selection rule, for example, the evaluation value is determined by the route to the destination, the time to the destination, etc., and the route to be the maximum evaluation is selected.

When the position or speed of the obstacle changes, the route that can be avoided also changes. At this time, the avoidance route planning unit 7 may plan an avoidance route each time the obstacle detection unit 6 performs an obstacle detection process, but if the route changes frequently, traveling is generally jerky. Therefore, it is better to replan in a longer cycle than obstacle detection. For example, in the case of walking on a sidewalk, the walking cycle of the pedestrian is said to be about 500 ms, so the traveling route planning cycle is such that the traveling can be dealt with immediately after a change in the traveling direction of the pedestrian. About 500 ms is appropriate. In order to execute periodically, reference is made to the value of the clock counter 21 which counts and counts the number of clocks of the central processing unit, and is programmed to perform the next calculation only when a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous planning time. . Hereinafter, operations relating to periodic execution are realized in the same manner.

Further, in order to cope with the jumping out of the bicycle and the rapid speed change of the surrounding objects, etc., processing for performing an emergency stop is also performed when an object is detected at a close distance apart from the avoidance route plan. It is desirable to perform this process every obstacle detection cycle.

The avoidance route planned by the avoidance route planning unit 7 is displayed on the display device 2.

An example of an obstacle at the time of running on a sidewalk is shown in FIG. 3 (a). 50 is an autonomous traveling device. The example of the avoidance path | route which the avoidance path | route plan part 7 plans at the time of this obstruction arrangement | positioning is shown to (b). The portion indicated by a thick line is a portion detected by the obstacle detection unit 6 of the autonomous traveling device 50. 52 is a car parked on the road surface which is a stationary object. 53 is a pedestrian moving at a speed indicated by the arrow 54. 55 is grass grown on the road surface. Reference numerals 41 to 43 denote avoidance routes planned by the avoidance route planning unit 7 for these obstacles. Reference numeral 41 denotes an avoidance route selected by the avoidance route planning unit 7 according to the selection rule. The example of the display screen of the display apparatus 2 for showing these to a user is shown in FIG. It is desirable for the user to make it easy to associate the view seen from the passenger seat with the planned avoidance route. For this purpose, it is desirable to provide a camera in front of the passenger seat, capture a front view, and superimpose an avoidance route on the captured image. Since the scenery displayed as the vehicle moves, the overlapping position is also moved according to the scenery. The selection avoidance path is displayed by changing the thickness and color of the other avoidance paths and the lines so that the user can easily identify the selection avoidance path. The length of the path line is preferably a length that extends at least to the side of each obstacle so that it can be easily understood whether it passes through the right side or the left side of each obstacle. Also, it is desirable to display obstacle characteristics that affect the planning of the avoidance route together as a judgment material when the user selects the avoidance route. Reference numeral 71 represents that the characteristic of the pedestrian 53 is determined to be highly cautious, and, for example, the background is colored. Reference numeral 72 indicates that it is determined to be good again, for example, the background is painted in a different color.

Reference numeral 8 denotes an avoidance route list storage unit, which is a storage area for storing the avoidance route planned by the avoidance route planning unit 7. The entire route planned by the avoidance route planning unit 7 or the alternative route displayed on the selection avoidance route and the display device 2 is written and stored. The stored avoidance path is stored for a fixed time or a fixed number of times. The avoidance route planning unit 7 erases the oldest avoidance route when a predetermined time has elapsed after writing the avoidance route, or when the avoidance route has been written a predetermined number of times or more.

9 is an avoidance method operating device. The user operates to indicate the avoidance method. An example of the avoidance method operating device 9 is shown in FIG. It is a mushroom-shaped bar that fits in the hand and is located beside the boarding seat and can be pushed by the hand in front, back, left, and right. Then, for example, a short push to the left changes the avoidance path position to the left, a long push to the left selects the avoidance path that is one to the left of the current selection avoidance path, and a short push to the right Change to the right, long press to the right to select the avoidance path that is one to the right of the current selection avoidance path, press forward, raise the politeness by one step, push back, the politeness to one step Assign the operation rule to lower, press down and stop. As another embodiment of the avoidance method operating device 9, there is a method of providing a sensor for detecting the position of the center of gravity of the user on the seat surface, and allocating the operation rule in the moving direction of the position of the center of gravity. There is also a method of providing a camera for photographing a user and assigning an operation rule to the user's gesture. Any other method that can be operated by the user may be used. It may double as a manual operation device when traveling in the manual mode. The change in the degree of caution may change the amount of change in the length of pressing time.

As described above, the avoidance route planning is performed in a cycle of, for example, 500 ms. However, it takes a longer time for a human to make an operation judgment after the avoidance route is displayed. Therefore, the avoidance path display update cycle is set to a longer cycle. For example, about 2 seconds is appropriate. In addition, since the avoidance route display may be updated at the moment of operation with the avoidance method operating device 9, the operation is received later than the display update time. The concept of obstacle detection, avoidance route planning, avoidance route presentation, and reception timing of the avoidance method operation is shown in FIG.

When the operation is performed by the avoidance method operation device 9, the avoidance route planning unit 7 changes the selection avoidance route according to the operation. An example of changing the method of avoiding the operation of the operating device 9 will be described below. For example, when the avoidance method operating device 9 is operated to change the selection avoidance path to the left by one, the presentation route avoiding path corresponding to the operation timing of the avoidance method operating device 9 is searched from the avoidance path list storage unit 8 . In the case of operation timing example 1 in FIG. 6, since new avoidance route planning has not been performed yet, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the avoidance route 42 on the left side of the current selection route is set as the selection avoidance route. . The new selection avoidance path 42 is displayed by changing the thickness and color of another avoidance path and the line, and the like so that the user can easily identify the selection avoidance path.

In the case of the operation timing example 2 of FIG. 6, since a new avoidance route plan is performed, first, a presentation avoidance route corresponding to the operation timing of the avoidance method operating device 9 is searched from the avoidance route list storage unit 8 Then, one of the left avoidance routes 42 is selected for the selected avoidance route 41, and then an avoidance route close to the avoidance route 42 is selected from the latest avoidance route group as a selection avoidance route. An example is shown in FIG. In the case of the operation timing example 2, the autonomous traveling device 50 is moving forward, and a new avoidance route indicated by 61 to 63 is planned. From among them, the avoidance path 62 whose position is close to the avoidance path 42 is selected. The new selection avoidance path 62 is displayed by changing the thickness and color of another avoidance path and the line, and the like so that the user can easily identify the selection avoidance path.

If there is no avoidance route closer than a predetermined distance, the selection avoidance route change operation is invalidated. The same applies to the case where the avoidance method manipulation device 9 is manipulated to change the selection avoidance path to the right.

Although the method of selecting an avoidance route in the indication direction from among a plurality of predetermined avoidance routes is described above, the evaluation value of the selection rule may be weighted on the indication direction side, or may be virtual on the indication direction side. It may be a method of applying force. Make it the optimal method according to the avoidance route planning method.

Also, for example, when the avoidance method operating device 9 is operated to change the position of the selection avoidance path to the left, the avoidance path corresponding to the operation timing of the avoidance method operating device 9 from the avoidance path list storage means 8 Is searched, and the position of the selection avoidance path is moved to the left by a constant distance. An example is shown in FIG. Reference numeral 44 denotes a new avoidance route in which the avoidance route 41 is moved. In the case of the operation timing example 2, the selected avoidance route corresponding to the operation method of the avoidance method operating device 9 is searched, and after selecting an avoidance route near the avoidance route from the latest avoidance route group, the position is moved to the left Let The movement method is, for example, in the case of the potential method, adding virtual force to calculate the resultant force, in the case of the passing point method, moving the passing point to the left, in the case of the empty space searching method, with the obstacle on the left side There are methods such as narrowing the interval. The same applies to the case where the avoidance method manipulation device 9 is manipulated to change the position of the selection avoidance path to the right.

Also, for example, when the avoidance method operating device 9 is operated to raise the degree of caution by one step, the degree of caution of all presented obstacles corresponding to the operation timing is raised by one step, and from among the latest obstacle detection information Extract the same objects, make them the same caution characteristic, and replan the avoidance path. The same is true when it is operated to lower the degree of caution by one step.

Further, for example, when the avoidance method operating device 9 is operated to stop, the traveling control unit 10 described later stops traveling. In addition, the traveling control unit 10 also stops traveling when the avoidance route planning unit 7 determines that there is no route that can be traveled forward. At this time, the avoidance route planning unit 7 searches for an avoidance route in the past for a certain period of time stored in the avoidance route list storage unit 8 and displays it on the display device 2 as a selectable avoidance route. Then, if there is no route ahead which can be traveled, or if the user selects and the past avoidance route becomes the selection avoidance route, the vehicle moves backward according to the selection avoidance route used at the time of stopping driving, At the point where it merges with the selection avoidance route of, it switches to the past selection avoidance route and resumes traveling. An example is shown in FIG. 61 is an avoidance route which follows the stop time, and when the previous avoidance route 62 is selected, the portion 71 from the stop position of the avoidance route 61 to the junction of the avoidance route 62 is retreated, and then travels along the avoidance route 62 Do. In this way, if there is no avoidance route ahead, it is possible to travel more smoothly than replanning the avoidance route while backing up or making a U-turn.

In the above, the avoidance route is displayed to the passenger and the avoidance method is operated, but the remote operator may be displayed and the avoidance method is operated. For example, the autonomous traveling device 1 is provided with a communication device including the receiving device 15 and the transmitting device 16, and the support center of the autonomous traveling device 1 is provided with a communication device, a display device, and an avoidance method operating device. Have the support staff at the support center show an avoidance route and have the support staff operate the workaround method. It is particularly effective when the elderly, children and beginners are on board. Communication is performed using a communication device that allows the passenger and support staff to bidirectionally transmit and receive voice and images. If the support staff hears the impressions of the passenger and, for example, the passenger feels uncomfortable, the support staff operates the avoidance operation device to change the degree of caution and the selection avoidance path. As a result, it is possible to set a selection avoidance path that makes it difficult for the passenger to feel discomfort, and it is possible to remove the user's anxiety.

The operation content of the avoidance operation device 9 is stored in the operation content storage unit 14 in association with the type, location, characteristics of the obstacle to be operated, characteristics of the selected avoidance route, location, operation status information such as time, etc. , May be accumulated and reflected in the avoidance route planning processing of the avoidance route planning unit 7 from the next time onward and the avoidance route selection rule. As a result, the avoidance route planned by the avoidance route planning unit 7 gradually becomes in line with the user's intention, and it is possible to reduce the amount of operation by the user and to run according to the user's intention as much as possible. . When a plurality of users use the autonomous mobile device 1, the operation content is stored for each user and applied to the same user.

In addition, the operation content of each user may be collected together with user characteristics such as the user's age and sex, and the operation content of similar user characteristics may be applied when another user uses it. Then, the possibility that the user who is using for the first time or a user who does not operate the evasion method runs according to the intention of the user is increased. In this case, the operation content information may be transmitted and collected to the management center of the autonomous mobile device 1 by the communication device, and the operation content information may be distributed to the other autonomous mobile device 1. As a result, the operation content information can be applied even when the user uses different autonomous traveling devices 1. In addition, the operation content information is classified for each place, and if the most frequent operation contents or the operation contents of the near time are applied to the autonomous traveling device 1 passing through the same place, even for the user traveling the same point for the first time , There is a high possibility of traveling according to the user's intention.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a traveling control unit, and the program 10p of the traveling control unit 10 determines the current position and direction obtained by the self-position estimating unit 4 and the passing speed output from the avoidance route planning unit 7, the selected avoidance route and the emergency stop Based on the information and the stop signal from the avoidance method operating device 9, the rotational speed of the motor of each wheel and the steering of the traveling mechanism 11 described later is obtained. Specifically, the current position, the direction, and the selection avoidance path coordinates are compared, and the traveling direction and the traveling speed of the autonomous traveling device 1 are determined so as to travel at the passing speed along the selection avoidance path. In addition, when there is an emergency stop information or stop signal input, the rotational speed of the motor is obtained so that the autonomous mobile device 1 is stopped.

The traveling mechanism 11 includes wheels and steers and a motor for driving them. Depending on the traveling system of the autonomous traveling device 1, there may be a case of only wheels or a case of wheels and steering. For example, in the case of the differential two-wheel drive system, it is the former, and in the case of steering, it is the latter. Besides, there are endless track traveling methods and leg type traveling methods. The traveling method is determined by the use purpose and design policy of the autonomous traveling device 1. The traveling control device 12 is a device that controls the current and the number of pulses so that the motor of the traveling mechanism 11 has the rotational speed output from the traveling control unit 10.

Reference numeral 20 denotes an autonomous traveling device control unit that integrally controls the above-described units. The program 20p of the autonomous traveling device control unit 20 controls the programs of the above-described units to be executed in order based on the input from the input device 3 Is a program that

In the embodiment described above, the autonomous traveling control unit 20 is configured by the program 20p of the autonomous traveling control unit 20 and the central processing unit 100 that executes the program 20p. Further, the self position estimation unit 4 is configured by the program 4 p of the self position estimation unit 4 and the central processing unit 100 that executes the program 4 p. Further, the route planning unit 5 is configured by the program 5 p of the route planning unit 5 and the central processing unit 100 that executes the program 5 p. Further, the obstacle detection unit 6 is configured by the program 6 p of the obstacle detection unit 6 and the central processing unit 100 that executes the program 6 p. Further, the bypass path planning unit 7 is configured by the program 7 p of the bypass path planning unit 7 and the central processing unit 100 that executes the program 7 p. Further, the traveling control unit 10 is configured by the program 10 p of the traveling control unit 10 and the central processing unit 100 that executes the program 10 p.

Next, an example of the flow of the autonomous traveling operation of the autonomous traveling device of FIG. 11 will be described.

First, the user sets a destination using the input device 3 based on the information displayed on the display device 2 (S101). Thereafter, the route planning unit 5 plans a route from the current position to the destination based on the input destination and the road information (S102). Then, based on the information displayed on the display device 2, the user instructs the start of traveling using the input device 3 (S103). For example, when the display device 2 displays the start button and the user touches the corresponding button position, a traveling start signal is sent to the autonomous traveling device control unit 20, and the autonomous traveling device control unit 20 performs the following flow. Control each means to execute.

The obstacle detection unit 6 detects an object that is an obstacle to traveling around the autonomous traveling device 1 (S104), and the display device 2 overlaps the landscape in the traveling direction with the obstacle characteristics determined by the avoidance route planning unit 7 It displays together (S105).

The avoidance route planning unit 7 determines whether an emergency stop is necessary based on the obstacle detection information of the obstacle detection unit 6 (S106), and the emergency stop information is sent to the travel control unit 10 when an emergency stop is necessary. And the traveling control unit 10 stops the traveling of the autonomous traveling device 1 (S107). And it repeats from obstacle detection of S104. When the emergency stop is unnecessary in S106, the avoidance path planning unit 7 plans an avoidance path based on the obstacle detection information of the obstacle detection unit 6 (S108). Then, the avoidance route list storage unit 8 stores the avoidance route (S109). If the predetermined avoidance route display update period has arrived (S110), the avoidance route display of the display device 2 is updated (S111). When the user sees the avoidance route displayed on the display device 2 and wants to operate the avoidance method, the user operates the avoidance method operating device 9. Then, it is determined whether the avoidance method operating device 9 has been operated. It is determined whether or not the previous main determination step has been operated by this time (S112). If it has been operated, the avoidance path planning unit 7 changes the avoidance method according to the operation (S113). An example of the flow of the change operation of the avoidance method is shown in FIG. If there is an avoidance route selection change operation (S131), the selection avoidance route is changed to an avoidance route located on the specified direction side of the current selection avoidance route (S132). If there is an avoidance path position change operation (S133), the position of the selection avoidance path is changed to the designated direction (S134). If there is a change in caution level (S135), change the politeness of the obstacle currently detected, change the avoidance width according to the new politeness, plan the avoidance route, and change the passing speed (S136). Then, the obstacle characteristic display and the avoidance route display are updated (S114).

Thereafter, the traveling control unit 10 performs route following traveling control according to the selection avoidance route (S115). It repeats from S104 obstacle detection until the present position reaches a destination (S116). When the destination is reached, the traveling control unit 10 stops the traveling mechanism and ends the traveling (S117).

The change in the degree of caution is reflected on all presented obstacles corresponding to the operation timing. After that, every time obstacle detection is performed, it is determined from the continuity of the object whether it is the same object or not, and it is determined when the same object is not detected or when it is determined that passing of the same object is ended. It may return to the obstacle characteristic determination according to the rule of. Alternatively, it may be returned after traveling for a predetermined time or for a predetermined distance or a predetermined distance. Alternatively, caution may be maintained for all obstacles until the next operation.

Next, another example of the flow of the autonomous traveling operation of the autonomous traveling device of FIG. 13 will be described. S121 to S123 are added to the flow of FIG. Hereinafter, added parts different from the flow of FIG. 11 will be described. Before the avoidance route display update cycle is determined (S110), it is determined whether the conditions for presenting the avoidance route option to the user are met (S121). If the conditions are met, the processing from S110 to S114 is performed. If it does not match, only the currently selected avoidance route is displayed (S122), and other avoidance routes are not displayed (S123). By this flow of operation, the user can freely set the information matching condition and freely change the amount of information presentation and the degree of intervention of the user. As the matching condition, for example, there are a plurality of planned avoidance paths, a difference between the avoidance path options of the avoidance path selection evaluation value is equal to or less than a certain value, no indication at all, always presenting. With the above operation, it is possible to present information according to the user and set the operation intervention degree.

About the said embodiment, if a structure and its effect are arranged, there exist the following, for example.

An obstacle detection means 6 for detecting an obstacle as a travel obstacle and one or more avoidance routes for avoiding the detected obstacle are planned, and an avoidance route for selecting one avoidance route from among them according to a predetermined rule In the autonomous traveling device 1 having the planning means 7 and the traveling control means 10 for controlling the traveling mechanism 11 to travel along the selected avoidance route, the avoidance route presenting means for presenting the planned one or more avoidance routes to the user (Display device) 2 and an avoidance method operation means 9 which allows the user to select an arbitrary route from the presented avoidance routes, and within a predetermined time after the avoidance route presentation means 2 starts presenting an avoidance route When the user operates the avoidance method operation means 9 to select the avoidance route within the selection period, the avoidance route planning means 7 changes the selection avoidance route to the avoidance route selected by the user, and the travel control means 10 Controlling the driving mechanism 11 so as to travel along the changed selected avoidance route. This allows the user to arbitrarily select an avoidance route while traveling.

Further, the avoidance route presenting means 2 periodically updates the presented avoidance route with the latest avoidance route planned by the avoidance route planning means 7. Thus, the user can select an avoidance route at any time while traveling.

Also, in the case where the avoidance route planning means 7 plans a new avoidance route before the user operates the avoidance method operation means 9 to select the avoidance route after the avoidance route presenting means 2 starts presenting the avoidance route. The avoidance route planning means 7 sets the avoidance route near the avoidance route selected by the user among the new avoidance routes as the selection avoidance route, and the travel control unit 10 controls the traveling mechanism 11 to travel along the selection avoidance route. . As a result, the presentation time is made long enough for the user to judge the avoidance route condition sufficiently, and even if the obstacle arrangement around it changes, the avoidance run is performed in real time corresponding to the obstacle arrangement change around it. It is possible to travel safely while listening to the user's intention.

Further, the avoidance route presenting means 2 presents an avoidance route only when the avoidance route planned by the avoidance route planning means 7 becomes a certain condition. Thus, for example, if the condition is set to be presented only when there are a plurality of avoidance routes planned by the avoidance route planning means 7, if there is no obstacle in the surroundings, there is only one route that can avoid obstacles. Do not present. Thus, the information presented to the user is not complicated. Further, if the condition is set not to be presented at all, the route is set completely automatically and the vehicle travels, which is convenient for a beginner or a user who wants to relax and take all by leaving the autonomous traveling device 1. Conversely, setting the condition to be always presented is convenient for the user who wants to move according to his own intention as much as possible. Thus, it is possible to change the manner of riding depending on the user.

Further, the obstacle detection means 6 detects at least the position and shape of the obstacle, and the avoidance path planning means 7 determines the obstacle characteristic affecting the avoidance path plan from the detection information of the obstacle detection means 6, and the avoidance path The presentation means 2 also presents obstacle characteristics. This allows, for example, children to be classified into characteristics such as children that should be separated slowly and carefully at a distance, stationary objects such as stationary objects that can pass at normal speed, and the like. It can be used as a material for determining the selection of the avoidance route.

Further, the avoidance method operation means 9 enables the user to give an instruction to move the route position by a fixed distance to the avoidance route planning means 7 in addition to the route selection, and the avoidance route planning means 7 follows the instruction to avoid selection. The avoidance route in which the position of the route is moved is planned to be a new selection avoidance route, and the traveling control means 10 controls the traveling mechanism 11 so as to travel along the new selection avoidance route. This enables fine adjustment of the traveling position according to the user's intention.

Further, the avoidance method operation means 9 enables the user to give an instruction to change the obstacle characteristic to the avoidance path planning means 7 in addition to the route selection, and the avoidance path planning means 7 follows the instruction and detects the obstacle being detected. The obstacle characteristic to the object is changed to plan the selection avoidance route, and the traveling control means 10 controls the traveling mechanism 11 to travel along the selection avoidance route. Thereby, according to the user's intention, it is possible to change the distance between the obstacle and the speed, etc.

In addition, the operation content of the avoidance method operation means 9 is stored in association with one or more operation status information among the type, arrangement, characteristics, characteristics of the avoidance route, operation location and operation time of the obstacle as the operation target. An operation content storage unit 14 is provided, and when the avoidance route planning unit 7 plans an avoidance route, among the operation content stored in the operation content storage unit 14, the operation content having similar operation conditions is read, and the operation content is Reflect in the route planning. As a result, the possibility of the avoidance route planning means 7 planning an avoidance route that matches the user's intention is increased, and it is possible to run as well as the user's intention while reducing the user's operation burden.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modifications. For example, the embodiments described above are described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations. Also, part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and the configuration of another embodiment can be added to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, with respect to a part of the configuration of each embodiment, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations.

Further, each of the configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. described above may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing part or all of them with an integrated circuit. Further, each configuration, function, etc. described above may be realized by software by the processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing each function can be placed in a memory, a hard disk, a recording device such as a solid state drive (SSD), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

Further, control lines and information lines indicate what is considered to be necessary for the description, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In practice, almost all configurations may be considered to be mutually connected.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... autonomous traveling device, 2 ... display device, 3 ... input device, 6 ... obstacle detection part, 7 ... avoidance path plan part, 8 ... avoidance path list storage part, 9 ... avoidance method operation part, 10 ... traveling control part , 11 ... running mechanism, 14 ... operation content storage unit.

Claims

An obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle that is an obstacle to traveling;
An avoidance route planning unit for planning one or more avoidance routes for avoiding the detected obstacle and selecting one of the avoidance routes according to a predetermined rule among them;
A traveling control unit that controls the traveling mechanism to travel along the selected avoidance route;
A display unit that presents the user with one or more planned avoidance routes;
And an avoidance method operation unit for the user to select an arbitrary route from the presented avoidance routes;
If the user operates the avoidance method operation unit to select the avoidance route within the selection period after the display unit starts presenting the avoidance route, the avoidance route planning unit selects the selection avoidance route by the user An autonomous traveling device that changes to an avoidance route and controls the traveling mechanism so that the traveling control unit travels according to the changed selection avoidance route.
In the autonomous traveling device according to claim 1,
The autonomous traveling device periodically updates the avoidance route to be presented with the latest avoidance route planned by the avoidance route planning unit.
In the autonomous traveling device according to claim 2,
The avoidance route planning unit is new after the display unit starts displaying the avoidance route and before the user operates the avoidance method operation unit to select the avoidance route. When planning an avoidance route, among the new avoidance routes, an avoidance route close to the avoidance route selected by the user is selected as a selection avoidance route,
The autonomous traveling device controls the traveling mechanism such that the traveling control means travels according to the selection avoidance path.
In the autonomous traveling device according to claim 3,
The obstacle detection unit detects at least the position and shape of the obstacle, and the avoidance path planning unit determines obstacle characteristics affecting the avoidance path plan from the detection information of the obstacle detection unit, and the display unit An autonomous traveling device that presents the obstacle characteristic.
In the autonomous traveling device according to claim 4,
The avoidance method operation unit enables the user to give an obstacle characteristic change instruction to the avoidance route planning unit in addition to route selection, and the avoidance route planning unit follows the instruction to detect an obstacle under detection. An autonomous traveling device which changes an obstacle characteristic for the vehicle and plans an avoidance route to determine a selection avoidance route, and the traveling control unit controls the traveling mechanism so as to travel along the selection avoidance route.
In the autonomous traveling device according to claim 5,
The avoidance method operation unit enables the user to give an instruction to move the route position by a fixed distance to the avoidance route planning unit in addition to the route selection, and the avoidance route planning unit is configured to select the selected avoidance route according to the instruction. The autonomous traveling device which plans the avoidance route which moved the position and determines the selection avoidance route, and the traveling control means controls the traveling mechanism so as to travel along the selection avoidance route.
The autonomous traveling device according to any one of claims 2 to 6
The autonomous traveling device presents an avoidance route only when the avoidance route planned by the avoidance route planning unit becomes a certain condition.
The autonomous traveling device according to any one of claims 2 to 6
Operation content for storing the operation content of the avoidance method operation unit in association with one or more pieces of operation status information out of the type, arrangement, characteristics, characteristics of the avoidance route, operation location and operation time of the obstacle as the operation target A storage unit is provided, and when the avoidance route planning unit plans an avoidance route, among the operation contents stored in the operation content storage unit, the operation contents having similar operation conditions are read, and the operation contents are avoided route Autonomous travel device to reflect in the plan.