WO2022065297A1

WO2022065297A1 - Autonomous travel route planning method

Info

Publication number: WO2022065297A1
Application number: PCT/JP2021/034563
Authority: WO
Inventors: 遊亀傳田
Original assignee: 村田機械株式会社
Priority date: 2020-09-23
Filing date: 2021-09-21
Publication date: 2022-03-31
Also published as: JP2023164760A

Abstract

The objective of the present invention is to create a filled travel route having good traveling efficiency, by determining an appropriate main direction for a travel area. This autonomous travel route planning method includes: a step (S511 to S513) of rotating a travel area (TA) through a prescribed angle each time, and determining whether a first condition that a first line segment (L1) joining two boundaries of the travel area (TA) and parallel to a prescribed reference axis and a boundary of the travel area (TA) are perpendicular is satisfied; a step (S514) of determining whether a second condition that the length of the first line segment (L1) is at least equal to a prescribed proportion of the length (L_max) of a maximum length line segment (LM) is satisfied; (S515) setting a main direction of the travel area (TA) on the basis of the angle of rotation of the travel area (TA) when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied; and a step (S56 to S62) of combining a first pathway extending in the main direction and a second pathway connected to the start point and/or the end point of the first pathway to create a filled travel route in such a way as to fill the travel area (TA).

Description

Autonomous driving route planning method

The present invention relates to an autonomous travel route planning method for an autonomous vehicle. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of planning an autonomous traveling route for an autonomous traveling body that autonomously travels so as to fill a traveling area defined in a moving environment.

Conventionally, an autonomous traveling body capable of autonomously traveling on a traveling route (referred to as a filled traveling route) that fills a traveling area defined in a moving environment is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The filled travel route is created by defining a travel area on an environmental map showing the travel environment and planning a travel route that combines a straight route and a turning route within the travel area.

International Publication No. 2018/043180

When planning the filled travel route, the longitudinal direction of the traveling region (hereinafter referred to as the main direction) is determined, and the filled traveling route including the straight route parallel to the main direction is planned. By including a straight route parallel to the main direction, it is possible to plan a filled traveling route with a small proportion of turning routes. Since the direction change route is a route for the autonomous traveling body to change the traveling direction (for example, a U-turn route), if the filled traveling route includes many direction changing routes, it takes time to autonomously travel on the filled traveling route. It takes.

In the conventional method of planning a filled traveling route, (i) the traveling area is rotated by a predetermined angle, and (ii) is parallel to a predetermined reference axis connecting the boundaries of the traveling area in the traveling area after rotation by a predetermined angle. Line segments are defined, (iii) the lengths of the line segments whose length is equal to or greater than a predetermined value are integrated, and (iv) the rotation angle of the traveling region where the integrated value of the line segments is maximized. The main direction of the traveling region was determined by the process of determining the main direction based on the above.

In the method of determining the principal direction of the traveling region by the above process, the principal direction may be different from the original ideal principal direction depending on the shape of the traveling region. As a result, when the conventional method for determining the principal direction is used, depending on the shape of the traveling region, it may not be possible to plan a filled traveling route with short traveling time and high traveling efficiency.

An object of the present invention is to determine an appropriate principal direction for a traveling area in an autonomous traveling route planning method, and to create a filled traveling route with good traveling efficiency.

Hereinafter, a plurality of aspects will be described as means for solving the problem. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
The seemingly autonomous travel route planning method of the present invention is a travel route planning method for an autonomous vehicle capable of autonomous travel so as to fill a travel area defined in a travel environment. The autonomous travel route planning method includes the following steps.
◎ A step of rotating the traveling area by a predetermined angle and determining whether or not the first condition that the boundary between the first line segment and the traveling area is orthogonal to each other is satisfied. The first line segment is a line segment connecting two boundaries of the traveling region at each rotation angle of the traveling region, and is a line segment parallel to a predetermined reference axis.
◎ A step of determining whether or not the second condition that the length of the first line segment is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio of the length of the maximum length line segment is satisfied. The maximum length line segment is a line segment having the longest length among the line segments connecting the two boundaries of the traveling region.
◎ A step of determining the principal direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the traveling region, based on the rotation angle of the traveling region when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied.
◎ A step of combining the first path extending in the main direction and the second path connected to the start point and / or the end point of the first path to fill the inside of the traveling area and create a traveling route.

In the above-mentioned autonomous travel route planning method for planning a filled travel route, a first line segment parallel to a predetermined reference axis connecting two boundaries of the travel region after rotation by a predetermined angle is orthogonal to the boundary of the travel region. Moreover, the main direction of the traveling region is determined from the rotation angle of the traveling region satisfying the condition that the length of the first line segment is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio of the length of the maximum length line segment. In this way, by setting the condition that the first line segment is orthogonal to the boundary of the traveling region as the condition for determining the principal direction, an appropriate principal direction is determined for the traveling region, and the filled traveling route with good traveling efficiency is determined. Can be created.

The above-mentioned autonomous travel route planning method may further include a step of arranging a plurality of cells in the travel area. In this case, the first line segment is a line segment connecting the representative points of two cells existing on the boundary of the traveling region. The maximum length line segment is a line segment having the longest length among the line segments connecting the representative points of the two cells existing on the boundary of the traveling region. This makes it easy to define the first line segment and the maximum length line segment.

The step for determining whether or not the first condition is satisfied may include the following steps.
◎ A step to determine the second line segment connecting the first intersection and the second intersection. The first intersection is an intersection where one of the two first line segments defined for the traveling region at each angle intersects with the first boundary of the traveling region at that angle. The second intersection is the intersection of the other of the two first line segments and the first boundary.
◎ A step for determining that the first condition is satisfied when the second line segment and the first line segment are orthogonal to each other.

Thereby, even when the outer peripheral boundary deviates from the boundary of the traveling area, it can be appropriately determined whether or not the first line segment is orthogonal to the boundary of the traveling area.

The step for determining whether or not the second condition is satisfied may include the following steps.
◎ Calculate the integrated value of the length of the first line segment having a length equal to or greater than the predetermined ratio of the length of the maximum length line segment among the plurality of first line segments defined for the traveling area at each angle. Steps to do.
◎ Step to determine that the second condition is satisfied when the above integrated value is the maximum.

Thereby, even when there are a plurality of rotation angles of the traveling region satisfying the first condition, an appropriate rotation angle corresponding to the original main direction can be determined.

The step of calculating the integrated value of the length of the first line segment is the integrated value of the first line segment included in the region defined by the two straight lines parallel to the predetermined reference axis and separated by a predetermined distance. It may include a step to be selected as the first line segment used in the calculation of. As a result, the range including the first line segment used for calculating the integrated value of the length can be fixed, so that the integrated value can be easily calculated.

In the step of determining whether or not the second condition is satisfied, the candidate having the maximum length of the first line segment among the candidates in the main direction satisfying the first condition is set as the candidate in the main direction satisfying the second condition. It may include steps. Thereby, it can be easily determined whether or not the second condition is satisfied.

The autonomous travel route planning method may further include a step of dividing the travel region into a plurality of regions. In this case, the step of determining the principal direction is performed for each of the plurality of regions. Thereby, even when the traveling region has an arbitrary shape, an appropriate principal direction can be determined for the divided region. As a result, it is possible to create a traveling route that efficiently fills the traveling area.

The autonomous travel route planning method may further include a step of joining a plurality of regions having the same principal direction and adjacent to each other when the travel region is divided into a plurality of regions. As a result, it is possible to create a filled running route with good running efficiency.

It is possible to determine an appropriate principal direction for the driving area defined in the moving environment and fill the driving area evenly, and to create a painted driving route with good driving efficiency.

The figure which shows the whole structure of an example of an autonomous traveling device. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the traveling route teaching part. The figure which shows an example of the structure of a setting part. The figure which shows the whole functional block composition of a control part. The figure which shows the detailed structure of the functional block of a traveling control part. The figure which shows the detailed structure of the functional block of a control control part. A flowchart showing the basic operation of the autonomous traveling device. A flowchart showing the operation of the manual operation teaching mode. The figure which shows an example of a mobile environment. A diagram showing an example of a global map and an outer boundary. A flowchart showing the operation of creating a running schedule. A flowchart showing a process of determining the principal direction of a traveling area. The figure which shows an example of the 1st line segment defined in the traveling area (the 1). The figure which shows an example of the 1st line segment defined in the traveling area (the 2). The figure which shows an example of the 1st line segment defined in the traveling area (the 3). The flowchart which shows the determination process whether or not the first condition is satisfied. The figure which shows an example of the determination method of the 2nd line segment schematically. The figure which shows an example of the traveling area including the area determined by an inappropriate principal direction. The flowchart which shows the determination process whether or not the 2nd condition is satisfied. The figure which shows an example of the definition of the maximum length line segment. The figure which shows an example of the case where the integrated value of the length of the first line segment becomes 0. The figure which shows an example when the integrated value of the length of the 1st line segment is not 0. A flowchart showing a traveling area division process. The figure which shows an example of the area created by dividing a part of a traveling area. The figure which shows an example of the state which the traveling area is divided into a plurality of areas. The figure which shows an example of the state which made a new area by joining a plurality of areas. The figure which shows an example of the state which the cell is arranged in the area. A flowchart showing how to create a filled travel route. The figure which shows an example of the score given to the cell in a region. The figure which shows an example of a filled traveling route. The figure which shows an example of the determination method of the area which creates the new start point cell and the next filled travel path schematically. The figure which shows an example of the filled running path created in the whole running area. The figure which shows an example of a running schedule. A flowchart showing the operation of the autonomous driving device when the autonomous driving mode is executed. A flowchart showing an operation of determining a candidate for a rotation angle. The figure which shows an example of a traveling area. The figure which shows an example of the histogram which shows the relationship between the angle with respect to a reference axis, and the cumulative length of a line segment extending in the direction of the angle. The figure which shows an example of the state which specified the side which constitutes the outer boundary boundary. The figure which shows an example of the histogram which classified the extension direction and the length of an edge for each edge.

1. 1. First Embodiment (1) Overall Configuration of Autonomous Traveling Device The overall configuration of the autonomous traveling device 100 (an example of an autonomous traveling body) according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an example of an autonomous traveling device. The autonomous traveling device 100 is a cleaning machine that autonomously reproduces the set cleaning conditions and traveling routes. The autonomous traveling device 100 includes a traveling unit 1. The traveling unit 1 is a device for traveling the autonomous traveling device 100. The traveling unit 1 has a main body B constituting the main body of the autonomous traveling device 100. The traveling unit 1 has a traveling motor 11 at the left and right ends of the bottom of the main body B, and a main wheel 13 attached to an output rotation shaft of the traveling motor 11 and rotating according to the rotation of the traveling motor 11.

The autonomous traveling device 100 includes a cleaning unit 3. The cleaning unit 3 is a device provided at the bottom of the main body B and cleans the floor surface F according to designated cleaning conditions. The cleaning unit 3 of the present embodiment has a cleaning liquid discharge port 31, a squeegee 33, and a cleaning member 35.

The cleaning liquid discharge port 31 discharges the cleaning liquid (for example, water) supplied by the cleaning liquid supply pump 313 from the cleaning liquid supply tank 311 to the floor surface F on the front side of the main body B. The squeegee 33 is provided behind the bottom surface of the main body B and collects the cleaning liquid remaining on the floor surface F. The cleaning member 35 is provided on the front side of the bottom surface of the main body B, and is rotated on the floor surface F in which the cleaning liquid is present by the rotation of the cleaning member rotation motor 351 to clean the floor surface F. By providing the cleaning unit 3 described above, the autonomous traveling device 100 can perform a cleaning operation of polishing the floor surface F with the cleaning member 35 using the cleaning liquid.

In another embodiment, the squeegee 33 may be provided with a suction port 33a. The suction port 33a can suck the cleaning liquid, dust, etc. collected by the squeegee 33 and convey it to the recovery member 333 by putting the recovery member 333 in a negative pressure state by the suction motor 331.

The autonomous traveling device 100 has a control unit 5 (an example of a route planning device). The control unit 5 is a computer system including a CPU, a storage device (RAM, ROM, hard disk drive, SSD, etc.), various interfaces, and the like. The control unit 5 performs various controls related to the autonomous traveling device 100 (described later).

The autonomous traveling device 100 includes a traveling route teaching unit 7. The travel route teaching unit 7 is a device that receives a movement operation of the travel unit 1 by an operator. The traveling route teaching unit 7 is attached to the upper rear side of the main body B via the attachment member 8. As a result, the operator can operate the traveling route teaching unit 7 to move the traveling unit 1 (described later).

As another embodiment, the traveling route teaching unit 7 does not have to be attached to the main body B. In this case, the traveling route teaching unit 7 is a controller such as a joystick. As a result, the operator can remotely control the autonomous traveling device 100.

The autonomous traveling device 100 includes a setting unit 9. The setting unit 9 is an operation panel for making various settings related to the autonomous traveling device 100, and is attached to the upper rear surface of the main body B. Further, the setting unit 9 is provided in the vicinity of the traveling route teaching unit 7. As a result, the operator can operate the setting unit 9 while operating the traveling route teaching unit 7 to operate the traveling unit 1.

As another embodiment, the setting unit 9 may not be attached to the main body B. In this case, the setting unit 9 can be, for example, a console capable of wireless communication such as a portable terminal. As a result, the operator can remotely set the autonomous traveling device 100.

(2) Configuration of Travel Route Teaching Unit An example of the configuration of the travel route teaching unit 7 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the traveling route teaching unit. The travel route teaching unit 7 has

handles

71a and 71b. The

handles

71a and 71b are attached to the left and right side surfaces of the housing 73, respectively. The

handles

71a and 71b are used when the operator operates the autonomous traveling device 100.

For example, the operator holding the

handles

71a and 71b may apply either a force for pulling the autonomous traveling device 100 toward the operator or a force for pushing out the autonomous traveling device 100 through the

handles

71a and 71b. can. By adjusting the force applied to each of the

handles

71a and 71b, the operator can adjust the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 100. For example, if a force for pulling the autonomous traveling device 100 is applied to the steering wheel 71a on the right side when viewed from the front of the autonomous traveling device 100, the autonomous traveling device 100 turns to the left.

The

handles

71a and 71b are rotatably attached to the housing 73. Further, the

handles

71a and 71b are connected to the control unit 5 via the travel control command calculation unit 75. The travel control command calculation unit 75 converts the rotation of the

handles

71a and 71b into an electric signal and outputs the rotation to the control unit 5. As a result, the operator can operate the autonomous traveling device 100 (traveling unit 1) by rotating the

handles

71a and 71b. For example, by adjusting the rotation directions of the

handles

71a and 71b, the operator may be able to switch between forward movement and reverse movement of the autonomous traveling device 100. Further, the traveling speed of the autonomous traveling device 100 may be adjusted by adjusting the rotation amount of the

handles

71a and 71b. Further, the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 100 may be changed by making the rotation amount of the handle 71a different from the rotation amount of the handle 71b.

(3) Configuration of Setting Unit 9 The configuration of the setting unit 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the setting unit. The setting unit 9 has a switching unit 91. The switching unit 91 selects the operation mode of the autonomous traveling device 100 and outputs it to the control unit 5. The operation mode of the autonomous traveling device 100 includes an autonomous traveling mode and a manual operation mode. The autonomous traveling mode is an operation mode in which the autonomous traveling device 100 autonomously travels and cleans the floor surface F. The manual operation mode is an operation mode in which the autonomous traveling device 100 is in a state where it can be manually operated by the operator. The switching unit 91 can be configured by, for example, a switching switch as shown in FIG.

The setting unit 9 has a manual operation storage switch 92. The manual operation storage switch 92 is a switch for starting or ending the storage of the manual operation of the autonomous traveling device 100 by the operator. Specifically, when the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed after the operation mode is set to the manual operation mode by the switching unit 91, recording of the cleaning condition and the traveling route executed by the manual operation of the operator is started. .. That is, the teaching of cleaning conditions and traveling routes is started. On the other hand, if the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed during the recording of the cleaning condition and the traveling route by the manual operation, the recording of the cleaning condition and the traveling route is stopped.

The operation mode for recording (teaching) the cleaning conditions and the traveling route by the manual operation of the operator is called the manual operation teaching mode. The manual operation teaching mode is started as a sub-operation mode of the manual operation mode. The manual operation storage switch 92 may be, for example, a push button switch as shown in FIG. In this case, the manual operation storage switch 92 is switched by pressing the push button switch.

The setting unit 9 has a setting operation unit 93. The setting operation unit 93 is configured by, for example, a pressing switch, receives input of various settings related to the autonomous traveling device 100, and outputs the input to the control unit 5 via the setting conversion unit 94. The setting conversion unit 94 is a signal conversion circuit or a computer system that converts the input received by the setting operation unit 93 into a signal that can be decoded by the control unit 5.

The setting unit 9 has a display 95. The display 95 displays various setting information regarding the currently set autonomous traveling device 100. The display 95 is, for example, a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display.

In another embodiment, the display 95 may further display the current operation mode (autonomous travel mode / manual operation mode / manual operation teaching mode), operating time, remaining battery level for driving the autonomous traveling device 100, and the like. ..

In another embodiment, the display 95 may be provided with a touch panel. In this case, the switching unit 91, the manual operation storage switch 92, and / or the setting operation unit 93 may be realized by the touch panel.

The setting unit 9 may have a cleaning condition teaching unit 96. The cleaning condition teaching unit 96 receives the input of the cleaning condition by the operator and outputs it to the cleaning control command calculation unit 97. The cleaning control command calculation unit 97 is a signal conversion circuit or a computer system that converts the cleaning conditions received by the cleaning condition teaching unit 96 into a decipherable signal and outputs the signal to the control unit 5.

(4) Configuration of Control Unit (4-1) Functional Block Configuration of Control Unit The overall functional block configuration of the control unit 5 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the overall functional block configuration of the control unit. All or part of each functional block of the control unit 5 described below may be realized by a program that can be executed by the computer system constituting the control unit 5. In this case, the program may be stored in the memory unit and / or the storage device. All or part of each functional block of the control unit 5 may be realized as a custom IC such as a SoC (System on Chip).

The control unit 5 may be configured by one computer system or may be configured by a plurality of computer systems. When the control unit 5 is configured by a plurality of computer systems, for example, the functions realized by the plurality of functional blocks of the control unit 5 can be distributed to the plurality of computer systems at an arbitrary ratio and executed.

The control unit 5 has a cleaning control unit 51. The cleaning control unit 51 supplies electric power for controlling the rotation speed, output, and the like to the cleaning member rotation motor 351, the cleaning liquid supply pump 313, and the suction motor 331. In the embodiment in which the setting unit 9 has the cleaning condition teaching unit 96, the cleaning control unit 51 inputs the teaching cleaning condition from the cleaning condition teaching unit 96 via the cleaning control command calculation unit 97, and based on the teaching cleaning condition. , The cleaning member rotary motor 351, the cleaning liquid supply pump 313, and the suction motor 331 may be controlled.

In another embodiment, when the autonomous driving mode is executed, the cleaning control unit 51 inputs a reproduction cleaning condition indicating a set value of the cleaning condition in the autonomous travel mode from the control control unit 55, and based on the reproduction cleaning condition. , The cleaning unit 3 may be controlled.

The control unit 5 has a travel control unit 53. The travel control unit 53 sets the travel motor 11 based on a travel control command based on the rotation amount and rotation direction of the

handles

71a and 71b input from the travel route teaching unit 7, or a travel control command input from the control control unit 55. Control. Further, the travel control unit 53 calculates the rotation speed of the travel motor 11 based on the pulse signal output from the encoder 111 attached to the output rotation shaft of the travel motor 11.

The control unit 5 has a control control unit 55. The control control unit 55 controls the traveling by the autonomous traveling device 100. Specifically, in the control control unit 55, the autonomous traveling device 100 moves to any position on the floor surface F based on the information acquired by the front detector 41a, the rear detector 41b, and / or the encoder 111. Calculate the position information indicating whether or not it is. The control control unit 55 creates the travel schedule 500 by using the above-mentioned position information at the time of executing the manual operation teaching mode. In another embodiment, the control control unit 55 may calculate the cleaning condition in the autonomous driving mode and associate it with the traveling schedule 500.

On the other hand, when the autonomous driving mode is executed, the control control unit 55 calculates the reproduction driving control command based on the data stored in the traveling schedule 500 and outputs it to the traveling control unit 53. As a result, when the autonomous travel mode is executed, the travel control unit 53 can autonomously move the autonomous travel device 100 by controlling the travel motor 11 based on the reproduction travel control command.

In the embodiment in which the cleaning condition is associated with the travel schedule 500, the control control unit 55 controls the cleaning control unit 51 based on the cleaning condition stored in the travel schedule 500 when the autonomous travel mode is executed. May be good. As a result, the autonomous traveling device 100 can autonomously execute the cleaning work according to the cleaning conditions while autonomously traveling according to the traveling schedule 500.

The control unit 5 has a storage unit 57. The storage unit 57 is a part or all of the storage area of the storage device of the computer system constituting the control unit 5, and stores various information about the autonomous traveling device 100. Specifically, the storage unit 57 stores the travel schedule 500 created by the control control unit 55, and various settings related to the autonomous travel device 100 input from the setting operation unit 93 and the setting conversion unit 94.

The travel control unit 53 and the control control unit 55 read various settings related to the autonomous travel device 100 stored in the storage unit 57 and / or a travel schedule 500 as necessary, and make various adjustments and adjustments based on these. Control can be performed.

In another embodiment, the control unit 5 may have a data writing device (not shown) for storing information such as the travel schedule 500 stored in the storage unit 57 in another storage medium.

(4-2) Functional block configuration of the traveling control unit The functional block configuration of the traveling control unit 53 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a functional block of the traveling control unit. The travel control unit 53 has a travel switching unit 531. The travel switching unit 531 has three terminals d, e, and f. The terminal d is connected to the traveling route teaching unit 7, the terminal e is connected to the motor control unit 533, and the terminal f is connected to the control control unit 55.

The travel switching unit 531 selects either to connect the terminal e and the terminal d or to connect the terminal e and the terminal f based on the operation mode selected by the switching unit 91. Specifically, if the manual operation mode is selected in the switching unit 91, the travel switching unit 531 connects the travel route teaching unit 7 to the motor control unit 533 by connecting the terminal e and the terminal d. .. As a result, the travel switching unit 531 transmits a signal indicating the rotation amount and / or rotation direction of the

handles

71a and 71b of the travel route instruction unit 7 to the motor control unit 533 when the manual operation mode or the manual operation instruction mode is executed. can.

On the other hand, if the autonomous travel mode is selected in the switching unit 91, the travel switching unit 531 connects the control control unit 55 to the motor control unit 533 by connecting the terminal e and the terminal f. As a result, the travel switching unit 531 can transmit the reproduction travel control command output from the control control unit 55 to the motor control unit 533 when the autonomous travel mode is executed.

The motor control unit 533 calculates the target rotation speed of the traveling motor 11 based on the input rotation amount / rotation direction of the

handles

71a and 71b or the reproduction traveling control command, and the traveling motor at the target rotation speed. The drive power for rotating the 11 is output to the traveling motor 11. The motor control unit 533 calculates the actual rotation speed of the traveling motor 11 based on the pulse signal from the encoder 111, and calculates the driving power to be output to the traveling motor 11. The motor control unit 533 controls the traveling motor 11 by using, for example, a PI (Proportional Integral) control theory, a PID (Proportional Integral Differential) control theory, or the like. In the present embodiment, a traveling motor 11 and a main wheel 13 are provided at each of the left and right ends of the bottom portion of the main body B. In such a case, the motor control unit 533 independently controls the rotation speed and the rotation direction of the two left and right traveling motors 11 to determine the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 100.

(4-3) Functional block configuration of the control control unit The functional block configuration of the control control unit 55 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of a functional block of the control control unit. The control control unit 55 has a SLAM unit 551. The SLAM unit 551 includes information on obstacles existing in front of the autonomous traveling device 100 acquired by the front detector 41a (FIG. 1) provided in front of the main body B, and rear detection provided in the rear of the main body B. A local map and a global map GM (an example of the first map) are created using the information on obstacles existing behind the autonomous traveling device 100 acquired by the device 41b (FIG. 1), and these map information and the map information are used. Based on the rotation amount of the traveling motor 11 acquired by the encoder 111, the self-position on the predetermined coordinates of the autonomous traveling device 100 is estimated.

The local map is map information showing the existence position of an obstacle existing around the autonomous traveling device 100, and coordinates the information about the obstacle acquired by the front detector 41a and the rear detector 41b as necessary. Created by

On the other hand, the global map GM is map information indicating the existence position of an obstacle existing in the moving environment EV, and in the present embodiment, the local map acquired by moving the autonomous traveling device 100 in the moving environment EV is connected. It is created by.

Specifically, the SLAM unit 551 executes position estimation by dead reckoning based on the amount of rotation of the traveling motor 11 from the time of the previous self position estimation to the present, and the estimated position by dead reckoning and a plurality of self around it. Position candidates are determined, the current local map is placed on each of these multiple self-position candidates on the global map GM, and the degree of matching between the current local map placed on each self-position candidate and the global map GM is determined. The candidate for the self-position that has the maximum degree of coincidence between the current local map and the global map GM is estimated as the current self-position.

The front detector 41a and the rear detector 41b are, for example, laser range finders (Laser Range Finder, LRF) whose detection range is 180 ° or more. When the laser range finder is used as the front detector 41a and the rear detector 41b, the distance between the traveling unit 1 and the obstacle and the direction in which the obstacle exists are acquired as information about the obstacle. The information acquired by the front detector 41a and the rear detector 41b may be two-dimensional information indicating the position of an obstacle on a predetermined plane, or may be the presence of an obstacle in the height direction. It may be three-dimensional information including information indicating the position.

The control control unit 55 has a route creation unit 553. The route creation unit 553 creates a travel schedule 500 in which the autonomous travel device 100 travels evenly (as if "filling") the travel area TA in the travel area TA defined in the travel environment EV (global map GM). , Stored in the storage unit 57.

The control control unit 55 has a travel reproduction unit 555. When the travel reproduction unit 555 executes the autonomous travel mode, the autonomous travel device 100 indicates the travel schedule 500 based on the information stored in the travel schedule 500 and the estimated position information acquired from the SLAM unit 551. A control command (reproduced driving control command) for autonomously traveling on the traveled route is calculated. The travel reproduction unit 555 outputs the calculated reproduction travel control command to the travel control unit 53.

In another embodiment, the travel reproduction unit 555 may output the cleaning conditions associated with the travel schedule 500 to the cleaning control unit 51.

Further, the travel reproduction unit 555 is connected to an obstacle detection unit 43 that detects an obstacle existing in the traveling direction of the autonomous travel device 100. The obstacle detection unit 43 is, for example, an ultrasonic sensor provided in front of the main body B. In addition, the front detector 41a may be used as a sensor for detecting an obstacle in the traveling direction.

When an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 100 while the autonomous traveling mode is being executed, the traveling reproduction unit 555 calculates a reproduction traveling control command for avoiding the obstacle and reproduces the obstacle. The control command is output to the traveling control unit 53. As a result, even if the travel schedule 500 is created without considering the existence of obstacles, the autonomous travel device 100 can autonomously travel while avoiding the detected obstacles.

(5) Operation of the autonomous traveling device (5-1) Basic operation The operation of the autonomous traveling device 100 will be described below. The operation of the autonomous traveling device 100 described below is realized by executing a computer program stored by the storage device of the control unit 5. First, the basic operation of the autonomous traveling device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the autonomous traveling device.

When the autonomous traveling device 100 starts operating, the control unit 5 confirms the state of the switching unit 91 (step S1). When the switching unit 91 selects "automatic" (in the case of "autonomous driving mode" in step S1), the autonomous driving mode is executed (step S2), and autonomously according to the traveling schedule 500 stored in the storage unit 57. The traveling device 100 autonomously executes the cleaning work.

On the other hand, when the switching unit 91 selects "manual" (in the case of "manual operation mode" in step S1), the control unit 5 determines that the operation mode to be executed is the manual operation mode. When it is detected that the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed while the manual operation mode is being executed (in the case of "Yes" in step S3), the control unit 5 shifts the operation mode to the manual operation teaching mode (step S4). .. As a result, the operation of the autonomous traveling device 100 by the operator after the timing when the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed is stored.

While executing the manual operation teaching mode in step S4 above, the control unit 5 monitors whether or not the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed. If the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed during the execution of the manual operation teaching mode, the manual operation teaching mode ends at that timing. After that, in step S5, the route creation unit 553 creates the travel schedule 500 using the data taught in the manual operation teaching mode.

On the other hand, when the manual operation storage switch 92 is not pressed after shifting to the manual operation mode (in the case of "No" in step S3), the execution of the manual operation mode in which the operator's operation is not stored is maintained in step S6. ..

As described above, the autonomous traveling device 100 according to the present embodiment has an autonomous traveling mode, a manual operation mode, depending on the selection of the operation mode in the switching unit 91 and whether or not the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed. And the manual operation teaching mode can be executed.

(5-2) Operation of Manual Operation Teaching Mode The operation of the manual operation teaching mode executed in step S4 described above will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the manual operation teaching mode. In the manual operation teaching mode shown in FIG. 8, the creation of the global map GM representing the moving environment EV and the teaching of the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling area TA for autonomously traveling the autonomous traveling device 100 are executed.

When the manual operation teaching mode is started, first, in step S41, the operator of the autonomous traveling device 100 drives the autonomous traveling device 100 along the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling area TA desired to be defined in the moving environment EV.

While the autonomous traveling device 100 is traveling by the operation of the operator, the SLAM unit 551 estimates the passing point passed during the movement along the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling region TA in step S42. Specifically, the SLAM unit 551 creates a local map for each predetermined cycle (for example, the control cycle of the control unit 5) while the autonomous traveling device 100 is traveling by the operation of the operator, and the local map and the local map are combined with the SLAM unit 551. The current self-position of the autonomous traveling device 100 is estimated by using the global map GM created before the execution of this step S42 and stored in the storage unit 57.

After estimating the current self-position, the SLAM unit 551 combines the local map created at the time of this self-position estimation with the global map GM currently stored in the storage unit 57 in step S43 to create a new global. A map GM is created and stored in the storage unit 57. Specifically, the SLAM unit 551 is, for example, in the coordinate system that defines the global map GM, with respect to the global map GM created before the execution of the current step S42, the local created at the time of the execution of the current step S42. Create a new global map GM by arranging the map at the coordinate position corresponding to the current self-position.

Further, in step S44, the route creation unit 553 creates an outer peripheral boundary BO representing the outer circumference of the traveling region TA as a set of passing points that the autonomous traveling device 100 has passed by the self-position estimation this time. Specifically, the route creation unit 553 acquires the current self-position estimated in step S42 from the SLAM unit 551, and combines the coordinate value of the self-position and the coordinate value of the self-position estimated so far. Then, the outer peripheral boundary BO is created as an aggregate of the coordinate values of the self-position.

The above steps S41 to S44 are repeatedly executed until the manual operation teaching mode ends (until "Yes" is set in step S45), such as when the manual operation storage switch 92 is pressed.

In the moving environment EV as shown in FIG. 9, by executing the above steps S41 to S45 while traveling the autonomous traveling device 100 along the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling region TA, the global map GM as shown in FIG. 10 And the outer boundary BO are created. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a mobile environment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a global map and an outer boundary.

The mobile environment EV shown in FIG. 9 includes an area surrounded by the wall W. By setting the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling region TA along the wall W of the moving environment EV, the traveling region TA is set in the region. For such a mobile environment EV, the global map GM includes an obstacle information WI (shown by a solid line in FIG. 10) representing the wall W, as shown in FIG. The obstacle information WI is a sequence of coordinate values in the coordinate system that defines the global map GM. Further, the outer peripheral boundary BO of the traveling region TA (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 10) is represented as a sequence of coordinate values of passing points passed by the autonomous traveling device 100 while executing the manual operation teaching mode.

(5-3) Operation for Creating a Travel Schedule Next, an operation for creating a travel schedule 500, which is executed in step S5 above, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a running schedule creation operation. In the following, an operation of creating a filled running route that fills the inside of the running area TA defined by the outer peripheral boundary BO shown in FIG. 10 created by executing the above steps S41 to S45 as a running schedule 500 will be described as an example. ..

First, the route creation unit 553 defines the outer peripheral boundary BO on the global map GM, and creates a route creation map SM used for creating a filled travel route. For example, the route creation map SM can be created by including the outer peripheral boundary BO represented as a point sequence (coordinate point) separately from the global map GM. The route creation map SM is created independently of the global map GM. That is, the global map GM is used for self-position estimation, and the route creation map SM is used for creating a filled travel route.

Next, in step S51, the route creation unit 553 searches for a region RA extending in which direction in the traveling region TA. In the following description, the longitudinal direction in which the region RA extends is referred to as the "main direction". Specifically, the route creation unit 553 determines the main direction of the traveling region TA according to the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a process of determining the main direction of the traveling region.

First, in step S511, the route creation unit 553 rotates the travel area TA (peripheral boundary BO) included in the route creation map SM by rotating the route creation map SM by a predetermined angle. The rotation of the route creation map SM can be realized, for example, by performing an operation on the coordinate values included in the route creation map SM using a matrix representing the rotation.

After rotating the traveling region TA by a predetermined angle, the route creation unit 553 connects the two boundaries of the traveling region TA after rotating by a predetermined angle in step S512, and connects the two boundaries of the traveling region TA, and the first line segment L1 parallel to the predetermined reference axis. Is defined.

As described above, since the outer peripheral boundary BO which is the boundary of the traveling region TA is represented as a line segment, the route creation unit 553 connects one point of the outer peripheral boundary BO and the outer peripheral boundary BO connecting the two points of the outer peripheral boundary BO. It is generated by connecting one point that interpolates between the two points of the outer boundary BO, or by connecting one point that interpolates between the two points of the outer peripheral boundary BO and another point that interpolates between the other two points of the outer peripheral boundary BO. A line segment parallel to a predetermined reference axis is defined as a first line segment L1. Further, a plurality of first line segments L1 are defined for one traveling region TA after rotation.

The first line segment L1 as shown in FIGS. 13A to 13C is defined in the traveling region TA (the region in the outer peripheral boundary BO) according to the rotation angle of the traveling region TA. 13A to 13C are diagrams showing an example of a first line segment defined in the traveling region. FIG. 13A shows the first line segment L1 defined when the specific first axis of the traveling region TA is parallel to the reference axis. FIG. 13B shows the first line segment L1 defined in the traveling region TA after the first axis of the traveling region TA is rotated by θ1 with respect to the reference axis. FIG. 13C shows the first line segment L1 defined in the traveling region TA after the first axis of the traveling region TA is rotated by θ2 with respect to the reference axis.

As shown in FIG. 13B, when a plurality of first line segments L1 exist on the same straight line, the longest of them may be the first line segment L1 or a plurality of them existing on the same straight line. The lengths of the first line segment L1 may be integrated and regarded as one first line segment L1.

After defining the first line segment L1, the route creation unit 553 satisfies the first condition that the boundary between the first line segment L1 and the traveling region TA (that is, the outer peripheral boundary BO) is orthogonal to each other in step S513. Is determined. Specifically, the determination as to whether or not the first condition is satisfied is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a determination process of whether or not the first condition is satisfied.

The route creation unit 553 determines the second line segment L2 in step S601. The second line segment L2 is a line segment representing the boundary of the traveling region TA, and is determined as follows.

First, the route creation unit 553 has two first line segments that intersect the same side of the outer peripheral boundary BO (referred to as the first boundary BO1) from the plurality of first line segments L1 defined by executing the above step S512. Extract the line segment L1. The two first line segments L1 to be extracted may be adjacent to each other or may be separated from each other.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the route creation unit 553 has a first intersection CP1 at which one of the two extracted first line segments L1 intersects with the first boundary BO1, and two extracted first lines. The line segment connecting the second intersection CP2 where the other of the segments L1 and the first boundary BO1 intersect is determined to be the second line segment L2. FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a method for determining a second line segment. FIG. 15A shows an example in which the first line segment L1 is substantially orthogonal to the boundary of the traveling region TA, and FIG. 15B shows an example in which the first line segment L1 is orthogonal to the boundary of the traveling region TA. An example of the case where there is no such thing is shown.

After determining the second line segment L2, the route creation unit 553 determines in step S602 whether or not the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 are orthogonal to each other. For example, if the angle between the vector representing the first line segment L1 and the vector representing the second line segment L2 is 90 degrees after expressing the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 as vectors. It can be determined that the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 are orthogonal to each other.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the outer peripheral boundary BO is taught by executing the manual operation teaching mode. Therefore, a part of the point sequence included in the outer peripheral boundary BO may deviate from the actual boundary of the traveling region TA. That is, although the second line segment L2 is substantially parallel to the boundary of the traveling region TA, it may not be exactly parallel.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, not only when the angle formed by the vector representing the first line segment L1 and the vector representing the second line segment L2 is exactly 90 degrees, but also when the value of the formed angle is close to 90 degrees. Also determines that the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 are orthogonal to each other. Thereby, even if the second line segment L2 is not exactly parallel to the boundary of the traveling region TA, it can be appropriately determined whether or not the boundary between the first line segment L1 and the traveling region TA is orthogonal to each other.

As shown in FIG. 15 (a), when it is determined that the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 are (almost) orthogonal to each other (“Yes” in step S602), the route creation unit 553 performs step S603. In, it is determined that the first condition that the boundary between the first line segment L1 and the traveling region TA is orthogonal to each other is satisfied. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15B, when it is determined that the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 are not orthogonal to each other (“No” in step S602), the route creation unit 553 determines. In step S604, it is determined that the first condition is not satisfied.

In this way, by determining whether or not the first condition that the first line segment L1 is orthogonal to the boundary of the traveling region TA is satisfied, the first line segment L1 and the traveling region as shown in FIG. 13B above are determined. The rotation angle of the traveling region TA that is not orthogonal to the boundary of TA can be excluded as a candidate for the main direction. Hereinafter, the significance of excluding the candidate in the main direction as shown in FIG. 13B will be described.

As shown in FIG. 13B, even when the boundary between the first line segment L1 and the traveling region TA is not orthogonal to each other, when a long first line segment L1 can be defined for the traveling region TA, the second condition described later is satisfied. In some cases. Therefore, if the rotation angle of the traveling region TA as shown in FIG. 13B is left as a candidate for the main direction, it may be determined that the rotation angle shown in FIG. 13B is the main direction of the traveling region TA.

As a comparative example, when the main direction of the traveling region TA is determined based on the rotation angle shown in FIG. 13B, the traveling region TA is divided into, for example, regions RA1'to RA3' as shown in FIG. The thick arrow in FIG. 16 indicates the principal direction determined for each region RA1'to RA63'. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a traveling region including a region determined by an inappropriate principal direction. As shown in FIG. 16, when the traveling region TA is divided into a plurality of regions and a filled traveling route is created for each region RA1'to RA3', a filled traveling route having a large number of turns is created. Such a filled traveling route causes the autonomous traveling device 100 to make many turns, and the traveling efficiency is not high.

As described above, the candidate of the main direction as shown in FIG. 13B can be excluded by determining whether or not the first condition is satisfied, while the candidates of the main direction satisfying the first condition are FIGS. 13A and 13C. Two candidates remain, as shown in.

Therefore, in step S514, the route creation unit 553 further determines which of the two candidates shown in FIGS. 13A and 13C has the longer first line segment L1. Specifically, in the route creation unit 553, the length of the first line segment L1 is the length of the maximum length line segment LM having the maximum length among the line segments connecting the two boundaries of the traveling region TA. It is determined whether or not the second condition that the ratio is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio is satisfied.

Specifically, the determination as to whether or not the second condition is satisfied is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a determination process of whether or not the second condition is satisfied. First, in step S701, the route creation unit 553 determines the maximum length line segment LM having the maximum length among the line segments connecting the two boundaries of the traveling region TA. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, the diagonal line of the traveling region TA can be the maximum length line segment LM. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the definition of the maximum length line segment. As shown in FIG. 18, when the maximum length line segment is divided into a plurality of line segments existing on the same straight line, the longest line segment among them is treated as the maximum length line segment. May be good.

Next, in step S702, the route creation unit 553 determines the length (referred to as L _max ) of the maximum length line segment LM among the first line segment L1 defined by step S512 above. The first line segment L1 having a ratio (referred to as α) (α * L _max ) or more is selected, and the lengths of the selected first line segment L1 are integrated.

The above-mentioned predetermined ratio can be 0 or more and 1 or less (that is, 0 ≦ α ≦ 1). As a specific value of α, 0.9, 0.5, or the like can be used. When α is set to an intermediate value such as 0.5, the first line segment L1 having a length close to the maximum length L _max can be selected, so that the optimum main direction can be determined. On the other hand, when α is set to a large value such as 0.9, the length of the first line segment L1 is integrated at a rotation angle having the first line segment L1 that does not satisfy the condition while making it possible to determine an appropriate principal direction. Can be omitted, so that the time required for determining the principal direction can be shortened.

In the candidates in the main direction shown in FIG. 13A, as shown in FIG. 19A, the first line segment L1 defined in the traveling region TA of FIG. 13A is smaller than α * L _max . In this case, the route creation unit 553 calculates 0 as the integrated value of the lengths of the first line segment L1. FIG. 19A is a diagram showing an example of a case where the integrated value of the length of the first line segment is 0. In FIG. 19A, 0 may not be calculated as the integrated value of the length of the first line segment L1, but may be excluded from the candidates for the integrated processing of the length of the first line segment L1.

On the other hand, in the candidate in the main direction shown in FIG. 13C, as shown in FIG. 19B, the first line segment L1 included in the range of y1 ≦ y ≦ y2 of the axis perpendicular to the predetermined reference axis (referred to as the y-axis). The length of is greater than or equal to α * L _max . In this case, the route creation unit 553 integrates the lengths of the first line segment L1 existing in the range of y1 ≦ y ≦ y2 among the first line segment L1 included in the traveling region TA of FIG. 13C. That is, a non-zero value is calculated as the integrated value of the length of the first line segment L1. FIG. 19B is a diagram showing an example when the integrated value of the length of the first line segment is not 0.

After calculating the integrated value of the length of the first line segment L1, the route creation unit 553 determines in step S703 whether or not the calculated integrated value is the maximum. When the calculated integrated value is not the maximum, for example, when the integrated value of 0 is calculated as shown in FIG. 19A (“No” in step S703), the route creation unit 553 performs the integrated value that is not the maximum in step S704. It is determined that the second condition is not satisfied for the principal direction candidate for which the calculation is performed, for example, the principal direction candidate shown in FIG. 13A.

On the other hand, when the calculated integrated value is the maximum, for example, when a non-zero integrated value is calculated as shown in FIG. 19B (“No” in step S703), the route creation unit 553 has the maximum in step S705. It is determined that the second condition is satisfied for the candidate in the main direction for which the integrated value of the above is calculated, for example, the candidate in the main direction shown in FIG. 13C. That is, it is determined that the rotation angle of the traveling region TA shown in FIG. 13C is an angle corresponding to the main direction.

By executing the above steps S701 to S705, it is possible to determine an appropriate rotation angle corresponding to the original main direction even when there are a plurality of rotation angles of the traveling region TA satisfying the first condition.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 12, after determining the rotation angle of the traveling region TA that satisfies both the first condition and the second condition, the route creating unit 553 satisfies both the first condition and the second condition in step S515. The main direction of the traveling region TA is determined based on the rotation angle of the traveling region TA. Specifically, for example, the vehicle travels at an angle (−θ2) whose sign is opposite to the rotation angle of the traveling region TA (for example, θ2 shown in FIG. 13C) when both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. It can be determined as the main direction of the region TA.

Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 11, after determining the main direction of the traveling area TA in step S51, the route creating unit 553 divides the traveling area TA into the area RA in step S52. The division of the traveling area TA is executed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 20A. FIG. 20A is a flowchart showing the division processing of the traveling region. First, in step S521, the route creation unit 553 determines a region (referred to as a specific region) extending in the main direction determined in step S51. This specific region can be an arbitrary shape region as long as it extends in the main direction.

After determining the specific area, the route creation unit 553 determines in step S522 whether or not there is a small area of a predetermined area or less that is not combined with another specific area around the specific area determined in step S521. To judge.

When a small area exists around the determined specific area (“Yes” in step S522), the route creation unit 553 combines the small area with the determined specific area in step S523 to form one area. It is created, and the traveling area TA is divided in the one area. On the other hand, when the small area does not exist around the determined specific area (“No” in step S522), the route creation unit 553 divides the traveling area TA in the specific area determined in step S521.

By executing the above steps S521 to S523, for the traveling area TA shown in FIG. 10, for example, as shown in FIG. 20B, a part of the traveling area TA is a rectangle long in the principal direction determined in step S51. It is divided into the region RA1 of. The thick arrow in FIG. 20B indicates the main direction of the region RA1. FIG. 20B is a diagram showing an example of an area created by dividing a part of the traveling area.

After dividing the region RA1 from a part of the travel region TA, the route creation unit 553 determines in step S53 whether or not there is an region in the travel region TA whose principal direction has not been determined. When there is an area for which the principal direction has not been determined (“Yes” in step S53), the route creation unit 553 repeatedly executes the above steps S51 to S52 until the principal direction is determined for all the regions of the traveling region TA. do.

By repeatedly executing the above steps S51 to S52 until the main direction is determined for all the regions of the traveling region TA shown in FIG. 10, the traveling region TA becomes a plurality of regions RA1 to RA3 as shown in FIG. It is divided. The thick arrow in FIG. 21 indicates the main direction of each region RA1 to RA3. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the traveling region is divided into a plurality of regions. As shown in FIG. 21, in the present embodiment, the principal direction is determined for each of the plurality of divided regions. That is, the above step S51 is executed for each of the plurality of regions.

In this way, the traveling region TA is divided into a plurality of regions RA1 to RA3, and the principal direction is determined for each region RA1 to RA3, so that an appropriate principal direction is determined for each of the divided regions RA1 to RA2. Can be decided.

After determining the principal direction for all the regions of the travel region TA (“No” in step S53), the route creation unit 553 has the same principal direction when the travel region TA is divided into a plurality of regions in step S54. And it is determined whether or not there are regions adjacent to each other. When the principal directions are the same and there are no regions adjacent to each other (“No” in step S54), the process of creating the travel schedule 500 proceeds to step S56.

On the other hand, when the regions having the same principal direction and adjacent to each other exist (“Yes” in step S54), the route creation unit 553 joins the regions having the same principal direction and adjacent to each other in step S55. .. When the traveling region TA is divided into a plurality of regions RA1 to RA3 as shown in FIG. 21, the regions RA1 and RA2 have the same principal direction and are adjacent to each other. In this case, as shown in FIG. 22, the route creation unit 553 combines the region RA1 and the region RA2 to create a new region RA4. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a plurality of regions are combined to create a new region.

By combining multiple areas that have the same principal direction and are adjacent to each other, it is possible to create a filled travel route with high travel efficiency. Specifically, by joining a plurality of regions having the same principal direction and adjacent to each other, in a plurality of regions having the same principal direction and adjacent to each other, one region is filled and then the other region is used. You can eliminate the route to move.

After executing the above steps S51 to S55 to determine the principal direction with respect to the traveling region TA and creating a plurality of regions RA3 and RA4, the route creation unit 553 transfers the main directions to the regions RA3 and RA4 included in the traveling region TA. On the other hand, a filled travel path that fills each area RA3 and RA4 is created. Specifically, the filled travel route is created as follows.

First, the route creation unit 553 arranges the cell C for each area in step S56. The cell C corresponds to a region having a predetermined area in the mobile environment EV. Further, in the computer system constituting the control unit 5, the cell C is assigned to, for example, a parameter relating to the cell C (for example, a parameter for identifying the cell C, the position information of the cell C, valid / invalid of the cell C, and the cell C). It can be defined as a "structure" that includes scores, etc.). For example, as shown in FIG. 23, a plurality of cells C can be arranged in one region RA. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which cells are arranged in an area.

Next, in step S57, the route creation unit 553 determines a cell C (referred to as a start point cell SC) that is the start point of the filled travel route in the area for creating the filled travel route. The route creation unit 553 uses, for example, the cell C existing at any of the four corners of the region as the starting point cell SC.

After determining the start point cell SC, the route creation unit 553 creates, in step S58, a travel route that starts from the start point cell SC and passes through all the cells C included in the target area RA as a filled travel route. The route creation unit 553 creates a filled travel route according to the process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 24. FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a method of creating a filled traveling route. In the following description, a method of creating a filled travel path for the region RA shown in FIG. 23 will be described as an example.

First, in step S581, the route creation unit 553 assigns a score to the cell C of the region RA. Specifically, the route creation unit 553 gives a higher score to the cell C, which is farther from the starting point cell SC in the direction perpendicular to the main direction. On the other hand, the same score is given to the cells C arranged along the main direction. As a result, the route creation unit 553 gives a score as shown in FIG. 25 to the cell C of the region RA. FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of a score given to a cell in the area.

In the example shown in FIG. 25, a score of "11" is given to the cell C arranged in the direction along the main direction from the starting point cell SC. This means that in the region RA, there are 11 valid cells in the main direction. For the other cells C, the score increases by a multiple of 11 as the distance from the starting cell SC is perpendicular to the main direction. Specifically, a score of "22" is given to the cell C adjacent to the starting point cell SC in the direction perpendicular to the main direction. Further, the cell C arranged in the direction along the main direction with respect to the cell C to which the score of "22" is given is given the same score of "22". After that, for the cell C farther from the start point cell SC than the cell C to which the score of "22" is given, the value increases as the distance from the start point cell SC becomes "33", "44", "55". A score is given, and the same score is given to cells C arranged in the same direction as the main direction.

Next, the route creation unit 553 extends the route from the starting point cell SC to each cell C in step S582. Specifically, the route creation unit 553 routes a route from the start point cell SC to the cell C to which the maximum score is given among the cells C existing in the principal direction of the start point cell SC or in the direction perpendicular to the principal direction. extend. Further, the route creation unit 553 does not extend the route to the cell C again unless there are special circumstances such as the route cannot be planned unless the route passes through the cell C again. To.

As long as the cell C through which the route has not passed exists in the region RA (as long as it is "No" in step S583), the above step S582 is repeatedly executed.

When the route creation unit 553 executes the above steps S581 to S583, a filled travel route as shown in FIG. 26 is created for the region RA. In FIG. 26, the thick arrow indicates the filled travel path. FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of a filled travel path.

As shown in FIG. 26, the filled travel path includes a first path extending in the main direction of the region RA and a second path extending perpendicular to the main direction and connected to the start point and / or the end point of the first path. It is created by combining. As a result, a filled travel route that evenly fills the region RA can be created as a route that the autonomous traveling device 100 can travel by a simple operation of going straight and changing direction.

Further, in the example of the filled travel path shown in FIG. 26, the first path extends over a plurality of cells C along the main direction, while the second path is the start point cell SC and the start point of the first path on the opposite side thereof. Except for the route connecting the cells, only one cell C is extended. That is, the filled travel path created by executing the above steps S581 to S583 has a long path along the main direction of the region. By lengthening the path along the principal direction of the region in this way, the number of turns of the autonomous traveling device 100 in the filled traveling path can be reduced.

If the second path extending by only one cell C connects two adjacent first paths and changes the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling device 100, the second path is relative to the main direction. It is not limited to a path extending in a vertical direction. For example, a U-shaped path connecting two adjacent first paths, a path by rotational movement connecting two adjacent first paths, and the like can be used as the second path.

After creating the filled travel route in one area RA, the route creating unit 553 determines in step S59 whether or not there is an area for which the filled traveling route has not been created yet. If there is no area for which the filled travel path has not been created (in the case of "No" in step S59), the process of creating the travel schedule 500 proceeds to step S62.

On the other hand, when there is an area for which the filled travel route has not been created (in the case of "Yes" in step S59), the route creation unit 553 sets the new start point cell SC of the filled travel route to be created next in step S60. To decide. The route creation unit 553 determines, for example, the cell C that can be reached at the shortest distance from the end point cell EC, which is the end point of the filled travel path created in the region RA, as the new start point cell SC. Thereby, the area including the new start point cell SC can be determined as the area for creating the next filled travel path.

For example, when the regions RA3 and RA4 are created as shown in FIG. 22 and the travel path is first filled with respect to the region RA3, the end point cell EC is set at the lower left of the paper surface of the region RA3 as shown in FIG. 27. Then, the cell C adjacent to the end point cell EC and included in the region RA4 is determined as the new start point cell SC, and the region RA4 including the new start point cell SC is determined as the region for creating the next filled travel route. FIG. 27 is a diagram schematically showing an example of a method of determining a new starting point cell and a region for creating a next filled travel path.

In this way, the cell C that can be connected to the end point cell EC, which is the end point of the created filled travel path, at the shortest distance is determined as the new start point cell SC, and the area RA4 including the new start point cell SC is next filled and traveled. By determining the area for creating a route, it is possible to create a travel schedule 500 having a high travel efficiency, which is the shortest distance.

After determining the new start point cell SC and the area for creating the next filled travel route, the route creation unit 553 sets the end point cell EC, which is the end point of the created filled travel route, and the determined new start point cell SC in step S61. And are connected by the connection path.

After that, the process of creating the travel schedule 500 returns to step S58. That is, a filled travel path is created in the area including the new starting point cell SC. The above steps S58 (steps S581 to S583) to S61 are repeatedly executed until the filled travel path is created in all the regions RA3 and RA4 (that is, until step S59 becomes "No").

By executing the above steps S51 to S61, a filled traveling route is created in which the traveling area TA as shown in FIG. 28 is evenly filled with respect to the entire traveling area TA shown in FIG. 10 and the like. In FIG. 28, the filled travel path created for the entire travel area TA is indicated by an arrow. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a filled travel path created in the entire travel area.

After creating the filled travel route, the route creating unit 553 converts the created filled travel route into a set of passing points through which the autonomous traveling device 100 passes in step S62. Further, the route creation unit 553 associates the time for passing through the passing point with each passing point generated by converting the filled traveling route. Further, by associating the cleaning conditions at each passing point with the corresponding passing points, the traveling schedule 500 as shown in FIG. 29 is created. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a running schedule.

In the travel schedule 500 shown in FIG. 29, T ₀ , T ₁ , ... _Tn are times for passing through each passing point of the filled travel route. (X ₀ , y ₀ ), (x ₁ , y ₁ ), ... (X _n , y _n ) represent each passing point of the filled travel path as a coordinate value. θ ₀ , θ ₁ , ... θ _n are the postures of the autonomous traveling device 100 at each passing point of the filled traveling path.

In the running schedule 500, S ₀ , S ₁ , ... _Sn are the supply amounts of the cleaning liquid at each passing point of the filled running path. W ₀ , W ₁ , ... W _n is the cleaning power of the floor surface F at each passing point of the filled traveling path. P ₀ , P ₁ , ... P _n are suction forces of the suction port 33a at each passing point of the filled traveling path.

(5-4) Operation of Autonomous Driving Mode Next, using FIG. 30, an autonomous driving mode for reproducing the traveling route (filled traveling route) recorded in the traveling schedule 500, which is executed in step S2 of FIG. The operation of the autonomous traveling device 100 at the time of execution will be described. FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing the operation of the autonomous traveling device when the autonomous traveling mode is executed.

Prior to the execution of the autonomous travel mode, the user moves the autonomous travel device 100 to the start position of the autonomous travel. The start position of autonomous running is the passing point associated with the elapsed time _T0 in the running schedule 500.

When "automatic" is selected in the switching unit 91, the autonomous driving mode is started. When the autonomous travel mode is started, in step S21, the travel reproduction unit 555 determines the target position in which the autonomous travel device 100 autonomously travels. Specifically, the travel reproduction unit 555 determines the current elapsed time associated with the passing point closest to the current position in the travel schedule 500, and is associated with the next elapsed time of the current elapsed time. The passing point is determined as the next target position.

After determining the target position, the travel reproduction unit 555 starts control for autonomous travel. First, the traveling reproduction unit 555 grasps the current position of the autonomous traveling device 100 in step S22. Specifically, the SLAM unit 551 is based on the rotation amount of the traveling motor 11 between the previous self-position estimation measured by the encoder 111 and the current self-position estimation, and the obstacle information acquired at the current position. Based on the created local map and the global map GM stored in the storage unit 57, the self-position of the current autonomous traveling device 100 is estimated by the process described above. After that, the traveling reproduction unit 555 inputs the self-position estimated by the SLAM unit 551.

After grasping the current position of the autonomous traveling device 100, traveling control from the current position to the target position is executed. When executing the travel control, the travel reproduction unit 555 determines in step S23 whether or not the obstacle detection unit 43 has detected an obstacle within the detectable range.

When the presence of an obstacle is not recognized within the detectable range (“No” in step S23), the traveling reproduction unit 555 travels the autonomous traveling device 100 from the current position to the target position determined in step S21 in step S24. The reproduction running control command to be caused is calculated and output to the running control unit 53.

On the other hand, when the presence of an obstacle is recognized within the detectable range (“Yes” in step S23), the traveling reproduction unit 555 plans a route for avoiding the detected obstacle in step S25, and the autonomous traveling device. A reproduction travel control command for traveling the route to 100 is calculated and output to the travel control unit 53. In step S25, the traveling reproduction unit 555 changes the target position determined in step S21 above, depending on the planned avoidance route. For example, among the passing points stored in the traveling schedule 500, a passing point separated by a predetermined distance from the current position is set as a new target position.

The travel control unit 53 that has received the above-mentioned reproduction travel control command controls the travel motor 11 based on the received reproduction travel control command, and causes the autonomous travel device 100 to travel in accordance with the reproduction travel control command. Further, the traveling reproduction unit 555 calculates the reproduction cleaning condition based on the cleaning condition associated with the current elapsed time, and outputs the reproduction cleaning condition to the cleaning control unit 51. As a result, the cleaning unit 3 can be controlled according to the calculated reproduction cleaning conditions.

After the travel control in step S24 or S25, the travel reproduction unit 555 determines in step S26 whether or not the autonomous travel device 100 has reached the determined target position. For example, when the current position coincides with the target position or is within a predetermined range, it can be determined that the autonomous traveling device 100 has reached the target position. If the autonomous traveling device 100 has not yet reached the target position (“No” in step S26), the autonomous traveling operation returns to step S22. That is, the above steps S22 to S25 are repeatedly executed until the target position is reached. The above steps S22 to S25 are executed for each control cycle by the control unit 5.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the autonomous traveling device 100 has reached the target position as a result of the traveling control described above (“Yes” in step S26), the traveling reproduction unit 555 may execute the traveling stored in the traveling schedule 500 in step S27. Determine if all actions have been performed. Whether or not all the traveling operations stored in the traveling schedule 500 have been completed can be determined, for example, by detecting an identifier at the end of the traveling schedule 500 (for example, an identifier indicating an "end of file").

As long as it is determined that all the traveling operations stored in the traveling schedule 500 have not been executed (as long as "No" in step S27), the autonomous traveling operation returns to step S21. That is, the above steps S21 to S26 are repeatedly executed until all the traveling operations stored in the traveling schedule 500 are executed.

On the other hand, when it is determined that all the running operations stored in the running schedule 500 have been executed (“Yes” in step S27), the execution of the autonomous running mode is terminated.

As described above, the travel schedule 500 (filled travel route) created in this embodiment is created by determining an appropriate main direction of the travel region TA (region). That is, in the travel schedule 500, the number of turning routes that reduce the travel speed of the autonomous travel device 100 is small. Therefore, by executing the above steps S21 to S27 and autonomously traveling in the traveling area TA according to the traveling schedule 500 of the present embodiment, the autonomous traveling device 100 efficiently paints the traveling area TA with a small number of turns. You can drive autonomously on the crushing route.

As an example, when a traveling route is created by filling the traveling area TA in a state where an appropriate principal direction is determined by the method of the present embodiment, traveling in a state where an erroneous principal direction is determined by the conventional principal direction determining method. Compared with the case where the filled travel route is created in the area TA, the time required to autonomously travel all the filled travel routes is reduced by about 20%.

2. 2. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the main direction of the traveling region TA is to rotate the traveling region TA by a predetermined angle, and for each rotation angle of the traveling region TA, the first line segment L1 (traveling region TA). The first line segment that connects the two boundaries and is parallel to the predetermined reference axis) and the boundary of the traveling region TA is orthogonal to each other, and whether or not the first condition is satisfied, and the first line segment that satisfies the first condition. It was determined by determining whether or not the second condition that the length of L1 is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio of the length of the maximum length line segment LM is satisfied. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the determination of the first condition and the second condition is performed even at the rotation angle which is likely not to be clearly selected as the main direction. That is, the judgment of the first condition and the second condition was unnecessarily executed.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, the candidates for the rotation angle that can be the main direction are determined in advance, and then the main direction determination process (that is, steps S511 to S515) described in the first embodiment is executed. As described above, in the second embodiment, the candidate for the rotation angle is determined in advance when determining the main direction, which is different from the first embodiment. Therefore, in the following, a method for determining a candidate for a rotation angle will be described below, and other description regarding the autonomous traveling device 100 will be omitted.

The longitudinal direction (that is, the main direction) of the region closed by the plurality of boundary lines, such as the traveling region TA, is generally the direction in which the relatively long boundary line of the plurality of boundary lines extends. .. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the direction in which the relatively long boundary line extends out of the boundary line (outer peripheral boundary BO) of the traveling area TA is used as a candidate for the rotation angle of the traveling area TA in step S511. Specifically, the rotation angle candidate can be determined by processing according to the flowchart shown in FIG. FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing an operation of determining a candidate for a rotation angle.

In the following description, a method of determining a candidate for the rotation direction with respect to the traveling region TA as shown in FIG. 32 will be described. FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a traveling region. In the traveling region TA shown in FIG. 32, the outer peripheral boundary BO is composed of a point cloud having n-1 points (P1, P2, ... Pk, ... Pn-1). The point P1 can also be expressed as a point Pn.

First, in step S801, the route creation unit 553 sets a specific point (referred to as a point Pk) among a plurality of points constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO and a point adjacent to the specific point Pk (referred to as a point Pk + 1). For the line segment connecting with, the direction and length in which the line segment extends are calculated. The direction in which the line segment PkPk + 1 connecting the two points extends is calculated from, for example, the arctangent of the ratio of the length in the direction parallel to the reference axis of the line segment PkPk + 1 to the length in the direction perpendicular to the reference axis. can.

Next, in step S802, the route creation unit 553 calculates the cumulative length of the line segment extending in the same direction (angle) as the line segment PkPk + 1 extends. Specifically, the length of the line segment PkPk + 1 calculated this time is added to the cumulative length calculated so far for the line segment extending in the same direction as the line segment PkPk + 1.

The above-mentioned extension direction of the line segment PkPk + 1 and the calculation of the cumulative length are repeatedly executed starting from k = 1 and increasing k by 1 until k = n-1. As a result, the extending direction of the line segment and the cumulative length are calculated for all the points constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO, and the relationship between the angle with respect to the reference axis and the cumulative length of the line segment extending in the direction of the angle is represented. A histogram is generated. For the traveling region TA shown in FIG. 32, for example, a histogram as shown in FIG. 33 is generated. FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram showing the relationship between the angle with respect to the reference axis and the cumulative length of the line segment extending in the direction of the angle.

In the histogram shown in FIG. 33, there are significant cumulative lengths at four angles (θ', θ'+ 90 °, θ'+ 180 °, θ'+ 270 °). This is because the outer peripheral boundary BO of the traveling region TA shown in FIG. 32 has a side tilted by an angle θ'with respect to the reference axis, a side tilted by an angle θ'+ 90 °, and a side tilted by an angle θ'+ 180 °. And, it is shown that it is composed of a side inclined by an angle θ'+ 270 °. That is, the histogram as shown in FIG. 33 shows the relationship between the direction in which the sides constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO extend and the total length of the sides extending in the same direction.

The angle θ'and the angle θ'+ 180 ° can be regarded as the same as the extending direction of the line segment, and the angle θ'+ 90 ° and the angle θ'+ 270 ° can be regarded as the same as the extending direction of the line segment. can. Therefore, instead of the histogram in which the angle range is 0 ° to 360 ° as shown in FIG. 32, the cumulative length at the angle θ'and the cumulative length at θ'+ 180 ° are added to obtain the cumulative length of the angle θ'. The cumulative length at θ'+ 90 ° and the cumulative length at θ'+ 270 ° may be added to obtain a cumulative length of θ'+ 90 °, and a histogram may be generated in which the angle range is limited to the range of 0 ° to 180 °.

As explained above, the main direction of the area closed by the plurality of boundary lines is generally the direction in which the relatively long boundary line extends among the plurality of boundary lines. In the above histogram, "the direction in which a relatively long line out of a plurality of boundary lines extends" corresponds to an angle at which the cumulative length is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

Therefore, in step S803, the route creation unit 553 determines an angle at which the cumulative length is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value _VTH in the histogram created as described above as a candidate for the rotation angle of the traveling region TA in step S511. do. In the histogram shown in FIG. 33, the angles θ'and the angle θ'+ 180 ° (which can also be regarded as the angle θ') and θ'+ 90 ° and θ'+ 270 ° (which can also be regarded as the angle θ'+ 90 °) rotate. Candidate for angle.

As described above, a histogram showing the relationship between the direction (angle) in which the sides constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO extend and the total length of the sides extending in the same direction (that is, the cumulative length) is generated, and the histogram is generated. In, by determining a direction (angle) in which the total length (cumulative length) of the sides extending in the same direction is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold value as a candidate for the rotation angle of the traveling region TA, "at a plurality of boundary lines". The main direction of the closed region is the direction in which the relatively long boundary line of the plurality of boundary lines extends. ”The candidate rotation angle can be appropriately determined. That is, an angle that is not "a direction in which a relatively long line out of a plurality of boundary lines extends", for example, a diagonal angle that crosses the traveling region TA can be appropriately excluded from the candidates for the rotation angle.

In the above, the length of the line segment PkPk + 1 (k = 1, 2, ... n-1) is accumulated for each line segment extending in the same direction to calculate the cumulative length, and the direction (angle) in which the line segment extends. ) And the cumulative length, the candidates for the rotation angle were determined. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of sides constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO are specified, the extending direction and length are classified for each of the specified plurality of sides, and the side having a length equal to or more than a predetermined threshold is extended. The direction may be a candidate for the rotation angle.

In the outer peripheral boundary BO, for example, the extending direction (angle) of the line segment PkPk + 1 (k = 1, 2, ... n-1) and other line segments (line segment Pk + 1Pk + 2, line segment Pk + 2Pk + 3, ... ) And the absolute value of the difference between them is a predetermined angle (for example, within 5 °), a line segment composed of the line segment PkPk + 1 and the other line segment (in the above description). , A side composed of a point group of points Pk, Pk + 1, Pk + 2, Pk + 3, ...) Can be determined to be included in the same side of the outer peripheral boundary BO.

For example, from the outer peripheral boundary BO shown in FIG. 32, eight sides LIN1 to LIN8 are specified as shown in FIG. 34. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the sides constituting the outer peripheral boundary are specified. When the extending direction and length of the sides are classified for each of the specified sides LIN1 to LIN8, a histogram as shown in FIG. 35 is generated. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of a histogram in which the extending direction and the length of the sides are classified for each side.

From the histogram shown in FIG. 35, the extending direction of the longest side LIN1 is θ', the extending direction of the short sides LIN2, LIN4, and LIN6 is θ'+ 270 °, and the extending direction of the short sides LIN3, LIN5, and LIN7 is. It can be classified as θ'+ 180 ° and the extension direction of the relatively long side LIN8 is θ'+ 90 °. In this way, by classifying the extending direction and the length for each side constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO, it is possible to generate a histogram in which the shape of the traveling region TA is more accurately reflected.

As a result, for example, when the traveling region TA is composed of a long side extending in a specific direction and a large number of short sides extending in another direction, the cumulative length of the line segment in the "other direction" As a result of the fact that the length is larger than the cumulative length of the line segment in the "specific direction", it is possible to prevent the "other direction" from being mistakenly recognized as a candidate for the rotation direction. For example, in the histogram showing the relationship between the angle and the cumulative length shown in FIG. 33 above, the angles θ', the angle θ'+ 90 °, and the angles θ'+ 180 ° and θ'+ 270 ° are specified as candidates for the rotation angle. In the histogram showing the relationship between the angle of each side and the length of the side shown in FIG. 35, only the lengths of the side LIN1 extending in the direction of the angle θ'and the side LIN8 extending in the direction of the angle θ'+ 90 ° are predetermined. It can be recognized that the threshold value _VTH is exceeded. As a result, only one side, that is, the angle θ'and the angle θ'+ 90 °, which are continuous long sides at the same angle, are specified as candidates for the rotation angle.

3. 3. Other Embodiments Although the plurality of embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, the plurality of embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed. Further, the content of each process shown in the flowchart, the order of the processes, and the like can be changed without departing from the gist of the invention. Further, any of the processes shown in the flowchart can be omitted if necessary.

(A) In the above-mentioned first embodiment, regions having the same principal direction and adjacent to each other are combined to form one new region, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the traveling route is filled without combining the regions. You may create it.

(B) In the above first embodiment, the first line segment L1 is a line segment connecting two points of the outer peripheral boundary BO, and one point of interpolating between one point of the outer peripheral boundary BO and two points of the outer peripheral region. It was one of a line segment connecting one point that interpolates between two points of the outer peripheral boundary BO and another one point that interpolates between the other two points of the outer peripheral boundary BO. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when defining the first line segment L1, a plurality of cells similar to the cell C arranged when the filled traveling path is generated are arranged in the traveling area TA, and the outer circumference of the traveling area TA is arranged. The line segment connecting the representative points of the two cells existing on the boundary BO may be defined as the first line segment L1. The representative point of the cell is, for example, the center point of the cell. Further, the maximum length line segment LM may be a line segment having the maximum length among the line segments connecting the representative points of the two cells existing on the outer peripheral boundary BO. Thereby, the first line segment L1 and the maximum length line segment LM can be easily defined by using a cell.

(C) In the above first embodiment, whether or not the second condition that the length of the first line segment L1 is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio of the length of the maximum length line segment LM is satisfied is determined by the first line. It was calculated from the integrated value of the length of the minute L1, but it is not limited to this. Among the candidates in the main direction satisfying the first condition (the first line segment L1 and the second line segment L2 are orthogonal to each other), the candidate having the maximum length (average value) of the first line segment L1 is selected as the second candidate. It may be a candidate for the main direction that satisfies the conditions. Thereby, it can be easily determined whether or not the second condition is satisfied.

(D) In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the first line segment L1 having a length equal to or more than a predetermined ratio of the length of the maximum length line segment LM is selected, and the length of the first line segment L1 is integrated. The value was calculated, and it was determined whether or not the second condition was satisfied depending on whether or not the integrated value was the maximum. In the first embodiment, the predetermined ratio (α) for selecting the first line segment L1 used for calculating the integrated value of the length is a fixed value. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the above-mentioned predetermined ratio (α) may be made variable for each rotation angle of the traveling region TA.

In this case, for example, a predetermined ratio (α) is changed for each rotation angle, and the first line segment L1 used for calculating the integrated value of the length is parallel to the predetermined reference axis and is a predetermined distance (rotation). It may be the first line segment L1 included in the region defined by two straight lines separated by a distance (distance that does not change with respect to an angle). As a result, the range including the first line segment L1 used for calculating the integrated value of the length can be fixed, so that the integrated value can be easily calculated.

(E) The autonomous traveling device 100 may be a traveling device other than the cleaning machine that autonomously executes the cleaning work. For example, the autonomous traveling device 100 may be a promotional robot. In addition, the autonomous traveling device 100 may be composed of only a traveling unit (and a control unit that controls the traveling unit) for autonomously traveling. In this case, for example, a robot (device) having a desired function can be configured by combining the autonomous traveling device and a robot system for exerting a desired function.

When the autonomous traveling device 100 is other than the device that autonomously performs the cleaning work, the cleaning condition is not stored in the traveling schedule 500. Alternatively, instead of the cleaning conditions, information regarding control according to the application of the autonomous traveling device 100 may be stored.

(F) In the first embodiment described above, the creation of the global map GM and the outer peripheral boundary BO is performed by executing the manual operation teaching mode and moving the autonomous traveling device 100 along the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling region TA. It was realized by estimating the passing points that passed while moving along the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling region TA, and collecting the passing points to create the outer peripheral boundary BO. That is, the creation of the outer peripheral boundary BO was performed by actually running the autonomous traveling device 100 along the outer peripheral BO'of the traveling region TA. Further, the global map GM was acquired while executing the teaching of the outer peripheral BO'.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and by drawing the boundary line corresponding to the outer peripheral boundary BO on the global map GM using image editing software such as CAD software, dedicated software for drawing the outer peripheral boundary BO, etc., the outer peripheral boundary BO is drawn. May be created. Further, the global map GM may be created by executing the manual operation teaching mode as in the first embodiment, or image editing software such as CAD software, dedicated software for creating the global map GM, or the like may be used. You may create it.

(G) In the above-mentioned second embodiment, in order to select the direction in which the relatively long boundary line extends from the plurality of boundary lines of the outer peripheral boundary BO, from a plurality of points constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO with respect to the reference axis. A histogram showing the relationship between the angle and the cumulative length of the line segment extending in the direction of the angle was generated to determine the candidate rotation angle.

However, not limited to this, after detecting a linear component (line segment) from a plurality of points constituting the outer peripheral boundary BO by main component analysis or Hough transform, the direction and length of the line segment are calculated. , Rotation angle candidates may be determined. This makes it possible to determine rotation angle candidates with high resolution.

The present invention can autonomously travel so as to fill a traveling area defined in a moving environment, and can be widely applied to an autonomous traveling device that travels while avoiding obstacles existing in the traveling area.

100 Autonomous traveling device B Main body 1 Traveling unit 11 Traveling motor 111 Encoder 13 Main wheel 3 Cleaning unit 31 Cleaning liquid discharge port 311 Cleaning liquid supply tank 313 Cleaning liquid supply pump 33 Squeegee 331 Suction motor 333 Recovery member 33a Suction port 35 Cleaning member 351 Cleaning Member rotation motor 5 Control unit 41a Front detector 41b Rear detector 43 Obstacle detection unit 51 Cleaning control unit 53 Travel control unit 531 Travel switching unit 533 Motor control unit 55 Control control unit 551 SLAM unit 555 Route creation unit 555 Travel reproduction unit 57 Storage unit 7 Travel

route teaching unit

71a, 71b Handle 73 Housing 75 Travel control command calculation unit 8 Mounting member 9 Setting unit 91 Switching unit 92 Manual operation storage switch 93 Setting operation unit 94 Setting conversion unit 95 Display 96 Cleaning condition teaching unit 97 Cleaning control command calculation unit 500 Travel schedule EV Travel environment TA Travel area W Wall WI Obstacle information BO'Outer circumference GM Global map SM Route creation map BO Outer circumference boundary L1 First line segment L2 Second line segment LM Maximum length line Minute RA area RA1 to RA4 area

Claims

It is an autonomous travel route planning method for an autonomous vehicle that can autonomously travel so as to fill the travel area defined in the moving environment.
When the traveling region is rotated by a predetermined angle, the first line segment connecting the two boundaries of the traveling region at each angle and parallel to the predetermined reference axis and the boundary of the traveling region are orthogonal to each other. And the step of determining whether or not the first condition of
The second condition that the length of the first line segment is equal to or more than a predetermined ratio of the length of the maximum length line segment having the maximum length among the line segments connecting the two boundaries of the traveling region is satisfied. Steps to determine whether or not
A step of determining the principal direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the traveling region, based on the rotation angle of the traveling region when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied.
A step of combining the first path extending in the main direction and the second path connected to the start point and / or the end point of the first path to create a filled traveling path so as to fill the inside of the traveling area.
Autonomous driving route planning method equipped with.
Further provided with a step of arranging a plurality of cells in the traveling area,
The first line segment is a line segment connecting representative points of two cells existing on the boundary of the traveling region.
The maximum length line segment is a line segment having the longest length among the line segments connecting the representative points of the two cells existing on the boundary of the traveling region.
The autonomous travel route planning method according to claim 1.
The step of determining whether or not the first condition is satisfied is
Of the first intersection where one of the two first line segments defined for the traveling region at each angle intersects with the first boundary of the traveling region at that angle, and of the two first line segments. A step of determining a second line segment connecting the other and the second intersection where the first boundary intersects.
A step of determining that the first condition is satisfied when the second line segment and the first line segment are orthogonal to each other.
The autonomous travel route planning method according to claim 1 or 2.
The step of determining whether or not the second condition is satisfied is
An integrated value of the lengths of the first line segments having a length equal to or greater than a predetermined ratio of the lengths of the maximum length line segments among the plurality of first line segments defined for the traveling region at each angle. And the steps to calculate
The step of determining that the second condition is satisfied when the integrated value is the maximum, and
The autonomous travel route planning method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The step of calculating the integrated value of the length of the first line segment is
A step of selecting the first line segment included in a region defined by two straight lines parallel to the predetermined reference axis and separated by a predetermined distance as the first line segment used for calculating the integrated value. including,
The autonomous travel route planning method according to claim 4.
The step of determining whether or not the second condition is satisfied is
Any of claims 1 to 3, including a step of making a candidate having the maximum length of the first line segment among the candidates for the principal direction satisfying the first condition as a candidate for the principal direction satisfying the second condition. The autonomous travel route planning method described in Crab.
The autonomous travel route plan according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a step of dividing the travel region into a plurality of regions, and the step of determining the principal direction is executed for each of the plurality of regions. Method.
The autonomous travel route planning method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of connecting a plurality of regions having the same principal direction and adjacent to each other.