JP5550671B2 - Autonomous traveling robot and traveling control method for autonomous traveling robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomously traveling robot and a method for controlling autonomously traveling of a bot.

  A robot that creates an environment map while recognizing an external environment and moves and operates autonomously based on the environment map is known. Since such an autonomous mobile robot has a limited range in which the external environment can be grasped unlike human movement, it is difficult to move completely autonomously, and it is necessary to remotely control the robot from the outside.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that includes a plurality of robots and an operation terminal that can remotely control the robot. When the robot is in a situation that is difficult to deal with by autonomous control alone, A signal for calling the operator is output, an appropriate operation terminal is selected, and the robot is remotely operated at the selected operation terminal.

JP 2007-190659 A

  However, in the remote control system described in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to make the robot run reliably by performing a remote operation when autonomous running is difficult, it is possible to move a place where a person constantly exists, etc. Are more likely to be difficult to autonomously travel for reasons such as colliding with the person. In such a case, when the remote operation of the autonomous traveling robot is always requested, the operator who performs the remote operation always needs to monitor the robot, so that the operation becomes complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous traveling robot that can reduce the monitoring burden on an operator who performs remote operation, and a method for controlling the traveling of the autonomous traveling robot. .

  An autonomous mobile robot according to the present invention stores a drive unit for moving along a predetermined route, an external environment acquisition unit for acquiring information on an external environment, and an environment map generated based on the information on the external environment. An environment map storage unit, a route setting unit for setting a travel route from the current position to the destination, and an external environment acquisition unit to avoid the obstacle when the obstacle in the travel route is detected An action selection unit that determines whether to control the driving unit or to output a signal that prompts a remote operation, and transmits a signal that prompts the remote operation to an external terminal and a signal that instructs the remote operation to the external terminal And a transmission / reception unit for receiving from the terminal.

  With this configuration, the autonomous mobile robot selects whether to avoid an obstacle or to request a remote operation according to the surrounding situation, for example. The monitoring burden of the operator who performs can be reduced.

  The autonomous mobile robot according to the present invention further includes an avoidance action storage unit that stores information of avoidance actions when an obstacle is avoided by remote control, and the action selection unit avoids the obstacle in the moving route. In some cases, the avoidance action is selected based on the past avoidance action information stored in the avoidance action storage unit. With such a configuration, it is possible to select an avoidance action according to the history of past avoidance actions, and therefore it is possible to efficiently avoid an obstacle.

  In addition, when avoiding an obstacle by remote operation, it is preferable to update the avoidance action information stored in the avoidance action storage unit. It becomes possible to improve.

  The avoidance action storage unit stores information indicating the type of avoidance action and information indicating the type of obstacle in association with each other, and the action selection unit avoids the obstacle in the movement route. In this case, it is preferable to select the avoidance action by extracting the avoidance action information corresponding to the obstacle from the avoidance action storage unit. Thereby, it is possible to select an avoidance action according to the type of obstacle.

  The traveling control method for an autonomous traveling robot according to the present invention includes a driving step for moving the autonomous traveling robot along a predetermined route, an external environment acquiring step for acquiring external environment information, and the external environment information. An environment map storage step for storing the generated environment map, a route setting step for setting a movement route from the current position to the destination, and an obstacle in the movement route when the obstacle is detected. An action selection step for determining whether to perform drive control to avoid or to output a signal for prompting remote operation; and, when performing the remote control, transmitting a signal for prompting the remote control to an external terminal, Receiving a signal instructing operation from the external terminal. Even with such a configuration, the remote operation is not always requested, and the monitoring burden on the operator who performs the remote operation is reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the monitoring burden on an operator who performs remote operation of an autonomous traveling robot to avoid an obstacle.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the autonomous running robot and operation terminal which concern on embodiment of this invention. An explanatory diagram showing an example of an environmental map Explanatory diagram showing the current position and destination set on the environment map Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the information memorize | stored in the avoidance action memory | storage part Explanatory diagram showing an example of avoidance behavior Flow chart showing an example of movement operation of an autonomous traveling robot

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an autonomous mobile robot 10 and an operation terminal 50 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The autonomous mobile robot 10 and the operation terminal 50 are connected by a well-known wireless communication line directly or via an Internet line. In addition, a plurality of autonomous traveling robots 10 may be connected to the operation terminal 50.

The autonomous mobile robot 10 includes an external environment acquisition unit 12, a drive unit 14, an environment map generation unit 16, a map storage unit 18, a route setting unit 20, an avoidance action storage unit 22, an action selection unit 24, and a transmission / reception unit 26.

  The external environment acquisition unit 12 includes at least an imaging unit 30, a distance detection unit 32, a position detection unit 34, and a direction detection unit 36, and acquires position information of the autonomous mobile robot 10 and information (environment information) about the external environment. .

  The imaging unit 30 is, for example, a CCD camera or a CMOS camera, and images an object in front of the autonomous mobile robot 10 and outputs it as image data corresponding to the object. The distance detection unit 32 measures the distance to an object existing in front of the autonomous mobile robot 10, and various sensors such as a laser range finder and an ultrasonic sensor can be used.

  The position detection unit 34 detects the current position of the autonomous mobile robot 10, and acquires current position information by comparing distance information with an object obtained from a laser range finder, for example, with an environment map described later. . Alternatively, a GPS receiver may be used as the position detection unit 34. The direction detection unit 36 is, for example, a gyro sensor, and detects the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot 10 (the direction in which the robot is facing).

  The drive unit 14 includes a plurality of motors attached to the respective parts of the autonomous traveling robot 10 such as the head, hands, feet, and torso, and drive circuits that drive these motors, and various types obtained by the external environment acquisition unit 12. The autonomous mobile robot 10 is moved based on the environmental information or in response to a remote operation via the operation terminal 50.

  The environment map generation unit 16 generates an environment map based on the environment information acquired by the external environment acquisition unit 12. As the environment map, for example, a map on a grid obtained by dividing an area indicating the movement environment of the autonomous mobile robot 10 by a two-dimensional grid can be used, and position information and information indicating whether the autonomous mobile robot 10 can move are included. , Provided corresponding to individual grids. The environmental map can be created by applying, for example, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). The generated environmental map information is stored in the environmental map storage unit 18. As the environmental map storage unit 18, for example, a storage medium such as a nonvolatile memory or a hard disk can be used.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of an environment map generated by the autonomous mobile robot 10. The environment map 60 includes an area 62 in which the autonomous mobile robot 10 has traveled (a portion not shaded in FIG. 2), an untraveled area 64 (a shaded portion in FIG. 2), and an area 66 indicating a wall. .

  The traveled area 62 corresponds to a grid in which the autonomous traveling robot 10 has traveled in the past or has been detected by the external environment acquisition unit 12 as having no obstacles, and the autonomous traveling robot 10 can travel. Indicates that this is an area. The non-traveling area 64 indicates an area where the autonomous traveling robot 10 is not traveling or where it is not detected that there is no obstacle, and indicates that the autonomous traveling robot 10 cannot travel. The wall area 66 corresponds to a grid where the external environment acquisition unit 12 has detected that the autonomous mobile robot 10 cannot travel.

  In response to an operation input from the operation terminal 50, the route setting unit 20 sets a destination of the autonomous mobile robot 10 on the environment map and sets a route to the destination. As shown in FIG. 3, when the current position 68 and the destination 70 of the autonomous mobile robot 10 are determined on the environment map 60, the route setting unit 20 sets a route 72 to reach the destination 70. The set route to the destination may be generated by connecting the destination and the starting point with a straight line, or a parameter indicating the movement cost is set for each grid, and the total movement cost is minimized. A route may be defined as a set route.

  When the autonomous traveling robot 10 is moved by remote operation from the operation terminal 50, the avoidance action storage unit 22 performs the operation, information on the object in front of the autonomous traveling robot 10, and the operation. Remember time. For example, the object in front of the remote operation can be estimated by performing predetermined pattern matching on the image data obtained by imaging in the imaging unit 32, for example.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of data stored in the avoidance action storage unit 22. The date and time when the remote operation was performed, the obstacle detected at that time (the object in front of the autonomous mobile robot 10), and the avoidance action (the contents of the remote operation) are shown. For example, at 15:25 on March 4, it is recorded that the table was detected as an obstacle and moved rightward (running 90 degrees to the right). In addition, at 16:03 on March 4, it is recorded that a person was detected as an obstacle and was on standby (does not move) at that time. In this way, the avoidance action when the obstacle is detected and the remote operation is performed is recorded.

  In the example of FIG. 4, obstacles and avoidance actions are described in specific text, but codes indicating the types of obstacles and avoidance actions are provided, and specific obstacles are stored in the avoidance action storage unit 22. You may make it memorize | store the code | cord | chord corresponding to a thing and specific avoidance action.

  The behavior selection unit 24 uses the avoidance information stored in the avoidance behavior storage unit 22 when the autonomous traveling robot 10 traveling on the set route cannot travel because it detects an obstacle. The movement of the autonomous mobile robot 10 is controlled so as to avoid the obstacle, or a signal that prompts the operation terminal 50 to perform remote operation is output.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the autonomous traveling robot 10 travels on the set route 72 and an obstacle 74 exists in the set route, the autonomous traveling robot 10 cannot travel as it is. In such a case, the action selection unit 24 images the obstacle using the imaging unit, and identifies the type of the obstacle by well-known pattern matching. And the action selection part 24 extracts the data of the avoidance action corresponding to the obstacle of the same type from the data of the past avoidance action memorize | stored in the avoidance action memory | storage part 22, and most is extracted from the extracted avoidance action Select frequent avoidance actions. Or, select the avoidance action with the highest score by extracting all the avoidance action data for the most recent fixed time and increasing the weighting value for the data corresponding to the same type of obstacle. Also good. Furthermore, you may make it raise the weight value with respect to the latest avoidance action.

  And the action selection part 24 moves the autonomous mobile robot 10 according to the selected avoidance action (in the example of FIG. 5, it moves rightward with respect to the original traveling direction). Thereafter, a new traveling route 76 is set by the route setting unit 22, and the autonomous traveling robot 10 is moved according to the traveling route 76.

  The action selection unit 24 determines that it is difficult to move autonomously when the autonomous traveling robot 10 cannot move even in accordance with the avoidance action or the position of the autonomous traveling robot 10 cannot be detected. On the other hand, a signal for prompting remote operation (remote operation instruction signal) is output.

  The transmission / reception unit 26 transmits various data such as image data obtained by the imaging unit 32, current position data indicating the current position of the autonomous mobile robot 10, environmental map data, and remote operation instruction data to the operation terminal 50. When the operation is performed, the instruction content data indicating the content of the operation instruction is received from the operation terminal 50.

  The operation terminal 50 is a general-purpose computer device, for example, and includes a transmission / reception unit 52, an operation input unit 54, and a display unit 56. The transmission / reception unit 52 receives various data such as image data, current position data, environmental map data, and remote operation instruction data obtained by imaging from the autonomous mobile robot 10 and transmits instruction content data indicating the contents of the remote operation. To do. The operation input unit 54 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse, for example, and is operated by an operator when setting the destination of the autonomous mobile robot 10 or inputting a remote operation.

  The display unit 56 is, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays an image in front of the autonomous mobile robot 10 based on image data received from the autonomous mobile robot 10. In addition, when the operation terminal 50 receives remote operation instruction data from the autonomous mobile robot 10, the display unit 56 outputs a message for prompting the operator of the operation terminal to perform remote operation. When the operation terminal 50 is connected to a plurality of autonomous traveling robots 10, identification information of the autonomous traveling robot to be instructed for remote operation is also displayed. Further, the display unit 56 may display an environment map indicating the position of the autonomous mobile robot 10 based on the current position data and the environmental map data received from the autonomous mobile robot 10.

  Hereinafter, an example of the movement operation of the autonomous mobile robot 10 having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In performing autonomous movement of the autonomous traveling robot 10 to the destination, the autonomous traveling robot 10 travels in advance in a certain area including a traveling route in response to an external operation by an operator, for example, and an environment corresponding to the traveling area. Create a map in advance. Alternatively, an environmental map may be downloaded in advance from an external server (not shown) and stored in the map storage unit 18.

  When the autonomous traveling robot 10 receives the position information of the destination from the operation terminal 50, the route setting unit 20 sets the destination on the environment map and also travels from the current position information acquired from the environment information acquisition unit 12. Is set (S11).

  When the travel route is set, the autonomous traveling robot 10 drives the drive unit 14 and moves according to the set travel route (S12). Then, based on the image obtained by the imaging unit 30 or the distance to the object detected by the distance detection unit 32, it is determined whether there is an obstacle on the travel route (S13). When it is detected that there is an obstacle (“Y” in S13), the action selection unit 24 selects an avoidance action based on the past avoidance action information stored in the avoidance action storage unit 20 (S14). .

  As a result of the avoidance action, it is determined whether or not an obstacle has been avoided (whether the autonomous mobile robot 10 has moved or whether the position of the autonomous mobile robot 10 has been detected) (S15). When an obstacle cannot be avoided (“N” in S15), the action selection unit 24 outputs a remote operation request signal (S36). The remote operation request signal is transmitted to the operation terminal 50 via the transmission / reception unit 26.

  Thereafter, the autonomous mobile robot 10 receives a remote operation instruction from the operation terminal 50, drives the drive unit 14 according to the content of the instruction, and moves the autonomous mobile robot 10 (S37). When the obstacle is avoided, a signal for canceling the remote operation is received from the operator of the operation terminal 50, and the remote operation is canceled (S38).

  At this time, the autonomous mobile robot 10 stores the contents of the remote operation from the operation terminal in the avoidance action storage unit 20 in association with the date and time of the operation and the type of obstacle (S39). As a result, obstacle avoidance contents by remote operation are accumulated in the autonomous mobile robot 10, and it is possible to avoid obstacles effectively while referring to past avoidance contents when an obstacle is detected thereafter. Become.

  If no obstacle was detected in step S13, if the obstacle could be avoided in step S15, or if a remote operation was performed, whether the autonomous mobile robot 10 detected the current position and reached the destination It is determined whether or not (S20). If the destination is reached, the autonomous running is terminated. If not, the process returns to step S12 and the same processing is performed again.

  In this way, by storing the contents of remote operations performed in the past and selecting an appropriate avoidance action when an obstacle is detected, the frequency of remote operations can be reduced, reducing the burden on the operator. Can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of operation control of the autonomous mobile robot.

  In the above embodiment, when an obstacle is detected, the vehicle first moves so as to avoid the obstacle, and if the obstacle is still not avoided, a signal for instructing remote operation is output. The invention is not limited to this. For example, when the type of obstacle cannot be detected, the size of the obstacle is larger than the reference value, or when the obstacle approaches the autonomous mobile robot, the remote control is immediately performed. An operation may be prompted. Further, when the obstacle cannot be avoided even after a certain time has elapsed since the obstacle was detected, a signal instructing remote operation may be output.

  In the above embodiment, when an obstacle is detected, the content of the avoidance action is determined based on the past avoidance action data, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the autonomous mobile robot 10 The travel cost in the surrounding grid may be calculated, and the route with the lowest cost may be selected. Alternatively, after determining a rough moving direction (whether to move left or right) according to the result of past avoidance behavior, a route with the lowest moving cost may be selected.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when an obstacle is detected, an action for avoiding the obstacle is performed based on the contents of the past remote operation, so the frequency of remote operation is reduced. It is useful as an autonomous traveling robot.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Autonomous traveling robot 12 External environment acquisition part 16 Environmental map generation part 18 Map memory | storage part 20 Route setting part 22 Avoidance action memory | storage part 24 Action selection part 30 Imaging part 32 Distance detection part 34 Position detection part 36 Direction detection part 50 Operation terminal 60 Environmental map 62 Travelable area 64 Travel impossible area 72 Travel route

Claims (5)

A drive unit for moving along a predetermined path;
An external environment acquisition unit for acquiring external environment information;
An environment map storage unit for storing an environment map generated based on the external environment information;
A route setting unit for setting a travel route from the current position to the destination;
When an external environment acquisition unit detects an obstacle in the movement route, the action selection unit determines whether to control the drive unit to avoid the obstacle or to output a signal for prompting a remote operation. When,
A transmitter / receiver for transmitting a signal for prompting remote operation to an external terminal, and receiving a signal for instructing remote operation from the external terminal ;
An avoidance behavior storage unit that stores information on avoidance behavior when avoiding an obstacle by remote operation, and stores information indicating the type of avoidance behavior and information indicating the type of obstacle,
The behavior selection unit, when avoiding an obstacle in the moving route, extracts avoidance behavior information corresponding to the obstacle from the avoidance behavior storage unit and selects the avoidance behavior Autonomous traveling robot. When avoiding an obstacle by remote control, and updates the information of been evasive action stored in the evasive action storage unit, according to claim 1 autonomous mobile robot according. The action selection unit extracts avoidance action data corresponding to an obstacle of the same type from past avoidance action data stored in the avoidance action storage unit, and the most frequent of the extracted avoidance actions The autonomous traveling robot according to claim 1, wherein a high avoidance action is selected. The action selection unit extracts data of avoidance actions in the latest fixed time from the data of past avoidance actions stored in the avoidance action storage unit, and a score calculated by weighting calculation for each type of avoidance actions The autonomous traveling robot according to claim 1, wherein an avoidance action having the highest value is selected and a weighting value corresponding to an obstacle of the same type is increased. A driving step for moving the autonomous mobile robot along a predetermined route;
An external environment acquisition step for acquiring external environment information;
An environmental map storage step of storing an environmental map generated based on the information of the external environment;
A route setting step for setting a travel route from the current position to the destination;
When an obstacle in the movement path is detected, an action selection step for determining whether to perform drive control so as to avoid the obstacle or to output a signal prompting remote operation;
When performing the remote operation, transmitting a signal prompting the remote operation to an external terminal, and receiving a signal instructing the remote operation from the external terminal ;
Storing avoidance action information when avoiding an obstacle by remote operation, and including an avoidance action storage step of storing information indicating the type of avoidance action and information indicating the type of obstacle in association with each other,
A travel control method for an autonomous mobile robot , wherein when avoiding an obstacle in the movement route, information on avoidance action corresponding to the obstacle is extracted and the avoidance action is selected .

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