JP7308591B2 - moving body - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile object that can move in all directions and that detects an obstacle using a distance measuring sensor.

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional moving body, distances to surrounding objects are measured using range finding sensors, and obstacles are detected using the measurement results. When an obstacle is detected in this way, the moving object slows down or stops, for example, to avoid colliding with the obstacle. It is important to detect obstacles in order to prevent collisions between moving objects and obstacles, but unnecessary obstacle detection can cause unnecessary deceleration or stopping. As a result, proper movement of the moving body is hindered.

In order to reduce unnecessary stopping of the mobile body when performing movement control using the distance measurement results using the distance sensors, an autonomous mobile body that measures the distance with at least three distance sensors is known. (See Patent Document 1, for example).

JP 2015-103227 A

For a moving body that can move in all directions, obstacles are usually detected in all directions. Therefore, there is a high possibility that unnecessary obstacles are detected as described above. For example, even if an obstacle is detected in the direction opposite to the movement direction (that is, behind the movement direction), the moving object does not pass through the detected obstacle. Therefore, there is no need to decelerate or stop in response to detection of such an obstacle, and it can be said that detection of such an obstacle is unnecessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a moving object capable of reducing unnecessary obstacle detection and appropriately detecting necessary obstacles. do.

In order to achieve the above object, the mobile body according to the present invention is an autonomously mobile body that includes a moving mechanism that can move the mobile body in all directions and a measuring device that measures the distance to surrounding objects in all directions. A distance sensor, an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle using the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor, and movement control that controls a movement mechanism to prevent collision with the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit. , wherein the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle using a distance measuring sensor in a wider range in the moving direction of the moving object than in other directions.
With such a configuration, obstacles are detected using the distance measuring sensor in a range narrower than the moving direction of the moving body except in the moving direction of the moving body, so the possibility of detecting unnecessary obstacles is reduced. can be reduced. For example, it is possible to prevent obstacles existing behind the moving direction from being detected, and to avoid unnecessary deceleration or stopping.

Further, in the moving body according to the present invention, the obstacle detection section may detect an obstacle in the moving direction in a region obtained by extending the outer edge of the moving body in the moving direction.
With such a configuration, obstacle detection will be performed in a wider range than in directions other than the direction of movement regarding the area through which the mobile body passes when it moves in the future, and unnecessary detection of obstacles will be reduced. can be done.

Further, in the moving object according to the present invention, the movement control unit controls the moving mechanism so that the moving object moves along the moving path, and the moving direction may correspond to the moving path. .
With such a configuration, for example, even if the moving route includes a curve or the like, obstacle detection can be performed in an area corresponding to the curve.

Further, in the moving body according to the present invention, when the moving body is rotating, the obstacle detection section detects obstacles in the moving direction in a region where the outer edge of the moving body is rotated in the rotating direction. good too.
With such a configuration, even when the moving body rotates, the obstacle detection is performed in a wider range than in the other directions with respect to the area through which the moving body passes, so that unnecessary obstacles are not detected. can be reduced.

Further, in the moving body according to the present invention, the movement control unit causes the moving mechanism to decelerate when the distance measurement cannot be performed by the range sensor in at least a part of the obstacle detection area. may be controlled.
With such a configuration, when the presence or absence of an obstacle in the area where obstacle detection is performed is unknown, the speed is reduced in consideration of the possibility that an obstacle exists in that area, further improving safety. can be made

According to the mobile body of the present invention, it is possible to reduce unnecessary detection of obstacles in a mobile body that can move in all directions. As a result, for example, unnecessary deceleration and stopping can be reduced. .

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a moving object according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of a moving object according to the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the direction of movement of a moving object according to the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the range-finding direction of a moving object according to the same embodiment; A diagram for explaining detection of an obstacle in the moving direction in the same embodiment. A diagram for explaining detection of an obstacle in the moving direction in the same embodiment. A diagram for explaining detection of an obstacle in the moving direction in the same embodiment. A diagram for explaining detection of an obstacle in the moving direction in the same embodiment. A diagram for explaining detection of an obstacle in the moving direction in the same embodiment. A diagram for explaining detection of an obstacle in the moving direction in the same embodiment. A diagram for explaining detection of an obstacle in the moving direction in the same embodiment. A diagram for explaining a range in which an obstacle cannot be detected in the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining movement of a moving body in the same embodiment;

Hereinafter, a moving body according to the present invention will be described using embodiments. In the following embodiments, constituent elements and steps with the same reference numerals are the same or correspond to each other, and repetitive description may be omitted. The moving object according to the present embodiment is capable of moving in all directions, and detects obstacles using a distance measuring sensor in a wider range in the moving direction than in other directions.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a moving body 1 according to this embodiment. The moving object 1 according to the present embodiment moves autonomously, and includes a moving mechanism 11, a range sensor 12, an obstacle detection unit 13, a current position acquisition unit 14, and a movement control unit 15. Prepare. It should be noted that the autonomous movement of the mobile body 1 may mean that the mobile body 1 moves to the destination based on its own judgment, instead of moving according to an operation instruction received from a user or the like. The destination may, for example, be manually determined or automatically determined. Also, the movement to the destination may or may not, for example, be along a movement route. Further, moving to the destination by one's own judgment may be, for example, moving to the destination by the moving body 1 judging the traveling direction, movement, stop, or the like. Alternatively, for example, the moving body 1 may move to the destination without colliding with an obstacle. The mobile body 1 may be, for example, a trolley or a moving robot. The robot may be, for example, an entertainment robot, a surveillance robot, a transport robot, a cleaning robot, or a robot that shoots moving images or still images. , or other robots.

The moving mechanism 11 can move the moving body 1 in all directions, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A. Being able to move omnidirectionally means being able to move in any direction. The moving mechanism 11 may have, for example, a running portion (eg, wheels) and a driving means (eg, a motor, an engine, etc.) that drives the running portion. In addition, since the moving mechanism 11 can move the moving body 1 in all directions, the traveling part thereof may be an omnidirectional moving wheel (for example, an omni wheel, a mecanum wheel, or the like). For a mobile object that has omnidirectional wheels and is capable of moving in all directions, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-128187, for example. Since a known mechanism can be used as the moving mechanism 11, detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, a case where the moving mechanism 11 has a traveling portion that is an omni-wheel and a drive means for driving the traveling portion will be mainly described.

The ranging sensor 12 measures distances to surrounding objects in all directions, for example, as shown in FIG. 3B. The distance sensor 12 may be, for example, a laser sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a distance sensor using microwaves, a distance sensor using stereo images captured by a stereo camera, or the like. The laser sensor may be a laser range sensor (laser range scanner). Note that these distance measuring sensors are already known, and description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the case where the distance measuring sensor 12 is a laser range sensor will be mainly described. Also, the moving body 1 may have one laser range sensor, or may have two or more laser range sensors. In the latter case, all directions may be covered by two or more laser range sensors. Further, when the distance sensor 12 is an ultrasonic sensor, a distance sensor using microwaves, or the like, the distance in a plurality of directions may be measured by rotating the distance measurement direction of the distance sensor 12. A plurality of distance measuring sensors 12 arranged in each direction may be used to measure distances in a plurality of directions. Measuring distances in all directions may mean, for example, measuring distances in a plurality of directions at predetermined angular intervals around the entire circumference (360 degrees). The angular intervals may be constant, such as 1-degree intervals, 2-degree intervals, 5-degree intervals, and the like. The information obtained from the ranging sensor 12 may be, for example, the distances to surrounding objects for each of a plurality of azimuth angles with respect to a certain orientation of the moving body 1 . By using the distance, it becomes possible to know what kind of objects exist around the moving body 1 in the local coordinate system of the moving body 1 .

The obstacle detection unit 13 detects obstacles using the distance measured by the ranging sensor 12 . For example, when the distance measured by the ranging sensor 12 indicates that an object exists near the moving body 1, the obstacle detection unit 13 may detect the object as an obstacle. For example, when the distance to a surrounding object measured by the distance measuring sensor 12 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, the obstacle detection unit 13 may detect the object as an obstacle. The distance to the surrounding object may be, for example, the distance from the ranging sensor 12 or the distance from the outer edge of the moving body 1. It may be a distance from a position or a distance from another reference. There may be one threshold, or there may be two or more. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, a case where two thresholds exist corresponding to the stop area and the deceleration area will be mainly described. As described above, when obstacles are uniformly detected in all directions, for example, an object existing in the direction opposite to the moving direction is also detected as an obstacle. Then, depending on the detection of the obstacle, unnecessary movement may be stopped or decelerated. Therefore, the obstacle detection unit 13 detects obstacles using the distance measuring sensor 12 in a wider range in the movement direction of the moving body 1 than in other directions. In other words, obstacle detection using the distance measuring sensor 12 is performed in a range narrower than the moving direction except for the moving direction. The direction of movement may be, for example, the direction in which the position changes on the movement plane, or the direction of rotation. The direction of movement may be, for example, a straight line, a curved line, or a direction of rotation. A wide range and a narrow range may be related to distance, may be related to angle, or may be related to area. That is, the distance for detecting obstacles in the moving direction may be greater than the distance for detecting obstacles in directions other than the moving direction. The distance is the distance from the mobile object 1 . Specifically, an obstacle up to 2 meters or 3 meters can be detected in the movement direction, and an obstacle up to 10 centimeters can be detected in other directions, or an obstacle can be detected. You don't have to. Also, the angle at which the obstacle is detected in the direction of rotation may be larger than the angle at which the obstacle is detected in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation. Further, the area in which the obstacle detection is performed in the movement direction may include an area that is not included in the obstacle detection area performed regardless of the movement direction. More specifically, regardless of the movement direction, in the range of 10 centimeters from the outer edge of the moving body 1 in all directions, when the obstacle is detected using the measurement result of the distance measuring sensor 12, As for the direction, detection of obstacles using the measurement result of the range sensor 12 may be performed even in an area that is not included in the range (for example, an area up to 2 meters ahead or 3 meters ahead). In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, a case in which obstacle detection using the distance measuring sensor 12 is not performed for directions other than the moving direction will be mainly described.

The obstacle detection unit 13 may acquire, for example, the movement direction of the moving body 1 from the movement control unit 15 or the movement mechanism 11, or may acquire it from a sensor. In the former case, the obstacle detection unit 13 may acquire the movement direction using a command value for movement, a movement path, an encoder value that changes according to movement, and the like. In the latter case, the obstacle detection unit 13 may acquire the moving direction using an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like. More specifically, the obstacle detection unit 13 may acquire the moving direction by an acceleration sensor when the moving body 1 is moving linearly, and may obtain the moving direction when the moving body 1 is rotating. , and its rotation direction may be obtained by a gyro sensor. Note that when the stationary mobile body 1 starts to move, the obstacle detection unit 13 may acquire the moving direction using the moving path, the command value output at the start of movement, or the like. .

The obstacle detection unit 13 may detect an obstacle in the movement direction using the distance measurement result in a region obtained by extending the outer edge of the moving body 1 in the movement direction. For example, a case where the moving body 1 is moving as shown in FIG. 4 will be described. FIG. 4 is a top view of the moving body 1, and it is assumed that the moving body 1 moves straight in the direction of the arrow in the drawing (to the right in the drawing). In this case, when the side S1 at the front end of the outer edge of the moving body 1 is moved by the length L1 in the moving direction, the area through which the side S1 passes, that is, the area where the side S1 sweeps becomes the stop area R1. , and the area through which the side S1 passes when the side S1 is further moved by the length L2 in the moving direction becomes the deceleration area R2. Although not limited to these, L1 may be, for example, about 50 centimeters or 1 meter, and L2 may be, for example, about 2 meters or 3 meters. L1 and L2 may be determined according to the moving speed of the moving body 1, the braking distance, and the like. The obstacle detection unit 13 detects an object B1 existing in the stop area R1 and an object B2 existing in the deceleration area R2 as obstacles. The obstacle detection unit 13 may detect the object B1 as an obstacle within the stop area R1 and detect the object B2 as an obstacle within the deceleration area R2. When the obstacle B1 exists in the stop area R1, the moving body 1 is stopped, and when the obstacle B2 exists in the deceleration area R2, the moving body 1 is decelerated. Become. The objects B3, B4, and B5 existing outside the stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2 are not detected as obstacles. Therefore, even if the objects B4 and B5 are present in the vicinity of the moving object 1, if no obstacle exists in the stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2, the moving object 1 is decelerated or stopped according to the objects B4 and B5. It will be possible to realize smooth movement. Strictly speaking, only the one-dimensional outer edge of the object on the side of the moving body 1 is detected by the distance measured by the range sensor 12 with respect to the object existing around the moving body 1. However, for convenience of explanation, , FIG. 4 and other drawings to be described later, the object B1 and the like are shown as figures having a two-dimensional spread. Further, when detecting an obstacle using the distance measuring sensor 12 in a direction other than the moving direction, as described above, the obstacle can be detected in a range narrower than the moving direction, for example, in a range shorter than the length L1 or L2. shall be detected.

Next, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a case where the moving body 1 is moving in an oblique direction will be described. In this case, when the front sides S1 and S2 of the outer edge of the moving body 1 are moved by the length L1 in the movement direction, the area through which the sides S1 and S2 pass becomes the stop area R1. A region through which the sides S1 and S2 pass when the sides S1 and S2 are moved in the moving direction by a length L2 becomes a deceleration region R2. In FIG. 5A, objects B1 and B2 are detected as obstacles, and objects B3, B4, and B5 are not detected as obstacles, as in the case of FIG.

4 and 5A, the case where the stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2 are specified by moving the front end and the front side of the moving body 1 in the movement direction has been described. The stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2 may be determined by moving the outer edge in the movement direction. For example, in FIG. 5A, the stopping region R1 may be a region obtained by connecting the regions through which the sides S1 to S4 pass when each of the sides S1 to S4 is moved by the length L1 in the moving direction. In that case, the stop region R1 may be a set of two or more regions that are separated from each other. By determining the stop area R1 in this way, the stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2 can be determined without checking the relationship between the moving direction and the outer edge (each side in FIG. 5A) of the moving body 1. 4 and 5A show a case where the contour shape of the moving body 1 when viewed from the top is rectangular. can be. Even in such a case, by moving all the outer edges in the movement direction, it is possible to easily determine the stop area R1 and the like.

In the above description, the stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2 are specified, and it is determined whether or not an obstacle is present based on whether an object measured by the distance measuring sensor 12 is present in that area. However, the obstacle detection method may be any other method. For example, in FIG. 4, the side S1 of the moving body 1 is gradually moved in the moving direction, and the side S1 hits the object whose distance is being measured by the range sensor 12 until the side S1 is moved by the length L1. In this case, an obstacle existing in the stop area R1 is detected, and after the side S1 is moved by the length L1, it is further moved by the length L2 in the moving direction until the side S1 becomes the object whose distance is measured. , an obstacle existing in the deceleration region R2 may be detected. This processing may be performed, for example, by plotting the object whose distance has been measured by the distance measuring sensor 12 in the local coordinate system of the moving body 1 and moving the outer edge of the moving body 1 in the local coordinate system.

Also, in the above description, the case where the stop region R1 and the like are determined by moving the outer edge of the moving body 1 has been described, but this does not have to be the case. For example, in FIG. 5B in which the moving body 1 is viewed from above, the vertex A2, which is the front end of the moving body 1 in the movement direction (arrow direction in the figure), is specified. Then, a line segment S5 is defined as a range in which the moving body 1 is projected in the moving direction with respect to a straight line passing through the vertex A2 and perpendicular to the moving direction. When the line segment S5 is moved by the length L1 in the moving direction, the area through which the line segment S5 passes is defined as the stopping area R1, and when the line segment S5 is further moved by the length L2 in the moving direction from there, , the region through which the line segment S5 passes may be the deceleration region R2. In FIG. 5B, since the projected line segment S5 is moved instead of the outer edge of the moving body 1, there is also an area between the outer edge of the moving body 1 and the line segment S5. Therefore, the region R1-1 surrounded by the line segment connecting the upper left end point of the line segment S5 and the vertex A3 of the moving object 1, the side S2 and the line segment S5, and the lower right corner of the line segment S5 A region R1-2 surrounded by a line segment connecting the end point of the moving body 1 and the vertex A1 of the moving body 1, the side S1 and the line segment S5 may also be the stopping region. As described above, the area in which the obstacle is detected, for example, the stop area and the deceleration area may be an area of any shape determined by a predetermined rule for the moving body 1 .

Next, a case where the moving body 1 rotates will be described. When the moving body 1 is rotating, the obstacle detection unit 13 detects an obstacle in the moving direction using the distance measurement result in a region where the outer edge of the moving body 1 is rotated in the rotating direction. may The center of rotation in the direction of rotation may be predetermined, for example. Specifically, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-128187, the moving mechanism 11 has N (N is an integer of 3 or more) omnidirectional wheels arranged at equal intervals on the circumference. If so, the center of the circumference may be the center of rotation. As such, the center of rotation is usually determined according to the configuration of the moving mechanism 11 . Therefore, it is preferable that the position of the center of rotation in the local coordinate system of the moving body 1 is registered in advance. It may be considered that rotation is movement in which the position of the center of rotation does not change, and movement other than rotation is movement in which the position of the center of rotation changes. FIG. 6 is a top view of the moving body 1. It is assumed that the moving body 1 rotates about the center of rotation C in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow in the drawing. When the moving body 1 rotates by an angle AN1 from the state shown in FIG. A region through which the outer edge of the moving body 1 passes when it is further rotated by an angle AN2 becomes a deceleration region. For example, if an object B1 exists in the stop area and an object B2 exists in the deceleration area, the obstacle detector 13 detects them as obstacles. In addition, when the objects B3, B4, and B5 exist outside the stop area and the deceleration area, they are not detected as obstacles. Also in the case of rotation, the obstacle detection unit 13 gradually rotates the outer edge of the moving body 1 in the rotation direction, and until the outer edge is rotated by an angle AN1, the distance of the outer edge is measured by the range sensor 12. If an obstacle is detected in the stopping area, the outer edge of the obstacle is detected and its outer edge hits the object whose distance is measured before the outer edge is rotated by an angle AN1 and then rotated by an angle AN2 in the rotational direction. , an obstacle existing in the deceleration area may be detected. When detecting an obstacle using the distance measuring sensor 12 in a direction other than the direction of rotation (direction of movement), for example, angles AN1 and AN2 Obstacle detection may be performed in a range with a smaller angle than the direction of rotation, for example, in a direction irrelevant to the direction of rotation, for example, in the direction away from the outer edge of the moving body 1, in a range narrower than the direction of movement, for example, in the direction of rotation. Obstacle detection may be performed in a range that does not cover the obstacle detection range.

Next, a case where the moving body 1 moves along the moving route will be described. When the mobile body 1 moves along the movement path, the obstacle detection unit 13 detects obstacles using the distance measurement sensor 12 in a wider range than other directions in the movement direction along the movement path. detection may be performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when a movement path is set, the stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2 are determined according to the area through which the outer edge of the moving body 1 passes along the movement path. good too. In FIG. 7A, the area through which the side S1 is moved by L1 may be the stop area R1, and the area through which the side S1 is further moved by L2 may be the deceleration area R2. In addition, since the moving body 1 can move in all directions, for example, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to move in the direction indicated by arrow P2 (to the right in the figure). In that case, as shown in FIG. 7C, for example, the stopping region R1 is determined by the region through which the side S1 passes, and the deceleration region R2 is determined by the region through which the side S1 passes and the region through which the side S4 passes. may be It should be noted that the moving distance corresponding to the arrow P1 is longer than L1, and in FIG. 7C, the result of adding the length L2-1 and the length L2-2 is the length L2. In addition, in FIGS. 7A and 7B, for convenience of explanation, the position of the moving body 1 that moves in accordance with the moving path or the arrow indicating the movement is taken as the midpoint of the side S1.

Also, in the above description, the case where the obstacle detection area is determined using thresholds such as length (L1, L2) and angle (AN1, AN2) is described, but the thresholds are time-dependent. may be That is, the area through which the outer edge of the moving body 1 passes from the present time to after T1 time may be the stop area, and the area through which the outer edge of the moving body 1 passes from this time to after T2 time may be the deceleration area. In that case, for example, a preset speed command or an estimated speed command may be used to specify the area through which the outer edge of the moving body 1 will pass after a predetermined time from the current time. For example, when rotation and movement other than rotation are combined in a complex manner, the area for detecting obstacles may be determined in this manner.

Note that the obstacle detection unit 13 may detect an obstacle using a distance other than the distance measured by the range sensor 12 . For example, the obstacle detection unit 13 may detect an obstacle using a contact sensor. Then, when contact between the obstacle and the moving body 1 is detected by the contact sensor, the moving body 1 may be stopped.

In addition, when the obstacle detection unit 13 cannot measure the distance by the distance measurement sensor 12 in at least a part of the area in which the obstacle is detected (for example, the stop area R1 and the deceleration area R2), , may detect that. Such a situation may occur, for example, when part of the area in which obstacle detection is performed is in the shadow of a wall or the like. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, in a situation where the moving body 1 moves as indicated by the dashed arrow, the existence of a wall makes it possible to measure the distance with respect to the region R10 using the distance measuring sensor 12. Suppose that a part of the region R10 is included in the deceleration region R2. In such a case, the obstacle detection section 13 may detect it.

The obstacle detection unit 13 uses information indicating the shape of the outer edge of the moving body 1 and the center of rotation indicated in the local coordinate system of the moving body 1 to detect the obstacle in the area where the obstacle is to be detected, as described above. detection may be performed. Specifically, the obstacle detection unit 13 may use the information to identify the stop area and the deceleration area, and detect the obstacle existing in the stop area and the obstacle existing in the deceleration area. When an obstacle is detected, the obstacle detection section 13 notifies the movement control section 15 accordingly. At that time, whether the detected obstacle exists in the stop area or in the deceleration area may also be passed. In addition, when movement control such as detouring of an obstacle is performed in response to detection of an obstacle, information indicating the position of the detected obstacle, for example, the coordinates of the obstacle in the local coordinate system of the moving body 1 Values and the like may also be passed to the movement control unit 15 .

The current position acquisition unit 14 acquires the current position of the mobile object 1 . Acquisition of the current position may be performed, for example, using wireless communication, may be performed using the measurement result of the distance to surrounding objects, or may be performed by capturing an image of the surroundings. , may be done using other means by which the current position can be obtained. Known methods for acquiring the current position using wireless communication include, for example, a method using a GPS (Global Positioning System), a method using an indoor GPS, and a method using a nearby wireless base station. Further, for example, as a method of acquiring the current position by using the measurement result of the distance to the surrounding object or taking an image of the surrounding, for example, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is known. Any method may be used. As the measurement result of the distance to the surrounding object, for example, the measurement result of the distance measuring sensor 12 may be used. In addition, when a pre-created map (for example, a map having measurement results of distances to surrounding objects or a map having a photographed image) is stored, the current position acquisition unit 14 uses the map to obtain the surrounding The current position may be obtained by identifying the position corresponding to the distance measurement to the object, or the current position may be obtained by capturing an image of the surroundings and using a map to identify the position corresponding to the captured result. You can get the position. Also, the current position acquisition unit 14 may acquire the current position using, for example, an autonomous navigation system. Also, the current position acquisition unit 14 preferably acquires the current position including the orientation (direction) of the moving body 1 . The direction may be indicated, for example, by an azimuth angle measured clockwise, with north being 0 degrees, or by other directional information. The orientation may be obtained by an electronic compass or a geomagnetic sensor.

The movement control unit 15 controls movement of the moving body 1 by controlling the movement mechanism 11 . The control of the movement may be control of the direction of movement of the mobile body 1, start/stop of movement, and the like. For example, when a movement route is set, the movement control unit 15 controls the movement mechanism 11 so that the mobile body 1 moves along the movement route. More specifically, the movement control unit 15 may control the movement mechanism 11 so that the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 14 is along the movement route. Further, the movement control unit 15 may control movement using a map. In that case, the moving body 1 may have a storage unit in which maps are stored. Such movement control is well known and will not be described in detail. In addition, when the moving body 1 moves along the moving route, the moving route may be acquired by the movement control unit 15 . Acquisition of the travel route may be performed, for example, by generating the travel route or by receiving the travel route from an external server or the like.

Further, the movement control section 15 controls the movement mechanism 11 so as to prevent collision with the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection section 13 . As described above, when an obstacle existing in the stop area R1 is detected, the movement control unit 15 controls the movement mechanism 11 so that the moving body 1 stops, and the obstacle is detected in the stop area R1. Although not yet, when an obstacle existing in the deceleration region R2 is detected, the moving mechanism 11 may be controlled so that the moving body 1 decelerates from the speed at that time. When the moving body 1 is decelerated, the speed after deceleration may or may not be determined. In the latter case, for example, deceleration may be performed so that the speed is determined relative to the speed at that point in time (eg, 50% speed, etc.). Further, in order to prevent collision with the detected obstacle, the movement control unit 15 may control the movement mechanism 11 so that the moving body 1 passes through a route that bypasses the obstacle, for example. In that case, the movement control unit 15 may newly generate a movement route that does not pass through the position of the detected obstacle, and move accordingly.

Note that the movement control unit 15, when the range sensor 12 cannot measure the distance in at least a part of the area in which the obstacle is detected, for example, moves to the area R10 as described with reference to FIG. , and a part of the region R10 is included in the deceleration region R2, the moving mechanism 11 may be controlled so that the moving body 1 decelerates. The deceleration may be performed, for example, in the same manner as when an obstacle is detected in the deceleration region R2. As described above, the obstacle detection unit 13 may detect that the range sensor 12 cannot measure the distance in at least part of the area where the obstacle is to be detected. In that case, when the obstacle detection unit 13 detects that the range sensor 12 cannot measure the distance in at least a part of the area where the obstacle is detected, the movement control unit 15 Alternatively, the moving mechanism 11 may be controlled so that the moving body 1 decelerates. By doing so, even when it is later found that an obstacle exists in an area in which distance measurement cannot be performed, it is possible to appropriately perform a stop or the like. Note that when the range sensor 12 cannot measure the distance in at least a part of the area where the obstacle is to be detected, the moving body 1 outputs a warning sound instead of decelerating or along with the deceleration. may be performed. In this way, for example, when a person is in an area where the distance cannot be measured, the approach of the moving body 1 can be warned.

Next, the operation of the moving body 1 will be explained using the flowchart of FIG.
(Step S101) The movement control unit 15 determines whether to start movement. If movement is to be started, the process proceeds to step S102; otherwise, the process of step S101 is repeated until movement is started. Note that the movement control unit 15 may determine to start movement, for example, when starting autonomous movement along the movement route.

(Step S<b>102 ) The movement control unit 15 controls the movement of the moving body 1 . This movement control is, for example, autonomous movement control toward a destination. By repeating the movement control in step S102, the moving body 1 reaches the destination from the departure point.

(Step S103) The obstacle detection unit 13 acquires the movement direction. Acquisition of the movement direction may also be performed using, for example, an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, or may be performed using information from the movement control unit 15 or the movement mechanism 11 .

(Step S104) The obstacle detection unit 13 determines whether or not the moving body 1 is rotating based on the moving direction acquired in step S103. The determination may be made depending on whether the position of the center of rotation has changed. If it is rotating, that is, if the position of the center of rotation has not changed, the process proceeds to step S107; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S105.

(Step S105) As described above, the obstacle detection unit 13 determines whether or not an obstacle exists in the area where obstacle detection is performed according to movement other than rotation. Then, if an obstacle exists, the process proceeds to step S106; otherwise, the process returns to step S102. Therefore, if no obstacle is detected, movement will continue.

(Step S106) The movement control unit 15 performs control according to the obstacle detection in step S105. The control is, for example, control to stop the moving body 1 or control to decelerate it. Then, the process returns to step S102. Note that when the moving object 1 is decelerated in response to the detection of the obstacle, the movement control unit 15 limits the upper limit of the movement speed to the speed after deceleration, and then returns to step S102 to continue the movement. may In that case, when the obstacle is no longer detected (when it is determined No in step S105 or step S107), the upper limit of the movement speed may be lifted. Further, when the moving body 1 is stopped in response to detection of an obstacle, the movement control unit 15 continues to stop until the obstacle detection unit 13 no longer detects the obstacle. After that (for example, after the human obstacle has moved), the process may return to step S102 to resume movement.

(Step S107) As described above, the obstacle detection unit 13 determines whether or not an obstacle exists in the area where obstacle detection is performed according to rotation. Then, if there is an obstacle, the process proceeds to step S108, and if not, the process returns to step S102. Therefore, if no obstacle is detected, movement will continue.

(Step S108) The movement control unit 15 performs control according to the obstacle detection in step S107. The control is, for example, control to stop the moving body 1 or control to decelerate it. Then, the process returns to step S102. Note that when the moving body 1 is decelerated or stopped in response to detection of an obstacle, the movement control unit 15 may perform processing similar to that described in step S106.

Although not included in the flowchart of FIG. 2, it is assumed that acquisition of the current position by the current position acquisition unit 14 is repeatedly performed. The current position may then be used to control movement. In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the process ends when the moving object 1 reaches the destination, or when the power is turned off or an interruption of process end occurs.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of movement of the moving body 1 according to this embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, in the factory, which is the moving environment of the moving body 1, facilities B11 to B13 that the moving body 1 cannot pass through exist. It is also assumed that the moving body 1 starts from the position shown in FIG. 9 and moves along the movement path W1. Therefore, each time the moving object 1 moves along the moving path W1, the obstacle detection unit 13 acquires the moving direction corresponding to the moving path W1 (steps S101 to S103). Then, the obstacle detection unit 13 determines that the movement is not rotation (step S104), and determines whether or not an obstacle exists in the area where obstacle detection is performed according to movement other than rotation (step S104). S105). The area in which the obstacle is detected is, for example, forward in the traveling direction, as shown in FIG. Therefore, even when the moving body 1 passes through the passage between the facilities B11 and B12, the wall of the facilities B11 and B12 existing on the side is not detected as an obstacle, and the moving body 1 does not decelerate or stop. It will be. At the T-junction formed by the facilities B11 to B13, the obstacle detection unit 13 detects obstacles in the area corresponding to the moving route W1, as shown in FIG. 7A. Therefore, the wall at the end of the T-junction, that is, the wall of the facility B13 is not detected as an obstacle, and the vehicle does not decelerate or stop. In this manner, even the mobile body 1 that can move in all directions can smoothly move in a narrow range. On the other hand, when an obstacle such as a human comes in front of the traveling direction, the obstacle detection unit 13 determines that there is an obstacle (step S105), and the moving body 1 is decelerated or stopped accordingly. (step S106). In this way, safety can also be ensured.

As described above, according to the mobile body 1 according to the present embodiment, regarding the detection of obstacles using the distance measurement sensor 12 in the mobile body 1 that can move in all directions, the moving direction of the mobile body 1 can be detected in other directions. Unnecessary detection of obstacles can be reduced by detecting obstacles in a wider range than directions. Specifically, even if there is an object behind or on the side of the movement direction, movement in the movement direction is not restricted by not detecting the object as an obstacle. On the other hand, since obstacles are detected in the moving direction of the moving body 1, unnecessary deceleration and stopping can be reduced without sacrificing safety.

In addition, if the range sensor 12 cannot measure the distance in at least a part of the area in which the obstacle is detected, the moving body 1 decelerates, and the area where the obstacle cannot be detected is also taken into consideration. Safer movement can be realized.

Also, in this embodiment, the case where an object existing in the stop area and the deceleration area is detected as an obstacle has been described, but the number of areas in which an obstacle is detected may be one. In that case, for example, only the stopping area may be the area in which the obstacle is detected.

Further, in the above embodiments, each process or function may be implemented by centralized processing by a single device or single system, or may be implemented by distributed processing by multiple devices or multiple systems. It may be realized by

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the information is passed between the components, for example, when the two components that exchange the information are physically different, one of the components output of information and reception of information by the other component, or one component if the two components that pass the information are physically the same from the phase of processing corresponding to the other component to the phase of processing corresponding to the other component.

In the above embodiments, information related to processing executed by each component, for example, information received, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component Also, information such as thresholds, formulas, addresses, etc. used by each component in processing may be stored temporarily or for a long period of time in a recording medium (not shown), even if not specified in the above description. Further, each component or an accumulation section (not shown) may accumulate information in the recording medium (not shown). Further, each component or a reading unit (not shown) may read information from the recording medium (not shown).

Further, in the above embodiment, if the information used in each component etc., for example, information such as thresholds, addresses and various set values used in processing by each component may be changed by the user, the above The user may or may not be able to change such information as appropriate, even if not explicitly stated in the description. If the information can be changed by the user, the change is realized by, for example, a reception unit (not shown) that receives a change instruction from the user and a change unit (not shown) that changes the information according to the change instruction. may The reception of the change instruction by the reception unit (not shown) may be, for example, reception from an input device, reception of information transmitted via a communication line, or reception of information read from a predetermined recording medium. .

Further, in the above embodiment, when two or more components included in the mobile object 1 have communication devices, input devices, etc., the two or more components may physically have a single device. , or may have separate devices.

Further, in the above embodiments, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or components that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by reading and executing a software program recorded in a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory by a program execution unit such as a CPU. During the execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing the storage unit or recording medium. Further, the program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or may be executed by reading a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.). good. Also, this program may be used as a program constituting a program product. Also, the number of computers that execute the program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

Moreover, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various modifications are possible and are also included within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the mobile object of the present invention, the effect of reducing the detection of unnecessary obstacles is obtained, and the mobile object is useful as a mobile object that can move in all directions.

1 Moving Body 11 Moving Mechanism 12 Ranging Sensor 13 Obstacle Detector 14 Current Position Acquisition Unit 15 Movement Control Unit

Claims (5)

A mobile body that moves autonomously,
a moving mechanism capable of moving the moving body in all directions;
a ranging sensor that measures the distance to surrounding objects in all directions;
an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle using the distance measured by the ranging sensor;
a movement control unit that controls the movement mechanism so as to prevent collisions with all obstacles detected by the obstacle detection unit;
The obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle in all directions, and regards the object as an obstacle in the movement direction of the moving object when the distance to the surrounding object is equal to or less than a first threshold value. and detecting the object as an obstacle when the distance to the surrounding object in directions other than the moving direction is equal to or less than a second threshold that is shorter than the first threshold. 2. The moving body according to claim 1, wherein said obstacle detection unit detects obstacles in the moving direction in a region obtained by extending an outer edge of said moving body in the moving direction. The movement control unit controls the movement mechanism so that the moving body moves along a movement path,
3. The moving body according to claim 2, wherein said movement direction corresponds to said movement route. 1 to 3, wherein, when the moving body is rotating, the obstacle detection unit detects obstacles in the moving direction in a region where the outer edge of the moving body is rotated in the rotating direction. 4. The moving body according to any one of 3. 3. The movement control unit controls the movement mechanism to decelerate when the range sensor cannot measure the distance in at least a part of the area where the obstacle is to be detected. 5. The moving body according to any one of claims 4 to 4.

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