JP7744167B2 - Mobile vehicle driving system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation system that enables unmanned vehicles to navigate autonomously in places such as factories and warehouses.

Technology known as autonomous navigation for moving objects has long been put to practical use in aircraft, ships, and other vehicles, and has recently been implemented in automobiles, drones, and other vehicles. These moving objects need to understand their surroundings by combining various sensors tailored to their respective environments, and to do so, appropriate sensors must be used. Sensors are becoming cheaper and more powerful, with GPS, gyro sensors, cameras, and other devices now widely used. Laser-based ranging sensors, in particular, can measure the distance to surrounding objects with high accuracy and can detect objects as three-dimensional data within a 360-degree range.

In contrast, when operating mobile objects on private property or in environments where access is restricted to authorized personnel, such as carts with a load capacity of around one ton used in factories and warehouses, golf carts, and amusement park rides, it is common to lay white lines, magnetic tape (see Patent Document 1), points, rails, etc. along the travel path, and move from designated location to designated location by traveling along the lines formed by these (line tracing). In particular, when laying white lines along the travel path and allowing the vehicle to travel autonomously along the white lines, the white lines must be laid easily and at low cost.

The present inventors have also disclosed a mobile vehicle navigation system that uses markers with multiple horizontally elongated marks that cross the travel path (see Patent Document 2). Each mark is set with travel information for the mobile vehicle to follow and placement position information with different symbols attached to detect lateral deviations in the direction of travel of the mobile vehicle. This marker-based mobile vehicle navigation system is easy to install and operate, and course changes and expansions are easy, making it possible to build a highly flexible navigation system.

Even in such closed areas, autonomous driving has recently become possible even without white lines or rails by measuring the entire surroundings using laser ranging sensors.
In this case, the detection signal from the laser ranging sensor, so-called SLAM technology (Simultaneously Localization and Mapping: self-location estimation and map creation simultaneously), is used to compare the surrounding map created in advance by the laser ranging sensor with the measurement data during autonomous driving to recognize the moving body's own position, and at the same time, a route to the target location is calculated from the surrounding map created in advance, and the moving body drives autonomously to the target location.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-124144 International Publication No. 2020/013337

However, in the case of autonomous driving using white lines laid along the road as described above, changing the road requires re-laying the white lines, which is time-consuming and makes it difficult to change the road frequently. Furthermore, the white lines laid along the road become dirty and peel off, making it necessary to maintain the white lines along the entire road.

While methods that use laser ranging sensors to detect surrounding objects can detect surrounding objects with high accuracy, the laser ranging sensors themselves typically cost hundreds of thousands to millions of yen, significantly increasing initial investment. Furthermore, they require comparison with a pre-created surrounding map. For use in factories, warehouses, and other environments where the surrounding environment changes frequently, the surrounding map must be frequently updated, making operational work cumbersome. While other sensors, such as GPS or self-position estimation based on radio wave strength, can be used to supplement the information, GPS is generally not suitable for indoor use in factories, warehouses, and other environments. Self-position estimation based on radio wave strength requires the installation of multiple radio transmitters in advance, resulting in high equipment costs. Furthermore, autonomous driving methods that use gyro sensors or cameras to complement missing surrounding maps also require comparison with a surrounding map, which limits the scope of the surrounding map and limits their usefulness. Furthermore, autonomous driving using SLAM, which uses two-dimensional position coordinate detection using two-dimensional laser ranging sensors, can sometimes be unstable, such as being unable to detect the vehicle's own position, on slopes or roads with uneven surfaces.

In light of the above, the present invention aims to provide a mobile vehicle driving system with a simple configuration that can switch between a driving mode using multiple low-cost horizontal markers, as well as a virtual marker driving mode using line tracing, SLAM driving modes, and autonomous driving using VSLAM (Vision Simultaneously Localization and Mapping: image-based self-location estimation and map creation simultaneously) using a stereo camera, as needed.

In order to achieve the first object, a traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to the present invention comprises:
A traveling system for a mobile vehicle, comprising: a main body , a traveling unit for traveling on the ground, a drive control unit for driving and controlling the traveling unit, a marker detection unit, an obstacle detection unit, and a CPU unit for controlling the drive control unit, the marker detection unit, and the obstacle detection unit; markers arranged at a plurality of predetermined locations along a traveling path along which the mobile vehicle should travel, and locations where no markers are arranged; and the mobile vehicle traveling along the traveling path,
the marker detection unit of the moving vehicle comprises: an imaging means for imaging an image below the main body; an image processing unit for processing an image captured by the imaging means to detect markers placed on the travel path; and a marker control unit for outputting travel information set in advance for the markers to a drive control unit based on the markers detected by the image processing unit;
the obstacle detection unit of the moving vehicle comprises an obstacle sensor that captures an image including the distance to an obstacle around the main body, an obstacle processing unit that detects an obstacle by image processing the image captured by the obstacle sensor, and a SLAM driving control unit that calculates the current position and direction of the moving vehicle based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle processing unit and pre-stored map data of the driving route, acquires SLAM driving information, and outputs the SLAM driving information to the drive control unit;
The marker is formed in a horizontally long band and arranged in a transverse direction of the travel path, with a plurality of marks arranged in a horizontal row on the band-shaped marker, and travel information on which the moving vehicle should travel and placement position information with different symbols attached to each mark are set in order to detect lateral deviation of the moving vehicle in the travel direction,
the marker control unit generates corrected driving information for correcting lateral and angular deviations of the mobile vehicle based on the driving information and placement position information of the marker, outputs the corrected driving information to the drive control unit, and the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit based on the corrected driving information from the marker control unit, so that the mobile vehicle autonomously drives along the driving path specified by the marker;
By having the mobile vehicle travel along the travel route in the marker mode a predetermined number of times, the marker control unit acquires travel information and placement position information of the marker, and the obstacle detection unit acquires position coordinates of the marker,
The SLAM travel control unit creates virtual marker information for the travel path by linking the marker travel information and placement position information acquired by the marker control unit with the marker position coordinates acquired by the obstacle detection unit, stores this virtual marker information in the virtual marker memory unit as a virtual marker map, and sends the virtual marker information to the CPU unit.
The CPU section sends the virtual marker information as travel information and/or corrected travel information to the drive control section, and causes the vehicle to travel autonomously in the virtual marker travel mode .

According to the above configuration, an extremely excellent mobile vehicle traveling system can be provided, which has a simple configuration, is low cost, and allows easy route setting, and is capable of autonomous traveling in marker mode, which is suitable for transporting a wide variety of large quantities of goods.Furthermore, the system travels in marker mode a predetermined number of times, and the marker travel information and placement position information are acquired by the marker control unit, and the marker position coordinates are acquired by the obstacle detection unit.The marker travel information and placement position information acquired by the marker control unit are linked to the marker position coordinates acquired by the obstacle detection unit to create virtual marker information for the traveling path, and the system travels with markers where markers are placed on the traveling path, and autonomously travels in virtual marker traveling mode using the virtual marker information where no markers are placed.

In the above configuration, the obstacle detection unit preferably includes a two-dimensional lidar or a three-dimensional lidar.
Preferably, the mobile vehicle is equipped with an obstacle memory unit that stores map data of the travel route as map information. Preferably, the SLAM travel control unit generates SLAM travel information based on the map information from the obstacle processing unit and outputs it to the drive control unit, the drive control unit drives and controls the travel unit based on the SLAM travel information, and when an obstacle signal is input from the obstacle processing unit, determines that an obstacle has been detected in the travel direction of the mobile vehicle, generates an emergency stop signal and outputs it to the drive control unit, and drives and controls the travel unit based on the emergency stop signal to stop drive of the motor or take avoidance action.
Preferably, the SLAM driving control unit receives wheel rotation speed information from wheel rotation sensors provided on each wheel of the mobile vehicle and a detection signal from an inertial measurement unit, and calculates the travel distance of the mobile vehicle based on the wheel rotation speed information. The SLAM driving control unit also detects wheel slippage and the like based on the detection signal from the inertial measurement unit to correct the travel distance, modifies the SLAM driving information based on the corrected travel distance, and outputs the modified SLAM driving information to the drive control unit.
Another mobile vehicle traveling system according to the present invention comprises:
a mobile vehicle including a main body, a traveling unit for traveling on the ground, a drive control unit for driving and controlling the traveling unit, a marker detection unit, an obstacle detection unit, and a CPU unit for controlling the drive control unit, the marker detection unit, and the obstacle detection unit;
A travel system for a mobile vehicle, in which markers are placed at a plurality of predetermined locations along a travel route on which the mobile vehicle should travel and locations where no markers are placed, and the mobile vehicle travels along the travel route,
the moving vehicle further includes a stereo camera and a VSLAM control unit connected to the stereo camera;
the marker detection unit of the moving vehicle comprises: an imaging means for imaging an image below the main body; an image processing unit for processing an image captured by the imaging means to detect markers placed on the travel path; and a marker control unit for outputting to the drive control unit travel information set in advance for the markers based on the markers detected by the image processing unit;
The marker is formed in a horizontally long band and arranged in a transverse direction of the travel path, with a plurality of marks arranged in a horizontal row on the band-shaped marker, and travel information on which the moving vehicle should travel and placement position information with different symbols attached to each mark are set in order to detect lateral deviation of the moving vehicle in the travel direction,
the marker control unit generates corrected driving information for correcting lateral and angular deviations of the mobile vehicle based on the driving information and placement position information of the marker, and outputs the corrected driving information to the drive control unit, and the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit based on the corrected driving information from the marker control unit, so that the mobile vehicle autonomously drives in marker mode along a driving path specified by the marker,
By having the mobile vehicle travel along the travel route in marker mode a predetermined number of times, the marker control unit acquires travel information and placement position information of the marker, and the stereo camera acquires position coordinates of the marker,
The VSLAM control unit:
The marker control unit associates the travel information and placement position information of the marker with the position coordinates of the marker acquired by the stereo camera to create virtual marker information for the travel path, stores the virtual marker information as a virtual marker map in a virtual marker storage unit of the VSLAM control unit, and transmits the virtual marker information to the CPU unit.
The CPU section sends the virtual marker information as travel information and/or corrected travel information to the drive control section, and causes the vehicle to travel autonomously in the virtual marker travel mode.
Preferably, when the marker control unit detects marker information during autonomous traveling in the virtual marker traveling mode, the drive control unit controls the driving of the traveling unit by prioritizing the marker information over the virtual marker information.
Preferably, variable markers are provided on the travel path, and when the variable markers are detected by the marker control unit, the detected variable marker information is sent from the marker control unit to the CPU unit , and the vehicle travels autonomously on a new travel path using the variable marker information.
Preferably, the system is provided with a network connected to the mobile vehicle and an external driving control unit for the mobile vehicle connected to the network, and the external driving control unit can arbitrarily change the driving path of the mobile vehicle by changing any of the driving information in the marker, the SLAM driving information, and the virtual marker information in the virtual marker driving mode via the network as needed.

This invention provides an extremely superior mobile vehicle travel system that allows for easy route setting, is suitable for use as a means of transporting people as well as transporting a wide variety of large quantities of goods, and is capable of autonomous travel in a simple, low-cost marker mode. It can also switch between a line tracing mode, which allows for accurate travel in narrow passages, a SLAM travel mode, which allows travel based on pre-acquired map data and actual positions, and a virtual marker travel mode using VSLAM, which allows for arbitrary travel such as curved trajectories and forward/backward movement.

1 is a schematic partial plan view showing an embodiment of a traveling system for a platform vehicle as a moving vehicle according to the present invention; 1A is a schematic perspective view, FIG. 1B is a plan view, FIG. 1C is a side view, and FIG. 1D is an enlarged plan view of an operating unit of the transport platform shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view showing the transporting platform vehicle of FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the transporting platform vehicle shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a marker in FIG. 1. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a camera of a marker detection unit in the transporting platform vehicle of FIG. 2. FIG. 10A and 10B show the traveling state of the transporting vehicle using a marker indicating straight travel, and are explanatory diagrams showing a case where there is a deviation in the width direction and a case where there is a deviation in the traveling direction and a deviation in the width direction. 10A and 10B show the traveling state of the transporting vehicle using a marker indicating switching of the follow-up mode, and are explanatory diagrams showing a case where there is a deviation in the width direction and a case where there is a deviation in the traveling direction and a deviation in the width direction. 10A and 10B show the state of a transporting carriage stopped by a portable beacon, in which FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram showing a case where there is a deviation in the width direction, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram showing a case where there is a deviation in the travel direction and a deviation in the width direction. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of autonomous traveling by a marker control unit of the marker detection unit. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of autonomous driving using a marker. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating switching of a driving mode. FIG. 10 is a schematic partial plan view showing a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic partial plan view showing a third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing the connection between the transport vehicle and the towed vehicle. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the traveling state of the transporting vehicle using a marker indicating an arc-shaped left turn. FIG. 13 is a schematic side view showing the connection between a transporting vehicle and a towed vehicle in a traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to a first modified example of the third embodiment. FIG. 18 is a bottom view of the transporting platform vehicle of FIG. 17. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the transporting platform vehicle. 10A and 10B show the positional relationship when a transporting vehicle and a towed vehicle are connected in a traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to a second variant of the third embodiment, where FIG. 10A is a schematic plan view and FIG. 10B is a schematic side view. 1A and 1B show the connection relationship between a transport vehicle and a towed vehicle, with FIG. 1A being a schematic plan view and FIG. 1B being a schematic side view. A cross-sectional view of the towing member and restraining member of the transport cart taken along line A-A in Figure 21 (A) is the state before connection 1, (B) is the state before connection 2, (C) is the state at the time of connection, and (D) is the state at the time of detachment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the transporting platform vehicle. In the transporting platform vehicle of FIG. 23, (A) is a schematic perspective view, and (B) is a bottom view. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a driving path along which the vehicle travels in the virtual marker driving mode. 10 is a diagram showing the acquisition of position information for map matching by a stereo camera and the acquisition of detection mark information for markers attached to the floor by a camera; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating a virtual marker driving mode. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating virtual marker information in a virtual marker running mode. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a case where a variable marker is attached to a first running path, and the vehicle travels from the first running path to a second running path and then to a third running path. FIG. 10 is a flow diagram showing control in the presence of a variable marker. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an actual driving path in the virtual marker driving mode.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.
(First embodiment)
1 to 4 show a travel system for a transporting vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In Fig. 1, the travel system 1 for a transporting vehicle is composed of a transporting vehicle 10 and a marker 40 (described later) arranged in a travel area 2 of the transporting vehicle 10.

The transport vehicle 10 includes a main body 11, a travel unit 12 provided below the main body 11, a drive control unit 13, a beacon detection unit 20, a marker detection unit 30, and a CPU unit 36. The CPU unit 36 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) equipped with an electronic computer chip, various sensors connected to the CPU, namely, interface circuits such as the marker detection unit 30 described below and an obstacle detection unit 45 using a laser ranging sensor such as a LIDAR, a communications unit including a transceiver connected to the network 80 described below, and external memory. The CPU 36 may be an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an ECU (Engine Control Unit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The main switch 37 of the transport vehicle 10 may be turned on/off by the CPU unit 36.

The main body 11 has, for example, a flat rectangular parallelepiped outer shape, a flat top surface formed as a platform 11a, and a handle 11b extending upward from its rear end. As shown in Figures 2(B) and 3, the travel unit 12 is composed of a pair of wheels 15 located on both sides of the front of the main body 11 (in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 2(B)) on the underside of the main body 11, a motor 16 equipped with a speed reduction mechanism 16a that drives each wheel 15, and a pair of casters 17 located on both sides of the rear of the main body 11. The drive motors 16 are driven and controlled by a drive control unit 13 (described below), which drives and rotates each wheel 15, causing the transport vehicle 10 to travel in a predetermined direction by moving forward, backward, or turning left or right. The travel unit 12 is not limited to wheels 15, and may be composed of other drive means such as caterpillars. Each wheel 15 is provided with a wheel rotation sensor 15a that detects its rotation speed.

The drive control unit 13 is located within the main body 11. Power is supplied to the drive control unit 13 and each motor 16 from a power source 13a located near the center of the underside of the main body 11. The power source 13a can be a battery or a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium secondary battery. Based on driving information from the beacon detection unit 20 or marker detection unit 30 provided in the main body 11 (described below), the drive control unit 13 controls the drive of each drive motor 16 of the driving unit 12 to independently drive each wheel 15 and perform driving movements such as forward, backward, and turning left or right.

The drive control unit 13 may stop the traveling unit 12 if it detects an obstacle based on information from the obstacle detection unit 45. The obstacle detection unit 45 is provided to stop the transport vehicle 10 before it collides with an obstacle, and it is sufficient if it can monitor the surroundings of the transport vehicle 10, its direction of travel, and its position within the facility. Obstacle sensors can include, for example, laser radar and millimeter-wave radar. Laser radar is a sensor that performs laser image detection and distance measurement using the TOF (Time Of Flight) method. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional sensors can be used.

The sensor is an inertial measurement unit 18 that uses a two-axis or three-axis acceleration sensor or gyro sensor to measure the acceleration and angular acceleration of the transport vehicle 10. This inertial measurement unit 18 is also called an IMU. Furthermore, the drive control unit 13 calculates the travel distance of the transport vehicle 10 based on detection signals input from two wheel rotation sensors 15a that detect the rotation speed of each wheel 15, and detects any deviation in the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 10, i.e., angular deviation, by referring to the detection signal 18a input from the inertial measurement unit 18. This allows the drive control unit 13 to correct for deviations in the travel distance and angle due to slippage of the wheels 15, calculate the corrected travel distance, and correct the angle of the traveling direction of the transport vehicle 10. The drive control unit 13 controls the drive of the travel unit 12 using travel information 50a and 25b (described below) based on this corrected travel distance.

The drive control unit 13 may be operated by an operating unit 19 attached to the top of the steering wheel 11b. As shown in FIG. 2(D), the operating unit 19 includes a shift lever 19a, a joystick 19b, an emergency stop switch 19c as an emergency stop operating unit, and a main switch 37 (described below). The shift lever 19a has four modes, for example, P (parking), N (neutral), D (drive), and Fo (follow). Various input operations can be performed by tilting the joystick 19b in any direction. The emergency stop switch 19c outputs an emergency stop signal 19d to the CPU unit 36 when operated. The operating unit 19 may further include a speed change dial 19e. The shift lever 19a and the speed change dial 19e may further include indicator lights 19f and 19g that indicate the mode position and speed. When an emergency stop signal 19d is input, the CPU unit 36 interrupts autonomous driving based on driving information 50a based on this emergency stop signal 19d, generates emergency stop driving information 50b, and sends it to the drive control unit 13.

The beacon detection unit 20 is well known and is provided at the front of the main body 11, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, and is composed of a pair of infrared cameras 21 and 22 as imaging means, a beacon calculation unit 24, a beacon processing unit 25, a beacon memory unit 25a, etc. The operations of the beacon calculation unit 24, the beacon processing unit 25, and the beacon memory unit 25a are executed by programs stored in the CPU 36. The beacon memory unit 25a can use a memory device within the CPU 36 or a memory device external to the CPU 36. The infrared cameras 21 and 22 are arranged laterally spaced apart from each other on the main body 11, facing forward, for example, on both the left and right sides of the front end, to capture the identification light from the beacon B to be tracked in front of the main body 11. That is, the infrared cameras 21 and 22 are arranged so that their optical axes extend substantially parallel to each other, for example, tilted upward. The inclination angle of each optical axis is set to, for example, between 10 and 30 degrees so that the optical axis passes through a position approximately 1 meter ahead and 50 cm high.

Each of the infrared cameras 21, 22 is a known infrared stereo camera, and is composed of an optical system such as an image sensor and a lens. When an infrared stereo camera is used as each of the infrared cameras 21, 22, it is possible to measure the distance and angle to the beacon B. By detecting the infrared light incident on the image sensor, the influence of ambient light such as sunlight can be reduced, and the identification light from the beacon B can be reliably detected even in dark places such as at night. The image sensor that detects infrared light may be configured by placing an optical filter that transmits only infrared light on the incident side of a normal image sensor. Each of the infrared cameras 21, 22 captures an image of the beacon B to be tracked at predetermined intervals and sends the captured image signal to the beacon calculation unit 24.

The beacon calculation unit 24 processes the images of beacon B captured by each infrared camera 21, 22 to calculate position information 24a of beacon B, i.e., direction and distance, using so-called stereo vision, and sends the information to the beacon processing unit 25. The beacon calculation unit 24 corrects distortions in the image captured by beacon B due to the optical systems of each infrared camera 21, 22, and corrects the mounting orientation of each infrared camera 21, 22 on the main body 11, i.e., the deviation from parallelism between their optical axes, to correct the center position on the image captured. The beacon calculation unit 24 may more accurately calculate the distance to the beacon by referencing the distance to the beacon measured by the obstacle sensor 46. When the beacon calculation unit 24 cannot calculate position information 24a of beacon B through image processing of the images captured by the infrared cameras 21, 22, it does not create position information 24a of beacon B or send it to the beacon processing unit 25. The beacon processing unit 25 maps the position information 24a of the beacon B calculated by the beacon calculation unit 24 with respect to the area in which the transporting vehicle 10 should travel, registers the information in the beacon storage unit 25a, and sends it to the CPU unit 36. Based on the position information 24a of the beacon B, the beacon processing unit 25 generates travel information 25b consisting of the speed and direction (steering angle) for causing the transporting vehicle 10 to follow the beacon B from the direction and distance to the beacon B to be tracked at that time. The beacon processing unit 25 compares the position information 24a of the beacon B with the position information 24a of the immediately preceding beacon B to calculate changes in the relative speed and distance between the beacon B and the transporting vehicle 10, and determines the speed included in the travel information 25b so that the distance to the beacon B falls within a predetermined range. The travel information 25b is control information for controlling the rotational speeds of the drive motors 16 that drive the left and right wheels 15. The left and right drive motors 16 are controlled at different rotational speeds, and the steering angle is realized by the speed difference. The beacon processing unit 25 sequentially maps the position information 24a of beacon B sent from the beacon calculation unit 24 at predetermined time intervals and registers it in the beacon storage unit 25a. It also sequentially reads the position information 24a of beacon B from the beacon storage unit 25a and generates driving information 25b based on the direction and distance to beacon B at that time, and sends it to the drive control unit 13. When the position information 24a of beacon B is not sent from the beacon calculation unit 24, the beacon processing unit 25 generates driving information 25b based on the mapped position information 24a of beacon already registered in the beacon storage unit 25a and sends it to the drive control unit 13. This ensures reliable tracking based on the mapped position information 24a of beacon B, even if the beacon B to be tracked travels along a curved route or turns left or right.

The travel system 1 for transporting carriages in this embodiment includes a marker 40 arranged in the travel area 2 and a marker detection unit 30 for detecting the marker 40. The marker 40 has at least one mark, and this mark is preferably configured in a plurality of marks arranged horizontally across the travel path 2a and/or vertically along the travel path 2a. When a plurality of marks are attached to the marker 40, the marker is preferably configured in a single strip shape.
The markers 40 may be arranged in one or more lines, with multiple marks continuously placed in the vertical direction along the running path 2a. In this case, the markers 40 may be arranged in multiple lines at predetermined intervals in the traveling direction along the running path 2a, or in a single continuous line. The markers 40 are preferably formed in a band, with multiple marks aligned horizontally and/or vertically on this band-like marker. The marks may be the same or different. For example, when the band-like markers 40 are arranged across the running path 2a, multiple identical or different marks may be arranged in a horizontal row on this single band-like marker. As shown in FIG. 5, two or more rows may be arranged on one marker 40, with multiple identical or different marks on each row. Multiple markers 40 may be arranged side by side in the vertical direction along the running path 2a. The multiple marks on the band-like marker 40 may be the same or different marks as described above. For example, two markers 40 may be placed side by side in the center of the travel path 2a in the direction of travel, or they may be placed side by side with a gap between them on the left and right sides of the path. Furthermore, if the marker 40 in the center in the horizontal direction is designated as the first marker, second and third markers 40 may be placed side by side on either side of it. In these cases, the same mark or different marks may be placed on each marker.

Figure 5 shows an example of the marker configuration of Figure 1. The markers 40 are configured in a single band across the travel direction, with nine marks lined up in two rows, one above the other, in the figure. That is, the marker 40 is composed of nine marks 41 in a first row on the front side with respect to the travel direction of the transport vehicle 10 (indicated by the arrow) and nine marks 42 in a second row on the rear side. The marks 41 in the first row are, from left to right, 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e, 41f, 41g, 41h, and 41i, and the marks 41a to 41i are referred to as rows a to i. The marks 42 in the second row are, similarly, 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d, 42e, 42f, 42g, 42h, and 42i, from left to right. The marks 42a to 41i are also referred to as rows a to i. The markers 40 may be arranged in a row, with each mark 41 representing a different symbol, such as a number or letter. When multiple marks 41 with different symbols are arranged in a column (horizontal direction), the symbols from left to right in the horizontal direction have placement position information 51, which will be described later. When detecting a marker 40, the transport vehicle 10 detects lateral deviation based on the placement position information 51 of the mark 41. Furthermore, when multiple markers 40 are arranged from the front to the rear in the traveling direction, arranging the same numbers or letters can eliminate failures or errors in acquiring data on the placement position information 51 of the markers 40 when the traveling speed increases. When markers 40 are arranged vertically along the traveling path 2a, markers 40 may also be arranged horizontally across the traveling path 2a to detect lateral deviation. Furthermore, when markers 40 are arranged in the center and on the left and right sides along the traveling path 2a, lateral placement position information 51 may be set for the marks constituting the markers 40 arranged on the left and right.

The first row of marks 41a-41i and the second row of marks 42a-42i are set with travel information 50 for the transport vehicle 10 after it has previously passed the corresponding marker 40. This travel information 50 may be, for example, straight ahead, U-turn, left turn, right turn, stop, or follow mode switching. In the case of straight ahead, several travel speeds are further set, such as low, medium, and high. For example, the single marker 40 shown in Figure 5, consisting of 18 marks 41a-41i and 42a-42i, are all associated with the same travel information 50. In the illustrated example, ArUco markers are used for the individual marks 41a-41i and 42a-42i, each measuring approximately 2 cm in length and width and spaced approximately 8 cm apart from one another. The size and spacing of the individual marks 41a-41i and 42a-42i are determined by the installation position of the camera 31 that detects the markers 40 and the angle of view of the lens attached to the camera 31, as described below. The individual marks 41a-41i and 42a-42i are not limited to ArUco markers, and barcodes, QR Codes (registered trademark), and the like may also be used. Each marker 40 has a width sufficient to completely cross the travel path 2a of the transport vehicle 10. Each of the marks 41a-41i and 42a-42i that make up the marker 40 is assigned placement position information 51, which indicates the left-right direction and whether the mark is in the first or second row, from the left end to the right end. For example, mark 41c is assigned placement position information 51 indicating that the mark is the third in the first row. The travel information 50 and placement position information 51 of each of the marks 41a-41i and 42a-42i are each set in advance by the CPU unit 36, which will be described later, and stored in the marker memory unit 34 within the CPU unit 36. In Figure 5, the marker 40 is configured as a single sheet, and can be attached to the floor or other surface with adhesive applied to the backside, for example. This allows the entire marker 40 to be easily placed in the correct position without having to adjust the spacing between each mark. As shown in Figure 5, if part of the marker 40 sheet is marked with "RIGHT" 43, which indicates the content of the driving information 50, handling the marker 40 becomes even easier. The illustrated "RIGHT" indicates a right turn.

As shown in FIG. 4, the marker detection unit 30 includes a camera 31 as an imaging means and an image processing unit 32. Signals from the image processing unit 32 are output to the marker control unit 33 in the CPU unit 36 and stored in the marker memory unit 34 as necessary. The operations of the marker control unit 33 and marker memory unit 34 are executed by programs stored in the CPU unit 36. The marker memory unit 34 can use a memory device within the CPU unit 36 or an external memory device to the CPU unit 36, as with the beacon memory unit 25a. As shown in FIGS. 2(C) and 3, the camera 31 is positioned in a location that is less susceptible to sunlight. In the illustrated example, the camera 31 is positioned facing downward on the underside of the main body 11 of the transport vehicle 10, and includes a light-emitting unit 31a that illuminates its field of view. The wavelength of light emitted from the light-emitting unit 31a may be visible light or infrared light. Preferably, the camera 31 and light-emitting unit 31a are, for example, an infrared camera and infrared light-emitting unit, so as to be less susceptible to ambient light. As shown in Figure 6, the camera 31 is mounted at a height H (e.g., approximately 12 cm) perpendicular to the travel surface, and has a field of view of width W (e.g., approximately 15 cm) on the travel surface. The light-emitting units 31a are composed of, for example, light-emitting diodes, and are arranged on both sides of the camera 31 in the illustrated example so as to illuminate the range of this field of view. The placement of the markers 40 is determined by the installation position of the camera 31 and the field of view of the lens of the camera 31, i.e., the field of view; if the distance between markers is set so that three or more markers 40 are visible within the maximum field of view, two or more markers will be visible no matter where the transport vehicle 10 passes over the markers 40.

The image processing unit 32 receives the image signal 31b from the camera 31, processes the image captured by this image signal 31b, and detects the markers 40 appearing in the captured image and the arrangement direction 32a of the markers 40. Of the markers 40 in the captured image, the image processing unit 32 identifies the marks 41a-41i in the first row closest to the center, and similarly identifies the marks 42a-42i in the second row closest to the center. If the horizontal positions of the identified first row of marks 41a-41i and the second row of marks 42a-42i are the same, the image processing unit 32 subsequently determines the marks 41a-41i based on the first row of marks 41a-41i. If either the first row of marks 41a-41i or the second row of marks 42a-42i cannot be identified due to poor imaging, the image processing unit 32 determines the marks 41a-41i or 42a-42i based on the identifiable first row of marks 41a-41i or the second row of marks 42a-42i, and outputs the determined marks 41a-41i or 42a-42i together with the alignment direction 32a to the marker control unit 33 as detected mark information 32b. If the image processing unit 32 cannot identify either the first row of marks 41a-41i or the second row of marks 42a-42i, it generates an error signal 32c and outputs it to the marker control unit 33.

Based on the detected mark information 32b from the image processing unit 32, the marker control unit 33 reads from the marker memory unit 34 the travel information 50 and placement position information 51 previously set for the mark 41a-41i or 42a-42i identified by the image processing unit 32. From the alignment direction 32a and placement position information 51, the marker control unit 33 detects the current travel direction and lateral deviation on the travel path 2a, as well as the deviation in the direction of travel from the inertial measurement unit 18, i.e., the angular deviation, and corrects the correct travel direction and lateral deviation. The detection and correction of the angular deviation is performed by a gyro sensor within the inertial measurement unit 18. By recognizing the marker 40, the marker detection unit 30 calculates the XY position and angle of the transport vehicle 10 relative to the marker 40 and outputs them to the marker control unit 33. Here, the X position indicates the lateral direction on the travel path 2a, and the Y position indicates the direction of travel. When detecting the markers 40, correction is possible if even one mark 41a can be detected. By finding two or more consecutive markers 40 or the same marker 40, the travel information indicated by the markers 40, such as going straight, stopping, or turning right or left, as described below, is recognized. By using two or more marks 41a, it is possible to avoid erroneous detection of dirt on the floor along the path along which the transport vehicle 10 travels. In this way, it is not necessary to prioritize the use of the central marker 40 among the marks 41 shown in Figure 5.

The marker control unit 33 acquires the lateral deviation and current angle of the travel direction of the transport vehicle 10 from the marker 40, corrects the travel direction to zero, and then corrects the angle deviation. The marker control unit 33 then corrects the read travel information 50 by correcting the lateral position and current angle of the travel path 2a to return the lateral deviation on the travel path 2a to the center, thereby generating corrected travel information 50a and outputting it to the drive control unit 13. The drive control unit 13 controls the drive of the travel unit 12 based on this corrected travel information 50a. Therefore, the transport vehicle 10 moves and travels as specified by the marker 40 in accordance with the corrected travel information 50a. If the marker control unit 33 receives an error signal 32c from the image processing unit 32, it determines that reading of the marker 40 failed, generates an emergency stop signal 33a, and outputs it to the drive control unit 13 of the transport vehicle 10. The drive control unit 13 controls the drive of the travel unit 12 based on this emergency stop signal 33a, thereby stopping the drive of the motor 16.

The marker control unit 33 receives wheel rotation speed information 15b from the wheel rotation sensors 15a provided on each wheel 15 of the transport vehicle 10 and a detection signal 18a from the inertial measurement unit 18. It calculates the travel distance of the transport vehicle 10 based on this wheel rotation speed information 15b, detects wheel 15 slippage, etc. based on the detection signal 18a of the inertial measurement unit 18, corrects the travel distance, modifies the travel information 50 based on the corrected travel distance, and outputs the corrected travel information 50a to the drive control unit 13.

Furthermore, when the marker control unit 33 receives position information 24a of beacon B from the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 while controlling autonomous driving by the marker, it interrupts autonomous driving by the marker, hands over control of the drive control unit 13 to the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20, and creates driving information 25b in such a way that the beacon processing unit 25 travels a predetermined distance (e.g., 3 m) along the driving path 2a until it approaches the beacon and then stops, and sends this information to the drive control unit 13.

Furthermore, the traveling system 1 for the transport vehicle in this embodiment has an area in the traveling area 2 where no markers 40 are placed. In this case, an obstacle detection unit 45 is provided that detects walls and obstacles in the traveling area 2 so that autonomous traveling can be achieved using so-called SLAM (Simultaneously Localization and Mapping) technology. In this specification, autonomous traveling using SLAM technology is referred to as the SLAM traveling mode.
As shown in Fig. 4, the obstacle detection unit 45 includes an obstacle sensor 46 and an obstacle processing unit 47. A signal from the obstacle processing unit 47 is output to a SLAM travel control unit 48 in the CPU unit 36 and stored in an obstacle memory unit 49 as necessary. The obstacle memory unit 49 in the CPU unit 36 stores map data of the facility where the transport vehicle travels as map information. The operations of the obstacle processing unit 47 and the obstacle memory unit 49 are executed by a program stored in the CPU unit 36. Like the beacon memory unit 25a, the obstacle memory unit 49 can use a memory device within the CPU unit 36 or an external memory device of the CPU unit 36.

The obstacle sensors 46, obstacle sensor 46a located at the front of the main body 11 and obstacle sensor 46b located at the rear of the main body 11, emit infrared light toward obstacles in front of and behind the travel path 2a (Figure 1), detect the reflected waves, and measure the distance to the obstacle. Because obstacle sensor 46b is located at the rear of the main body 11, it can detect obstacles in front of the vehicle as well as the towed vehicle 120A (described below). This allows for nearly 360-degree detection of obstacles around the vehicle. The obstacle sensors 46 are obstacle sensors such as stereo cameras, LIDARs, and TOF (Time of Flight) cameras that are capable of map matching and can detect obstacles within a range of approximately 10 to 30 meters. LIDARs, also known as laser radars, are sensors that perform light detection and ranging (LIDAR) or laser imaging detection and ranging (LAS). Two-dimensional LIDARs and three-dimensional LIDARs are used. A TOF camera is a camera equipped with a distance measurement sensor that uses distance measurement technology, and the captured TOF image data 35b contains distance information to the subject for each pixel, which itself constitutes a three-dimensional image. A two-dimensional TOF camera or a three-dimensional TOF camera is used as the TOF camera. For example, if a two-dimensional obstacle sensor capable of detecting obstacles up to a distance of 10 m is used, the transport vehicle can travel on flat indoor roads. Furthermore, if a three-dimensional obstacle sensor capable of detecting obstacles up to a distance of 30 m is used, the transport vehicle can travel indoors and/or outdoors.

The obstacle processing unit 47 receives an image signal 46c from the obstacle sensor 46, processes the image captured by this image signal 46c, detects the distance between the obstacle captured in the image and the mobile vehicle 10, and outputs obstacle information 47a to the SLAM traveling control unit 48. Specifically, the obstacle sensor 46 is composed of, for example, a laser scanner and a light receiving unit, and the laser scanner emits a laser beam, and the light receiving unit collects the laser beam reflected by the wall surfaces in a facility such as a logistics warehouse. The obstacle processing unit 47 calculates the current position and direction within the logistics warehouse and outputs the calculated information to the SLAM traveling control unit 48.
The driving information 50 of the marker 40 includes information regarding the SLAM driving mode or the line tracing driving mode described below. When the marker control unit 33 detects control switching information to SLAM driving information 56 or line tracing driving information from the driving information of the marker 40, it generates control switching information and outputs it to the drive control unit 33. If the control switching information is SLAM driving information 56, the drive control unit 33 drives and controls the driving unit 12 based on the driving information 56 from the SLAM driving control unit 48, and the transport vehicle 10 drives autonomously along the driving path 2 specified by the map data.

Here, we will explain the operation of the transport vehicle 10 using various markers 40, i.e., markers 40-1 to 40-10. Markers 40-1, 40-2, and 40-3 are associated with low-speed, medium-speed, and high-speed straight-line travel, respectively, marker 40-4 is associated with a 90-degree left turn, marker 40-5 is associated with a 90-degree right turn, marker 40-6 is associated with a stop, marker 40-7 is associated with no entry, marker 40-8 is associated with a counterclockwise U-turn, marker 40-9 is associated with a clockwise U-turn, and marker 40-10 is associated with switching between follow-up modes.
First, in the case of straight travel, as shown in FIG. 7, when the transport vehicle 10 traveling ahead passes a marker 40 (marker 40-1, 40-2, or 40-3), the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 detects the alignment direction 32a and detection mark information 32b of the marker 40 from the captured image of the marker 40. The marker control unit 33 reads out the travel information 50 set for the marker 40 from the marker storage unit 34 based on the detection mark information 32b, and outputs travel information 50a corrected for deviations in the travel direction and width direction relative to the travel path 2a to the drive control unit 13. The transport vehicle 10 corrects deviations in the travel direction and width direction while slowly traveling within 2 m or approximately 3 to 10 m (settable) from the marker 40, and after the correction is complete, accelerates to the speed set in the travel information 50 and travels straight.

The slow-down distance can be set within the above range. In this case, if the speed instruction of the travel information 5 set in the marker 40 is the same, the cart does not need to slow down, and if the cart is traveling at a high speed, the cart may correct the deviation in the travel direction and width direction without slowing down. In this way, correcting the deviation in the travel direction and width direction without slowing down the cart can reduce errors caused by the cart being pushed by a towing object pushing from behind or by the cart slipping.
If there is only a misalignment in the width direction relative to the running path 2a, the misalignment in the width direction is corrected as shown in FIG. 7(A), and if there is a misalignment in both the running direction and the width direction relative to the running path 2a, both the misalignments in the running direction and the width direction are corrected as shown in FIG. 7(B).

In addition to the straight-ahead movement described in Figure 7, the travel state of the transport vehicle can also be controlled by using markers 40 indicating left turns, right turns, stops, no entry, U-turns, etc. (See Patent Document 2).

(Beacon following)
Next, in the case of switching to the beacon following mode, when the transporting vehicle 10 traveling forward passes a marker 40 (marker 40-10) as shown in FIG. 8, the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 detects the arrangement direction 32a and detection mark information 32b of the marker 40 from the captured image of the marker 40. The marker control unit 33 reads out the travel information 50 set for the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, interrupts the autonomous travel of the marker 40, and hands over control of the drive control unit 13 to the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20. Thereafter, the transporting vehicle 10 follows the beacon B detected by the beacon detection unit 20. The beacon B may be worn by the operator. When there is only a deviation in the width direction relative to the traveling path 2a, the deviation in the width direction is not corrected and the transport vehicle continues to follow the beacon B as shown in Fig. 8(A), and when there is a deviation in both the traveling direction and the width direction relative to the traveling path 2a, neither the deviation in the traveling direction nor the deviation in the width direction is corrected and the transport vehicle continues to follow the beacon B as shown in Fig. 8(B). By switching to this following mode, the transport vehicle 10 can be guided by the beacon B to a position off the traveling path 2a midway along the traveling path 2a, where it becomes possible to load and unload cargo and the like placed on the platform 11a of the transport vehicle 10.

As shown in FIG. 9 , if the beacon detection unit 20 detects identification light from beacon B (portable beacon) while the transport vehicle 10 is autonomously traveling using the marker, the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 sends position information 24a of beacon B to the marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30. The marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30 creates and sends to the drive control unit 13 travel information 50 to suspend autonomous traveling using the marker 40, travel a predetermined distance (e.g., 3 m) along the travel path 2a until it reaches the vicinity of beacon B and then stop. In response, the drive control unit 13 controls the drive of the travel unit 12, causing the transport vehicle 10 to travel a predetermined distance along the travel path 2a until it reaches the vicinity of beacon B and then stop. At this time, no correction is made for deviations in the travel direction or width direction. The transport vehicle 10 continues traveling straight, whether there is no deviation in the travel direction as shown in FIG. 9(A) or there is a deviation in the travel direction as shown in FIG. 9(B). When the transport vehicle 10 resumes traveling, while the beacon detection unit 20 is detecting the identification light from beacon B, autonomous traveling by the marker control unit 33 is not performed, and beacon tracking traveling is performed by the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20. However, once separate light from beacon B is no longer detected, the transport vehicle 10 is positioned on the travel path 2a, so the marker detection unit 30 can resume autonomous traveling by the marker.

When the emergency stop switch 19c provided on the transport vehicle 10 is operated, an emergency stop signal 19d is input to the marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30. Based on the emergency stop signal 19d, the marker control unit 33 interrupts autonomous driving based on the driving information 50a, generates emergency stop driving information 50, and sends it to the drive control unit 13. In response to this, the drive control unit 13 immediately controls the drive of the driving unit 12 based on the emergency stop driving information 50, and brings the transport vehicle 10 to an emergency stop.

The marker control unit 33 of the marker detection unit 30 controls the drive control unit 13 based on the marker travel information 50a. The marker control unit 33 operates as follows, according to the autonomous travel mode flowchart shown in Figure 10. In autonomous travel mode, first, in step ST1, the marker detection unit 30 searches for the first marker after autonomous travel begins and detects the marker 40. Depending on the type of travel information 50 associated with the marker 40 detected in step ST1, the marker detection unit 30 determines whether the travel is "straight ahead," "turn left," "turn right," "stop," "U-turn," "no entry," "switch to follow mode," neutral mode, line tracing travel mode, SLAM travel mode, automatic connection to the towed vehicle (described below), or automatic detachment from the towed vehicle.

In the case of "forward travel," the marker control unit 33 creates straight-line travel information 50a in step ST2, as shown in FIG. 7, corrects any deviations in the travel direction and width direction in step ST3, and then drives and controls the travel unit 12 by the drive control unit 13 to move the transport vehicle 10 forward in step ST4, returning to step ST1. In the case of "left turn" and "right turn," the marker control unit 33 creates travel information 50a for a left turn or a right turn in steps ST5 and ST6, respectively, and then drives and controls the travel unit 12 by the drive control unit 13 to move the transport vehicle 10 forward in step ST4, returning to step ST1. In the case of "stop," the marker control unit 33 creates stop travel information 50a in step ST7, corrects any deviations in the travel direction and width direction in step ST8, waits for the operator's operation to resume autonomous travel in step ST9, and then drives and controls the travel unit 12 by the drive control unit 13 to move the transport vehicle 10 forward in step ST4, returning to step ST1. In the case of a "U-turn," the marker control unit 33 creates U-turn travel information 50a in step ST10 and performs a U-turn. Then, in step ST11, the marker control unit 33 corrects any deviations in the travel direction and width direction. In step ST4, the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the travel unit 12 to move the transport vehicle 10 forward, and the process returns to step ST1. In the case of a "no entry" situation, the marker control unit 33 immediately stops the transport vehicle 10 without correcting any deviations in the travel direction or width direction in step ST12. In this case, the marker control unit 33 ends the autonomous travel of the marker in step ST13 and waits for an operation by the operator. During this time, the marker control unit 33 stops the autonomous travel and switches to neutral mode as shown in step ST14. In the case of a "following mode switch," the marker control unit 33 interrupts the autonomous travel of the marker in step ST15 as shown in FIG. 8, and switches to following mode in step ST16.

A specific example of the use of the travel mode using the markers 40 of the transport vehicle travel system 1 will be described with reference to Figure 11. Within a travel area, such as a warehouse, where the transport vehicle 10 must travel, a travel path 2a is set as shown by the dotted line, and markers 40 are placed at appropriate locations 61-72 to guide the transport vehicle 10 along this travel path 2a. The markers 40 at positions 61 and 69 are set with stop travel information, the markers 40 at positions 62, 63, 65, 71, and 72 are set with straight-ahead travel information, the markers 40 at positions 64, 66, 68, and 70 are set with left turn (90-degree left turn) travel information, and the marker 40 at position 67 is set with right turn (90-degree right turn) travel information.

When a transport vehicle 10 stopped at position 61 within such a travel area begins autonomous travel using the markers, it will travel straight at positions 62 and 63, turn left at position 64, travel straight at position 65, turn left at position 66, turn right at position 67, turn left again at position 68, and stop at position 69. At each position (61-69) on the travel path of the transport vehicle 10 shown by the dotted lines in Figure 11, deviations in the travel direction and, in the case of straight travel, deviations in the width direction are corrected, allowing the transport vehicle 10 to reliably travel autonomously along the travel path 2a. Each marker 40 is installed on the floor of the travel area by adhesive or other means. When changing the travel path 2a, the existing markers 40 can be easily removed, and the travel path 2a can be easily changed by installing new appropriate markers 40 in the specified positions.

(Switching driving modes)
Next, switching from a traveling mode using the marker 40 to another traveling mode that does not use the marker 40 will be described.
Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating switching of travel modes. The transport vehicle 10 can perform a combination of switching from a marker 40-based travel mode to a line tracing-based travel mode (see A in Fig. 12), switching from a line tracing-based travel mode to a SLAM-based travel mode (see B in Fig. 12), switching from a SLAM-based travel mode to a line tracing-based travel mode (see C in Fig. 12), switching from a line tracing-based travel mode to a marker 40-based travel mode (see D in Fig. 12), switching from a marker 40-based travel mode to a SLAM-based travel mode (see E in Fig. 12), and switching from a SLAM-based travel mode to a marker 40-based travel mode (see F in Fig. 12).

(Switching from marker-based driving mode to line-tracing driving mode)
As shown in A in Fig. 12 , switching from the marker 40 travel mode to the line tracing travel mode is performed by the transport vehicle 10 by reading the meaning of the change in travel mode of the marker 40. Travel in the line tracing area is performed by the marker detection unit 30 and the marker control unit 33, similar to the marker 40 travel mode. Line tracing can be performed using conventional white lines for line tracing attached to the floor of a facility or the like, or using the marker 40. The white lines for line tracing can be made of white resin or paper tape, magnetic tape, or the like.

When markers 40 are used as white lines for line tracing, one or more marks 41 are arranged in the direction of travel, and the transport vehicle 10 travels while correcting lateral deviation so that the marks 41 do not deviate from the horizontal recognition range, for example, 25 cm, determined by the camera's viewing angle. At this time, the horizontal deviation and tilt angle of the marks 41 recognized by the camera 31 are used as travel direction correction values for the transport vehicle 10.
In this case, the operation is as follows according to the flowchart of the autonomous driving mode shown in FIG. 10 . In the line tracing driving mode, in step ST20, the marker detection unit 30 detects the marker 40l. The marker detection unit 30 determines the "line tracing driving mode" based on the type of driving information 50 associated with the marker 40l detected in step ST20. In the "line tracing driving mode," the marker control unit 33 creates driving information 50a for the line tracing driving mode and causes the drive control unit 13 to drive and control the traveling unit 12 to move the transporting vehicle 10 forward. When a marker 40 indicating the end of the line tracing driving mode is detected, the process proceeds to step ST4. In step ST4, the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the traveling unit 12 to move the transporting vehicle 10 forward, and the process returns to step ST1. In this way, when the control switching information indicates line tracing driving information, the marker detection unit 30 reads out the markers 40 for line tracing that are arranged in the straight direction of the traveling path 2.
Next, the marker control unit 33 generates corrected driving information 50a to correct lateral and angular deviations of the moving vehicle based on the line tracing driving information detected by the marker detection unit 30 and outputs it to the drive control unit 13.The drive control unit 13 then controls the driving of the driving unit 12 based on the corrected driving information 55a from the marker control unit 33, causing the transport cart 10 to drive autonomously along the driving path 2 specified by the marker 40.

The line tracing driving mode allows the robot to travel accurately through narrow passages where the marker 40 driving mode would cause the robot to stop. Furthermore, the line tracing driving mode is effective on driving paths 2 where it is difficult to use the SLAM driving mode described below. Examples of such driving paths 2 include areas where there are no obstacles that can be used for SLAM driving and where accurate driving is required, large warehouses with few fixed obstacles such as walls within the sensor detection range, truck berths, areas where trucks are parked alongside warehouses, and areas where goods are constantly flowing.

(Switching from line tracing driving mode to SLAM driving mode)
As shown in B in FIG. 12 , switching from line tracing travel mode to SLAM travel mode is performed by the transport vehicle 10 reading the meaning of the travel mode change from the marker 40. In this case, the transport vehicle 10 operates as follows according to the flowchart of the autonomous travel mode shown in FIG. 10 . In line tracing travel mode, the marker detection unit 30 detects a marker 40s in step ST20, and determines the "SLAM travel mode" based on the type of travel information 50 associated with the detected marker 40s in step ST21. To signify the "SLAM travel mode," the travel information 50 attached to the marker 40s may be assigned an identification number indicating the type of map data used in the SLAM travel mode and the start and end positions of the SLAM travel mode. Unlike the marker 40 travel mode, travel in the SLAM travel mode is performed by the obstacle detection unit 45 and the SLAM travel control unit 48. The obstacle memory unit 49 stores map data for the facility, and also stores the SLAM travel path 12s shown in Fig. 12B. Furthermore, the SLAM travel control unit 48 is updated whenever the location of the SLAM travel path 2s is changed, such as when a new path is established or abolished, and always has the latest map data.

The SLAM travel control unit 48 generates SLAM travel information 56 based on map information 55 from the obstacle processing unit 47 and outputs it to the drive control unit 13. The drive control unit 13 drives and controls the travel unit 12 based on this SLAM travel information 56. Therefore, the transport vehicle 10 moves and travels as specified by the map information 55 from the obstacle processing unit 47 in accordance with the SLAM travel information 56. When an obstacle signal 47c is input from the obstacle processing unit 47, the SLAM travel control unit 48 determines that an obstacle has been detected in the travel direction of the transport vehicle 10, generates an emergency stop signal 48a, and outputs it to the drive control unit 13 of the transport vehicle 10. The drive control unit 13 drives and controls the travel unit 12 based on this emergency stop signal 48a to stop the drive of the motor 16 or take avoidance action.

The SLAM driving control unit 48 receives wheel rotation speed information 15b from wheel rotation sensors 15a attached to each wheel 15 of the transport vehicle 10 and a detection signal 18a from the inertial measurement unit 18. It calculates the travel distance of the transport vehicle 10 based on this wheel rotation speed information 15b, detects wheel 15 slippage based on the detection signal 18a from the inertial measurement unit 18, corrects the travel distance, modifies the SLAM driving information 56 based on the corrected travel distance, and outputs the corrected SLAM driving information 56 to the drive control unit 13.

Furthermore, when the SLAM driving control unit 48 receives position information 24a of beacon B from the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 during SLAM driving mode, it interrupts SLAM autonomous driving and hands over control of the drive control unit 13 to the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20. The beacon processing unit 25 then creates driving information 25b instructing the beacon processing unit 25 to travel a predetermined distance, for example, 3 m, along the driving path 2a until it approaches the beacon and then stop, and sends this information to the drive control unit 13. Note that when a marker 40 indicating the end of SLAM driving mode is detected, the process proceeds to step ST4, where the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the driving unit 12 to move the transport vehicle 10 forward, and the process returns to step ST1.

In SLAM driving mode, the transport vehicle 10 recognizes its own position by comparing map data of the facility created in advance by the obstacle sensor 47 with measurement data from the wheel rotation sensor 15a and inertial measurement unit 18 during autonomous driving. At the same time, the transport vehicle 10 calculates a route to the target location based on the map data created in advance and drives autonomously to the target location. During this process, the SLAM driving control unit 48 stops or takes evasive action based on detection signals from the obstacle sensor 47 and bumper sensor 38c to avoid contact with obstacles, people, other transport vehicles 10, forklifts, etc. on the travel path 2 while traveling. In other words, the transport vehicle travels along the travel path 2 by slowing down, stopping, or making detours as appropriate.

The SLAM driving mode allows for driving based on pre-acquired map data and actual positions without using markers 40 or line tracing, and allows for arbitrary driving, such as curved trajectories and forward and backward movement.

(Switching from SLAM driving mode to line tracing mode)
As shown in Fig. 12C, switching from the SLAM travel mode to the line tracing travel mode is performed by the transporting vehicle 10 reading the meaning of the travel mode change indicated by the marker 401. The line tracing and SLAM travel modes are switched in the same manner as described in Fig. 12B.

(Switching from line tracing driving mode to marker 40 driving mode)
12, switching from the line tracing travel mode to the marker 40 travel mode is performed by the transporting vehicle 10 reading the meaning of the travel mode change of the marker 40m. The line tracing travel mode and the marker 40 travel mode are performed by the marker detection unit 30 and the marker control unit 33, similar to the above-mentioned travel modes.

(Switching from marker 40-based driving mode to SLAM-based driving mode)
12, switching from the marker 40 travel mode to the SLAM travel mode is performed by the transport vehicle 10 reading the meaning of the travel mode change of the marker 40s. The SLAM travel mode is performed by the obstacle processing unit 47 and the SLAM travel control unit 48, similar to the travel modes described above.

(Switching from SLAM driving mode to marker driving mode)
As shown by F in Fig. 12, switching from the SLAM travel mode to the marker 40 travel mode is performed by the transporting vehicle 10 reading the meaning of the travel mode change of the marker 40m. The marker 40 travel mode is performed in the same way as the travel mode described above.

The marker 40 travel mode simplifies route setting compared to the line tracing and SLAM travel modes, making it suitable for transporting a wide variety of items in large quantities.

Second Embodiment
Next, a mobile vehicle traveling system 5 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 13. This mobile vehicle traveling system 5 differs from the traveling system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 in that it further includes a network 80 connected to the transporting vehicle 10, and an external operation control unit 90 for the transporting vehicle 10 connected to the network 80. The transporting vehicle 10 has the same configuration as the mobile vehicle traveling system 1 according to the first embodiment, except that the CPU unit 36 includes a communication unit including a transceiver connected to the network 80.

The network 80 may be a network of any configuration, such as a dedicated line network or a public line network like 3G, LTE, or the Internet. The network 80 may be wired or wireless. Examples of wired networks 80 include LAN (Ethernet (registered trademark)), RS232C, and CAN (Controlled Area Network), which is an in-vehicle network. Examples of wireless networks 80 include a wireless LAN. Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and Bluetooth (registered trademark) are applicable as wireless LANs. The network 80 may be configured with electronic components such as transistors and relays that can send electrical signals as communication and input/output functions provided by the communication unit of the CPU unit 36, as well as transmission cables. The transport vehicle 10 and the external operation control unit 90 are interconnected via the network 80. Various signals can be transmitted and received between them as needed.

The external operation control unit 90 is composed of, for example, a tablet and a program stored on the tablet, but a control device such as a PLC (programmable logic controller), sequencer, or remote control may also be used. In this specification, a tablet is used that stores a program for controlling the transport vehicle 10.

According to the second embodiment, the external driving control unit 90 may control the transport vehicle 10 via the network 80 as necessary. For example, the travel path 2a of the transport vehicle 10 may be changed as desired by a tablet that serves as the external driving control unit 90. The travel information of the marker 40 may also be changed by the external driving control unit 90. The external driving control unit 90 can change the travel path 2a of the mobile vehicle 10 as desired by changing the travel information of the marker 40 via the network 80 as described below.

Furthermore, the mobile vehicle travel systems 1 and 5 of the present invention provide an extremely superior mobile vehicle travel system that allows for easy route setting and autonomous travel in marker mode, which is suitable for transporting a wide variety of items in large quantities, and can switch, as needed, to line trace mode, which allows for accurate travel in narrow passages, passages with few obstacles where SLAM travel mode is difficult, or passages where map data is constantly changing, and SLAM travel mode, which allows travel set based on pre-acquired map data and the actual position, and allows for arbitrary travel such as curved tracks and forward and backward movement.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a mobile vehicle travel system 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 14 and 15. In the third embodiment, the mobile vehicle is composed of a towed platform 120 and a transport platform 110 that tows the towed platform. These vehicles are configured to be coupled and uncoupled to each other by a coupling mechanism. The coupling mechanism on the transport platform 110, which serves as the mobile vehicle, includes a coupler 132 provided at the rear end of the transport platform 110, a coupler 134 provided at the front end of the towed platform 120, and a coupling member 130 that connects these. The transport platform 110 leads the towed platform 120 and moves while towing it. The towed platform 120 may be a cart (roll box pallet), a six-wheeled platform (slim cart), or a platform capable of transporting pallets. In the coupling mechanism on the transporting platform 110 side, when the coupler 132 is movably attached to the coupling member 130, the coupler 134 on the towed platform 120 side is fixedly attached. Conversely, when the coupler 132 on the transporting platform 110 side is fixedly attached, the other coupler 134 can be movably attached. The load capacity of the towed platform 120 can be set to 100 kg to 300 kg. By appropriately selecting each motor 16, the load capacity of the towed platform 120 can be further increased, for example to 600 kg.

(Marker Variation 1)
The mobile vehicle 110 can use markers 40 indicating straight ahead, U-turn, left turn, right turn, stop, no entry, follow mode, neutral mode, line trace driving mode, and SLAM driving mode, just like the mobile vehicle 10, but can also use markers 40 for autonomous driving on a trajectory that draws an arc (R), as shown in Figure 14. To distinguish the autonomous driving on a trajectory that draws an arc from a right-angle left turn and a right-angle turn, these are called an arc-shaped left turn and an arc-shaped right turn, respectively. As a seventh variation of the marker, a marker 40 indicating a turn will be described.
As shown in Figure 16, when the transport vehicle 110 towing the towed vehicle 120 makes an arc-shaped left turn, when the transport vehicle 110 passes a marker 40 (marker 40-12), the image processing unit 32 of the marker detection unit 30 detects the alignment direction 32a and detection mark information 32b of the marker 40 from the image capture screen of the marker 40. The transport vehicle 110 first moves straight using the marker 40-12, and the position of the transport vehicle 110 is corrected so that it is located in the center of the track 2a after moving straight for 2 m, for example. Next, the turning radius R and the turning angle are set. For example, the turning radius can be freely set to move straight for 2 m and then make a 60° turn at a radius of 3 m (see trajectory A in Figure 16), or move straight for 2 m and then make a 90° turn at a radius of 5 m (see trajectory B in Figure 16), etc.

The marker control unit 33 reads the travel information 50 relating to the straight-line distance, turning radius R, and turning angle set for the marker 40 from the detection mark information 32b, and outputs the travel information 50a corrected for deviations in the travel direction relative to the travel path 2a to the drive control unit 13. As a result, the transport vehicle 110 travels straight from the marker 40-12 to a predetermined position, stops briefly, and then turns in an arc to the left. In other words, the mobile vehicle 110 first travels straight in the same way as the straight-line markers (markers 40-1 to 40-3 in Figure 7), and then makes an arc-shaped left turn according to the turning radius R and turning angle indicated by the marker 40-12. In this case, corrections are made for deviations in the width direction while traveling straight. This allows the transport vehicle 110 to smoothly turn in an arc-shaped left turn while towing the towed vehicle 120. When making an arc-shaped right turn, the operation is reversed from the arc-shaped left turn described above, so detailed explanation is omitted.

(Marker Variation 2)
The marker 40 may combine two or more functions, such as stopping at a predetermined distance when traveling in a specific direction, or traveling straight for a predetermined distance and then turning. That is, in addition to any of the above-mentioned traveling straight, U-turn, left turn, right turn, stop, arced left turn, and arced right turn, the marker 40 may be set with travel information that combines one or more of these. For example, it can be set to stop 5 meters ahead, arced right turn 3 meters ahead, or arced right turn, etc.

(Modification 1 of the third embodiment)
A mobile vehicle travel system 100A according to a first modified example of the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 17 and 18. The transporting platform 110A is equipped with a coupler 142 that can be automatically attached and detached as a coupling mechanism for the towed platform 120A. The coupler 142 of the transporting platform 110A is equipped with an automatic coupling member 144 equipped with a mechanism that can move up and down. The automatic coupling member 144 is driven by a solenoid or motor disposed within the coupler 142, and moves a pin 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 up and down. The towed platform 120A is equipped with a towed platform-side coupler 154 that can be attached and detached to the coupler 142 of the transporting platform 110A. The towed platform-side coupler 154 is equipped with an insertion hole into which the pin 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 is inserted.

(Automatic connection between the transport vehicle 110A and the towed vehicle 120A)
The automatic connection between the transport vehicle 110A and the towed vehicle 120A will now be described. For example, on the warehouse travel path 2a, a marker 40 called marker D is installed at a location where the transport vehicle 110A and the towed vehicle 120A should automatically connect. Marker D is defined as the location where the transport vehicle 110A and the towed vehicle 120A will automatically connect and is stored in the marker storage unit 34. The automatic connection between the transport vehicle 110A and the towed vehicle 120A is associated with the travel information 50. Upon detecting marker D, the marker control unit 33 controls the CPU unit 36 to stop at the location of marker D and perform automatic connection using the automatic coupling member 144. In response to this, the CPU unit 36 controls the solenoid to move the pin portion 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 upward, so that the pin portion 144a is inserted into the hole of the coupler 154 on the towed vehicle side. An external operation control unit 90 connected to the network 80 may send a signal to the CPU unit 36 of the transporting vehicle 110A to "connect to the towed vehicle 120A." If a PLC is used as the external operation control unit 90, the PLC can control the automatic connection between the towed vehicle 120A and the towed vehicle 120A. The network 80 connecting the PLC and the CPU unit 36 may be configured using a switch or communication unit connected to the CPU unit 36.

(Automatic detachment of the transport vehicle 110A and the towed vehicle 120A)
For example, on the warehouse travel path 2a, when the transport vehicle 110A and the towed vehicle 120A are to be disconnected, a marker E is placed as the marker 40 at a location where the transport vehicle 110A will be separated from the towed vehicle 120A. Marker E is defined as the location where the transport vehicle 110A will be separated from the towed vehicle 120A and is stored in the marker storage unit 34. The separation of the transport vehicle 110A from the towed vehicle 120A is associated with the travel information 50. Upon detecting marker E, the marker control unit 33 controls the CPU unit 36 to stop at the location of marker E and then perform automatic separation using the automatic coupling member 144. In response to this, the CPU unit 36 controls the solenoid to move the pin portion 144a of the automatic coupling member 144 downward, thereby automatically separating the pin portion 144a from the coupler 154 on the towed vehicle side. In addition, similar to the automatic connection between the transporting cart 110A and the towed cart 120A, the external driving control unit 90 connected to the network 80 may send a signal to the CPU unit 36 of the transporting cart 110A to "detach from towed cart 120A," thereby causing the towed cart 120A to detach.

When connecting the transport vehicle 110A to the towed vehicle 120A, the marker 40 can be set to indicate reverse, and the transport vehicle 110A can be moved backward to align the coupler 142 with the coupler 154 on the towed vehicle side. This alignment can be performed by the CPU unit 36. Alternatively, alignment can be performed by an operator operating the handle of the transport vehicle 110A. Alternatively, alignment can be performed using a switch connected to the PLC-based external operation control unit 90 or a communication function. In this way, if travel information is set in advance to automatically connect to or disconnect from marker D or marker E, the transport vehicle 110A will stop at marker D or marker E by the CPU unit 36, and then the solenoid will be controlled to automatically connect to or disconnect from the automatic coupling member 144.

As shown in Figures 18 and 19, this transport vehicle 110A may also be equipped with a distance sensor 153, if necessary. Otherwise, it is configured similarly to the transport vehicle 10 (see Figure 4). While the obstacle sensors 46a and 46b primarily detect obstacles ahead and behind the transport vehicle 110A, the distance sensor 153 detects obstacles over a longer distance, including diagonal directions to the left and right, when towing a towed vehicle 120A that is wider than the transport vehicle 110A. The distance may be set to approximately 5 meters, e.g., 5 to 10 meters. The distance sensor 153 is preferably a distance sensor known as a two-dimensional laser range finder (2DLRF) or a distance sensor that measures distance using image recognition by a camera such as a stereo camera. When towing a wide towed vehicle 120A, the ability to detect obstacles ahead in the direction of travel allows the transport vehicle 110A to stop or avoid a collision before it strikes the obstacle. 2DLRF can measure distances on the order of millimeters, so by measuring the distance to obstacles around the transport vehicle 110A locally with high precision and density, it is possible to speed up stopping operations for obstacles and perform obstacle avoidance operations. Since the towed vehicle 120A is loaded with a heavy load, it takes additional braking time to detect an obstacle and stop, making the stopping operation safer.

(Modification 2 of the third embodiment)
20A and 20B, in the traveling system 100B of the third embodiment, a coupling mechanism by which the transporting vehicle 110B tows the towed vehicle 120B is provided on the transporting vehicle 110B side, including an operation unit 119, a towing member 170 for connecting to a pin 160 of the towed vehicle 120B (described later), a restraining member 172, a link mechanism 174 connected to the towing member 172, and a solenoid 176 for driving the link mechanism 174, but no handle 111b. The towing member 170 has a hole 170 into which the pin 160 is inserted when coupling the towed vehicle 120B. The restraining member 172 is a spring-like member that prevents the pin 160 from coming off when the pin 160 is inserted into a hole 172a of the towing member 170. In this embodiment, the transport vehicle 110B is configured to tow and guide the towed vehicle 120B while sliding underneath the towed vehicle 120B. The operating unit 119 is located approximately below the horizontal position of the loading surface of the main body 111 so that the transport vehicle 110B does not get in the way of sliding underneath the towed vehicle 120B. The connecting mechanism on the towed vehicle 120B side includes a pin 160 that protrudes downward from the bottom of the main body 122, and a pair of guides 162 on both the left and right sides that hold the transport vehicle 110B under the towed vehicle 120A. The spacing Wg between the guides 162 is approximately the same as or slightly wider than the width of the transport vehicle 110B, and is set to a width that allows the towed vehicle 120B to slide underneath and be supported.

(Automatic connection between the transport vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B)
21A and 21B, the towed vehicle 120B is provided with a coupling mechanism on the lower side of the main body 111, which includes the aforementioned pair of guides 162 and a pin 160 that protrudes downward. The transporting vehicle 110B slides under the towed vehicle 120B and moves straight along the guides 162, thereby inserting the pin 160 of the towed vehicle 120B into the hole 170a of the towing member 170 of the transporting vehicle 110B, thereby coupling the two vehicles together. To specifically explain the coupling operation by the coupling mechanism, first, as the transporting vehicle 110B moves in the direction of the arrow as shown in FIG. 22A, the restraining member 172 of the transporting vehicle 110B approaches the pin 160 of the towed vehicle 120B. As the towed vehicle 120B advances further, the pin 160 of the towed vehicle 120B presses down against the spring force of the restraining member 172, which is elastically held in a predetermined position by a spring 164, and the pin 160 enters the hole 170a of the pulling member 170 of the transport vehicle 110B, as shown in Figure 22(B). When the pin 160 advances to the end of the hole 170a, the restraining member 172 separates from the pin 160 of the towed vehicle 120B and is returned to a predetermined position by the spring 154, as shown in Figure 22(C). As a result, the pulling member 170 is caught horizontally on the pin 160, and the pin 160 is inserted into the hole 170a of the pulling member, connecting the towed vehicle 120B to the transport vehicle 110B.

(Automatic Detachment of the Transporting Carriage 110B and the Towed Carriage 120B)
To release the connection by the connection mechanism shown in FIG. 22(C), as shown in FIG. 22(D), the solenoid 176 located at the bottom of the main body of the transporting vehicle 110B is driven to attract the link mechanism 174, thereby pulling the towing member 170 downward (arrow C) from the pin 160. This releases the horizontal connection of the pin 160 of the towed vehicle 120B from the hole 170a of the towing member 170 of the transporting vehicle 110B. In this state, when the transporting vehicle 110B moves forward, it separates from the towed vehicle 120B. The solenoid 176 stops after a sufficient time has passed since the transporting vehicle 110B was sufficiently separated from the pin 160, and the towing member 170 of the transporting vehicle 110B returns to its predetermined position by the force of the spring 164. Since the transporting vehicle 110B slides under the towed vehicle 120B and couples it to the towed vehicle 120B, the towed vehicle 120B can move in the same way as the moving vehicle 100A alone, and when the towed vehicle is connected to the rear of the transporting vehicle, the towed vehicle can turn on the spot. Also, since the transporting vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B move in a stacked state, the overall length is shortened and work efficiency is improved.

In the SLAM traveling mode, the towed vehicle 120B is not registered in the map data and is therefore determined to be an obstacle by the obstacle detection unit 45. A method for resolving this issue and enabling automatic connection and detachment between the transport vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B even in the SLAM traveling mode will be described below.
When the transporting vehicle 110B detects a marker 40 with travel information indicating automatic connection with the towed vehicle 120B during the SLAM travel mode, the transporting vehicle 110B automatically connects to, i.e., attaches to, the towed vehicle 120B. The travel information 50 attached to the marker 40 may be assigned an identification number indicating the type of transporting vehicle 110B and the start and end positions of the automatic connection to signify "automatic connection with the transporting vehicle 110B." In this case, the obstacle processing unit 47 travels to a position where the coupling mechanism 142 on the moving vehicle side of the transporting vehicle 110B can automatically connect with the coupling mechanism 154 on the transporting vehicle 110B based on the shape of the main body of the transporting vehicle 110B, for example, the shape including the wheels, which is recorded in advance in the obstacle memory unit 49, and automatically connects. Whether or not automatic connection has been achieved may be determined by the CPU section 36 detecting, by means of a switch or the like, that the pin 160 has been inserted into the hole 170a of the towing member of the transporting carriage 110B, and determining whether or not this detection signal is generated.

Here, after automatic connection between the transport vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B is completed, the transport vehicle stops or moves forward to search for the next marker 40. For example, as shown in ST22 of the flowchart for the autonomous driving mode in FIG. 10, in the case of "automatic connection with the towed vehicle," the marker control unit 33 creates driving information 50a related to automatic connection with the towed vehicle and causes the drive control unit 13 to drive and control the running unit 12 to move the transport vehicle 120B forward. Then, when the CPU unit 36 detects with a switch (not shown) that the pin 160 has been inserted into the hole 170a of the towing member of the transport vehicle 110B, it determines that automatic connection has been achieved and proceeds to step ST4, where the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the running unit 12 to move the transport vehicle 10 forward, and then returns to step ST1.

Next, the automatic detachment between the transporting vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B will be described.
When the transporting vehicle 110B detects the marker 40 indicating automatic detachment between the transporting vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B during the SLAM travel mode, the solenoid 176 is driven to attract the link mechanism 174, thereby pulling the towing member 170 downward (arrow C in FIG. 22 ) from the pin 160. This releases the horizontal connection of the pin 160 of the towed vehicle 120B from the hole 170a of the towing member 170 of the transporting vehicle 110B, thereby performing automatic detachment from the towed vehicle 120B. The travel information 50 attached to the marker 40 may be provided with an identification number indicating the type of transporting vehicle 110B and the start position of automatic detachment, in order to signify "automatic detachment from the transporting vehicle 110B." In this case, whether or not automatic detachment has occurred can be determined by the CPU unit 36 detecting using a switch or the like that the pin 160 is not inserted into the hole 170a of the towing member of the transport cart 110B, and determining that automatic detachment has occurred based on the detection signal from this switch.

Here, after automatic detachment between the transport vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B is complete, the transport vehicle 110B stops or moves forward to search for the next marker 40. For example, as shown in ST23 of the flowchart for the autonomous driving mode in FIG. 10, in the case of "automatic detachment from the towed vehicle," when the CPU unit 36 detects that the pin 160 is not inserted into the hole 170a of the towing member of the transport vehicle 110B, it determines that automatic detachment has occurred and proceeds to step ST4, where the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the running unit 12 to move the transport vehicle 10 forward, and then returns to step ST1.

We have explained how to automatically connect and disconnect the transport vehicle 110B and the towed vehicle 120B in SLAM travel mode, but this can also be done in line tracing travel mode in the same way as in SLAM travel mode.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, a traveling system for a mobile vehicle according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the traveling system for the transporting vehicle according to the fourth embodiment, the transporting vehicle 100C further has an autonomous traveling function using VSLAM (Vision Simultaneously Localization and Mapping: estimating the self-position using an image and creating a map simultaneously). By providing the VSLAM function, the transporting vehicle 100C can travel autonomously in a virtual marker traveling mode, which is a combination of a marker-based traveling mode and a VSLAM traveling mode.
FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the transporting vehicle 100C, and FIG. 24 is a schematic perspective view and a bottom view of the transporting vehicle 100C shown in FIG.
This transport vehicle 100C differs from the transport vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 4 in that it includes a stereo camera 46d and a VSLAM control unit 45A connected to the stereo camera 46d. As shown in FIG. 24A, the stereo camera 46d is mounted on the front of the main body 11 and captures images of the front and markers 40 to acquire position information. The field of view of the stereo camera 46d is approximately 120 to 140 degrees in the horizontal direction ahead, and by setting the elevation angle to approximately 20 to 45 degrees and the front elevation angle range to approximately 40 to 90 degrees, it is possible to acquire three-dimensional images of the front. The rest of the configuration is the same as the block diagram of the transport vehicle 10 shown in FIG. 4, so a description thereof will be omitted.

The VSLAM control unit 45A includes an image processing unit 47A that extracts feature values and position information of luggage, doors, pallets, windows, walls, ceilings, etc. located in front of the transport vehicle 110C, for example, in a warehouse, from image signals from the stereo camera 46d; a virtual marker generation unit 48B that generates virtual marker information from detected markers 40 (described below); and a virtual marker storage unit 49A that stores a map generated from the image processing unit 47A and the virtual marker information. As shown in FIG. 24(B), the VSLAM control unit 45A is located, for example, between the drive control units 13, 13 that are located on the underside of the main body unit 11.

(Virtual marker driving mode)
The virtual marker driving mode is a mode in which, after driving a driving path on which markers 40 are placed within a facility a predetermined number of times in marker mode, the VSLAM control unit 45A creates a map of the driving path and estimates the vehicle's own position, and the acquired virtual marker information is sent from the VSLAM control unit 45A to the CPU unit 36, which then drives and controls the driving unit 12 via the drive control unit 13 to cause the transport vehicle 100C to drive autonomously.
That is, the VSLAM control unit 45A causes the transporting vehicle 110C to travel along the travel path 2a in marker mode a predetermined number of times, and the marker control unit 33 acquires travel information and placement position information of the marker 40, and the stereo camera 46d acquires position coordinates of the marker 40. The VSLAM control unit 45A associates the travel information and placement position information of the marker acquired by the marker control unit 33 with the position coordinates of the marker acquired by the stereo camera 46d to create virtual marker information for the travel path 2a, stores the virtual marker information as a virtual marker map in the virtual marker storage unit 49A of the VSLAM control unit 45A, and sends the virtual marker information to the CPU unit 36. The CPU unit 36 sends the virtual marker information to the drive control unit 13 as travel information and/or corrected travel information, and causes the transporting vehicle 100C to travel autonomously in the virtual marker travel mode. Specifically, the virtual marker generation unit 48B creates virtual marker information for the travel path 2a based on map creation and self-position estimation, and sends the virtual marker information to the CPU unit 36 as virtual marker travel mode information 57.

Figure 25 shows a driving path along which the vehicle travels in virtual marker driving mode, Figure 26 is a diagram explaining map creation in virtual marker driving mode by the stereo camera 46d and VSLAM control unit 45A when driving with markers 40, Figure 27 is a flow diagram explaining the map creation mode and virtual marker generation mode of virtual marker driving mode, and Figure 28 is a diagram explaining virtual marker information in virtual marker driving mode. As shown in Figure 25, markers 40 such as those for going straight, turning left, turning right, and stopping, as described in embodiment 1, are placed on the driving path.

As shown in Fig. 26, the stereo camera 46d acquires marker position information for map matching, and the camera 31 acquires detected mark information of the markers 40 affixed to the floor. The markers 40 have 10 marks in a row. The stereo camera 46d is installed facing the traveling direction of the transporting vehicle 100C (see Fig. 24(A)), and the camera 31 is installed facing downward toward the transporting vehicle 100C (see Fig. 6). The camera 31 may be a visible light camera or an infrared camera.
The virtual marker information is information (see formula (3)) that links the position information of each mark (see formula (1)) acquired by the stereo camera 46d with the position information of each mark (see formula (2)) acquired by the marker control unit 33. In the VSLAM control unit 45A, the virtual marker information and a map based on an image of the front are simultaneously acquired and stored as virtual marker information and a map in the virtual marker storage unit 49A.

The IDs of the ten horizontal marks of marker 40 shown in equation (3) are estimated to be positions on the map in the virtual marker storage unit 49A and placed as "virtual marker mark areas." Note that a map created for a road on which marker 40 is placed may be stored in the virtual marker storage unit 49A after driving one or several laps around the road.

Next, the map creation mode will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
27, in step A1, a map creation command is sent to CPU section 36 by operating operation section 19. In response to this, CPU section 36 sends the map creation command to VSLAM control section 45A in step A2, and in response to this, VSLAM control section 45A executes the map creation mode in step A3.

In step A4, the operation unit 19 sends a marker travel instruction to the CPU unit 36, and the CPU unit 36 sends a marker acquisition instruction to the marker control unit 33 in step A5. In response, the marker control unit 33 sends the detected mark information 32b detected from the marker 40 to the CPU unit 36 and VSLAM control unit 45A in step A6.

In step A4, the CPU unit 36 receives a marker travel instruction from the operation unit 19 and in step A7 sends travel information 50 and/or corrected travel information 50a to the drive control unit 13. In response to this, the drive control unit 13 controls the drive of the travel unit 12, and in step A8, the transport vehicle 110C travels autonomously in a travel mode using the marker 40.

When the vehicle is traveling in a specified marker traveling mode on the traveling route shown in Figure 25 and reaches the end point of the traveling route, a stop command is issued using the operation unit 19 in step A9, and in response, the CPU unit 36 sends a travel stop command to the drive control unit 13 in step A10.

(Driving in virtual marker driving mode)
Next, the virtual marker travel mode after the map creation mode is completed will be described.
First, in step A12, an instruction to drive in virtual marker mode is sent from operation unit 19 to CPU unit 36. In response to this, in step A13, CPU unit 36 sends an instruction to start virtual marker generation mode to VSLAM control unit 45A, and in step A14 sends a marker acquisition instruction to marker control unit 33. Next, in step A15, VSLAM control unit 45A generates virtual marker detection information and sends it to CPU unit 36. In addition, in step A16, if a marker has been detected, marker control unit 33 sends detected mark information 32b to CPU unit 36.
In this way, the CPU unit 36 generates driving information 50 and/or corrected driving information 50a from the virtual marker detection information sent from the VSLAM control unit 45A and the detected mark information 32b sent from the marker control unit 33, and sends it to the drive control unit 13 in step A17.The drive control unit 13 then controls the drive of the motor 16 of the driving unit 12 in a driving mode based on the marker information and virtual marker information in step A18, and the transport cart 100C drives autonomously.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram of running based on virtual marker information.
In traveling using virtual markers, no markers 40 are placed on the traveling path, that is, traveling is possible even when no actual markers 40 are present. As shown in Figure 28, virtual marker information (ID, X, Y, θ)') linked to map position information ((X, Y, θ)'') acquired by the stereo camera 46d is sent from the VSLAM control unit 45A to the CPU unit 36. The CPU unit 36 generates traveling information 57 and/or corrected traveling information 57a from the virtual marker mark information (ID, X, Y, θ)' and sends it to the drive control unit 13. The driving control unit 12 is driven and controlled based on the traveling information 57 and/or corrected traveling information 57a, and autonomous traveling is performed using the traveling mode based on the markers 40 and/or the virtual marker information (see step A18).

For example, when creating a map, the information of the following formula (4) is recorded in the virtual marker storage unit 49A.
When the virtual marker actually travels along the mark, the information of the following formula (5) is transferred from the VSLAM control unit 45A to the CPU unit 36 as will be described later.

As shown in Figure 28, when the transport vehicle 100C passes through the "virtual marker area" of ID1 recorded on the map, even if the transport vehicle 100C has a tilted marker, travel information 5 and/or corrected travel information 5a is sent to the drive control unit 13 via the CPU unit 36 as mark information (ID: 45x, X, Y, θ)' of the virtual marker that assumes deviation within the marker area.

Here, in step A18, the drive control unit 13 controls the drive of the driving unit 12, prioritizing the detection mark information 32b sent from the marker control unit 33 over the virtual marker detection information sent from the VSLAM control unit 45A. In other words, if the drive control unit 13 receives detection mark information 32b from the marker control unit 33 in step A18, then in step A19, it transitions to autonomous driving based on the detection mark information 32b, prioritizing it over the virtual marker detection information. As a result, when driving in virtual marker driving mode, position estimation is performed using the map stored in the virtual marker memory unit 49A based on the virtual marker information, and driving similar to that in marker driving mode can be performed while reproducing markers 40 placed on the driving path on this map (i.e., called virtual markers).

(Stopping driving in virtual marker driving mode)
When traveling in the virtual marker traveling mode is to be stopped, a stop instruction is input from the operation unit 19 in step A20, and in response, the CPU unit 36 sends a travel stop instruction to the drive control unit 13 in step A21.

(Control when variable markers are detected)
A case will be described in which variable markers are attached to the travel routes and the vehicle travels on a plurality of travel routes in the virtual marker travel mode.
Figure 29 shows a case where a variable marker 44 is affixed to the first running path 2b, and the vehicle travels from the first running path 2b to the second running path 2c and then to the third running path 2d, and Figure 30 is a flow chart of control when the variable marker 44 is detected. When the marker control unit 33 detects the first variable marker 44a on the first running path 2b, it sends detected mark information 32b to the CPU unit 36 in step A20 and to the VSLAM control unit 45A in step A21. In this case, the first variable marker 44a is defined so that the vehicle travels straight from the first variable marker 44a onto the second running path 2c.

In response to the detection mark information 32b, the VSLAM control unit 45A sends an instruction to the virtual marker generation unit 48B to travel straight from the first variable marker 44a along the second travel path 2c, and in step A23 the virtual marker generation unit 48B sends virtual marker detection information to the CPU unit 36. In step A24, the CPU unit 36 sends travel information 50 and/or corrected travel information 50a, i.e., travel information, to the drive control unit 13. As a result, in step A25 the drive control unit 13 drives and controls the motor 16 of the travel unit 12 in a travel mode based on the marker information and virtual marker information, and the transport vehicle 100C travels autonomously along the second travel path.

When the transport vehicle 100C autonomously travels along the second travel path 2c and passes the first variable marker 44a, which is defined as entering the first travel path 2b, the VSLAM control unit 45A reads map information from the virtual marker storage unit 49A and generates virtual marker information for the first travel path 2b. As a result, the transport vehicle 100C travels along the first travel path 2b again and detects the second variable marker 44b on the first travel path 2b (see steps A30 and A30'). Then, like the first variable marker 44a, it travels straight ahead (see steps A32 to A34) and autonomously travels along the third travel path 3d (see step A35). Steps A30 to A34 are controlled in the same way as steps A20 to A24.

Thus, in virtual marker traveling mode, VSLAM control unit 45A estimates its own position based on the acquired map information. Because the map information stores virtual marker information, VSLAM control unit 45A transmits virtual marker information to CPU unit 36 when it passes the positions of virtual markers while estimating its own position. CPU unit 36 then controls the drive of traveling unit 12 using drive control unit 13 in accordance with the virtual marker information. As a result, in virtual marker traveling mode, it is possible to control the drive of traveling unit 12 without using SLAM traveling control unit 48.
As shown in FIG. 24A, an obstacle sensor 46a using, for example, a two-dimensional lidar is provided at the front of the main body 11, and detection of the distance to an obstacle ahead is performed by the SLAM driving control unit 48 of the CPU 36, just as in the SLAM driving mode.

In the virtual marker driving mode, the driving path 2a is formed using markers 40, and the driving path on which the markers 40 are placed is linked to the position coordinates of the markers 40 and the position coordinates of the stereo camera 46d to create a virtual marker, and a map and driving path can be created in, for example, one to two hours. This is a significant reduction in time compared to the half-day to one day required to create a map and driving path in the conventional SLAM driving mode.
Furthermore, according to the virtual marker travel mode, after the virtual marker 40 is created, the transport vehicle 100C can autonomously travel while estimating its own position using the stereo camera 46d and the VSLAM control unit 45A, even if the marker 40 is removed. This allows the transport vehicle 100C to travel on travel paths 2a where autonomous travel was practically impossible, such as facilities where the marker 40 cannot be attached or easily peeled off, or floors that are easily soiled with oil or the like. For example, autonomous travel with an accuracy of several tens of centimeters is possible with a horizontally elongated marker 40, and autonomous travel with an accuracy of several centimeters is possible with a line-shaped marker 40.
Conversely, in an environment where light changes drastically and it is difficult for the stereo camera 46d to extract feature points or detect matching points, the transporting vehicle 100C may be made to travel in a travel mode using the marker 40, rather than the virtual marker travel mode. This makes it possible for the transporting vehicle 100C to easily and stably travel autonomously by a flexible combination of the marker travel mode and the virtual marker travel mode according to the travel path 2a.

Control by the VSLAM control unit 45A using the virtual marker driving mode detects position coordinates from three-dimensional (3D) images captured by the stereo camera 46d, as well as detecting features within the facility where the driving path is located. This eliminates instability that occurs when the vehicle's own position cannot be detected in SLAM driving mode using two-dimensional position coordinate detection.

Also, the VSLAM control unit 45A may generate only virtual marker information without generating a map. In this case, the CPU unit 36 treats the virtual marker information the same as marker information, and marker travel can be performed without using the VSLAM travel control unit 48. If the virtual marker and marker 40 are not detected for a certain distance or more, the CPU unit 36 may stop the transport vehicle 100C for safety reasons. This operation is the same as when traveling in marker travel mode.

Furthermore, the VSLAM control unit 45A constantly transmits the probability that self-location estimation is correct, i.e., the map matching ratio, to the drive control unit 13 of the CPU unit 36, and the drive control unit 13 may stop the transport vehicle 100C for safety reasons if the probability of correct self-location estimation decreases over a certain period of time. In areas where the probability of correct self-location estimation is likely to decrease, measures such as increasing the number of feature points that can be detected by the stereo camera 46d can be taken. Furthermore, in areas where the probability of correct self-location estimation is likely to decrease, markers 40 may be permanently installed and the mode may be switched from virtual marker driving mode to marker driving mode. This makes it easy to improve areas where autonomous driving of the transport vehicle 100C is unstable in virtual marker driving mode.

(Example)
The following stereo camera 46d and VSLAM control unit 45A were added to CarriRo (a product of ZMP Corporation) for virtual marker mode.
Stereo camera (MYNT EYE, model number: S1030)
Control section:
CPU: Intel (registered trademark), model number: Core (registered trademark) i7
RAM (Random Access Memory): 8GB
Storage device (SSD): 32GB

Figure 31 shows an actual travel path in virtual marker travel mode. In Figure 30, autonomous movement of the transport vehicle 100C was confirmed in virtual marker travel mode on a 60m x 20m indoor travel path, even though sunlight entered from outside in some areas and the stereo camera 46d could not be used.

The present invention can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In the above-described embodiment, ArUco markers are used as the individual marks of the markers 40. However, various other marks, such as QR Codes (registered trademark), can also be used. The markers 40 are arranged in two rows of nine marks, but they may also be arranged in a single row, three or more rows, or two to eight or ten or more marks arranged horizontally. When the speed of the transport vehicles 10, 110, 110A, 110B, and 110C increases in the traveling direction, whether or not the markers 40 can be detected depends on the shutter speed of the camera 31 and the processing speed of the CPU unit 36. Therefore, by increasing the number of rows of markers 40 in the traveling direction, travel information can be reliably acquired from the markers 40 even when the speed of the transport vehicles 10, 110, 110A, 110B, and 110C increases.
The marker detection unit 30 does not have to be provided separately from the beacon detection unit 20, and the marker control unit 33 and the beacon processing unit 25 of the beacon detection unit 20 may be shared. The emergency stop switch 19 serving as an emergency stop operation unit may be provided in an external operation unit for performing various settings, rather than being provided in the main body 11 of the transporting vehicle 10, or may be fixedly disposed within the travel area of the transporting vehicle 10. This emergency stop switch 19 is not limited to one, and multiple switches 19 may be provided, and may be included in the operation of the joystick 19b. The surrounding sensor for emergency stop is not limited to a distance sensor such as an ultrasonic sensor, but may also be a bumper sensor 38a provided on the bumper 38 for detection. The emergency stop operation unit may be configured so that the operator can remotely stop the transporting vehicle 10, 110 using a beacon worn by the operator or another remote control device using infrared or wireless communication.

As a safety feature of the mobile vehicle travel systems 1, 5, 100, 110A, and 110B, if the marker 40 cannot be found after traveling, for example, 10 meters, the mobile vehicles 10, 110, 110A, and 110B may recognize that they have deviated from their course and automatically stop. The transport vehicles 10, 110, 100A, and 100B may be equipped with speakers. The speakers can emit warning sounds or sound effects around the transport vehicle before the marker 40 moves forward, turns left or right, makes an emergency stop, or performs other actions. In the above-described embodiment, transport vehicles 10, 110, 100A, 100B, and 100C have been used as examples of mobile vehicles, but it is clear that the present invention is not limited to these and can be applied to any mobile vehicle other than transport vehicles.

The virtual marker travel mode of the transport vehicle 100C may also be applied to the mobile vehicles 10, 110A, and 110B. In the virtual marker travel mode, the meaning of the marker information stored when the map was created may be set as a different virtual marker later. For example, a marker that was "straight ahead" when the map was created may be changed to "variable marker A," and marker 40 may be changed to variable marker A on the virtual map.

In virtual marker travel mode, if there is a change to the travel path 2a, a virtual marker that did not exist when the map was created may be placed in the map information later. For example, when creating a map, rather than placing an actual marker 40 on a long, straight travel path 2a and changing the travel path 2a, a virtual marker may be placed on the map later to change the travel path 2a. Furthermore, a virtual stop marker may be placed at any position to temporarily stop the transport vehicle 100C.

The addition of the above-mentioned "variable marker A," virtual marker, and virtual stop marker may be performed by the external operation control unit 90 controlling the VSLAM control unit 45A of the transport vehicle 100C via the network 80 as necessary, in accordance with the second embodiment.

1... Traveling system for mobile vehicle, 2... Traveling area, 2a... Traveling path,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 100A, 100B, 100C...Transportation vehicle (mobile vehicle), 11, 111...Main body, 11a...Placement platform, 11b, 111b...Handle, 12...Traveling unit, 13...Drive control unit, 13a...Power supply, 15...Wheels, 15a...Wheel rotation sensor, 15b...Wheel rotation speed information, 16...Motor, 16a...Deceleration mechanism, 17...Caster, 18...Inertial measurement unit (IMU), 18a...Detection signal, 19, 119...Operation unit, 19a...Shift lever, 19b...Joystick, 19c...Emergency stop switch, 19d...Emergency stop signal, 19e...Speed change dial, 19f, 19g...Indicator light,
20... beacon detection unit, 21, 22... infrared cameras, 24... beacon calculation unit,
24a...position information of beacon B, 25...beacon processing unit, 25a...beacon storage unit, 25b...traveling information,
30... marker detection unit, 31... camera (imaging means), 31a... light emitting unit, 31b...
Image pickup signal, 32... image processing unit, 32a... arrangement direction, 32b... detection mark information,
32c...Error signal, 33...Marker control unit, 33a...Emergency stop signal, 34...Marker memory unit, 36...CPU unit, 37...Main switch, 38...Bumper, 38a...Bumper sensor, 40, 40l, 40m, 40s...Markers, 41, 41a to 41i...First row of marks, 42, 42a to 42i...Second row of marks, 44...Variable marker 45...Obstacle detection unit, 45A...VSLAM control unit, 46...Obstacle sensor, 46d...Stereo camera 47...Obstacle processing unit, 47A...Image processing unit 47a...Obstacle information, 48...SLAM driving control unit, 48B...Virtual marker generation unit 49...Obstacle memory unit, 49A...Virtual marker memory unit,
50: Traveling information, 50a: Corrected travelling information, 51: Placement position information, 55: Map information, 56: SLAM travelling information, 57: Virtual marker travelling mode information, 61-72: Position, 80: Network, 90: External driving control unit,
120, 120A, 120B... Towed truck, 130... Connection member,
132, 142...connection mechanism on the moving vehicle side,
134, 154...Coupling mechanism on the towed bogie side,
144...automatic coupling member, 144a...pin portion, 153...distance measuring sensor,
160... pin; 162... guide; 164... spring;
170... traction member; 170a... hole of traction member;
172: Restraint member; 174: Link mechanism; 176: Solenoid

Claims (10)

a mobile vehicle including a main body , a traveling unit for traveling on the ground, a drive control unit for driving and controlling the traveling unit, a marker detection unit, an obstacle detection unit, and a CPU unit for controlling the drive control unit, the marker detection unit, and the obstacle detection unit;
Markers are placed at a plurality of predetermined locations along a route along which the vehicle is to travel, and locations where no markers are placed;
and a vehicle travel system for a vehicle, the vehicle travelling along the travel path,
the marker detection unit of the moving vehicle comprises: an imaging means for imaging an image below the main body; an image processing unit for processing an image captured by the imaging means to detect the markers placed on the travel path; and a marker control unit for outputting to the drive control unit travel information set in advance for the markers based on the markers detected by the image processing unit,
the obstacle detection unit of the moving vehicle comprises an obstacle sensor that captures an image including distances to obstacles around the main body, an obstacle processing unit that detects the obstacles by image processing the image captured by the obstacle sensor, and a SLAM travel control unit that calculates the current position and direction of the moving vehicle based on the position of the obstacle detected by the obstacle processing unit and pre-stored map data of the travel route, acquires SLAM travel information, and outputs the SLAM travel information to the drive control unit,
The marker is formed in a horizontally long band and arranged in a transverse direction of the travel path, with a plurality of marks arranged in a horizontal row on the band-shaped marker, and travel information along which the moving vehicle should travel and placement position information with different symbols attached to each mark are set for detecting lateral deviation of the moving vehicle in the travel direction,
the marker control unit generates corrected driving information for correcting lateral and angular deviations of the moving vehicle based on the driving information and the placement position information of the marker, and outputs the corrected driving information to the drive control unit, and the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit based on the corrected driving information from the marker control unit, so that the moving vehicle autonomously drives along a driving path specified by the marker,
the marker control unit acquires travel information and placement position information of the marker by causing the mobile vehicle to travel on the travel path a predetermined number of times in a marker mode, and the obstacle detection unit acquires position coordinates of the marker;
the SLAM travel control unit creates virtual marker information for the travel path by linking the travel information and placement position information of the marker acquired by the marker control unit with the position coordinates of the marker acquired by the obstacle detection unit, stores the virtual marker information in a virtual marker storage unit as a virtual marker map, and sends the virtual marker information to the CPU unit;
A traveling system for a mobile vehicle, wherein the CPU unit sends the virtual marker information to the drive control unit as the traveling information and/or corrected traveling information, and causes the mobile vehicle to travel autonomously in a virtual marker traveling mode . The mobile vehicle traveling system according to claim 1 , wherein the obstacle detection unit includes a two-dimensional lidar or a three-dimensional lidar. The mobile vehicle travel system described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the mobile vehicle is equipped with an obstacle memory unit, and the obstacle memory unit stores map data of the travel path as map information. the SLAM traveling control unit generates the SLAM traveling information based on the map information from the obstacle processing unit and outputs the SLAM traveling information to a drive control unit;
4. The vehicle travel system according to claim 3, wherein the drive control unit controls the drive of the travel unit based on the SLAM travel information. the SLAM travel control unit, when receiving an obstacle signal from the obstacle processing unit, determines that an obstacle has been detected in the traveling direction of the moving vehicle, generates an emergency stop signal, and outputs the emergency stop signal to the drive control unit;
5. The vehicle traveling system according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit controls the traveling unit based on the emergency stop signal to stop the driving of the motor or to perform an avoidance operation. A mobile vehicle traveling system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the SLAM traveling control unit receives wheel rotation speed information from wheel rotation sensors attached to each wheel of the mobile vehicle and detection signals from an inertial measurement unit, calculates the travel distance of the mobile vehicle based on the wheel rotation speed information, detects wheel slippage, etc. based on the detection signals from the inertial measurement unit, corrects the travel distance, modifies the SLAM traveling information based on the corrected travel distance, and outputs the corrected SLAM traveling information to the drive control unit. a mobile vehicle including a main body, a traveling unit for traveling on the ground, a drive control unit for driving and controlling the traveling unit, a marker detection unit, an obstacle detection unit, and a CPU unit for controlling the drive control unit, the marker detection unit, and the obstacle detection unit;
Markers are placed at a plurality of predetermined locations along a route along which the vehicle is to travel, and locations where no markers are placed;
and a vehicle travel system for a vehicle, the vehicle travelling along the travel path,
the moving vehicle further includes a stereo camera and a VSLAM control unit connected to the stereo camera,
the marker detection unit of the moving vehicle comprises: an imaging means for imaging an image below the main body; an image processing unit for processing an image captured by the imaging means to detect the markers placed on the travel path; and a marker control unit for outputting to the drive control unit travel information set in advance for the markers based on the markers detected by the image processing unit,
The marker is formed in a horizontally long band and arranged in a transverse direction of the travel path, with a plurality of marks arranged in a horizontal row on the band-shaped marker, and travel information along which the moving vehicle should travel and placement position information with different symbols attached to each mark are set for detecting lateral deviation of the moving vehicle in the travel direction,
the marker control unit generates corrected driving information for correcting lateral and angular deviations of the moving vehicle based on the driving information and the placement position information of the marker, and outputs the corrected driving information to the drive control unit, and the drive control unit drives and controls the driving unit based on the corrected driving information from the marker control unit, so that the moving vehicle autonomously drives in marker mode along a driving path specified by the marker,
the marker control unit acquires travel information and placement position information of the marker by causing the mobile vehicle to travel on the travel path a predetermined number of times in a marker mode, and the stereo camera acquires position coordinates of the marker;
The VSLAM control unit
creating virtual marker information for the travel path by linking the travel information and placement position information of the marker acquired by the marker control unit with the position coordinates of the marker acquired by the stereo camera, storing the virtual marker information as a virtual marker map in a virtual marker storage unit of the VSLAM control unit, and sending the virtual marker information to the CPU unit;
A traveling system for a mobile vehicle, wherein the CPU unit sends the virtual marker information to the drive control unit as the traveling information and/or corrected traveling information , and causes the mobile vehicle to travel autonomously in a virtual marker traveling mode. The mobile vehicle traveling system described in claim 7, wherein, when the marker control unit detects marker information during autonomous traveling in the virtual marker traveling mode, the drive control unit controls the driving of the traveling unit by prioritizing the marker information over the virtual marker information. Variable markers are provided on the travel path,
A mobile vehicle traveling system as described in claim 7 or 8, wherein when the variable marker is detected by the marker control unit, the detected variable marker information is sent from the marker control unit to the CPU unit , and the mobile vehicle travels autonomously on a new traveling path based on the variable marker information. a network connected to the moving vehicle;
an external driving control unit of the vehicle connected to the network,
2. The mobile vehicle travel system of claim 1, wherein the external driving control unit can arbitrarily change the travel path of the mobile vehicle by changing any of the travel information in the marker, the SLAM travel information, and the virtual marker information in the virtual marker travel mode via the network as needed.