JPH06131044A - Controller for unmanned traveling car - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To attain an appropriate traveling without necessitating a worker at a preparation step by making an unmanned car straight-travel along a guide line, and marking the locus of the next column traveling at a floor face by a marking device. CONSTITUTION:The car travels to an X-direction along a guide line 12 by a guide line direction sensor 13, and a cleaning area is divided into (m)X(n) unit blocks, and stored in a map provided at a position memory device on the two-dimensional coordinate. Then, the locus is marked on the prescribed position of the floor face of the next column from a start point S, the car travels along only the (m) pieces of unit blocks until a boundary point A is detected, the car is reversed before the unit block of the next column, and straight-travels along the mark of the next column or each unit block of the map, and the position on the two-dimensional coordinate of the traveling car is searched based on the outputs of a mark direction sensor 16 and a traveling distance sensor. Then, the number of rotation of right and left driving wheels 11 and 9 is corrected based on a deflection amount between the position on the coordinate and the locus, and the traveling of the unmanned traveling car is automatically controlled.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for an unmanned vehicle, such as a cleaning unmanned vehicle for cleaning a floor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the operation control of an unmanned vehicle, a guide wire is buried along the traveling direction on the floor surface of the traveling area and a current is passed through the guide wire to detect the magnetic flux due to the current in the unmanned vehicle. To control the vehicle to follow the guide line,
Or stick a light-reflective tape on the floor along the running direction,
A method in which light is applied from an unmanned vehicle and the reflected light is detected by an optical sensor to follow the light-reflective tape and the vehicle travels by following the light-reflective tape, or the control device is moved to the memory device as proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-79723. A map is created by dividing the area into unit blocks on the two-dimensional coordinates, and the position on the two-dimensional coordinates of the moving area is calculated based on the displacement of the unmanned vehicle and the traveling direction, and the corresponding unit blocks are calculated. For example, a method of learning by memory and setting a trajectory along a column or a row of each unit block to control a straight traveling or a reverse transition of an unmanned vehicle is used. Also, in order to prevent the unmanned vehicle from tilting due to the unevenness of the floor surface and the point where the traveling direction shifts in the inclined direction, a gyroscope is installed in the unmanned vehicle to detect the tilt of the unmanned vehicle and The number of rotations of the drive motor is adjusted to correct the traveling direction. However, burying the guide wire requires a large amount of work and is costly, and it is difficult to change the traveling path.In addition, the reflectance of the light reflection tape is also contaminated by being stepped on by another traveling vehicle or people. The unmanned vehicle may incline due to the unevenness of the floor surface, which makes it difficult to detect with an optical sensor. However, there are cases where stable driving cannot be guaranteed because the vehicle cannot follow. In addition, special fair 3-
In the case of No. 79723, it is necessary to remember the advance movement area, the boundary of the movement area, the amount of change in each block, and the traveling direction by learning, and learning traveling from the start point with a remote control device, etc., and the coordinates of the start point And traveling direction,
There remains a problem that manpower is required at the preparation stage in which the coordinates of the current position during traveling and the traveling direction are sequentially stored in the memory device in a map form for each unit block.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and does not require large-scale construction for setting a traveling path for guiding an unmanned vehicle, and a remote control device is provided in advance. Provide a control device for an unmanned vehicle that does not require humans at the preparatory stage such as learning and traveling on a traveling route, has high detection accuracy regardless of the state of the traveling route, and autonomously travels appropriately Is intended.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, a guide wire is provided on a floor surface in a moving area along a part of the track of an unmanned vehicle, while detecting the guide line in the unmanned vehicle. A guide line direction sensor, a mileage sensor that detects the mileage of an unmanned vehicle, position recognition means that calculates the position of the unmanned vehicle in two-dimensional coordinates based on the outputs of these sensors, and an unmanned vehicle A marking device for marking along the traveling direction on the floor surface that travels in the next row according to traveling, a mark direction sensor for detecting this mark, a linear traveling means for linearly traveling an unmanned vehicle, and a reversal at the boundary of the moving area Inversion transfer means for transferring to a row, control means for the marking device, deviation amount detection means for detecting the deviation amount of the unmanned vehicle with respect to the track, and correction for correcting the rotational speed of the left or right drive wheel And a map formed by dividing the moving area into unit blocks on the two-dimensional coordinates in the memory device in advance, and based on the data of the moving area input to the unmanned vehicle, the map of the unmanned vehicle is formed. The track on the two-dimensional coordinates is stored, the unmanned vehicle is made to travel straight along each unit block on the guide line or map, the track for the next row is marked by the marking device, and the reversal transition means is used at the boundary of the moving area. Reverse and move to the next row, run straight along each unit block of the mark or map of the next row,
The position recognition means obtains the position on the two-dimensional coordinate of the unmanned vehicle based on the outputs of the mark direction sensor and the traveling distance sensor, and drives the left side or the right side based on the deviation amount between the position on the two-dimensional coordinate and the track. Corrected the rotation speed of the wheel.

[0005]

According to the above construction, the guide wire is provided along a part of the track of the unmanned vehicle, and the unmanned vehicle has a guide line direction sensor, a mileage sensor, a position recognition means, and a marking device. A mark direction sensor, a straight running means for running the unmanned vehicle in a straight line, a reversing transition means for reversing at the boundary of the moving region and shifting to the next row, a control means for the marking device, and a deviation of the unmanned vehicle with respect to the track. A deviation amount detecting means for detecting the amount and a correction control means for correcting and controlling the rotational speed of the left or right driving wheel are provided, and a map formed by dividing the unit block into a predetermined memory device is formed, The two-dimensional coordinate trajectory of the unmanned vehicle is calculated and stored based on the data of the moving area, and the unmanned vehicle is made to travel straight along each guide line or each unit block of the map, and the next line is set by the marking device. Mark the track of the row, reverse the transition to the next row at the boundary of the movement area, run straight along the mark of the next row or each unit block of the map, and run unmanned based on the output of the mark direction sensor and mileage sensor The position of the vehicle in two-dimensional coordinates is determined, and the rotational speed of the left or right drive wheel is corrected based on the amount of deviation between the position in the two-dimensional coordinates and the track to autonomously control the running of the unmanned vehicle. I decided to do it.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings by taking an unmanned vehicle for cleaning as an example. FIG. 1 is a structural diagram showing an outline of an unmanned vehicle for cleaning (hereinafter referred to as an unmanned vehicle) according to the present invention. In front of a main body 1, a bumper 2 and a touch sensor 3 for detecting an obstacle by contacting the bumper 2 ( (Not shown), ultrasonic sensors 4 (not shown) are provided at the center and both corners of the front surface of the main body 1 to stop traveling when an obstacle is approached or bumper 2 comes into contact with the vehicle while traveling. It stands by, and when the obstacle is removed, it starts traveling again and continues. On the bottom surface of the main body 1, a pair of cleaning sweepers 5 and a suction device 6 are provided substantially in the center, and a driven front wheel 7 in the front center and a left drive wheel 9 directly connected to a left drive motor 8 on the rear left side, The right drive wheel 11 directly connected to the right drive motor 10 is provided on the rear right side, and holds the unmanned vehicle movably. On one side of the main body 1 (right side in this example),
A guide line direction sensor 13 that projects from the side surface and detects the guide line 12 at a predetermined position to detect the traveling direction is provided, and the traveling direction of the unmanned vehicle is detected along the guide line 12. Behind the main body 1, a marking device 14 is provided on the floor of the next row where the unmanned traveling vehicle travels back to mark the track of traveling in the traveling direction. The supply port 15 is projected to the right or left by a predetermined distance, and the marking agent is discharged toward the floor surface to mark the track of the next row. Further, a pair of left and right mark direction sensors 16 are provided in the front part of the main body 1 side by side with the guide line direction sensor 13, and the track of the next row marked by the marking device 14 is detected to detect the running direction of the unmanned vehicle. is doing. As the marking agent, a marking agent that is liquid and does not leave a trace by being evaporated after cleaning, or a marking agent that is easily recovered during cleaning and does not leave a marking, or the like is used. Guide wire
If the guide line 12 is formed in the first row of the unit block in the cleaning area by forming the marking agent instead of providing the guide line 12, the mark direction sensor 16 detects instead of the guide line direction sensor 13. The guide line direction sensor 13 can be eliminated by driving the unmanned vehicle by using the above-mentioned method.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the construction of the unmanned vehicle of the present invention. The control unit 17 has a cleaning surface area (X, Y) to be predicted, along the Y direction of the cleaning surface. Initial setting data input device 1 for inputting initial setting data such as the length L of the guide wire 12 that is detachably arranged and the cleaning width of the unmanned vehicle
8, a guide line direction sensor 13 that detects the guide line 12 and the traveling direction X, a left drive motor 8 that drives the left drive wheel 9, a right drive motor 10 that controls the operation of the right drive wheel 11, a left drive wheel 9 or A distance sensor 19 that outputs a pulse signal proportional to the amount of rotation of the right drive wheel 11, a touch sensor 3 provided on the bumper 2, an ultrasonic sensor 4 provided on the front and both corners of the main body 1, and a next row Marking device 14 for marking orbits, multiple mark direction sensors for detecting orbits of the next marked line
16 is connected, and in the control unit 17, operating condition setting means 20 for setting operating conditions based on the input initial setting data, storing the set operating conditions, and dividing the input movement area into unit blocks. The memory device 21 for storing the map formed by the above, the traveling distance detecting means 22 for detecting the traveling distance by the output of the distance sensor 19, the driving condition and the traveling set based on the output of the guide line direction sensor 13 or the mark direction sensor 16. Position identification means 23 for comparing the distances to identify the two-dimensional position of the cleaning area, turning reversal control means 24 for reversing and shifting the unmanned vehicle at the boundary point, Y direction counter 25 for counting the number of turning reversals, bumper 2. Obstacle detection means 26 that detects an obstacle by the output of the touch sensor 3 or the ultrasonic sensor 4 and stops the drive motor, drives the marking device 14 while traveling, and rotates. Marking at the time of reversing device 14
Marking control means 27 for controlling to stop the left drive motor 8 is provided by the drive motor operation control means 28.
And the operation of the right drive motor 10 is controlled.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which an unmanned vehicle reciprocates at a predetermined interval in the cleaning area. When the unmanned vehicle is carried to a start point S by manned traveling, the guide line direction sensor 13 protruding to the left side surface of the main body 1 is used. Detects the guide wire 12, travels in the X direction along the guide wire 12, and supplies the marking device 14 with a supply port.
15A is projected from the main body 1 to the floor surface side of the next row, the track is marked at a predetermined position on the floor surface of the next row, and the preliminary cleaning surface is widened by the operating condition setting means 20 stored in the memory device 21. The boundary point is detected by the unit traveling distance L in the X direction obtained from the (X, Y), the marking device 14 is stopped at the boundary point A, the supply port 15A is returned to the main body side, and stored in the memory device 21. The operating condition setting means 20 calculates a traverse width W / n of a length that divides the Y-direction distance of the cleaning surface into an integer n with the cleaning width of the unmanned vehicle or less, and the turning reversal control means by the traverse width W / n. The feed port 15 of the marking device 14 is moved along the trajectory formed by the marking device 14 by traversing and reversing by the 24.
Switch to B and mark the track in the next row so that the unit travels in the -X direction for the unit travel distance L, reaches the boundary point at the other end, and performs turn reversal. Is repeated until the specified value (n-1) is reached,
The boundary in the Y direction of the cleaning area is detected by the position identifying means 23, and the marking device 14 is stopped to travel to the final goal G on the cleaning surface. As described above, the driving of the unmanned vehicle is controlled by the unit traveling distance L in the X direction and the traverse width W / n obtained from the size (X, Y) of the cleaning area. The cleaning area is indicated by the dotted line in FIG. Mx as shown divided
The unit block is divided into n unit blocks, and the position on the two-dimensional coordinates is stored in a map provided in the memory device 21. The unmanned vehicle travels in the X direction from the start point S, and the supply port 15A of the marking device 14 is used to Mark the track at a predetermined position on the floor of the row, run only m unit blocks to detect the boundary point A,
The marking device 14 is stopped, and it is traversed and reversed by the turning reversal control means 24 with respect to the unit block of the next row, and switched to the supply port 15B of the marking device 14 to mark the trajectory of the next row in the -X direction. Only m unit blocks travel, reach the boundary point at the other end, and turn reversal is performed, and thereafter, traveling and turn reversal are similarly repeated until the Y direction counter 25 reaches the specified value (n-1), and the cleaning region in the Y direction. Is detected by the position identification means 23, and the marking device 14 is stopped to drive to the final goal G on the cleaning surface. During this time, the travel of the unmanned vehicle is compared with the data of the map provided in the memory device 21. While controlling, it is possible to perform reliable cleaning. Note that the guide wire direction sensor 13 detects the end of the guide wire 12 and, at the same time, retracts and stores it in the unmanned vehicle, so that cleaning can be completed without disturbing the guide wire direction sensor 13 during traveling thereafter. .

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the details of the present invention. Data such as the size of the cleaning area is input to the control unit 17 of the unmanned vehicle, and the Y-direction counter 25 is initialized (31). Unit travel distance L traveled in the X direction by the operating condition setting means 20
Then, the transverse width W / n traversing in the Y direction at the time of turning reversal is calculated (32). Then, the marking device 14 is operated (3
3) Slide the supply port 15A to the left to mark the track on the next-row driveway. When the bumper 2 approaches or comes into contact with an obstacle during traveling (34), the ultrasonic sensor 4 or the touch sensor 3 is activated to stop the left drive wheel 9 and the right drive wheel 11 (35), and If the vehicle does not come in close proximity or comes into contact with the vehicle, the vehicle travels as it is and if the traveling distance matches the unit traveling distance L (36).
Stop the marking device 14 (37), move to the turning subroutine (38), turn reverse and return to the main flow chart, switch the supply port of the marking device 14 to the supply port 15B (39),
The marking device 14 is started (33) and the unmanned vehicle continues to be driven. When the traveling distance does not reach the unit traveling distance L (36), when the Y direction counter 25 does not reach the specified value (4
In step 0), the process proceeds to the running subroutine (41), and the operation returns to the start through the operations of the respective subroutines shown in FIG. After that, it is repeated until the Y direction counter 25 reaches the specified value, and when the Y direction counter 25 reaches the specified value (4
0), complete cleaning and stop. Also, the unit traveling distance L
Instead of the two-dimensional coordinate position of the unit block is obtained by the mark direction sensor 16 and the position identification means 23, the obtained two-dimensional coordinate position of the unmanned vehicle and the two stored in the memory device 21 as a map. It is possible to maintain the traveling direction of the unmanned vehicle by obtaining the deviation amount by comparing with the position on the dimensional coordinates and performing the correction corresponding to the deviation amount up to the next unit block.

FIG. 5 is a subroutine of the flowchart of the present invention. In FIG.
It is determined whether the turning reversal is a left turn or a right turn according to the driving condition stored in (41), and when the left turn instruction is confirmed, the right drive wheel 11 is reversed, the left drive wheel 9 is normally rotated, and the vehicle is turned left 90 ° ( 42) In that state, the vehicle moves forward in the Y direction by the transverse width W / n (43), further reverses the right driving wheel 11 and rotates the left driving wheel 9 forward to make a 90 ° left turn and travel in the opposite direction ( 44). It is judged whether the turn is a left turn or a right turn (41), and when the right turn instruction is confirmed, the right drive wheel 11 is rotated forward and the left drive wheel 9 is reversed to turn 90 ° rightward (45), and the transverse width is set in the Y direction. W / n forward (46), then right drive wheel 11
In the forward direction, reverse the left drive wheel 9, turn 90 ° to the right, and drive in the opposite direction (47). (B) In the traveling subroutine, when the right driving wheel 11 and the left driving wheel 9 are rotated in the forward direction in response to the traveling instruction to make a right turn in the traveling direction (48), the right driving wheel 11 corresponds to the turning. To increase the number of revolutions (49) and to make a left turn (50), increase the number of revolutions of the left drive wheel 9 in response to the turn (51), and to correct the turn to the right drive wheel.
11 and the left driving wheel 9 are rotated at a constant speed (52).

[0011]

As described above, according to the present invention, an unmanned vehicle is run straight along an induction line, and at the same time, the marking device marks the track of the next row traveling on the floor surface. The track is generated autonomously, and the position of the unmanned vehicle on the two-dimensional coordinates is compared with the track calculated in advance in each unit block of the map, and left or right drive is performed according to the deviation amount. By correcting the number of rotations of the wheels, it is possible to correct the traveling direction and the inclination during straight traveling, and travel on a predetermined track. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to autonomously control the traveling of the unmanned vehicle without setting the track of the unmanned traveling vehicle by preliminarily learning traveling without requiring large-scale installation work of the guide wire. It is possible to prevent unnecessary costs and labor. By removing the guide wire when not needed, the floor surface can be widely used for other purposes without being bothered by the guide wire.
It has an advantage that the unmanned vehicle can be used in another place.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a structural diagram showing an outline of an unmanned vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an unmanned vehicle of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which an unmanned vehicle is traveling in a cleaning area.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing details of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a subroutine diagram of the flowchart.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 main body 2 bumper 3 touch sensor 4 ultrasonic sensor 5 cleaning sweeper 6 suction device 7 driven front wheel 8 left drive motor 9 left drive wheel 10 right drive motor 11 right drive wheel 12 guide wire 13 guide wire direction sensor 14 marking device 15 supply Mouth 16 Mark Direction sensor 17 Control unit 18 Initial setting data input device 19 Distance sensor 20 Operating condition setting means 21 Memory device 22 Travel distance detecting means 23 Position identifying means 24 Turning reversal control means 25 Y direction counter 26 Obstacle detecting means 27 Marking Control means 28 Drive motor operation control means

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location A47L 11/00

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A guide line is provided along a part of the track of an unmanned vehicle on a floor surface within a moving area, and a guide line direction sensor for detecting the guide line in the unmanned vehicle and a travel distance of the unmanned vehicle. And a position recognizing means for calculating the position of the unmanned traveling vehicle on the two-dimensional coordinates based on the outputs of these sensors, and a traveling direction on the floor surface that is traveling in the next row as the unmanned traveling vehicle travels. A marking device for marking along the line, a mark direction sensor for detecting the mark, a straight running device for running the unmanned vehicle in a straight line, a reversing transfer device for reversing at the boundary of the moving region and moving to the next row, and the marking device. The control means, the deviation amount detecting means for detecting the deviation amount of the unmanned vehicle with respect to the track, and the correction control means for correcting and controlling the rotational speed of the left or right driving wheel are provided to the memory device in advance. Area of movement The area is divided into unit blocks in two-dimensional coordinates to form a map, and the trajectory of the unmanned vehicle in two-dimensional coordinates is stored based on the data of the moving area input to the unmanned vehicle. A straight line along each unit block of the guide line or the map, mark the trajectory of the next row running with the marking device, and invert by the inversion transition means at the boundary of the movement area to move to the next row, mark the next row or While traveling straight along each unit block of the map, the position recognition means determines the position on the two-dimensional coordinates of the unmanned vehicle based on the output of the mark direction sensor and the travel distance sensor, and the position on the two-dimensional coordinates. A controller for an unmanned vehicle, characterized in that the rotational speed of the left or right drive wheel is corrected based on the amount of deviation from the track. 2. The control device for an unmanned vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the guide wire direction sensor for detecting the guide wire and the mark direction sensor for detecting a mark can be used in common with each other.