JP2006134221A - Tracking mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tracking mobile device that tracks smoothly according to the environment. <P>SOLUTION: A tracking distance control part 103 sets a tracking distance to a preceding moving body 202 according to an environment from an environment detection part 102, and a movement control part 104 can execute tracking control accordingly to achieve smooth tracking motion keeping the optimum distance according to the environment. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a follow-up moving apparatus that follows a preceding moving body such as a user at an appropriate distance.

  As a conventional follow-up moving device, there is one that detects the direction and distance of a preceding moving body and follows the preceding moving body at a certain distance (for example, Patent Document 1). FIG. 19 shows a conventional follower moving apparatus described in Patent Document 1. In FIG.

19, tracking sensor 1902 of the follow-up mobile device 1901 measures the direction theta _P prior mobile 1903, a distance _{L P.} Follow the mobile device 1901 performs a rotation by an angle - [theta] _P as direction theta _P becomes 0, directed toward the preceding vehicle. The obstacle sensor 1904 detects surrounding obstacles.

Follow-up of the operation, a distance (following distance) L _D should be kept of the prior mobile 1903 capital given in advance, by comparing the current distance L _P, the current distance L _P is constant tracking distance L _D more if smaller deceleration, acceleration if the current distance L _P is greater than a certain follow-up distance L _D, by performing a control for maintaining the current speed equal to keep the distance to the preceding mobile 1903 constant.

By controlling the direction and distance as described above, the mobile 1901 will follow behind the leading mobile 1903 with a fixed follow-up distance L _D.

  The following operation will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 19, when the preceding moving body 1903 moves the locus 2001 indicated by the dotted line, the follower movement device 1901 follows the locus 2002 indicated by the solid line. The moving body 1901 can smoothly follow the shortest path to the preceding moving body 1903 at that time.

  Next, the obstacle avoidance operation of the conventional follower movement device 1901 will be described. When the obstacle sensor 1904 detects an obstacle within a distance that reacts to the sensor, the follow-up operation is interrupted, and a predetermined rotation is performed in advance to perform an avoidance operation. If the sensor goes out of the range of the sensor, the avoidance interrupt disappears and the follow-up operation is started.

  On the other hand, as another conventionally known follow-up moving apparatus that traces and follows the trajectory of the preceding moving body faithfully, for example, there is one shown in Non-Patent Document 1. The follow-up moving device stores the position through which the preceding moving body has passed as a history at regular distance intervals. The passage history is sequentially read, and the path of the follower moving device is determined so as to pass through the points. Further, the speed of the following moving device is determined by the number of passage histories existing between the current position of the following moving device and the preceding moving body. In this way, the follow-up moving device travels on a route substantially the same as the trajectory through which the preceding moving body has passed so as to keep the distance from the preceding moving body constant.

JP 7-36541 A (see paragraphs 0035 and 0037) Akihisa Oya, Yosuke Nagumo, Takumi Munekata: “Life-support robots that move with humans: motion modes and interaction functions”, Proc. . 171-172 (2002, 12) (see FIG. 1)

  However, the operation of the conventional follow-up movement device 1901 shown in FIG. 20 can perform a smooth follow-up action through the shortest path with respect to the course change of the preceding moving body 1903 in a wide space with few surrounding obstacles. However, in a space where there are many obstacles, many avoidance actions are required when there are obstacles on the shortest path.

  The operation of the conventional follower movement apparatus when there are many obstacles will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 21, when the preceding moving body 1903 moves along the trajectory 2102 in the presence of a plurality of obstacles 2101, the follower movement device 1901 passes the trajectory 2103 if there is no obstacle 2101. Controlled. However, since the obstacle 2101 exists on the trajectory 2103, the avoidance operation is interrupted and cannot move according to the trajectory 2103.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22, a trajectory 2201 through which the following moving device 1901 actually passes when the obstacle avoiding operation is performed is indicated by a solid line. Thus, the follower 1901 moves along a zigzag trajectory with a lot of direction changes in an environment with many obstacles. This consumes extra energy due to turning and acceleration / deceleration. In addition, when there are people around, the follow-up movement device 1901 that frequently changes direction obstructs the movement of the people.

  On the contrary, when performing control passing on the trajectory of the preceding moving body as shown in Non-Patent Document 1, the above problem does not occur. However, on the other hand, in a space free of obstacles, it passes through a circuitous route that traces the route that the preceding moving body has passed, despite the shortest route. In addition, since the route through which the preceding moving body has passed is not visible to the surroundings, the movement of the follow-up moving device that suddenly changes its direction with time may be difficult to predict for the surrounding people. In the case of the control shown in Patent Document 1 that always operates in the direction of the preceding moving body, such a situation is rare.

  Further, for example, when the preceding moving body is a user and the user uses a follow-up moving device that carries a baggage or the like behind him, he wants to change the follow-up distance of the follow-up moving device according to the user's intention. There is a request. For example, when an important load is placed on a follow-up movement device, there is a case where it is desired to make the track follow a shorter distance than a normal distance so that the user can know immediately when something is in the load and can quickly cope with it. On the other hand, when you are walking with multiple people, if you have a tracking device near you, it will interfere with other people, so you may want to follow them at a longer distance than usual. is there. However, in both of the conventional follow-up movement apparatuses shown in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1, the follow-up distance is a constant value determined in advance by the apparatus and cannot be changed according to the user's request.

  As described above, the conventional follow-up movement device performs control with a fixed value that is determined in advance, and thus there is a problem that the follow-up distance cannot be changed depending on the surrounding situation or the user's intention. It was.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to change the follow-up distance according to the surrounding situation or the user's intention, thereby changing the movement according to the surrounding situation such as an obstacle or the user. It is an object of the present invention to provide a follow-up movement device that moves according to the intention of the user.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows.

According to the present invention, in the following moving device that follows the preceding moving body,
A preceding moving body detection unit for detecting the preceding moving body;
A follow-up distance control unit that variably controls a follow-up distance with the preceding mobile body detected by the preceding mobile body detection unit;
And a follow-up moving device that follows the preceding moving body based on the follow-up distance controlled by the follow-up distance control unit.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the tracking distance control unit controls the distance from the preceding moving body to track and can realize a smooth tracking operation while maintaining a suitable distance according to the situation. .

  Before describing embodiments of the present invention in detail based on the drawings, various aspects of the present invention will be described below.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the following moving device that follows the preceding moving body,
A preceding moving body detection unit for detecting the preceding moving body;
A follow-up distance control unit that variably controls a follow-up distance with the preceding mobile body detected by the preceding mobile body detection unit;
And a follow-up moving device that follows the preceding moving body based on the follow-up distance controlled by the follow-up distance control unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, further comprising an ambient condition detection unit for detecting an ambient condition,
The follow-up movement apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the follow-up distance control unit variably controls the distance from the preceding moving body based on the surrounding situation detected by the surrounding situation detection unit. provide.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the follow-up movement apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the ambient condition detected by the ambient condition detection unit is a situation of a surrounding obstacle. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the follow-up distance control unit is configured to shorten the follow-up distance with the preceding moving body when the distance from the surrounding obstacle is shorter than the follow-up distance. A follow-up moving device according to a third aspect is provided that is variably controlled.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the following distance control unit variably controls the following distance with the preceding moving body based on the following distance instructed by the user. The tracking movement apparatus as described in any one aspect of this is provided.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the following distance instructed by the user is an instructed distance based on an actual distance between the preceding moving body and the following moving device. A tracking movement device according to an aspect is provided.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the first to sixth features, the follow-up distance control unit variably controls the follow-up distance with the preceding moving body based on the speed of the preceding moving body. The tracking movement apparatus as described in any one aspect of this is provided.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh aspect, the following distance control unit variably controls the following distance from the preceding moving body based on a change in speed of the preceding moving body. The tracking movement apparatus as described in the aspect is provided.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the follow-up distance control unit variably controls the follow-up distance with the preceding moving body according to a position of a space in which the follow-up moving device moves. A follow-up movement device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects is provided.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a drive unit that moves the follower movement device so as to follow the preceding mover, and the preceding mover is based on the follower distance controlled by the follower distance controller. The following moving device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects is provided, wherein the driving unit is driven so as to follow the preceding moving body.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the ambient condition detected by the ambient condition detection unit is a situation of a place where the follower movement device is about to move or a situation in the vicinity of the place. A follow-up movement device according to a second aspect is provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a follow-up movement apparatus in the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is a preceding moving body detection unit that measures the preceding moving body 202, 102 is an ambient condition detection unit that detects the surrounding conditions of the tracking movement device 201 such as a two-wheeled traveling robot, and 103 is A follow-up distance control unit that controls the follow-up distance of the follow-up moving device 201 to the preceding moving body 202, 104 is a movement control unit that controls the movement of the follow-up moving device 201, and 105 is a movement of the follow-up moving device 201. The rotation unit 106 controls the rotation speed of the motor 107 on the left and right of the rotation control unit 106 on the basis of information such as the target traveling direction and speed from the movement control unit 104, and the left and right tires 108 as an example of the left and right wheels. Is driven, the follow-up moving device 201 is moved in the target traveling direction and speed. Reference numeral 110 denotes a parameter setting unit that sets and changes parameter values in various controls of the follow-up distance control unit 103 and the movement control unit 104 according to instructions from the user or the like.

As the preceding moving body 202, for example, there is a user 202A using the following moving device 201. In this case, it is conceivable that the follow-up movement device 201 on which the load is placed automatically follows the user 202A to carry the load. Alternatively, if an automobile is considered as the preceding moving body 202, there may be an application in which another automobile follows the automobile driven or automatically driven by a human (not shown).

  The following describes the configuration, operation, and action of the follower moving device 201 generally configured as described above in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the follower movement device 201 in the first embodiment of the present invention. A case of following the user is shown, and 202A represents the user as the preceding moving body 202.

  A user 202A, which is an example of the preceding moving body 202, has a light source 203 that emits light of a specific wavelength behind it.

The preceding moving body detection unit 101 detects a light source 203 that emits light of a specific wavelength, which is mounted behind the preceding moving body 202, and supports the front end of the tracking movement device 201 at a constant interval via a support column 201A. Two cameras 204 are provided so as to protrude. The two cameras 204 detect the light source 203, and measure the direction and distance of the light source 203 by spatial stereo measurement. That is, if the position of the light source 203 is extracted from the image of the camera 204 using the wavelength of the light source 203 as a clue, the two-dimensional position of the light source 203 in the image is determined, and information such as the lens direction and focal length of the camera 204 is determined. The direction from the camera 204 to the light source 203 can be calculated. However, since the distance cannot be obtained by one camera 204, one straight line representing the direction in which the light source 203 exists can be obtained from the camera 204. Therefore, two cameras 204 having different positions can be obtained by the principle of triangulation. If a similar straight line is obtained, the intersection of the two straight lines becomes the position of the light source 203. Thereby, the direction and distance of the light source 203 from the follow-up movement apparatus 101 to which the camera 204 is attached can be obtained. By using an ultrasonic transmitter that emits a specific wavelength instead of the light source 203 and using a plurality of ultrasonic receivers that receive ultrasonic waves emitted from the transmitter, the same measurement can be performed. In that case, since the arrival time of the ultrasonic wave represents the distance, the distance is obtained by the time difference between the transmission time of the ultrasonic wave and the reception time of each ultrasonic receiver, and the circle of equidistant from each ultrasonic receiver is obtained. The intersection is the transmitter position.

  In addition, by extracting features such as the shape and color of the preceding moving body 202 by image processing, the preceding moving body 202 is not provided with special equipment such as the light source 203, and the direction and distance of the preceding moving body 202 are determined. Can also be measured. For example, a case where the preceding moving body 202 is a user, that is, a human 202A will be described with reference to FIG. An image of the back of the user 202A that follows first is captured by the camera 204 and registered. The color, pattern, etc. of the clothes of the user 202A are stored in a memory (not shown). During operation, each camera 204 captures the back of the user 202A. Images taken by the left and right cameras 204 are shown in FIGS. From these images, the head portion 301 and the shoulder portion 302 are extracted by the recognition process, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, respectively, and the shape of a circle 303 and the shape of an arc 304 are extracted. The coordinates of the center position 305 of the circle 303, which is the part 301, are obtained from each image, and the direction and distance of the user 202A are calculated from these positions by the principle of triangulation. In order to follow the same person, the following target in the image is determined to be the same person based on information such as the clothing color distribution, luminance distribution, and edge position in the portion below the shoulder of the image of the registered user 202A. Follow. Alternatively, from the first registered image, when the change in the position of the user 202A in the image is small, that is, when shooting at a short time interval (for example, 1 second or less), the motion vector of the registered area is examined, For example, there is a method of detecting a motion vector having the same motion as a region of the user 202A to be followed.

  By the method as described above, the preceding moving body detection unit 101 causes the preceding moving body detecting unit 101 to follow the direction L in the clockwise direction toward the longitudinal direction L, the distance L from the rotation center of the following moving device 201 as shown in FIG. The moving body 202 is detected.

  Next, the operation of the surrounding state detection unit 102 will be described. In FIG. 2, obstacles around the follower movement device 201 (in other words, an object that obstructs the movement of the follower movement device 201) are detected on the upper surface of the front end of the follower movement device 201, and ambient condition data is created. An ambient condition detection unit 102 is provided. This is a case where an obstacle ahead of the follower movement device 201 is detected, and the case where the follower only moves forward and does not move backward is considered. Furthermore, if the surrounding state detection unit 102 is also arranged on the rear portion, side surface, and the like of the follower movement device 201, detection in a wider range can be performed. In particular, when performing the backward movement of the follow-up movement device 201, it is necessary to detect the entire periphery.

  The surrounding situation detection unit 102 detects the situation such as the position of an obstacle around the tracking movement apparatus 201, and creates and outputs surrounding situation data. The detection operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7. The distance to the surrounding obstacle 502 is measured radially at equal intervals by the infrared distance sensor 501 of the surrounding state detection unit 102 in FIG. The principle of measurement is called a time-of-flight measurement method, in which a laser beam 503 is emitted from a light-emitting element in an obstacle distance sensor 501 constituted by an infrared distance sensor, and reflected light returning from the obstacle 502 is reflected. If the light receiving element in the same obstacle distance sensor 501 receives light, and measures the time from launching to light reception, the distance to the obstacle 502 is obtained from the speed of light. By changing the direction of the laser beam 503 using a mirror, a prism or the like and scanning, the distance of the obstacle 502 in each direction can be obtained.

  In addition to the method of measuring the optical flight time of the laser beam 503, the obstacle 502 can be detected by using a system that uses the time until the ultrasonic waves are reflected back to the obstacle and a plurality of cameras. There are many methods such as a method of detecting by spatial stereo method using image processing.

FIG. 6 shows ambient condition data detected by the ambient condition detection unit 102. When the scanning direction S of the laser beam 503 is scanned at an interval of 10 degrees from −110 degrees to +110 degrees, where the longitudinal direction of the follower moving device 201 is 0 degrees, the distance D to the obstacle with respect to each scanning direction S It is a set of values. When the reflected light does not return at the scanning distance, the distance D _max (10.0 m) of the scanning limit of the sensor is set. With this ambient condition data, it is possible to know the surrounding situation such as in which direction, at which distance there is an obstacle, and which direction is free. FIG. 7 shows a graph of the ambient situation data of FIG.

  Next, parameter setting from the user in the parameter setting unit 110 will be described. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 205 denotes a remote controller that the user 202 </ b> A controls the operation of the follower movement device 201, and the remote controller 205 can input parameters to the parameter setting unit 110. Alternatively, in addition to the parameter setting, an emergency stop button can be provided to give an instruction to stop the operation in an emergency. By installing the light source 203 behind the strap of the remote controller 205, the light source 203 can be naturally placed behind the user 202A if the user 202A wears the remote controller 205 around the neck.

  Further, when renting the follower movement device 201 for carrying goods at an airport or a supermarket, the remote controller 205 can be used as a key of the follower movement device 201 when used by an unspecified number of users.

  As a parameter input unit to the parameter setting unit 110 of the follower movement device 201, in addition to the remote controller 205, the parameter 206 is input to the parameter setting unit 110 by using the interface 206 provided in the follower movement device body. Also good.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drive unit 105 is roughly composed of a two-wheel motor 107, a tire 108, a rotation control unit 106 that drives and controls the two motors 107, and a current speed detection unit 109. Based on the drive control of the motor 107 by the rotation control unit 106, by rotating both tires 108 at the same speed, the vehicle advances straight, and by making a difference in the rotation speed of the left and right tires 108, the vehicle proceeds while turning left and right. It is possible. Further, by rotating the left and right tires 108 in opposite directions, they can be rotated on the spot. The current speed detection unit 109 detects the current movement speed V of the follower movement device 201 and outputs it to the movement control unit 104. The current moving speed V can be obtained by detecting the amount of rotation of the left and right tires 108 with a rotary encoder as an example of the current speed detecting unit 109. Since there may be a difference between the rotational speed and the actual amount of movement due to slipping of the tire 108, the acceleration sensor calculates the acceleration and uses the integrated value, or the floor pattern is imaged with the image sensor. If a method for detecting the movement amount and speed from the change is used, a more accurate current movement speed can be detected.

  Note that the drive unit 105 is not only a wheel system such as a two-wheel or four-wheel system, but also a leg-walking robot, as long as it can control the direction and speed with sufficient traveling performance to follow the preceding moving body 202. May be.

The follow-up distance control unit 103 is configured to follow and move based on information on surrounding conditions (ambient condition data) detected and input by the surrounding condition detection unit 102 and parameter values set and input by the parameter setting unit 110. The following distance of the apparatus 201 to the preceding moving body 202 is controlled. In this follow-up distance control unit 103, the operation of determining the following distance L _d as a target of control when to follow the preceding moving body 202 will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of determination of the following distance L _d.

In step S801, an initial value L _d0 of a predetermined follow-up distance is set. This is an average situation, and a distance considered to be desirable may be set in advance in the tracking distance control unit 103 as an initial value at the time of design. Alternatively, in use, the distance that the user thinks is desirable in the situation may be given to the tracking distance control unit 103 using the parameter setting unit 110. As an example of how to give it, when the preceding moving body 202 is the user 202A, a position where the following tracking distance L _d considered to be desirable with respect to the stopped tracking moving apparatus 201 is separated from the following moving apparatus 201 by a value L _d0. Thus, a method is conceivable in which the user 202A sends an operation start instruction by the remote controller 205 or the like. At this time, the follow-up distance control unit 103 may detect the distance L of the user 202A, which is the preceding moving body 202, at the start time by the preceding moving body detection unit 101, and store it in the following distance control unit 103 as the initial value _Ld0. .

As the value of the initial value L _d0 , when the preceding moving body 202 is a human, it is often set to a value of 1 m to 2 m, which is the same level as when humans walk behind each other. With this initial value L _d0 set, the follow-up distance L _d is set to L _d = L _d0 and the operation is started.

Similarly, in step S 801, the tracking distance minimum value L _dmin is set in the tracking distance control unit 103. This means that a limit distance approaching the user 202A that is the preceding moving body 202 at the time of following is set. For example, the minimum value L _dmin of the follow-up distance is such that even if the user 202A, which is the preceding moving body 202, suddenly stops, the following moving apparatus 201 can stop without colliding with the user 202A. It is conceivable to set a value that allows for a safety factor based on the speed of the user 202A or the minimum distance required from the maximum speed of the user 202A to the stop. Alternatively, when the preceding mobile body 202 is the user 202A, it can be arbitrarily set according to the preference of the user 202A within a range in which physical restrictions and safety are ensured. As a more specific example, when the follower movement device 201 follows a human and moves at the same speed of several m / min as that of a human, for example, a value of about 50 cm is set as the minimum value L _dmin of the follow distance.

Next, in step S <b> 802, the surrounding state data is read from the surrounding state detection unit 102 into the tracking distance control unit 103, and the minimum value _Dmin of the distance D to the obstacle 502 in the surrounding state data is determined as the following distance control unit 103. Ask for. Thereafter, the follow-up distance control unit 103 sets a value obtained by multiplying the predetermined value adjustment coefficient f _s by the minimum value D _min as the provisional follow-up distance L _dtmp . For example, when the distance adjustment coefficient f _s is 0.9, the provisional follow-up distance L _dtmp is (minimum value D _min × 0.9), and therefore, the distance from the preceding moving body 202 is greater than the distance from the obstacle 502 around. , The preceding moving body 202 becomes closest and follows the preceding moving body 202. If the distance adjustment coefficient f _s is made smaller, it will be closer to the preceding moving body 202. In this way, when the obstacle 502 is in a congested state where the obstacle 502 is close to the surrounding, the obstacle 502 is closer to the preceding moving body 202 than the surrounding obstacle 502 and follows. Smooth follow-up is possible with fewer avoidance actions.

Here, if there is an obstacle within a certain distance range within the detection target range, it is considered that the situation is congested. The distance for setting this distance range can be the initial value L _d0 of the follow-up distance. Therefore, the situation that is not crowded does not mean that no obstacle is detected within the range of the detection target, and that there is no obstacle within a certain distance range within the range of the detection target, I will decide. More precisely, it can be said that the crowded situation is a crowded situation where obstacles are close to each other. Thus, for example, as one concept, if the obstacle state detection unit 102 detects the obstacle 502 within a certain distance, it is determined that the obstacle state is crowded, while the obstacle 502 is completely within the certain distance. If not detected in 102, it is determined that the situation is not congested. As a more specific example of the concept, the surrounding state detection unit 102 detects an obstacle 502 closer to the initial value L _d0 of the follow-up distance within an angle range of 110 degrees to the left and right with the preceding moving body 202 as the center. If so, it is determined that the situation is crowded. If no obstacle 502 is detected by the surrounding state detection unit 102 within the initial value L _d0 of the tracking distance within an angle range of 110 degrees to the left and right with the preceding moving body 202 as the center, it is determined that the situation is not congested. . In this case, in the assumed normal follow-up, in a congested situation, there is an obstacle 502 closer to the preceding moving body 202. Alternatively the distance determines the congestion degree, considering the distance L _d to the current prior mobile 202, the crowded situation is that there is an obstacle 502 near from the prior mobile 202 in the current situation. FIG. 12 shows a region 1205 in the range of the initial value L _d0 of the tracking distance. If an obstacle 1203 enters the area 1205, it is considered that the surrounding area is congested. As will be described in detail later, a range that is slightly forward from the starting position 1201 of the follower movement device 201 and that is 110 ° from the left and right of the position 1204 from the point where the obstacle 1203 enters the upper right of the area 1205 in FIG. It is considered that the surrounding area is congested until the obstacle 1203 comes out of the area 1205.

In step S803, if the follow-up distance control unit 103 determines that the provisional follow-up distance L _dtmp is greater than the initial value L _d0 of the follow-up distance, the surrounding obstacle 502 is considered to be sufficiently far away, and step S804 is executed. in, the following distance control section 103 is set to follow a distance L initial value of the follow-up _{distance d} the user 202A wants in the general context L _d0. This means that if it is determined in steps S803 and S804 that the obstacle 502 has shifted from a crowded situation to a crowded situation, the initial initial value L _d0 of the tracking distance is reset.

If the follow-up distance control unit 103 determines in step S803 that the temporary follow-up distance L _dtmp is smaller than the initial value L _d0 of the follow-up distance, the temporary follow-up distance L _dtmp becomes the minimum follow-up distance value L in step S805. _It is determined whether it is larger than _dmin .

If the follow-up distance control unit 103 determines in step S805 that the provisional follow-up distance L _dtmp is smaller than the minimum follow-up distance value L _dmin , the movement control unit 104 is instructed to stop the follow-up moving device 201 in step S806. .

The follow-up distance is reduced when, for example, the preceding moving body 202 is reversed and approaches the following moving device 201 straight. Can not take. On the other hand, when the user 202A or the like wants to approach the follower movement device 201 to pick up a part of the luggage, the user 202A or the like follows if the follower move device 201 moves backward and keeps the follow distance constant. The mobile device 201 cannot be approached. For this reason, as described above, control is performed so that the follow-up moving device 201 is stopped. When the distance from the preceding moving body 202 moves away from the follower moving device 201 again and the distance becomes larger than the minimum value L _dmin , follow-up in steps S807 and S804 is started.

If the follow-up distance control unit 103 determines in step S805 that the temporary follow-up distance L _dtmp is larger than the minimum value L _dmin of the follow-up distance, the follow-up distance control unit 103 determines that the follow-up distance L _d is a temporary follow-up in step S807. Set to distance L _dtmp .

  The movement control unit 104 includes information on the preceding moving body 202 input from the preceding moving body detection unit 101, the following distance input from the following distance control unit 103, and the surroundings detected and input by the surrounding state detection unit 102. Based on the situation information (ambient situation data) and the parameter value set and input by the parameter setting unit 110, the rotation control unit 106 is controlled to control the movement of the follow-up moving device 201.

  Next, the operation in the movement control unit 104 will be described. The movement control unit 104 performs control of avoiding an obstacle 502 that may collide and following the preceding moving body 202. The control will be described with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the overall operation of the movement control unit 104.

  First, a follow-up process for the preceding moving body 202 is performed in step S901, and a new traveling direction and speed are output.

Next, in step S902, when the follower movement device 201 moves with the new traveling direction and speed using the surrounding state data from the surrounding state detection unit 102, the obstacle 502 that the follower moving device 201 may collide with is detected. The movement control unit 104 determines whether there is any. Specifically, in FIG. 6 showing the surrounding state data of the tracking movement device 201, the movement control unit 104 determines whether there is an obstacle near the traveling distance determined by a certain time × speed at the angle of travel. it can. This fixed time is not simply the time of the next operation step, but is a time that takes into consideration the time of avoidance processing for the obstacle 502, the safety factor, and the like. Even when the obstacle 502 approaches the follower movement device 201 due to a sudden movement, the surrounding state detection unit 102 detects this and issues an instruction for avoidance operation to the movement control unit 104, and actually follows the follower movement device. It is necessary to consider the total time until 201 completes the avoidance operation for the obstacle 502. Further, there are cases where the movement of the follower moving device 201 is stopped without performing the avoiding operation to avoid the obstacle 502, or the obstacle 502 can be avoided by changing the traveling direction of the follower moving device 201. There are a plurality of times from the speed and the surrounding situation until the avoidance operation is completed. It is the distance that may cause a collision from the time considering the safety factor based on the time of the avoidance process that takes the most time or the time of the avoidance process selected from the current situation. The collision avoidance limit D _col is set by the movement control unit 104, and the movement control unit 104 detects an obstacle 502 within a distance within the collision avoidance limit D _col . The distance obtained by the surrounding detection unit 102 is a distance from the infrared distance sensor 501 to the obstacle 502, and is not a distance from the outer shape of the follow-up moving device 201 to the obstacle 502. Therefore, depending on the direction, there is a case where the outer shape of the follower moving device 201 is closer to the obstacle 502 than the infrared distance sensor 501. Therefore, the distance in FIG. 6 may need to be corrected by the movement control unit 104 by subtracting the distance between the farthest point of the outer shape of the follower moving device 201 in the direction and the position of the infrared distance sensor 501 for each angle. is there. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, when the infrared distance sensor 501 is located at the front end, there is a case where correction is not necessary.

When the value of the collision avoidance limit D _col is set, for example, if the current speed is 3 m / min and the avoiding operation takes 3 seconds, an obstacle within 15 cm cannot be avoided. Therefore, in consideration of the safety factor, the movement control unit 104 can set 30 cm as the collision avoidance limit D _col .

  In step S902, when the movement control unit 104 determines that there is a possibility of the collision of the tracking device 201 to the obstacle 502, the movement control unit 104 performs the collision avoidance operation in step S903, and performs the collision avoidance operation for a certain distance. The movement control unit 104 controls the movement control unit 104 of the driving unit 105 to perform this operation. Also in this collision avoidance operation, the avoidance operation is performed after the preceding moving body detection unit 101 detects the preceding moving body 202 and the surrounding state detection unit 102 measures the surrounding state. When the avoidance operation ends, the follow-up process in step S901 is performed again.

  When there is no possibility of a collision due to the loop, in step S904, the movement control unit 104 controls the movement control unit 104 of the driving unit 105 based on the traveling direction and the movement speed output in step S901, thereby following movement. Follow-up operation by the apparatus 201 is performed.

  The movement control unit 104 continues this operation loop until a follow-up end instruction enters the movement control unit 104 in step S905. In order to perform smooth operation, when operating at a speed of several meters per minute, it is better to run this loop at least several times to several tens of times per second.

The follow-up end instruction is performed by inputting with the button of the remote controller 205 or the like. Or you may input into the interface 206 with which the main body of the tracking movement apparatus 201 was equipped. However, when the preceding moving body is the user 202A, it is necessary to approach the following moving device 201. When the user 202A looks back toward the follower moving device 201 and approaches straight, the follower moving device 201 stops, so that the interface 206 of the main body of the follower moving device 201 can be operated.

  Next, the following process in step S901 will be described using the flowchart of the operation in FIG.

First, in step S1001, the read direction Θ of the position of the distance L and the previous mobile 202 prior to moving object 202 from the prior moving body detection unit 101 to the movement control unit 104, following distance control set follow distance L _d The data is read from the unit 103 to the movement control unit 104. In addition, the current movement speed V detected by the current speed detection unit 109 is input to the movement control unit 104. The current moving speed V can be detected by the current speed detecting unit 109 shown in FIGS. In FIG. 15, the current movement speed V can be detected by the movement information detection unit 1501, but it can also be internally input to the rotation control unit 106 to perform feedback control in that part. .

  Next, in step S <b> 1002, the movement control unit 104 sets the traveling direction of the following moving device 201 to Θ in order to direct the following moving device 201 in the direction of the preceding moving body 202.

Next, in step S1003, the distance L is detected in the preceding moving body detection unit 101 to the preceding mobile 202 are compared by the movement control unit 104 and a follow-up distance _{L d} of the tracking distance control unit 103. If the movement control unit 104 is determined to L> _{L d} (step S1004), in order to catch up to the preceding mobile 202, the movement control unit 104 is increased by the ratio _{a 1} that defines the current moving velocity V in advance. For example, if the predetermined ratio a ₁ is 0.2, the new speed V × (1 + a ₁ ) becomes V × 1.2, and the speed is increased by 20%. Conversely, when L <L _d is determined by the movement control unit 104 (step S1006), the movement control unit 104 decreases the current movement speed V by a predetermined ratio a ₂ because it is too close. . If the predetermined ratio a ₂ is 0.1, the new speed V × (1-a ₂ ) is V × 0.9. If the distance L between tracking distance _{L d} prior to the moving body 202 are matched (step S1005) maintains the current speed V. The above comparison is not a judgment that the numerical values coincide with each other, but in order to avoid acceleration and deceleration vibrations, follow the distance L to the preceding moving body 202 as long as it is within a predetermined range. the distance L _d may be determined by the movement control unit 104 to be equal.

Finally, the traveling direction Θ and the velocity V obtained in step S1007 are output from the movement control unit 104 to the movement control unit 104.

  Next, the collision avoidance operation in step S903 in FIG. 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a collision avoidance operation.

In FIG. 11A, in the direction α of the follower moving device 201 that has moved following the preceding moving body 202, the obstacle 1101 is located at a distance equal to or less than the collision avoidance limit D _{col in} step S902. Is detected.

Then, based on the movement control unit 104, the rotation control unit 106 controls the driving of the left and right motors 107, and is set in advance on the opposite side to the direction of α as shown in FIG. The follower moving device 201 rotates by β (in FIG. 11B, it rotates clockwise by a fixed angle β). In this direction, the position of surrounding obstacles (obstacles 1101 and other obstacles) is measured by the surrounding state detection unit 102, and is set at the time of design from the minimum turning radius and the size of the outer shape of the follower movement device 201. The distance M for avoidance stored in advance in the movement control unit 104 is advanced. After advancing, it is determined by the same method as step S902 whether there is a possibility of a collision in that direction. When there is a possibility of collision with the obstacle again, the follower moving device 201 further rotates by adding a fixed angle β (in FIG. 11B, it further rotates by a fixed angle β clockwise). As a result, the follower movement device 201 rotates 2β from the initial position. If there is no possibility of a collision with an obstacle, as shown in FIG. 11C, the follower movement device 201 moves forward in a direction rotated by 2β by a distance M for avoidance. If there are obstacles in all directions and the collision moving device 201 cannot be avoided even if it rotates 360 degrees or more, the following moving device 201 stops the moving operation and notifies the user with a warning sound or the like. Here, as a specific numerical example, there is a case where the collision avoidance limit D _col is 30 cm, the constant angle β is 30 degrees, and the distance M for avoidance is 60 cm. In the case of this numerical example, if the collision is not likely to be avoided even if the follower moving device 201 rotates on the spot 12 times, an error occurs and the moving operation of the follower moving device 201 is stopped.

  As shown in FIG. 11C, when the collision avoiding operation can be performed without error and the follower moving device 201 advances by the distance M, the direction of the preceding moving body 202 is again detected by the preceding moving body detection unit 101 in step S901. Is detected again, and the operation moves to the follow-up operation again, and faces the preceding moving body 202 as shown in FIG. Even when the collision avoidance operation step S903 is performed so as not to lose sight of the preceding moving body 202, it is preferable to continue the detection of the preceding moving body 202 by the preceding moving body detection unit 101 at each time (every predetermined time). desirable.

  A state of a series of operations of the follower movement device 201 of the first embodiment is shown in FIG.

The follower movement device 201 at the start point 1201 starts the follower by taking the initial value L _d0 of the follower distance with the preceding moving body 202. A fan-shaped neighborhood area with a distance L _d0 or less within a range of 110 degrees left and right from the center of the follow-up movement device 201 at the start point 1201 is indicated by a dotted line 1205. If the obstacle 1203 exists in this area 1205, it is considered that the obstacle 1203 is a congested area close to the follower movement device 201. Here, in the vicinity of the start point 1201, the area 1205 is not crowded with no obstacle 1203. However, if the area 1205 is crowded with the obstacle 1203, the following intermediate similar to position 1202, to start tracking at follow-up distance _{L d.}

At the intermediate position 1202, the tracking distance control unit 103 determines that the situation is congested by the obstacle 1203 based on the surrounding situation data of the surrounding obstacle 1203 detected by the surrounding situation detection unit 102, and follows the distance control. by controlling the movement control unit 104 so that the short follow-up distance L _d from the initial value L _d0 of the follow-up distance in part 103, to change the following distance short follow-up distance L _d to suit the ambient conditions. As a result, in a congested situation where the obstacle 1203 is present in the vicinity area 1206 of the intermediate position 1202, the obstacle 1203 moves close to the preceding moving body 202 and near the locus 202G of the preceding moving body 202. The collision with 1203 and the collision avoidance operation are reduced.

Next, when the follower movement device 201 moves to a non-congested position 1204 where there is no obstacle 1203 in the proximity area 1207, the follower distance is returned to the initial value _Ld0 of the follower distance again to the preceding moving body 202. A smooth route through the shortest distance can be taken.

  In the first embodiment, the surrounding state detection unit 102 has been described as being mounted on the follower movement device 201. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and is attached to, for example, a ceiling of a space in which the follower movement device 201 moves. A camera (not shown) may be used as another example of the surrounding state detection unit 102. For example, a wide-range image including the following moving device 201 and the preceding moving body 202 is taken by a wide-angle camera looking down from the ceiling. If a background image such as a floor surface is captured in the absence of the following moving device 201, the preceding moving body 202, and the obstacle 502 in advance, it is different from the floor surface by subtracting the background image from the currently captured image. A newly appearing region can be extracted. This extracted region is any one of the following moving device 201, the preceding moving body 202, and the obstacle 1203. Since the following moving device 201 and the preceding moving body 202 have characteristics such as their shapes and colors, the following moving device 201, the preceding moving body 202, and the like are extracted from the extracted regions based on those features. Other obstacles 502 can be detected. In that case, the position of the preceding moving body 202 can also be measured at the same time, and the preceding moving body detection unit 101 and the surrounding state detection unit 102 can be processed using the same camera image. In this case, since the obstacle moving behind the other obstacles and the preceding moving body 202 can be detected as viewed from the following moving device 201, more obstacles can be detected or the preceding moving body 202 can be detected. It is possible to reduce losing sight.

  In the first embodiment, the ambient condition detection unit 102 detects ambient condition data. However, information such as the position and shape of the surrounding wall and the obstacle 502 is given to the ambient condition detection unit 102 in advance. Sometimes. In that case, it is also possible to use information such as a position and a shape, which can be given in advance, in the surrounding state detection unit 102 without performing detection.

According to the first embodiment, when the obstacle 502 is congested near the follower moving device 201, the follower moving device 201 is closer to the preceding moving body 202 than the surrounding obstacle 502. Therefore, the collision with the surrounding obstacle 1203 and the avoidance action to the obstacle 502 are reduced, and the smooth following is possible. That is, with the configuration in which the tracking distance control unit 103 controls the distance from the preceding moving body 202 to track, a smooth tracking operation can be realized while maintaining a suitable distance according to the situation.

(Second Embodiment)
A follow-up moving device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the user 202 </ b> A that mainly uses the following moving device 201 is targeted as the preceding moving body 202 that follows. In this case, the present embodiment relates to a follow-up movement apparatus 201 that can change the follow-up distance according to the intention of the user 202A.

FIGS. 11A to 11D show a follow-up moving device 201 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 11 (A) to 11 (D) are different from the configuration of the first embodiment in that a parameter setting unit 1301 for inputting and setting a value of a new follow-up distance instruction _L.sub.dus , as shown in FIG. The follow-up distance that controls the follow-up distance so as to perform a new follow-up operation based on the value of the new follow-up distance instruction _Ldurr set by the parameter setting unit 1301 and outputs the follow-up distance to the movement control unit 104 This is the point that a control unit 1302 is provided. The same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In the second embodiment, basically, for simplification, the surrounding situation is not automatically detected, but all is specified by the user, and the user thinks that the surrounding area has become crowded. The user issues an instruction and inputs the distance. Therefore, the surrounding state detection unit 102 illustrated in FIG. 13 is for a modification described later.

The parameter setting unit 1301 reads the value of the follow-up distance instruction _Ldusr from the user. As a method of inputting the value of the new tracking distance instruction _Ldurr , for example, the user can hold the remote controller 205 or the like, and can input the distance value with its key, dial, etc. and input it to the parameter setting unit 1301. There are methods such as inputting the value of the direct distance numerically or inputting the increase / decrease of the distance.

As another method of inputting the value of the new tracking distance instruction _Ldurr , the remote control 205 or a voice input device (not shown) is used to give an instruction to approach or leave the tracking distance control unit 1302 of the tracking movement device 201. Or by moving the follow-up movement device 201 by actually transmitting it with a hand-drawn image detection sensor (not shown) or the like, changing the follow-up distance, and giving a setting instruction at the desired distance You can also This method can be judged by looking at the actual distance, so it is easier to understand than inputting numerical values. In this case, in response to an instruction to approach or leave, the follow-up movement apparatus 201 is operated by the remote controller 205 by repeatedly increasing and decreasing the value of the new follow-up distance instruction L- _durs by a certain value and performing a follow-up operation. It is possible to control as follows. On the other hand, there is also a method in which the follow-up movement device 201 is stopped, and the follow-up distance is changed by the movement of the user, and a setting instruction is given when the desired follow-up distance is reached.

The follow-up distance control unit 1302 _obtains the follow-up distance L _d from the value of the new follow-up distance instruction L _durs input from the parameter setting unit 1301. This operation will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the tracking distance control unit 1302.

In step S1401, enter the value of the indication _{L Dusr} new tracking distance from the parameter setting unit 1301 following distance control section 130, and the minimum value _{L dmin} of the follow-up distance is set in advance, the maximum value _{L dmax} Reading from the parameter setting unit 1301 to the tracking distance control unit 130. As the minimum value L _dmin of the tracking distance, a limit distance that approaches the preceding moving body 202 at the time of tracking is set. For example, even if the preceding moving body 202 stops suddenly, it is conceivable to set a distance at which the follower moving apparatus 201 can stop without colliding with the preceding moving body 202. As the maximum value L _dmax of the tracking distance, a limit distance for tracking when the preceding moving body 202 is separated from the tracking moving device 201 is set. For example, a value that is smaller than the detection limit distance by multiplying the detection limit distance of the preceding moving body detection unit 101 by a certain safety factor may be considered. As an example, in the case of the follower moving device 201 with a speed of m per minute following the user, it is conceivable that the minimum value L _dmin of the follow distance is set to 50 cm and the maximum value L _dmax of the follow distance is _set to 3 m. Alternatively, the minimum value L _{dmin of} the tracking distance and the maximum value L _dmax of the tracking distance are set according to the user's preference within the range in which physical restrictions and safety are ensured when the preceding moving body 202 is the user 202A. It is also possible.

Then, in step S1402, as well as compared with the minimum value _{L dmin} value and tracking distance indication _{L Dusr} new tracking distance, and a maximum value _{L dmax} of the follow-up distance and the value of the indication _{L Dusr} new tracking distance Compare. If the value of the instruction _{L Dusr} new tracking distance is less than or equal to the minimum value _{L dmin} of the follow-up distance, set the minimum value _{L dmin} of the follow-up distance as follow distance _{L d} at step S1403, instructs _{L Dusr} new tracking distance Is equal to or greater than the maximum value L _dmax of the tracking distance, the maximum value L _dmax of the tracking distance is set as the tracking distance L _d in step S1404. If the value of the indication _{L Dusr} new tracking distance is between the maximum value _{L dmax} minimum _{L dmin} and follow distance tracking distance, indicated _{L Dusr} new tracking distance as follow distance _{L d} at step S1405 Set the value of. With these steps, even if the user forcibly instructs a value outside the range of the maximum value and the minimum value of the tracking distance, such a value is not regarded as a valid input. It is possible to prevent the behavior.

  As described above, in the tracking movement device 201 of the second embodiment, the tracking distance control unit 1302 reads an instruction of the user's tracking distance by the parameter setting unit 1301, and the tracking distance control unit 1302 controls the tracking distance. It becomes possible to follow the user at the follow-up distance set by the user, and the follow-up movement device 201 can follow up at the follow-up distance desired by the user.

Further, the value of the instruction _{L Dusr} new tracking distance input in step S1401, as an initial value _{L d0} of the follow-up distance in the first embodiment of the present invention, by performing the processing from step S803 in FIG. 8, When there are no obstacles in the surroundings, the tracking distance can be changed to the distance desired by the user at any time. When there are obstacles in the surroundings, it is possible to perform tracking control according to the surrounding conditions. In this modified example, in order to consider the surrounding situation, FIG. 13 also requires the information output from the surrounding situation detection unit 102 to the follow-up distance control unit 1302 as in FIG. The detection unit 102 is illustrated.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 15 shows a follow-up moving device 201 in the third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 15, the difference from the configuration of the first embodiment is that the driving unit 105 detects a moving distance and direction of the follower moving body, and a preceding moving body that calculates the speed of the preceding moving body 202. A speed calculation unit 1502 and a follow-up distance control unit 1503 that performs a new operation are provided. The same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  The movement information detection unit 1501 is simply configured to calculate the direction and distance of movement from the origin at the time of departure by accumulating and integrating the direction and speed commands from the movement control unit 104. can do. However, even if the rotations of the motor 107 and the tire 108 are accurately integrated, there may be a deviation from the actual moving distance and direction due to a slip between the tire 108 and the floor. In order to eliminate such a shift, the movement information detection unit 1501 includes a gyro that detects the rotation angle of each tire 108, or a sensor that rotates without load in contact with the floor surface. A sensor that actually measures the actual moving distance may be mounted, and an accurate moving distance and direction may be calculated based on output information from the gyroscope or sensor.

  In the preceding moving body speed detection unit 1502, the distance and direction of the preceding moving body 202 from the preceding moving body detection unit 101 are input. Since this distance and direction are relative positions and directions with respect to the follower movement device 201, the preceding movement is obtained by subtracting movement information such as the direction and distance of the follower movement device 201 itself from the movement information detection unit 1501. It is possible to calculate the absolute direction and distance of movement of the body 202 relative to a stationary space around the floor, wall, etc. These are stored in a memory (not shown) for a plurality of times, and the speed of the preceding moving body 202 is calculated by calculating the difference per unit time by the preceding moving body speed detecting unit 1502.

In the following distance control unit 1503, the following distance is set according to the speed of the preceding moving body 202 input from the preceding moving body speed detection unit 1502. The operation will be described with reference to FIG. Figure 16 is an example of a conversion table of the follow-up distance and speed of the preceding mobile 202, in accordance with the table, set different follow-up distance L _d in accordance with the speed of the preceding mobile unit 202. When the speed of the preceding moving body 202 is high, the speed of the following moving device 201 that follows is also increased, and the stop distance of the following moving device 201 is also increased. In addition, if the tracking distance is set to be long, the ratio of following along the shortest path increases when the preceding moving body 202 is bent at the time of tracking, and as a result, it is advantageous to follow at a high speed.

  Further, by calculating the change in speed by the preceding moving body speed detection unit 1502, the follow-up distance can be controlled in accordance with the change in the speed of the preceding moving body 202. For example, when there is a large change in speed, if the tracking distance is made constant, the speed of the tracking mobile device 201 also changes drastically. It is possible to follow up while keeping the speed of the follower movement device 201 constant by changing the follow-up distance finely according to the speed.

In addition, the conversion table in FIG. 16 is not limited to one, and a plurality of tables having different values may be used, and may be switched and used according to the surrounding situation, a user instruction, or the like. It is also possible to learn table values based on user instructions and the like. In this modification, in order to consider the surrounding situation, FIG. 15 also requires the information output from the surrounding situation detection unit 102 to the tracking distance control unit 1503 as in FIG. The detection unit 102 is illustrated.

As described above, in the follow-up moving device 201 of the third embodiment, the preceding moving body speed calculation unit 1502 that calculates the speed of the preceding moving body 202 and the preceding moving body 202 calculated by the preceding moving body speed calculation unit 1502 are calculated. By providing the follow-up distance control unit 1503 that controls the follow-up distance based on the speed, it becomes possible to control the follow-up distance according to the speed of the preceding moving body 202 that follows, and according to the speed of the preceding moving body 202 Flexible control of the tracking distance is possible. For example, when the speed is high, the follow-up distance can be increased in consideration of the stop distance, the shortest path, and the like.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 17 shows a follow-up moving device 201 in the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 17, the difference from the configuration of the first embodiment is that an area information detection unit 1701 that detects information at a place in the space in which the follower movement device 201 moves is provided. The same configurations as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted. In FIG. 17, information is output from the surrounding state detection unit 102 to the follow-up distance control unit 1302 as in FIG.

In the area information detection unit 1701, follow-up mobile device 201 detects the area information at a particular location of the space to be moved, by controlling the following distance L _d, thereby enabling more flexible control.

  An example of actual control will be described with reference to FIG. When the user 202 </ b> A stops in front of the elevator 1801, the follower movement device 201 is normally stopped at a position 1802 that is separated by a predetermined follower distance. However, when there is another human 1803 around, if the follower moving device 201 is located at the position 1802 when the user 202A gets into the elevator 1801, the other human 1803 becomes an obstacle, and the follower moving device It becomes difficult for 201 to get into elevator 1801 smoothly together with user 202A.

  In this case, a transmitter 1804 that sends area information that the vicinity is in front of the elevator 1801 is installed in the vicinity of the elevator 1801, and when the area information detection unit 1701 detects this area information, a follow-up distance is previously provided. A short follow-up distance before the elevator is set in the control unit 103, and the follow-up moving device 201 approaches a position 1805 that is separated by a short follow-up distance near the preceding moving body 202. It becomes possible to get into the elevator 1801 smoothly together.

  The area information transmitter 1804 may transmit a radio wave by itself, or may return a response by an inquiry radio wave such as a wireless tag. The place may be a place where information can be transmitted to an area information detection unit that is close to the area, such as a wall, floor, or ceiling.

  Alternatively, even if there is no special transmitter 1804, the area information detection unit recognizes the situation near the elevator using a camera or the like, and recognizes the shape of the elevator-specific marker, display board, door, You may recognize that the vicinity is in front of an elevator. Alternatively, the tracking movement device 201 itself may have map information in advance, and may read from the information recorded there based on the current position of itself.

  In addition to the elevator, the same operation can be performed at various entrances, doors, and the like. For example, when the preceding mobile body 202 stops at a store or when it stops at a luggage deposit counter, control such as shortening the follow-up distance can be considered to prevent theft.

On the other hand, there are cases where it is not always possible to keep track of things such as passing through a security gate or entering a toilet. In that case, if the toilet is based on the area information, it is possible to move away from the follow-up distance, or cause the movement control unit 104 to perform an operation such as stopping at the position specified in the area information and waiting for the user. is there.

  In the first to fourth embodiments described above, the preceding moving body detection unit 101 detects the relative direction and distance of the preceding moving body 202 from the follow-up moving device 201. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, the locus 202G of the preceding moving body 202 may be detected by detecting the absolute position of the preceding moving body 202 and accumulating it at regular intervals. However, when detecting the trajectory 202G, the movement control unit 104 normally performs control to follow the trajectory 202G of the preceding moving body 202, and in the first embodiment, the shortest path is formed in a region with few obstacles. There is no effect of passing. However, other effects can be obtained similarly. Further, the same effects can be obtained in the second embodiment and the third embodiment both when the direction and distance of the preceding moving body 202 are detected and when the locus 202G is detected.

  It is to be noted that, by appropriately combining any of the various embodiments, the effects possessed by them can be produced.

  Since the following moving device of the present invention can smoothly follow a distance according to the situation such as an obstacle, the moving device that follows a person or a preceding vehicle in various and changing environments, especially a crowded person It is useful as a moving device for carrying a baggage to follow the user.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the user who is an example of the external appearance of the follower movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention, and a preceding moving body. (A)-(D) is the figure which shows the image of the left and right cameras for the preceding moving body detection in 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the figure which extracted the part of the head and the shoulder from the image of the left and right cameras, respectively. is there. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the tracking movement apparatus and 1st moving body in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the surrounding condition detection part of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the surrounding condition data of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the surrounding condition data of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the tracking distance control part of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the movement control part of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the movement control part of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A)-(D) is a figure which shows the operation | movement of the collision object avoidance of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention, respectively. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the tracking movement apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the tracking movement apparatus in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the tracking distance control part of the tracking movement apparatus in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the tracking movement apparatus in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the speed of a preceding moving body and follow-up distance in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the tracking movement apparatus in 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the tracking movement apparatus in 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of the conventional tracking movement apparatus. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the conventional tracking movement apparatus. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the conventional tracking movement apparatus. It is a figure which shows operation | movement of the conventional tracking movement apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Previous moving body detection part 102 Ambient condition detection part 103 Following distance control part 104 Movement control part 105 Drive part 106 Rotation control part 107 Motor 108 Tire 109 Current speed detection part 110 Parameter setting part 201 Following moving apparatus 202 Previous moving body 202A User 202G locus 203 light source 204 camera 205 remote control 206 interface 301 head 302 shoulder part 303 circle 304 arc 305 center position of circle 501 infrared distance sensor 502 obstacle 503 laser beam 1203 obstacle 1301 parameter setting unit 1302 tracking distance control unit 1501 movement Information detection unit 1502 Advance moving body speed calculation unit 1503 Tracking distance control unit 1701 Area information detection unit 1801 Elevator 1802 Position 1803 Other human 1804 Transmitter 18 5 position

Claims (11)

In the following moving device that follows the preceding moving body,
A preceding moving body detection unit for detecting the preceding moving body;
A follow-up distance control unit that variably controls a follow-up distance with the preceding mobile body detected by the preceding mobile body detection unit;
And a follow-up moving device that follows the preceding moving body based on the follow-up distance controlled by the follow-up distance control unit. It further includes an ambient condition detection unit for detecting the ambient condition,
The follow-up movement apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the follow-up distance control unit variably controls the distance from the preceding moving body based on the surrounding situation detected by the surrounding situation detection unit.   The follow-up movement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the surrounding situation detected by the surrounding situation detection unit is a situation of a surrounding obstacle.   The follow-up distance control unit variably controls the follow-up distance with the preceding moving body to be shorter when a distance from the surrounding obstacle is shorter than the follow-up distance. Item 4. The following moving device according to Item 3.   5. The tracking according to claim 1, wherein the tracking distance control unit variably controls the tracking distance with the preceding moving body based on a tracking distance instructed by a user. Mobile device.   6. The follow-up movement apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the follow-up distance instructed by the user is a distance instructed based on an actual distance between the preceding moving body and the follow-up movement apparatus.   The follow-up distance control unit variably controls the follow-up distance with the preceding moving body based on the speed of the preceding moving body. Mobile equipment.   The follow-up movement apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the follow-up distance control unit variably controls the follow-up distance with the preceding moving body based on a change in speed of the preceding moving body.   The follow-up distance control unit variably controls the follow-up distance with the preceding moving body according to a position of a space in which the follow-up moving device moves. The follow-up movement device described in 1.   A driving unit that moves the following moving device to follow the preceding moving body; and the driving unit is configured to follow the preceding moving body based on the following distance controlled by the following distance control unit. The follow-up moving device according to claim 1, wherein the follow-up moving device is driven to follow the preceding moving body. The follow-up movement apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the surrounding situation detected by the surrounding situation detection unit is a situation of a place where the follow-up movement apparatus is to move or a situation in the vicinity of the place.

Images