JP7501376B2 - Operation data creation method and operation control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for creating operation data and an operation control device.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a mobile robot control system. The mobile robot control system described in Patent Document 1 includes a map information storage unit that stores map information including travel rule information that reflects travel rules when the mobile robot moves within a specified movement area, a route search unit that searches for a route from the start point of movement to the end point of movement based on the map information stored in the map information storage unit, and a movement control unit that generates control command values for the mobile robot's movement device based on the route searched by the route search unit. The travel rules are the movement direction and movement speed of the mobile robot.

Patent No. 5402057

However, in the above conventional technology, a driving route is searched for based on map information, and the mobile robot is driven based on driving rules (direction and speed of travel). Self-driving forklifts and self-driving towing vehicles, etc., need to perform tasks (operational actions) such as transferring loads at each location, requesting entry to an intersection, turning on turn signals, sounding the horn, and switching obstacle areas. Therefore, to perform operation actions from the current position of a mobile object to a destination, the user needs to separately create operation data that represents the instructions for the operation of the mobile object. In this case, the amount of operation data that the user needs to create becomes enormous as the number of combinations from the current position of the mobile object to the destination increases.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for creating operation data and an operation control device that can reduce the amount of operation data created for a moving object.

One aspect of the present invention is a method for creating operation data representing instructions for operation of a moving body when the moving body travels along a travel path, and includes a travel path acquisition step of acquiring a travel path, a unitization step of dividing the travel path acquired in the travel path acquisition step into units to generate a plurality of travel units, and an operation data creation step of creating operation data corresponding to the travel units generated in the unitization step.

In this operation data creation method, a predetermined travel route is divided into units to generate a plurality of travel units, and operation data corresponding to each of these travel units is created. When a mobile body is actually operated along the travel route to a destination, a route search to the destination is performed to determine the travel units that form the route to the destination, operation data corresponding to the travel units is extracted, and the mobile body operates according to the operation data. When a travel unit is determined by the route search to the destination in this way, operation data corresponding to the travel unit is extracted. This eliminates the need for the user to create operation data for the mobile body one by one each time a new combination is added from the current position of the mobile body to the destination. This reduces the amount of operation data created for the mobile body.

The operation data creation method may further include a linked data creation process for creating an operation data number linked to the traveling unit generated in the unitization process, and the operation data creation process may create operation data corresponding to the operation data number.

In this method, the operation data number associated with the traveling unit is extracted, and the operation data corresponding to that operation data number is extracted, thereby obtaining operation data corresponding to the traveling unit. Therefore, when the traveling units are different but the operation data content is the same, there is no need to create operation data corresponding to the traveling unit. This further reduces the amount of operation data created for the moving body.

In the unitization process, when the moving body makes a left or right turn, a traveling unit having a curved section that turns the moving body to the left or right may be generated, and in the operation data creation process, operation data may be created that performs an operation operation related to the moving body turning left or right before the curved section.

In this manner, the contents of the operational data can be easily set to perform operational actions related to turning left or right of the vehicle (e.g., turning on the left or right turn signal).

Another aspect of the present invention is an operation control device that operates a mobile body along a travel route to a destination, and includes a storage unit that stores information on a plurality of travel units generated by dividing the travel route into units and a plurality of operation data representing operation operation instructions for the mobile body, a route search unit that determines the travel units that form the route to the destination from the plurality of operation data stored in the storage unit by performing a route search to the destination, an operation data extraction unit that extracts operation data corresponding to the travel units determined by the route search unit from the plurality of operation data stored in the storage unit, and an operation control unit that controls the mobile body to operate in accordance with the operation data extracted by the operation data extraction unit.

In such an operation control device, a route search to the destination is performed to determine the traveling units that form the route to the destination, operation data corresponding to the traveling units is extracted, and the mobile body operates according to the operation data. When a traveling unit is determined by searching for a route to the destination in this way, operation data corresponding to the traveling unit is extracted. This eliminates the need for the user to create operation data for the mobile body one by one each time a new combination is added from the current position of the mobile body to the destination. This reduces the amount of operation data created for the mobile body.

The operation control device may further include a destination setting unit that sets a destination and a position detection unit that detects the current position of the mobile body, and the route search unit may search for a route to the destination based on the destination set by the destination setting unit and the current position of the mobile body detected by the position detection unit.

In this configuration, a route search to the destination is automatically performed based on the destination and the current position of the mobile unit, and the traveling unit that forms the route to the destination is determined. Therefore, the user does not need to select the route to the destination.

The memory unit may further store a plurality of operation data numbers associated with the driving units, and the operation data extraction unit may extract an operation data number corresponding to the driving unit determined by the route search unit from the plurality of operation data numbers stored in the memory unit, and extract the operation data corresponding to the operation data number.

In this configuration, the operation data number associated with the traveling unit is extracted, and the operation data corresponding to that operation data number is extracted, thereby obtaining operation data corresponding to the traveling unit. Therefore, when the traveling units are different but the content of the operation data is the same, there is no need to create operation data corresponding to the traveling unit. This further reduces the amount of operation data created for the moving body.

The memory unit may further store information on a plurality of marks indicating the instruction positions of the operating operation of the moving object, and at least one of the marks may be set on the traveling unit.

In this configuration, the contents of the operation data are instructed to the moving body at an appropriate position of the driving unit, so that the contents of the operation data can be reliably implemented.

The present invention makes it possible to reduce the amount of mobile object operation data that needs to be created.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a traffic control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route together with marks. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the travel path shown in FIG. 2 is modularized into a plurality of travel units; FIG. 11 is a table showing an example of table data indicating the relationship between a traveling unit, an operation data number, and operation data and a mark. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of an operation data extraction process executed by an operation data extraction unit shown in FIG. 1 . 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an operation data creation system for implementing an operation data creation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart showing a process in which a user creates operation data using a personal computer.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a traffic control device according to one embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 1, the traffic control device 1 of this embodiment is a device that automatically drives a moving object 2 along a travel route A to a destination P, as shown in Figure 2. The moving object 2 is, for example, an autonomous towing vehicle used in airports, etc.

The travel route A is a virtual route along which the mobile unit 2 travels, and is represented by three-dimensional point sequence data (XYZ coordinates). On the travel route A, multiple marks M (described later) are set, which are used to instruct the mobile unit 2 on its operation (task).

The operation control device 1 is mounted on a moving object 2. The operation control device 1 includes an input device 3, a self-position estimator 4, a memory unit 5, an operation control controller 6, and a controlled object 7.

The input device 3 is a device that allows the user to set the destination of the mobile unit 2 and select the travel route of the mobile unit 2, and is configured, for example, as a touch panel.

The self-position estimator 4 estimates the current self-position of the moving body 2. The self-position estimator 4 estimates the self-position of the moving body 2, for example, based on detection data from a laser sensor and map information. The laser sensor measures the distance to objects present around the moving body 2 by irradiating a laser around the moving body 2 and receiving the reflected laser light.

The self-position estimator 4 estimates the self-position of the mobile unit 2 using a laser SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) method. SLAM is a self-position estimation technology that estimates the self-position using sensor data and map data. The self-position estimator 4 matches the detection data of the laser sensor with map information to estimate the self-position of the mobile unit 2.

The memory unit 5 stores information on a plurality of traveling units, a plurality of operation data numbers, a plurality of operation data, and a plurality of mark M information (see FIG. 4). The information on the traveling units includes the traveling unit number and point sequence data.

The traveling units are generated by dividing a predetermined traveling route A into units, as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In other words, the traveling route A is made up of multiple traveling units.

In FIG. 3, the traveling unit A1 is a straight path. The traveling unit A2 is a path with a bent portion 8L bent on the left side. The traveling unit A3 is a path with a bent portion 8R bent on the right side. The traveling unit A4 is a path with a bent portion 8L bent on the left side. The traveling unit A5 is a path with a bent portion 8R bent on the right side. The traveling unit A6 is a path with a curved portion curved on the right side. The traveling unit A7 is a straight path. The traveling unit A8 is a path with a curved portion curved on the left side. The traveling unit A9 is a straight path. The traveling unit A10 is a straight path. Here, the destination P is set to the traveling unit A3 (see FIG. 2). Note that the traveling units A6, A7, and A9 are omitted in FIG. 3(b).

The bent portion 8L of the traveling units A2 and A4 and the bent portion 8R of the traveling units A3 and A5 form a curved portion that bends the moving body 2 to the left or right. The front portions of the bent portions 8L and 8R in the traveling units A2 and A5 form an overlapping region. The front portions of the bent portions 8R and 8L in the traveling units A3 and A4 form an overlapping region.

One end of running unit A2 is connected to running unit A1, and the other end of running unit A2 is connected to running units A3 and A4. One end of running unit A3 is connected to running unit A2, and the other end of running unit A3 is connected to running unit A6. Running units A1, A4 to A10 are omitted.

The operation data number is linked data linked to the driving unit, as shown in FIG. 4(a). The driving unit and the operation data number are stored in the memory unit 5 as linking table data.

As shown in FIG. 4(b), the operation data is set for the operation data number. The operation data is data that represents the operation operation instructions for the mobile unit 2. The operation operations include speed change, temporary stop, horn sound, turn signal on, intersection entry request, and obstacle area switching. The operation data number and operation data are stored in the memory unit 5 together with the number of the mark M as table data for operation operations.

The mark M is a virtual mark that indicates the instructed position of the operation of the moving body 2. The marks M are set in order starting from number 1. The marks M are represented by three-dimensional point sequence data. At least one mark M is set for each traveling unit.

In FIG. 3, mark M1 is set on running unit A1. Mark M2 is set on running unit A2. Mark M3 is set on running unit A3. Marks M4a and M4b are set on running unit A4. Mark M5 is set on running unit A5. Mark M6 is set on running unit A6. Mark M8 is set on running unit A8. For convenience, the marks M set on running units A7, A9, and A10 are omitted.

The driving action performed at mark M1 is a speed change. The driving action performed at mark M2 is an intersection entry request and turning on the left blinker. The driving action performed at mark M3 is turning on the right blinker and stopping. The driving action performed at mark M4a is turning on the left blinker. The driving action performed at mark M4b is sounding the horn. The driving action performed at mark M5 is turning on the right blinker. The driving action performed at marks M6 and M8 is a speed change. Turning on the left blinker and the right blinker is an action that temporarily turns on the left and right blinkers for a specified period of time.

In a traveling unit having bends 8L and 8R, a mark M indicating the position where the moving body 2 performs a driving operation related to turning left or right is set in front of the bends 8L and 8R. Driving operations related to turning left or right of the moving body include turning on the turn signal and switching between obstacle areas.

For example, in traveling unit A2, mark M2 is set just before the bend 8L. In traveling unit A3, mark M3 is set just before the bend 8R. In traveling unit A4, mark M4a is set just before the bend 8L. In traveling unit A5, mark M5 is set just before the bend 8R.

Returning to FIG. 1, the operation control controller 6 is composed of a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input/output interface, etc. The operation control controller 6 has a destination acquisition unit 11, a current position acquisition unit 12, a route search unit 13, an operation data extraction unit 14, and an operation control unit 15.

The destination acquisition unit 11 acquires the destination P of the mobile unit 2 that is set and input by the input device 3. The destination acquisition unit 11 cooperates with the input device 3 to configure a destination setting unit that acquires the destination P.

The current position acquisition unit 12 acquires the current self-position of the mobile unit 2 estimated by the self-position estimator 4. The current position acquisition unit 12 cooperates with the self-position estimator 4 to constitute a position detection unit that detects the current position of the mobile unit 2.

The route search unit 13 searches for a route from the current position of the mobile unit 2 to the destination P based on the destination P of the mobile unit 2 acquired by the destination acquisition unit 11 and the current position of the mobile unit 2 acquired by the current position acquisition unit 12, and determines the traveling units that form the route to the destination P from the multiple operation data stored in the memory unit 5.

At this time, the route search unit 13 searches for a route so that the ends of the traveling units are connected. The route search unit 13 also searches for a route using any route search method. For example, the Dijkstra algorithm or the A* search algorithm is used as a method for solving the shortest route.

The operation data extraction unit 14 extracts operation data corresponding to the driving unit determined by the route search unit 13 from the multiple operation data stored in the memory unit 5.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the operation data extraction unit 14 first extracts an operation data number corresponding to the traveling unit determined by the route search unit 13 from the operation data numbers stored in the memory unit 5 (step S101). Next, the operation data extraction unit 14 extracts the operation data corresponding to the operation data number (step S102).

The operation control unit 15 controls the control object 7 to operate the moving body 2 according to the operation data extracted by the operation data extraction unit 14. The control object 7 includes a drive unit that drives the moving body 2, a braking unit that brakes the moving body 2, a steering unit that steers the moving body 2, a turn signal switch unit that turns on the turn signal of the moving body 2, a horn switch unit that sounds the horn of the moving body 2, and the like.

In the operation control device 1 as described above, the user sets and inputs the destination P of the moving body 2 using the input device 3, and the current self-position of the moving body 2 is estimated by the self-position estimator 4.

Then, the route search unit 13 of the operation control controller 6 searches for a route from the current position of the mobile unit 2 to the destination P, and determines the traveling units that form the route to the destination P. For the traveling route A shown in FIG. 3, traveling units A1 to A3 are determined as the traveling route from the current position of the mobile unit 2 to the destination P.

Then, the operation data extraction unit 14 of the operation control controller 6 extracts the operation data number corresponding to the traveling unit determined by the route search unit 13, and extracts the operation data corresponding to that operation data number.

For the travel route A shown in FIG. 3, first, operation data number 10 corresponding to travel unit A1 is extracted, and then the operation data corresponding to operation data number 10 is extracted. The operation data corresponding to operation data number 10 is a speed change (see FIG. 4).

Furthermore, operation data number 20 corresponding to driving unit A2 is extracted, and operation data corresponding to operation data number 20 is extracted. The operation data corresponding to operation data number 20 is intersection entry application and left turn signal lighting (see FIG. 4).

Furthermore, operation data number 30 corresponding to driving unit A3 is extracted, and operation data corresponding to operation data number 30 is extracted. The operation data corresponding to operation data number 30 is turning on the right turn signal and stopping temporarily (see FIG. 4).

Then, the moving body 2 starts traveling toward the destination P. When the moving body 2 passes the mark M1 set on the traveling unit A1, the content of the operation data corresponding to the operation data number 10 is implemented. In other words, the control object 7 is controlled so that the speed of the moving body 2 is changed.

After that, when the moving object 2 passes through the mark M2 set on the driving unit A2, the contents of the operation data corresponding to the operation data number 20 are implemented. In other words, an application to enter the intersection is made to the higher-level system, and the control object 7 is controlled so that the left turn signal is turned on for a predetermined period of time. The moving object 2 then turns left at the bend 8L of the driving unit A2 and drives.

After that, when the moving body 2 passes mark M3 set on the driving unit A3, the contents of the operation data corresponding to operation data number 30 are implemented. In other words, the control object 7 is controlled so that the right turn signal is turned on for a predetermined period of time, and the control object 7 is controlled so that the moving body 2 temporarily stops. The moving body 2 then turns right at the bend 8R of the driving unit A3 and drives. The moving body 2 then stops when it reaches the destination P.

Next, a method for creating the above-mentioned operation data will be described. Note that the operation data is created in advance and stored in the storage unit 5 before the operation control device 1 described above is put into operation.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an operation data creation system for implementing an operation data creation method according to one embodiment of the present invention. The operation data creation method according to this embodiment is implemented by a user.

In FIG. 6, the operation data creation system 20 includes a personal computer 21 operated by a user, and a driving route input unit 22 for inputting a driving route A to the personal computer 21. The storage unit 5 is connected to the personal computer 21.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the process by which the user creates operation data using the personal computer 21. In Figure 7, the user first acquires the driving route A input by the driving route input unit 22 and displays it on the screen of the personal computer 21 (step S111). This step corresponds to a driving route acquisition step of acquiring the driving route A in cooperation with the input operation of the driving route input unit 22 to input the driving route A.

Next, the user divides the travel route A into units to generate multiple travel units, as shown in FIG. 3 (step S112). This step corresponds to a unitization step in which the travel route A acquired in the travel route acquisition step is divided into units to generate multiple travel units.

Next, the user creates operation data numbers linked to the multiple driving units as linked data (step S113), as shown in FIG. 4(a). This step corresponds to the linked data creation step of creating operation data numbers linked to the driving units generated in the unitization step.

Next, the user creates operation data corresponding to each operation data number, as shown in FIG. 4(b) (step S114). This step corresponds to the operation data creation step of creating operation data corresponding to the traveling units created in the unitization step.

Then, the user stores in the memory unit 5 information about the driving unit, the operation data number, the operation data, and information about the mark M indicating the position where the contents of the operation data are implemented (step S115).

As described above, in this embodiment, a predetermined travel route A is divided into units to generate a plurality of travel units, and operation data corresponding to each of these travel units is created. When the mobile unit 2 is actually operated along the travel route A to the destination P, a route search to the destination P is performed to determine the travel units that form the route to the destination P, operation data corresponding to the travel units is extracted, and the mobile unit 2 operates according to the operation data. When a travel unit is determined by the route search to the destination P in this way, operation data corresponding to the travel unit is extracted. Therefore, the user does not have to create operation data for the mobile unit 2 one by one every time a combination from the current position of the mobile unit 2 to the destination P is added. This reduces the amount of operation data created for the mobile unit 2.

In addition, in this embodiment, the operation data number associated with the traveling unit is extracted, and the operation data corresponding to that operation data number is extracted, thereby obtaining operation data corresponding to the traveling unit. Therefore, when the traveling units are different but the operation data content is the same, it is not necessary to create operation data corresponding to the traveling unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation data of traveling units A1, A6, and A8 is the same, so by setting the operation data numbers of traveling units A1, A6, and A8 to the same, it is not necessary to create operation data corresponding to traveling units A1, A6, and A8 respectively. Therefore, the amount of operation data created is further reduced.

In addition, in this embodiment, when the moving body 2 turns left or right, a traveling unit is generated that has a bend 8L that turns the moving body 2 to the left or a bend 8R that turns the moving body 2 to the right, and operation data is created that performs an operation related to a left or right turn of the moving body 2 before the bends 8L, 8R. Therefore, the contents of the operation data that performs an operation related to a left or right turn of the moving body 2 (for example, turning on the left or right turn signal) can be easily set.

In addition, in this embodiment, a route search to the destination P is automatically performed based on the destination P of the mobile unit 2 and the current position of the mobile unit 2, and the traveling unit that forms the route to the destination P is determined. Therefore, the user does not have to select the route to the destination P.

In addition, in this embodiment, the memory unit 5 stores information on a plurality of marks M that indicate the instructed positions of the operation operation of the moving body 2, and at least one mark M is set on the traveling unit. Therefore, the contents of the operation data are instructed to the moving body 2 at an appropriate position of the traveling unit, so that the contents of the operation data can be reliably implemented.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the linking table data showing the correspondence between the traveling unit number and the operation data number is stored, but such linking table data may include the number of the mark M set on the traveling unit and the point sequence data (XYZ coordinates) of the traveling unit in addition to the correspondence between the traveling unit number and the operation data number.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the operation data number linked to the driving unit is extracted, and the operation data corresponding to that operation data number is extracted, but this is not particularly limited to this form, and it is also possible to make it a rule that driving unit = operation data number, and to eliminate the operation data number linked to the driving unit.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a route search to the destination P is automatically performed based on the destination P set and input by the input device 3 and the current position of the mobile unit 2 estimated by the self-position estimator 4, and the traveling unit that forms the route to the destination P is determined, but this is not limited to a particular form, and the user may perform a route search using the input device 3 and select a traveling unit.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the user creates the operation data using the personal computer 21, but this is not limited to this form, and the controller may automatically generate the driving unit and create the operation data based on the driving route A.

In the above embodiment, the self-position estimator 4 estimates the self-position of the moving body 2 using a laser SLAM method, but this is not limited to a particular form. The self-position estimator 4 may estimate the self-position of the moving body 2 using, for example, a realtime kinematic-global navigation satellite system (RTK-GNSS) positioning method or the like.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the driving route A is represented by point sequence data of XYZ coordinates, but this is not limited to this form, and the driving route A may be represented by pixel data of a map (grid map) handled by SLAM, for example.

In addition, while the above embodiment is applied to an autonomous towing vehicle, the present invention can also be applied to autonomous forklifts, towing vehicles, etc.

1...operation control device, 2...mobile body, 3...input device (destination setting unit), 4...self-position estimator (position detection unit), 5...storage unit, 8L, 8R...bend section (curved section), 11...destination acquisition unit (destination setting unit), 12...current position acquisition unit (position detection unit), 13...route search unit, 14...operation data extraction unit, 15...operation control unit, A...travel route, A1 to A10...travel units, M...mark, P...destination.

Claims (4)

A travel control device that travels a moving object along a travel route to a destination,
A storage unit that stores information on a plurality of traveling units generated by dividing the entire traveling route into units and a plurality of operation data representing instructions for operation operations of the moving object;
a route search unit that determines a traveling unit that forms a route to the destination from the plurality of operation data stored in the storage unit by searching for a route to the destination;
an operation data extraction unit that extracts operation data corresponding to the traveling unit determined by the route search unit from the plurality of operation data stored in the storage unit;
an operation control unit that controls the moving body to operate in accordance with the operation data extracted by the operation data extraction unit ,
The traveling unit includes a straight path, a path having a curved portion turning to the left, and a path having a curved portion turning to the right;
One end of any one of the plurality of traveling units is connected to another traveling unit, and the other end of any one of the traveling units is connected to a traveling unit different from the other traveling unit,
The operation data is set for each of the traveling units,
The driving operations include changing speed, stopping, turning on a left blinker, and turning on a right blinker;
The route search unit is an operation control device that searches for a route to the destination so that the ends of the traveling units are connected to each other . A destination setting unit that sets the destination;
a position detection unit that detects a current position of the moving object,
The operation control device according to claim 1 , wherein the route search unit searches for a route to the destination based on the destination set by the destination setting unit and the current position of the mobile object detected by the position detection unit. The storage unit further stores a plurality of operation data numbers associated with the traveling unit,
3. The operation control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation data extraction unit extracts an operation data number corresponding to the traveling unit determined by the route search unit from the multiple operation data numbers stored in the memory unit, and extracts the operation data corresponding to the operation data number . The storage unit further stores information on a plurality of marks representing instruction positions of operation actions of the moving object,
4. The operation control device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the marks is set on the traveling unit.

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