Mobile body system

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique capable of obtaining the relative positional relationship between sensors even when the number of sensors provided in a moving body and their installation positions are changed. The mobile body system includes: a mobile body (1); a plurality of sensors (2) including a first sensor (2A) and a second sensor (2B) provided at different positions in a mobile body coordinate system (CM); and a control device (100) that implements at least a position measurement function based on sensor data. Each sensor (2) is a type of sensor capable of detecting the position of the sensor itself within a spatial coordinate system (CS). When the mobile body (1) moves within an environment (101), the control device (100) identifies the positions of the first sensor and the second sensor within the spatial coordinate system (CS) based on the respective sensor data, obtains a first trajectory of the first sensor and a second trajectory of the second sensor in terms of time series, and calculates the relative positional relationship (105) between the first sensor and the second sensor in the mobile body coordinate system (CM) based on a comparison of the shapes of the trajectories, and sets it in the mobile body (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technology of a mobile body system, and to the technology of measuring the position of a mobile body, etc. Background Art

[0002] In a mobile body system having a function of measuring the position of a mobile body (sometimes referred to as a position measurement function), etc., a sensor is provided in the mobile body. The sensor is a type of sensor that can at least detect a position or calculate a position based on sensor data. Examples of such a sensor include a distance measurement sensor such as a laser scanner and a GPS receiver. The mobile body system can use the information of the sensor to implement a position measurement function and a function of generating a map around the mobile body, etc.

[0003] As an example of the prior art of the above mobile body system, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-97402 (Patent Document 1) can be cited. In Patent Document 1, as a "peripheral map generation method", etc., it is described that a self-position estimation device of a mobile robot generates the latest self-position / attitude data by matching the distance data of a laser range finder (LRF) with a map.

[0004] Prior Art Documents

[0005] Patent Documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-97402 Summary of the Invention

[0007] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] In the mobile body system of the prior art example, for example, in a positioning system and a map generation system, etc., sometimes multiple (for example, two) sensors are provided in one mobile body. The purpose of such a setting depends on the details of the function and use of the mobile body system, etc. Examples can include ensuring a wider detection range, calculating one position using multiple sensor data, and implementing a redundant structure.

[0009] As an example, in a mobile body system where the mobile body is an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) or an autonomous mobile robot, etc., sometimes multiple distance measurement sensors are provided in the mobile body. Depending on the application environment such as a factory, the types and shapes of the mobile bodies applied, the positions and directions of the sensor settings, etc. are various. For the same mobile body, there are also cases where the positions and directions of multiple sensors are changed.

[0010] In the past, when changing the installation positions of multiple sensors in a moving body or the like, it has sometimes been difficult to know the relative positional relationship between these sensors. For example, when the installation positions of two sensors in one moving body are fixed, the relative positional relationship between these sensors can also be initially set in advance, and there is no problem as long as there is no change. However, when the installation positions of the two sensors in the moving body have been changed, in the case of the relative positional relationship between the changed sensors, there are cases where it is difficult to measure with high precision and cases where it is time-consuming and laborious even for user settings. When the correctness of the setting of the relative positional relationship between the changed sensors is low, it also affects functions such as the position measurement function and the map generation function of the moving body system, and there is a risk that the accuracy of these functions will also decrease.

[0011] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for a moving body system that can also obtain the relative positional relationship between sensors and can improve the accuracy of functions such as the position measurement function in the case of setting multiple sensors in a moving body and in the case of changing the installation position and the like.

[0012] Technical means for solving the problem

[0013] A representative embodiment of the present invention has the following structure. A moving body system according to one embodiment includes: a moving body; a plurality of sensors including a first sensor and a second sensor provided at different positions in a moving body coordinate system of the moving body; and a control device that at least implements a position measurement function for measuring the position of the moving body in a space coordinate system based on a plurality of sensor data of the plurality of sensors. The first sensor and the second sensor are sensors of a type that can detect the position of the present sensor in the space coordinate system. When the moving body moves in an environment, the control device identifies the position of the first sensor and the position of the second sensor in the space coordinate system based on the first sensor data of the first sensor and the second sensor data of the second sensor, and based on the position identification result, obtains a first trajectory of the first sensor and a second trajectory of the second sensor in time series. Using the first trajectory and the second trajectory, based on the comparison of the trajectory shapes, calculate the relative positional relationship between the position of the first sensor and the position of the second sensor in the moving body coordinate system of the moving body, and set information indicating the calculated relative positional relationship in the moving body.

[0014] Advantages of the invention

[0015] According to the representative embodiment of the present invention, for the technology of the moving body system, in the case of setting multiple sensors in the moving body and in the case of changing the installation position and the like, it is also possible to obtain the relative positional relationship between the sensors, and the accuracy of functions such as the position measurement function can be improved. Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram showing the structure of the mobile body system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 FIG. is a diagram showing the structure of the mobile body in Embodiment 1.

[0018] Figure 3 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the detection range of the sensor in Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the moving mechanism in Embodiment 1.

[0020] Figure 5 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the functional module structure of the mobile body system in Embodiment 1.

[0021] Figure 6 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the software and hardware of the position recognition device in Embodiment 1.

[0022] Figure 7 FIG. is a diagram showing the flow of the main process of the position recognition device in Embodiment 1.

[0023] Figure 8 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the trajectories of the mobile body and the first sensor in Embodiment 1.

[0024] Figure 9 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the trajectories of the mobile body and the second sensor in Embodiment 1.

[0025] Figure 10 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the shape of the trajectory corresponding to the sensor position in Embodiment 1.

[0026] Figure 11 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the generation of the relative position parameter in Embodiment 1.

[0027] Figure 12 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the tentative trajectory of the tentative position of the second sensor in Embodiment 1.

[0028] Figure 13 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the matching process between the tentative trajectory and the second trajectory using the rotation parameter in Embodiment 1.

[0029] Figure 14 FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the matching process in the case where the sensor data is not synchronized in time in Embodiment 1.

[0030] Figure 15This is a diagram showing an example of detection performed by the first sensor in the environment in Embodiment 1.

[0031] Figure 16 This is a diagram showing an example of detection performed by the second sensor in the environment in Embodiment 1.

[0032] Figure 17 This is a diagram showing an example of the first map obtained by the first sensor in Embodiment 1.

[0033] Figure 18 This is a diagram showing an example of the second map obtained by the second sensor in Embodiment 1.

[0034] Figure 19 This is a diagram showing an example of the association between the first map and the second map in Embodiment 1. Detailed Embodiment

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are generally assigned to the same parts, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

[0036] (Embodiment 1)

[0037] Use Figures 1 to 19 , the mobile body system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. The mobile body system according to Embodiment 1 has a function (sometimes referred to as a relative position relationship calculation function) capable of automatically adjusting (in other words, calibrating) the relative position relationship between a plurality of sensors provided in the mobile body. Even when the installation positions of the sensors in the mobile body or the like have changed, through the automatic adjustment of this function, it is possible to accurately set the installation positions of the respective sensors without the user having to make great efforts. Thus, the position measurement function and the like of the mobile body system can be maintained with high precision.

[0038] [Mobile Body System]

[0039] Figure 1 The structure of the mobile body system according to Embodiment 1 is shown. This mobile body system is a system applied in an environment 101 such as a factory. In the environment 101 such as a factory, production equipment 102 is installed in a building, for example. This mobile body system has a mobile body 1. The mobile body 1 is an AGV (or an autonomous mobile robot or the like) capable of transporting goods 103 such as products and parts without a driver in this example. The mobile body 1 is transported on a predetermined path in the factory and supplies the goods 103 to the production equipment 102, for example. The mobile body 1 has a control device 100, a sensor 2, a moving mechanism 3, a mounting mechanism 4, etc. in a housing 10. The control device 100 is a device for controlling the mobile body 1.

[0040] In addition, for the sake of explanation, notations such as X, Y, and Z may sometimes be used to represent the coordinate system and direction.Figure 1 In this case, the spatial coordinate system CS of the environment 101 is represented by (X, Y, Z). The origin of the spatial coordinate system CS is set at an arbitrary position. Figure 1 The moving body 1 is arranged in this spatial coordinate system CS such that the front-rear direction corresponds to the X direction, the left-right direction corresponds to the Y direction, and the up-down / height direction corresponds to the Z direction. In addition, the coordinate system in the moving body 1 is taken as the moving body coordinate system CM and is represented by (x, y, z). The origin of the moving body coordinate system CM is set at an arbitrary position, for example, a representative position of the moving body 1.

[0041] The moving mechanism 3 is, for example, a mechanism including wheels and a drive unit, etc. The drive unit includes, for example, an electric motor and a drive circuit, etc. In this example, the moving mechanism 3 is a mechanism capable of moving forward and backward and turning left and right with wheels (described later Figure 4 ), but it is not limited thereto. The mounting mechanism 4 is a structural part for stably mounting the cargo 103, and the details are not limited. There are various types of mounting mechanisms 4 corresponding to uses, etc., and for example, it is a structural part including a conveyor, etc.

[0042] Figure 1 In the example of, the housing 10 of the moving body 1 has, as its shape, a flat plate-shaped first part 10a parallel to the horizontal plane and a flat plate-shaped second part 10b erected in the vertical direction from a part of the first part 10a, but it is not limited thereto. Inside the first part 10a, a moving mechanism 3 including two front-rear axles and four front-rear-left-right wheels is provided. A control device 100 is built inside the second part 10b. The control device 100 may also be provided so as to be exposed outward on the second part 10b, etc. In addition, in this example, as a regulation regarding the direction observed from the moving body 1, as shown in the figure, the direction where the second part 10b exists is taken as the front, the direction where it does not exist is taken as the rear, and the left-right direction is regulated with respect to this front-rear direction, but it is not limited thereto.

[0043] A plurality of sensors 2, in this example, two sensors 2 (2A, 2B), are provided in the moving body 1. The two sensors 2 are taken as the first sensor, namely sensor 2A, and the second sensor, namely sensor 2B. In Embodiment 1, each sensor 2 is a distance measuring sensor, particularly a two-dimensional laser scanner (laser range finder: sometimes also referred to as LRF, etc.). The control device 100 can calculate the position of the sensor 2 based on the distance measurement data of the sensor 2. The meaning of two-dimensional is that it can detect the distance of an object in a plane (in this example, the horizontal plane) centered on the direction of the sensor 2. This laser scanner, namely sensor 2, detects and measures the distance of objects in various directions around the moving body 1 as feature points. The sensor 2 in this example plays the role of a safety sensor in realizing functions such as safe automatic conveyance of the moving body 1 in the moving body system.

[0044] Each sensor 2 can be of any type as long as it can measure or calculate its own position (especially the trajectory of its position over time) in the spatial coordinate system CS within the mobile body system, without limiting the details. In other words, sensor 2 only needs to be of a type that can at least implement the position measurement function. Sensor 2 can be a type of sensor that can detect its own position, or a type of sensor that can calculate the position based on the sensor data of sensor 2 by a control device 100 or the like. The position measurement function can be implemented by sensor 2 alone or by a combination with a control device 100 or the like. In the former case, the sensor data output by sensor 2 includes information on the position and orientation of sensor 2. In the latter case, the control device 100 calculates the position and orientation of sensor 2 based on the sensor data of sensor 2.

[0045] In particular, sensor 2 is a type of sensor that can detect or calculate the position and orientation of sensor 2. The orientation of sensor 2 is, in other words, the state of direction and rotation. In Embodiment 1, sensor 2 is a distance measurement sensor, especially a laser scanner, so the control device 100 calculates the state of the position and orientation of each sensor 2 based on the distance measurement data from sensor 2.

[0046] As shown in the figure, two sensors 2 (2A, 2B) are arranged at different positions (sometimes also referred to as the installation positions) in the mobile body coordinate system CM of the mobile body 1. In this example, the first sensor, namely sensor 2A, is arranged at a position slightly to the right of the center on the top surface of the second part 10b on the front side of the first part 10a of the housing 10. The second sensor, namely sensor 2B, is arranged at a position near the left corner on the top surface of the rear side of the first part 10a.

[0047] Figure 1 The multiple sensors 2 (2A, 2B) arranged in the mobile body 1 are distance measurement sensors with the same functions and specifications, but are not limited thereto, and can also be multiple sensors 2 with different types and specifications. Sensor 2 is not limited to distance measurement sensors such as laser scanners, and acceleration sensors, gyro sensors, geomagnetic sensors, GPS receivers, etc. can also be used.

[0048] [Mobile body]

[0049] Figure 2 Shows (A) a side view and (B) a top view as Figure 1Structure of the moving body 1. In the side view (corresponding to the X-Z plane) of (A), the position of the sensor 2A in the moving body coordinate system CM (represented by a black dot) is denoted as PA, and in particular, the height position is denoted as ZA. The position of the sensor 2B is denoted as PB, and in particular, the height position ZB is denoted as ZB. The height position of the ground 200, which is the horizontal plane on which the wheels of the moving body 1, particularly the moving mechanism 3, travel, is set to Z = 0.

[0050] In particular, in Embodiment 1, the set height positions (ZA, ZB) of the two sensors 2 (2A, 2B) are different. The height position ZA of the sensor 2A is above the height position ZB of the sensor 2B (ZA > ZB > 0). As a comparative example, in the case where the moving body 1 has a structure with one sensor 2 or a structure where the height positions of multiple sensors 2 are the same, the position measurement function of the moving body system is a function of measuring the position of the moving body on the horizontal plane corresponding to that one height position. Or, the map generation function is a function of generating a map representing the shape of the objects on the horizontal plane corresponding to that one height position. In contrast, the position measurement function in Embodiment 1 is a function of measuring the position of the moving body 1 based on the positions of the respective sensors 2 on the two horizontal planes corresponding to the two height positions. Or, the map generation function (described later) is a function of generating a map representing the shape of the objects on the two horizontal planes corresponding to the two height positions.

[0051] (In the top view (corresponding to the X-Y plane) of (B), with the position PA of the sensor 2A as the reference / origin, the coordinate system CA of the sensor 2A is represented by (x, y). The x-axis is the installation direction of the sensor 2A. Similarly, with the position PB of the sensor 2B as the reference / origin, the coordinate system CB of the sensor 2B is represented by (x, y). The x-axis is the installation direction of the sensor 2B. The sensors 2A and 2B respectively detect within a specified angular range (described later) Figure 3 ) centered on the x-axis. In addition, the coordinate systems (CA, CB) of the respective sensors 2 are (x, y, z) in three dimensions.

[0052] The sensor 2 has a direction (sometimes also denoted as the installation direction) as the reference for installation and detection. The installation direction of the sensor 2A is denoted as θA, and the installation direction of the sensor 2B is denoted as θB. The direction of this sensor 2 is the reference direction when emitting laser light. In this example, the direction of the sensor 2A is the forward direction on the X-axis, which is the x-axis direction in the coordinate system CA. The direction of the sensor 2B is a direction different from the X-axis in a relative relationship of an angle Δθ, which is a direction roughly obliquely left rearward, and is the x-axis direction in the coordinate system CB.

[0053] Regarding the setting direction of the sensor 2, there are also cases where it changes together with the setting position. The relative position relationship calculation function in Embodiment 1 is a function for calculating the relative position relationship 105 including the relationship between the positions and directions of the sensors 2.

[0054] The position PA of the sensor 2A and the position PB of the sensor 2B can be expressed as (xA, yA, zA) and (xB, yB, zB), respectively, as coordinate values in the moving body coordinate system CM(x, y, z). In addition, the position PA of the sensor 2A and the position PB of the sensor 2B are expressed by different coordinate values in the space coordinate system CS.

[0055] Regarding the relationship of the position coordinates in particular among the relative position relationships 105 between the two sensors 2 (2A, 2B), it is expressed by the values Δx, Δy, Δz shown in the figure. The values Δx, Δy, Δz are the differences in the position PB(xB, yB, zB) of the origin of the coordinate system CB of the sensor 2B relative to the position PA(xA, yA, zA) of the origin of the coordinate system CA of the sensor 2A. For example, Δx = xB - xA. As another expression, the value Δx is the difference in the X coordinate value of the position PB of the sensor 2B in the space coordinate system CS relative to the X coordinate value of the position PA of the sensor 2A in the space coordinate system CS. The same applies to Δy and Δz.

[0056] In addition, in this example, when obtaining the relative position relationship 105, taking the first sensor, that is, the sensor 2A as a reference, the relationship between the position and direction of the second sensor 2B relative to the first sensor is obtained. Conversely, the same also holds. Figure 2 In, the relative position relationship 105, especially the relationship of the position coordinates, is expressed as a vector vAB.

[0057] In addition, regarding the relationship of the directions in particular among the relative position relationships 105 between the two sensors 2 (2A, 2B), it is expressed by the value Δθ shown in the figure. The value Δθ is the difference in the directions (θA, θB) of the sensors 2 (2A, 2B). The direction θA of the sensor 2A is the positive direction of the x-axis of the coordinate system CA (the angle is 0 degrees). The direction θB of the sensor 2B is the positive direction of the x-axis of the coordinate system CB (the angle is 0 degrees). The value Δθ representing the direction relationship is, as shown in the figure, the angle from the direction θA of the sensor 2A to the direction θB of the sensor 2B, Δθ = θB - θA.

[0058] The relative position relationship calculation function in this mobile body system obtains at least the values (Δx, Δy) representing the above position relationship as the relative position relationship 105 between the sensors 2. Specifically, this relative position relationship calculation function also obtains the value Δθ representing the above direction relationship. Not limited to this, the relative position relationship calculation function can also be considered to be able to obtain three-dimensionally Figure 2(A) The function of the value Δz in the Z direction.

[0059] [Sensor]

[0060] There are restrictions on the positions and directions of multiple (two) sensors provided for the moving body 1. Multiple sensors 2 cannot be provided at the same position. For example, even if they are densely provided, the exact positions are different. In addition, multiple sensors 2 are provided at selected vacant positions so as not to interfere with other parts of the moving body 1, such as the moving mechanism 3 and the mounting mechanism 4. In addition, multiple sensors 2 are provided at selected positions in such a way that, for example, the laser is not blocked in order not to interfere with the functions of the sensors 2 themselves.

[0061] Each sensor 2 selects and sets the position and direction in such a way as to form a prescribed detection range as shown in the example of Figure 3 . At this time, it is necessary to select an appropriate setting in such a way that, for example, the laser is not blocked by parts such as the mounting mechanism 4 in accordance with the shape of the moving body 1. The shape of the moving body 1 and the like vary depending on the application environment and use, but the position and direction of the sensor 2 can be changed accordingly. In addition, after the sensor 2 is set at a certain position for the purpose of fixation, there may be a case where it deviates from the user's intention and a deviation from that position occurs. For example, it is possible to consider a case where the sensor 2 collides with an object and its position is slightly shifted.

[0062] As described above, multiple sensors 2 are determined in such a way as to form a prescribed detection range ( Figure 3 ) etc. in accordance with the application environment, use, functions (map generation function, etc.), type and shape of the moving body 1, user operation, etc. of the moving body system, and the setting position and direction on the moving body 1 can be appropriately changed. The relative position relationship calculation function in the moving body system of Embodiment 1 can accurately and easily obtain the relative position relationship 105 between the sensors 2 and automatically adjust in accordance with the change in the setting state of such sensors 2. The relative position relationship calculation function calculates the relative position relationship 105 using a mechanism that matches the shape of the trajectories of the sensors 2 as described later ( Figure 7 ). Then, the moving body system can accurately implement functions such as a position measurement function and a map generation function based on the highly accurate relative position relationship 105 as a result.

[0063] In addition, particularly in Embodiment 1, as a setting restriction or intentional design of the sensor 2, as in Figure 2As shown, the height positions (ZA, ZB) of the sensors 2 are different. Therefore, in the case of conforming to the prior art, the maps that can be generated by the map generation function described later are basically a plurality (two) of different maps corresponding to the respective height positions of each sensor 2. In the case where there are such different multiple maps, when the relative position relationship 105 is unclear or has low accuracy, the correlation between these maps is also unclear or has low accuracy. Therefore, it may be difficult for the user or the moving body 1 to know Figure 1 the shape, etc. of the same object, such as a building and a production facility 102, etc. in the environment 101.

[0064] Thus, in the first embodiment, if the highly accurate relative position relationship 105 obtained by the relative position relationship calculation function is used for the map generation function, a map around the moving body 1 can be generated with high accuracy. Moreover, for the plurality (two) of map data corresponding to the respective height positions of each sensor 2 generated by this moving body system, the relative position relationship 105 is used for association. Thereby, these maps can be roughly processed as one map uniformly. As a result, an effect of being easy to know the shape, etc. of the same object in the environment 101 can be obtained.

[0065] [Sensor Detection Range]

[0066] Figure 3 A structural example showing the detection range of the sensor 2. The sensor 2 emits laser light in the detection range from the installation positions (PA, PB) and scans in all directions of the surrounding (in this example, the horizontal plane), and takes the points where the laser light irradiates the objects in the environment 101 as feature points and makes the laser light returning from the feature points enter. Then, the sensor 2 uses the so-called TOF (Time of flight) method to calculate the distance to the feature point corresponding to the direction based on the time from the emission to the incidence of the laser light. The output of the sensor 2, that is, the sensor data, in other words, the ranging data, has at least the angles α, β indicating the directions of observing the surrounding from the sensor 2 and the distance values (d) corresponding to the angles at each time point in time series.

[0067] Figure 3 (A) schematically shows in the horizontal plane (X-Y plane) the Figure 2 detection range of the sensor 2 corresponding to the structure of the moving body 1 of. Each sensor 2 takes the x-y plane in the horizontal plane and the sensor coordinate system as the detection object, in other words, the ranging object. The detection range 301 represents the detection range of the sensor 2A and is defined by the angular range 305 in the horizontal plane. The detection range 302 represents the detection range of the sensor 2B and is defined by the angular range 306 in the horizontal plane. In this example, the angular ranges 305 and 306 are greater than 180 degrees.

[0068] The detection directions of the sensors 2 are expressed by the angles (α, β) relative to the reference directions (directions θA, θB) in the horizontal plane. The sensor 2A sets the positive direction of the x-axis from the position PA as the reference direction and sets the angle α = 0 degrees, and emits laser light in the direction corresponding to the angle α (indicated by a dotted line) within the detection range 301. The black dots located in this direction are examples of the feature points 303 of the object, and have a distance 304 (value d). In addition, the actual feature points and the detection range cover positions farther from the moving body 1. The measurable distance depends on the type of the sensor 2 and the like. Similarly, the sensor 2B sets the positive direction of the x-axis from the position PB as the reference direction and sets the angle β = 0 degrees, and emits laser light in the direction corresponding to the angle β. In addition, the angles (α, β) in this example can take positive and negative values.

[0069] As shown in the figure, the detection ranges of the respective sensors 2 are different, and a part of the detection ranges may overlap between them, or there may be a part of the range that cannot detect the periphery of the moving body 1. For a part of the range that cannot be detected, it can be detected by changing the position and attitude of the moving body 1. As shown in the figure, since there are a plurality of sensors 2, a wide detection range of the moving body system can be ensured.

[0070] Figure 3 of (B) shows another setting example of the same two sensors 2 (2A, 2B) as in (A) in an example of the moving body 1 having a different shape. The moving body 1 does not have the second part 10b as shown in Figure 2 and has a flat plate-shaped first part 10a on the horizontal plane and a mounting mechanism 4 above it. On the top surface of the first part 10a, the sensor 2A is arranged at the position PA which is the center of the left and right in the front side of the x-axis in the moving body coordinate system CM in the forward direction θA. The sensor 2B is arranged at the position PB which is the center of the left and right in the rear side of the x-axis in the backward direction θB. In this example, the two sensors 2 are arranged at symmetric positions (PA, PB) in the front and rear with respect to the moving body 1. Correspondingly, the detection ranges (301, 302) of the two sensors 2 are configured as symmetric detection ranges in the front and rear. Figure 2 As shown in the above examples, in the case of a moving body system having basically the same function, the positions, directions, detection ranges, etc. of the plurality of sensors 2 can also be appropriately changed. By changing, it is possible to cope with various environments and uses.

[0071] As shown in the above examples, in the case of a moving body system having basically the same function, the positions, directions, detection ranges, etc. of the plurality of sensors 2 can also be appropriately changed. By changing, it is possible to cope with various environments and uses.

[0072] When the sensor 2 is a laser scanner, by rotating and driving the laser irradiation unit for scanning, laser can be emitted in all peripheral directions, and distance information for each direction can be obtained. The distance information can be transformed into position information of feature points based on the position of the sensor 2. Such position information of the surrounding objects observed from the moving body 1 or the sensor 2 represents the geometric shape of the objects, so it is sometimes also denoted as shape data.

[0073] In addition, a camera or the like can also be applied as the sensor 2. Or, a positioning system using sensors (such as RFID tags, beacons) set not in the moving body 1 but in the environment can also be applied. For example, in the case of using the stereo camera method, the distance to an object can be calculated based on the images of the left and right cameras.

[0074] [Moving mechanism]

[0075] Figure 4 The structure example of the moving mechanism 3 of the moving body 1 is shown in a schematic diagram on the horizontal plane (X - Y plane). Figure 1 In this example, the moving mechanism 3 is a mechanism that can move forward and backward, stop, and turn left and right. It has two axes and four wheels, and is, for example, a rear - wheel drive mechanism. The moving mechanism 3 has the left wheel 401 and the right wheel 402 on the front axle 410, and the left wheel 403 and the right wheel 404 on the rear axle 420. This moving mechanism 3 can, for example, independently control the speeds of the left and right wheels, and is a mechanism that can control turning by controlling the speed difference between the left and right wheels.

[0076] Figure 4 (A) of shows the state when moving forward (in the X direction). Regarding the position PM, the center point in the front - back, left - right directions is shown as an example of the representative position of the moving body 1 in the moving body coordinate system CM. In addition, the position PM1 is the center point of the left and right of the front axle 410, and the position PM2 is the center point of the left and right of the rear axle 420. In this state, the moving mechanism 3 moves forward by driving each wheel at the same rotational speed. The dotted trajectory 431 represents the trajectory when moving forward from the current position PM in the future.

[0077] Figure 4 (B) of shows the state when turning right. In this example, such a right - turning action is achieved by controlling the rotational speeds of the right wheels 402 and 404 to be smaller than those of the left wheels 401 and 403. The dotted trajectory 432 represents the trajectory when turning right from the current position PM in the future.

[0078] In addition, not limited to this example, the moving mechanism 3 may be any mechanism capable of traveling and turning. The moving mechanism 3 may be a mechanism with fixed wheel directions, a mechanism with steerable wheel directions, or a mechanism using components other than axles and wheels, such as omnidirectional wheels, crawlers, or leg structures. For example, the moving mechanism 3 may be a mechanism adopted in a floor cleaning robot or the like, such as a mechanism capable of independently controlling the direction and rotational speed of each wheel. The turning motion is not limited to the turning motion with an arc trajectory as shown in the figure.

[0079] In addition, the representative position ( Figure 4 position PM in) of the moving body 1 in the moving body coordinate system CM and the installation position of the sensor 2 are independent concepts. In addition, the positions of the sensor 2 and the like in the space coordinate system CS and the positions and relative position relationships 105 of the sensor 2 and the like in the moving body coordinate system CM are different concepts. The relative position relationship calculation function in the moving body system is a function for obtaining the relative relationships of the installation positions and installation directions of multiple sensors 2 in the moving body coordinate system CM.

[0080] The representative position ( Figure 4 position PM in) of the moving body 1 can be specified in advance, and the specifying method is not limited. This representative position can be specified using the positions (PA, PB) of the sensors 2 (2A, 2B). For example, this representative position can be the same as the position PA of a specific one sensor 2, such as sensor 2A, or it can also be set as the intermediate position between the two sensors 2 (2A, 2B). This representative position can be set as a specified position in the shape of the housing 10 or the like, such as the center position or the intermediate position of the axle (for example, positions PM1, PM2), etc. This representative position can be set as a position having a specified relative relationship (direction and distance) with the position of the sensor 2.

[0081] [Functional module structure]

[0082] Figure 5 The functional module structure of the moving body system according to Embodiment 1 is shown. The moving body 1 of this moving body system includes a control device 100, two sensors 2 (2A, 2B), a moving mechanism 3, etc. The control device 100 has a position recognition device 5 and a moving mechanism control device 6. The position recognition device 5 is realized by a microcomputer or the like, for example. The moving mechanism control device 6 is realized by a PLC (programmable logic controller) or the like, for example. In this example, the position recognition device 5 and the moving mechanism control device 6 are integrally realized as the control device 100, but it is not limited to this. The control device 100 may also have a part for driving and controlling the operation of the mounting mechanism 4.

[0083] The position recognition device 5 has functions such as a position measurement function (in other words, a position and attitude estimation function), an automatic conveyance control function, a map generation function, and a relative position relationship calculation function, etc. Figure 6 ) Based on the program processing performed by the processor 601 of Figure 6 , etc., the position recognition device 5 implements each part such as the sensor control unit 51. The position recognition device 5 has parts such as a sensor control unit 51, a position recognition unit 52, a map generation unit 53, a data storage unit 54, and an adjustment unit 55. In the data storage unit 54, data and information such as a first position recognition result 41A and a second position recognition result 41B as position recognition result data, a first map data 42A and a second map data 42B as map data, and relative position relationship data 43 are stored.

[0084] The sensor control unit 51 has a first sensor control unit 51A and a second sensor control unit 51B. The first sensor control unit 51A controls the sensor 2A and obtains sensor data SDA from the sensor 2A. The second sensor control unit 51B controls the sensor 2B and obtains sensor data SDB from the sensor 2B. The sensor data SDA and the sensor data SDB include ranging data at each time point in time series, that is, distance information for each angle representing a direction. The sensor control unit 51 holds the sensor data in time series in the memory for at least a certain period of time or more.

[0085] The position recognition unit 52 is an element that constitutes the position measurement function (especially the position and attitude estimation function), and is the part that uses the sensor data to identify the position and attitude of the sensor 2 in the space coordinate system. The position recognition unit 52 has a first position recognition unit 52A and a second position recognition unit 52B. The first position recognition unit 52A estimates the position and attitude of the sensor 2A based on the sensor data SDA, and uses the result as the first position recognition result 41A. Similarly, the second position recognition unit 52B estimates the position and attitude of the sensor 2B based on the sensor data SDB, and uses the result as the second position recognition result 41B.

[0086] As a processing example, the position recognition unit 52 generates shape data representing the geometry of surrounding objects based on the sensor data, that is, the ranging data, and compares and contrasts the shape data with the existing map data in the data storage unit 54. Then, the position recognition unit 52 estimates the position and attitude of the sensor 2 in the space coordinate system based on the result of the comparison.

[0087] The map generation unit 53 is an element that constitutes the map generation function, and is a part that uses the processing result obtained by the position recognition unit 52 to generate and update the environment 101 Figure 1) part of the processing of the map data. The map generation unit 53 uses the shape data generated by the position recognition unit 52 to generate new map data and update the existing map data. The map generation unit 53 includes a first map generation unit 53A and a second map generation unit 53B. The first map generation unit 53A uses the sensor data SDA and the first position recognition result 41A to generate the first map data 42A. Similarly, the second map generation unit 53B uses the sensor data SDB and the second position recognition result 41B to generate the second map data 42B. The first map data 42A is data representing the shapes of the objects around the moving body 1 on the horizontal plane of the height position ZA. The second map data 42B is data representing the shapes of the objects around the moving body 1 on the horizontal plane of the height position ZB. Figure 2 The data of the shapes of the objects around the moving body 1 on the horizontal plane of the height position ZA.

[0088] In the data storage unit 54, each data such as the first position recognition result 41A, the second position recognition result 41A, the first map data 42A, and the second map data 42B generated by the above processing is temporarily stored.

[0089] The adjustment unit 55 is an element constituting the relative position relationship calculation function, in other words, a relative position relationship calculation unit. The adjustment unit 55 refers to each data (41A, 41B, 42A, 42B) in the data storage unit 54 and calculates the relative position relationship between the sensors 2 ( Figure 1 and Figure 2 the relative position relationship 105 in). This processing is, in other words, the calibration processing between the sensor coordinate systems and is the processing for setting the position coordinates, etc. of each sensor 2 in the moving body coordinate system CM. When the adjustment unit 55 obtains the latest relative position relationship through the calculation described later ( Figure 7 ), it stores it in the data storage unit 54 as the relative position relationship data 43. This is equivalent to the latest setting regarding the sensors 2 and the position measurement function, etc., in other words, an automatic setting update.

[0090] The relative position relationship data 43 is data including sensor relative coordinate information, etc. Specifically, the relative position relationship data 43 is data representing the relative position relationship 105 as shown in Figure 2 and including the values (Δx, Δy) representing the position relationship and the value (Δθ) representing the direction relationship.

[0091] In addition, the position recognition device 5 can also output the relative position relationship data 43, etc. of the data storage unit 54 to the user in a display or other manner. For example, the position recognition device 5 provides a setting screen for the sensor 2 in a manner such as a Web page, etc., and displays the relative position relationship information obtained based on the relative position relationship data 43 on this setting screen, enabling the user to confirm and manually set. In this case, as the display of the relative position relationship information in the setting screen, for example, the above values (Δx, Δy, Δθ) can be displayed, or the relative position relationship information can be displayed together with a graph and an image representing the external structure of the moving body 1 as shown in Figure 2 etc. For example, the operator can pre-set the initial setting value of the relative position relationship of the sensor 2 in the setting screen of the position recognition device 5. After this initial setting, even if no one performs manual setting, the relative position relationship data 43 can be automatically set and updated according to the effective state of the relative position relationship calculation function.

[0092] The mobile body system can adopt a method of connecting to a control device 100 for the mobile body 1 and further communicating with devices such as a PC ( Figure 1 PC110 in it), etc. Such devices as the PC have an OS, application programs, etc. Regarding such application programs, those for performing user setting processing of the mobile body system, processing related to position measurement functions, automatic conveyance functions, map generation functions, etc. can be cited. Regarding such application programs, for example, programs that assist functions such as path setting for automatic conveyance and map viewing by users can be cited. The user can operate such devices as the PC and use these functions on the display screen. The user can also confirm the relative position relationship data 43 on the display screen of this device.

[0093] The adjustment unit 55 or the map generation unit 53 of the position recognition device 5 further uses the relative position relationship data 43 to perform processing for associating multiple (two) map data (first map data 42A and second map data 42B). Thereby, multiple (two) map data can be generally processed as one map data as a whole. The position recognition device 5 can also generate one map data by synthesis or the like based on multiple (two) map data. The user can view this one map data on the display screen of the PC110.

[0094] The mobile mechanism control device 6 includes components such as a drive control circuit. Using the position recognition result data obtained by the position recognition device 5 and map data, etc., it controls the actions of the mobile mechanism 3. The mobile mechanism control device 6 includes a position recognition device control unit 61 and a mobile mechanism control unit 62. The position recognition device control unit 61 communicates with the position recognition device 5 and obtains the data required for control from the position recognition device 5. The mobile mechanism control unit 62 controls the driving and turning actions performed by the mobile mechanism 3 based on the position of the mobile body 1 known by the position measurement function and the map data generated by the map generation function.

[0095] [Software and hardware]

[0096] Figure 6 Indicates an example of the implementation structure of the software and hardware of the position recognition device 5 including Figure 5 . The position recognition device 5 has a processor 601, a memory 603, an auxiliary storage device 605, a communication interface device 607, an input / output interface device 608, a power supply device 609, etc., which are interconnected through a bus, etc. The mobile body 1 may also have mechanisms such as an operation unit for user operation (not shown) in addition to this.

[0097] The processor 601 is composed of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., in other words, it is a controller. The processor 601, etc. may also be implemented by a programmable hardware circuit such as an FPGA. The processor 601 reads the programs stored in the auxiliary storage device 605, etc. and deploys them to the memory 603, and executes the processing conforming to the programs. Thus, Figure 5 each part such as the position recognition unit 52, etc. is implemented as an execution module. In the memory 603, a control program 630 and processing data 635 obtained by the processor 601, etc. are stored. The control program 630 includes a sensor control program 631, a position recognition program 632, a map generation program 633, an adjustment program 635, etc., and uses them to implement Figure 5 the sensor control unit 51, the position recognition unit 52, the map generation unit 53, the adjustment unit 55, etc. The processing data 640 is data such as map data, position recognition results, relative position relationship data, etc. (corresponding to Figure 5 each data of the data storage unit 54).

[0098] The auxiliary storage device 605 is composed of a non-volatile memory, a storage device, storage media such as disks and memory cards, or a DB server on a communication network, and pre-stores programs and various data. In the auxiliary storage device 605, for example, map data 651, sensor position recognition result data 652, and sensor relative position relationship data 653 are stored. The processor 601 reads the data in the auxiliary storage device 605 into the memory 603 as needed, and writes the data in the memory 603 into the auxiliary storage device 605 and stores it. The map data 651 is map data of the environment, and can be a map database (DB) that stores multiple map data, including each map data corresponding to Figure 5 the first map data 42A and the second map data 42B. Each map data is composed of an image, for example. The sensor position recognition result data 652 is data of the position recognition results of each sensor 2 (2A, 2B), corresponding to Figure 5 the first position recognition result 41A and the second position recognition result 41B, and includes information indicating the position and attitude in the environment at each time point. The sensor relative position relationship data 653 is data indicating the relative position relationship between the sensors 2 (2A, 2B), in other words, the setting data for the automatic adjustment of the sensor 2, corresponding to Figure 5 the relative position relationship data 43.

[0099] The communication interface device 607 performs communication processing corresponding to each communication interface between the sensor 2 and the mobile mechanism control device 6, or between the sensor 2 and external devices such as a PC and a server. The communication interface can be wired or wireless, and can be short-range communication or long-range communication. The input / output interface device 608 can connect an input device (such as a keyboard) and an output device (such as a display device), and perform processing corresponding to the interface with each device. The input device and the output device can also be mounted on the mobile body 1. The power supply device 609 is composed of a battery or the like, and supplies power to each part.

[0100] The processor 601 has at least the above-mentioned position measurement function (in other words, the position and attitude estimation function), automatic conveyance control function, map generation function, and relative position relationship calculation function, as functions implemented by program processing and the like. The position measurement function is a function of measuring the position of the mobile body 1 based on the sensor 2. The position and attitude estimation function is a function of estimating the position and attitude of the sensor 2. The position measurement function and the position and attitude estimation function are mainly implemented by Figure 5 the position recognition unit 52. The automatic conveyance control function is a function of controlling the automatic conveyance of the mobile body 1, for example, a function of making it travel on a set path in the environment 101 ( Figure 1 ) without colliding with surrounding objects. The map generation function is a function of generating and updating the map of the environment 101 based on the movement in the environment 101 and the sensor 2, and is mainly implemented byFigure 5 is implemented by the map generation unit 53. The relative position relationship calculation function is a function that automatically adjusts by calculating the relative position relationship 105 between the sensors 2 ( Figure 1 etc.), and is mainly implemented by Figure 5 the adjustment unit 55.

[0101] [Function]

[0102] The functions of the mobile body system are supplemented and explained. The position measurement function or the position and attitude estimation function is Figure 1 etc., and the control device 100 measures or estimates the position and attitude of the mobile body 1 in the space coordinate system CS of the environment 101 by calculating using the sensor data from the two sensors 2. The control device 100 uses the trajectories of the positions of the respective sensors 2 in the space coordinate system CS obtained by this function for the calculation in the relative position relationship calculation function.

[0103] In addition, the automatic conveyance control function is a function implemented by using the position measurement function and the position and attitude estimation function. The mobile body 1 controls appropriate automatic conveyance, such as safe conveyance on the path, based on the state of the position and attitude of the mobile body 1 obtained by these functions. Since this mobile body system has a plurality (two) of sensors 2, the total detection range can be widened, and the position detection by the position measurement function can be stably performed. As a result, appropriate automatic conveyance can be realized.

[0104] Furthermore, in this mobile body system, as a function constituted by a plurality of sensors 2, not only the position measurement function but also other functions can be provided. In the first embodiment, a map generation function is provided. The map generation function and the position and attitude estimation function together constitute a so-called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) function. SLAM is a method in which a mobile body such as an unmanned conveyance robot generates / updates a map of the surroundings while estimating its own position and attitude based on the detection of the surrounding conditions by sensors. That is, the map generation function is a function that can automatically generate or update a map of the surroundings of the mobile body 1 in the environment 101 based on the sensor data of the sensors 2 obtained as the mobile body 1 travels. This map is a map on a horizontal plane corresponding to the type of the sensor 2 (two-dimensional laser scanner) in this example, and is configured as image data representing the shapes of the objects in the environment 101. Since this mobile body system has a plurality (two) of sensors 2, the map generation of the map generation function can be performed more appropriately.

[0105] Then, the relative position relationship calculation function is a function of calculating and automatically setting the relative position relationship 105 between the sensors 2 in the moving body coordinate system CM based on the sensor data of the two sensors 2 (2A, 2B). The moving body 1 automatically sets this function to an effective state during normal driving, for example, and automatically adjusts the relative position relationship 105.

[0106] [SLAM function]

[0107] The following is a supplementary description of the configuration example of the SLAM function in the mobile body 1. The control device 100 is in the environment 101 ( Figure 1 ), for example, when automatically transported on a set path, the sensor 2 detects / measures surrounding objects. The control device 100 generates shape data representing the shapes of objects around the moving body 1 based on the position of the sensor 2, based on the sensor data from the sensor 2, that is, the distance measurement data. The control device 100 compares the shape data with the stored existing map data to infer the current position and posture of the moving body 1 in the environment 101 (corresponding map data) as a position recognition result. This inference is, for example, a process of evaluating / judging the degree of consistency or similarity between the shape data and the map data within a specified exploration range, and this degree can be evaluated, for example, based on the number of overlaps in pixel units, etc.

[0108] The control device 100 estimates the current position and posture of the moving body 1 in each section on the path, and controls the appropriate movement. The control device 100 determines the next target position on the path based on the current position and posture, and controls the moving mechanism 3 to move to the target position. At this time, the control device 100 controls the moving mechanism 3 in such a way that the relationship between the surrounding objects and the current position and posture of the moving body 1 becomes appropriate.

[0109] In addition, the control device 100 generates and registers new map data using the generated shape data while performing the above-mentioned position and posture estimation. Alternatively, the control device 100 updates the existing map data using the generated shape data. The control device 100 repeats the above-mentioned local planning processing for each section on the path.

[0110] [Processing Flow]

[0111] Figure 7 express Figure 5 1 and 2. This is a flow of main processing (particularly relative position relationship calculation) of the position recognition device 5 of the control device 100, particularly the adjustment unit 55. Figure 7 The process has steps S1 to S5. As a premise, based on Figure 5In the structure, the adjustment unit 55 inputs / acquires data of the position recognition results (41A, 41B) in time series over a certain period of time or more obtained as the moving body 1 travels, that is, trajectory data. Among the position recognition results, information on the position and attitude (angle indicating direction) of the sensor 2 in the space coordinate system CS is included.

[0112] In step S1, the adjustment unit 55 generates a relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy). The relative position parameter 700 is a parameter indicating Figure 2 the relationship of the positions (PA, PB) between the sensors 2 (2A, 2B) in the moving body coordinate system CM of the moving body 1 such as this. The relative position parameter 700 has, for example, a difference value Δx of the position PB of the sensor 2B in the x-axis direction with respect to the position PA of the sensor 2A as a reference, and a difference value Δy in the y-axis direction in the same way. In addition, in Embodiment 1, the positions (ZA, ZB) and the difference (Δz) in the z-axis direction are set to fixed set values and excluded from the calculation target. The relative position parameter 700 has values at each time point (t = 1,..., k,..., T) in time series, and is expressed, for example, as {(Δx1, Δy1),..., (Δxk, Δyk),..., (ΔxT, ΔyT)}. The suffix k represents a certain time point, and the suffix T represents the last time point.

[0113] In step S2, the adjustment unit 55 generates a trajectory 703 (sometimes also referred to as a tentative trajectory) of the "tentative position" (denoted as VPB) of the second sensor, that is, the sensor 2B, corresponding to each relative position parameter 700 in step S1 for the trajectory 701 (sometimes also referred to as the first trajectory) of the first position recognition result 41A of the first sensor, that is, the sensor 2A. This "tentative position" is a tentative position of the sensor 2B set for the matching process, and corresponds to the target position with the relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy) as a vector starting from the position PA of the sensor 2A at each time point (t). The tentative position VPB is generated as a plurality of candidates (denoted as VPB1,..., VPBn). The trajectory 701 of the first position recognition result 41A of the sensor 2A is expressed as a time series data, for example, as {(xA_1, yA_1),..., (xA_k, yA_k),..., (xA_T, yA_T)}. The trajectory 703 of the tentative position of the sensor 2B is expressed as a time series data, for example, as {(vxB_1, vyB_1),..., (vxB_k, vyB_k),..., (vxB_T, vyB_T)}.

[0114] In step S3, the adjustment unit 55 performs a matching process on the trajectory 703 of the tentative position VPB generated in step S2 with the trajectory 702 (sometimes also referred to as the second trajectory) of the second position recognition result 41B of the sensor 2B. This matching process is a process of evaluating / judging the degree of consistency or similarity of the shapes between the trajectories. In this matching process, a "degree of consistency" (denoted as K), which is an evaluation value representing the degree of consistency between these two trajectory data, is used, and details will be described later. In addition, in this matching process, a rotation parameter (denoted as R), which is a parameter regarding the direction of the trajectory, is used. The adjustment unit 55 stores the calculated degree of consistency K and rotation parameter R in the memory for each candidate relative position parameter 700. The trajectory 702 of the second position recognition result 41B is expressed as time-series data, for example, as {(xB_1, yB_1), ……, (xB_k, yB_k), ……, (xB_T, yB_T)}.

[0115] In step S4, in the result of step S3, the adjustment unit 55 determines / extracts the relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy) corresponding to the pair of trajectories with the highest degree of consistency K as the optimal relative position 704 (Δx_opt, Δy_opt) and stores it in the memory. Through the above processing, the position relationship (Δx, Δy) in the relative position relationship 105 such as Figure 1 can be known.

[0116] In step S5, the adjustment unit 55 further calculates the optimal value of the relationship (Δθ) regarding the direction (θ) between the sensors 2. The adjustment unit 55 uses the optimal relative position 704 (Δx_opt, Δy_opt) in step S4 to generate a quantity {θB_t + R - θA_t} representing the relationship (Δθ) of the direction (θ). Here, the angle θB_t is the angle representing the attitude of the sensor 2B at each time point (t) included in the second recognition result 41B of the sensor 2B. The angle θA_t is the angle representing the attitude of the sensor 2A at each time point (t) included in the first recognition result 41A of the sensor 2A. "+R" is adding the rotation parameter R. This addition is equivalent to obtaining the relationship of the direction and is an operation for aligning with the coordinate system CA of the first sensor (sensor 2A). "-θA_t" is an operation for obtaining the difference between the angle θB_t and the angle θA_t.

[0117] Then, the adjustment unit 55 calculates the average value of the quantity {θB_t+R - θA_t} generated at each time point, determines it as the optimal relative direction 705 (Δθ_opt), and stores it in the memory. This average value is expressed as Σ{θB_t+R - θA_t} / T. Σ represents the sum from time point t = 1 to T. The optimal relative direction 705 (Δθ_opt) is the optimal value for the direction relationship (Δθ) between the sensors 2 expressed by the difference in angles. An example of the calculation of the direction relationship is shown in step S5, but it is not limited thereto.

[0118] The adjustment unit 55 stores the information including the optimal relative position 704 (Δx_opt, Δy_opt) and the optimal relative direction (Δθ_opt) obtained as described above as Figure 5 the relative position relationship data 43. This relative position relationship data 43 corresponds to the values (Δx, Δy, Δθ) representing Figure 2 the relative position relationship 105.

[0119] [Trajectory]

[0120] Figure 8 Example (A) shows the movement of the moving body 1 and the trajectory at this time in the horizontal plane. In this example, the moving body 1 is first at the position P1 at time point t1 (here, the representative position PM is used Figure 4 ), and is in a state facing forward (the X direction in the space coordinate system CS, the x direction in the moving body coordinate system CM), and travels forward to the position P2 at time point t2. The moving body 1 makes a right turn from the position P2 via the position P3 at time point t3. As a result, the moving body 1 becomes a state facing right at the position P4 at time point t4. The trajectory 800 indicated by the dashed line represents the trajectory of the movement of the moving body 1 (position PM) as described above, particularly Figure 4 the trajectory passed by the position PM2 of the rear axle 420. The trajectory 701 indicated by the solid line represents the trajectory (first trajectory) passed by the position PA of the front - side sensor 2A as the moving body moves.

[0121] Figure 8 Example (B) shows a diagram of only extracting the trajectory 701 of the sensor 2A (position PA) in (A). This trajectory 701 includes a straight - line portion 701a when traveling straight forward, a curved portion 701b (in other words, an arc) when making a right turn, and a straight - line portion 701c when traveling straight to the right. Figure 5 The first position recognition unit 52A of [] obtains such trajectory data based on the sensor 2A. This trajectory data is data having position coordinates in the horizontal plane corresponding to the height position ZA at each time point in the time series. In addition, the trajectory is shown by a line graph, but in detail, it is a point cloud. Figure 2 the height position ZA

[0122] Figure 9 The (A) corresponding to Figure 8 the (A) of, the trajectory 800 of the moving body 1 is the same. The trajectory 702 represented by the solid line indicates the trajectory (second trajectory) through which the position PB of the rear sensor 2B passes as it moves.

[0123] Figure 9 The (B) of represents a diagram that extracts only the trajectory 702 of the sensor 2B (position PB) in (A). The trajectory 702 includes a straight portion 702a when traveling straight ahead, a curved portion 702b (in other words, an arc) when turning right, and a straight portion 702c when traveling straight to the right. Figure 5 The second position recognition unit 52B of obtains such trajectory data based on the sensor 2B. This trajectory data has position coordinates in a horizontal plane corresponding to the Figure 2 height position ZB of at each time point in time series.

[0124] [Processing Example (1)]

[0125] Figure 10 Represents with respect to the Figure 8 same trajectory 800 of the moving body 1 and the trajectory 701 (first trajectory) of the sensor 2A, as Figure 9 examples of two trajectories 701 (second trajectories) in the case where the set position PB of the sensor 2B is different. The trajectory 7011 is an example of a trajectory obtained based on actual measurement values when the position PB of the sensor 2B in the moving body coordinate system CM is the position PB1, and the trajectory 7012 is an example of a trajectory in the case of the position PB2. When observing the shapes of the respective trajectories (7011, 7012) of the sensor 2B, it can be seen that the radius of the arc portion in the trajectory changes corresponding to the distances (for example, distances 1001, 1002) from the turning center of the moving body 1 (for example, the trajectory 800 of the position PM of the moving body 1) to the positions PB (PB1, PB2). The moving body system can use the trajectory data obtained over a period of a certain duration or more, including trajectories such as straight lines corresponding to straight traveling actions and trajectories such as arcs corresponding to turning actions, to Figure 7 calculate the relative position relationship by the matching process in step S3 of. In step S1, each relative position parameter 700 is obtained in such a way that each such position PB becomes a tentative position VPB.

[0126] [Processing Example (2)]

[0127] Figure 11 The (A) of represents Figure 7Example of generation of the relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy) in step S1. As shown in the figure, the adjustment unit 55 generates a plurality of relative position parameters 700 (Δx, Δy) as candidates from the position PA of the sensor 2A as a reference at each time point (t) in each direction and at each distance on the horizontal plane. The relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy) is generated, for example, as a plurality of candidate values offset within a specified range such as an initial setting value based on the relative position relationship ( Figure 5 of the relative position relationship data 43). For example, as shown in the figure, the adjustment unit 55 sets a tentative position VPB corresponding to the relative position parameter 700 on a grid (a grid having a plurality of position coordinate points). In this example, only three examples of the relative position parameter 700 are shown, but there are a plurality within the range. The tentative position VPB0 is a value generated using the relative position parameter (Δx0, Δy0) corresponding to the initial setting value of the relative position relationship. The tentative positions VPB1 and VPB2 are values generated using other relative position parameters (Δx1, Δp1), (xp2, yp2). The range in which the adjustment unit 55 generates the relative position parameter 700 can be set to the range in which the sensor 2 can be set based on the shape of the moving body 1, or can be set to a specified range centered on the initial setting value of the relative position relationship, etc. In addition, in (A), as the directions (x-axis, y-axis) of the sensor 2B (coordinate system CB) on each tentative position VPB, a fixed direction based on the initial setting value of the relative position relationship is set.

[0128] Figure 11 (B) shows an example of parameters in the case where the tentative direction (“tentative direction”: set as Vθ) of the sensor 2B on the tentative position VPB is set. In this way, on each tentative position VPB corresponding to each relative position parameter 700, parameters of the tentative direction (Vθ) of the sensor 2B can be used to generate various tentative directions (Vθ). Regarding the parameters of the tentative direction (Vθ), a plurality of candidates are also generated, for example, within a specified range based on the initial setting value of the relative position relationship. In this example, three examples (Vθ0, Vθ1, Vθ2) of the parameters of the tentative direction (Vθ) are shown. The parameters of the tentative direction (Vθ) can be specified using the angular difference relative to the direction (θA, x-axis) of the sensor 2A as a reference, or the above rotation parameter R.

[0129] In step S2, based on the first position recognition result of the position PA of the sensor 2A, namely the locus 701, a locus 703 of the tentative position VPB of the sensor 2B corresponding to the relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy) in step S1 is generated. In this example, it is assumed that for the locus 703 of the tentative position VPB corresponding to a certain candidate relative position parameter 700, the same relative position parameter 700 is applied at each time point (t). Without being limited to this, the locus 703 can also apply different relative position parameters 700 at each time point (t).

[0130] [Processing Example (3)]

[0131] Figure 12 This is an example showing the generation of the locus 703 (tentative locus) of each tentative position VPB corresponding to each relative position parameter 700 in step S2. The tentative locus is represented by a dotted line. In this example, only examples of two tentative loci 1201 and 1202 for two tentative positions VPB ( Figure 11 tentative positions VPB1 and VPB2) are shown. On the locus 701 of the first position recognition result 41A of the sensor 2A, starting from each position PA (PA1, PA2,...) having a direction (θA) at each time point (t = t1, t2,...), the tentative position VPB is set at the target obtained by respectively using the relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy). For example, regarding the tentative locus 1202 of the tentative position VPB2 corresponding to the relative position parameter (Δx2, Δy2), the positions at each time point (t) are expressed as the illustrated {(vxB_1, vyB_1), (vxB_2, vyB_2), (vxB_3, vyB_3), (vxB_4, vyB_4), (vxB_5, vyB_5)}. In this example, for one tentative locus, it is assumed that the relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy) is the same at each time point. As shown in the figure, in the generated tentative loci 1201 and 1202 of each tentative position VPB, the radii of the arc (curved part 1201b, 1202b) portions are different corresponding to the distances to the turning center. The shape of the tentative locus is different from the shape of the first locus.

[0132] [Processing Example (4)]

[0133] Figure 13 This represents an explanatory diagram of an example of the matching process in step S3 regarding Figure 7 In this example, the shape of the locus is compared and contrasted using the tentative locus of the tentative position VPB of the second sensor generated based on the first locus of the first sensor and the relative position parameter 700 and the second locus of the second sensor under the relationship of various directions using the rotation parameter R. Figure 13In (A) of, a pair of trajectories as comparison objects shows a trajectory 703 (tentative trajectory) represented by a dotted line and a plurality of trajectories (e.g., trajectories 7021, 7022, 7023, 7024, 7025) obtained based on a trajectory 702 (second trajectory) represented by a solid line. The trajectory 703 is a tentative trajectory of a certain tentative position VPB corresponding to a certain relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy). The plurality of trajectories (7021, etc.) are a plurality of trajectories generated using a rotation parameter R in different directions. For the trajectory 703, the positions at the initial time point (t1) are made the same, and the plurality of trajectories (7021, etc.) are made to coincide. The plurality of trajectories (7021, etc.) are generated, for example, with the x-axis of the coordinate system CA of the sensor 2A as a reference, with the angle of the rotation parameter R as 0 degrees, and with an angular offset based on the trajectory 702 at R = 0 degrees. Comparing in various directions in this way using the rotation parameter R is effective.

[0134] The adjustment unit 55 compares the trajectory 703 of the tentative position VPB with the plurality of trajectories (7021, etc.) respectively, and calculates the degree of consistency K. In this example, as shown in the figure, the adjustment unit 55 calculates the distance 1301 respectively between the points on the trajectory 703 of the tentative position VPB (e.g., the position 1300 corresponding to the time point t3) and the corresponding positions on each of the trajectories 7021 to 7025 at each time point (t). Then, the adjustment unit 55 calculates the sum of the distances 1301 for all time points for each matching pair. When the distance 1301 is set as D, the sum of the distances 1301 can be expressed as ΣD. Σ is the sum from the time point t = 1 to T. The adjustment unit 55 calculates the degree of consistency K corresponding to this sum. That is, generally speaking, the degree of consistency K is defined and calculated in such a way that the smaller this sum is, the higher the value of the degree of consistency K becomes.

[0135] In this example, when comparing in various directions, considering the processing efficiency, a processing example of generating comparison objects by changing the rotation parameter R on the side of the trajectory 702 (second trajectory) is adopted, but it is not limited to this, and the rotation parameter R can also be changed on the side of the trajectory 703 (tentative trajectory) to generate comparison objects. An important aspect of the matching process is to judge the degree of shape consistency between trajectories including curved portions, and a tentative trajectory can be generated based on either the first trajectory or the second trajectory.

[0136] Figure 13The (B) shows the case where, after the matching of (A), the degree of consistency K is the highest among the pairs of the locus 703 of the tentative position VPB corresponding to a certain relative position parameter 700 (Δx, Δy) and the locus 702 (especially the locus 702x) under a certain rotation parameter R. Similarly, for each relative position parameter 700, the pair with the highest degree of consistency K is calculated. Then, in step S4, the relative position parameter 700 with the highest degree of consistency K among the multiple pairs is selected as the optimal relative position 704 (Δx_opt, Δy_opt).

[0137] In step S5, the optimal relative direction (Δθ_opt) is calculated based on the quantity {θ2_t + R - θ1_t}. Figure 13 In (B), an example of the relationship among the locus 701 of the sensor 2A, the locus 702 of the sensor 2B, the locus 703 of the tentative position VPB, the optimal relative position 704 (Δx_opt, Δy_opt), and the rotation parameter R is shown. The quantity {θ2_t + R - θ1_t} represents the relationship between the direction (θ1_t1) of the sensor 2A and the direction (θ2_t1) of the sensor 2B at the time point t1.

[0138] [Processing Example (5)]

[0139] The control device 100 performs the matching process of the shape of the locus in Figure 7 step S3 as the relative position relationship calculation function. At this time, in the sensor data SDA of the first sensor and the sensor data SDB of the second sensor, the matching process can be performed regardless of whether the information on the detection time point (t) is synchronized or not. When the sensor data SDA and the sensor data SDB are not synchronized in time, for example, when the control device 100 compares the first locus (specifically, the tentative locus generated based on the first locus) of the first sensor with the second locus of the second sensor, it is only necessary to change the positions of each time point (for example, the time points around the time point k) on the other locus and try to compare them with the position at a certain time point (for example, t = k) on one of the loci.

[0140] Figure 14 This represents an example of the matching process in the case where the time is not synchronized between the above sensor data. Figure 14In (A), the locus 1401 (tentative locus) indicated by a dotted line is, for example, a locus of the tentative position VPB of sensor 2B generated based on the first position recognition result 41A obtained from the sensor data SDA of sensor 2A and a certain relative position parameter 700. On this locus 1401, white dots indicate positions (e.g., p1 to p9) at each time point (e.g., t = t1 to t9). On the other hand, the locus 1402 indicated by a solid line is, for example, a locus (second locus) of the second position recognition result 41 obtained from the sensor data SDB of sensor 2B. On this locus 1402, black dots indicate positions (e.g., p21 to p31) at each time point (e.g., t = t1 to tt11). The time points (t) of the two sensor data are not synchronized. For example, time point t1 on locus 1401 and time point t1 on locus 1402 are different times. Also, Figure 15 The rotation parameter R is not considered in. When the control device 100 matches these loci, for example, it tries to compare each pair in such a way that the positions of each time point of locus 1402 (at least some candidates) correspond to the position of a certain time point on locus 1401.

[0141] Figure 14 (B) shows the case where when locus 1402 is overlapped with locus 1401, the position p11 of time point t1 of locus 1402 is made to coincide with the position p1 of time point t1 of locus 1401. Figure 14 (C) shows the case where when locus 1402 is overlapped with locus 1401, the position p12 of time point t2 of locus 1402 is made to coincide with the position p1 of time point t1 of locus 1401. For example, when comparing (B) and (C), it can be seen that in the case of (C), the distance between the loci is smaller and the consistency K is higher. Also, regarding the method of obtaining the distance between the loci, it is not limited to Figure 13 the example of distance 1301. For example, it is also possible to obtain the line with the shortest distance from a point on one locus to a point on the other locus. The control device 100 only needs to select the one with the highest consistency K among the results of each of the above-mentioned attempts.

[0142] [Calibration operation]

[0143] To calculate the automatic adjustment (calibration) of the relative position relationship between sensors 2, the moving body 1 can perform a preset specific action and acquire the sensor data at this time. This specific action is an action that satisfies the condition for calculating / deciding the relative position relationship and is an action including turning such as turning during a time period of a certain duration or more. That is, in the trajectory data based on the sensor data obtained during this time period, for example, as Figure 8 and Figure 9As shown, etc., it includes curved portions (701b, 702b) such as arcs corresponding to turns. If it is such trajectory data, the above matching process holds, and a solution as the optimal value can be obtained. Thus, it is possible to avoid not obtaining a solution or taking a long time to obtain a solution, etc., so calibration can be performed efficiently.

[0144] In addition, the present inventor confirmed through research including experiments that the relative positional relationship between the sensors 2 can be calculated / decided based on the trajectory data including at least arcs corresponding to turns as shown above. Therefore, necessary conditions and specific actions can be specified. As described above Figure 10 As shown, etc., the shape of the trajectory is different according to the positions of the sensors 2 on the moving body 1, so the above matching process is effective. In addition, in the moving body system, a user interface capable of user setting of the specific actions for the above calibration can be provided. For example, on the display screen of a device such as a PC 101 ( Figure 1 ) connected to the moving body 1, the path for the specific action can be user-set.

[0145] [Map generation function]

[0146] Figures 15 to 19 It is an explanatory diagram regarding the map generation function. Based on the relative position relationship data 43 ( Figure 5 ) obtained by the relative position relationship calculation function, for example, two map data (42A, 42B) are associated.

[0147] Figure 15 A schematic structural example of an environment 1500 such as a factory where the moving body 1 is applied is shown on the horizontal plane (X-Y plane). Figure 15 Among them, the structure detected by the sensor 2A for the environment 1500 is particularly shown. Based on the sensor data obtained by the sensor 2A located at Figure 2 the height position ZA, the shape of the surroundings and the trajectory as the first recognition result 41A are known, and the first map data 42A is generated or updated based on them. Among the objects in the environment 1500, the object 1501 indicated by the hatched area is an example of an object detected as a feature point by the sensor 2A of the moving body 1.

[0148] In Figure 15An example of the travel and trajectory of the moving body 1 is shown. In the spatial coordinate system CS(X, Y, Z), the moving body 1 makes a linear travel motion in the positive direction of the X-axis (for example, south) starting from the position P1. The moving body 1 turns left from the position P2 as observed from the moving body 1. After the left turn, the moving body 1 faces the positive direction of the Y-axis (for example, east) at the position P3. Furthermore, from the position P3, it turns left and becomes in a state facing the negative direction of the X-axis (for example, north). The moving body 1 makes a linear travel motion in the negative direction of the X-axis (for example, north) until the position P4. The dotted trajectory 1510 represents the trajectory of the representative position PM of the moving body 1. The solid trajectory 1511 represents the trajectory of the position PA of the sensor 2A.

[0149] For example, at the position P1, the range 1502 represents the emission range obtained by scanning the laser from the sensor 2A (position PA). The range 1502 is related to Figure 3 Similarly, it represents a case of more than 180 degrees. The solid arrows represent the laser. For example, the laser 1503 irradiates the object 1501 and is reflected back to the sensor 2A and detected as a feature point. For example, the laser 1504 irradiates the wall of the factory building or the like and is reflected back to the sensor 2A and detected as a feature point. There are also objects in the blank area, but since they do not exist at the height position ZA, they are not detected by the sensor 2A. Based on the sensor data of such a sensor 2A, the above-mentioned position recognition and map generation can be performed, and the detailed technical content is not limited.

[0150] Figure 16 It represents the structure detected by the sensor 2B for the same environment 1500 as Figure 15 The trajectory 1510 of the moving body 1 is the same as Figure 15 the same. Figure 16 In, the solid trajectory 1512 is the trajectory of the position PB of the sensor 2B. For example, at the position P1, the range 1602 represents an example of the emission range obtained by scanning the laser from the sensor 2B (position PB). For example, the laser 1603 irradiates the object 1601 and is reflected back to the sensor 2B and detected as a feature point. Since the object 1601 exists at the height position ZB, it is detected by the sensor 2B.

[0151] As shown in the above example, objects such as the production equipment in a factory may be of various shapes, and there may be differences in height at each part. As in Embodiment 1, when the moving body 1 has a plurality (two) of sensors 2 with different positions including height positions, the detection ranges that can be covered by each sensor 2 are different, and the object shapes that can be measured are different. As a result, in this moving body system, a map that measures and reflects the shape of the environment 1500 in more detail can be generated. However, since the positions of the respective sensors 2 are different, a plurality of map data (42A, 42B) are generated as maps different for each sensor 2. In this moving body system, in this case, based on the calibration of the relative positional relationship between the sensors 2, the plurality of map data can be associated.

[0152] [Map data]

[0153] Figure 17 and Figure 18 represents based on Figure 15 and Figure 16 the structural example of the environment 1500 and the map data generated by measurement. Figure 17 represents the map 1700 corresponding to the first map data 42A generated from the sensor data of the sensor 2A based on Figure 15 . For example, the line 1701 is a line corresponding to the contour (corresponding feature point group) of the object 1501 of Figure 15 . Regarding the coordinate system (X, Y) of this map 1700, for example, it shows the case where the initial position PA of the sensor 2A at the time point when the measurement by the moving body 1 starts is taken as the origin, the x-axis direction of this sensor 2A is taken as the X-axis, and the y-axis direction orthogonal thereto is taken as the Y-axis.

[0154] Figure 18 represents the map 1800 corresponding to the second map data 42B generated from the sensor data of the sensor 2B based on Figure 16 . For example, the line 1801 is a line corresponding to the contour of the object 1601 of Figure 16 . Regarding the coordinate system (X, Y) of this map 1800, for example, it shows the case where the initial position PB of the sensor 2B at the time point when the measurement by the moving body 1 starts is taken as the origin, the x-axis direction of this sensor 2B is taken as the X-axis, and the y-axis direction orthogonal thereto is taken as the Y-axis.

[0155] Figure 19This is an example of a case where the above two map data (42A, 42B) are associated into one and output to the user by using the relative position relationship data 43 obtained from the above calculations. Here, taking the map 1700 (its coordinate system) of the sensor 2A as a reference, the relative position relationship 105 between the position PA and the position PB is used to rotationally coincide the map 1800 of the sensor 2B with the map 1700. The user can refer to the state where the two maps are associated into one map. In addition, the map data is configured as image data, for example, and has information such as position and presence or absence of an object for each pixel.

[0156] [Effects, etc.]

[0157] As described above, according to the mobile body system of Embodiment 1, even when the number of sensors 2 provided in the mobile body 1 and the installation positions between the sensors 2 are changed, the relative position relationship between the sensors 2 can be obtained, and the accuracy of the position measurement function and the like can be improved. In particular, the relative position relationship between the sensors 2 can be obtained highly accurately and easily by the relative position relationship calculation function. In particular, since the relative position relationship calculation function can automatically adjust as the mobile body 1 travels, the workload of manual operation by the user for the setting of the sensor 2 is also small.

[0158] (Modification example)

[0159] The modification example of Embodiment 1 can be as described below. Similarly, it can be a mode in which the mobile body 1 has three or more sensors 2. In this mode, for example, at least two of the relative relationships between the first sensor and the second sensor, the second sensor and the third sensor, and the third sensor and the first sensor can be calculated in the same manner using the above relative position relationship calculation function.

[0160] In Embodiment 1, the detection direction and detection range of the sensor 2 are set in the horizontal plane, but it is not limited thereto, that is, the detection direction and detection range of the sensor 2 can be similarly applied outside the horizontal plane. In addition, the sensor 2 can also be a type of sensor that can perform three-dimensional positioning or ranging including the height direction.

[0161] The present invention has been specifically described based on the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the gist. As the mobile body, an AGV that can autonomously move has been described, but it is not limited thereto, and it can also be applied to a mobile body in a mode manipulated by a user. The mobile body is not limited to a vehicle, and can also be a ship, or a flying body such as a drone.

[0162] Explanation of reference numerals

[0163] 1... Moving body, 2, 2A, 2B... Sensors, 3... Moving mechanism, 4... Mounting mechanism, 5... Position recognition device, 6... Moving mechanism control device, 10... Housing, 10a... First part, 10b... Second part, 100... Control device, 101... Environment, 102... Production equipment, 103... Goods, 105... Relative position relationship, 110... PC, CS... Space coordinate system, CM... Moving body coordinate system.

Claims

1. A mobile body system, characterized in that, Comprising: A moving body; A plurality of sensors including a first sensor and a second sensor disposed at different positions in the moving body coordinate system of the moving body; And A control device that, based on the plurality of sensor data of the plurality of sensors, at least implements a position measurement function of measuring the position of the moving body in a space coordinate system, The first sensor and the second sensor are sensors of a type capable of detecting the position of the present sensor in the space coordinate system, The control device, When the moving body moves in an environment, based on the first sensor data of the first sensor and the second sensor data of the second sensor, identifies the positions of the first sensor and the second sensor in the space coordinate system, and based on the position identification result, obtains a first trajectory of the first sensor and a second trajectory of the second sensor in time series, Uses the first trajectory and the second trajectory, and based on the comparison of the trajectory shapes, calculates the relative position relationship between the position of the first sensor and the position of the second sensor in the moving body coordinate system of the moving body, and sets information representing the calculated relative position relationship in the moving body.

2. The moving body system according to claim 1, wherein: The control device, When performing the comparison, uses a relative position parameter of the position of the second sensor with respect to the position of the first sensor in the moving body coordinate system as a reference to generate a plurality of candidates for the tentative position of the second sensor, For each of the tentative positions, uses the first trajectory to generate a tentative trajectory, For each of the tentative positions, compares and contrasts the shapes of the trajectories between the tentative trajectory and the second trajectory to calculate the degree of consistency, Determines the relative position parameter corresponding to the case with the maximum degree of consistency as the relative position relationship.

3. The moving body system according to claim 2, wherein: When performing the comparison, the control device uses a relative direction parameter of the direction of the second sensor with respect to the direction of the first sensor in the moving body coordinate system as a reference to generate a plurality of candidates for the tentative direction of the second sensor, For each of the tentative positions and the tentative directions, uses the first trajectory to generate the tentative trajectory, Determines the relative direction parameter corresponding to the case with the maximum degree of consistency as the information included in the relative position relationship.

4. The moving body system according to claim 1, wherein: The first trajectory and the second trajectory include curved portions.

5. The moving body system according to claim 1, wherein: The moving body has a moving mechanism capable of turning.

6. The moving body system according to claim 1, wherein: The control device, in order to calculate the relative position relationship, controls the moving body to perform an action including turning for a period of time longer than a certain duration as a specific action of the movement of the moving body.

7. The moving body system according to claim 1, wherein: The control device displays the calculated relative position relationship information on a display screen.

8. The mobile system according to claim 2, wherein: When performing the comparison, the control device performs the comparison using a pair of the tentative trajectory and the second trajectory obtained by variously changing the relationship of the direction of the second trajectory with respect to the first trajectory using a rotation parameter.

9. The mobile system according to claim 2, wherein: When the sensor data of the first sensor and the sensor data of the second sensor are not synchronized at the time points, the control device performs the comparison by using a pair of the provisional trajectory and the second trajectory obtained by making various changes to the correspondence between the position of the time point of the second trajectory relative to the position of the time point of the first trajectory.

10. The mobile system according to claim 1, wherein: The mobile body is an unmanned transport vehicle. The sensor is a distance measuring sensor, The control device generates shape data representing the shapes of objects around the moving body based on the first sensor data and the second sensor data, i.e., ranging data, estimates the position and posture of the moving body in the spatial coordinate system based on the shape data and the map data of the environment, controls the movement of the moving body in the environment based on the estimation result, and generates or updates the map data.

11. The mobile system according to claim 10, characterized in that: The control device uses the calculated information on the relative positional relationship to associate first map data generated based on a position recognition result of the first sensor with second map data generated based on a position recognition result of the second sensor.

12. The mobile system according to claim 1, wherein: The first sensor and the second sensor are arranged at different height positions in the moving object coordinate system, and are arranged in directions within a horizontal plane.

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