Autonomous moving body

Abstract

A traveling unit and an upper unit can be prevented from being affected by the motion state of each other. An autonomous mobile body according to the present embodiment is provided with: a travel unit that has drive wheels and a chassis and is capable of forward travel in the front-rear direction and turning in the left-right direction; an upper unit that is disposed at the upper part of the travel unit and that has a vibration damping mechanism capable of damping vibrations generated by forward travel and turning of the travel unit; a first control unit that controls the travel unit; and a second control unit that controls the upper unit, the first and second control units mutually acquiring information indicating a motion state of each unit, and performing control on the basis of the acquired information so that the traveling unit and the upper unit are interlocked.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile body. Background Art

[0002] Autonomous moving bodies such as robots that can move autonomously have been developed. The autonomous moving body includes a travel unit having drive wheels and the like, and, for example, an upper unit having a mechanism for alleviating vibrations generated by the travel unit during travel.

[0003] For example, the delivery robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a swing mechanism that swingably supports a placement portion on which delivery objects are placed, thereby alleviating vibrations generated by the travel of the delivery robot.

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-104439

[0005] However, sometimes the vibration cannot be sufficiently mitigated depending on the running state of the running unit. In addition, there are also cases where the running unit is affected by the movement of the upper unit caused by the vibration mitigation mechanism. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile body capable of suppressing the influence of the travel unit and the upper unit on each other's motion states.

[0007] The autonomous mobile body of the present embodiment comprises: a travel unit having drive wheels and a chassis, capable of forward travel in a forward and backward direction and turning to the left and right; an upper unit, which is arranged on the upper part of the above-mentioned travel unit and has a vibration mitigation mechanism capable of mitigating vibrations generated by the above-mentioned forward travel and the above-mentioned turning of the above-mentioned travel unit; a first control unit, which controls the above-mentioned travel unit; and a second control unit, which controls the above-mentioned upper unit, the above-mentioned first and second control units obtain information representing the motion status of each other's units from each other, and control based on the above-mentioned information so that the above-mentioned travel unit and the above-mentioned upper unit are linked.

[0008] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the traveling unit and the upper unit from being affected by each other's motion states. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0011] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram showing an example in which the vibrator ECU according to the embodiment controls the top plate of the upper unit in a manner interlocking with the travel unit.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing an example in which the travel ECU according to the embodiment controls the travel unit in a linked manner with the upper unit.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a control process of the autonomous traveling robot performed by the vibrator ECU and the traveling ECU according to the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing an example in which the vibrator ECU according to the modified example of the embodiment controls the top plate of the upper unit in a manner interlocking with the travel unit.

[0015] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a control process of the autonomous traveling robot performed by the vibrator ECU and the traveling ECU according to a modification of the embodiment.

[0016] Description of Reference Numerals

[0017] 1…upper unit, 2…travel unit, 11…top plate, 12…main body, 13…rotation mechanism, 14…oscillator mechanism, 21…driving wheel, 22…chassis, 122…travel drive unit, 123…position sensor, 124…object detection sensor, 125…travel ECU, 141…front and rear oscillator mechanism, 142…left and right oscillator mechanism, 143…left and right oscillator drive unit, 144…front and rear oscillator drive unit, 145…position sensor, 146…acceleration sensor, 147…oscillator ECU, R, R2…autonomous traveling robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] Hereinafter, the autonomous driving robot of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, "front and back (direction)" means a direction parallel to the driving direction of the autonomous driving robot. In addition, "left and right (direction)" means a direction perpendicular to the driving direction of the autonomous driving robot, and means a direction parallel to the ground.

[0019] (Structural example of an autonomous driving robot)

[0020] Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing an example of the structure of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment. Figure 1 (a) shows an example of the appearance of the autonomous driving robot R. Figure 1 (b) shows an example of the internal structure of the upper unit 1 of the autonomous driving robot R. Figure 1In (b), the Figure 1 (a) is an illustration of a frame portion of the top plate 11 and a frame portion of the main body 12.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown in (a), the autonomous driving robot R includes an upper unit 1 and a driving unit 2. The driving unit 2 is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners, has four driving wheels 21 and a chassis 22, and can travel forward and turn left and right. The upper unit 1 is, for example, a barrel-shaped, disposed on the upper part of the driving unit 2, and includes a top plate 11 and a main body 12.

[0022] The top plate 11 of the upper unit 1 is configured to be able to perform a vibrator motion independently of the main body 12. Through such a vibrator motion, the top plate 11 can mitigate the vibration of the upper unit 1 caused by the travel of the travel unit. In addition, thereby, the autonomous driving robot R can load and transport food or goods on the top plate 11, or load and display decorations such as flowers growing in a vase or objects. A mark 111 is attached to the upper surface of the top plate 11, which serves as a reference when loading such transported objects or decorations. In addition, the top plate 11 is tilted at a specified angle due to the vibrator motion, so that, for example, a gesture can be made to the people around.

[0023] The main body 12 of the upper unit 1 is configured to be rotatable around the vertical axis of the autonomous traveling robot R independently of the top plate 11. Thus, for example, by decorating the main body 12 to resemble a human face, the robot can perform a gesture such as turning its face toward the surrounding people.

[0024] With the above functions, the autonomous robot R can autonomously travel in mobile environments such as restaurants, homes, institutions, warehouses, factories, and outdoors to carry out transportation work, display decorations, communicate with people around, etc. The autonomous robot R is an example of an autonomous mobile body.

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the upper unit 1 includes a rotation mechanism 13 and a vibrator mechanism 14 .

[0026] The rotating mechanism 13 is disposed inside the main body 12 of the upper unit 1 and can swing the main body 12 around an axis in the vertical direction with reference to the traveling unit 2 .

[0027] The vibrator mechanism 14 is disposed inside the top plate 11 of the upper unit 1 , and includes a front-rear vibrator mechanism 141 and a left-right vibrator mechanism 142 .

[0028] The front-rear vibrator mechanism 141 tilts the top plate 11 in the front-rear direction. By tilting the top plate 11 in the front-rear direction, for example, the vibration in the front-rear direction caused by the traveling unit 2 during travel can be mitigated in the front-rear direction. In addition, by tilting the top plate 11 in the front-rear direction, for example, a posture such as looking up at the people around or nodding to greet the people around can be made.

[0029] The left and right vibrator mechanism 142 tilts the top plate 11 in the left and right direction. By tilting the top plate 11 in the left and right direction, for example, the left and right vibration caused by the travel unit 2 turning left and right can be alleviated. In addition, by tilting the top plate 11 in the left and right direction, for example, a posture such as tilting the head can be made.

[0030] Thus, the vibrator mechanism 14 that mitigates the vibration generated in the upper unit 1 is an example of a vibration mitigation mechanism. As long as the vibration of the upper unit 1 can be mitigated, the autonomous traveling robot R may include a vibration mitigation mechanism different from the vibrator mechanism 14 that mitigates the vibration by vibrator motion.

[0031] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment.

[0032] like Figure 2 As shown, the top plate 11 and the main body 12 of the upper unit 1 and the travel unit 2 are controlled by a vibrator ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 147 , a swing ECU 133 , and a travel ECU 125 , respectively.

[0033] The above-mentioned oscillator ECU147, swing ECU133 and driving ECU125 are respectively information processing devices constructed using specified hardware and software, for example, they are constructed using CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.

[0034] The oscillator ECU 147 , the swing ECU 133 , and the travel ECU 125 can communicate with each other via CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like, and can transmit and receive various information.

[0035] The vibrator ECU and the swing ECU 133 that respectively control the top plate 11 and the body 12 of the upper unit 1 are examples of the second control unit. The travel ECU that controls the travel unit 2 is an example of the first control unit.

[0036] The travel unit 2 includes a travel drive unit 122 , a position sensor 123 , an object detection sensor 124 , and a travel ECU 125 .

[0037] The travel drive unit 122 includes an electric motor that rotationally drives the drive wheels 21 .

[0038] The position sensor 123 is a sensor that obtains data used by the driving ECU 125 to estimate the position of the autonomous driving robot R. The position sensor 123 is composed of, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor that obtains the position information of the autonomous driving robot R, and a sensor that obtains information such as the rotation angle and rotation angular velocity of the drive wheel 21, and sends a detection signal to the driving ECU 125.

[0039] The object detection sensor 124 is a sensor for detecting objects such as obstacles around the autonomous driving robot R. The object detection sensor 124 is composed of, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) or a millimeter wave sensor, and sends a detection signal to the driving ECU 125. In addition, the object detection sensor 124 may be composed of a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, etc., and the object detection sensor 124 may be composed of a combination of multiple sensing detection mechanisms.

[0040] The travel ECU 125 performs various controls of the travel unit 2. For example, the travel ECU 125 estimates the current position of the autonomous traveling robot R based on the detection signal obtained from the position sensor 123. In addition, the travel ECU 125 recognizes obstacles around the autonomous traveling robot R based on the detection signal obtained from the object detection sensor 124.

[0041] The driving ECU 125 generates a driving route from the current position to the destination based on the current position, the destination, and the position of obstacles. The driving ECU 125 controls the driving drive unit 122 to cause the driving unit 2 and thus the autonomous driving robot R to travel along the driving route.

[0042] The rotation mechanism 13 provided in the main body 12 of the upper unit 1 includes a swing drive unit 131 , a rotation angle sensor 132 , and a swing ECU 133 .

[0043] The swing drive unit 131 includes an actuator that rotationally moves the rotating mechanism 13 .

[0044] The rotation angle sensor 132 is a sensor that detects the rotation angle of the rotation mechanism 13 , and transmits a detection signal to the swing ECU 133 .

[0045] The swing ECU 133 performs various controls on the main body 12 of the upper unit 1. For example, if the object detection sensor 124 of the driving ECU 125 recognizes that there is a person around the autonomous driving robot R, the swing ECU 133, which receives the information that the person is recognized from the driving ECU 125, performs a gesture such that the decorative part of the main body 12 that resembles a human face is turned toward the person.

[0046] The vibrator mechanism 14 provided on the top plate 11 of the upper unit 1 includes a left-right vibrator driving unit 143 , a front-rear vibrator driving unit 144 , a position sensor 145 , an acceleration sensor 146 , and a vibrator ECU 147 .

[0047] The left-right vibrator driving unit 143 drives the left-right vibrator mechanism 142 to make the top plate 11 perform a vibrator motion in the left-right direction as described above. For example, when the autonomous driving robot R rotates in the left-right direction, the autonomous driving robot R generates acceleration in the left-right direction. Due to this influence, the upper unit 1 may generate vibrations such as shaking in the left-right direction. In addition, when conveyed objects or decorations are placed on the top plate 11, there is a concern that the above objects may shift or fall in the left-right direction. The left-right vibrator driving unit 143 performs a vibrator motion to tilt the top plate 11 in the left-right direction, for example, in a manner that offsets the influence of the acceleration generated by the rotation of the autonomous driving robot R.

[0048] The front-to-back vibrator driving unit 144 drives the front-to-back vibrator mechanism 141 to cause the top plate 11 to perform a vibrator motion in the front-to-back direction as described above. For example, when the autonomous driving robot R travels in the front-to-back direction, the autonomous driving robot R generates acceleration in the front-to-back direction. Due to this influence, the upper unit 1 may generate vibrations such as shaking in the front-to-back direction. In addition, when conveyed objects or decorations are placed on the top plate 11, there is a concern that the objects may shift or fall in the front-to-back direction. The front-to-back vibrator driving unit 144 performs a vibrator motion to tilt the top plate 11 in the front-to-back direction, for example, in a manner that offsets the influence of the acceleration generated by the travel of the autonomous driving robot R in the front-to-back direction.

[0049] Furthermore, the left and right vibrator driving units 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 can be controlled in parallel. Therefore, even if acceleration occurs in any direction of 360 degrees around the autonomous driving robot R, the vibration generated by the upper unit 1 can be mitigated by controlling the left and right vibrator driving units 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 in parallel in a manner that cancels out the influence of the acceleration.

[0050] Furthermore, the left and right vibrator driving unit 143 and the front and back vibrator driving unit 144 can make gestures such as raising the head, nodding, greeting, or tilting the head to the people around the autonomous traveling robot R by making the top plate 11 perform front and back, left and right vibrator movements as described above.

[0051] The position sensor 145 is a sensor that obtains data used by the vibrator ECU 147 to estimate the position of the vibrator mechanism 14. The position sensor 145 is composed of, for example, a rotation angular velocity sensor, and sends a detection signal to the vibrator ECU 147. In addition, the position sensor 145 may be provided in the front and rear vibrator mechanism 141 and the left and right vibrator mechanism 142, respectively, so as to be able to independently detect the front and rear vibrator motion and the left and right vibrator motion.

[0052] The acceleration sensor 146 detects acceleration generated by the vibrator mechanism 14 and transmits a detection signal to the vibrator ECU 147 .

[0053] The vibrator ECU 147 performs various controls on the top plate 11 of the upper unit 1. The vibrator ECU 147 controls the left and right vibrator driving units 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 to make the top plate 11 perform a vibrator motion in a manner that mitigates the vibration caused by the acceleration generated by the autonomous driving robot R, based on the detection signals obtained from the position sensor 145 and the acceleration sensor 146.

[0054] When the vibrator ECU 147 , the swing ECU 133 , and the travel ECU 125 are constituted by a CPU or the like, the CPUs respectively execute predetermined programs to realize various functions of the vibrator ECU 147 , the swing ECU 133 , and the travel ECU 125 .

[0055] In this way, the program executed in the autonomous driving robot R is provided in an installable or executable form by recording a file on a recording medium readable by a computer device, such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), a floppy disk (FD), a CD-R (Recordable), or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). In addition, the program may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0056] (Control example of an autonomous driving robot)

[0057] Next, use Figure 3 as well as Figure 4The control method of the autonomous driving robot R using the oscillator ECU 147 and the driving ECU 125 is described below. As described above, the oscillator ECU 147 and the driving ECU 125 are configured to communicate with each other via CAN or the like, and control the upper unit 1 and the driving unit 2 in a linked manner by cooperating with each other.

[0058] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a case where the vibrator ECU 147 according to the embodiment controls the top plate 11 of the upper unit 1 in a manner interlocking with the travel unit 2 .

[0059] like Figure 3 As shown, the autonomous driving robot R is, for example, driving on a road with uneven surfaces. At this time, the vibrator ECU 147 obtains information from the driving ECU 125 that the autonomous driving robot R is driving forward in the front-rear direction. The information that the autonomous driving robot R is driving forward is sent from the driving ECU 125 to the vibrator ECU 147 as, for example, a control signal sent from the driving ECU 125 to the driving unit 2, or a detection signal sent from the position sensor 123 that detects the rotation angle of the drive wheel 21 to the driving ECU 125.

[0060] In addition, while the autonomous traveling robot R is traveling on the differential road, acceleration in the traveling direction of the traveling unit 2, that is, the front-rear direction, acts on the upper unit 1, and since the autonomous traveling robot R swings in the left-right direction, acceleration in the left-right direction is also generated.

[0061] like Figure 3 As shown in (a), the vibrator ECU 147 controls the front and rear vibrator mechanism 141 based on the acceleration in the front and rear direction detected by the acceleration sensor 146, so that the top plate 11 performs a vibrator motion in the front and rear direction. In parallel, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the left and right vibrator mechanism 142 based on the acceleration in the left and right direction detected by the acceleration sensor 146, so that the top plate 11 performs a vibrator motion in the left and right direction.

[0062] However, the speed of the left and right oscillator mechanism 142 may not be able to follow the lateral shaking caused by the unevenness of the road. In this case, the left and right vibration of the top plate 11 is opposite to the actual swinging direction, and the upper unit 1 may become unstable.

[0063] In the embodiment, when the upper unit 1 is laterally shaken due to unevenness of the traveling road, etc., if the acceleration sensor 146 detects the acceleration generated by the upper unit 1 and the acceleration is in a direction different from the traveling direction of the traveling unit 2, the vibrator ECU 147 reduces the gain for the acceleration in the direction different from the traveling direction.

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown in (b), in this case, after the gain is reduced, the oscillator motion of the top plate 11 to the acceleration of a predetermined magnitude is smaller than before the gain is reduced. That is, the reaction to the acceleration in the direction different from the traveling direction is slowed down, and the situation where the upper unit 1 becomes larger and unstable can be suppressed.

[0065] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing an example in which the travel ECU 125 according to the embodiment controls the travel unit 2 in a manner interlocking with the upper unit 1 .

[0066] like Figure 3 As shown, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the front and rear vibrator mechanism 141 to make the top plate 11 of the upper unit 1 perform a vibrator movement in the front and rear directions, for example, to lift the front end of the top plate 11 upward.

[0067] At this time, the travel unit 2 obtains information that the top plate 11 performs a oscillator motion in the front-rear direction from the oscillator ECU 147. The information that the top plate 11 performs a oscillator motion in the front-rear direction is transmitted from the oscillator ECU 147 to the travel ECU 125 as, for example, a control signal transmitted from the oscillator ECU 147 to the front-rear oscillator driving unit 144, a detection signal transmitted from the position sensor 145 that detects the rotational angular velocity of the front-rear oscillator mechanism 141 to the oscillator ECU 147, or a detection signal transmitted from the acceleration sensor 146 that detects the acceleration generated by the oscillator mechanism 141 to the oscillator ECU 147.

[0068] At this time, the rearward acceleration acts on the travel unit 2. That is, for example, if the autonomous traveling robot R is parked, the travel unit 2 may move backward due to the reaction to the movement of the top plate 11.

[0069] The driving ECU 125 of the embodiment controls the driving unit 2 in a manner to cancel the influence of the reaction generated by the driving unit 2 when the vibrator ECU 147 actively moves the top plate 11. For example, as described above, when the autonomous driving robot R is parked, when the front end of the top plate 11 is raised upward, the driving ECU 125 can control the driving unit 2 to lock the drive wheel 21.

[0070] (Processing Example of Oscillator ECU and Driving ECU)

[0071] Next, use Figure 5 An example of processing by the oscillator ECU 147 and the running ECU 125 according to the embodiment will be described. Figure 5 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a control process of the autonomous traveling robot R by the vibrator ECU 147 and the traveling ECU 125 according to the embodiment.

[0072] like Figure 5 As shown, the oscillator ECU 147 communicates with the travel ECU 125 via CAN or the like, and monitors whether the travel unit 2 is traveling (step S101). When the travel unit 2 is traveling (step S101: Yes), based on the information obtained from the travel ECU 125, the oscillator ECU 147 determines whether the travel unit 2 is traveling forward (step S102).

[0073] When the travel unit 2 makes a left or right turn or performs travel accompanied by a turn (step S102: No), the vibrator ECU 147 controls the vibrator mechanism 14 based on the turning radius and travel speed of the travel unit 2 to adjust the angle of the top plate 11 in a manner that offsets the acceleration applied to the upper unit 1 (step S107).

[0074] When the travel unit 2 is traveling in a straight line (step S102: Yes), the oscillator ECU 147 monitors the detection result of the acceleration sensor 146, for example, to monitor whether acceleration is detected in a direction different from the traveling direction of the travel unit 2 (step S103). If acceleration in a direction different from the traveling direction is not detected (step S103: No), the oscillator ECU 147 mainly controls the front and rear oscillator mechanisms 141 based on the traveling speed of the travel unit 2 traveling forward, and adjusts the angle of the top plate 11 in a manner to offset the acceleration applied to the upper unit 1 (step S106).

[0075] When the acceleration in the direction different from the traveling direction is detected (step S103: Yes), the vibrator ECU 147 reduces the gain of the acceleration of the vibrator mechanism 14 in the direction of the detected acceleration (step S104). Thus, the gain of the left and right vibrator driving units 143 with respect to the acceleration in the left and right directions is mainly reduced, and the vibrator motion in the left and right directions of the top plate 11 caused by the left and right vibrator mechanisms 142 can be suppressed.

[0076] In addition, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the vibrator mechanism 14 based on the acceleration in the direction different from the traveling direction applied to the upper unit 1 and the traveling speed of the traveling unit 2, and adjusts the angle of the top plate 11 in a manner to offset the acceleration applied to the upper unit 1 (step S105). That is, the acceleration in the direction different from the traveling direction is mainly offset by the left and right vibrator mechanisms 142, and the acceleration in the front and rear directions caused by the forward travel of the traveling unit 2 is mainly offset by the front and rear vibrator mechanisms 141.

[0077] On the other hand, for example, when the travel unit 2 is parked (step S101: No), the travel ECU 125 communicates with the vibrator ECU 147 via CAN or the like, and monitors whether the top plate 11 of the upper unit 1 is in motion (step S108).

[0078] When the top plate 11 is in motion (step S108: Yes), the travel ECU 125 controls the drive wheels 21 (step S109) by, for example, locking the drive wheels 21, based on the information obtained from the vibrator ECU 147, in a manner that counteracts the reaction generated by the travel unit 2 by the motion of the top plate 11. When the top plate 11 is stopped (step S108: No), the travel ECU 125 skips the processing of step S108.

[0079] As described above, the processing of the oscillator ECU 147 and the running ECU 125 according to the embodiment is completed.

[0080] (Summary)

[0081] For example, an autonomous driving robot has been developed in which a vibrator mechanism for relieving and stabilizing the acceleration generated by the upper unit is provided on the upper unit in an autonomous driving robot having an upper unit and a driving unit. However, when the autonomous driving robot is driving on a bumpy road, for example, acceleration in a direction other than the driving direction of the autonomous driving robot, such as in the left and right directions, sometimes acts on the upper unit, and the control speed of the vibrator mechanism cannot follow the upper unit. In addition, when the vibrator mechanism is actively operated regardless of the motion state of the driving unit, for example, the driving unit may be affected by the operation of the vibrator mechanism.

[0082] According to the autonomous driving robot R of the embodiment, the driving ECU 125 and the vibrator ECU 147 mutually obtain information indicating the motion state of each other's units, and based on the obtained information, control is performed so that the driving unit 2 and the upper unit 1 are linked. This can prevent the driving unit 2 and the upper unit 1 from being affected by each other's motion state.

[0083] According to the autonomous driving robot R of the embodiment, when the vibrator ECU 147 obtains information indicating that the travel unit 2 is traveling forward, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the upper unit 1 in conjunction with the travel unit 2 based on the information of the traveling forward. This can suppress the vibrator mechanism 14 from overreacting to the vibration accompanying the travel of the travel unit 2, and can make the upper unit 1 more stable.

[0084] According to the autonomous traveling robot R of the embodiment, when the traveling unit 2 is traveling forward, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the vibrator mechanism 14 by reducing the gain of the acceleration in the direction of the detected acceleration when the upper unit 1 detects the acceleration generated in the direction different from the traveling direction of the traveling unit 2. Thus, for example, when the autonomous traveling robot R is traveling on a bad road, the upper unit 1 can make the autonomous traveling robot R travel more stably.

[0085] According to the autonomous driving robot R of the embodiment, when the driving ECU 125 obtains information indicating that the top plate 11 is performing a oscillating motion, the driving unit 2 is controlled in conjunction with the upper unit 1 based on the information of the oscillating motion of the top plate 11. Thus, the driving unit 2 can be prevented from being affected by the motion of the upper unit 1.

[0086] (Variation Example)

[0087] Next, use Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 The autonomous driving robot R2 of a modified example of the embodiment is described. The autonomous driving robot R2 of the modified example also moves the oscillator of the top plate 11 during driving on an inclined road. In the following drawings, the same reference numerals are often used for the same structures as those in the above embodiment, and their description is omitted.

[0088] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a case where the vibrator ECU according to the modified example of the embodiment controls the top plate 11 of the upper unit 1 in a manner interlocking with the travel unit 2 .

[0089] like Figure 6 As shown, the autonomous driving robot R2 is driving on a sloping road that is tilted to one side in the left-right direction. Figure 6 The sloped road shown is a case where the right side of the autonomous traveling robot R2 is lower than the left side, and thus the autonomous traveling robot R2 travels forward while being inclined to the right.

[0090] like Figure 6 As shown in (a), on such an inclined road, when the top plate 11 is in the initial position, that is, when the oscillator mechanism 14 is not operated and the top plate 11 is in a position horizontal to the main body 12, the center of gravity G1 of the upper unit 1 is located at a position biased to the right relative to the left-right center position of the travel unit 2. If such a deviation exceeds a predetermined amount, there is a concern that the autonomous traveling robot R2 may tip over to the right.

[0091] like Figure 6 As shown in (b), if the oscillator ECU of the modified example detects that the autonomous driving robot R2 is tilted by more than a predetermined angle in a direction different from the driving direction, the top plate 11 is tilted in a manner to prevent the autonomous driving robot R2 from falling. Such a tilt of the autonomous driving robot R2 can be determined by detecting the tilt of the top plate 11 by the position sensor 145, for example, regardless of whether the top plate 11 is in the initial position. In addition, the decision to tilt the top plate 11 can be made, for example, when there is a concern that the autonomous driving robot R2 will fall over by more than a predetermined angle. The predetermined angle can also be made different each time in consideration of the driving speed of the driving unit 2, etc.

[0092] exist Figure 6In the example (b), the vibrator ECU of the modified example controls the left and right vibrator mechanisms 142 to lift the left end of the left and right ends of the top plate 11 on the side opposite to the tilt direction of the autonomous traveling robot R2. As a result, the center of gravity G2 of the upper unit 1 is shifted to the right and is located at a position overlapping with the center position of the travel unit 2 in the left and right direction in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the autonomous traveling robot R2 from tipping over to the right.

[0093] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a control process of the autonomous traveling robot R2 by the vibrator ECU and the traveling ECU according to a modification of the embodiment.

[0094] like Figure 7 As shown, the oscillator ECU of the modified example communicates with the driving ECU through, for example, CAN, and monitors whether the driving unit 2 is driving (step S201). When the driving unit 2 is driving (step S201: Yes), the oscillator ECU of the modified example determines whether the driving road is tilted in a direction different from the driving direction of the driving unit 2 (step S202). That is, the oscillator ECU of the modified example monitors the detection result of the position sensor 145, for example, to monitor whether the autonomous driving robot R2 is tilted in a direction different from the driving direction of the driving unit 2.

[0095] When the traveling path is inclined in a direction different from the traveling direction (step S202 : Yes), the oscillator ECU of the modified example determines whether the inclination angle of the traveling path is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle (step S203 ).

[0096] When the inclination angle of the travel path is greater than or equal to a predetermined angle (step S203: Yes), the vibrator ECU of the modified example controls the vibrator mechanism 14 based on the inclination direction and inclination angle at this time to adjust the angle of the top plate 11 in a manner to prevent the autonomous traveling robot R2 from falling in the inclination direction (step S204). Thus, the angle of the top plate 11 is adjusted in the left-right direction mainly by the left-right vibrator driving unit 143, so that the autonomous traveling robot R2 can be suppressed from falling.

[0097] After adjusting the angle of the top plate 11 in this way, the oscillator ECU of the modified example further controls the oscillator mechanism 14 based on the travel speed of the travel unit 2 to adjust the angle of the top plate 11 in a manner to offset the acceleration applied to the upper unit 1 due to the travel of the travel unit 2 (step S205). That is, the acceleration caused by the travel of the travel unit 2 is mainly offset by the front and rear oscillator mechanisms 141.

[0098] On the other hand, for example, when the travel unit 2 is stopped (step S201 : No), the vibrator ECU of the modified example skips the processing of steps S202 to S205 .

[0099] In addition, when the driving road does not have an inclination in a direction different from the driving direction (step S202: No), or when the inclination in a direction different from the driving direction of the driving road is less than a specified angle (step S203: No), the oscillator ECU of the modified example skips the processing of steps S202 to S204, and adjusts the angle of the top plate 11 in a manner to offset the acceleration caused by the driving of the driving unit 2 (step S205).

[0100] The above completes the processing of the oscillator ECU and the running ECU according to the modified example.

[0101] According to the modified example, when the traveling unit 2 is traveling forward, the vibrator ECU of the modified example controls the vibrator mechanism 14 in a manner to correct the deviation of the center of gravity of the upper unit 1 relative to the center of gravity of the traveling unit 2 caused by the tilt when the tilt is detected in a direction different from the traveling direction of the traveling unit 2. Thus, the autonomous traveling robot R2 can be prevented from toppling over on a tilted road.

[0102] According to the autonomous traveling robot R2 of the modification, the same effects as those of the autonomous traveling robot R of the embodiment are achieved except for the above.

[0103] Although the embodiments of the present invention are described above, the embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the purpose of the invention. The embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and purpose of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the technical solution and its equivalent scope.

Claims

1. An autonomous mobile object, characterized in that: have: A travel unit having drive wheels and a chassis, capable of traveling forward and backward and turning left and right; an upper unit disposed on an upper portion of the travel unit and having a vibration mitigation mechanism capable of mitigating vibrations generated by the forward travel and the turning of the travel unit; A first control unit, which controls the travel unit; as well as A second control unit controls the upper unit. The first and second control units acquire information indicating the motion states of each other's units, and perform control based on the acquired information so that the travel unit and the upper unit operate in conjunction with each other.

2. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the second control unit acquires information indicating that the travel unit is performing the forward travel, the second control unit controls the upper unit in conjunction with the travel unit based on the forward travel information.

3. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 2, characterized in that: When the travel unit is performing the forward travel, the second control unit controls the vibration reduction mechanism by reducing a gain of the acceleration in the direction in which the acceleration is detected when the acceleration of the upper unit is detected in a direction different from the travel direction of the travel unit.

4. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration mitigation mechanism includes a vibrator mechanism that causes a top plate disposed on the upper unit to perform a vibrator motion. When the first control unit acquires information indicating that the top plate has performed the oscillating motion, the first control unit controls the travel unit in conjunction with the upper unit based on the information on the oscillating motion of the top plate.

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