Autonomous moving body

Abstract

Provided is an autonomous moving body in which a person approaches in the direction of travel. An autonomous mobile body according to the present embodiment is provided with: a first unit that has drive wheels and a chassis and is capable of linear forward movement and turning movement in the left-right direction; a second unit disposed above the first unit, the second unit having a top plate and a swing mechanism for performing a swing operation about an axis in a vertical direction with respect to the first unit; and an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle around the autonomous moving body, the obstacle detection unit being provided with: a control unit that, when the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle in the traveling direction of the autonomous moving body during the movement of the autonomous moving body, controls the obstacle detection unit to detect the obstacle in the traveling direction of the autonomous moving body; when the first unit is controlled to change the direction of travel of the autonomous moving body in order to avoid the obstacle, control is performed to cause the second unit to swing before the direction of travel is changed.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In the past, research and development of autonomous robots that can carry objects such as food, drinks, and goods has been conducted. When a person becomes an obstacle in the direction of travel, the autonomous robot slows down or stops, predicts the direction of travel of the person, and changes its own direction of travel to a direction different from the predicted direction of travel of the person, while keeping a distance from the person so as not to collide with the robot.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5768273

[0004] However, in the movement of the autonomous traveling robot described above, a person cannot recognize the direction in which the autonomous traveling robot changes its traveling direction before the autonomous traveling robot starts to change its traveling direction, so there is a problem that it is difficult to cope with.

[0005] On the other hand, in the case of a person, if there are other people in the direction of travel, in order to avoid other people, the person often changes the direction of his face (line of sight) before starting to change the direction of travel. Thus, other people can observe the person who has changed the direction of his face (line of sight) and recognize that the person intends to change the direction of travel and the direction of the change.

[0006] As described above, conventional autonomous driving robots cannot move like humans when changing their travel direction, and thus there is room for improvement. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile body capable of performing human-like movements when changing the direction of travel.

[0008] The autonomous mobile body of the present invention comprises: a first unit, which has driving wheels and a chassis and can move straight forward and turn left and right; a second unit, which is arranged on the upper part of the above-mentioned first unit and has a top plate and a swing mechanism for swinging around an axis in a vertical direction based on the above-mentioned first unit; and an obstacle detection unit, which detects obstacles around the autonomous mobile body, and comprises: a control unit, which, during the movement of the above-mentioned autonomous mobile body, when an obstacle is detected by the above-mentioned obstacle detection unit in the traveling direction of the above-mentioned autonomous mobile body, controls the above-mentioned second unit to swing before changing the traveling direction, when the above-mentioned first unit is controlled to change the traveling direction of the above-mentioned autonomous mobile body in order to avoid the above-mentioned obstacle.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an autonomous mobile body capable of performing human-like movements when changing the traveling direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing the structure of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0011] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the functional structure of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0012] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing a first operation example of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0013] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the first process of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a second operation example of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing a third operation example of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 7 : is a flowchart showing the second process of the autonomous driving robot according to the embodiment.

[0017] Description of Reference Numerals

[0018] 1…conveying unit (second unit), 2…traveling unit (first unit), 11…upper body (conveying mechanism), 12…lower body (swinging mechanism), 13…rotating mechanism (swinging mechanism), 21…driving wheel, 131…swinging driving unit (swinging mechanism), 132…rotation angle sensor (swinging mechanism), 133…swinging ECU (control unit), R…autonomous driving robot (autonomous moving body). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Hereinafter, the autonomous driving robot (autonomous moving body) 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 traveling direction of the autonomous driving robot. In addition, "left and right (direction)" means a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the autonomous driving robot and parallel to the ground.

[0020] First, refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 The structure and functional configuration of the autonomous driving robot R will be described. Figure 1 1 is a diagram showing the structure of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment. Figure 21 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment.

[0021] Figure 1 (a) is an external view of the autonomous driving robot R. The autonomous driving robot R can carry objects such as food and goods, and can move autonomously in a mobile environment such as a restaurant, a residence, a facility, a warehouse, a factory, or outdoors.

[0022] The autonomous driving robot R includes a transport unit 1 (second unit) and a driving unit 2. The driving unit 2 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped with rounded corners, has four driving wheels 21 and a chassis, and can move straight forward and turn left and right.

[0023] The transport unit 1 is barrel-shaped, disposed on the upper portion of the travel unit 2, and includes an upper body 11 and a lower body 12. The frame of the upper body 11 is fixed to a vibrator mechanism 14 ( Figure 1 (b)) moves with the movement of the vibrator mechanism 14. The frame of the lower body 12 is fixed to the rotating mechanism 13 ( Figure 1 (b)) rotates according to the rotation of the rotating mechanism 13.

[0024] in addition, Figure 1 (b) is a diagram showing the internal structure of the transport unit 1 regarding the autonomous driving robot R. Figure 1 In (b), no diagram is shown. Figure 1 The frame body portion of the upper body 11 and the frame body portion of the lower body 12 in (a) are shown in FIG. The transport unit 1 includes a rotating mechanism 13 and a vibrator mechanism 14.

[0025] The swivel mechanism 13 is a swing mechanism for swinging the travel unit 2 around an axis in the vertical direction.

[0026] The vibrator mechanism 14 is a transport mechanism for transporting goods, and includes a front and rear vibrator mechanism 141 and a left and right vibrator mechanism 142. The front and rear vibrator mechanism 141 is a vibrator mechanism for tilting the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11 in the front and rear direction. The left and right vibrator mechanism 142 is a vibrator mechanism for tilting the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11 in the left and right direction. In addition, the object transported by the autonomous driving robot R is placed on the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11. A mark 111 is attached to the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11.

[0027] In addition, if Figure 2 As shown, the travel unit 2 includes a travel drive unit 22 , a position sensor 23 , an object detection sensor 24 (obstacle detection sensor), and a travel ECU 25 .

[0028] The travel drive unit 22 includes an electric motor that rotationally drives the drive wheels 21 .

[0029] The position sensor 23 is a sensor for acquiring data for the travel ECU 25 to estimate the position of the autonomous travel robot R. The position sensor 23 is composed of, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor or a rotation angular velocity sensor of the drive wheel 21 , and transmits a detection signal to the travel ECU 25 .

[0030] The object detection sensor 24 is a sensor that detects objects (hereinafter also referred to as "obstacles") around the autonomous driving robot R. The object detection sensor 24 is composed of, for example, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), a millimeter wave sensor, etc., and sends a detection signal to the driving ECU 25. In addition, the object detection sensor 24 may be composed of a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, an infrared sensor, etc., or may be a component combining multiple mechanisms.

[0031] The travel ECU 25 is an information processing device configured using predetermined hardware and software, and is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and the like.

[0032] The travel ECU 25 performs various controls. For example, the travel ECU 25 estimates the current position of the autonomous travel robot R based on the detection signal obtained from the position sensor 223. In addition, the travel ECU 25 identifies obstacles around the autonomous travel robot R based on the detection signal obtained from the object detection sensor 24. In addition, the travel ECU 25 generates a travel path from the current position to the destination based on the current position, the destination, and the position of the obstacle. In addition, the travel ECU 25 controls the travel drive unit 22 to make the travel unit 2 (and thus the autonomous travel robot R) travel along the travel path.

[0033] Furthermore, the rotating mechanism 13 includes a swing driving unit 131 , a rotation angle sensor 132 , and a swing ECU 133 (control unit).

[0034] The swing drive unit 131 includes an actuator that rotationally moves the rotating mechanism 13 .

[0035] 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 .

[0036] The swing ECU 133 performs various controls. In the following, people are mainly assumed as obstacles. Figure 3 (Details will be described later) correspondingly.

[0037] When the travel ECU 25 controls the travel unit 2 to change the travel direction of the autonomous traveling robot R in order to avoid an obstacle (person), the swing ECU 133 changes the travel direction ( Figure 3 Before (d) and (e), the conveying unit 1 is controlled to perform a swinging motion ( Figure 3 (d)).

[0038] In addition, when the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle (person) in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot R during the movement of the autonomous traveling robot R, the swing ECU 133 calculates a travel path for avoiding the obstacle (person) based on the predicted traveling direction of the obstacle (person) and the distance to the obstacle (person), and before changing the traveling direction, causes the transport unit 1 to swing in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed. In this case, the angle of the swinging movement of the transport unit 1 can also be controlled in such a way that the angle is larger (for example, 40 degrees) than the maximum angular change (for example, 30 degrees) in the traveling direction of the transport unit 2 in the traveling path.

[0039] In addition, when the swing ECU 133 causes the transport unit 1 to perform a recognition action (action for notifying the detection of an obstacle (person)) for the obstacle (person), it can control the swing drive unit 131 as a recognition action to cause the transport unit 1 to perform a swing action. Specifically, when the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle (person) in the moving direction of the autonomous traveling robot R during the movement of the autonomous traveling robot R, the swing ECU 133 controls the swing drive unit 131 to cause the transport unit 1 to perform a swing action as a predetermined recognition action.

[0040] In this case, the swing ECU 133 may also perform different recognition actions according to the size of the obstacle (person), etc. For example, when the obstacle (person) is an adult, the transport unit 1 is made to perform a small swing action, and when the obstacle (person) is a child, the transport unit 1 is made to perform a large swing action.

[0041] In addition, when the swing ECU 133 causes the transport unit 1 to perform a recognition action, it may also perform different recognition actions according to the distance between the autonomous driving robot R and the obstacle (person), or the relative speed between the autonomous driving robot R and the obstacle (person). For example, when the distance is greater than a threshold distance, the transport unit 1 is caused to perform a small swing action, and when the distance is less than the threshold distance, the transport unit 1 is caused to perform a large swing action.

[0042] In addition, when the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle (person) in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot R during the movement of the autonomous traveling robot R, the swing ECU 133 may determine whether the obstacle (person) recognizes the existence of the autonomous traveling robot R, and when it is determined that the obstacle (person) recognizes the existence of the autonomous traveling robot R, the transport unit 1 performs a recognition operation. For example, it is possible to determine whether the obstacle (person) recognizes the existence of the autonomous traveling robot R based on changes in the walking speed, walking direction, facial expression, etc. of the obstacle (person).

[0043] In addition, when the swing ECU 133 controls the travel unit 2 to change the travel direction of the autonomous traveling robot R in order to avoid an obstacle (a person), the swing ECU 133 may control the swing angle of the transport unit 1 so that the transport unit 1 is directed toward the destination before the autonomous traveling robot R reaches the destination (for details, refer to the user manual). Figure 6 , Figure 7 to be described later).

[0044] like Figure 2 As shown, the vibrator mechanism 14 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 .

[0045] The left-right vibrator driving unit 143 is a mechanism for causing the upper body 11 to perform a left-right vibrator motion so that an object placed on the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11 will not fall in the left-right direction due to the left-right acceleration generated by the autonomous driving robot R when the autonomous driving robot R turns in the left-right direction, thereby offsetting the influence of the acceleration. Figure 1 The left and right vibrator mechanism 142 corresponds to the left and right vibrator mechanism 142. In addition, the left and right vibrator driving unit 143 can also make the upper body 11 perform a vibrator action in the left and right direction as a recognition action, in addition to canceling the influence of acceleration.

[0046] The front-rear vibrator driving unit 144 is a mechanism for causing the upper body 11 to perform a vibrator motion in the front-rear direction so that an object placed on the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11 will not fall in the front-rear direction due to the acceleration generated by the autonomous traveling robot R in the front-rear direction when the autonomous traveling robot R accelerates and decelerates in the front-rear direction, thereby offsetting the influence of the acceleration. Figure 1 The front and rear vibrator mechanism 141 corresponds to the front and rear vibrator mechanism 141. In addition, the front and rear vibrator driving unit 144 can also make the upper body 11 perform a vibrator action in the front and rear direction as a recognition action, in addition to canceling the influence of acceleration.

[0047] 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 the autonomous driving robot R is accelerated in any direction around 360 degrees, the left and right vibrator driving units 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 are controlled in parallel in a manner to cancel out the influence of the acceleration, so that the object placed on the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11 can be prevented from falling. In addition, as a recognition operation, the left and right vibrator driving units 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 can be controlled in parallel to cause the upper body 11 to move.

[0048] The position sensor 145 is a sensor for acquiring data for estimating the position of the vibrator mechanism 14. The position sensor 23 is composed of, for example, a rotation angular velocity sensor, and sends a detection signal to the vibrator ECU 147. The position sensor 145 may be provided in the front and rear vibrator mechanisms 141 and the left and right vibrator mechanisms 142, respectively.

[0049] The acceleration sensor 146 detects acceleration generated by the vibrator mechanism 14 and transmits a detection signal to the vibrator ECU 147 .

[0050] The vibrator ECU 147 performs various controls. Based on the detection signals obtained from the position sensor 145 and the acceleration sensor 146, 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 upper body 11 perform the vibrator operation in such a way that the object placed on the upper surface (top plate) of the upper body 11 will not fall due to the acceleration generated by the autonomous driving robot R.

[0051] Furthermore, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the left and right vibrator driving units 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 as recognition operations to cause the upper body 11 to perform vibrator operations.

[0052] For example, when the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle (person) in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot R during the movement of the autonomous traveling robot R, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 to cause the upper body 11 to perform a vibrator action as a predetermined recognition action ( Figure 3 (b)). In addition, when the obstacle (person) is an adult, the vibrator ECU 147 can also make the upper body 11 perform the vibrator movement in the front-back direction, and when the obstacle (person) is a child, the vibrator ECU 147 can also make the upper body 11 perform the vibrator movement in the left-right direction.

[0053] By making the autonomous robot R perform an action that it does not normally perform as a recognition action, it is possible to notify the obstacle (person) that the autonomous robot R has recognized the obstacle (person). In other words, the recognition action is equivalent to a communication method such as eye contact and nodding between people.

[0054] Next, refer to Figure 3 The first operation example of the autonomous traveling robot R will be described in detail. The traveling ECU 25 , the swing ECU 133 , and the vibrator ECU 147 can communicate with each other via CAN (Controller Area Network) or the like, and can transmit and receive necessary information.

[0055] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing a first operation example of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment. Figure 3 As described above, usually when there is a person who becomes an obstacle in the direction of travel of the autonomous driving robot, the robot slows down or stops, predicts the direction of travel of the person, and changes its own direction of travel to a direction different from the predicted direction of travel of the person, while maintaining a distance from the person so as not to collide with the robot.

[0056] However, in the operation of the autonomous traveling robot, a human cannot recognize the direction in which the autonomous traveling robot changes its traveling direction before the autonomous traveling robot starts changing its traveling direction, so there is a problem that it is difficult to cope with.

[0057] On the other hand, in the case of a person, if there are other people in the direction of travel, the person often changes the direction of the face (line of sight) before starting to change the direction of travel to avoid other people. Thus, other people can recognize that the person is going to change the direction of travel and the direction of the change by seeing the person who has changed the direction of the face (line of sight).

[0058] Thus, existing autonomous driving robots cannot move like humans, and there is room for improvement. Figure 3 In the description, when there is a person as an obstacle in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot R, a case is described in which the person recognizes at an early stage that the autonomous traveling robot R is changing its traveling direction.

[0059] exist Figure 3In the example, it is assumed that the autonomous driving robot R initially moves forward in a straight line. In addition, although the recognition action can also be performed by either the swing ECU 133 or the vibrator ECU 147, the following example is taken as an example of the case where it is implemented by the vibrator ECU 147. Figure 3 In (a) to (g) of FIG. 1 , the direction V1 indicates the direction (the front side) of the traveling unit 2 facing. In addition, the direction V2 indicates the direction (the front side) of the transport unit 1 facing.

[0060] exist Figure 3 In (a), the autonomous driving robot R moves forward in a straight line, and it is assumed that the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle (person) in front.

[0061] So, next, in Figure 3 In (b), the vibrator ECU 147 controls the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 to perform a recognition action in order to make the autonomous driving robot R recognize that the obstacle (person) has been detected. Specifically, the upper body 11 performs a vibrator action in a manner that the front side is lowered and the rear side is raised in the front-to-back direction. In addition, the recognition action is not limited to this, and the transport unit 1 can also perform a swing action in a predetermined direction.

[0062] Next, in Figure 3 In (c), the vibrator ECU 147 controls the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 to make the upper body 11 vibrate in a manner that returns to the original position. In addition, at this time, in order to avoid collision with an obstacle (person), the driving ECU 25 decides to move to the right ( Figure 3 to the left of the camera) to change the direction of travel.

[0063] In this way, when the driving unit 2 (autonomous driving robot R) changes the traveling direction ( Figure 3 between (d) and (e)), before Figure 3 In (d), the swing ECU 133 performs control to swing the transport unit 1 in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed.

[0064] Then, in Figure 3 Between (d) and (e), the travel ECU 25 controls the travel drive unit 22 to change the travel direction of the travel unit 2 (autonomous travel robot R). Figure 3 At the moment (e), direction V1 and direction V2 are consistent.

[0065] Then, in Figure 3 The autonomous driving robot R and the obstacle (person) will yield between (e) and (f). In this way, the driving ECU 25 controls the driving drive unit 22 to change the driving direction of the driving unit 2 (autonomous driving robot R). Figure 3 At the moment (f), the traveling direction (direction V2) of the autonomous driving robot R becomes different from the original direction ( Figure 3 (a)) in the same direction.

[0066] Then, the swing ECU 133 controls the swing drive unit 131 to swing the transport unit 1 so that the direction of the transport unit 1 (direction V1) coincides with the traveling direction of the autonomous driving robot R (direction V2). Figure 3 At the moment (g), direction V1 is consistent with direction V2. Figure 3 (g) The driving path in the future direction can be Figure 3 The driving paths in the forward direction at the time (a) may be consistent or inconsistent.

[0067] Next, refer to Figure 4 The first process of the autonomous driving robot R will be described. Figure 4 and Figure 3 , Figure 5 Accordingly, this is a flowchart showing the first process of the autonomous traveling robot R according to the embodiment. Before this process, the traveling ECU 25 generates a straight traveling route from the current position to the destination based on the current position of the autonomous traveling robot R and the destination.

[0068] In step S1 , the travel ECU 25 controls the travel drive unit 22 to cause the autonomous traveling robot R to travel along the travel path (straight forward).

[0069] Next, in step S2 , the travel ECU 25 determines whether the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle (person) ahead, and if so, proceeds to step S3 , and if not, returns to step S1 .

[0070] In step S3, the vibrator ECU 147 controls the front and rear vibrator driving units 144 to perform recognition operations ( Figure 3 (b)).

[0071] Next, in step S4, the driving ECU 25 determines whether the traveling direction of the autonomous driving robot R needs to be changed to avoid a collision with an obstacle (person), and if so, proceeds to step S5, and if not, ends the processing (continues driving).

[0072] In step S5 , the travel ECU 25 determines whether there is a possibility of collision with an obstacle (person), and if yes, proceeds to step S6 , and if no, proceeds to step S7 .

[0073] In step S6 , the travel ECU 25 controls the travel drive unit 22 to stop the travel.

[0074] In step S7, the swing ECU 133 controls the swing driving unit 131 to swing the transport unit 1 in the same direction as the direction in which the moving direction is changed ( Figure 3 (d)).

[0075] Next, in step S8, the travel ECU 25 controls the travel drive unit 22 to change the travel direction of the autonomous traveling robot R ( Figure 3 between (d) and (e)).

[0076] Next, refer to Figure 5 A second operation example of the autonomous driving robot R will be described. Figure 5 2 is a diagram showing a second operation example of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment. Figure 5 In the example, the autonomous robot R initially moves forward in a straight line, and then avoids two obstacles in sequence. Figure 3 Duplicated descriptions of the same matters will be appropriately omitted.

[0077] exist Figure 5 In (a), the autonomous driving robot R moves forward in a straight line, and then the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle B1 (a person) in front of it. Figure 3 The situation is the same, so it is omitted Figure 5 In addition, at this time, the driving ECU 25 decides to change the direction of travel to the right ( Figure 5 on the left side of the ).

[0078] In this way, when the driving unit 2 (autonomous driving robot R) changes the traveling direction ( Figure 5 between (b) and (c)), before Figure 5 In (b), the swing ECU 133 performs control to swing the transport unit 1 in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed.

[0079] Then, in Figure 5 Between (b) and (c), the travel unit 2 (autonomous travel robot R) changes its travel direction by controlling the travel drive unit 22 by the travel ECU 25. Figure 5 At the moment (c), the direction V1 and the direction V2 are consistent.

[0080] Then, in Figure 5Between (c) and (d), the autonomous driving robot R and the obstacle (person) will yield. Moreover, it is assumed that the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle B2 (person) in front. In addition, at this time, the driving ECU 25 decides to change the direction of travel to the left ( Figure 5 on the right side of the ).

[0081] In this way, when the driving unit 2 (autonomous driving robot R) changes the traveling direction ( Figure 5 between (d) and (e)), before Figure 5 In (d), the swing ECU 133 performs control to swing the transport unit 1 in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed.

[0082] Then, in Figure 5 Between (d) and (e), the travel ECU 25 controls the travel drive unit 22, and the travel unit 2 (autonomous travel robot R) changes the travel direction. Figure 5 At the moment (e), the direction V1 and the direction V2 are consistent.

[0083] Then, in Figure 5 Here, the driving ECU 25 decides to change the direction of travel to the right ( Figure 5 on the left side of the ).

[0084] In this way, when the driving unit 2 (autonomous driving robot R) changes the traveling direction ( Figure 5 between (f) and (g)), before Figure 5 In (f), the swing ECU 133 performs control to swing the transport unit 1 in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed.

[0085] Then, in Figure 5 Between (f) and (g), the travel unit 2 (autonomous travel robot R) changes its travel direction by controlling the travel drive unit 22 by the travel ECU 25. Figure 5 At the moment (g), direction V1 and direction V2 are consistent.

[0086] Next, refer to Figure 6 A third operation example of the autonomous driving robot R will be described. Figure 63 is a diagram showing a third operation example of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment. Generally, for example, when a worker in a restaurant carries food and drinks, at a certain moment, even if the worker's moving direction is different from the direction toward the target customer, the worker often turns his face (line of sight) toward the customer. Thus, the target customer can recognize that the worker is turning toward him by seeing the worker's face (line of sight) toward him.

[0087] However, the existing autonomous driving robot only moves along the calculated path, so it does not perform the same action as the above-mentioned employee turning the face (line of sight) toward the customer at the destination. Therefore, even if the autonomous driving robot is moving toward him, the target customer cannot recognize that the autonomous driving robot is moving toward him until the moving direction of the autonomous driving robot matches the direction for him.

[0088] Therefore, in Figure 6 In the embodiment of the present invention, when the autonomous robot R is directed toward the target person C, even before the traveling direction of the autonomous robot coincides with the direction toward the person C, the person C is made to recognize that the autonomous robot R is directed toward him. Figure 3 For the same matters, repeated descriptions are omitted as appropriate.

[0089] exist Figure 6 In (a), the autonomous driving robot R moves forward in a straight line, and the object detection sensor 24 detects an obstacle B3 in front. At this time, the driving ECU 25 decides to change the direction of travel to the right (right) based on the direction of travel in order to avoid collision with the obstacle B3. Figure 6 on the left side of the ).

[0090] In this way, the travel unit 2 (autonomous traveling robot R) moves while changing the travel direction in a manner to avoid collision with the obstacle B3 ((b) to (g)). Between (b) to (g), the swing ECU 133 controls the angle of the swing action of the transport unit 1 so that the transport unit 1 is directed toward the destination (person C) from before the travel direction of the autonomous traveling robot R is changed until the autonomous traveling robot R reaches the destination (person C).

[0091] Next, there is Figure 7 The second process of the autonomous driving robot R will be described. Figure 7 and Figure 6 Correspondingly, this is a flowchart showing the second process of the autonomous driving robot R according to the embodiment.

[0092] and Figure 4In comparison, except that step S7 is replaced by step S71, they are the same, so only step S71 will be described. In the case of no in step S5, in step S71, the swing ECU 133 moves the transport unit 1 toward the destination ( Figure 6 The angle of the swinging motion of the transport unit 1 is controlled by the direction of the person C). Figure 6 (b)~(g)).

[0093] As described above, according to the autonomous traveling robot R of this embodiment, when an obstacle (person) is detected in the traveling direction during movement, the transport unit 1 is swung before changing the traveling direction in order to avoid the obstacle (person).

[0094] In this case, for example, before the autonomous traveling robot R changes its traveling direction, the transport unit 1 is swung in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed. Thus, when there is an obstacle (person) in the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot R, the obstacle (person) can recognize the direction in which the autonomous traveling robot R changes its traveling direction at an early stage. Therefore, the safety of the obstacle (person) that the autonomous traveling robot R will give way to can be ensured, and the obstacle (person) can be given a sense of security.

[0095] Furthermore, when the transport unit 1 is swung in the same direction as the direction in which the travel direction is changed before the autonomous traveling robot R changes its travel direction, the swing angle of the transport unit 1 may be controlled so as to be larger than the maximum angle change amount at which the travel direction of the traveling unit 2 is changed the most in the travel path. This further increases the possibility that an obstacle (person) will notice the swing action of the autonomous traveling robot R.

[0096] Furthermore, when the conveying unit 1 is caused to perform a recognition operation, different recognition operations may be performed according to the size of the obstacle (person), etc. Thus, for example, a recognition operation that makes each obstacle (person) more noticeable can be realized.

[0097] Furthermore, when the transport unit 1 is caused to perform a recognition operation, different recognition operations may be performed according to the distance between the autonomous driving robot R and the obstacle (person), or the relative speed between the autonomous driving robot R and the obstacle (person). Thus, for example, a recognition operation for each distance corresponding to the importance of the recognition operation that can be changed according to the distance or the relative speed can be realized.

[0098] In addition, when an obstacle (person) is detected in the traveling direction of the autonomous driving robot R, it is possible to determine whether the obstacle (person) recognizes the existence of the autonomous driving robot R, and when it is determined that the obstacle (person) recognizes the existence of the autonomous driving robot R, the transport unit 1 performs a recognition operation. In this way, an effective recognition operation can be achieved.

[0099] In addition, if Figure 5 As shown in the figure, when the autonomous robot R moves in an S shape to avoid multiple obstacles in sequence, the transport unit 1 is swung in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed for each obstacle (person) before changing the traveling direction. Thus, the direction in which the autonomous robot R changes its traveling direction can be identified at an early stage for each obstacle (person).

[0100] In addition, if Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the travel unit 2 is controlled to change the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot R in order to avoid the obstacle B3, the angle of the swinging motion of the transport unit 1 may be controlled so that the transport unit 1 is directed toward the destination (person C) before the autonomous traveling robot R reaches the destination (person C). Thus, even if the traveling direction of the autonomous traveling robot R coincides with the direction toward the person C ( Figure 6 (b) to (e)), it is also possible to recognize the situation where the autonomous driving robot R is heading towards itself.

[0101] In addition, the program executed by the autonomous driving robot R of the present embodiment can be 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 can also be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0102] 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.

[0103] For example, the acceleration sensor 146 may be provided in the travel unit 2 instead of the vibrator mechanism 14. However, in this case, although the acceleration sensor 146 does not detect the acceleration caused by the vibrator movement of the vibrator mechanism 14 or the rotational movement of the rotation mechanism 13, the vibrator ECU 147 uses not only the detection signal of the acceleration sensor 146 but also the previous control signal of the vibrator ECU 147 for the left and right vibrator driving unit 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving unit 144, the previous control signal of the swing ECU 133 for the swing driving unit 131, etc., thereby being able to determine the control content for the left and right vibrator driving unit 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving unit 144.

[0104] On the other hand, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, if the acceleration sensor 146 is provided in the vibrator mechanism 14, the acceleration sensor 146 detects the acceleration caused by the vibrator movement of the vibrator mechanism 14 and the rotational movement of the rotation mechanism 13, so that such complicated processing is not required. That is, the control content for the left and right vibrator driving unit 143 and the front and rear vibrator driving unit 144 can be determined by simple processing based only on the detection signal of the acceleration sensor 146.

[0105] Furthermore, the present invention can be widely applied to all autonomous moving bodies in addition to autonomous driving robots.

[0106] In addition, you can also Figure 4 In step S6, the autonomous driving robot R is first decelerated, but even then, if there is still a possibility of collision with an obstacle (person), the autonomous driving robot R may be stopped.

Claims

1. An autonomous mobile object, comprising: The first unit has driving wheels and a chassis and is capable of moving straight forward and turning left and right; a second unit disposed on the upper portion of the first unit and having a top plate and a swing mechanism for swinging about an axis in a vertical direction with reference to the first unit; and An obstacle detection unit detects surrounding obstacles. The autonomous mobile body is characterized by comprising: A control unit, which, when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit in the traveling direction of the autonomous moving body during the movement of the autonomous moving body, controls the first unit to change the traveling direction of the autonomous moving body in order to avoid the obstacle, and controls the second unit to perform a swinging motion before changing the traveling direction.

2. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the movement of the autonomous moving body, when the obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection unit in the traveling direction of the autonomous moving body, the control unit calculates a travel path for avoiding the obstacle based on the predicted traveling direction of the obstacle and the distance to the obstacle, and before changing the traveling direction, causes the second unit to swing in the same direction as the direction in which the traveling direction is changed. In this case, the angle of the swinging movement of the second unit is controlled in such a way that it becomes an angle larger than the maximum angular change in the traveling direction of the first unit in the traveling path.

3. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 1, characterized in that: When causing the second unit to perform a predetermined recognition operation, the control unit performs a different recognition operation according to the obstacle.

4. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 1, characterized in that: When causing the second unit to perform a predetermined recognition operation, the control unit performs different recognition operations according to a distance between the autonomous moving object and the obstacle or a relative speed between the autonomous moving object and the obstacle.

5. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 1, characterized in that: During the movement of the autonomous moving body, when the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle in the direction of travel of the autonomous moving body, the control unit determines whether the obstacle recognizes the existence of the autonomous moving body, and when it is determined that the obstacle has been recognized, causes the second unit to perform a prescribed recognition action.

6. The autonomous mobile object according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the control unit controls the first unit to change the direction of travel of the autonomous moving body in order to avoid the obstacle, and when controlling the second unit to perform a swinging motion before changing the direction of travel, the angle of the swinging motion of the second unit is controlled in such a way that the second unit is directed toward the destination until the autonomous moving body reaches the destination.

Images