Method for generating score map, method for controlling travel, and system for controlling travel of mobile tool

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of generating a score map, a method of controlling travel, and a system of controlling travel of a mobile tool. A method of generating a score map of a mobile tool may include loading, by a controller of the mobile tool, a local map including a plurality of cells; scanning the surroundings of the moving tool through a surroundings scanning unit mounted on the moving tool; identifying, by the controller, a surrounding terrain of the moving tool according to the information about the surrounding environment of the moving tool; generating, by the controller, a first score map corresponding to the terrain; generating, by the controller, a vector diagram corresponding to the terrain; converting the vector diagram into a second score diagram through the controller; a final score map is generated by the controller based on the first score map and the second score map. The method may further include controlling travel of the mobile tool. A system for controlling travel of a mobile tool by utilizing the final score map is also disclosed.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the priority and benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2023 - 0193421, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 27, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical field

[0003] The present invention relates to a method of generating a fractional map and a method of controlling the travel of a mobility. Background art

[0004] Generally, an autonomous mobility can perform travel route planning by planning possible movements of the mobility on a vector map or a two - dimensional (2D) map. The mobility can plan a travel route based on a 2D light detection and ranging sensor (LiDAR) or a three - dimensional (3D) LiDAR. In a stable indoor environment, the mobility can plan a sufficiently safe travel route by using only a 2D LiDAR and travel based on the planned travel route without accidents.

[0005] However, when traveling outdoors by using 2D LiDAR - based travel route planning, the mobility may recognize the terrain where the mobility can travel as an obstacle, or may not recognize the terrain where the mobility cannot travel as an obstacle.

[0006] The above information disclosed in this background art section is provided only to help better understand the background of the present invention and thus may include information not included in the prior art that is well - known, available, or in use. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention relates to a method of generating a fractional map, a method of controlling the travel of a mobility, and a system for controlling the travel of a mobility. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of generating a fractional map, which can generate a final fractional map by merging a terrain - based vector map with a fractional map corresponding to the surrounding environment, and the present invention relates to a method of controlling the travel of a mobility and a system for controlling the travel of a mobility, which can generate a travel route by using the final fractional map and control the travel of the mobility.

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention can provide a method of generating a fractional map of a mobility, which can generate a final fractional map by merging a terrain - based vector map with a fractional map corresponding to the surrounding environment.

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention may provide a method for controlling the travel of a mobile tool and a system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool, which can generate a travel route by using a final score map and control the travel of the mobile tool based on the travel route.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for generating a score map of a mobile tool may include: loading a local map including a plurality of cells by a controller of the mobile tool; scanning the surrounding environment of the mobile tool by a surrounding environment scanning unit installed on the mobile tool; identifying the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool by the controller according to the information about the surrounding environment of the mobile tool; generating a first score map corresponding to the terrain by the controller; generating a vector map corresponding to the terrain by the controller; converting the vector map into a second score map by the controller; and generating a final score map by the controller based on the first score map and the second score map.

[0011] The terrain may include obstacles, general terrain, and special terrain. An obstacle is defined as any object physically existing between the bottom surface and the top surface of the mobile tool. General terrain is defined as terrain having all surfaces existing between the bottom surface of the mobile tool and the lower ends of the wheels of the mobile tool. Special terrain is defined as terrain on which the mobile tool can move based on the entry direction or speed of the mobile tool.

[0012] The vector map may include a plurality of cells and a plurality of vectors. Each vector faces the surrounding cells from each of the plurality of cells. Each cell stores the terrain type, and each vector stores the maximum speed and the minimum speed of the mobile tool when the mobile tool moves in the vector direction.

[0013] Generating a vector map corresponding to the terrain may include: collecting performance information of the mobile tool; calculating a vector map of the surrounding terrain of the obstacle; calculating a vector map of the special terrain; and calculating a vector map of the general terrain.

[0014] Converting the vector map into a second score map may include: assigning scores based on the obstacle terrain; assigning scores based on the maximum speed; and assigning scores based on the special terrain.

[0015] When assigning scores based on the obstacle terrain, scores indicating prohibited movement may be assigned to the cells including the obstacle, and scores may be assigned to the surrounding cells in inverse proportion to the distance to the obstacle.

[0016] When assigning scores based on the maximum speed, scores may be assigned based on the ratio of the restricted maximum speed.

[0017] Generating a final score map based on a first score map and a second score map may include: setting the maximum value among at least one score assigned to any cell as the final score of the corresponding cell; setting the maximum value among at least one score assigned to any vector as the final score of the corresponding vector.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling the travel of a mobile tool may include: generating a score map by the method of generating a score map of the mobile tool as described above; generating a travel route by a controller based on the score map; generating a travel instruction by the controller based on the travel route; and controlling the travel of the mobile tool by the controller based on the generated travel instruction.

[0019] Generating a travel route may include: generating at least one route from the current position of the mobile tool to a destination; removing inappropriate routes from the at least one route, the inappropriate routes including areas with obstacles or areas where the movement of the mobile tool is prohibited; and selecting, from the at least one route from which the inappropriate routes have been removed, the route with the minimum score as the travel route.

[0020] The travel instruction may include a speed instruction and a torque instruction.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool may include: a mobile tool; a surrounding environment scanning unit installed on the mobile tool and configured to scan the surrounding environment of the mobile tool; a controller configured to: load a local map including a plurality of cells, receive information about the scanned surrounding environment from the surrounding environment scanning unit, identify the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool according to the information about the surrounding environment, generate a first score map corresponding to the identified terrain, generate a vector map corresponding to the identified terrain, convert the generated vector map into a second score map, generate a final score map based on the first score map and the second score map, generate a travel route based on the final score map, and control the travel of the mobile tool based on the travel route.

[0022] The terrain may include obstacles, general terrain, and special terrain. An obstacle is defined as any object physically present between the bottom surface and the top surface of the mobile tool. General terrain is defined as terrain having all surfaces present between the bottom surface of the mobile tool and the lower ends of the wheels of the mobile tool. Special terrain is defined as terrain on which the mobile tool can move based on the entry direction or speed of the mobile tool.

[0023] The vector map may include a plurality of cells and a plurality of vectors. Each vector faces a surrounding cell from each of the plurality of cells. Each cell stores a terrain type, and each vector stores the maximum speed and the minimum speed of the mobile tool when the mobile tool moves in the vector direction.

[0024] When generating a vector map based on terrain, the controller can be configured to: collect performance information of a mobile tool, calculate a vector map of the surrounding terrain of an obstacle based on the obstacle type, calculate a vector map of special terrain based on the special terrain type and the performance information of the mobile tool, and calculate a vector map of general terrain based on the general terrain type and the performance information of the mobile tool.

[0025] When converting the vector map into a second score map, the controller can be configured to: assign scores based on obstacle terrain, assign scores based on maximum speed, and assign scores based on special terrain.

[0026] The controller can be configured to assign scores based on obstacle terrain by assigning a score indicating prohibited movement to cells including obstacles and assigning scores to surrounding cells in inverse proportion to the distance to the obstacles.

[0027] The controller can be configured to assign scores based on maximum speed by assigning scores based on the ratio of the restricted maximum speed.

[0028] When generating a final score map based on the first score map and the second score map, the controller can be configured to: set the maximum value among at least one score assigned to any cell as the final score of the corresponding cell, and set the maximum value among at least one score assigned to any vector as the final score of the corresponding vector.

[0029] When generating a driving route, the controller can be configured to: generate at least one route from the current position of the mobile tool to the destination; remove inappropriate routes from the at least one route, where the inappropriate routes include areas with obstacles or areas where the movement of the mobile tool is prohibited; and select the route with the minimum score among the at least one route from which the inappropriate routes have been removed as the driving route.

[0030] When controlling the movement of the mobile tool based on the driving route, the controller can be configured to generate a driving instruction based on the driving route and control the movement of the mobile tool based on the generated driving instruction.

[0031] The driving instruction may include a speed instruction and a torque instruction.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present invention, even terrain that cannot be recognized as a dangerous area by 2D LiDAR can be recognized as terrain where an accident may occur, thereby improving the safety of the mobile tool.

[0033] Even areas that were previously classified as dangerous areas but can be conditionally moved through by the mobile tool can be generated as driving routes under preset criteria.

[0034] The stability of route generation during outdoor driving can be improved by using the LiDAR and cameras previously used during indoor driving, without any additional sensors.

[0035] The lifespan of a mobile tool can be increased by mainly avoiding areas that may damage the hardware of the mobile tool.

[0036] Other advantages that can be obtained or predicted by the embodiments of the present invention are directly or implicitly disclosed in the specific description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. That is, various effects predicted based on the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in the following specific description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The embodiments in the specification can be better understood by referring to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals refer to the same or functionally similar elements.

[0038] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system for controlling the driving of a mobile tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the driving of a mobile tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 3 is Figure 2 a flowchart of step S130 in

[0041] Figure 4 is Figure 2 a flowchart of step S140 in

[0042] Figure 5 is Figure 2 a flowchart of step S160 in

[0043] Figure 6 shows an example of a local view around a mobile tool.

[0044] Figure 7 shows an example of the information input into a vector map.

[0045] Figure 8 shows an example of a special terrain.

[0046] Figure 9 shows another example of a special terrain.

[0047] Figure 10 shows an example of generating a driving route based on a final score map.

[0048] It will be understood that the accompanying drawings referred to above are not necessarily drawn to scale, but rather present a rather simplified representation of various features to illustrate the basic principles of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. For example, the specific design features (including specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes) of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be determined in part by the specific target application and the environment in which it is used. Detailed Description

[0049] The terms used herein may be used only to describe specific embodiments and are not necessarily intended to limit the present invention. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular terms used herein may include their plurals. It will also be understood that when the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" are used in this specification, they specify the presence of the stated features, values, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, values, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

[0050] The "mobile vehicle", "of the mobile vehicle", or other similar terms used in the specification generally may include general land mobile vehicles including passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), buses, trucks, tractors, various commercial vehicles, etc., marine mobile vehicles including various ships and boats, aerial mobile vehicles including aircraft, drones, etc., and any object that can move by receiving power from a power source. In addition, the "mobile vehicle", "of the mobile vehicle", or other similar terms used herein may be understood to include hybrid mobile vehicles, electric mobile vehicles, plug-in hybrid mobile vehicles, hydrogen-powered mobile vehicles, and other alternative fuel (e.g., fuels derived from sources other than petroleum) mobile vehicles. As described herein, a hybrid mobile vehicle is a mobile vehicle having two or more power sources, such as a gasoline-powered and an electric-powered mobile vehicle. The mobile vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a manually driven mobile vehicle as well as a more or less autonomous and / or self-driving mobile vehicle.

[0051] In addition, it will be understood that one or more of the methods described below, or aspects thereof, may be performed by at least one or more controllers. The term "controller" may refer to a hardware device including a memory and a processor, either or both of the memory and the processor may be plural, or may include plural components together or separately. The memory may store program instructions, and the processor may be specifically programmed to execute the program instructions to perform one or more processes described in more detail below. As described herein, the controller may control the operation of units, modules, components, devices, etc. It will also be understood that, as understood by those skilled in the art, the methods described below may be performed by a device including a controller in combination with one or more other components.

[0052] In addition, the controller of the present invention may be implemented as a non-volatile computer-readable recording medium including executable program instructions executed by a processor. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium may include a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), magnetic tape, a floppy disk, a flash drive, a smart card, an optical data storage device, or any combination thereof, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed across a computer network, a storage network, a distributed ledger, or a blockchain network, and thus program instructions may be stored and executed in a distributed manner using, for example, a telematics server or a controller area network (CAN).

[0053] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0055] As Figure 1 shown, a system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a surrounding environment scanning unit 10, a controller 20, and a mobile tool 30, any combination or all of which may be plural, or may include plural components.

[0056] The surrounding environment scanning unit 10 may be mounted on the mobile tool 30 and configured to scan the surrounding environment of the mobile tool 30. The surrounding environment scanning unit 10 may include a light detection and ranging sensor (LiDAR) and a camera.

[0057] LiDAR can emit laser pulses near the mobile tool 30 and then detect the return time of the laser pulses reflected from the terrain within the detection range of the LiDAR (e.g., obstacles, general terrain, or special terrain), thereby detecting information about the terrain, such as the distance, direction, speed, temperature, material distribution, concentrated features of the terrain, etc. from the LiDAR to the terrain. The LiDAR can be connected to the controller 20 to detect two-dimensional (2D) LiDAR point data within the detection range (e.g., 2D data of multiple LiDAR points) and transmit the 2D LiDAR point data to the controller 20. However, the LiDAR is not limited to the LiDAR that detects 2D LiDAR point data and can include a LiDAR that detects three-dimensional (3D) LiDAR point data.

[0058] The camera can scan the surrounding image of the mobile tool 30 within the detection range of the camera. The camera can be connected to the controller 20 and transmit the scanned image to the controller 20. The image can include pixel data, which includes multiple pixels. The type of the camera is not specifically limited to any type as long as the camera can scan the surrounding image that can identify the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool 30.

[0059] The controller 20 can include a terrain recognition unit 21, a score map generation unit 22, a vector map generation unit 24, a map conversion unit 26, a route generation unit 28, and an instruction generation unit 29, any combination or all of which can be multiple, or can include multiple components.

[0060] The terrain recognition unit 21 can receive information about the surrounding environment scanned by the surrounding environment scanning unit 10 and identify the terrain from the information about the surrounding environment. For example, the terrain recognition unit 21 can receive 2D LiDAR point data from the LiDAR and the surrounding image of the mobile tool 30 from the camera. The terrain recognition unit 21 can identify the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool 30 from the 2D LiDAR point data and the surrounding image of the mobile tool 30. To this end, the terrain recognition unit 21 can store an algorithm for identifying feature points of the image. The terrain can be classified as an obstacle, general terrain, or special terrain.

[0061] An obstacle refers to the terrain that may collide with the mobile tool 30, such as a person, another mobile tool, or an object. An obstacle can be defined as any object physically present between the bottom surface and the top surface of the mobile tool 30 identified by the terrain recognition unit 21.

[0062] General terrain refers to the terrain where the difference between the maximum height and the minimum height is less than a preset value, such that the terrain is regarded as a flat surface. General terrain can be defined as the terrain having all the surfaces existing between the bottom surface of the mobile tool 30 and the lower ends of the wheels of the mobile tool.

[0063] Special terrain refers to terrain where the mobile tool 30 can move according to the entry direction or speed of the mobile tool. For example, as Figure 8 shown, the road edge can correspond to special terrain where the mobile tool 30 can move in the direction of decreasing height but cannot move in the direction of increasing height. As Figure 9 shown, a puddle or a depression can correspond to special terrain where the mobile tool 30 can pass through at high speed but cannot pass through at low speed.

[0064] The score map generation unit 22 can receive information about the recognized terrain from the terrain recognition unit 21, and generate a numerical score map based on the information about the terrain, so that each area of the map can be used for other calculations. For example, the score map can be used as a cost map for calculating the cost of a driving route, or as a feature map for scoring terrain features. For example, as Figure 6 shown, the local map 40 around the mobile tool 30 can include a plurality of cells 42 divided in a grid form, and each cell 42 can store the position information and score information of the corresponding cell 42. The score map generation unit 22 can identify the cell 42 where the terrain is located based on the information about the terrain, and generate a first score map by assigning a score corresponding to the terrain to the corresponding cell 42.

[0065] The vector map generation unit 24 can receive information about the recognized terrain from the terrain recognition unit 21, and generate a vector map based on the information about the terrain. For example, as Figure 7 shown, the vector map can include at least one cell 42 and eight vectors 44 starting from the corresponding cell 42 to the surrounding cells 42. Each cell 42 can store the terrain type, and each vector 44 can store the maximum speed and minimum speed of the mobile tool 30 when the mobile tool 30 moves in the direction of the vector 44. Accordingly, the vector map generation unit 24 can input the terrain type into each cell 42 based on the terrain type and the relative position of the cell to the terrain, and input the maximum speed and minimum speed into the vectors 44 included in the corresponding cell 42, thereby generating a vector map.

[0066] The map conversion unit 26 can receive the vector map from the vector map generation unit 24, and convert the vector map into a second score map based on a preset rule. The second score map can include the score of each cell 42 and the score of the vector 44 from the corresponding cell 42 to the surrounding cells 42.

[0067] In addition, the map conversion unit 26 can generate a final score map by combining the first score map and the second score map. Multiple scores can be assigned to the cells 42 or the vectors 44. In this case, the maximum value among the multiple scores can be the final score of the cell 42 or the final score of the vector 44. Accordingly, the final score map can include the final scores of each cell 42 and the final scores of the eight vectors 44 respectively from the corresponding cell 42 to the surrounding cells 42. As described above, the final score map can be used as a cost map for calculating the cost of the driving route, or as a feature map for scoring the terrain features. However, the final score map is not limited to the embodiments described herein and can be used in various applications that require a map including a digital area.

[0068] The route generation unit 28 can generate multiple routes from the current position of the mobile tool 30 to the destination, calculate the score of each of the multiple routes, and select the route with the minimum score as the driving route. The logic for generating the driving route of the mobile tool 30 can be well-known to those skilled in the art and can be stored in the memory of the controller 20.

[0069] The instruction generation unit 29 can generate a driving instruction to move along the driving route. The driving instruction can include a speed instruction and a torque instruction. The instruction generation unit 29 can further perform the driving control of the mobile tool 30 based on the driving instruction.

[0070] To this end, the controller 20 can be equipped with one or more microprocessors, and the one or more microprocessors can be programmed to execute each step of the method for controlling the driving of the mobile tool according to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0071] The mobile tool 30 can be controlled to move along the route generated by the route generation unit 28 based on the instruction generated by the instruction generation unit 29. The mobile tool 30 can include at least one wheel and at least one drive motor for rotating the at least one wheel. The operation of the drive motor can be controlled based on the speed instruction and the torque instruction.

[0072] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the method for controlling the driving of the mobile tool according to the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 3 is Figure 2 a flowchart of step S130 in Figure 4 is Figure 2 a flowchart of step S140 in Figure 5 is Figure 2 a flowchart of step S160 in

[0073] As Figure 2As shown, the method of controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to an embodiment of the present invention may start by activating the mobile tool 30. For example, the user may press the start button of the mobile tool 30 or start the mobile tool 30 by using a remote control device.

[0074] In step S100, the mobile tool 30 may receive a destination, etc. from the user, and the controller 20 may load a local map 40 from the entire map stored in the memory. The local map 40 may be a map of an area within a preset range centered on the mobile tool 30. As Figure 6 shown, the local map 40 may include a plurality of cells 42 divided in a grid form, and each cell 42 may store position information of the corresponding cell 42 (e.g., the center coordinates of each cell 42 or the size of each cell 42).

[0075] When the local map 40 is loaded, the surrounding environment scanning unit 10 may scan the surrounding environment of the mobile tool 30. For example, a light detection and ranging sensor (LiDAR) may detect two-dimensional (2D) LiDAR point data (e.g., 2D data of a plurality of LiDAR points) within the detection range of the LiDAR and scan the surrounding image of the mobile tool 30 within the detection range of the camera. In addition, the surrounding environment scanning unit 10 may transmit the 2D LiDAR point data and the surrounding image of the mobile tool 30 to the controller 20.

[0076] In step S110, when receiving information about the scanned surrounding environment from the surrounding environment scanning unit 10, the terrain recognition unit 21 of the controller 20 may recognize the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool 30 from the information about the surrounding environment. The terrain may be classified as an obstacle, a general terrain, or a special terrain.

[0077] In step S120, when the terrain recognition unit 21 recognizes the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool 30, the score map generation unit 22 of the controller 20 can receive information about the terrain (e.g., terrain type or position of the terrain) from the terrain recognition unit 21, and generate a first score map corresponding to the terrain based on the information about the terrain and the position information of the cell 42. The first score map can be generated by assigning scores corresponding to each terrain to each of the multiple cells. For example, scores in the range from zero to 255 can be assigned to each cell 42. When the mobile tool 30 moves to the corresponding cell 42, the score 255 can be the score assigned to the cell 42 reserved due to lack of sufficient information, the score 254 can be the score assigned to the cell 42 having an obstacle that can cause a collision, scores in the range from 128 to 253 can be the scores assigned to the cell 42 where a collision may occur and are assigned based on the distance from the obstacle or special terrain, scores in the range from 1 to 127 can be the scores assigned to the cell 42 where a collision with an obstacle is impossible and are assigned based on difficulty (e.g., width of the drivable road, impact applied to the mobile tool 30 when moving on the drivable road, etc.), power consumption (e.g., slope of the drivable road, etc.), etc. The zero score can be the score assigned to the free space. However, it can be understood that the above scores are not restrictive but are merely examples.

[0078] In step S130, when the terrain recognition unit 21 recognizes the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool 30, the vector map generation unit 24 of the controller 20 can receive information about the terrain (e.g., terrain type or position of the terrain) from the terrain recognition unit 21, and generate a vector map corresponding to the terrain based on the information about the terrain, the position information of the cell 42, and the direction of the vector 44.

[0079] Reference Figure 3 A more detailed description of step S130 is given.

[0080] Reference Figure 3 , step S130 starts by collecting the performance information of the mobile tool 30 in step S200. The performance information of the mobile tool 30 can include the maximum speed of the mobile tool 30, the types of terrains that can be traveled, the maximum speed of the mobile tool 30 based on the terrain type, the conditions for the mobile tool 30 to pass through special terrains, etc., but the performance information is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the performance conditions of the mobile tool 30 can be as follows:

[0081] · The mobile tool 30 can climb a road curb up to 10 cm high at a predetermined / preset speed or higher, and climb a road curb up to 13 cm high vertically at the maximum speed;

[0082] · When one wheel falls into a groove of 5 cm or more, the mobile tool 30 cannot move;

[0083] · The mobile tool 30 cannot pass through sandy terrain; and

[0084] · The mobile tool 30 can pass through asphalt terrain at the maximum speed, through sidewalk block terrain at (0.8 × maximum speed), and through muddy terrain at (0.6 × maximum speed).

[0085] The performance information of the mobile tool 30 can be pre-stored in the memory of the controller 20, and the controller 20 can read the performance information of the mobile tool 30 stored in the memory.

[0086] When the controller 20 collects the performance information of the mobile tool 30, in step S210, the vector map generation unit 24 of the controller 20 can calculate the vector map of the surrounding terrain of the obstacle. For example, the obstacle can be the terrain recognized by the terrain recognition unit 21. In this case, the vector map generation unit 24 can input the obstacle type into the cell 42 including the obstacle, input zero maximum speed into the vector 44 of the surrounding cells 42 facing the cell 42 including the obstacle, and input a maximum speed inversely proportional to the distance into the vector of the cell 42 facing the cell 42 including the obstacle based on the distance from the cell 42 including the obstacle. In this case, a maximum speed or a smaller value can be input as the minimum speed of each vector 44 based on a predetermined / pre-set rule.

[0087] Then, in step S220, the vector map generation unit 24 of the controller 20 can calculate the vector map of the special terrain. For example, the terrain recognized by the terrain recognition unit 21 can be special terrain. In this case, the vector map generation unit 24 can input the special terrain type into the cell 42 including the special terrain, and input the maximum speed and the minimum speed into the vector 44 together based on the special terrain type and the performance information of the mobile tool 30. For example, the information that the terrain is a curb can be stored in the cell 42 including the curb, the maximum speed and the minimum speed can be input into the vector 44 including the curb or the vector 44 in the direction where the curb descends from the surrounding cells 42 of the curb without modification, and zero maximum speed and minimum speed can be input into the vector 44 in the direction where the curb ascends. In addition, the information that the terrain is a puddle or a depression can be stored in the cell 42 including a puddle / depression through which the mobile tool 30 can pass only at a predetermined / pre-set speed or higher, and the predetermined / pre-set speed can be input as the minimum speed into the vector of the surrounding cells 42 of the cell 42 including the puddle / depression and the cell 42 including the puddle / depression.

[0088] Then, in step S230, the vector map generation unit 24 of the controller 20 may calculate a vector map of the general terrain. For example, the terrain recognized by the terrain recognition unit 21 may be the general terrain. In this case, the vector map generation unit 24 may commonly input the maximum speed and the minimum speed based on the general terrain type and the performance information of the mobile tool 30. For example, the information that the terrain is asphalt may be stored in the cell 42 including asphalt, and the maximum speed may be input to the vector 44 toward the cell 42 including asphalt without modification. In addition, the information that the terrain is a water surface or a sandy area may be stored in the cell 42 including the water surface or the sandy area, and a maximum speed of zero may be input to the vector 44 toward the cell 42 including the water surface or the sandy area. In addition, the information that the terrain is a sidewalk block may be stored in the cell 42 including the sidewalk block, and (0.8 × maximum speed) may be input to the vector 44 toward the cell 42 including the sidewalk block as the maximum speed. Furthermore, the information that the terrain is dirt may be stored in the cell 42 including dirt, and (0.6 × maximum speed) may be input to the vector 44 toward the cell 42 including dirt as the maximum speed.

[0089] For example, Figure 3 It is shown that steps S200 to S230 are sequentially executed. However, it can be understood that the present invention is not specifically limited to this order, and some operations may be executed in parallel.

[0090] Return reference Figure 2 , when generating a vector map corresponding to the terrain in step S130, in step S140, the map conversion unit 26 of the controller 20 may receive the vector map from the vector map generation unit 24 and convert the vector map into a second score map based on a preset rule.

[0091] Reference Figure 4 A more detailed description of step S140 is given.

[0092] Reference Figure 4 , in step S140, the map conversion unit 26 of the controller 20 may first assign scores based on the obstacle terrain in step S300. For example, the map conversion unit 26 may assign a score of 254 to the cell 42 including an obstacle, or assign scores in the range from 0 to 253 to the surrounding cells 42 in inverse proportion to the distance to the obstacle.

[0093] In step S310, when assigning scores based on the obstacle terrain, the map conversion unit 26 of the controller 20 may assign scores based on the maximum speed. In an example, the map conversion unit 26 may assign a higher score to the vector 44 whose maximum speed is restricted. For example, the map conversion unit 26 may assign a score of zero to the vector 44 whose maximum speed is not restricted, assign a score of 254 to the vector 44 with an input zero as the maximum speed, or assign a score obtained by multiplying the restricted ratio by 128 to the vector 44 whose maximum speed is restricted to the restricted ratio. Additionally, the map conversion unit 26 may assign scores to the surrounding vectors 44 of the vector 44 whose maximum speed is restricted based on the distance to the corresponding vector 44.

[0094] When assigning scores based on the maximum speed, in step S320, the map conversion unit 26 of the controller 20 may assign scores based on the special terrain. In an example, the map conversion unit 26 may assign a higher score to the terrain that may adversely affect the lifespan of the mobile tool 30. For example, the map conversion unit 26 may assign the value obtained by adding 128 to the default value of the curb terrain as the score to the curb, or assign the value obtained by adding 64 to the default value of the pothole terrain as the score to the pothole or depression.

[0095] Figure 4 It is shown that steps S300 to S320 are executed sequentially. However, it can be understood that the present invention is not specifically limited to this order, and some operations may be performed in parallel.

[0096] Return reference Figure 2 When converting the vector map to the second score map in step S140, in step S150, the controller 20 may generate the final score map based on the first score map and the second score map. As described above, multiple scores may be assigned to the cell 42 or the vector 44. In this case, the controller 20 may set the maximum value among the multiple scores assigned to any cell 42 as the final score of the corresponding cell 42, and set the maximum value among the multiple scores assigned to any vector 44 as the final score of the corresponding vector 44.

[0097] When generating the final score map in step S150, in step S160, the route generation unit 28 of the controller 20 may generate the travel route of the mobile tool 30 based on the final score map. Refer to Figure 5 In step S400, the route generation unit 28 of the controller 20 may generate multiple routes to the destination of the mobile tool 30 based on the current position and the destination position. For example, as Figure 10 shown, the route generation unit 28 may generate three routes 50a, 50b, and 50c from the starting point (corresponding to the current position of the mobile tool 30) to the arrival point (corresponding to the destination of the mobile tool 30).

[0098] When generating multiple routes, at step S410, the route generation unit 28 of the controller 20 may remove inappropriate routes from the multiple routes. For example, when a route includes a cell 42 or a vector 44 (which includes an obstacle or a score 254 indicating prohibited movement), the controller 20 may determine that the route is an inappropriate route and remove the corresponding route from the multiple routes.

[0099] When removing or after removing inappropriate routes from the multiple routes, the route generation unit 28 of the controller 20 may calculate the score of the corresponding route by adding the scores of the cells 42 and vectors 44 included in the corresponding route. When the scores of all routes are calculated in this way, at step S420, the route generation unit 28 of the controller 20 may select the route with the minimum score as the travel route. For example, as Figure 10 shown, the first route 50a may include only dirt terrain and have 1500 as the total score, the second route 50b may include both dirt terrain and asphalt terrain and have 500 as the total score, and the third route 50c may include only asphalt terrain and have 15 as the total score. Accordingly, the route generation unit 28 of the controller 20 may select the third route 50c with the lowest score of the routes as the travel route.

[0100] Return to reference Figure 2 , when generating or after generating the travel route at step S160, at step S170, the instruction generation unit 29 of the controller 20 may receive the travel route from the route generation unit 28, generate a travel instruction for moving the tool along the generated travel route, and control the travel of the mobile tool 30 based on the generated travel instruction. The travel instruction may include a speed instruction and a torque instruction. Accordingly, the drive motor included in the mobile tool 30 may be controlled based on the speed instruction and the torque instruction.

[0101] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention need not be limited thereto, and all equivalent modifications that are easily modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are intended to fall within the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for generating a score map of a moving tool, the method comprising: Load a local graph including multiple cells; Scanning the surroundings of the mobile tool; identifying the terrain surrounding the mobile tool based on information about the surrounding environment of the mobile tool; generating a first score map corresponding to the surrounding terrain; Generate a vector map corresponding to the surrounding terrain; Convert the vector graph into a second fractional graph; A final score map is generated based on the first score map and the second score map.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The surrounding terrain includes: Obstacles, which include objects that physically exist between the bottom surface of the moving tool and the top surface of the moving tool; general terrain, which includes the terrain surface existing between the bottom surface of the mobile tool and the lower ends of the wheels of the mobile tool; or Special terrain, which includes terrain features that enable a mobile tool to move based on one or both of the mobile tool's entry direction and speed.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The vector map includes a plurality of cells and a plurality of vectors, each vector extending from each of the plurality of cells toward surrounding cells, each cell storing a terrain type, and each vector storing a maximum speed and a minimum speed of the moving tool when the moving tool moves in a vector direction, Generating a vector map corresponding to the surrounding terrain involves: Collect performance information of mobile tools, Calculate the vector map of obstacles, Calculate vector maps of special terrain, Compute a vector map of the general terrain.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: Converting a vector map to a second fractional map involves: Assigning a first score based on the obstacle, A second score is assigned based on maximum speed, A third score is assigned based on special terrain.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: When assigning the first score based on the obstacle, the first score indicating prohibition of movement is assigned to the cell including the obstacle, and the first score is assigned to the surrounding cells in inverse proportion to the distance to the obstacle.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein: When the second score is allocated based on the maximum speed, the second score is allocated based on a ratio that limits the maximum speed.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein: Generating a final score map based on the first score map and the second score map includes: Set the first maximum value among at least one score assigned to any cell as the final score map for the corresponding cell, The second largest value among at least one score assigned to any vector is set as a final score map of the corresponding vector.

8. A method for controlling the travel of a mobile tool, the method comprising: Generate a score map, wherein generating the score map includes: Load a partial graph consisting of multiple cells, Scan the surroundings of the mobile tool, identifying the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool based on information about the surrounding environment of the mobile tool, generating a first score map corresponding to the surrounding terrain, Generate a vector map corresponding to the surrounding terrain, Convert the vector graph to the second fractional graph, generating a final score map based on the first score map and the second score map; Generate a driving route based on the score graph; generating driving instructions based on the driving route; The travel of the mobile tool is controlled based on the generated travel instruction.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: Generating a driving route includes: generating at least one route from a current location of the mobile device to a destination; removing an inappropriate route from at least one route, the inappropriate route including an area where an obstacle exists or an area where movement of the mobile tool is prohibited; One of the at least one route having the smallest score among the at least one route from which the inappropriate route is removed is selected as the travel route.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The driving command includes a speed command and a torque command.

11. A system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool, the system comprising: Mobile tools; a surrounding environment scanning unit, which is mounted on the mobile tool and configured to scan the surrounding environment of the mobile tool; one or more processors; as well as A storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, enable the one or more processors to: Load a partial graph consisting of multiple cells, receiving information about the scanned surroundings from the surroundings scanning unit, Identify the surrounding terrain of the mobile tool based on information about the surrounding environment, generating a first score map corresponding to the identified surrounding terrain, Generate a vector map corresponding to the identified surrounding terrain, Convert the generated vector map into a second score map, generating a final score map based on the first score map and the second score map, A driving route is generated based on the final score map, and driving of the mobile tool is controlled based on the driving route.

12. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 11, wherein: The surrounding terrain includes: Obstacles, which include objects that physically exist between the bottom surface of the moving tool and the top surface of the moving tool; general terrain, which includes the terrain surface existing between the bottom surface of the mobile tool and the lower ends of the wheels of the mobile tool; or Special terrain, which includes terrain features that enable a mobile tool to move based on one or both of the mobile tool's entry direction and speed.

13. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 12, wherein: The vector map includes a plurality of cells and a plurality of vectors, each vector extending from each of the plurality of cells toward surrounding cells, each cell storing a terrain type, and each vector storing a maximum speed and a minimum speed of a moving tool when the moving tool moves in a vector direction, Wherein, for generating a vector map based on surrounding terrain, the instructions further enable one or more processors to: Collect performance information of mobile tools, Calculate the obstacle vector map based on the obstacle type. Calculates vector maps for specific terrain based on the specific terrain type and the performance information of the moving tool. Calculates a vector map of the general terrain based on the general terrain type and the capabilities of the movement tool.

14. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 13, wherein: For converting the vector map to a second fractional map, the instructions further enable the one or more processors to: Assigning a first score based on the obstacle, A second score is assigned based on maximum speed, A third score is assigned based on special terrain.

15. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 14, wherein: The instructions further enable the one or more processors to assign a first score based on the obstacle by assigning a first score indicating prohibited movement to a cell including the obstacle and assigning a first score to surrounding cells in inverse proportion to a distance to the obstacle.

16. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 14, wherein: The instructions further enable the one or more processors to assign a second score based on the maximum speed by assigning the second score based on a ratio that limits the maximum speed.

17. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 14, wherein: For generating a final score map based on the first score map and the second score map, the instructions further enable the one or more processors to: Set the first maximum value among at least one score assigned to any cell as the final score of the corresponding cell, The second largest value among the at least one score assigned to any vector is set as the final score of the corresponding vector.

18. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 11, wherein: With respect to generating the driving route, the instructions further enable the one or more processors to: generating at least one route from the current location of the mobile means to the destination, removing an inappropriate route from at least one route, the inappropriate route including an area where an obstacle exists or an area where movement of the mobile means is prohibited, One of the at least one route having the smallest score among the at least one route from which the inappropriate route is removed is selected as the travel route.

19. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 11, wherein: For controlling the travel of the mobile tool based on the travel route, the instructions further enable the one or more processors to: Generate driving instructions based on the driving route, The travel of the mobile tool is controlled based on the generated travel instruction.

20. The system for controlling the travel of a mobile tool according to claim 19, wherein: The driving command includes a speed command and a torque command.

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