Moving body control system

Abstract

A front end scanner (12a) of the moving body (1) scans the ground portion of the current position of the moving body (1) at a first resolution and generates a first local ground image, and a rear end scanner (12b) of the moving body (1) scans the ground portion of the current position of the moving body (1) at a second resolution and generates a second local ground image; the moving body position specifying unit (a) derives a first current position corresponding to the first local ground image, (b) sets the first current position as the current position of the moving body when the deviation of the first current position with respect to the path is small, and (b) sets the first current position as the current position of the moving body when the deviation of the first current position with respect to the path is large. And deriving a second current position corresponding to the second local ground image, and using the second current position as the current position of the moving body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile body control system. Background Art

[0002] A mobile body has a plurality of cameras below the front end and the rear end of a housing, and performs predetermined image processing on ground images captured by the plurality of cameras to infer the position of the mobile body (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

[0003] [Prior Art Documents]

[0004] [Patent Documents]

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent, Laid-Open No. 2010-117847 Summary of the Invention

[0006] (Problems to be Solved by the Invention)

[0007] In the case of the mobile body as described above, image processing is performed on a plurality of image data of the ground captured by a plurality of cameras, so the amount of data for which image processing should be performed becomes large. By reducing the resolution of the captured images, the amount of data can be reduced, but the position of the mobile body cannot be accurately inferred, and it may be difficult to move the mobile body accurately.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a mobile body control system that enables a mobile body to move accurately.

[0009] (Means for Solving the Problems)

[0010] The mobile body control system of the present invention includes: a mobile body position determination unit that determines the current position of a mobile body traveling along a path in a predetermined area on the ground; a mobile body control unit that controls the operation of the mobile body based on the determined current position of the mobile body; a front scanner that is disposed at the front end portion of the mobile body and scans a ground portion of the current position of the mobile body at a first resolution to generate a first partial ground image; and a rear scanner that is disposed at the rear end portion of the mobile body and scans the ground portion of the current position of the mobile body at a second resolution higher than the first resolution to generate a second partial ground image.

[0011] Moreover, the moving body position determination unit performs the following processes: (a) determining the position of the first partial ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, and deriving a first current position corresponding to the determined position of the first partial ground image; (b) determining the deviation of the first current position from the path; and (c) based on the determined deviation, determining whether (c1) to use the first current position as the current position of the moving body, or (c2) determining the position of the second partial ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, deriving a second current position corresponding to the determined position of the second partial ground image, and using the second current position as the current position of the moving body.

[0012] (Advantageous Effects of the Invention)

[0013] According to the present invention, a moving body control system capable of accurately moving a moving body can be obtained.

[0014] The above or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become clearer based on the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 FIG. is a diagram showing the structure of a moving body control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 is for Figure 1 explaining the ground on which the moving body 1 travels in

[0017] Figure 3 is showing Figure 1 a perspective view of the mechanical structure of the moving body 1 in

[0018] Figure 4 is showing Figure 3 an example of the scanner 12a in the moving body 1 shown in

[0019] Figure 5 is showing Figure 3 another example of the scanner 12a in the moving body 1 shown in

[0020] Figure 6 is showing Figure 1 a block diagram of the electrical structure of the moving body 1 in

[0021] Figure 7 is showing Figure 1 a block diagram of the configuration of the management server 2 in

[0022] Figure 8 is for explaining Figure 1 the determination of the forward direction of the moving body 1 in the moving body control system shown in

[0023] Figure 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the management server 2 in Figure 1 the flowchart. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025]

First Embodiment

[0026] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a mobile body control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is for explaining Figure 1 the ground on which the mobile body 1 travels in Figure 1 As shown, the mobile body control system includes a mobile body 1 and a management server 2.

[0027] Figure 1 The mobile body 1 shown in is a self-propelled mobile body, such as an automatic guided vehicle (AGV: Automatic Guided Vehicle) or an autonomous mobile robot (AMR: Autonomous Mobile Robot). The mobile body 1 optically scans the ground 101 at its current position while moving along a specified path on the ground 101 in a specified area. In this mobile body control system, there is no need to set physical markers (markers) or the like on the ground 101 as a path. The management server 2 sets the path in the form of data, searches for a part in the ground image of the ground 101 in the specified area that is consistent with the local ground image of the current position of the mobile body 1, determines the actual current position of the mobile body 1 based on the consistent position, and controls the operation of the mobile body 1 according to the set path and the current position.

[0028] Here, the ground 101 is, for example, the ground (traveling surface) of a factory, a warehouse, etc. In addition to the original pattern 101a (i.e., the pattern on the surface of floor materials such as tiles and concrete), there are scratches, dirt, etc. Therefore, in the ground image of the specified area with high resolution, the image pattern varies according to the position. Therefore, for example, by using pattern matching, image retrieval using machine learning, etc., the current position of the mobile body 1 can be uniquely determined.

[0029] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing Figure 1 the mechanical structure of the mobile body 1 in Figure 3 As shown, the mobile body 1 includes: four casters 11 provided at the four corner portions of the bottom surface, scanners 12a, 12b, and a frame body 13 to which the casters 11 and the scanners 12a, 12b are fixed.

[0030] The caster 11 has a follower wheel that contacts the ground 101 and is fixed to the frame body 13 in a rotatable manner in the horizontal direction.

[0031] The scanner 12a is a front-end scanner that is disposed at the front-end portion in the advancing direction of the moving body 1 and scans the ground portion at the current position of the moving body 1 at a first resolution to generate a first partial ground image. The scanner 12b is a rear-end scanner that is disposed at the rear-end portion in the advancing direction of the moving body 1 and scans the ground portion at the current position of the moving body 1 at a second resolution to generate a second partial ground image. That is, the scanners 12a and 12b optically scan a part of the ground 101 to generate the first partial ground image and the second partial ground image. Here, the second resolution is higher than the first resolution. The first resolution and the second resolution are set to 300 dpi and 600 dpi, respectively, for example. It should be noted that since the scanners 12a and 12b are disposed at different positions, the first partial ground image and the second partial ground image obtained at a certain point in time are different from each other. Among them, with respect to the ground portion photographed by the scanner 12a, when the moving body 1 has advanced for a specified time, it is photographed by the scanner 12b.

[0032] Each of the scanners 12a and 12b is configured to: (a) be disposed on the bottom surface side of the moving body 1 opposite to the ground, and (b) repeatedly generate a line image of a specified width perpendicular to the advancing direction of the moving body 1 as a partial ground image.

[0033] The frame body 13 is the main body of the frame structure.

[0034] Furthermore, the moving body 1 is provided with drive wheel units 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d. Each of the drive wheel units 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d respectively includes: a drive wheel 31 that contacts the ground, a support portion 32 that rotatably supports the drive wheel 31, a wheel frame portion 33 to which the support portion 32 is fixed, a rotational support portion 34 that rotatably fixes one end of the wheel frame portion 33 to the frame body 13 (one of the cross bars 13a and 13b), and a spring member 35 that applies a force to the other end of the wheel frame portion 33 to make it face the frame body 13 (the other of the cross bars 13a and 13b). By doing so, using the restoring force of the spring member 35, the drive wheel 31 is pressed against the ground with a specified pressure.

[0035] Furthermore, each of the drive wheel units 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d has a drive device (not shown) that generates driving force for traveling and transmits it to the drive wheel 31. In addition, the drive devices are provided independently of the drive wheel units 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d respectively, and generate driving force separately and transmit it to the drive wheel 31. Here, the drive device generates driving force by an electric motor and transmits this driving force to the drive wheel 31 through gears or the like. The drive wheel 31 has, for example, a drive shaft connected to the drive device, a hard wheel fixed to the drive shaft, and an elastic tire fitted outside the wheel.

[0036] Figure 4 is a diagram showing Figure 3 an example of the scanner 12a in the mobile body 1 shown. For example, as Figure 4 shown, each of the scanners 12a, 12b has: a light emitting part (not shown) that irradiates light onto the ground, an image sensor 41, and a reduction optical system 42 (one or more lenses) that condenses the reflected light formed by the light emitted from the light emitting part and reflected by the ground onto the image sensor 41.

[0037] Figure 5 is a diagram showing Figure 3 another example of the scanner 12a in the mobile body 1 shown. In addition, for example, as Figure 5 shown, the scanners 12a, 12b may also have contact image sensors. In this case, the scanners 12a, 12b become scanners having an equal magnification optical system including a line sensor 41a including a plurality of light receiving elements and a lens array 42a.

[0038] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing Figure 1 the electrical structure of the mobile body 1 in. As Figure 6 shown, in addition to the above-described drive device 51, the mobile body 1 further includes a power supply device 52, a communication device 53, and a controller 54.

[0039] The power supply device 52 has, for example, a secondary battery built therein, and supplies power to the drive device 51, the communication device 53, and the controller 54. In addition, the power supply device 52 may also have a charging circuit that is connected to an industrial power supply and charges the secondary battery. In addition, the secondary battery may be configured to be detachable.

[0040] The communication device 53 performs data communication with an external device (such as a server) by wireless communication based on a prescribed communication protocol.

[0041] The controller 54 includes a computer or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), which performs data processing, control of the driving device 51, control of the communication device 53, etc. through a computer (software processing) or an ASIC (hardware processing).

[0042] In the first embodiment, according to a request from the controller 54, the communication device 53 (a) sends a local ground image or a line image (each line image constituting the local ground image) to the management server 2, and receives from the management server 2 the deviation of the current position and path of the moving body 1 detected by the management server 2 based on the local ground image, or the control amount corresponding to the deviation. Then, the controller 54 controls the driving device 51 according to the received deviation or control amount (the control amount of each driving device 51) so that the moving body 1 travels on the above path, or controls the driving device 51 to stop the moving body 1.

[0043] In addition, the first local ground image and the second local ground image are composed of a specified number of line images. The scanners 12a and 12b repeatedly generate line images with a specified width perpendicular to the advancing direction of the moving body 1, and an image conversion unit (not shown) buffers the line images, and uses the specified number of line images as the first local ground image and the second local ground image. The image conversion unit can be provided in the moving body 1 (controller 54) or in the management server 2.

[0044] In addition, regarding the local ground image or the line image, data can also be compressed in the moving body 1 and then sent to the management server 2, and the data is decompressed in the management server 2.

[0045] Figure 7 It represents Figure 1 a block diagram of the configuration of the management server 2 in

[0046] Figure 1 The management server 2 in has a communication device 61, an arithmetic processing device 62, and a storage device 63.

[0047] The communication device 61 performs data communication with the moving body 1 via a specified communication channel 3 (wireless channel and / or wired channel). For example, the communication device 61 is a wireless network interface, a data communication interface for a mobile phone network, a short-range wireless communication interface, etc. In addition, it can also be configured that a wireless terminal is provided in the communication channel 3, the communication device 61 is connected to the wireless terminal through a wired channel, and the moving body 1 is connected to the wireless terminal through a wireless channel, so that the communication device 61 can perform data communication with the moving body 1.

[0048] The arithmetic processing unit 62 is a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (ReadOnly Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. It operates as various processing units by loading a program from the ROM or the storage device 63 into the RAM and executing the program by the CPU. Here, the arithmetic processing unit 62 operates as a path setting unit 71, a moving body position determination unit 72, a moving body control unit 73, and a ground image update unit 74.

[0049] The storage device 63 is a non-volatile storage device that stores programs or data. Here, ground data 63a is pre-stored in the storage device 63.

[0050] The ground data 63a includes image data of the ground image of the entire ground in the above-mentioned specified area, and position data indicating the correspondence between the position (pixel position) in the ground image and the actual position on the ground. Based on this image data, the position of the local ground image within the ground image is determined (i.e., the position of the part of the ground image closest to the local ground image), and based on this position data, the position of the local ground image within the ground image is converted into an actual position on the ground.

[0051] The path setting unit 71 sets the path of the moving body 1 within the specified area of the ground 101 as path data. For example, the path is composed of one or more links, and the path data includes the coordinate values of the start and end points of each link. For example, it can also be configured such that the path setting unit 71 is connected to a manufacturing execution system (MES) and sets the path of the moving body 1 according to the actions (such as handling of parts, etc.) of the moving body 1 required by the manufacturing execution system.

[0052] The moving body position determination unit 72 determines the current position of the moving body 1 traveling along the path within the specified area of the ground 101. Specifically, the moving body position determination unit 72 performs the following processing: (a) determines the position of the first local ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, and derives the first current position corresponding to the determined position of the first local ground image; (b) determines the deviation of the first current position from the above-mentioned path (the distance from the path to the first current position); (c) based on the determined deviation, determines whether (c1) to use the first current position as the current position (the actual position on the ground 101) of the moving body 1, or (c2) determines the position of the second local ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, derives the second current position corresponding to the determined position of the second local ground image, and uses the second current position as the current position of the moving body 1.

[0053] Here, when the deviation is less than a specified threshold (when the position of the second partial ground image is not determined), the moving body position determination unit 72 uses the first current position as the current position of the moving body 1; when the deviation is greater than or equal to the specified threshold, it determines the position of the second partial ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, derives a second current position corresponding to the determined position of the second partial ground image, and uses the second current position as the current position of the moving body 1.

[0054] Furthermore, when the moving body position determination unit 72 derives both the first current position and the second current position at a certain point in time, it determines the advancing direction of the moving body 1 based on both the first current position and the second current position.

[0055] It should be noted that the current position of the moving body 1 is expressed, for example, by the physical distance from a specified reference position on the ground 101. In addition, the position of the partial ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area is expressed by pixel positions in the ground image of the entire specified area, and the correspondence between the current position of the moving body 1 and the position of the partial ground image is known.

[0056] The scanners 12a and 12b repeatedly generate the first partial ground image and the second partial ground image at a specified time interval int, and the moving body position determination unit 72 determines the advancing direction θ(t) of the moving body 1 based on both the first current position and the second current position.

[0057] Figure 8 This is a diagram for explaining the determination of the advancing direction of the moving body 1 in the moving body control system shown based on Figure 1 For example, as shown in Figure 8 Based on the first partial ground image 111f and the second partial ground image 111r obtained at time t1 and time t2 (= t1 + int) respectively, the moving body position determination unit 72 derives the first current positions (Xf(t1), Yf(t1)), (Xf(t2), Yf(t2)), and the second current positions (Xr(t1), Yr(t1)), (Xr(t2), Yr(t2)), and determines the advancing direction θ(t1) at time t1 based on the first current position (Xf(t1), Yf(t1)) and the second current position (Xr(t1), Yr(t1)) at time t1, and determines the advancing direction θ(t2) at time t2 based on the first current position (Xf(t2), Yf(t2)) and the second current position (Xr(t2), Yr(t2)) at time t2.

[0058] Further, the moving body position determination unit 72 determines whether the moving body 1 has turned based on the forward directions θ(t1) and θ(t2) at times t1 and t2. Specifically, when the difference between the forward directions θ(t1) and θ(t2) exceeds a specified threshold value, it is determined that the moving body 1 has turned.

[0059] In addition, the moving body position determination unit 72 uses the communication device 61 to acquire a first partial ground image and a second partial ground image. Additionally, regarding the ground image and the partial ground image, it can be color image data generated by the color scanners 12a and 12b, or grayscale image data generated by the monochrome scanners 12a and 12b.

[0060] In addition, the moving body position determination unit 72 determines the position of the partial ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, for example, through pattern matching or image retrieval using machine learning. At this time, even if a part of the ground image of the entire specified area does not completely match the partial ground image, the position with the highest accuracy in the ground image of the entire specified area is determined as the position of the partial ground image.

[0061] Return Figure 7 , the moving body control unit 73 controls the operation of the moving body 1 based on the determined current position (or, the current position and the forward direction) of the moving body 1. In the first embodiment, the moving body control unit 73 uses the communication device 61 to send an operation instruction based on the determined current position (or, the current position and the forward direction) of the moving body 1 to the moving body 1, thereby controlling the operation of the moving body 1.

[0062] In addition, specifically, the moving body control unit 73 causes the moving body 1 to travel in a manner that reduces the deviation between the path set by the path setting unit 71 and the current position of the moving body 1 according to the direction of the path and the forward direction of the moving body 1 (for example, causes the moving body 1 to turn according to the magnitude of the deviation or the inclination of the forward direction θ(t) with respect to the path direction).

[0063] In addition, the inclination of the forward direction θ(t) with respect to the path direction is derived as the difference between the path direction (angle) at the current position and the forward direction θ(t). Additionally, it can also be configured to: derive the inclination of the forward direction with respect to the path direction based on the deviation obtained from the first partial ground image (the distance from the path to the first current position) and the deviation obtained from the second partial ground image (the distance from the path to the second current position).

[0064] In addition, when the determined current position is a stop position, the moving body control unit 73 causes the moving body 1 to stop.

[0065] In addition, if the rotational speeds of the drive wheels 31 of the drive wheel units 21a and 21b are made the same as each other and the rotational speeds of the drive wheels 31 of the drive wheel units 21c and 21d are made the same as each other, the moving body 1 moves straight; if the rotational speeds of the drive wheels 31 of the drive wheel units 21a and 21b are made different from the rotational speeds of the drive wheels 31 of the drive wheel units 21c and 21d, the moving body 1 turns. Therefore, in order to reduce the above-mentioned deviation, the drive devices 51 of the respective drive wheel units 21a, 21b, 21c, and 21d are controlled independently.

[0066] The ground image update unit 74 updates a part of the local ground image determined in the ground image of the entire above-mentioned specified area using the acquired local ground image. By doing so, even if there are changes in the ground 101 (temporal changes, adhesion of dirt, etc.), since the part of the ground image of the entire specified area through which the moving body 1 passes is updated to the latest ground image, it is possible to suppress detection errors of the current position in the moving body position determination unit 72.

[0067] Next, the operation of the above-mentioned moving body control system will be described. Figure 9 It is a flowchart Figure 1 illustrating the operation of the management server 2.

[0068] The path setting unit 71 of the management server 2 sets a path of the moving body 1 based on a user operation or the like (step S1). For example, path data representing the path is stored in advance in the storage device 63, and the path setting unit 71 reads out the path data and sets it as the path of the moving body 1.

[0069] Then, the moving body control unit 73 uses the communication device 61 to send an operation instruction to start the moving body 1 to the moving body 1. In the moving body 1, after the controller 54 receives the operation instruction using the communication device 53, it controls the drive device 51 to start the moving body 1. Then, in the moving body 1, (a) when the operation instruction is received, the drive device 51 is controlled to adjust the travel of the moving body 1 (for example, to turn the moving body 1 to the right or left to approach the path), and, (b) during travel, the scanners 12a and 12b are operated to repeatedly acquire line images, and the line images of the scanners 12a and 12b or the first and second local ground images (image data thereof) are sent to the management server 2 using the communication device 53.

[0070] In the management server 2, when the mobile body position determination unit 72 receives the line image or the first and second partial ground images using the communication device 61 (step S2), it determines the actual current position of the mobile body 1 by means of pattern matching or the like (step S3). At this time, the mobile body position determination unit 72 retrieves the first partial ground image in the overall ground image, determines the position of the first partial ground image in the overall ground image, and derives the above-mentioned first current position. Then, the mobile body position determination unit 72 derives the deviation of the first current position from the path, and determines whether to determine the above-mentioned second current position based on this deviation. When it is determined that the second current position is not determined, the second current position is not determined, and the first current position is used as the current position of the mobile body. On the other hand, when it is determined that the second current position is determined, the second current position is determined and used as the current position of the mobile body.

[0071] In addition, in the case of receiving the line image, a prescribed number of line images of the scanners 12a and 12b are buffered and used as the first partial ground image and the second partial ground image respectively. When the position of the first partial ground image or the second partial ground image in the overall ground image is determined, the ground image update unit 74 updates the corresponding part in the overall ground image in the ground data 63a using the received first partial ground image or second partial ground image (step S4).

[0072] Then, the mobile body control unit 73 determines whether the determined current position is a stop position (step S5). When the determined current position is not a stop position, the mobile body control unit 73 determines the deviation between the above-mentioned path and the current position of the mobile body 1 (step S6), and in order to reduce this deviation, it sends the deviation amount of this deviation, the inclination of the forward direction with respect to the path direction, or the control amount corresponding to the mobile body 1 as an action instruction to the mobile body 1 (step S7). Then, it returns to step S2, and performs the processing of step S3 and subsequent steps on the next partial ground image. In addition, in the case of no deviation, no action instruction is sent, and the mobile body 1 is maintained to travel at the current direction and speed. On the other hand, when the determined current position is a stop position, the mobile body control unit 73 sends a stop instruction to the mobile body 1 using the communication device 61 (step S8). Then, the mobile body control unit 73 determines whether the determined current position (or this stop position) is the terminal of the path (step S9), and when the determined current position (or this stop position) is the terminal of the path, the travel of the mobile body 1 on this path is ended.

[0073] On the other hand, when the determined current position (or the stop position) is not the terminal of the path, if the specified condition (the end of the specified action of the moving body 1 at this position, receiving a re-travel instruction from the management server 2, etc.) is satisfied, the moving body 1 travels on the path again. After that, return to step S2, and perform the processing of step S3 and subsequent steps on the next local ground image.

[0074] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the moving body position determination unit 72 determines the current position of the moving body 1 traveling along the path in the specified area of the ground 101. The moving body control unit 73 controls the action of the moving body 1 based on the determined current position of the moving body 1. The scanner 12a is disposed at the front end portion of the moving body 1, and scans the ground portion of the current position of the moving body 1 at the first resolution and generates a first local ground image. The scanner 12b is disposed at the rear end portion of the moving body 1, and scans the ground portion of the current position of the moving body 1 at the second resolution higher than the first resolution and generates a second local ground image.

[0075] Moreover, the moving body position determination unit 72 performs the following processing: (a) deriving a first current position corresponding to the first local ground image, and (b) when the deviation of the first current position from the path is small, using the first current position as the current position of the moving body; when the deviation of the first current position from the path is large, deriving a second current position corresponding to the second local ground image and using the second current position as the current position of the moving body.

[0076] By doing so, when the deviation of the current position is small, the current position is determined based on the first local ground image with low resolution, so the amount of image processing data for deriving the current position becomes less. In addition, when the deviation of the current position is large, the current position is determined based on the second local ground image with high resolution, so the moving body 1 can move accurately.

[0077]

Second Embodiment

[0078] In the second embodiment, the management server 2 is not provided, and the moving body 1 includes a storage device 63 (ground data 63a), a path setting unit 71, a moving body position determination unit 72, a moving body control unit 73, and a ground image update unit 74. That is, without using the above-mentioned management server 2, the moving body 1 stores the ground image of the entire area of the ground 101 (that is, the moving range of the moving body 1). Similarly, the position of the local ground image in the ground image is determined, and the actual current position corresponding to the position is determined, thereby automatically controlling the travel and stop.

[0079] In addition, regarding the other structures and operations of the moving body 1 in the second embodiment, since they are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

[0080] In addition, regarding the above-described embodiments, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the gist and scope thereof and without diminishing the advantages intended thereby. Since these changes and modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art, these changes and modifications should also be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

[0081] For example, in the above-described first and second embodiments, it may also be configured such that a position on the path closer to the stop position is set as the deceleration position, and when the current position is the deceleration position, the moving body 1 is decelerated to approach the stop position. In addition, when the braking distance from the stop instruction to the actual stop is known, a position closer to the actual stop position by the braking distance may also be set as the stop position.

[0082] In addition, in the above-described first and second embodiments, it may also be configured such that the path setting unit 71 sets path data for each of the plurality of moving bodies 1 in the same manner, the moving body position determination unit 72 determines the current positions of the plurality of moving bodies 1 in the same manner, and the moving body control unit 73 controls the operations of the plurality of moving bodies 1 in the same manner.

[0083] In addition, in the above-described first and second embodiments, it may also be configured such that the moving body position determination unit 72 derives both the first current position and the second current position, and derives the current position and the advancing direction of the moving body 1 based on both the first current position and the second current position.

[0084] (Industrial Applicability)

[0085] The present invention can be applied to, for example, a moving body control system.

Claims

1. A mobile body control system, characterized in that: It includes: A mobile body position determination unit that determines the current position of a mobile body traveling along a path in a specified area on the ground, A mobile body control unit that controls the movement of the mobile body based on the determined current position of the mobile body, A front scanner that is disposed at the front part of the mobile body, scans a part of the ground at the current position of the mobile body at a first resolution, and generates a first local ground image, and A rear scanner that is disposed at the rear part of the mobile body, scans a part of the ground at the current position of the mobile body at a second resolution higher than the first resolution, and generates a second local ground image; The mobile body position determination unit performs the following processes: (a) Determine the position of the first local ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, and derive a first current position corresponding to the determined position of the first local ground image, (b) Determine the deviation of the first current position from the path, (c) Based on the determined deviation, judge whether (c1) the first current position is used as the current position of the mobile body, or (c2) determine the position of the second local ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, derive a second current position corresponding to the determined position of the second local ground image, and use the second current position as the current position of the mobile body.

2. The mobile body control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile body position determination unit uses the first current position as the current position of the mobile body when the deviation is less than a specified threshold; When the deviation is equal to or greater than the specified threshold, determine the position of the second local ground image in the ground image of the entire specified area, derive a second current position corresponding to the determined position of the second local ground image, and use the second current position as the current position of the mobile body.

3. The mobile body control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile body position determination unit determines the forward direction of the mobile body based on both the first current position and the second current position, The mobile body control unit controls the movement of the mobile body based on the determined forward direction and the current position of the mobile body to reduce the deviation.

4. The mobile body control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front scanner and the rear scanner respectively repeatedly generate the first local ground image and the second local ground image, The mobile body position determination unit repeatedly determines the forward direction of the mobile body and judges whether the mobile body turns.

5. The mobile body control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front scanner and the rear scanner generate line images with a specified width perpendicular to the forward direction of the mobile body, and repeatedly generate a specified number of line images as the first local ground image and the second local ground image respectively.

6. The mobile body control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile body control system further includes a management server, The management server has a communication device, the mobile body position determination unit, and the mobile body control unit, The mobile body position determination unit uses the communication device to acquire the first partial ground image and the second partial ground image, The mobile body control unit uses the communication device to send an action instruction based on the determined current position of the mobile body to the mobile body, thereby controlling the action of the mobile body.

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