Control device, control method, and program

Abstract

A control device that controls a moving body that moves autonomously by following a following object in a region where a pedestrian walks, the control device being provided with: a recognition unit that recognizes an object including the pedestrian and the following object; a setting unit that sets a position in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the following object as an arrival position of the moving body; a path generation unit that generates a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; and a drive control unit that controls a drive device attached to the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path, the setting unit sets a plurality of arrival positions when a first condition is satisfied and provides the plurality of arrival positions to the path generation unit. When the first condition is not satisfied, one of the arrival positions is set and the one of the arrival positions is provided to the path generation unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a program. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, for the purpose of transporting the luggage of users, etc., mobile bodies (referred to as robots, micro-mobile bodies, etc.) that autonomously move following users have been increasingly put into practical use. An invention of a traveling control device related to a micro-mobile body has been disclosed (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-134583 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] In the conventional technology, a path may not be appropriately generated depending on the situation in which the mobile body is placed.

[0008] The present invention has been completed in view of such a situation, and one of its objects is to provide a control device, a control method, and a program that can appropriately generate a path according to the situation in which the mobile body is placed.

[0009] Means for Solving the Problems

[0010] The control device, control method, and program according to the present invention adopt the following configuration.

[0011] (1): One aspect of the present invention relates to a control device that controls a mobile body that autonomously moves following a following object in an area where pedestrians walk. The control device includes: an identification unit that identifies an object including a pedestrian and the following object; a setting unit that sets a position in a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the following object as an arrival position of the mobile body; a path generation unit that generates a path from the position of the mobile body to the arrival position; and a drive control unit that controls a drive device mounted on the mobile body so that the mobile body moves along the path. The setting unit sets a plurality of the arrival positions and provides the plurality of the arrival positions to the path generation unit when a first condition is satisfied, and sets one arrival position and provides the one arrival position to the path generation unit when the first condition is not satisfied. The path generation unit generates the path with respect to at least a part of the plurality of arrival positions when a plurality of the arrival positions are provided from the setting unit, and selects one path based on a prescribed evaluation criterion.

[0012] (2): In the solution of (1) above, the first condition is that the recognition unit recognizes a specified number or more pedestrians within a specified area.

[0013] (3): In the solution of (1) above, the recognition unit also recognizes the orientation of the following object, and when the first condition is satisfied, the setting unit arranges and sets a plurality of the arrival positions behind the following object in a direction intersecting the orientation of the following object.

[0014] (4): In the solution of (1) above, the recognition unit also recognizes the speed of the following object, and when the speed of the following object is less than a specified speed, the setting unit sets the position of the following object as the arrival position.

[0015] (5): In the solution of (1) above, the recognition unit also recognizes the orientation of the following object, and when the first condition is not satisfied and a second condition including a condition related to the angle formed by the orientation of the following object and the orientation of the moving body is not satisfied, the setting unit sets the nearest candidate among a plurality of candidates for the arrival positions arranged in a direction intersecting the orientation of the following object behind the following object as the arrival position.

[0016] (6): In the solution of (5) above, the second condition includes that the angle formed by the orientation of the following object and the orientation of the moving body is equal to or less than a reference angle.

[0017] (7): In the solution of (6) above, when the orientation of the moving body is set as the first coordinate axis and the orientation orthogonal to the first coordinate axis is set as the second coordinate axis, the second condition further includes that the distance between the following object and the moving body on the first coordinate axis is less than a first reference distance, and the distance between the following object and the moving body on the second coordinate axis is less than a second reference distance.

[0018] (8): In the solution of (5) above, when the first condition is not satisfied and the second condition is satisfied, the setting unit sets one arrival position diagonally behind the following object.

[0019] (9): In the solution of (5) above, when the second condition is satisfied, the setting unit changes the threshold of the second condition to the side where the second condition is more likely to hold, and maintains the changed threshold until it is determined that the second condition is no longer satisfied using the changed threshold.

[0020] (10): Another aspect of the present invention relates to a control method, wherein a control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following a following object in an area where a pedestrian walks. The control method causes the control device to perform the following processes: identifying an object including the pedestrian and the following object; setting a position having a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the following object as an arrival position of the moving body; generating a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; controlling a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; when performing the setting, setting a plurality of the arrival positions when a first condition is satisfied, and setting one arrival position when the first condition is not satisfied; and when generating the path, when a plurality of the arrival positions are set, generating the path for at least a part of the plurality of arrival positions, and selecting one path based on a prescribed evaluation criterion.

[0021] (11): Another aspect of the present invention relates to a program, wherein a control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following a following object in an area where a pedestrian walks. The program causes a processor of the control device to perform the following processes: identifying an object including the pedestrian and the following object; setting a position having a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the following object as an arrival position of the moving body; generating a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; controlling a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; when performing the setting, setting a plurality of the arrival positions when a first condition is satisfied, and setting one arrival position when the first condition is not satisfied; and when generating the path, when a plurality of the arrival positions are set, generating the path for at least a part of the plurality of arrival positions, and selecting one path based on a prescribed evaluation criterion.

[0022] (12): Another aspect of the present invention relates to a control device that controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following a following object in an area where a pedestrian walks. The control device includes: an identification unit that identifies an object including the pedestrian and the following object; a setting unit that sets a position in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the following object as the arrival position of the moving body; a path generation unit that generates a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; and a drive control unit that controls a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path. The identification unit further identifies the orientation of the following object. The setting unit sets, as the arrival position, the nearest candidate among a plurality of candidate arrival positions arranged in a direction intersecting the orientation of the following object behind the following object when a predetermined condition including a condition related to an angle formed by the orientation of the following object and the orientation of the moving body is not satisfied.

[0023] (13): Another aspect of the present invention relates to a control method in which a control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following a following object in an area where a pedestrian walks. The control method causes the control device to perform the following processes: identifying an object including the pedestrian and the following object; setting a position in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the following object as the arrival position of the moving body; generating a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; controlling a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; when performing the identification, further identifying the orientation of the following object; and when performing the setting, setting, as the arrival position, the nearest candidate among a plurality of candidate arrival positions arranged in a direction intersecting the orientation of the following object behind the following object when a predetermined condition including a condition related to an angle formed by the orientation of the following object and the orientation of the moving body is not satisfied.

[0024] (14)Other aspects of the present invention relate to a program in which a control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following a follow-up object in an area where a pedestrian walks. The program causes a processor of the control device to perform the following processing: identifying an object including a pedestrian and the follow-up object; setting a position in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the follow-up object as an arrival position of the moving body; generating a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; controlling a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; when performing the identification, also identifying the orientation of the follow-up object; and when performing the setting, if a predetermined condition including a condition related to an angle formed by the orientation of the follow-up object and the orientation of the moving body is not satisfied, setting the closest candidate among a plurality of candidates for the arrival position arranged in a direction crossing the orientation of the follow-up object behind the follow-up object as the arrival position.

[0025] Advantages of the Invention

[0026] According to the solution of (1) to (14), a path can be appropriately generated according to the situation in which the moving body is placed. Description of the Drawings

[0027] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the moving body.

[0028] Figure 2 It is a structural diagram of the control device.

[0029] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an outline of risks set by the risk distribution prediction unit.

[0030] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the arrival position setting unit.

[0031] Figure 5 It is a diagram for explaining the first condition.

[0032] Figure 6 It is a diagram for explaining the second condition.

[0033] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example of a predetermined position. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0034] [Summary]

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the control device, control method, and program of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The control device of the present invention controls the drive device of the moving body to move the moving body. The control device may be mounted on the moving body, or may be provided at a position other than the moving body and remotely control the moving body through communication. The moving body in the present invention autonomously moves while following a following object in the area where pedestrians walk. The area where pedestrians walk refers to sidewalks, public open spaces, the ground inside buildings, etc., and may also include vehicle lanes. In the following description, it is assumed that a person is not riding on the moving body, but a person may also ride on the moving body. The following object is, for example, a single pedestrian (hereinafter referred to as the master M), but may also be a robot or an animal. The moving body is used for purposes such as shopping with the master M and transporting luggage, etc., but may also be used for other purposes, for example, for a patient to ride on in a hospital and follow a nurse as the master M to move, etc., or a plurality of moving bodies may form a queue and move and follow a main moving body as the master M to move.

[0036] [Basic Structure]

[0037] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the moving body 1. In the moving body 1, for example, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 10, an object detection device 20, a drive device 30, a sensor 40, and a control device 100 are mounted. These structures are supported or housed by the base 5. A luggage storage section or the like may be provided in the base 5.

[0038] The HMI 10 presents various information to the master M and accepts input operations performed by the master M. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, buttons, short-range wireless communication devices, etc.

[0039] The object detection device 20 is a device that generates data for identifying objects (including pedestrians) and the master M existing around the moving body 1. The object detection device 20 includes, for example, a camera with the area around the moving body 1 as the shooting range. The object detection device 20 may also include sensors such as a radar device, LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), an ultrasonic sensor, etc., and an object recognition device that performs sensor fusion processing based on the output of the sensors to determine the object.

[0040] The driving device 30 is a mechanism for moving the moving body 1 including the base body 5 in an arbitrary direction. The driving device 30 includes, for example, a plurality of wheels, a driving motor mounted on one or more wheels, and a steering device mounted on one or more wheels. There are no special restrictions on the structure of the driving device 30, and it may have any structure. In principle, the driving device 30 moves the moving body 1 while facing the front surface of the base body 5 in the traveling direction of the moving body 1.

[0041] The sensor 40 is a sensor for detecting the behavior of the moving body 1. The sensor 40 includes, for example, a wheel speed sensor for detecting the speed of the wheels, an acceleration sensor for detecting the acceleration acting on the moving body 1, a yaw rate sensor mounted near the center of gravity in the horizontal direction of the base body 5, a steering angle sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steered wheels (steering wheels), an azimuth sensor for detecting the orientation of the moving body 1 in the horizontal direction, and the like.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the control device 100. The control device 100 includes, for example, an identification unit 110, a destination position setting unit 120, a risk distribution prediction unit 130, a path generation unit 140, and a drive control unit 150. These components are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by assembling the storage medium into the drive device.

[0043] In the absence of this definition, it is expected to be difficult to obtain authorization in the United States.

[0044] It should be noted that at least the arrival position setting unit 120 and the path generation unit 140 are functions implemented by, for example, separate hardware processors. For example, the first processor functions as the recognition unit 110, the arrival position setting unit 120, and the risk distribution prediction unit 130, the second processor functions as the path generation unit 140, and the third processor functions as the drive control unit 150.

[0045] The recognition unit 110 recognizes objects including pedestrians and the host M based on the data output by the object detection device 20. When the object detection device 20 is a camera, the recognition unit 110 recognizes pedestrians by inputting the camera image into the learned model for discriminating pedestrians. The same applies to objects other than pedestrians. In addition, in order to distinguish pedestrians from the host M, the recognition unit 110 may also store multiple images of the host M previously captured by the camera as templates in a storage unit (not shown), and determine the host M by comparing the templates with the camera image. Furthermore, the recognition unit 110 may also utilize the communication directivity to identify the position of the host M by performing short-range wireless communication between the terminal device held by the host M and the HMI 10. As will be described later, the recognition unit 110 also recognizes the orientation of the host M.

[0046] The arrival position setting unit 120 sets the position in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the host M as the arrival position AP of the mobile body 1. Details will be described later.

[0047] The risk distribution prediction unit 130 sets risks in the assumed plane S represented by a two-dimensional plane obtained by observing the area around the mobile body 1 from above. The risk is an index value indicating the degree to which the mobile body 1 should not enter or approach. The larger the value of the risk, the less the mobile body 1 should enter or approach, and the closer the value of the risk is to zero, the more preferably the mobile body 1 should pass through. However, this relationship may also be reversed. The risk distribution prediction unit 130 sets the risks in the assumed plane S not only for the current time point but also for each future time point defined by a certain time interval, such as the current time t, after Δt (time t + Δt), after 2Δt (time t + 2Δt), and so on. The risk distribution prediction unit 130 predicts the risks at each future time point based on the changes in pedestrians continuously recognized by the recognition unit 110.

[0048] Figure 3This is a diagram showing an overview of the risks set by the risk distribution prediction unit 130. The risk distribution prediction unit 130 sets risks with ellipses or circles as contour lines based on the traveling direction and speed on the assumed plane S for objects other than the moving body 1 (including the owner M and pedestrians Pk), and sets a constant value risk for immovable areas BD such as walls. In the figure, D1 is the orientation of the moving body 1 (details will be described later). R(P1) is the risk of the stationary pedestrian P1, R(P2) is the risk of the moving pedestrian P2, R(P3) is the risk of the moving pedestrian P3, and R(P4) is the risk of the moving pedestrian P4. Since pedestrians P2 to P4 are continuously moving, risks are set at different positions from the current time point for each future time point. R(P2)_t is the risk of pedestrian P2 in a certain control cycle, R(P2)_t+Δt is the risk of pedestrian P2 in the next control cycle, and R(P2)_t+Δ2t is the risk of pedestrian P2 in the control cycle after that. R(BD) is the risk of the immovable area BD. In the figure, the density of the hatching indicates the value of the risk, and the darker the hatching, the greater the risk.

[0049] The path generation unit 140 generates a path for the moving body 1 to reach the arrival position AP at each future time point without passing through positions with a risk value above a specified value. Figure 3 P in this represents the generated path. The path generation unit 140, for example, comprehensively searches for locations where the path R may pass at intervals of the sampling distance (e.g., about 1 m), and generates a path candidate that connects them. Among the path candidates, a path candidate with a good score (a score obtained based on a specified evaluation criterion) for evaluating the degree of bending of the path, etc., is used as the path R. Moreover, the path generation unit 140 can also fit the generated path R to a spline curve or the like to correct it in a smooth manner. It should be noted that the path R can be generated on the premise that the moving body 1 moves at a constant speed, but a speed curve (profile) such as deceleration, stop, and acceleration can also be assigned to the path R.

[0050] The drive control unit 150 controls the drive device 30 installed on the moving body 1 so that the moving body 1 moves along the path R.

[0051] [Setting of the arrival location]

[0052] Hereinafter, the setting process of the arrival position AP performed by the arrival position setting unit 120 will be described. The arrival position setting unit 120 sets the arrival position AP in different ways based on the situation of the moving body 1 and the owner M.

[0053] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the arrival position setting unit 120. First, the arrival position setting unit 120 determines whether the first condition is satisfied (step S200).

[0054] The first condition is, for example, that a predetermined number or more of pedestrians are recognized by the recognition unit 110 within a predetermined area. Figure 5 WA is a diagram for explaining the first condition. In the diagram, WA is a predetermined area. The recognition unit 110 sets the predetermined area WA in the space between the moving body 1 and the owner M based on a certain reference, and counts the pedestrians P existing in the predetermined area WA. The method for setting the predetermined area WA can be appropriately determined, for example, it can also be set to an area of a predetermined radius on the side of the moving direction of the moving body 1.

[0055] When the first condition is satisfied, the arrival position setting unit 120 moves behind the master M in the direction D relative to the master M. M A plurality of arrival positions AP-1 to AP-k (k is a natural number greater than or equal to 2) are arranged in a cross direction (e.g., an orthogonal direction), and the plurality of arrival positions AP-1 to AP-k are provided to the path generation unit 140 (step S202). In this case, the path generation unit 140 generates a path from the mobile body 1 to at least a portion of the plurality of arrival positions AP-1 to AP-k, and selects the path with the best score among them. The path generation unit 140 may generate and evaluate the paths to each of the plurality of arrival positions AP-1 to AP-k, or may omit the generation of paths for subsequent arrival positions when one path is selected during the generation and evaluation of the paths in parallel. In addition, before performing the process of generating and evaluating the paths, the path generation unit 140 may perform a primary evaluation of the arrival positions based on certain criteria and eliminate them (delete the arrival positions with poor results of the primary evaluation), and generate and evaluate the paths for the remaining arrival positions. It should be noted that the so-called "providing" may also mean sending data through inter-processor communication or writing data to a shared area of a memory.

[0056] Regarding the orientation of the master M M The recognition unit 110 recognizes the movement vector, facial orientation, body orientation, or a combination of the orientations of the owner M as the orientation D of the owner M. M At this time, the recognition unit 110 may perform a moving average process or the like in order to avoid oscillation of the recognition result.

[0057] When the first condition is not satisfied, as described below, the arrival position setting unit 120 sets an arrival position AP and provides the one arrival position AP to the path generation unit 140. First, the arrival position setting unit 120 determines whether the speed of the master M is less than a specified speed (step S204). The speed of the master M is obtained, for example, by subtracting the speed vector of the mobile body 1 from the relative speed vector of the master M obtained based on the change in the relative position of the continuously recognized master M with respect to the mobile body 1. When the speed of the master M is less than the specified speed, the arrival position setting unit 120 sets the representative position R M of the master M as the arrival position AP and provides the representative position R M of the master M to the path generation unit 140 (step S206). It should be noted that, in this case, a risk centered on the master M is set, so a situation where the mobile body 1 collides with the master M can be avoided. The representative position R M is, for example, the position at the feet of the master M obtained as a result of image processing and is determined based on an arbitrary reference.

[0058] When the speed of the master M is equal to or greater than the specified speed, the arrival position setting unit 120 determines whether a flag described below is set to 1 (step S208). This flag determines whether the second condition described below is set to be more likely to hold (flag 1) or less likely to hold (flag 0). When the flag is set to 1, the arrival position setting unit 120 sets the threshold group of the second condition to the threshold group that is more likely to hold (step S210).

[0059] Next, the arrival position setting unit 120 determines whether the second condition is satisfied (the so-called second condition includes at least the condition related to the angle θ formed by the orientation D M of the master M and the orientation D1 of the mobile body 1). Figure 6 FIG. is a diagram for explaining the second condition. More specifically, the second condition is, for example, (1) the angle θ is less than the reference angle θref, (2) the distance X M on the first coordinate axis when the representative position R1 of the mobile body 1 is the first coordinate axis to the representative position R M1 of the master M is less than the first reference distance Xref, and (3) the distance Y M on the second coordinate axis when the direction orthogonal to the orientation D1 of the mobile body 1 is the second coordinate axis from the representative position R1 of the mobile body 1 to the representative position R M1 of the master M is less than the second reference distance Yref.

[0060] Here, the reference angle θref, the first reference distance Xref, and the second reference distance Yref in the case where the flag is 1 are set as follows, respectively. They are a set of thresholds for which the second condition is likely to hold.

[0061] θref: large (e.g., 30 degrees)

[0062] Xref: large (e.g., 10 [m])

[0063] Yref: large (e.g., 3 [m])

[0064] On the other hand, the reference angle θref, the first reference distance Xref, and the second reference distance Yref in the case where the flag is 0 are set as follows, respectively. They are a set of thresholds for which the second condition is less likely to hold.

[0065] θref: small (e.g., 20 degrees)

[0066] Xref: small (e.g., 7 [m])

[0067] Yref: small (e.g., 2 [m])

[0068] The orientation D1 of the moving body 1 can be, for example, the orientation from the center of gravity of the moving body 1 toward an arbitrarily determined front direction (i.e., the front of the base 5), can be the orientation along the moving vector of the moving body 1, or can be an orientation obtained by combining them.

[0069] When the second condition is not satisfied, the arrival position setting unit 120 sets, as the arrival position AP, the candidate for the arrival position closest to the moving body 1 among a plurality of candidates for the arrival position APc-1 to APc-m (m is a natural number of 2 or more) arranged in the direction intersecting the orientation D of the host M behind the host M, and provides this candidate for the arrival position to the path generation unit 140 (step S214). In M the example of, the candidate for the arrival position APc-m is set as the arrival position AP. For example, n > m. Further, the arrival position setting unit 120 sets the flag to 1 (step S216). Figure 6 When the second condition is satisfied, the arrival position setting unit 120 sets one arrival position AP at a specified position diagonally behind the host M, and provides this one arrival position AP to the path generation unit 140 (step S218). Further, the arrival position setting unit 120 sets the flag to 0 (step S220).

[0070] FIG. is a diagram showing an example of the specified position APdef. In the illustrated example, the specified position APdef is set at the rear right of the host M. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the specified position APdef. In the illustrated example, the specified position APdef is set at the rear right of the host M.

[0071] By performing processing in this way, the control device 100 can appropriately generate a path according to the situation in which the moving body 1 is placed. When there are few pedestrians around the moving body 1 and the owner M and the owner M is moving in one direction at a relatively slow speed (a situation where the first condition is not satisfied and the second condition is satisfied), the moving body 1 moves in a manner of following Figure 7 the specified position APdef shown, so that the moving body 1 always exists at the same position when observed from the owner M. Thereby, a sense of security can be brought to the owner M.

[0072] On the other hand, when there are more pedestrians around the moving body 1 and the owner M, the path R that the moving body 1 can take is restricted, and there is also a concern that the owner M cannot be sufficiently followed and the position of the owner M will eventually be lost. In contrast, when the first condition is satisfied, the control device 100 provides a plurality of arrival positions AP to the path generation unit 140, and thus generates a path R in a manner of following the position suitable for the path generation unit 140 among the plurality of arrival positions AP. As a result, the above concerns can be alleviated.

[0073] In addition, when the owner M makes a sharp turn, accelerates, etc., it may not be possible to sufficiently follow the owner M according to the motion performance of the moving body 1 and the moving body 1 may leave the owner M. Especially when the owner M makes a sharp left turn, since the specified position APdef is at the right rear, it follows the trajectory of the owner M in a large circle, and there is also a concern of leaving the owner M or obstructing the surrounding pedestrians due to the large circle. In contrast, when the second condition is not satisfied, the control device 100 sets the position closest to the moving body 1 among the candidates APc of the plurality of arrival positions as the arrival position AP, whereby the moving body 1 can quickly follow the owner M. The second condition is set so as to hold when the owner M makes a sharp turn, longitudinal or lateral acceleration, so that the control device 100 can appropriately perform the above processing.

[0074] In addition, in the above processing, when the second condition holds once, the threshold value group of the second condition is set to the side where the second condition is more likely to hold. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the moving body 1 from becoming disordered due to the second condition frequently repeating and not holding.

[0075] In the above description, the control device 100 is mounted on the moving body 1, but it is not limited thereto. It may also be provided at a place away from the moving body 1, obtain the output data of the object detection device 20 through communication, and send a drive instruction signal to the drive device 30, that is, remotely control the moving body 1.

[0076] According to the embodiment described above, a path can be appropriately generated according to the situation in which the moving body 1 is placed.

[0077] The embodiments described above can be expressed as follows.

[0078] A control device, comprising:

[0079] One or more storage media that store computer-readable instructions;

[0080] A first processor connected to the one or more storage media; and

[0081] A second processor connected to the one or more storage media,

[0082] The first processor identifies an object including a pedestrian and the following object by executing the computer-readable instructions, and sets a position in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the following object as the arrival position of the moving body.

[0083] The second processor generates a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position by executing the computer-readable instructions.

[0084] The first processor sets a plurality of the arrival positions and provides the plurality of the arrival positions to the path generation unit when a first condition is satisfied, and sets one arrival position and provides the one arrival position to the path generation unit when the first condition is not satisfied, by executing the computer-readable instructions.

[0085] The second processor generates the path for at least a part of the plurality of the arrival positions when the plurality of the arrival positions are provided, and selects one path based on a predetermined evaluation criterion, by executing the computer-readable instructions.

[0086] The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described using the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0087] Description of Reference Numerals

[0088] 1 Moving body

[0089] 20 Object detection device

[0090] 30 Driving device

[0091] 100 Control device

[0092] 110 Identification Unit

[0093] 120 Arrival Position Setting Unit

[0094] 130 Risk Distribution Prediction Unit

[0095] 140 Path Generation Unit

[0096] 150 Drive Control Unit.

Claims

1. A control device that controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following a following object in an area where a pedestrian walks, wherein the control device includes: an identification unit that identifies objects including pedestrians and the following object; a setting unit that sets a position in a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the following object as the arrival position of the moving body; a path generation unit that generates a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; and a drive control unit that controls a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path, the setting unit sets a plurality of the arrival positions and provides the plurality of the arrival positions to the path generation unit when a first condition is satisfied, and sets one arrival position and provides the one arrival position to the path generation unit when the first condition is not satisfied, the path generation unit, when a plurality of the arrival positions are provided from the setting unit, generates the path for at least a part of the plurality of the arrival positions and selects one path based on a prescribed evaluation criterion.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is that the identification unit identifies a prescribed number or more of pedestrians in a prescribed area.

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit also identifies the orientation of the following object, the setting unit, when the first condition is satisfied, arranges and sets a plurality of the arrival positions in a direction intersecting the orientation of the following object behind the following object.

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit also identifies the speed of the following object, the setting unit sets the position of the following object as the arrival position when the speed of the following object is less than a prescribed speed.

5. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the identification unit also identifies the orientation of the following object, the setting unit, when the first condition is not satisfied and a second condition including a condition related to an angle formed by the orientation of the following object and the orientation of the moving body is not satisfied, sets, as the arrival position, the nearest candidate among a plurality of candidates for the arrival positions arranged in a direction intersecting the orientation of the following object behind the following object.

6. The control device according to claim 5, wherein the second condition includes that the angle formed by the orientation of the following object and the orientation of the moving body is equal to or less than a reference angle.

7. The control device according to claim 6, wherein when the orientation of the moving body is set as a first coordinate axis and an orientation orthogonal to the first coordinate axis is set as a second coordinate axis, the second condition also includes that the distance between the following object and the moving body on the first coordinate axis is less than a first reference distance and the distance between the following object and the moving body on the second coordinate axis is less than a second reference distance.

8. The control device according to claim 5, wherein When the setting unit does not satisfy the first condition and satisfies the second condition, it sets one of the arrival positions diagonally behind the object to be followed.

9. The control device according to claim 5, wherein When the setting unit satisfies the second condition, it changes the threshold value of the second condition to the side where the second condition is more likely to hold, and maintains the changed threshold value until it is determined that the second condition is no longer satisfied when using the changed threshold value.

10. A control method, wherein A control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following an object to be followed in a pedestrian walking area. The control method causes the control device to perform the following processing: Identify objects including pedestrians and the object to be followed; Set a position in a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the object to be followed as the arrival position of the moving body; Generate a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; Control a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; When performing the setting, set a plurality of the arrival positions when the first condition is satisfied, and set one of the arrival positions when the first condition is not satisfied; and When generating the path, when a plurality of the arrival positions are set, generate the path for at least a part of the plurality of the arrival positions, and select one path based on a prescribed evaluation criterion.

11. A program, wherein A control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following an object to be followed in a pedestrian walking area. The program causes a processor of the control device to perform the following processing: Identify objects including pedestrians and the object to be followed; Set a position in a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the object to be followed as the arrival position of the moving body; Generate a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; Control a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; When performing the setting, set a plurality of the arrival positions when the first condition is satisfied, and set one of the arrival positions when the first condition is not satisfied; and When generating the path, when a plurality of the arrival positions are set, generate the path for at least a part of the plurality of the arrival positions, and select one path based on a prescribed evaluation criterion.

12. A control device that controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following an object to be followed in a pedestrian walking area, wherein The control device includes: An identification unit that identifies objects including pedestrians and the object to be followed; A setting unit that sets a position in a prescribed positional relationship with respect to the object to be followed as the arrival position of the moving body; A path generation unit that generates a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; and A drive control unit that controls a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path, The identification unit also identifies the orientation of the object to be followed. When the setting unit does not satisfy a specified condition including a condition related to an angle formed by the orientation of the object to be followed and the orientation of the moving body, the setting unit sets, as the arrival position, the candidate closest to the moving body among a plurality of candidates for the arrival position arranged along a direction intersecting the orientation of the object to be followed behind the object to be followed.

13. A control method, wherein a control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following an object to be followed in an area where a pedestrian walks, the control method causes the control device to perform the following processing: identifying an object including a pedestrian and the object to be followed; setting a position in a specified positional relationship with respect to the object to be followed as the arrival position of the moving body; generating a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; controlling a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; when performing the identification, also identifying the orientation of the object to be followed; and when performing the setting, when a specified condition including a condition related to an angle formed by the orientation of the object to be followed and the orientation of the moving body is not satisfied, setting, as the arrival position, the candidate closest to the moving body among a plurality of candidates for the arrival position arranged along a direction intersecting the orientation of the object to be followed behind the object to be followed.

14. A program, wherein a control device controls a moving body that autonomously moves while following an object to be followed in an area where a pedestrian walks, the program causes a processor of the control device to perform the following processing: identifying an object including a pedestrian and the object to be followed; setting a position in a specified positional relationship with respect to the object to be followed as the arrival position of the moving body; generating a path from the position of the moving body to the arrival position; controlling a drive device mounted on the moving body so that the moving body moves along the path; when performing the identification, also identifying the orientation of the object to be followed; and when performing the setting, when a specified condition including a condition related to an angle formed by the orientation of the object to be followed and the orientation of the moving body is not satisfied, setting, as the arrival position, the candidate closest to the moving body among a plurality of candidates for the arrival position arranged along a direction intersecting the orientation of the object to be followed behind the object to be followed.

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