Moving body

Abstract

A moving body is provided with: a case; a moving mechanism that moves the case; an arm having one end supported by the case and having at least one joint; the distance measuring device comprises an optical head; and a control unit that controls the moving mechanism and the arm, the optical head is attached between one of the at least one joint of the arm and the tip of the arm, and the control unit causes the distance measuring device to measure the distance of the peripheral region by changing the position of the optical head by changing the posture of the arm. The movement mechanism is controlled on the basis of three-dimensional space information obtained on the basis of the distance of the peripheral region measured by the distance measurement device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to mobile bodies. Background Technology

[0002] Previously, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) system was disclosed, which measures the distance to an object by illuminating it with light and detecting the reflected light from the object. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a distributed FM lidar system with multiple optical heads, in which multiple optical heads are distributed and arranged at appropriate positions outside the moving body.

[0003] Existing technical documents Patent documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-522211 Summary of the Invention

[0004] The problem that the invention aims to solve However, in the aforementioned prior art, in order to reduce the area (blind spot) that cannot be measured by the LiDAR system (range measuring device), it is necessary to increase the number of optical heads, which increases the number of parts in the LiDAR system.

[0005] This disclosure provides a movable body that can suppress the increase in the number of parts of a ranging device and reduce the area where ranging cannot be measured.

[0006] Methods for solving problems A mobile body according to a technical solution of this disclosure comprises: a housing; a moving mechanism for moving the housing; an arm, one end of which is supported by the housing and having at least one joint; a ranging device including an optical head; and a control unit for controlling the moving mechanism and the arm, wherein the optical head is mounted between one of the at least one joint of the arm and the front end of the arm, and the control unit changes the position of the optical head by changing the posture of the arm, thereby causing the ranging device to measure the distance of a surrounding area, and controls the moving mechanism based on three-dimensional spatial information obtained based on the distance of the surrounding area measured by the ranging device.

[0007] Furthermore, this general or specific technical solution can be implemented by a system, apparatus, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or computer-readable recording medium, or by any combination of such systems, apparatus, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs, and recording media. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, non-volatile recording media such as CD-ROM (CompactDisc-Read Only Memory).

[0008] Invention Effects According to the technology disclosed herein, it is possible to reduce the area where distance cannot be measured while suppressing the increase in the number of parts of the ranging device. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a side view of the movable body in the embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of the ranging device in the implementation method.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method for the moving body in an implementation method.

[0012] Figure 4A This is a side view of the moving body used to illustrate the first example of the moving body's operation in the implementation method.

[0013] Figure 4B This is a top view of the moving body used to illustrate the first example of the moving body's operation in the implementation method.

[0014] Figure 4C This is a top view of the moving body used to illustrate the first example of the moving body's operation in the implementation method.

[0015] Figure 5A This is a side view of the moving body, used to illustrate a second example of the moving body's operation in the implementation method.

[0016] Figure 5B This is a top view of the moving body used to illustrate the second example of the moving body in the implementation method.

[0017] Figure 6A This is a side view of the moving body used to illustrate the third example of the moving body in the implementation method.

[0018] Figure 6B This is a top view of the moving body used to illustrate the third example of the moving body in the implementation method.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a side view of the movable body in a modified embodiment.

[0020] Figure 8 This is a side view of the movable body in a modified embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0021] (Summary of this disclosure) Before describing the implementation methods, an outline of this disclosure will be given.

[0022] The mobile body according to the first technical solution of this disclosure comprises: a housing; a moving mechanism for moving the housing; an arm, one end of which is supported by the housing and having at least one joint; a ranging device including an optical head; and a control unit for controlling the moving mechanism and the arm, wherein the optical head is mounted between one of the at least one joint of the arm and the front end of the arm, and the control unit changes the position of the optical head by changing the posture of the arm, thereby causing the ranging device to measure the distance of a surrounding area, and controls the moving mechanism based on three-dimensional spatial information obtained based on the distance of the surrounding area measured by the ranging device.

[0023] Therefore, by mounting the optical head to the arm, the position of the optical head can be changed, the increase in the number of optical heads and / or mounting components can be suppressed, and the area where distance cannot be measured (blind spots) can be reduced. As a result, the amount of information in three-dimensional space can be increased, which can help to improve the movement control of the moving body.

[0024] Regarding the mobile body of the second technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of the first technical solution, the ranging device is a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device, i.e., a light detection and ranging device.

[0025] Therefore, the use of LiDAR devices in ranging devices can improve the accuracy of three-dimensional spatial information.

[0026] Regarding the mobile body of the third technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of the second technical solution, the ranging device is an FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) LiDAR device.

[0027] Therefore, the use of FMCW-LiDAR devices in ranging devices can further improve the accuracy of three-dimensional spatial information. In addition to measuring the position and shape of objects, it is also possible to measure the velocity of objects, enabling height control of moving objects.

[0028] Regarding the mobile body of the fourth technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of any of the first to third technical solutions, the ranging device further includes a main body unit optically connected to the optical head, and the main body unit is disposed in the housing.

[0029] Therefore, the optical head and main unit can be separately configured in the arm and housing. That is, the main unit can also be omitted from the arm. This reduces the weight burden on the arm, allowing for the implementation of a ranging device even with a smaller arm. In particular, in LiDAR devices, the effect of separating the optical head and main unit is greater due to the larger main unit. Furthermore, in the FMCW-LiDAR device, the increase in ranging error caused by the separate configuration of the optical head and main unit can be suppressed; the separate configuration of the optical head and main unit in the FMCW-LiDAR device is more effective. Moreover, the reasons for suppressing the increase in ranging error in the FMCW-LiDAR device will be described in the description of the FMCW-LiDAR.

[0030] Regarding the mobile body of the fifth technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of any of the first to fourth technical solutions, the housing has a front surface, a right side surface and a left side surface, and the peripheral area is the area including at least one of the front surface, the right side surface and the left side surface of the housing.

[0031] Therefore, by measuring the distance to an area including at least one of the front, right, and left sides of the container, the area where the view is obstructed by the container can be reduced. Furthermore, when an object is placed inside the container, the exposed portion of the object (load) protruding from the container can be detected. As a result, movement control corresponding to the size of the exposed portion of the load can be performed, preventing the exposed portion of the load from contacting surrounding objects during movement.

[0032] Regarding the mobile body of the sixth technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of any of the first to fifth technical solutions, the control unit controls the arm to a first posture so that the ranging device measures the distance of a first peripheral area, and controls the arm to a second posture so that the ranging device measures the distance of a second peripheral area.

[0033] Therefore, it is possible to measure the distance of multiple peripheral areas by changing the posture of the arm, which can suppress the increase of the number of optical heads and reduce the areas (blind spots) where distance cannot be measured.

[0034] Regarding the mobile body of the seventh technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of the sixth technical solution, the first peripheral region is the region in the direction of travel of the mobile body. When an object that obstructs the travel of the mobile body is detected in the first peripheral region, the control unit controls the arm to the second posture, and the second peripheral region is located closer to the direction of travel than the object.

[0035] Therefore, the distance to a second region located in front of an object (obstacle) in the direction of travel of the moving body is measured. This allows for more accurate detection of the obstacle's shape and improves the precision of three-dimensional spatial information. The result is the ability to achieve height-based motion control that corresponds to the shape of the obstacle.

[0036] Regarding the mobile body of the eighth technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of any of the first to seventh technical solutions, the at least one joint includes a plurality of joints including a first joint, the first joint being the closest to the front end of the arm among the plurality of joints, and the optical head is mounted between the first joint and the front end of the arm.

[0037] This allows the optical head to be mounted closer to the front end of the arm, enabling the optical head to move more freely.

[0038] Regarding the mobile body of the ninth technical solution of this disclosure, in the mobile body of any of the first to eighth technical solutions, the mobile body is an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle).

[0039] This allows for a higher level of mobile control that can contribute to AGVs.

[0040] (Implementation Method) The embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Furthermore, the embodiments described below are either general or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, constituent elements, the arrangement and location of constituent elements, connection methods, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are examples and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0042] Each figure is a schematic diagram and not necessarily a strict representation. Therefore, for example, the scale may not be consistent across different figures. Furthermore, substantially identical structures may be labeled with the same reference numerals across different figures, and sometimes redundant descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0043] The following terms, such as parallel or perpendicular, indicating the relationship between elements; terms such as cylinder or prism, indicating the shape of elements; and numerical ranges, which are not merely expressions of a strict meaning, but also imply that they include substantially equivalent ranges, such as differences of a few percentage points.

[0044] The x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis represent the three axes of a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. The x-axis extends along the direction of travel of the moving object, and the z-axis extends vertically. The positive direction of the x-axis is sometimes described as "forward" or simply "front," and the negative direction is sometimes described as "backward" or simply "back." The positive direction of the y-axis is sometimes described as "left" or simply "left," and the negative direction is sometimes described as "right" or simply "right." The positive direction of the z-axis is sometimes described as "upward" or simply "above," and the negative direction is sometimes described as "downward" or simply "below."

[0045] [Structure of the moving body 100] First, refer to Figure 1 The structure of the movable body 100 in this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 This is a side view of the movable body 100 in this embodiment. Additionally, Figure 1 The illustration shows an exemplary structure and configuration of the moving body 100, but the structure and configuration of the moving body 100 are not limited to those shown. Figure 1 .

[0046] Mobile body 100 is an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) capable of autonomous movement, sometimes also referred to as an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot). However, mobile body 100 is not limited to an AGV capable of autonomous movement. For example, mobile body 100 can also be an industrial robot capable of autonomous movement. Additionally, mobile body 100 can also be a vehicle that can be driven by a human.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the mobile body 100 includes a housing 10, a moving mechanism 20, an arm 30, an end effector 35, a ranging device 40, and a control unit 50.

[0048] The housing 10 is the main body of the movable body 100, housing part of the ranging device 40 and the control unit 50. Figure 1 In the middle, the box 10 has a cuboid shape.

[0049] The moving mechanism 20 enables the housing 10 to move. In this embodiment, the moving mechanism 20 is located at the lower part of the housing 10 and has wheels that are rotated and steered, for example, by an electric motor (not shown). Furthermore, the structure of the moving mechanism 20 is not limited to... Figure 1 For example, the mobility mechanism 20 can also be a bipedal or quadrupedal walking mechanism.

[0050] Arm 30 is a robotic arm, for example, capable of being driven by an actuator (not shown) to change its posture. Arm 30 includes multiple joints 31-34, an end effector 35, multiple links 36-38, and a base 39.

[0051] Joint 31 is the first joint among the multiple joints 31-34 that is closest to the front end of the arm 30. Joint 31 connects the end effector 35 and the link 36 to enable rotation and / or translational displacement.

[0052] Joint 32 is the second joint among the multiple joints 31-34, located second to the front end of arm 30. Joint 32 connects links 36 and 37 to enable rotation and / or translational displacement.

[0053] Joint 33 is the third joint among multiple joints 31-34, the third closest to the front end of arm 30. Joint 33 connects links 37 and 38 to enable rotation and / or translational displacement.

[0054] Joint 34 is the fourth joint among multiple joints 31 to 34, the fourth closest to the front end of arm 30. Joint 34 connects link 38 so that it can rotate and / or translate relative to base 39 about the y-axis.

[0055] The end effector 35, sometimes referred to as a robotic arm, constitutes the front end of the arm 30. The end effector 35 is connected to the link 36 via a joint 31, enabling rotation and / or translational displacement. Additionally, the end effector 35 is equipped with the optical head 41 of the ranging device 40 (described later). Furthermore, the end effector 35 may not necessarily grip an object, provided it can be equipped with the optical head 41.

[0056] Link 36 is rotatably connected to end effector 35 via joint 31. Furthermore, link 36 is rotatably and / or translatably connected to link 37 via joint 32.

[0057] Link 37 is rotatably connected to link 36 via joint 32. Furthermore, link 37 is rotatably and / or translatably connected to link 38 via joint 33.

[0058] Link 38 is rotatably connected to link 37 via joint 33. Furthermore, link 38 is rotatably and / or translatably connected to base 39 via joint 34.

[0059] The base 39 is connected to the housing 10 in a manner that allows for rotation and / or translation.

[0060] Furthermore, the structure of arm 30 is not limited to Figure 1 For example, the number of joints in arm 30 can be one, two, three, or more than five.

[0061] The ranging device 40 includes an optical head 41 and a main unit 42, and is capable of measuring distances to the surrounding area of ​​the moving object 100. Measuring the distance to an area refers to measuring the distance from the ranging device 40 to objects present within that area. The ranging device 40 is, for example, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device using the FMCW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method. For more details about the ranging device 40, please refer to... Figure 2 Described later.

[0062] Furthermore, the ranging device 40 is not limited to an FMCW-type LiDAR device; for example, it could also be a ToF (Time of Flight) type LiDAR device. Additionally, the ranging device 40 is not limited to a LiDAR device; for example, it could be a stereo camera, radar, or ultrasonic sensor.

[0063] The optical head 41 is separately configured from the main unit 42 and is mounted on the end effector 35. The main unit 42 is configured inside the housing 10 and is optically connected to the optical head 41.

[0064] Furthermore, the configuration of the optical head 41 and the main body unit 42 is not limited to... Figure 1 For example, the optical head 41 can also be integrally formed with the main body unit 42. In this case, both the optical head 41 and the main body unit 42 can be mounted on the end effector 35. Furthermore, the mounting position of the optical head 41 is not limited to the end effector 35. For example, the optical head 41 can be mounted on links 36-38, or on joints 31-33. That is, the optical head 41 can be mounted between one of the joints 31-34 and the front end of the arm 30. More specifically, the optical head 41 can be positioned at any location on the arm 30 between the joint 34 and the front end along the direction of the arm 30.

[0065] The control unit 50 is capable of controlling the moving mechanism 20 and the arm 30. For example, the control unit 50 can generate control signals to drive the moving mechanism 20 and control signals to control the posture of the arm 30.

[0066] Furthermore, all or part of the control unit 50 may be implemented by one or more electronic circuits, including semiconductor devices, semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs), or LSIs (large scale integration). An LSI or IC can be integrated onto a single chip or composed of multiple chips. Here, although referred to as LSI or IC, the terminology varies depending on the degree of integration; it may also be called a system LSI, VLSI (very large scale integration), or ULSI (ultra large scale integration). For the same purpose, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) programmed after LSI fabrication, or an RLD (Reconfigurable Logic Device) capable of reconfiguring the internal bonding relationships of an LSI or setting up the internal circuit partitioning of an LSI, can also be used.

[0067] Furthermore, all or part of the functions or operations of the control unit 50 can be executed through software processing. In this case, the software is recorded in one or more non-transitory recording media such as ROM, optical disc, or hard disk drive. When the software is executed by a processor, the functions determined by the software are executed by the processor and peripheral devices. The system or device may also include one or more non-transitory recording media containing the software, a processing device, and the necessary hardware devices, such as interfaces.

[0068] [Structure of the ranging device 40] Next, refer to Figure 2 The structure of the ranging device 40 in this embodiment will be explained. Figure 2 This is a block diagram illustrating the functional structure of the ranging device 40 in this embodiment. Furthermore, Figure 2 The illustrated functional structure of the ranging device 40 is shown, but the functional structure of the ranging device 40 is not limited to... Figure 2 As shown in the image.

[0069] The ranging device 40 includes an optical head 41 and a main unit 42. The optical head 41 includes optical elements 411. The main unit 42 includes a light source 421, a first optical beam splitter 422, an optical circulator 423, a second optical beam splitter 424, a photodetector 425, a processing circuit 426, and a memory 427.

[0070] The light source 421 can emit laser light towards the first optical beam splitter 422. The laser light emitted from the light source 421 is FMCW light with a frequency that varies periodically. Alternatively, the light source 421 may not be included in the main unit 42.

[0071] The first optical beam splitter 422 is optically connected to the optical circulator 423 via optical fiber 42a, and optically connected to the second optical beam splitter 424 via optical fiber 42d. The first optical beam splitter 422 is capable of splitting the laser emitted from the light source 421 into illumination light and reference light, and emitting them to the optical circulator 423 and the second optical beam splitter 424, respectively.

[0072] The optical circulator 423 is optically connected to the first optical beamsplitter 422 via optical fiber 42a, optically connected to the optical element 411 (described later) via optical fiber 42b, and optically connected to the second optical beamsplitter 424 via optical fiber 42c. The optical circulator 423 can emit illumination light incident from the first optical beamsplitter 422 towards the optical element 411. Furthermore, the optical circulator 423 can emit reflected light incident from the optical element 411 towards the second optical beamsplitter 424. Alternatively, the optical circulator 423 may not be included in the main unit 42.

[0073] Optical element 411 is connected to optical circulator 423 via optical fiber 42b. Optical element 411 can emit illumination light incident from optical circulator 423 towards the peripheral region of the moving body 100. Furthermore, optical element 411 can receive reflected light from this peripheral region and emit it back into optical circulator 423. Optical element 411 includes a collimator lens capable of collimating the illumination light. Additionally, optical element 411 may include a galvano-mirror (current mirror) to scan the illumination light. Alternatively, optical element 411 may include other scanning mechanisms instead of a galvano-mirror. Alternatively, optical element 411 may not include a scanning mechanism. In this case, scanning of the illumination light may be performed by arm 30. Alternatively, scanning of the illumination light may not be performed.

[0074] The second optical beamsplitter 424 is connected to the optical circulator 423 via optical fiber 42c and to the first optical beamsplitter 422 via optical fiber 42d. The second optical beamsplitter 424 can combine the reference light incident from the first optical beamsplitter 422 and the reflected light incident from the optical circulator 423, and then emit the combined light towards the photodetector 425. Alternatively, the second optical beamsplitter 424 may not be included in the main unit 42.

[0075] The photodetector 425 is capable of detecting the synthesized light incident from the second beam splitter 424. The photodetector 425 includes one or more photodetector elements that output an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the synthesized light. Alternatively, the photodetector 425 may not be included in the main body unit 42.

[0076] The processing circuit 426 can control the operation of the light source 421 and the photodetector 425. Moreover, the processing circuit 426 processes the signal output from the photodetector 425 using FMCW-LiDAR technology, thereby generating and outputting data representing the distance and / or speed of objects existing in the peripheral area of ​​the moving body 100.

[0077] The computer program executed by the processing circuit 426 is stored in the memory 427. The processing circuit 426 and the memory 427 can be integrated onto a single circuit board or mounted on different circuit boards. Alternatively, the processing circuit 426 can be distributed across multiple circuits. Furthermore, the processing circuit 426 and the memory 427 may not be included in the main unit 42. In this case, control and signal processing can be performed by one or more computers connected to the ranging device 40 via a wired or wireless communication network, instead of the processing circuit 426.

[0078] [FMCW-LiDAR] Here, we will explain FMCW-LiDAR. In FMCW-LiDAR, FMCW light is separated into an illumination beam and a reference beam, with the illumination beam illuminating the object. The distance to the object is measured based on the difference between the frequency of the reflected light from the object and the frequency of the reference beam.

[0079] At this time, if the following mathematical expression (1) is satisfied, the ranging device 40 can measure the distance from the optical head 41 to the object.

[0080] d = a + 2b + c (1) Here, 'a' represents the optical path length via fiber 42a between the first optical beamsplitter 422 and the optical circulator 423. 'b' represents the optical path length via fiber 42b between the optical circulator 423 and the optical element 411. 'c' represents the optical path length via fiber 42c between the optical circulator 423 and the second optical beamsplitter 424. 'd' represents the optical path length via fiber 42d between the first optical beamsplitter 422 and the second optical beamsplitter 424.

[0081] Thus, for FMCW-LiDAR, by making the sum of the optical path length (a+b) of the illumination light from the first beam splitter 422 to the optical element 411 and the optical path length (b+c) of the reflected light from the optical element 411 to the second beam splitter 424 (a+2b+c) consistent with the optical path length (d) of the reference light from the first beam splitter 422 to the second beam splitter 424, the optical path lengths of the illumination and reflected light within the ranging device 40 can be eliminated using the optical path length of the reference light within the ranging device 40, and the distance from the optical head 41 (optical element 411) to the object can be measured.

[0082] Typically, the refractive index of optical fibers varies with temperature. That is, the optical path length of the fiber varies with temperature. Therefore, the distance measurement result to an object is affected by the temperature variation in the optical path length of the fiber; the longer the optical path length within the ranging device, the greater this effect.

[0083] For example, in ToF-LiDAR, to obtain the distance from the optical head to the object, the optical path length between the light source and the optical head needs to be subtracted from the measurement result (distance from the light source to the object). However, as mentioned above, the optical path length of the fiber varies with temperature, making it difficult to accurately subtract the optical path length between the light source and the optical head. That is, in ToF-LiDAR, the increase in optical path length caused by the separate configuration of the main unit 42 and the optical head 41 leads to an increase in ranging error.

[0084] On the other hand, for FMCW-LiDAR, the optical path length of the reference light within the ranging device 40, like the optical path lengths of the illumination and reflected light within the ranging device 40, varies with temperature, thus eliminating the influence of temperature variations in the optical path length. Therefore, for FMCW-LiDAR, it is possible to suppress the increase in ranging error caused by the increase in optical path length due to the separate configuration of the main unit 42 and the optical head 41.

[0085] [Control method for moving body 100] Next, refer to Figure 3 Explain the control method of the moving body 100. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the control method of the moving body 100 in this embodiment.

[0086] <Step S10> The control unit 50 controls the posture of the arm 30. Specifically, in order to measure the distance to the surrounding area of ​​the moving body 100, the control unit 50 controls the posture of the arm 30 and configures the optical head 41 to an appropriate position and orientation.

[0087] <Step S20> The ranging device 40 measures the distance to the surrounding area of ​​the moving body 100. Data representing the distance and / or velocity of objects present in the surrounding area of ​​the moving body 100 is then stored in the memory 427.

[0088] <Step S30> The control unit 50 determines whether the distance measurement performed by the ranging device 40 has ended. For example, the control unit 50 determines whether the distance measurement has ended for all of a predetermined plurality of surrounding areas around the moving body 100. If it is determined that the distance measurement has not ended (No in S30), the process returns to step S10. On the other hand, if it is determined that the distance measurement has ended (Yes in S30), the process proceeds to step S40.

[0089] <Step S40> The control unit 50 acquires three-dimensional spatial information. Three-dimensional spatial information represents information about objects existing in the surrounding area of ​​the moving body 100 in three-dimensional space. This three-dimensional spatial information is generated, for example, by the control unit 50 or the ranging device 40 based on distances to the surrounding area measured by the ranging device 40. Alternatively, the three-dimensional spatial information can also be generated by a computer external to the moving body 100.

[0090] <Step S50> The control unit 50 controls the moving mechanism 20 based on the acquired three-dimensional spatial information. For example, if the three-dimensional spatial information indicates the presence of an obstacle, the control unit 50 controls the moving mechanism 20 to avoid the obstacle and proceed. That is, the control unit 50 achieves autonomous driving based on three-dimensional spatial information.

[0091] [Example of the action of moving body 100] Next, several actions of such a moving body 100 will be illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0092] <Example of the first action> First, refer to Figure 4A , Figure 4B as well as Figure 4C Let's illustrate the first action example. Figure 4A , Figure 4B and Figure 4C This is a side view or top view of the movable body 100 used to illustrate a first example of its operation in this embodiment. In the first example of its operation, the operation of the movable body 100 after the object 200a is placed on the upper surface of the housing 10 of the movable body 100 is described.

[0093] The control unit 50 of the movable body 100 changes the arm 30 from posture 301 to posture 302a and / or 302b. Specifically, as Figure 4A As shown, the control unit 50 first moves the front end of the arm 30 upward and backward, thus controlling the arm 30 to posture 302. Next, as... Figure 4B As shown, the control unit 50 rotates the base 39 of the arm 30 counterclockwise, moving the optical head 41 to a position where the ranging device 40 can measure the distance to the surrounding area 201, including the left side 10a of the housing 10. Alternatively, as... Figure 4C As shown, the control unit 50 rotates the base 39 of the arm 30 clockwise, causing the optical head 41 to move to a position where the ranging device 40 can measure the distance to the surrounding area 202, including the right side 10b of the housing 10.

[0094] As described above, the control unit 50 can control the arm 30 to postures 302a and / or 302b, causing the ranging device 40 to measure the distance of the peripheral region 201, including the left side 10a of the housing 10, and / or measure the distance of the peripheral region 202, including the right side 10b of the housing 10. Therefore, when the object 200a is placed on the housing 10, the portion of the object 200a protruding from the housing 10 can be detected. As a result, movement control of the moving body 100 corresponding to the size of the protruding portion of the object 200a can be performed, and contact between the protruding portion of the object 200a and surrounding objects can be prevented during movement.

[0095] In addition, although not shown, the control unit 50 can also move the optical head 41 to a position where the ranging device 40 can measure the distance to the surrounding area, including the front surface 10c of the housing 10.

[0096] Furthermore, the application of the first action example is not limited to the situation after the object 200a is placed on the upper surface of the housing 10 of the moving body 100. For example, the first action example can also be applied before the moving body 100, which is at a stop, begins to move.

[0097] <Example of the second action> Next, refer to Figure 5A and Figure 5B Explain the second action example. Figure 5A and Figure 5B These are side and top views of the movable body 100 used to illustrate a second example of its operation in this embodiment. In the second example, similar to the first example, the operation of the movable body 100 after the object 200a is placed on the upper surface of the housing 10 of the movable body 100 will be described.

[0098] The control unit 50 of the movable body 100 changes the arm 30 from posture 301 to posture 303. Specifically, as Figure 5A and Figure 5B As shown, the control unit 50 moves the front end of the arm 30 upward and backward significantly, controlling the arm 30 to a posture 303. This moves the optical head 41 to a position where the ranging device 40 can measure the distance to the peripheral area 203, including the left side 10a, right side 10b, and front surface 10c of the housing 10. In other words, the control unit 50 controls the arm 30 to posture 303, causing the ranging device 40 to measure the distance to the peripheral area 203, including the front surface 10c, right side 10b, and left side 10a of the housing 10. Therefore, when the object 200a is placed on the housing 10, the portion of the object 200a protruding from the housing 10 can be detected. As a result, movement control of the moving body 100 corresponding to the size of the protruding portion of the object 200a can be performed, preventing the protruding portion of the object 200a from contacting surrounding objects during movement.

[0099] Furthermore, the application of the second action example is the same as that of the first action example, and is not limited to the situation after the object 200a is placed on the upper surface of the housing 10 of the moving body 100. For example, the second action example can also be applied before the moving body 100, which is at a stop, begins to move.

[0100] <Example of the third action> Next, refer to Figure 6A as well as Figure 6B Explain the third action example. Figure 6A and Figure 6B These are side and top views of the moving body 100 used to illustrate a third example of its operation in this embodiment. In this third example, the operation of the moving body 100 after detecting an object 200b in the direction of travel during travel is described.

[0101] The control unit 50 of the movable body 100 changes the arm 30 from posture 301 to posture 304. Specifically, as Figure 6A and Figure 6B As shown, the control unit 50 moves the tip of the arm 30 forward significantly, controlling the arm 30 to posture 304. This moves the optical head 41 to a position where the ranging device 40 can measure the distance to the peripheral region 204 located in the x-direction beyond the object 200b. That is, the control unit 50 controls the arm 30 to posture 304, causing the ranging device 40 to measure the distance to the peripheral region 204 located in the x-direction beyond the object 200b. This allows for the measurement of the distance to the peripheral region 204 further ahead of the object 200b (obstacle) in the direction of travel of the moving body 100. Therefore, the shape of the object 200b can be detected more accurately, improving the accuracy of three-dimensional spatial information. As a result, it is possible to achieve heightened motion control corresponding to the shape of the object 200b, for example, enabling... Figure 6B The movement of the moving body 100 is indicated by the dashed arrow.

[0102] (Modified example) The mobile body has been described above based on the embodiments, but the mobile body of this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. Other embodiments implemented by combining any of the constituent elements in the above embodiments, as well as variations of the above embodiments that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, are also included in this disclosure.

[0103] For example, the mobile body 100 in the above embodiment is an AGV, but it is not limited to this. For example, the mobile body 100 could also be... Figure 7The forklift shown is an example of this. Even in this case, the moving body 100 can use the optical head 41 mounted between the joint and the front end of the arm 30 to measure the distance to the peripheral area 205 of the back of the object 200c.

[0104] In addition, the moving body 100 can also be as follows: Figure 8 The image shows a loading / unloading robot that automatically loads and unloads cargo from a truck. Even in this case, the mobile body 100 is able to use an optical head 41 mounted between the joint and the front end of the arm 30 to measure the distance to the peripheral region 206 of the back of the object 200d.

[0105] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, optical fibers 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d are used to optically connect the components within the ranging device 40, but this is not a limitation. Some or all of optical fibers 42a, 42b, 42c, and 42d can be replaced with optical waveguides. Additionally, the optical fiber 42b that optically connects the optical circulator 423 and the optical element 411 is shared by both the irradiated light and the reflected light, but different optical fibers can also be used for the irradiated light and the reflected light.

[0106] In addition, in the above embodiments, the mobile body 100 is driven automatically based on three-dimensional spatial information, but it can also be driven manually by a driver.

[0107] Industrial applicability This disclosure can be used for mobile bodies equipped with ranging devices (e.g., AGVs).

[0108] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 10 Housing; 10a Left side; 10b Right side; 10c Front surface; 20 Moving mechanism; 30 Arm; 31, 32, 33, 34 Joints; 35 End effector; 36, 37, 38 Linkage; 39 Base; 40 Ranging device; 41 Optical head; 42 Main unit; 42a, 42b, 42c, 42d Optical fiber; 50 Control unit; 100 Moving body; 200a, 200b, 200c, 200d Object; 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206 Peripheral area; 301, 302, 302a, 302b, 303, 304 Posture; 411 Optical element; 421 Light source; 422 First optical beam splitter; 423 Optical circulator; 424 Second optical beam splitter; 425 Photodetector; 426 Processing circuit; 427 Memory.

Claims

1. A mobile body, have: Box; A moving mechanism that causes the housing to move; An arm, one end of which is supported by the housing, has at least one joint; Rangefinder, including an optical head; and The control unit controls the moving mechanism and the arm. The optical head is mounted between one of the at least one joint of the arm and the front end of the arm. The control unit changes the position of the optical head by changing the posture of the arm, thereby enabling the ranging device to measure the distance to the surrounding area. Based on the three-dimensional spatial information obtained from the distance to the surrounding area measured by the ranging device, the control unit controls the moving mechanism.

2. The mobile body according to claim 1, The ranging device is a LiDAR device, i.e., a light detection and ranging device.

3. The mobile body according to claim 2, The ranging device is an FMCW-type LiDAR device, i.e., a frequency-modulated continuous wave optical detection and ranging device.

4. The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The ranging device also includes a main unit optically connected to the optical head. The main unit is disposed within the housing.

5. The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The enclosure has a front surface, a right side surface, and a left side surface. The surrounding area includes at least one of the front surface, the right side and the left side of the housing.

6. The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The control unit controls the arm to a first posture, enabling the ranging device to measure the distance to the first surrounding area. The control unit controls the arm to a second posture, enabling the ranging device to measure the distance to the second surrounding area.

7. The mobile body according to claim 6, The first surrounding area is the area along the direction of travel of the moving body. When an object obstructing the movement of the moving body is detected in the first peripheral area, the control unit controls the arm to the second posture, wherein the second peripheral area is located closer to the direction of movement than the object.

8. The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The at least one joint includes a plurality of joints, including a first joint, wherein the first joint is the one closest to the front end of the arm among the plurality of joints. The optical head is mounted between the first joint and the front end of the arm.

9. The mobile body according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The moving body is an AGV, or automated guided vehicle.

Images