Control system and control method

Abstract

According to the present disclosure, provided are a control system and a control method that appropriately determine whether or not a manipulator is to be moved to a moving posture when a moving body provided with the manipulator is moved to a target position. A control system (1) according to the present disclosure is provided with: a moving body (10) provided with a manipulator (12) capable of mutually switching between a work posture during execution of a predetermined work and a movement posture during movement; and a controller (20) that controls the moving body (10), the controller (20) selecting a first operation that transitions from the first work posture to the second work posture without passing through the movement posture when the movement time is shorter than the total of the first transition time and the second transition time when the operation of the manipulator (12) is selected, and the controller (20) selecting a second operation that transitions from the first work posture to the second work posture without passing through the movement posture when the movement time is shorter than the total of the first transition time and the second transition time. When the movement time is longer than the total of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second operation that transitions from the first work posture to the second work posture via the movement posture is selected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to control systems and control methods. Background Technology

[0002] Technology related to mobile bodies equipped with manipulators has been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a track generation device that generates a track that moves the end effector of the manipulator to a target position. Existing technical documents Patent documents

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-093364 Summary of the Invention The technical problem that the invention aims to solve

[0004] Regarding the track generation device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the inventors discovered the following problems. The operating posture of the manipulator, for example, is a state where the manipulator arm is extended or the manipulator's lifting shaft is raised, and therefore is an unstable posture when the moving body is moving. Therefore, control is performed to change the manipulator from the operating posture to a posture suitable for movement (hereinafter referred to as the moving posture) when the moving body is moving. However, changing the manipulator from the operating posture to the moving posture every time the moving body moves is a redundant action, for example, when the movement distance is short, thus reducing the operating efficiency of the moving body.

[0005] This disclosure was made to solve such a problem by providing a control system and control method for appropriately determining whether to change the manipulator to a moving posture when moving a movable body equipped with a manipulator to a target position. Means for solving technical problems

[0006] The control system disclosed herein comprises: a mobile body having a manipulator capable of changing between a working posture during a predetermined task and a moving posture during movement; and a controller controlling the mobile body, the controller performing the following processing: calculating the time it takes for the mobile body to move from a first working position to a second working position, i.e., a movement time; calculating the time it takes for the manipulator to change from a first working posture at the first working position to the moving posture, i.e., a first transition time; calculating the time it takes for the manipulator to change from the moving posture to a second working posture at the second working position, i.e., a second transition time; and, based on the calculated movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time, selecting an action of the manipulator to move the mobile body from the first working position to the second working position; when selecting the action of the manipulator, if the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, selecting a first action to change from the first working posture to the second working posture without using the moving posture; and if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, selecting a second action to change from the first working posture to the second working posture via the moving posture.

[0007] The control method disclosed herein is a control method for a mobile body controlled by a controller. The mobile body has a manipulator capable of changing between a working posture during a predetermined task and a moving posture during movement. The control method includes the following steps performed by the controller: calculating the time it takes for the mobile body to move from a first working position to a second working position, i.e., the movement time; calculating the time it takes for the manipulator to change from a first working posture at the first working position to the moving posture, i.e., a first transition time; calculating the time it takes for the manipulator to change from the moving posture to a second working posture at the second working position, i.e., a second transition time; and selecting an action of the manipulator when moving the mobile body from the first working position to the second working position based on the calculated movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time. In the step of selecting the action of the manipulator, if the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a first action is selected to change from the first working posture to the second working posture without using the moving posture; if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second action is selected to change from the first working posture to the second working posture using the moving posture. Invention Effects

[0008] According to this disclosure, a control system and control method can be provided that appropriately determines whether to change the manipulator into a moving posture when moving a mobile body equipped with a manipulator to a target position. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the control system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram of the movable body according to Embodiment 1. Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the movement of the moving body according to Embodiment 1. Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the control method involved in Implementation Method 1. Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the control method involved in Implementation Method 2. Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the control method involved in Implementation Method 3. Detailed Implementation

[0010] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, for clarity of explanation, the following description and drawings have been appropriately simplified.

[0011] (Implementation Method 1) <The Composition of Control Systems> First, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The control system 1 involved in Implementation Method 1 will be described. Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the control system according to Embodiment 1. Figure 2 This is an explanatory diagram of the movable body according to Embodiment 1. (As shown) Figure 1 As shown, the control system 1 includes a moving body 10 and a controller 20. Alternatively, the controller 20 may be integrated with the moving body 10.

[0012] <The Composition of a Moving Body> The mobile body 10 includes a trolley 11 and a manipulator 12. The mobile body 10 is also referred to as a mobile manipulator or a mobile manipulator robot. The trolley 11 moves the manipulator 12 to a desired position according to control signals from the controller 20. The trolley 11 is equipped with wheels and motors that rotate the wheels as the drive unit for movement. However, the drive unit for moving the trolley 11 is not limited to wheels and motors; for example, it could be bipedal legs.

[0013] like Figure 2As shown, the manipulator 12 includes an end effector 120, a link 121, a joint 122, and a lifting shaft 123. The manipulator 12 is driven according to control signals from the controller 20. The end effector 120 is disposed at the front end of the link 121 and holds an object. One or more links 121 are mounted on the manipulator 12 via joints 122. The joints 122 are driven according to rotation angle and angular velocity based on control signals from the controller 20. The lifting shaft 123 is mounted on the carriage 11 and is driven up and down according to extension and retraction amounts based on control signals from the controller 20. Furthermore, the number of end effectors 120, links 121, joints 122, and lifting shafts 123 is not limited to one; there can be multiple components.

[0014] like Figure 2 As shown, the manipulator 12 can switch between a working posture and a moving posture. The working posture is the posture of the manipulator 12 when performing a predetermined task. The predetermined task is, for example, grasping and moving an object. On the other hand, the moving posture is the posture of the manipulator 12 when the moving body 10 moves. More specifically, the moving posture is, for example, the posture of the manipulator 12 when the link 121 is folded and the lifting shaft is lowered. The center of gravity of the moving posture is lower than that of the moving body 10 in the working posture and closer to the center of gravity of the trolley 11, so it is a more stable posture for the movement of the moving body 10.

[0015] <Controller Structure> like Figure 1 As shown, the controller 20 includes an action generation unit 21, a time calculation unit 22, an action selection unit 23, and an action control unit 24. The controller 20 controls the control vehicle 11 and the manipulator 12.

[0016] Although not shown, the controller 20 includes, for example, an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various programs and data. That is, the controller 20 functions as a computer, controlling the vehicle 11 and the manipulator 12 based on the aforementioned programs.

[0017] therefore, Figure 1 The functional blocks, such as the action generation unit 21, in the controller 20 shown can be constructed in hardware using the aforementioned CPU, storage unit, and other circuits. Furthermore, each functional block can be implemented in software using programs stored in the storage unit. In other words, each functional block can be implemented in various ways using hardware, software, or a combination of both.

[0018] Reference Figure 3The motion generation unit 21 will be explained. Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the movement of a moving body according to Embodiment 1. The motion generation unit 21 generates motions for the moving body 10 to move the end effector 120 from the current position Q1 to the target position Q2.

[0019] Here, the movement of the moving body 10 is divided into the movement of the trolley 11 and the movement of the manipulator 12. The movement of the trolley 11 is the movement of the trolley 11 used to move the moving body 10 from the current working position (hereinafter referred to as the first working position P1) to the next working position (hereinafter referred to as the second working position P2). The movement of the manipulator 12 is the movement of the manipulator 12 used to change from the current working posture (hereinafter referred to as the first working posture) to the next working posture (hereinafter referred to as the second working posture).

[0020] Regarding the operation of the manipulator 12, there are two types of operations: one where the manipulator 12 changes from a first operating position to a second operating position without moving its posture (hereinafter referred to as the first operation), and the other where the manipulator 12 changes from a first operating position to a second operating position via moving its posture (hereinafter referred to as the second operation). In addition, when the manipulator 12 performs the first operation, it may also perform the operation via one or more intermediate postures.

[0021] First, the motion generation unit 21 generates a second working position P2 and a second working posture that can achieve the target position Q2 of the end effector 120 through inverse kinematics calculations. Then, the motion generation unit 21 generates the motion of the moving body 10 based on the first working position P1, the first working posture, the second working position P2, and the second working posture. The motion generation unit 21 extracts the motion of the trolley 11 and the first motion of the manipulator 12 from the generated motion of the moving body 10.

[0022] Furthermore, the motion generation unit 21 generates a motion that changes the manipulator 12 from a first working posture to a moving posture (hereinafter referred to as a first transition motion) and a motion that changes the manipulator 12 from a moving posture to a second working posture (hereinafter referred to as a second transition motion). The motion generation unit 21 generates a second motion based on the first transition motion and the second transition motion. The generation of the second motion will be described later.

[0023] The motion generation unit 21 outputs information related to the motion of the trolley 11, the first change motion, and the second change motion to the time calculation unit 22. In addition, based on the selection result of the motion selection unit 23, the motion generation unit 21 outputs information related to the motion of the trolley 11 and information related to the first motion or the second motion to the motion control unit 24.

[0024] The time calculation unit 22 calculates the action time based on information related to the movement of the trolley 11, the first change action, and the second change action. Based on the information related to the movement of the trolley 11, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the time (hereinafter referred to as the movement time) for the moving body 10 to move from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2. Furthermore, based on the information related to the first change action, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the time (hereinafter referred to as the first change time) for the manipulator 12 to change from the first working posture to the moving posture, and based on the information related to the second change action, calculates the time (hereinafter referred to as the second change time) for the manipulator 12 to change from the moving posture to the second working posture. The time calculation unit 22 outputs the information related to the movement time, the first change time, and the second change time to the action selection unit 23.

[0025] The action selection unit 23 selects the action of the manipulator 12 from the first action or the second action, based on the movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time, to move the moving body 10 from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2. More specifically, the action selection unit 23 selects the action of the manipulator 12 by comparing the movement time with the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time.

[0026] When the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first and second transition times, the mobile body 10 will move from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2 before the manipulator 12 finishes transitioning from the first working posture to the moving posture and from the moving posture to the second working posture. In this case, the manipulator 12's transition to the moving posture is a redundant action, thus reducing the working efficiency of the mobile body 10. Therefore, when the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first and second transition times, the action selection unit 23 selects the first action that does not transition to the moving posture. On the other hand, when the movement time is longer than the sum of the first and second transition times, the action selection unit 23 selects the second action. Furthermore, when the movement time is the same as the sum of the first and second transition times, the action selection unit 23 can select either the first action or the second action. The action selection unit 23 outputs information related to the selected action to the action control unit 24.

[0027] The time for the movement posture of the manipulator 12 in the second action is obtained by subtracting the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time from the movement time. If the movement posture time is extremely short, the second action becomes a hurried action, such as a mere instantaneous transition to the movement posture. Therefore, when comparing the movement time with the sum of the first and second transition times, the time of the movement posture that is to be guaranteed at the minimum level in the case of the second action can be set as a parameter. In other words, the action selection unit 23 can also select the action of the manipulator 12 by comparing the movement time with the sum of the first transition time, the second transition time, and the time of the movement posture that is to be guaranteed at the minimum level.

[0028] The motion control unit 24 controls the movements of the trolley 11 and the manipulator 12 selected by the motion selection unit 23, respectively, based on information related to the movement of the trolley 11 and the movement of the manipulator 12 selected by the motion selection unit 23. More specifically, the motion control unit 24 controls the movement of the trolley 11 based on information related to its movement, such as its speed and orientation. Furthermore, the motion control unit 24 controls the movement of the manipulator 12 based on the movement selected by the motion selection unit 23, such as controlling the rotation angle and angular velocity of the joint 122, the extension and retraction of the lifting shaft 123, and the gripping action of the end effector 120.

[0029] <Control Methods> Next, the control method of the moving body 10 according to Embodiment 1 will be described. Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the control method involved in Implementation Method 1. Furthermore, the order of the steps is not limited to this and can be appropriately rearranged.

[0030] First, the motion generation unit 21 generates the motion of the trolley 11, the first transformation motion, and the second transformation motion (step S101). The motion generation unit 21 generates a second working position P2 and a second working posture that can achieve the target position Q2 of the end effector 120 through inverse kinematics calculations. Then, the motion generation unit 21 generates the motion of the moving body 10 without using the moving posture. The motion of the trolley 11 and the first motion of the manipulator 12 are extracted from this motion. Furthermore, based on the generated second working posture, the motion generation unit 21 generates the first transformation motion and the second transformation motion. Then, the motion generation unit 21 outputs information related to the motion of the trolley 11, the first transformation motion, and the second transformation motion to the time calculation unit 22.

[0031] Next, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the travel time based on information related to the movement of the trolley 11 (step S102). Next, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the first transition time based on information related to the first transition movement (step S103). Next, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the second transition time based on information related to the second transition movement (step S104). The time calculation unit 22 outputs the information related to the travel time, the first transition time, and the second transition time to the action selection unit 23.

[0032] Next, the action selection unit 23 selects the action of the manipulator 12 from the first action or the second action to move the moving body 10 from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2 based on the movement time, the first transition time and the second transition time.

[0033] If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first and second transition times (step S105: "Yes"), the action selection unit 23 selects the first action (step S106). Conversely, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first and second transition times (step S105: "No"), the action selection unit 23 selects the second action (step S107). Furthermore, if the movement time is the same as the sum of the first and second transition times, the action selection unit 23 can select either the first or the second action. The action selection unit 23 outputs the selection result to the action generation unit 21.

[0034] When the first action is selected by the action selection unit 23 (step S106), the action generation unit 21 outputs information related to the action of the trolley 11 and the first action to the action control unit 24 (step S108). On the other hand, when the second action is selected by the action selection unit 23 (step S107), the action generation unit 21 generates the second action. Then, the action generation unit 21 outputs information related to the action of the trolley 11 and the second action to the action control unit 24 (step S109).

[0035] Here, the generation of the second action will be explained in detail. The second action is an action composed of the first transformation action, the second transformation action, and the stationary action in the moving posture. Here, the action generation unit 21 needs the time of the stationary action to generate the second action. The time of the stationary action is the time obtained by subtracting the first transformation time and the second transformation time from the moving time. Therefore, the action generation unit 21 obtains the moving time, the first transformation time, and the second transformation time from the time calculation unit 22 and generates the second action.

[0036] Finally, the motion control unit 24 controls the motion of the trolley 11 and the operator 12 based on the information related to the motion of the trolley 11 and the first or second motion (step S110).

[0037] As explained above, the control system 1 of this embodiment 1 calculates the time it takes for the moving body 10 to move from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2 (i.e., the movement time), the time it takes for the manipulator 12 to change from the first working posture at the first working position P1 to the moving posture (i.e., the first transition time), and the time it takes for the manipulator 12 to change from the moving posture to the second working posture at the second working position P2 (i.e., the second transition time). Then, if the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the control system 1 selects a first action of not transitioning to the moving posture. On the other hand, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the control system 1 selects a second action. According to this embodiment 1, when the moving body 10, which is equipped with a manipulator 12 capable of changing between the working posture and the moving posture, is moved to the target position, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the manipulator 12 should be changed to the moving posture.

[0038] (Implementation Method 2) The following description focuses on another example of the control system and control method, emphasizing the differences from Embodiment 1. The control system 1 in Embodiment 2 further determines whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with other objects when it moves from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2.

[0039] <The Composition of Control Systems> The control system 1 according to embodiment 2 includes a moving body 10, a controller 20, and also includes Figure 1 Sensors not shown in the diagram. Furthermore, the moving body 10 in Embodiment 2 has the same configuration as the control system 1 in Embodiment 1, and therefore description is omitted.

[0040] The sensor detects environmental information (such as distance information, image information, etc.) of objects surrounding the moving body 10. The sensor may be mounted on the moving body 10, but it can also be placed within the moving environment in which the moving body 10 moves. The sensor may be, for example, a camera, a laser rangefinder, an ultrasonic sensor, or other distance sensor. When the moving body 10 moves from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2, the sensor detects other objects along the moving path. Then, the sensor outputs the environmental information of the detected objects to the motion selection unit 23.

[0041] The controller 20 in Embodiment 2, like that in Embodiment 1, includes an action generation unit 21, a time calculation unit 22, an action selection unit 23, and an action control unit 24. Furthermore, the configuration of the action generation unit 21, the time calculation unit 22, and the action control unit 24 in Embodiment 2 is the same as that in Embodiment 1, and therefore description is omitted.

[0042] The action selection unit 23 selects the action of the manipulator 12 from the first action or the second action to move the mobile body 10 from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2 based on the movement time, the first transition time, the second transition time, and environmental information obtained from the sensor. The environmental information is used to determine whether the mobile body 10 will come into contact with other objects through the first action or the second action.

[0043] <Control Methods> Next, the control method of the moving body 10 according to Embodiment 2 will be described. Figure 5 This is a flowchart of the control method according to Embodiment 2. Furthermore, the control method according to Embodiment 2 differs from the control method according to Embodiment 1 from step S106 onwards. Therefore, in the control method according to Embodiment 2, steps S101 to S105 are the same as in Embodiment 1, and their description is omitted.

[0044] If the movement time is longer than the sum of the first and second transition times (step S105: "No"), the motion generation unit 21 generates a second motion and outputs information related to the motion of the trolley 11 and the second motion to the motion selection unit 23 (step S201). Next, the motion selection unit 23 determines whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with other objects based on the motion of the trolley 11, the second motion, and environmental information (step S202). If the moving body 10 will not come into contact with other objects through the second motion and the motion of the trolley 11 (step S202: "No"), the motion selection unit 23 selects the second motion (step S203). Then, the motion generation unit 21 outputs information related to the motion of the trolley 11 and the second motion to the motion control unit 24.

[0045] On the other hand, if the moving body 10 comes into contact with other objects due to the second action and the action of the trolley 11 (step S202: "Yes"), the action selection unit 23 determines whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with other objects based on the action of the trolley 11, the first action, and environmental information (step S204). Additionally, if the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time (step S105: "Yes"), the action selection unit 23 also determines whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with other objects based on the action of the trolley 11, the first action, and environmental information (step S204). If the moving body 10 does not come into contact with other objects due to the second action and the action of the trolley 11 (step S204: "No"), the action selection unit 23 selects the first action (step S205). Then, the action generation unit 21 outputs information related to the action of the trolley 11 and the first action to the action control unit 24.

[0046] Finally, the motion control unit 24 controls the actions of the carriage 11 and the manipulator 12 (step S206). The motion control unit 24 controls the action of the manipulator 12 based on information related to the first or second action selected by the motion selection unit 23 in step S203 or S205. Furthermore, if the moving body 10 comes into contact with other objects due to the first action and the movement of the carriage 11 (step S204: "Yes"), the motion control unit 24 does not control the actions of the carriage 11 and the manipulator 12.

[0047] As explained above, the control system 1 according to Embodiment 2 uses environmental information to determine whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with other objects through a first action or a second action. In this way, by determining whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with other objects, the control system 1 can select a safe action.

[0048] (Implementation Method 3) The following description focuses on another example of a control system and control method, emphasizing the differences from embodiments 1 and 2. The control system 1 of embodiment 3 selects the movement of a moving body 10 equipped with a manipulator 12 having multiple working postures capable of performing a target operation.

[0049] <The Composition of Control Systems> The control system 1 according to Embodiment 3 includes a moving body 10 and a controller 20. The control system 1 may also include sensors in the same way as in Embodiment 2.

[0050] The mobile body 10 in Embodiment 3, like in Embodiments 1 or 2, includes a trolley 11 and a manipulator 12. Furthermore, the manipulator 12 in Embodiment 3 has redundant degrees of freedom. Therefore, the manipulator 12 has multiple working postures capable of performing a target operation. In other words, the manipulator 12 has multiple second working postures capable of achieving the target position Q2 of the end effector 120.

[0051] The controller 20 in Embodiment 3 is similar to that in Embodiment 1 or 2, including an action generation unit 21, a time calculation unit 22, an action selection unit 23, and an action control unit 24.

[0052] The motion generation unit 21 generates multiple second working postures that can achieve the target position Q2 of the end effector 120 through inverse kinematics calculations. Simultaneously with generating the second working postures, the motion generation unit 21 also generates a second working position P2 under that second working posture. Then, for each of the multiple second working postures, the motion generation unit 21 generates the motion of the trolley 11, a first turning motion, a second turning motion, a first motion, and a second motion, in the same manner as in Embodiment 1.

[0053] The time calculation unit 22 calculates the movement time in the same manner as in Embodiment 1. The time calculation unit 22 calculates the movement time and the second transition time for each second working posture. In addition, the first transition time is the same for all second working postures.

[0054] The motion selection unit 23 selects a second working posture and the action of the manipulator 12 that offer superior mobility and safety based on the movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time. First, the motion selection unit 23 selects candidate actions for the manipulator 12 from either the first or second action for each second working posture. More specifically, the motion selection unit 23 compares the movement time with the sum of the first and second transition times, selecting candidate actions from either the first or second action to move the locator 10 from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2 in each second working posture.

[0055] If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first and second transition times, the action selection unit 23 selects the first action that does not transition to the movement posture as an action candidate. On the other hand, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first and second transition times, the second action is selected as an action candidate. Furthermore, if the movement time is the same as the sum of the first and second transition times, the action selection unit 23 can select either the first or the second action as an action candidate.

[0056] After selecting action candidates for each second working posture of the manipulator 12, the action selection unit 23 sorts the action candidates in ascending order of movement time. Here, if, in the sorted order of action candidates, there exists a second action candidate after the first action candidate, and the difference in movement time between these action candidates is less than or equal to a reference value, the action selection unit 23 rearranges the order of these action candidates. Then, the action selection unit 23 selects the action candidate that is first in the sequence as the action of the manipulator 12.

[0057] In this way, by sorting the action candidates in ascending order of movement time, the action selection unit 23 can select action candidates with good movement efficiency. Furthermore, under the above conditions, by changing the order of the action candidates to give priority to the second action via the movement posture, the action selection unit 23 can select action candidates with good safety.

[0058] In addition, the action selection unit 23 can also obtain environmental information from the sensor in the same way as in embodiment 2, and determine whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with other objects through the first action or the second action.

[0059] The motion control unit 24 controls the motion of the carriage 11 and the manipulator 12 based on the motion candidate that is first in the sequence and the motion of the carriage 11 corresponding to that motion candidate.

[0060] <Control Methods> Next, the control method of the moving body 10 according to Embodiment 3 will be described. Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the control method involved in Implementation Method 3. Furthermore, the order of the steps is not limited to this and can be appropriately rearranged.

[0061] First, the motion generation unit 21 generates the motion of the trolley 11, the first transformation motion, and the second transformation motion (step S301). The motion generation unit 21 generates multiple second working postures and a second working position P2 under these second working postures by performing inverse kinematics calculations, enabling the end effector 120 to achieve its target position Q2. Similar to Embodiment 1, the motion generation unit 21 generates the motion of the trolley 11, the first transformation motion, and the second transformation motion, and outputs related information to the time calculation unit 22.

[0062] Next, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the travel time for each second working posture based on information related to the movement of the trolley 11 (step S302). Next, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the first transition time for each second working posture based on information related to the first transition movement (step S303). Next, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the second transition time for each second working posture based on information related to the second transition movement (step S304). The time calculation unit 22 outputs the information related to the travel time, the first transition time, and the second transition time to the motion selection unit 23.

[0063] Next, the motion selection unit 23 selects motion candidates for the manipulator 12 for each of the second working postures (step S305). If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first and second transition times, the motion selection unit 23 selects the first motion as a motion candidate. Conversely, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first and second transition times, the second motion is selected as a motion candidate. Furthermore, if the movement time is equal to the sum of the first and second transition times, the motion selection unit 23 can select either the first or the second motion as a motion candidate.

[0064] Next, the action selection unit 23 sorts the action candidates in ascending order of movement time (step S306). Then, in the sorted order of action candidates after rearranging the order of action candidates (step S307), if there is a second action candidate after the action candidate of the first action, and the difference in movement time between the action candidates is less than or equal to a reference value, the action selection unit 23 rearranges the order of the action candidates.

[0065] Next, the action selection unit 23 selects the action candidate at the top of the sequence as the action of the manipulator 12 (step S308). Here, if the first action candidate at the top of the sequence is the first action, the action generation unit 21 outputs information related to the action of the trolley 11 and the first action to the action control unit 24. On the other hand, if the second action candidate at the top of the sequence is the second action, the action generation unit 21 generates the second action and outputs information related to the action of the trolley 11 and the second action to the action control unit 24. Finally, the action control unit 24 controls the actions of the trolley 11 and the manipulator 12 in the same manner as in Embodiment 1 (step S309).

[0066] As explained above, the control system 1 according to Embodiment 3 selects action candidates for the manipulator 12 for each second working posture from the first action and the second action. Then, the control system 1 sorts the action candidates in ascending order of travel time. As a result, the control system 1 can select action candidates with good travel efficiency. Furthermore, if, in the sorted order of action candidates, there is an action candidate for a second action after the action candidate for the first action, and the difference in travel time between these action candidates is less than or equal to a reference value, the control system 1 rearranges the order of the action candidates. In this way, by prioritizing the second action via the travel posture, the control system 1 can select action candidates with good safety.

[0067] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures]

[0068] 1 Control system; 10 Moving body; 11 Car; 12 Manipulator; 20 Controller; 21 Motion generation unit; 22 Time calculation unit; 23 Motion selection unit; 24 Motion control unit; 120 End effector; 121 Linkage; 122 Joint; 123 Lifting shaft; P1 First working position; P2 Second working position; Q1 Current position; Q2 Target position.

Claims

1. A control system, comprising: A mobile body, comprising a manipulator capable of switching between a working posture during the execution of a predetermined task and a moving posture during movement; and The controller controls the moving body. The controller performs the following processing: The time it takes for the moving body to move from the first working position to the second working position is calculated, i.e., the movement time. Calculate the time it takes for the manipulator to change from the first working posture at the first working position to the moving posture, i.e., the first transition time. Calculate the time it takes for the manipulator to transition from the moving posture to the second working posture at the second working position, i.e., the second transition time. Based on the calculated movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time, the operator is selected to perform the action of moving the mobile body from the first working position to the second working position. When selecting the action of the manipulator If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a first action is selected that transitions from the first working posture to the second working posture without using the movement posture. If the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second action is selected to transition from the first working posture to the second working posture via the movement posture.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, The controller also determines whether the moving body will come into contact with other objects when it moves from the first working position to the second working position.

3. The control system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The mobile body has multiple second working postures capable of performing a target task and a second working position in the second working posture. Calculate the movement time and the transition time for each of the second working postures. As a candidate action for the manipulator when moving the movable body from the first working position to the second working position under each of the second working postures. If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the first action is selected. If the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the second action is selected. The action candidates are sorted in ascending order of their movement times. If, in the sorted order, there exists an action candidate for the second action after the action candidate for the first action, and the difference in movement time between these action candidates is less than a baseline value, then the order is reversed. The manipulator is controlled based on the action candidate that is first in the sequence.

4. The control system according to claim 3, wherein, When the moving body performs the first action, it passes through one or more intermediate postures.

5. A control method comprising controlling a moving body by a controller, the moving body having a manipulator capable of switching between a working posture during a predetermined task and a moving posture during movement. The control method includes the following steps performed by the controller: The steps for calculating the time it takes for the moving body to move from the first working position to the second working position, i.e., the movement time; The step of calculating the time it takes for the manipulator to change from a first working posture at the first working position to the moving posture, i.e., the first transition time; The step of calculating the time, i.e., the second transition time, for the manipulator to change from the moving posture to the second working posture at the second working position; and Based on the calculated movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time, the steps for selecting the operator's action when moving the moving body from the first working position to the second working position are determined. In the step of selecting the action of the manipulator If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a first action is selected that transitions from the first working posture to the second working posture without using the movement posture. If the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second action is selected to transition from the first working posture to the second working posture via the movement posture.

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