Operation control device, operation control system therewith, operation control program, and operation control method

Abstract

To provide an operation control device that can activate an actuator with high precision at a position determined by operating conditions, an operation control system provided with the operation control device, an operation control program, and an operation control method.SOLUTION: An operation control device 1 controls the operation of an actuator 11 that is mounted on a vehicle 12, and includes a position information acquisition unit 41, a current position identification unit 42, a traveling speed acquisition unit 43, a delay time acquisition unit 44 that acquires the delay time from when the position information is acquired until the actuator 11 starts operating, a delay distance calculation unit 46 that calculates the delay distance the vehicle 12 travels within the delay time, an operation condition acquisition unit 48 that acquires the operation conditions of a position forward of the current position by the delay distance, and an operation instruction signal output unit 49 that outputs operation instruction signals to the actuator 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a motion control device that controls the operation of an actuator mounted on a vehicle, a motion control system including the same, a motion control program, and a motion control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technique for making an actuator mounted on a vehicle execute a predetermined operation at a predetermined position. For example, JP2015-090037A proposes an automatic antifreeze spray control device that automatically sprays an antifreeze from an antifreeze spray device mounted on an antifreeze spraying vehicle based on position information acquired from a position detection means and spraying conditions set in advance (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-090037 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional motion control technologies, including the invention described in Patent Document 1, there is a time lag of several seconds between when the position information is acquired and when the actuator actually starts to operate, due to the time required for information processing and data communication. This causes a problem that the actuator does not operate accurately at the position determined by the operating conditions, and an error occurs depending on the traveling speed of the vehicle.

[0005] Furthermore, for example, if the actuator is an antifreeze spraying device, the antifreeze will not be sprayed on the road surface where it should be sprayed, which may lead to accidents caused by frozen roads. On the other hand, if the actuator is operated on the safe side, it is possible to set the spraying distance to a larger value to allow for a margin of error in the section where it should be sprayed. However, in that case, the antifreeze will be sprayed on road surfaces where it is not needed, which increases the cost of the antifreeze.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a motion control device that can operate an actuator with high precision at a position determined by operating conditions, a motion control system equipped with the same, a motion control program, and a motion control method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The operation control device of the present invention is an operation control device that controls the operation of an actuator mounted on a vehicle in order to solve the problem of operating an actuator with high precision at a position determined by operating conditions, and has a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information from a position detection means, a current position identification unit that identifies the current position of the vehicle from the position information, a traveling speed acquisition unit that acquires the traveling speed of the vehicle, a delay time acquisition unit that acquires the delay time from when the position information is acquired to when the actuator starts to operate, a delay distance calculation unit that calculates the delay distance that the vehicle will travel within the delay time based on the traveling speed and the delay time, an operating condition acquisition unit that acquires operating conditions at a position ahead of the current position by the delay distance, and an operation instruction signal output unit that outputs an operation instruction signal to the actuator to execute the operating conditions.

[0008] In addition, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of setting an accurate delay time regardless of individual differences between vehicles, a delay time correction unit may be provided that corrects the delay time based on a specific delay time that is a delay time that is specific to each vehicle until the actuator starts to operate after receiving the operation instruction signal. Note that the specific delay time may differ depending on the traveling speed of the vehicle, or may be constant regardless of the traveling speed.

[0009] Furthermore, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of setting an accurate delay distance regardless of the positional relationship between the position detection means and the actuator, a delay distance correction unit may be provided that corrects the delay distance based on an offset distance from the position detection means to the actuator.

[0010] In addition, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of preventing delays caused by the acquisition of position information and the output of an operation instruction signal, the acquisition period by the position information acquisition unit and the output period by the operation instruction signal output unit may be set to 2 Hz or more.

[0011] In order to solve the problem of operating an actuator with high precision at a position determined by operating conditions, the motion control system of the present invention includes a motion control device of any of the above-mentioned aspects and the actuator controlled by the motion control device.

[0012] The operation control program of the present invention is an operation control program that controls the operation of an actuator mounted on a vehicle in order to solve the problem of operating an actuator with high precision at a position determined by operating conditions, and causes a computer to function as a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information from a position detection means, a current position identification unit that identifies the current position of the vehicle from the position information, a traveling speed acquisition unit that acquires the traveling speed of the vehicle, a delay time acquisition unit that acquires the delay time from when the position information is acquired to when the actuator starts to operate, a delay distance calculation unit that calculates the delay distance that the vehicle will travel within the delay time based on the traveling speed and the delay time, an operating condition acquisition unit that acquires operating conditions at a position ahead of the current position by the delay distance, and an operation instruction signal output unit that outputs an operation instruction signal to the actuator to execute the operating conditions.

[0013] The operation control method of the present invention is an operation control method for controlling the operation of an actuator mounted on a vehicle in order to solve the problem of operating an actuator with high precision at a position determined by operating conditions, and includes a position information acquisition step of acquiring position information from a position detection means, a current position identification step of identifying the current position of the vehicle from the position information, a running speed acquisition step of acquiring the running speed of the vehicle, a delay time acquisition step of acquiring the delay time from acquiring the position information to when the actuator starts to operate, a delay distance calculation step of calculating the delay distance traveled by the vehicle within the delay time based on the running speed and the delay time, an operating condition acquisition step of acquiring operating conditions at a position ahead of the current position by the delay distance, and an operation instruction signal output step of outputting an operation instruction signal to the actuator for executing the operating conditions. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to operate the actuator with high precision at a position determined by the operating conditions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a motion control device and a motion control system including the same according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a breakdown of delay time in the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an offset distance in the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the motion control device, the motion control program, and the motion control method of the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a motion control device, a motion control system including the same, a motion control program, and a motion control method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the motion control system 10 of this embodiment is composed of a motion control device 1 that controls the operation of an actuator 11, and an actuator 11 whose operation is controlled by the motion control device 1, and these are mounted on a vehicle 12 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0018] In this embodiment, an antifreeze agent spraying device mounted on an antifreeze agent spraying vehicle is used as the actuator 11, but this configuration is not limited to this and the actuator is applicable to all actuators 11 that are mounted on a vehicle 12 such as a work vehicle and controlled by an operation control device 1 to perform a specified task / operation at a specified position.

[0019] In the above configuration, the inventors have conducted intensive research to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, and as a result, have found that the delay time from when position information is acquired until when actuator 11 actually starts to operate is mainly composed of the following times (1) to (4), as shown in FIG. 2, and have thus completed the present invention.

[0020] (1) The time it takes to acquire location information (latitude and longitude) based on satellite signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNNS) and identify the current location of vehicle 12 (approximately 2 seconds) (2) The communication time (approximately 0 to 1 second) required for transmitting an operation instruction signal corresponding to the current position from the operation control device 1 to the actuator 11 via the in-vehicle network (CAN: Controller Area Network). (3) Preparation time until the actuator 11 starts operating after receiving the operation command signal (approximately 1.5 seconds) (4) A specific delay time (approximately 0 to 1.5 seconds) that is a time that is specific to each vehicle 12

[0021] In this embodiment, the operation control device 1 is an automatic spray control device for causing the antifreeze spraying device to automatically spray an antifreeze, and is configured with a computer such as a personal computer, a tablet, or a smartphone. As shown in Fig. 1, the operation control device 1 mainly includes a position detection means 2, a storage means 3, and an arithmetic processing means 4. Each component will be described below.

[0022] The position detection means 2 detects position information of the vehicle 12 equipped with the operation control device 1. In this embodiment, the position detection means 2 is composed of a GNSS receiver equipped with a function of receiving satellite information from a satellite positioning system, and detects position information (latitude and longitude) based on the satellite information.

[0023] The storage means 3 stores various data and functions as a working area when the arithmetic processing means 4 performs arithmetic processing. In this embodiment, the storage means 3 is composed of a hard disk, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, etc., and has a program storage unit 31, a position data storage unit 32, a delay time storage unit 33, a specific delay time storage unit 34, an offset distance storage unit 35, and an operating condition storage unit 36, as shown in FIG.

[0024] The motion control program 1a of this embodiment is installed in the program storage unit 31. Then, the calculation processing means 4 executes the motion control program 1a, thereby causing the computer as the motion control device 1 to function as each of the components described below.

[0025] The use of the operation control program 1a is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the operation control program 1a may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as an SD card, a CF card, a USB memory, an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an external SSD (Solid State Drive), a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, etc., and may be read and executed directly from the recording medium. The operation control program 1a may also be used from an external server or the like using a cloud computing method or an ASP (Application Service Provider) method.

[0026] The position data storage unit 32 stores position data in which latitude and longitude are set in association with information specifying a position on a road. In this embodiment, the values ​​(kilopost values) of kilometer posts (KP) installed on national roads, expressways, etc., and the latitude and longitude corresponding to the kilopost values ​​are registered as position data. Note that the information specifying a position on a road is not limited to the kilopost values, and may be set as appropriate.

[0027] The delay time storage unit 33 stores the delay time from when the position information is acquired until when the actuator 11 starts to operate. In this embodiment, among the above-mentioned times (1) to (4) that constitute the delay time, the above-mentioned times (1) to (3) that are common to different vehicles 12 are measured in advance, and the sum of these times is stored in the delay time storage unit 33 as the delay time.

[0028] The inherent delay time storage unit 34 stores an inherent delay time, which is a time that is inherently delayed for each vehicle 12. Here, there are individual differences in the time (3) constituting the delay time (preparation time until the actuator 11 that has received an operation instruction signal starts operating). In addition, the individual differences may be constant regardless of the traveling speed of the vehicle 12, or may vary depending on the traveling speed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inherent delay time according to the traveling speed is measured for each vehicle 12, and a correspondence table or a relational expression between the traveling speed and the inherent delay time is stored in the inherent delay time storage unit 34. Note that there is no need to store the inherent delay time for a vehicle 12 whose inherent delay time is always 0 seconds.

[0029] The offset distance storage unit 35 stores the offset distance from the position detection means 2 to the actuator 11. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, when the position detection means 2 and the actuator 11 are mounted on the vehicle 12 with a gap between them in the front-rear direction, an error occurs in the operation timing according to the gap. Therefore, the offset distance storage unit 35 stores the distance from the position detection means 2 to the actuator 11 as the offset distance. In this embodiment, an antifreeze agent spraying device is used as the actuator 11, so the distance from the position detection means 2 to the outlet of the antifreeze agent spraying device becomes the offset distance.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the offset distance is registered as a positive value when the actuator 11 is in front of the vehicle 12 with respect to the position detection means 2, and is registered as a negative value when the actuator 11 is behind the vehicle 12 with respect to the position detection means 2. Note that if the offset distance is zero, there is no need to store the offset distance in the offset distance memory unit 35.

[0031] The operating condition storage unit 36 ​​stores operating conditions that define the operation of the actuator 11. In this embodiment, an antifreeze agent spraying device is used as the actuator 11, and so the operating conditions include whether or not to spray antifreeze agent, the amount to be sprayed, the wet ratio, the spray width, the spray direction, and the like, all of which are set in association with the current position (kilopost value).

[0032] The calculation processing means 4 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and by executing the operation control program 1a installed in the program storage unit 31, as shown in Fig. 1, it functions as a position information acquisition unit 41, a current position identification unit 42, a traveling speed acquisition unit 43, a delay time acquisition unit 44, a delay time correction unit 45, a delay distance calculation unit 46, a delay distance correction unit 47, an operation condition acquisition unit 48, and an operation instruction signal output unit 49. Each component will be described in more detail below.

[0033] The position information acquisition unit 41 acquires position information from the position detection means 2. In this embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 41 acquires position information (latitude and longitude) from the position detection means 2 at a predetermined acquisition cycle, and passes it to the current position identification unit 42. In this embodiment, the acquisition cycle by the position information acquisition unit 41 is set to 2 Hz or more (0.5 seconds or less), thereby suppressing delays.

[0034] The current position identifying unit 42 identifies the current position of the vehicle 12 corresponding to the position information. In this embodiment, the current position identifying unit 42 refers to the position data in the position data storage unit 32 based on the position information (latitude and longitude) acquired by the position information acquiring unit 41, and identifies the current position (kilometer post value) of the vehicle 12 on the road.

[0035] The traveling speed acquisition unit 43 acquires the traveling speed of the vehicle 12. In this embodiment, the traveling speed acquisition unit 43 acquires the traveling speed from a vehicle speed pulse output from the vehicle 12, a global navigation satellite system (GNNS), or the like, and passes it to the delay distance calculation unit 46 and the delay time correction unit 45.

[0036] The delay time acquisition unit 44 acquires the delay time from when the position information is acquired until when the actuator 11 starts to operate. In this embodiment, the delay time acquisition unit 44 acquires the delay time stored in the delay time storage unit 33, and passes it to the delay distance calculation unit 46.

[0037] The delay time correction unit 45 corrects the delay time based on the inherent delay time of the vehicle 12. In this embodiment, the delay time correction unit 45 acquires the inherent delay time according to the traveling speed acquired by the traveling speed acquisition unit 43 from the inherent delay time storage unit 34. Then, the delay time correction unit 45 corrects the delay time by adding the inherent delay time to the delay time. Note that if the inherent delay time is not registered in the inherent delay time storage unit 34, it is not necessary to operate the delay time correction unit 45.

[0038] The delay distance calculation unit 46 calculates the delay distance that the vehicle 12 travels within the delay time. In this embodiment, the delay distance calculation unit 46 calculates the delay distance by multiplying the travel speed acquired by the travel speed acquisition unit 43 by the delay time acquired by the delay time acquisition unit 44. In addition, when the delay time is corrected by the delay time correction unit 45, the delay distance calculation unit 46 calculates the delay distance based on the corrected delay time.

[0039] The delay distance correction unit 47 corrects the delay distance based on the offset distance. In this embodiment, the delay distance correction unit 47 obtains the offset distance stored in the offset distance storage unit 35 and adds it to the delay distance calculated by the delay distance calculation unit 46, thereby correcting the delay distance. Note that if no offset distance is registered in the offset distance storage unit 35, it is not necessary to operate the delay distance correction unit 47.

[0040] The operating condition acquisition unit 48 acquires the operating conditions of the actuator 11. In this embodiment, the operating condition acquisition unit 48 acquires, from the operating condition storage unit 36, the operating conditions at a position that is the delay distance calculated by the delay distance calculation unit 46 ahead of the current position identified by the current position identification unit 42. Furthermore, when the delay distance is corrected by the delay distance correction unit 47, the operating condition acquisition unit 48 acquires the operating conditions at a position that is the corrected delay distance ahead.

[0041] The operation instruction signal output unit 49 outputs an operation instruction signal for executing the operation conditions to the actuator 11. In this embodiment, the operation instruction signal output unit 49 outputs an operation instruction signal at a predetermined cycle to the actuator 11 for executing the operation defined by the operation conditions acquired by the operation condition acquisition unit 48. In this embodiment, the output cycle by the operation instruction signal output unit 49 is set to 2 Hz or more (0.5 seconds or less), and delays are suppressed.

[0042] Next, the actions of the motion control device 1 of this embodiment, the motion control system 10 including the same, the motion control program 1a, and the motion control method will be described.

[0043] When the actuator 11 is caused to perform a predetermined operation at a predetermined position using the motion control device 1, motion control system 10, motion control program 1a, and motion control method of this embodiment, first, the position information acquisition unit 41 acquires position information from the position detection means 2 (step S1: position information acquisition step). At this time, in this embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 41 acquires position information at an acquisition cycle of 2 Hz or more, so that delays are suppressed.

[0044] Next, the current position identifying unit 42 identifies the current position of the vehicle 12 corresponding to the position information (step S2: current position identifying step), and the traveling speed acquiring unit 43 acquires the traveling speed of the vehicle 12 (step S3: traveling speed acquiring step).

[0045] Next, the delay time acquisition unit 44 acquires the delay time (step S4: delay time acquisition step), and the delay time correction unit 45 corrects the delay time based on the inherent delay time of the vehicle 12 (step S5: delay time correction step). This allows an accurate calculation of the delay time taking into account delays that differ due to individual differences and traveling speeds of the vehicles 12.

[0046] Next, the delay distance calculation unit 46 calculates the delay distance that the vehicle 12 travels within the delay time (step S6: delay distance calculation step), and the delay distance correction unit 47 corrects the delay distance using the offset distance (step S7: delay distance correction step). As a result, even if the position detection means 2 and the actuator 11 are mounted apart from each other, an accurate delay distance is calculated regardless of their positional relationship.

[0047] Next, the operating condition acquisition unit 48 acquires operating conditions at a position forward of the delay distance calculated in step S6 or the delay distance corrected in step S7 from the current position specified in step S2 (step S8: operating condition acquisition step). This allows the operating conditions forward of the delay distance that is delayed according to the delay time to be read in advance.

[0048] Next, the operation instruction signal output unit 49 outputs an operation instruction signal to the actuator 11 to execute the operation condition acquired in step S8 (step S9: operation instruction signal output step). As a result, the actuator 11 operates according to the operation condition ahead of the delay distance, so that the actuator 11 operates with high accuracy at the position determined by the operation condition. At this time, in this embodiment, the operation instruction signal output unit 49 outputs the operation instruction signal at an output cycle of 2 Hz or more, so that delays are suppressed.

[0049] Thereafter, the process steps from step S1 to step S9 are repeated as long as the operation of the actuator 11 continues (step S10: NO), and then, when the operation of the actuator 11 ends (step S10: YES), this process ends.

[0050] According to the present embodiment described above, the following effects are obtained. 1. The actuator 11 can be operated with high precision at a position determined by the operating conditions. 2. It is possible to accurately calculate the delay time taking into account delays that vary depending on the individual differences and traveling speed of the vehicles 12. 3. Even if the position detection means 2 and the actuator 11 are positioned apart, an accurate delay distance can be calculated. 4. It is possible to prevent delays caused by obtaining location information or outputting operation instruction signals. 5. When applied to an antifreeze spraying device, it can spray antifreeze accurately to the spraying area specified by the spraying conditions. This ensures that antifreeze is sprayed on road surfaces that require it, preventing accidents caused by frozen roads, while not spraying it on road surfaces that do not require it, reducing the cost of antifreeze.

[0051] The motion control device 1, the motion control system 10 including the same, the motion control program 1a, and the motion control method according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate.

[0052] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to an antifreeze agent spraying device mounted on an antifreeze agent spraying vehicle has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Plows and graders mounted on snow removal machines, or chutes mounted on rotary snow removal vehicles are also operated by actuator 11, so the present invention can be similarly applied.

[0053] Specifically, snow removal machines such as plows and graders remove snow while applying pressure to the road surface. However, at road joints, the plow or grader may get caught and be damaged, so it is necessary to ease the pressure or lift it slightly. By applying the present invention, it is possible to realize highly accurate automatic control that raises the plow or grader only when passing through joints and lowers it at other places. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the joints and the plow or grader.

[0054] Furthermore, the chute of a rotary snowplow throws snow off the road in banked sections, and onto the slope in cut sections. On the other hand, in areas such as bridges where there is a road below, snow cannot be thrown off the road, so it must be transported and removed by trucks or other vehicles. By applying this invention, it is possible to achieve highly accurate automatic control that throws snow off the road until just before the bridge, and then only onto the bridge when passing under it. This makes it possible to minimize the costly transportation and snow removal costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Operation control device (automatic spray control device) 1a Motion control program 2. Position detection means 3 Memory means 4. Processing means 10 Motion Control System 11 Actuator (antifreeze spraying device) 12 Vehicle (antifreeze sprayer) 31 Program memory section 32 Position data storage unit 33 Delay time memory unit 34 Specific delay time memory unit 35 Offset distance memory section 36 Operating condition memory section 41 Location information acquisition unit 42 Current position identification part 43 Travel speed acquisition unit 44 Delay time acquisition unit 45 Delay time correction section 46 Delay distance calculation unit 47 Delay distance compensation section 48 Operating condition acquisition unit 49 Operation instruction signal output section

Claims

1. An operation control device that controls an operation of an actuator mounted on a vehicle, a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information from a position detection means; a current position identification unit that identifies a current position of the vehicle from the position information; A traveling speed acquisition unit that acquires a traveling speed of the vehicle; a delay time acquisition unit that acquires a delay time from when the position information is acquired until when the actuator starts to operate; a delay distance calculation unit that calculates a delay distance traveled by the vehicle within the delay time based on the traveling speed and the delay time; an operating condition acquisition unit that acquires operating conditions at a position forward of the current position by the delay distance; an operation instruction signal output unit that outputs an operation instruction signal to the actuator for executing the operation condition; An action control device having

2. 2. The motion control device according to claim 1, further comprising a delay time correction unit that corrects the delay time based on a specific delay time that is a delay time that is specific to each vehicle until the actuator that has received the operation instruction signal starts to operate.

3. 2. The motion control device according to claim 1, further comprising a delay distance correction unit that corrects the delay distance based on an offset distance from the position detection means to the actuator.

4. The motion control device according to claim 1 , wherein an acquisition cycle by said position information acquisition section and an output cycle by said motion instruction signal output section are set to 2 Hz or more.

5. A motion control system comprising: a motion control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and an actuator controlled by the motion control device.

6. An operation control program for controlling an operation of an actuator mounted on a vehicle, a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information from a position detection means; a current position identification unit that identifies a current position of the vehicle from the position information; A traveling speed acquisition unit that acquires a traveling speed of the vehicle; a delay time acquisition unit that acquires a delay time from when the position information is acquired until when the actuator starts to operate; a delay distance calculation unit that calculates a delay distance traveled by the vehicle within the delay time based on the traveling speed and the delay time; an operating condition acquisition unit that acquires operating conditions at a position forward of the current position by the delay distance; an operation control program that causes a computer to function as an operation instruction signal output unit that outputs an operation instruction signal to the actuator for executing the operation condition;

7. 1. A method for controlling an operation of an actuator mounted on a vehicle, comprising: a position information acquisition step of acquiring position information from a position detection means; a current position determination step of determining a current position of the vehicle from the position information; a travel speed acquisition step of acquiring a travel speed of the vehicle; a delay time acquisition step of acquiring a delay time from when the position information is acquired until when the actuator starts to operate; a delay distance calculation step of calculating a delay distance traveled by the vehicle within the delay time based on the traveling speed and the delay time; an operating condition acquisition step of acquiring an operating condition at a position forward of the current position by the delay distance; an operation instruction signal output step of outputting an operation instruction signal to the actuator for executing the operation condition; The motion control method includes:

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