Binding device and system

Abstract

To provide a binding device and a system which enable highly accurate traveling, without performing processing of correcting an estimated self position on the basis of a measurement result of a sensor or the like.SOLUTION: A binding device includes a reinforcement binding unit which is configured to bind in a crossing point of at least two reinforcements among a plurality of reinforcements, a traveling unit which is configured to be capable of traveling on the plurality of reinforcements, and a travel control unit for controlling travel of the traveling unit, wherein the travel control unit controls traveling of the traveling unit, on the basis of a map including a plurality of regions including an estimated position of the crossing point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present embodiments relate to a strapping device and system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, for example, rebar tying robots have been proposed that automate rebar tying work by autonomously traveling over a plurality of rebars and tying the intersections where the plurality of rebars intersect with a wire, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a self-propelled rebar tying machine that receives imaging data from an imaging device, detects the presence or absence of obstacles based on the imaging data, and marks intersections where tying has not been performed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-197072 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Such robots often estimate their own position based on information from an encoder or the like that measures the number of rotations of a motor installed in a running part. However, since there may be a significant difference between the self-position estimated based on the information from the encoder or the like and the measurement result obtained by measuring the outside world with a sensor or the like, it was necessary to appropriately correct the estimated self-position by calculation or the like based on the difference. Such a process of correcting the self-position may require a large amount of calculation, which may cause a large processing burden and operation delays.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a binding device and system that is capable of traveling with high precision without performing a process of correcting its estimated self-position based on measurement results from a sensor, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a binding device comprising a rebar binding unit configured to bind an intersection of at least two rebars among a plurality of rebars, a running unit configured to be capable of running on the plurality of rebars, and a running control unit that controls the running of the running unit, wherein the running control unit controls the running of the running unit based on a map including a plurality of areas including an estimated position of the intersection. Effect of the Invention

[0007] The present disclosure provides a binding device and system capable of traveling with high accuracy without performing processing to correct the estimated self-position based on measurement results from a sensor or the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a rebar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed obliquely from above. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a rebar binding robot according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed obliquely from below. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from above (above in the Z direction). [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from below (below in the Z direction). [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 with the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 removed, as viewed obliquely from above. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 with the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 removed, as viewed obliquely from below. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the functional block configuration of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100. As shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 traveling along the first reinforcing bar R10, viewed from the Y direction. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 traveling along the first reinforcing bar R10, seen from the X direction. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100, which has stopped traveling and is performing binding work, as viewed from the Y direction. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 performing binding work, viewed from the X direction. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a view of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 performing the binding work, seen from below in the Z direction. [Figure 13A] FIG. 13A shows an image taken by a 3D distance camera near the intersection of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20. [Figure 13B] FIG. 13B is a schematic image of the vicinity of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. [Figure 14A] FIG. 14A is a schematic side view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from the horizontal direction (X direction). [Figure 14B] FIG. 14B is a schematic top view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from above (upper side in the Z direction). [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an image captured by the first sensor 130a. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining template matching. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the travel of the rebar binding robot 100 in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18A] FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an intersection point map 194. [Figure 18B] FIG. 18B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route. [Figure 18C] FIG. 18C is a diagram for explaining a manner in which the rebar binding robot detects an obstacle. [Figure 18D] FIG. 18D is a diagram for explaining the manner in which the rebar binding robot 100 detects an intersection point. [Figure 18E]18E is a diagram showing a state in which the rebar binding robot 100 has traveled to the intersection point T2 detected by the sensor unit 130. FIG. [Figure 18F] FIG. 18F is a diagram for explaining the angle θ between the direction D of the rebar binding robot 100 and the direction of the first rebar R11. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100, illustrating a method for estimating an intersection point. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a method for estimating the intersection point c12 in an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a flow chart regarding the lateral movement of the rebar binding robot 100. [Figure 22A] FIG. 22A is a rear view of the rebar binding robot 100 during lateral movement. [Figure 22B] FIG. 22B is a view of the rebar binding robot 100 moving laterally, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 23A] FIG. 23A is a rear view of the rebar binding robot 100 during lateral movement. [Figure 23B] FIG. 23B is a view of the rebar binding robot 100 moving laterally, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 24A] FIG. 24A is a rear view of the rebar binding robot 100 during lateral movement. [Figure 24B] FIG. 24B is a view of the rebar binding robot 100 moving laterally, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 25A] FIG. 25A is a rear view of the rebar binding robot 100 during lateral movement. [Figure 25B] FIG. 25B is a view of the rebar binding robot 100 moving laterally, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 26A] FIG. 26A is a rear view of the rebar binding robot 100 during lateral movement. [Figure 26B] FIG. 26B is a view of the rebar binding robot 100 moving laterally, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 27A]FIG. 27A is a rear view of the rebar binding robot 100 during lateral movement. [Figure 27B] FIG. 27B is a view of the rebar binding robot 100 moving laterally, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram of a rebar binding robot 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from below in the Z direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals as much as possible, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0010] The configuration of the binding device 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In this embodiment, the binding device is a rebar binding device that binds a plurality of rebars arranged crossing each other, and may be, for example, a rebar binding robot. In the following, the binding device 100 will be described as a rebar binding robot, and the binding device 100 will also be referred to as a rebar binding robot 100. In addition, the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis may be shown in each drawing. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis form a right-handed three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. Hereinafter, the arrow direction of the X-axis may be referred to as the X-axis forward, +X direction, the right side of the X-direction, or the right side of the X-axis, and the direction opposite to the arrow may be referred to as the X-axis backward, -X direction, the left side of the X-direction, or the left side of the X-axis. The same applies to the other axes. In addition, the Z-axis forward and Z-axis backward may be referred to as the "upper side" or "upper side" and the "lower side" or "lower side", respectively. In addition, the planes perpendicular to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis may be called the YZ plane, ZX plane, and XY plane, respectively. However, these directions are used for the sake of convenience to explain the relative positional relationship. Therefore, these directions do not define the absolute positional relationship.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a rebar bundling robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from diagonally above. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a rebar bundling robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from diagonally below. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rebar bundling robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a rebar bundling unit 110, a traveling unit 121, and a sensor unit 130. The rebar bundling robot 100 may further include other components such as a main unit 140, a support bar 150, a control unit 160, a reel 180 (first reel 180a and second reel 180b), a battery 182 (first battery 182a and second battery 182b), a lateral movement unit 146, and a memory device 198 (not shown).

[0012] 1 and 2 also show a reinforcing bar group R including multiple reinforcing bars R10 (also referred to as "first reinforcing bars" or "vertical reinforcing bars" in this embodiment) extending in the Y direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is placed on the reinforcing bar group R so as to run along the first reinforcing bars R10. In addition to the multiple reinforcing bars R10, the reinforcing bar group R may also include multiple reinforcing bars (also referred to as "second reinforcing bars R20" or "horizontal reinforcing bars" in this embodiment) extending in the X direction.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 is arranged so that the first direction, which is the direction in which it extends, is parallel to the Y direction. The second reinforcing bar R20 is arranged so that the second direction, which is the direction in which it extends, is parallel to the X direction. Therefore, in the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged so that they are perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged so that the plane formed by the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 (also referred to as the "reinforcing bar surface" in this embodiment) is parallel to the XY plane. Therefore, the plane formed by the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is a horizontal plane in this embodiment. The arrangement of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is not limited to this. For example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may be arranged so that they are non-perpendicular to each other. For example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may be arranged so that the angle between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is, for example, 30°, 45°, 60°, or another angle. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged so as to be perpendicular to each other, but they do not necessarily have to be perpendicular to each other depending on the intersection, and may be arranged so as to form an angle of, for example, 85° or more and less than 90°.

[0014] Also, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may have a finite length, and the first reinforcing bars R10 or the second reinforcing bars R20 may be connected via joints in the first direction or the second direction, respectively. Furthermore, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may have ends as described below, for example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may have ends R10e and R20e, described below, at one end and the other end in the first direction and the second direction, respectively.

[0015] The reinforcing bar fastening unit 110 is configured to fasten the intersection c12 (FIG. 6) between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. The fastening operation of the reinforcing bar fastening unit 110 at the intersection c12 between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 will be described in detail later.

[0016] 1 and 2, the traveling unit 121 may have four traveling units 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d (in this embodiment, these are also referred to as the "first traveling unit," the "second traveling unit," the "third traveling unit," and the "fourth traveling unit," respectively). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the traveling units 121 are disposed on the group of rebars R so that the rebar binding robot 100 moves in the Y direction. The first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d each have a first roller portion 122a, a second roller portion 122b, a third roller portion 122c, and a fourth roller portion 122d, and the first roller portion 122a, the second roller portion 122b, the third roller portion 122c, and the fourth roller portion 122d are configured to run on any one of the multiple first reinforcing bars R10 along the Y direction (first direction), which is the extension direction of the first reinforcing bars R10.

[0017] In this embodiment, the traveling unit 121 is an example of a moving unit (moving unit 120 described later). Instead of the traveling unit 121, or in addition to the traveling unit 121, the moving unit 120 may have the configuration of a moving unit other than the traveling unit 121.

[0018] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d are described as being configured to move in the Y direction as an example, but the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d may also be configured to move in a direction other than the Y direction.

[0019] For example, the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d may move in a direction tilted at an angle of several degrees to several tens of degrees from the Y direction. For example, they may move in a direction tilted at an angle of several degrees to several tens of degrees from the Y direction in the +X direction or -X direction. For example, if the orientation of the rebar binding robot 100 is tilted from the Y direction due to the presence of a foreign object on the traveling first rebar R10, the moving direction of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d will at least temporarily tilt from the Y direction to the +X direction or -X direction. Even in this case, the rebar binding robot 100 may be caused to proceed so as to substantially follow the first rebar R10 by, for example, moving the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and the fourth traveling unit 121d in a direction that returns the tilt of the orientation of the rebar binding robot 100 to the Y direction (in the -X or +X direction). This allows the rebar binding unit 110 of the rebar binding robot 100 to continue performing the binding operation at the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20.

[0020] Furthermore, for example, even in a construction site where the first reinforcing bar R10 is arranged in a curved shape, the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d may be configured to move in a curved shape to follow the curved first reinforcing bar R10, and in this case, the first direction, which is the extension direction of the first reinforcing bar R10, may be different for each point that constitutes the curve.

[0021] 1 and 2, and FIG. 3 described later, the sensor unit 130 (an example of a "detection unit") has a sensor 130a, a sensor 130b, a sensor 130c, and a sensor 130d (also referred to as a "first sensor", a "second sensor", a "third sensor", and a "fourth sensor" in this embodiment, respectively). The first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are arranged apart from each other along the Y direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (the direction in which the straight line connecting the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b extends is also referred to as a "third direction" in this embodiment). In addition, the fourth sensor 130d is arranged on the side opposite to the side on which the third sensor 130c of the rebar tying robot 100 is provided (the side on the far side of the paper in Figures 1 and 2), and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are arranged so as to be spaced apart from each other along a direction intersecting the Y direction in Figures 1 and 2 (the X direction in the example shown in Figures 1 and 2; in this embodiment, the direction in which the straight line connecting the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d extends is also referred to as the "fourth direction").

[0022] The first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d are configured to be capable of detecting the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20. For example, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b may be configured to be capable of detecting the first rebar R10, and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d may be configured to be capable of detecting the second rebar R20. Alternatively, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d may all be configured to be capable of detecting the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20.

[0023] The first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d (one example of an "obstacle detection unit") may be configured to be capable of detecting an obstacle. Alternatively, the rebar binding robot 100 may be provided with a sensor capable of detecting an obstacle (one example of an "obstacle detection unit") separate from the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d.

[0024] Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 seen from above (above in the Z direction), and Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 seen from below (below in the Z direction).

[0025] As can be seen from FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first traveling unit 121a and the second traveling unit 121b may be disposed on one side and the other side of the fourth direction (X direction) with respect to the first sensor 130a (the left side and the right side in the X direction, respectively, in FIG. 3). Also, the third traveling unit 121c and the fourth traveling unit 121d may be disposed on one side and the other side of the fourth direction (X direction) with respect to the second sensor 130b. In other words, the first sensor 130a may be disposed between the first traveling unit 121a and the second traveling unit 121b in the fourth direction. Similarly, the second sensor 130b may be disposed between the third traveling unit 121c and the fourth traveling unit 121d in the fourth direction.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the third sensor 130c may be arranged between the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c in the third direction (Y direction in Figures 3 and 4), and similarly, the fourth sensor 130d may be arranged between the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d in the third direction (Y direction).

[0027] 4, the first sensor 130a may be disposed on a line passing through the rotation axis 128a of the first roller part 122a constituting the first running unit 121a and the rotation axis 128b of the second roller part 122b constituting the second running unit 121b, or behind the line passing through the rotation axis 128a and the rotation axis 128b (-Y direction in FIG. 4). Similarly, the second sensor 130b may be disposed on a line passing through the rotation axis 128c of the third roller part 122c constituting the third running unit 121c and the rotation axis 128d of the fourth roller part 122d constituting the fourth running unit 121d, or ahead of the line passing through the rotation axis 128c and the rotation axis 128d (+Y direction in FIG. 4).

[0028] 3 and 4, the first sensor 130a is disposed in front of the main unit 140 in the Y-axis direction (+Y direction). Similarly, the second sensor 130b is disposed behind the main unit 140 in the Y-axis direction (-Y direction). The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are disposed on the left and right sides of the main unit 140 in the X-direction in a top view in FIG. 3. That is, as can be seen from FIG. 4, for example, in this embodiment, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d are disposed on the outer edge of a rectangle virtually formed by connecting the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and the fourth traveling unit 121d near their centers in a plan view of the rebar binding robot 100, or inside the outer edge of the rectangle. The rectangle virtually formed by the first to fourth traveling units 121a to 121d may be a square, for example, when the distances between the traveling units in the X and Y directions are substantially equal, and in this case, the first to fourth sensors 130a to 130d may be arranged on the outer edge of the virtual square or inside the virtual square. Depending on the arrangement of the first to fourth traveling units 121a to 121d, the first to fourth traveling units 121a to 121d may virtually form a quadrangle other than a rectangle or a square, and even in this case, the first to fourth sensors 130a to 130d may be arranged on the outer edge of the virtual quadrangle or inside the virtual quadrangle.

[0029] The first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d have been described as being arranged on the outer edge of a rectangle virtually formed by connecting the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and the fourth traveling unit 121d near the centers thereof or inside the outer edge thereof, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d may be arranged in different configurations depending on the arrangement of the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and the fourth traveling unit 121d and / or the shape of the main unit 140. For example, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d may be positioned on or outside the outer edge of a rectangle virtually formed by connecting approximately the centers of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d in a planar view of the rebar tying robot 100.

[0030] 1 and 3, the main body unit 140 may have a main body upper surface 142. The main body upper surface 142 may have, for example, a circular hole 144 formed near the center, and the rebar binding unit 110 may be arranged to pass through the hole 144.

[0031] In this embodiment, the rebar tying robot 100 may include, for example, two support bars 150 (a first support bar 150a and a second support bar 150b, respectively). The first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are bars extending in one direction, and are provided parallel to, for example, a fourth direction (the X direction in Figs. 1 to 4). Therefore, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are provided parallel to, for example, the horizontal direction. Also, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b may be provided so as to be spaced apart from each other in the Y direction (the third direction). The first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b may be configured to support the main body unit 140, etc. of the rebar binding robot 100, for example, when the rebar binding robot 100 moves laterally (the X direction in Figures 1 to 4, the fourth direction in the rebar binding robot 100).

[0032] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 with the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 removed, as viewed from the diagonally right rear direction. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 with the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 removed, as viewed from the diagonally right front direction. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 may be provided so as to be movable in the up-down direction (Z direction in FIG. 5) while penetrating the hole 144. With this, for example, when the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 is lowered and the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 reaches the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is tied. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 has reels 180a and 180b. The reels 180a and 180b contain wires used for bundling reinforcing bars, and when the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110 bundles the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the wires contained in the reels 180a and / or 180b are pulled out to bundle the intersection c12. Although not described in detail, the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110 is provided with a wire twisting unit 114 (FIG. 5) at one end (the lower end in the Z direction in FIG. 5) of the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110, which has a wire guide or the like and is configured to perform reinforcing bar bundling work. The reinforcing bar bundling work of the wire twisting unit 114 may be realized, for example, by a function similar to that of a known reinforcing bar bundling machine.

[0033] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a functional block configuration of the rebar binding robot 100. As shown in Fig. 7, the rebar binding robot 100 may include a control unit 160, a lateral movement unit 146, and a storage device 198 in addition to the above-mentioned rebar binding unit 110, traveling unit 121, sensor unit 130, etc.

[0034] The control unit 160 is configured to control the movement (travel) and binding work performed by the rebar binding robot 100. The control unit 160 may include a sensor detection result acquisition unit 162, a determination unit 164, an intersection point calculation unit 166 (also referred to as an "intersection point estimation unit" or an "intersection point estimation unit" in this embodiment), a rebar binding unit control unit 168, a travel control unit 170 (also referred to as a "travel control unit" in this embodiment), a stop control unit 172, a movement amount calculation unit 174, a posture control unit 176, a motor control unit 178, a foreign object detouring control unit 188, an odometry information calculation unit 190, an intersection point map generation unit 184, and a travel route generation unit 186.

[0035] In the rebar binding robot 100 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, the control unit 160 is disposed on the opposite side of the rebar binding unit 110 to the reels 180a and 180b in the Y direction. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the reels 180a and 180b are disposed in the -Y direction of the rebar binding unit 110, whereas the control unit 160 is disposed in the +Y direction of the rebar binding unit 110. In particular, immediately after replacing the wire reel (reel 180a and / or reel 180b), the reel on which the wire is wound becomes relatively heavy, but by disposing the control unit 160 on the opposite side of the rebar binding unit 110, it is possible to balance the weight.

[0036] The lateral movement unit 146 (FIG. 7) is configured to control the movement of the main unit 140 of the rebar binding robot 100. In the rebar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rebar binding robot 100 may be moved in the horizontal direction by the lateral movement unit 146. The lateral movement unit 146 may include a first lateral movement motor 146ma and a second lateral movement motor 146mb, and for example, when the rebar binding robot 100 moves laterally, the main unit 140 may be moved horizontally by the two motors 146ma and 146mb.

[0037] 6, the lateral movement unit 146 has a first lateral movement roller 1461a and a first driving rack 146ca. The first lateral movement roller 1461a is provided on a first connecting portion 147a that connects the first traveling unit 121a and the second traveling unit 121b to the main unit 140. The first driving rack 146ca is provided on the back surface (the surface in the -Z direction) of the main unit 140 along the X direction.

[0038] 2, the lateral movement unit 146 has a second lateral movement roller 146lb and a second driving rack 146cb. The second lateral movement roller 146lb is provided on a second connecting portion 147b that connects the third traveling unit 121c and the fourth traveling unit 121d to the main unit 140. The second driving rack 146cb is provided on the back surface (the surface in the -Z direction) of the main unit 140 along the X direction.

[0039] The second lateral movement roller 146lb constitutes, for example, a driving gear. The second drive rack 146cb has, for example, a plurality of teeth that mesh with external teeth provided on the outer periphery of the second lateral movement roller 146lb, which are arranged in a straight line in the X direction. The second lateral movement roller 146lb is driven by the second lateral movement motor 146mb. ​​When the second lateral movement roller 146lb is rotated by the second lateral movement motor 146mb, the second lateral movement roller 146lb moves relative to the second drive rack 146cb so as to follow the longitudinal direction of the second drive rack 146cb. In this way, the main unit 140 can move in the X direction relative to the third traveling unit 121c and the fourth traveling unit 121d.

[0040] The first lateral movement roller 146la (FIG. 6) also constitutes, for example, a drive gear, and the first drive rack 146ca has a plurality of teeth that mesh with the external teeth provided on the outer periphery of the first lateral movement roller 146la, which are aligned linearly in the X direction. The first lateral movement roller 146la is driven by a first lateral movement motor 146ma. When the first lateral movement roller 146la is rotated by the first lateral movement motor 146ma, the first lateral movement roller 146la moves relative to the first drive rack 146ca along the longitudinal direction of the first drive rack 146ca, and the main unit 140 can move in the X direction relative to the third traveling unit 121c and the fourth traveling unit 121d.

[0041] In this manner, the first lateral movement roller 146la and the second lateral movement roller 146lb may be driven by the first lateral movement motor 146a and the second lateral movement motor 146b, respectively, to cause the main unit 140 to move laterally (in the X direction) relative to the traveling unit 121.

[0042] The storage device 198 may include, for example, a storage medium (e.g., a semiconductor memory device) or other media for non-transitoryly storing one or more computer programs executed in the control unit 160, data used to control the rebar tying robot 100, and the like. The storage device 198 may include, for example, a template database 198t. The template database 198t may store, for example, template images used when detecting the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 or detecting the end R10e of the first rebar R10 and / or the end R20e of the second rebar R20 using template matching based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, as described below, and data obtained by performing image processing such as frequency analysis on the template images. The control unit 160 may further include a template data creation unit, and may be configured to create template data based on images captured using the sensor unit 130 according to the site where the rebar tying work is to be performed, and store the template data in the template database 198t. The template data stored in the template database 198t may be accumulated, for example, when new template data is created, or may be deleted when the bundling work at each construction site is completed. Alternatively, the created template data may be configured to be stored in the template database 198t of the storage device 198 for a certain period of time and then deleted, for example, periodically.

[0043] The storage device 198 may include, for example, an intersection map 194. The intersection map 194 is, for example, a map in which a bundling work area including an estimated position of an intersection is divided into a plurality of areas. Each area may include each estimated position. In other words, each area may correspond to each estimated position. The intersection map 194 may be generated by, for example, the intersection map generating unit 184. The intersection map 194 may further include information on a travel route. The travel route may be a route that passes through at least one of the plurality of areas included in the intersection map 194. The travel route may be generated by, for example, the travel route generating unit 186.

[0044] The sensor detection result acquisition unit 162 acquires the detection results by the sensor unit 130. For example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d of the sensor unit 130 may be used to determine the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 by the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 of the determination unit 164 described later. In addition, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be used to determine the position of the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 by the first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 of the determination unit 164.

[0045] The determination unit 164 may include a first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1, a second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2, a first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1, a second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2, an obstacle determination unit 164c, a posture determination unit 164d, and a robot height calculation unit 164e. The first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 determine the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 using, for example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d acquired by the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162. As described later, the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and the second rebar determination unit 164a2 may determine the position of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 by performing template matching based on the captured images that are the detection results of the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d.

[0046] The first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 determine the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20, for example, using the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d acquired by the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162. The first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 may also determine the position of the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 based on template matching, similar to the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2.

[0047] The robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the group of rebars R based on, for example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d. For example, when the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 are imaged by the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d (e.g., when an area including the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 is imaged), the robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 from the group of reinforcing bars R by calculating the distance of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 from the group of reinforcing bars R based on the relative size of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 in the image of the imaged first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20.

[0048] The height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the group of rebars R may be calculated, for example, based on the angle of the traveling unit 121. As shown in Fig. 6, the traveling unit 121a has a first main body side link part 125a connected to the main body part 140 and a first roller side link part 123a connected to the first roller part 122a, and the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a may form a link mechanism. At this time, the link angle formed by the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a may be detected by the first link angle detection sensor 134a (Fig. 7) of the sensor unit 130, and the height of the first traveling unit 121a may be calculated based on the link angle.

[0049] Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d have the second body side link portion 125b and the second roller side link portion 123b, the third body side link portion 125c and the third roller side link portion 123c, and the fourth body side link portion 125d and the fourth roller side link portion 123d, and the heights of the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d may be calculated by detecting the link angles formed by the second body side link portion 125b and the second roller side link portion 123b, the third body side link portion 125c and the third roller side link portion 123c, and the fourth body side link portion 125d and the fourth roller side link portion 123d using the second link angle detection sensor 134b, the third link angle detection sensor 134c, and the fourth link angle detection sensor 134d, respectively.

[0050] The robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the group of rebars R based on the thus calculated heights (heights from the group of rebars R) of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d. For example, the height of the rebar binding robot 100 may be calculated from the average value of some or all of the calculated heights of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d. Also, for example, when the rebar binding robot 100 is positioned parallel or nearly parallel to a virtual plane formed by the group of rebars R, the height of the rebar binding robot 100 may be determined from any one of the heights of the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d.

[0051] 7, the sensor unit 130 may include an inclination detection sensor 132 in addition to the above-mentioned first sensor 130a to fourth sensor 130d. As the inclination detection sensor 132, a sensor capable of detecting the inclination angle of the rebar binding robot 100, such as a known inclination sensor or horizontal sensor, may be used. The sensor detection result acquisition unit 162 may also acquire the detection result of the inclination detection sensor 132. Based on the detection result of the inclination detection sensor 132, for example, the posture of the rebar binding robot 100 may be determined by the posture determination unit 164d of the determination unit 164, and based on the determination result of the posture determination unit 164d, the posture control unit 176 may drive the height changing motors 126 of the running units 121 (the first height changing motor 126a of the first running unit 121a, the second height changing motor 126b of the second running unit 121b, the third height changing motor 126c of the third running unit 121c, and / or the height changing motor 126d of the fourth running unit 121d) to adjust the posture of the rebar binding robot 100.

[0052] The rebar binding robot 100 may drive the height changing motor 126 based on the detection result of the inclination detection sensor 132 so that the main unit 140 is parallel to the surface formed by the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 (also referred to as the "rebar surface" in this embodiment). For example, if the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 are arranged so that the rebar surface extends horizontally, and the rebar binding robot 100 is tilted in the X direction, the height of the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c, or the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d, among the first running unit 121a to the fourth running unit 121d, may be changed to adjust the posture of the rebar binding robot 100.

[0053] The intersection point calculation unit 166 estimates the intersection point c12 by calculating the intersection point c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. For example, as described below, the intersection point calculation unit 166 may calculate the position of the intersection point c12 based on the positions of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 determined by the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2. Based on the calculated position of the intersection point c12, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 may perform binding work using the reinforcing bar binding unit 110. Based on the estimated position of the intersection point c12, the motor control unit 178 may adjust the position of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 by the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and / or the fourth traveling unit 121d so that the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 is on the intersection point c12.

[0054] The reinforcing bar binding unit control unit 168 controls the movement of the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 by controlling the reinforcing bar binding unit moving unit 168m. The reinforcing bar binding unit 110 can take a binding position where the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 performs a binding operation to bind the intersection c12 where the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 intersect, and a retreat position where the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 retreats after the completion of the binding operation while moving to the intersection c12 where the next binding operation is performed. The reinforcing bar binding unit 110 moves in the -Z direction when moving from the retreat position to the binding position, and moves in the +Z direction when moving from the binding position to the retreat position. Such movement of the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 in the Z direction is realized by the reinforcing bar binding unit moving unit 168m composed of, for example, a motor. The reinforcing bar binding unit control unit 168 controls the lifting and lowering operation of the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 in the Z direction by the reinforcing bar binding unit moving unit 168m.

[0055] The rebar binding unit control unit 168 also controls the binding operation of the rebar binding unit 110 at the intersection c12 after the rebar binding unit 110 moves to the binding position. For example, the binding work by the rebar binding unit 110, which is performed using a wire drawn out from the reel 180 by a wire drawing unit described later, is controlled by the rebar binding unit control unit 168. For example, after moving the rebar binding robot 100 by the first traveling unit 121a, the second traveling unit 121b, the third traveling unit 121c, and / or the fourth traveling unit 121d so that the rebar binding unit 110 is positioned above the intersection c12, the rebar binding unit control unit 168 may control the rebar binding unit moving unit 168m to lower the rebar binding unit 110 to the binding position so as to approach the intersection c12, and perform binding at the intersection c12.

[0056] The travel control unit 170 controls travel along the travel route. For example, the travel control unit 170 may control the travel unit 121 by the motor control unit 178 so that the rebar binding robot 100 follows the first rebar R10 while traveling, based on information such as the position of the first rebar R10 determined by the first rebar determination unit 164a1. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the rebar tying robot 100 runs over the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, the drive motors of the running unit 121 (the first wheel drive motor 124a driving the first roller portion 122a, the second wheel drive motor 124b driving the second roller portion 122b, the third wheel drive motor 124c driving the third roller portion 122c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d driving the fourth roller portion 122d) may be driven to prevent the rebar tying robot 100 from coming off the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14.

[0057] For example, among the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d, the first wheel drive motor 124a and the third wheel drive motor 124c which are the drive motors of the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c which are arranged at the same position or approximately the same position in the X direction, may be accelerated or decelerated relative to the second wheel drive motor 124b and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d which are the drive motors of the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d which are arranged on the other side in the X direction, thereby adjusting the position of the rebar binding robot 100 and making the rebar binding robot 100 run to follow the first rebar R10.

[0058] Alternatively, the travel control unit 170 may adjust the rotation speed of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d, for example, to cause the rebar binding robot 100 to travel so as to follow the first rebar R10. For example, by setting one or more rotation speeds of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d to different rotation speeds from the rotation speeds of the other wheel drive motors, or by setting all of the rotation speeds of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d to different rotation speeds from each other, it becomes possible to cause the rebar binding robot 100 to flexibly follow the first rebar R10.

[0059] The traveling control unit 170 may determine whether or not an obstacle has been detected during traveling based on the determination result of the obstacle determination unit 164c. If it is determined that an obstacle has been detected, the traveling route generation unit 186 may generate (update) a traveling route. The updated traveling route may not include an area including the obstacle. Also, if an obstacle is no longer detected, the traveling route generation unit 186 may generate (update) a traveling route to include an area including the obstacle.

[0060] The traveling control unit 170 may determine whether or not an intersection has been detected during traveling based on the calculation result of the intersection calculation unit 166. When an intersection is detected, the traveling control unit may control the traveling unit 121 by the motor control unit 178 so as to travel to the detected intersection. The traveling control unit 170 may determine in which area of ​​the intersection map the detected intersection is included. For example, the traveling control unit 170 may calculate the self-position of the rebar binding robot 100 based on the odometry information calculated by the odometry information calculation unit 190, and then perform the determination process based on the self-position.

[0061] The stop control unit 172 is configured to control the stopping operation of the rebar binding robot 100. For example, as described below, when the rebar binding robot 100, which has traveled over the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, is determined by the first rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second rebar end determination unit 164b2 to be in the vicinity of the end R13e of the first rebar R13 or approaching the end R13e based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d, the stop control unit 172 may control the motor control unit 178 to drive and stop the first wheel drive motor 124a to the fourth wheel drive motor 124d, thereby stopping the rebar binding robot 100. In addition, the rebar tying robot 100 may be stopped not only at the end R13e of the first rebar R13, but also when it is determined that the rebar tying robot 100 is near the end R12e of the first rebar R12 and / or the end R14e of the first rebar R14, or is approaching the end R12e and / or the end R14e, instead of or in addition to the end R13e.

[0062] In addition, the stop control unit 172 may stop the rebar binding robot 100, for example, when the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 is calculated by the above-mentioned intersection point calculation unit 166, in order to bind the intersection point c12 with the rebar binding unit 110.

[0063] The movement amount calculation unit 174 may be configured to calculate the amount of movement when the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 moves laterally (in the X direction), for example. For example, as described above, when the first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 determine that the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 is in the vicinity of or approaching the end R12e of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the end R14e of the first reinforcing bar R14, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 completes the reinforcing bar binding work at the intersection c12 on the first reinforcing bar R13 arranged between the first reinforcing bar R12 and the first reinforcing bar R14, moves to another first reinforcing bar R10, and starts the reinforcing bar binding work at the intersection c12.

[0064] For example, when the rebar binding robot 100 completes the rebar binding work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R13 and then performs the rebar binding work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R14, the rebar binding robot 100 moves in the X direction by one interval for the interval in the X direction between the first rebars R10. At this time, the movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the movement amount based on the interval in the X direction between adjacent first rebars R10 based on the information on the position of the first rebars R10 determined by the first rebar determination unit 164a1. Similarly, when the rebar binding robot 100 performs the rebar binding work at the intersection c12 on first rebars R10 that are separated by two or more in the X direction, the movement amount may be calculated based on the interval between the first rebars R10. In addition, the lateral movement unit 146 may perform the lateral movement (e.g., horizontal movement) of the main unit 140 during the lateral movement based on the calculated movement amount. The movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the amount of movement in a direction other than the horizontal movement amount. For example, the movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the amount of vertical movement (movement in the first direction, Y direction) of the rebar binding robot 100 based on the detection results of each sensor 130, the determination results by the rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the rebar end determination unit 164b2, etc.

[0065] The sensor unit 130 may be, for example, a camera capable of taking two-dimensional or three-dimensional images, and the position of the foreign object may be determined by, for example, the obstacle determination unit 164c of the determination unit 164 based on the detection result of the sensor unit 130. At a construction site where reinforcing bars are assembled, for example, tools or the like may be left on the surface of the reinforcing bars, or workers may be working on the reinforcing bars. These may be detected as foreign objects based on the detection result by the sensor unit 130, and the foreign object detouring control unit 188 may be configured to drive the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d by the motor control unit 178 to detouring the foreign object based on the detection result of the foreign object. Alternatively, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 may be configured to detouring the foreign object by performing a lateral movement described later.

[0066] The odometry information calculation unit 190 calculates the position and posture of the rebar tying robot 100 as odometry information based on information from various sensors. For example, the odometry information calculation unit 190 may acquire information such as the number of rotations of the motors output from an encoder (not shown) provided on each motor of the traveling unit 120, and may calculate the traveling path of the rebar tying robot 100 by integrating the information, thereby calculating the position of the rebar tying robot 100. In addition, the output of the sensor unit 130 may be further utilized in calculating the position of the rebar tying robot 100. In addition, the odometry information calculation unit 190 may acquire information output from the sensor unit 130, and may calculate the posture of the rebar tying robot 100 based on the information. This makes it possible to estimate the traveling path and self-position on the intersection point map.

[0067] The intersection point map generating unit 184 generates the intersection point map 194. The intersection point map generating unit 184 may generate the intersection point map 194 based on various information related to the reinforcing bars. For example, the intersection point map 194 may generate the intersection point map 194 based on arrangement information related to the arrangement of a plurality of reinforcing bars. The arrangement information may include, for example, information related to the pitch between the reinforcing bars. The information related to the pitch may be, for example, information indicating the pitch as well as information for calculating the pitch (the number of reinforcing bars and the overall dimensions of the reinforcing bars). The arrangement information may also include information related to the number of intersection points. The information related to the number of intersection points may be, for example, information indicating the number of intersection points as well as information for calculating the number of intersection points (for example, the number of first reinforcing bars and the number of second reinforcing bars).

[0068] The travel route generation unit 186 generates a travel route. The travel route generation unit 186 may generate the travel route based on, for example, the intersection map 194. Specifically, the travel route generation unit 186 may generate, for example, a travel route that passes through each area included in the intersection map 194. Information on the generated travel route may be included in the intersection map 194.

[0069] The control unit 160 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that corresponds to a calculation unit, and is a control unit that controls the execution of computer programs stored in the storage device 198 and calculates and processes data. The processor is a calculation unit that executes programs that execute the operations of the rebar tying robot 100 (rebar tracking and traveling, lateral movement (e.g., horizontal movement), rebar tying work, etc.) using each detection data, etc. Each unit of the control unit (for example, the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162, etc.) is realized by the processor executing the programs stored in the storage device 198.

[0070] The storage device 198 may have, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The RAM is a memory section in which data can be rewritten, and may be composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory element. The RAM may store programs executed by the processor and data required for executing the programs (for example, template data used to determine the position of rebar based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, as described below). Note that these are merely examples, and the RAM may store data other than these, or some of these data may not be stored.

[0071] The ROM is a storage unit from which data can be read, and may be configured, for example, with a semiconductor memory element. The ROM may store, for example, programs executed by the control unit 160 and data that is not rewritten.

[0072] The program executed by the control unit 160 may be provided by being stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as a memory device 198 (e.g., a RAM or a ROM), or, if the rebar binding robot 100 of this embodiment has a communication unit (not shown), the program may be provided via a communication network connected by the communication unit.

[0073] The above physical configuration is merely an example, and in the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the control unit 160 and the storage device 198 do not necessarily have to be independent. For example, the rebar tying robot 100 may be equipped with an LSI (Large-Scale Integration) that integrates a processor and memory. The rebar tying robot 100 may also be equipped with a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) as the control unit 160, and the GPU may execute a program to realize the various operations described above.

[0074] The rebar tying robot 100 may not have the function of generating the intersection map and / or the travel route, and these functions may be possessed by a device other than the rebar tying robot 100. The other device may be configured to have, for example, a detection unit capable of detecting rebars, a moving unit, and a control unit. The moving unit may be configured as a traveling unit for traveling on the rebars, or may be configured as a flying unit (e.g., a propeller, etc.) capable of flying in the air above the rebars. The other device (which may be called a "map generating device" or the like) may move (travel, fly, etc.) on the rebars while detecting the rebars, generate an intersection map and a travel route based on the detection results, and transmit this to the rebar tying robot 100. The rebar tying robot 100 may travel on the rebars based on the received intersection map and travel route. In this way, a system may be configured with the rebar tying robot 100 and the map generating device.

[0075] Next, the running operation of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 on the reinforcing bar will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 running along the first reinforcing bar R10 as viewed from the Y direction (-Y direction). Fig. 9 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 running along the first reinforcing bar R10 as viewed from the X direction (+X direction). In Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 runs in a first direction (Y direction). As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 runs such that the third roller part 122c of the third running unit 121c is on the first reinforcing bar R12 and the fourth roller part 122d of the fourth running unit 121d is on the first reinforcing bar R14. As shown in Fig. 9, the second roller part 122b of the second running unit 121b also runs on the first rebar R14, similar to the fourth roller part 122d of the fourth running unit 121d. Although not shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the first roller part 122a of the first running unit 121a also runs on the first rebar R12, similar to the third roller part 122c of the third running unit 121c. In this way, when the rebar tying robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure runs along the first rebar R10, it runs, for example, between a certain first rebar R10 (first rebar R12) and a first rebar R10 (first rebar R14) that is located two bars away from the certain first rebar R12, and ties the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 that is located on the first rebar R13, which is the first rebar R10 that is located between the running first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14.

[0076] Next, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 during reinforcing bar bundling work will be described with reference to Figs. 10, 11, and 12. Fig. 10 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 performing bundling work, seen from the Y direction (-Y direction) after stopping its travel. Fig. 11 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 performing bundling work, seen from the X direction (+X direction). Fig. 12 is a view of the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 performing bundling work, seen from below in the Z direction (-Z direction). Figs. 10, 11, and 12 show an example in which the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 bundles the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R20. When performing bundling work, the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 stops its travel (Fig. 10) and lowers the reinforcing bar bundling unit 110 to perform bundling (Figs. 11 and 12).

[0077] Next, a configuration for calculating the positions of the reinforcing bar group R (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) by the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The rebar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a traveling unit 121 configured to travel on a group of rebars R including a plurality of first rebars R1 whose extension direction is the Y direction (first direction) and a plurality of second rebars R2 whose extension direction is the X direction (second direction) intersecting the Y direction (first direction) and that are arranged so as to intersect with the first rebars R1, a sensor unit 130 configured to detect at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20, and a first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or a second rebar determination unit 164a2 (also referred to as a "rebar position calculation unit" in this embodiment) configured to calculate the position of at least one first rebar R1 and / or at least one second rebar R2 detected by the sensor unit 130 based on the pixel values ​​of a plurality of pixels that constitute a two-dimensional image generated by the detection results of the sensor unit 130. The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the efficiency of the calculation process of the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 by calculating the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 based on two-dimensional images generated by the detection results of the sensor unit 130. For example, by performing calculations based on two-dimensional images, the calculation load can be reduced compared to the case where the positions of the rebars are calculated using three-dimensional data as the detection results of the sensor unit.

[0078] In the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the two-dimensional image used to calculate the position of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 may be a grayscale image. In this case, the rebar binding robot 100 may be equipped with a storage device 198 that stores information on at least one template image including a partial image of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20, the two-dimensional image may include a grayscale image, and the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) may be configured to calculate the position of at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20 by comparing the grayscale image with the template image.

[0079] Furthermore, in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the density value of a pixel in the grayscale image is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, it may be determined that the pixel corresponds to the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20. In this case, the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) may determine that at least a part of the first rebar R1 and / or at least a part of the second rebar R2 exists at a position corresponding to a pixel having a density value equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold when the density value of the pixel constituting the grayscale image is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (first threshold). Alternatively, when a grayscale image is used as a two-dimensional image, the grayscale image may be generated by lowering the image density of an area where an object exists and raising the image density of an area where an object does not exist, and in this case, when the density value of a pixel is less than a predetermined threshold, it may be determined that the pixel corresponds to the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20.

[0080] In the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the grayscale image may be generated based on the detection results of a three-dimensional sensor. In this case, the sensor unit 130 includes a three-dimensional sensor capable of detecting the x-, y-, and z-coordinates of multiple points on the surface of the detection target, and the z-coordinate value detected by the three-dimensional sensor is converted into an image density that differs according to the magnitude of the z-coordinate value, and the grayscale image may be generated by constructing a two-dimensional image based on the x-, y-, and image density.

[0081] Alternatively, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured such that the sensor unit 130 captures a grayscale image. In this case, the sensor unit 130 may include an imaging device, and the grayscale image may be generated based on an image captured by the imaging device.

[0082] Furthermore, the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may calculate the position of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 based on the degree of matching. In this case, the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) may be configured to calculate the position of at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20 based on the degree of matching between the grayscale image and the template image.

[0083] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the degree of matching may be calculated, for example, by comparing the detection result by the sensor unit 130, a two-dimensional image generated based on the detection result by the sensor unit 130, or a template image. For example, the pixel values ​​of all pixels in a partial image to be compared among the two-dimensional image generated based on the detection result by the sensor unit 130 are compared with the pixel values ​​of all pixels in the template image, and the degree of matching may be calculated by expressing the ratio of matching pixels as a percentage based on whether the pixel values ​​of corresponding pixels in the two images to be compared match. For example, when the template image includes 50,000 pixels and is compared with 50,000 pixels in a grayscale image to be compared, and the densities of 40,000 pixels match or are almost matched (for example, the difference between the two is within 10%), the degree of matching may be calculated as 80%.

[0084] At this time, the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 may be calculated using a reference value of the degree of matching. At this time, the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) may determine whether the degree of matching is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value, and if the degree of matching is equal to or greater than the predetermined reference value, determine that the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 are present within the detection range of the sensor unit 130.

[0085] In the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a different value may be set for each height as the reference value of the matching degree. In this case, the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a robot height calculation unit 164e (also referred to as a "robot height calculation unit" in this embodiment) that calculates the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the rebar group R, and the predetermined reference value includes a plurality of reference values ​​corresponding to different heights of the rebar binding robot 100, and the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) calculates the height of the rebar binding robot calculated by the robot height calculation unit 164e (robot height calculation unit) for the plurality of reference values. The system may be configured to determine whether there is a reference value corresponding to the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R, and if it is determined that a reference value corresponding to the height of the rebar tying robot 100 exists among the multiple reference values, calculate the position of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 based on this reference value, and if it is determined that a reference value corresponding to the height of the rebar tying robot 100 does not exist among the multiple reference values, calculate a new reference value corresponding to the measured height of the rebar tying robot 100 based on at least two of the multiple reference values.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, a plurality of reference values ​​may be set for each predetermined size of the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the rebar group R. For example, five reference values ​​may be set for the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the rebar group R, starting from 10 cm and ending at 5 cm intervals up to 30 cm. In this case, for example, if the robot height calculation unit 164e determines that the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the rebar group R is 20 cm, and the reference value for the height of 20 cm is set to 60%, 60% may be used as the reference value. Also, for example, if the robot height calculation unit 164e determines that the height of the rebar binding robot 100 from the rebar group R is 23 cm, and no reference value for 23 cm is set, a new reference value may be set based on, for example, the reference value of 20 cm and the reference value of 25 cm. For example, if the reference value for a height of 20 cm is 60% and the reference value for a height of 25 cm is 50%, the reference value for 23 cm may be calculated by linear interpolation as 50%+(((60%-50%)*((25 cm-23 cm) / (25 cm-20 cm)))=54%. The newly calculated reference value may be stored in, for example, storage device 198 and used as necessary in subsequent work. Note that the above heights, reference values, and methods of calculating new reference values ​​are merely examples and are not limited to these. For example, more reference values ​​may be set, and reference values ​​may be set for heights less than 10 cm or greater than 30 cm.

[0087] The process of calculating the position of a reinforcing bar by a reinforcing bar binding robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0088] First, a specific example of the sensor unit 130 used in the rebar tying robot 100 will be described in detail. As the sensor unit 130, for example, a 3D distance camera such as a ToF (Time of Flight) camera can be used (for example, TOFcam-635 manufactured by ESPROS Photonics). The 3D distance camera outputs an image with different shading for each object depending on the distance from the camera, and the distance to the target object is obtained for each pixel, and objects that are relatively close are displayed with a higher density (closer to black) and objects that are relatively farther away are displayed with a lighter density (closer to white). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, while the rebar tying robot 100 is traveling through the group of rebars R, the distance between the rebar tying robot 100 and the group of rebars R does not change substantially, so rebars may be detected by recognizing relatively black objects as rebars (first rebar R10 and / or second rebar R20).

[0089] 13A and 13B show images output by a 3D distance camera. FIG. 13A shows an image taken by a 3D distance camera near the intersection of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20. FIG. 13B shows a schematic image of the intersection of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20. As shown in FIG. 13A, the image taken by the 3D distance camera has light and dark shading, and in the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to recognize the part with high density as the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20. As shown in FIG. 13B, an image with different light and dark shading is obtained for each pixel.

[0090] The sensor unit 130 is not limited to the imaging device such as a camera exemplified above, and other sensors may be used. For example, a laser capable of acquiring information in the depth direction or height direction may be used. For example, a two-dimensional image using the same image density as above may be generated based on the information in the depth direction acquired by the laser.

[0091] Next, a process of detecting rebars based on an image (a grayscale image in this embodiment) captured and acquired by the sensor unit 130 will be described. First, with reference to Figs. 14A and 14B, the arrangement of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d of the sensor 130 will be described. Figs. 14A and 14B are diagrams that show the arrangement of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d. Fig. 14A is a schematic side view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from the horizontal direction (X direction). Fig. 14B is a schematic top view of the rebar binding robot 100 as viewed from above (upper side in the Z direction). FIG. 14A also shows the imaging ranges of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, and the third sensor 130c in a schematic manner, along with the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, and the third sensor 130c.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, which are spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, are arranged to capture images obliquely downward. The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d (not shown) are also arranged to capture images obliquely downward. The first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are set, for example, so that the angle of view that defines the imaging range is 80° or more and 100° or less. The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are set, for example, so that the angle of view is 50° or more and 70° or less. Any of the sensors 130 may be set to have another angle of view. As described above, when determining whether a foreign object exists based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d, the imaging range of each sensor may be changed, for example, by changing the angle of each sensor to face upward.

[0093] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of an image captured by the first sensor 130a. As shown in FIG. 15, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first sensor 130a is arranged to capture an image in a diagonally downward direction, so that the interval between adjacent first reinforcing bars R10 narrows from the front to the back. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the position of each reinforcing bar (a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10 and a plurality of second reinforcing bars R20) constituting the reinforcing bar group R can be detected by performing, for example, template matching based on the image thus obtained. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the reinforcing bars (the first reinforcing bars R10 and / or the second reinforcing bars R20) are detected by template matching, for example, based on the similarity between the captured image and a previously prepared image (also referred to as "matching degree" in this embodiment), a grayscale image including a grayscale portion corresponding to the reinforcing bar is prepared as a template, the image captured by each sensor unit 130 is scanned, and the similarity in the scanning direction is calculated.

[0094] Template matching performed in the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining template matching according to the present embodiment. FIG. 16 shows a captured image near the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20, and template images TI10 and TI20 for scanning in the X and Y directions. FIG. 16 also shows the template images TI10 and TI20, and schematic graphs G10 and G20 of the similarity calculated according to each scan. The template images TI10 and TI20 are scanned in the Y and X directions, respectively, and the similarity with the template images TI10 and TI20 is calculated, and it is determined that the location on the captured image where the maximum value of the calculated similarity exceeds a threshold corresponds to the location where the rebar exists. As shown in the graphs G10 and G20, in the distribution of similarity along the Y and X directions, parts exceeding the thresholds TH10 and TH20 are confirmed, and these correspond to the location where the rebar exists. The similarity (matching degree) may be calculated by, for example, comparing the color density of each pixel in the captured image with the color density of each pixel constituting the template image. For example, first, the distance to the object of each pixel in the captured image is extracted as the color density. Next, if the total or average color density of the entire captured image is low (for example, lower than a predetermined threshold), it is determined that there is no reinforcing bar in the captured image. On the other hand, if the color density is high (for example, higher than a predetermined threshold), the difference between the extracted color density and the color density of each pixel constituting the template image is compared for each pixel. Among the pixels in the captured image, the position where the sum of the absolute values ​​of the differences between the color density of the captured pixel and the color density of the pixel constituting the template image is the lowest may be extracted as the reinforcing bar position. In this way, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 can be detected by template matching based on the similarity calculated by scanning the template image against the captured image.

[0095] As described above with reference to FIG. 15, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, in the image captured by the first sensor 130a, the interval between the first reinforcing bars R10 adjacent in the X direction changes along the Y direction. Similarly, in the image captured by the second sensor 130b, the interval between the first reinforcing bars R10 in the X direction changes along the Y direction, and in the images captured by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d, the interval between the second reinforcing bars R20 in the Y direction changes along the X direction. Therefore, for example, the captured image may be corrected by performing orthogonal transformation so that the intervals between the reinforcing bars in the captured image become approximately equal, and then template matching may be performed. Note that detection of reinforcing bars based on template matching can also be performed by preparing an image in which the intervals between reinforcing bars change as shown in FIG. 15 as a template without performing image transformation such as orthogonal transformation.

[0096] In the template matching according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, a frequency analysis may be performed on each image, and the relevance between the captured image and the template image may be evaluated by using a phase correlation method.

[0097] The positions of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 can be estimated by, for example, acquiring three-dimensional data of XYZ of the object within the detection range using a three-dimensional sensor or the like. As described above, in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the amount of calculation required to calculate the position of the intersection point c12 can be made relatively small compared to the case where calculation is performed based on three-dimensional XYZ data, for example, by performing template matching that treats the third-dimensional data in the Z direction as pixel density information. When performing binding work at the intersection point c12 while traveling, as in the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of determining the position of the rebar by template matching that can reduce the amount of calculation is preferably used.

[0098] Next, a method for determining the intersection point of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 in an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 determines the intersection point c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b may be configured to detect the first reinforcing bar R10, as described above. That is, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 includes the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 configured to bind the intersection point c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 of the reinforcing bar group R, as described above, the sensor unit 130 includes the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the third direction and configured to be able to detect at least the first reinforcing bar R10, the at least one template image described above includes a template image TI10 (first template image) including a partial image of the first reinforcing bar R10, and the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 includes a traveling unit 130a and a second sensor 130b configured to detect at least the first reinforcing bar R10, and the at least one template image described above includes a template image TI10 (first template image) including a partial image of the first reinforcing bar R10. The knit 121 may progress in the Y direction (first direction) and the direction in which the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are arranged (third direction) is parallel to the Y direction (first direction), and the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) may calculate the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 by comparing the detection results of the first sensor 130a and / or the second sensor 130b with a first template image, and the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 may bind the intersection point c12 on the first reinforcing bar R10 whose position has been calculated.

[0099] Furthermore, at this time, the rebar binding robot 100 may be further configured such that the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d detect the second rebar R20 in addition to the first rebar R10 and estimate the intersection point c12. That is, the rebar binding robot 100 further includes an intersection point calculation unit 166 (also referred to as an "intersection point estimation unit" in this embodiment) that estimates the intersection point c12, the sensor unit 130 includes the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d that are arranged apart from each other along a fourth direction that intersects with the third direction and are configured to be able to detect at least the second rebar R20, at least one template image includes a template image TI20 (second template image) that includes a partial image of the second rebar R20, and the rebar binding robot 100 further includes a fourth template image calculation unit 166 that calculates the intersection point c12. The first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) calculates the position of the second reinforcing bar R20 by comparing the detection results of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d with the second template image, the intersection point estimation unit (intersection point estimation unit) estimates the intersection point between the calculated first reinforcing bar R10 and the calculated second reinforcing bar R20 as the intersection point c12, and the reinforcing bar binding unit 110 may be configured to bind the estimated intersection point c12.

[0100] Furthermore, when the rebar binding robot 100 detects the end R10e of the first rebar R10, the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d may detect the first rebar R10, and the first rebar R10 detected by the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be used to calculate the amount of lateral movement of the rebar binding robot 100, which will be described later. That is, when the rebar binding robot 100 moves from the first rebar R10 along which the traveling unit 121 is moving to another first rebar R10, the rebar binding robot 100 includes a movement amount calculation unit 174 (movement amount calculation unit) that calculates the amount of movement of the traveling unit 121 based on position information of the first rebar R10 calculated by the first rebar judgment unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar judgment unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit), and the first rebar judgment unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar judgment unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) Based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and / or the second sensor 130b, calculates the position of the first rebar R10 along which the traveling unit 121 moves, and if the matching degree of the detection result of the first sensor 130a is less than a predetermined reference value, determines whether the matching degree is equal to or greater than a predetermined end reference value, and if it is determined that the matching degree is equal to or greater than the predetermined end reference value, determines that the end R10e of the first rebar R10 is present within the detection range of the first sensor 130a, and When it is determined that the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 is present within the range, the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d are set to detect the first reinforcing bar R10, and the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) calculates the position of another first reinforcing bar R10 that is separated in the X direction (second direction) from the first reinforcing bar R10 along which the traveling unit 121 advances based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d. The movement amount calculation unit 174 (movement amount calculation unit) calculates the movement amount of the running unit 121 in the X direction (second direction) based on the positions of other first reinforcing bars R10 calculated by the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) and the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 along which the running unit 121 advances, and the running unit 121 may be configured to move in the X direction (second direction) based on the calculated movement amount in the X direction (second direction).

[0101] A method for controlling the travel of the rebar binding robot 100 in an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a flowchart of a method for controlling the travel of the rebar binding robot 100 in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0102] First, various pieces of information related to the reinforcing bars are acquired, and an intersection map is generated based on the information (S1702). FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the intersection map 194. In the example shown in FIG. 18A, nine intersections C1 to C9 are shown in the intersection map 194 as examples of the estimated positions C of the intersections in the bundling work area of ​​the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100. Each estimated position C is an estimated position of an intersection between a first reinforcing bar R1 whose extension direction is the Y direction (first direction) and a second reinforcing bar R2 whose extension direction is the X direction (second direction). Specifically, for example, the estimated position C1 is an estimated position of an intersection between the first reinforcing bar R11 and the second reinforcing bar R21, the estimated position C2 is an estimated position of an intersection between the first reinforcing bar R11 and the second reinforcing bar R22, and the estimated position C3 is an estimated position of an intersection between the first reinforcing bar R11 and the second reinforcing bar R23. Also, for example, the estimated position C6 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the second reinforcing bar R21, the estimated position C5 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the second reinforcing bar R22, and the estimated position C4 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the second reinforcing bar R23. Also, for example, the estimated position C7 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R21, the estimated position C8 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R22, and the estimated position C9 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R23.

[0103] The intersection point map 194 further includes a plurality of regions r including each estimated position C. In the example shown in FIG. 18A, nine regions r1 to r9 including the nine estimated positions C1 to C9 in the intersection point map 194 are shown as an example. That is, in the intersection point map 194, each region r corresponds to each estimated position C. In the example shown in FIG. 18A, the region r is shown as a substantially circular shape having a predetermined dimension. However, in the intersection point map 194, the shape of the region r is not limited to a substantially circular shape, and may be a rectangle (including a substantially rectangular shape), a polygon (including a substantially polygonal shape), or any other shape. In addition, the dimensions of the region r are not particularly limited and may be set arbitrarily. In the example shown in FIG. 18A, the regions r are spaced apart from each other. However, in the intersection point map 194, the regions r may be adjacent to each other.

[0104] The intersection location map 194 can be generated based on various information related to the rebars. For example, the intersection location map 194 may be generated based on information related to the pitch between the rebars and information related to the number of estimated positions. The information related to the pitch between the rebars and information related to the number of estimated positions may be information input by a user, stored in the storage device 190, or acquired from an external information processing device via communication. The information related to the pitch may be, for example, a value calculated based on the number of rebars and the overall dimensions of the area in which the rebars are arranged (for example, a value obtained by dividing the overall dimensions by the number of rebars). The information related to the number of estimated positions may be, for example, a value calculated from the number of first rebars and the number of second rebars (for example, a product of the number of first rebars and the number of second rebars).

[0105] Next, a travel route is generated based on the intersection map 194 (S1704). FIG. 18B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route. The travel route may be a route that passes through at least one of the multiple areas included in the intersection map 194. Here, "passing through an area" means that, for example, at least a part of the travel route is included in the area, and it is not necessary to pass through the center of the area or pass through an estimated position included in the area. The travel route may pass through at least one of the multiple areas r, or may not pass through all of them. In FIG. 18B, an example of a travel route is shown by arrows connecting the areas r. That is, FIG. 18B shows a travel route that passes through areas r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6, r7, r8, and r9 in order.

[0106] The method of generating the travel route is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a method of calculating the travel cost for each assumed travel route and adopting a travel route for which the travel cost is small by a predetermined degree (for example, the travel route with the smallest cost). Here, the cost may be, for example, the sum of the product of the distance of each route constituting the travel route and the weighting imposed on the route. The travel cost for the travel route may be calculated arbitrarily, but, for example, the weighting contributing to the travel cost may be different between the following movement that follows the rebar and the lateral movement that changes the spacing between the rebars to be followed. In particular, the weight of the lateral movement may be made larger than the weight of the following movement because the energy required for the lateral movement is relatively high or the time required for the lateral movement is relatively long.

[0107] In addition, in a situation where two rebars cross, it is assumed that the rebar moves to follow the upper rebar, and that the rebar moves to follow the lower rebar. In this case, when following the lower rebar, it may be necessary to move so as to climb onto the upper rebar, so that the movement following the upper rebar may be more desirable. Therefore, in calculating the movement cost, the weight of the movement following the lower rebar may be greater than the weight of the movement following the upper rebar.

[0108] Next, the rebar binding robot 100 starts traveling along the travel route (S1706). Specifically, the rebar binding robot 100 controls the traveling unit 120 so as to travel along the travel route based on the travel route generated in step S1702, for example. The odometry information calculation unit 190 calculates the position and posture of the rebar binding robot 100 as odometry information based on information acquired from the sensor unit 130 while the rebar binding robot 100 is traveling. This makes it possible to estimate the travel route and self-position on the intersection map.

[0109] While traveling, the rebar binding robot 100 determines whether the detection result of an obstacle via the sensor unit 130 has been updated (S1708). FIG. 18C is a diagram for explaining a manner in which the rebar binding robot detects an obstacle as an example of a case in which the detection result of an obstacle is updated. FIG. 18C shows the traveling rebar binding robot 100 and an obstacle O3. Reference numeral 130R indicates the detection range of the sensor unit 130. In FIG. 18C, the detection range 130R is shown as a circle, but this is merely an example, and the shape and dimensions of the detection range are not particularly limited. The rebar binding robot 100 detects the obstacle O3 via the sensor unit 130, for example.

[0110] The rebar binding robot 100 may determine whether or not the detected obstacle O3 is included in any of the regions r included in the intersection point map 194. In this determination process, for example, the angle θ (see FIG. 18C) between the direction D of the rebar binding robot 100 included in the odometry information and the direction of the first rebar R11 may be calculated, and then the region r in which the obstacle is included may be determined. This process makes it possible to grasp in which direction the obstacle is located with respect to the direction D of the rebar binding robot 100, and therefore makes it possible to determine in which region r the obstacle is included. In the example shown in FIG. 18C, the obstacle O3 is determined to be included in the region r3.

[0111] If it is determined that an obstacle has been detected, the process returns to step S1704, and the rebar binding robot 100 generates (updates) a travel route. At this time, the rebar binding robot 100 may generate (update) a travel route so as not to include the area r that includes the obstacle. In the example shown in Fig. 18C, the rebar binding robot 100 may generate (update) a travel route so as not to include the area r3 that includes the obstacle O3.

[0112] As another example of a case in which the obstacle detection results are updated, if an obstacle that was previously detected in the processing of step S1704 is no longer detected in the processing of step S1704 again, the rebar binding robot 100 may generate (update) a driving route to include an area r that was not included in the driving route because it contains the obstacle.

[0113] While traveling, the rebar binding robot 100 determines whether or not an intersection has been detected via the sensor unit 130 (S1710). The rebar binding robot 100 detects the intersection by, for example, using a method for estimating the intersection, which will be described later, using the process shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 18D is a diagram for explaining how the rebar binding robot 100 detects the intersection. FIG. 18D shows the traveling rebar binding robot 100 and the intersection T2. ​​FIG. 18D shows an example in which the intersection T2 has been detected.

[0114] Next, the rebar binding robot 100 travels to the detected intersection point (S1712). For example, as shown in Fig. 18E, the rebar binding robot 100 controls the traveling unit 120 to travel to the intersection point T2 detected by the sensor unit 130. The rebar binding robot 100 travels to the intersection point T2 so that, for example, the rebar binding unit 110 is positioned above the intersection point c12.

[0115] Next, the intersecting portion is tied up (S1714). For example, the rebar binding robot 100 controls the rebar binding unit 110 to tie up the intersecting portion T2.

[0116] Next, it is determined in which region of the intersection map the detected intersection is included (S1716). In the example shown in FIG. 18E, the rebar binding robot 100 determines whether the detected intersection T2 is included in which region r included in the intersection map 194. In this determination process, for example, the angle θ (see FIG. 18F) between the direction D of the rebar binding robot 100 and the direction of the first rebar R11 included in the odometry information may be calculated, and then it may be determined in which region r the intersection T2 is included. This process makes it possible to grasp in which direction the intersection T2 is located with respect to the direction D of the rebar binding robot 100, and therefore it is also possible to determine in which region r the intersection T2 is included. In the example shown in FIG. 18E, an example is shown in which the intersection T2 is determined to be included in the region r2.

[0117] Next, it is determined whether the determined area r is the end position of the travel route (S1718). If it is determined that the determined area r is not the end position of the travel route, the process returns to step S1706. If it is determined that the determined area r is the end position of the travel route, the process ends.

[0118] A method for estimating the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 will be described with reference to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 as viewed from the lower side in the Z direction (-Z direction) for explaining the method for estimating the intersection. As shown in FIG. 19, for example, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 is configured to travel over two reinforcing bars, the first reinforcing bar R12 and the first reinforcing bar R14, as described above, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b detect the first reinforcing bar R13, and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d detect the second reinforcing bar R20. In the example shown in FIG. 17, the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d detect, for example, the second reinforcing bar R23. At this time, the first rebar R13 extending between the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b is estimated based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, and the second rebar R23 extending between the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d is estimated based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d. The intersection point c12 is estimated as the point where the estimated first rebar R13 extending between the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b intersects with the second rebar R23 extending between the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d.

[0119] A method for estimating the intersection point c12 in the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Fig. 20. Fig. 20 is a flowchart of the method for estimating the intersection point c12 in the embodiment of the present disclosure. This process is executed, for example, in step S1710 described above.

[0120] First, the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are obtained (S2002).

[0121] Next, based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, template matching is performed to confirm the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 detected by the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b (S2004).

[0122] The position of the first reinforcing bar R13 is estimated based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b (S2006).

[0123] Next, the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are obtained (S2008).

[0124] Next, the position of the second reinforcing bar R20 is estimated based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d (S2010).

[0125] Next, the intersection point is estimated based on the estimated positions of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the estimated positions of the second reinforcing bar R20 (S2012).

[0126] In this manner, the rebar binding robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is disposed on the rebar group R so that the third direction (Y direction) in which the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are disposed is parallel to the first direction in which the first rebar R10 extends, and the fourth direction in which the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are disposed is parallel to the second direction in which the second rebar R20 extends, and is provided with an intersection point calculation unit 166 which is an intersection point estimation unit that estimates the intersection point c12, and the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are configured to be capable of detecting the first rebar R10, and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are configured to be capable of detecting the second rebar R20. Thus, the intersection point calculation unit 166, which is the intersection point estimation unit, may be configured to estimate the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 (first reinforcing bar R13) detected by both the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, and to estimate the position of the second reinforcing bar R20 (second reinforcing bar R23) detected by both the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d, and to estimate the intersection point c12 between the first reinforcing bar R13 detected by the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b and the second reinforcing bar R23 detected by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d.

[0127] When the rebar binding robot 100 calculates the position of the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 on the first rebar R13, for example, the first sensor 130a may have passed the intersection point (intersection cp12). At this time, for example, the calculated position of the intersection c12 may be adjusted based on information on the intersection cp12 imaged by the first sensor 130a. That is, the rebar binding robot 100 may be configured so that the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b move in a first direction (Y direction) while detecting the first rebar R10, and when the first sensor 130a detects an intersection cp12 where the first rebar R10 intersects with the second rebar R20 while the rebar binding robot 100 is moving, it determines whether the intersection cp12 coincides with an estimated intersection point c12, and when the intersection cp12 and the estimated intersection point c12 do not coincide, it may be configured to adjust the position of the estimated intersection point c12. If the position of the detected intersection point cp12 does not match the position of the estimated intersection point c12, the position of the rebar binding robot 100 may be adjusted, for example, by accelerating or decelerating the first running unit 121a, the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and / or the fourth running unit 121d of the running unit 121, respectively, in a manner similar to that described above regarding the method of making the rebar binding robot 100 follow the first rebar R10, or by controlling the rotation speeds of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d.

[0128] The method of estimating the intersection point described above with reference to Fig. 20 is merely an example and is not limited to the above example. For example, the detection results obtained by the sensors do not have to be obtained in the above order, and the estimation of the position of the reinforcing bar based on the detection results does not have to be performed in the above order.

[0129] Next, a method for calculating the movement amount of the rebar binding robot 100 in the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. With reference to Fig. 19, a case will be described in which the rebar binding robot 100 reaches the vicinity of the end R10e in the Y direction of the first rebar R10 and moves laterally (in the X direction). As shown in Fig. 19, the rebar binding robot 100 travels over the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, binds the portion where the first rebar R13, which is between the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, intersects with the second rebar R20 (e.g., the second rebars R21, R22, R23, R24, and R25), and reaches the vicinity of the end R12e, end R13e, and end R14e. At this time, the rebar tying robot 100 will next perform the tying work on the first rebar R14, which is the rebar adjacent to the first rebar R13 in the X direction (+X direction) on which it has been performing the tying work, and therefore moves in the X direction (+X direction, the direction from the first rebar R13 to the first rebar R14).

[0130] A method for lateral movement of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 in this case will be described with reference to Fig. 21. Fig. 21 is a flow chart relating to the lateral movement of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100.

[0131] First, the detection result of the first sensor 130a is obtained (S2102).

[0132] Next, template matching is performed on the detection result of the first sensor 130a (S2104).

[0133] Next, based on the result of template matching, it is determined whether the end R13e of the first reinforcing bar R13 detected by the first sensor 130a has been detected (S2106).

[0134] Next, it is determined whether the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 has been detected (S2108). As the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20, for example, as shown in FIG. 19, it may be determined whether any of the ends R21e, R22e, R23e, R24e, and R25e of the second reinforcing bars R21, R22, R23, R24, and R25 has been detected.

[0135] For example, it may be determined whether the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 has been detected based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 performs the binding work of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 from the first reinforcing bar R10 on the left side of the X axis to the first reinforcing bar R10 on the right side of the X axis when viewed from above in the Z direction. Therefore, it may be determined whether the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 on the right side in the X direction has been detected based on the detection results of the fourth sensor 130d provided on the right side in the X direction when viewed from above in the Z direction. For example, when the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 on the right side in the X direction is detected by the fourth sensor 130d, it is possible that the binding work of the last first reinforcing bar R10 has been completed, so the binding work of the reinforcing bar group R that is the work target may be terminated.

[0136] The detection of the end R20e is not limited to this, and may be determined based on the detection result of another sensor, for example, in the case where the bundling work is performed from the first rebar R10 on the right side in the X direction to the first rebar R10 on the left side in the X direction, the end R20e on the left side in the X direction of the second rebar R20 may be detected by the third sensor 130c. It is also possible to configure the bundling work to end based on a condition other than the detection of the end R20e. For example, it is also possible to configure the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100 to move by setting a condition to start the bundling work of another reinforcing bar at a position other than the end R20e, or to change the bundling position due to the occurrence of a factor such as the detection of a foreign object, and to change the reinforcing bar to be bundled and to move the reinforcing bar bundling robot 100. In addition, it is also possible for the first sensor 130a and / or the second sensor 130b to detect the second rebar R20 by adjusting, for example, the placement location, inclination, angle of view, etc., so detection of the end R20e of the second rebar R20 may be performed using the detection results of the first sensor 130a and / or the second sensor 130b.

[0137] Next, the detection result of the fourth sensor 130d is obtained (S2110).

[0138] Next, template matching is performed based on the detection result of the fourth sensor 130d (S2112).

[0139] Next, the first reinforcing bar R10 to which the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 will move is estimated based on the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 detected by the fourth sensor 130d (S2114). In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the fourth sensor 130d detects a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 19, the fourth sensor 130d may detect the first reinforcing bar R14 located on the right side of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 in the X direction. In addition, since the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 has performed the binding work at the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 along the first reinforcing bar R13, when performing the binding work at the intersection along the first reinforcing bar R14 next, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 moves laterally so as to travel, for example, on the first reinforcing bar R13 and the first reinforcing bar R15. For example, lateral movement may be performed to move the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction so that the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c run on the first rebar R13, and the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d run on the first rebar R15.

[0140] Next, the amount of lateral movement is calculated (S2116). The amount of lateral movement of the rebar binding robot 100 may be calculated by the following method. For example, as described above, when the rebar binding robot 100 moves to the right in the X direction (+X direction) when viewed from above in the Z direction, that is, when it moves in the direction in which the fourth sensor 130d is disposed, the amount of lateral movement of the rebar binding robot 100 may be calculated based on two pieces of information: how far the fourth sensor 130d is from the center of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction, and how far the first rebar R14 detected by the fourth sensor 130d is from the fourth sensor 130d.

[0141] When calculating how far the fourth sensor 130d is from the center of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction, the center of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction may be, for example, the position where the rebar binding unit 110 is located. Alternatively, the binding position by the rebar binding unit 110 may be regarded as the center of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction. In this case, for example, the position in the X direction of the first rebar R13, which is the target for the rebar binding robot 100 to perform the binding work, may be determined to be the center position of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction. Note that the center position of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction and the distance of the fourth sensor 130d from the center position of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction (distance in the X direction) may be calculated in advance and stored in the storage device 198. In a configuration in which the position of the sensor unit 130 can be changed, for example, when the position of the fourth sensor 130d is changed depending on a construction site or the like, the direction and amount by which the fourth sensor 130d has been moved may be calculated, and the distance in the X direction of the fourth sensor 130d from the center in the X direction of the rebar binding robot 100 may be calculated taking into account the amount of movement of the fourth sensor 130d. In addition, the distance from the fourth sensor 130d to the first rebar R14 detected by the fourth sensor 130d may be calculated, for example, based on an image captured by the fourth sensor 130d.

[0142] For example, if the fourth sensor 130d is attached at a position 100 away in the X direction from the center of the X direction of the rebar binding robot 100 (e.g., the position of the first rebar R13), and the first rebar R14 is at a position 20 away from the fourth sensor 130d in a direction away from the center of the X direction of the rebar binding robot 100, the spacing of the first rebar R10 (the spacing between the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R14) may be calculated to be 121, and control may be performed to set the lateral movement amount to 121. For example, if the fourth sensor 130d is attached at a position 20 cm away in the X direction from the center of the X direction of the rebar binding robot 100 (e.g., the position of the first rebar R13), and the first rebar R14 is at a position 4 cm away from the fourth sensor 130d in a direction away from the center of the X direction of the rebar binding robot 100, the spacing of the first rebar R10 (spacing between the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R14) may be calculated to be 24 cm, and control may be performed to set the lateral movement amount to 24 cm. In addition, if the fourth sensor 130d is attached at a position 20 cm away in the X direction from the center of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction (for example, the position of the first rebar R13), and the first rebar R14 is located 4 cm closer to the center of the rebar binding robot 100 in the X direction from the fourth sensor 130d, the spacing of the first rebar R10 (spacing between the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R14) may be calculated to be 16 cm, and control may be performed to set the lateral movement amount to 16 cm.

[0143] The amount of lateral movement of the rebar binding robot 100 may be calculated so that, for example, when the rebar binding robot 100 is moved laterally to next bind an intersection on the first rebar R14, the rebar binding robot 100 moves laterally as a whole by an amount equivalent to the interval between adjacent first rebars R10, as described above. In the above example, the first running unit 121a and the third running unit 121c move from the first rebar R12 to the first rebar R13, and the second running unit 121b and the fourth running unit 121d move from the first rebar R14 to the first rebar R15. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rebars R10 are arranged at approximately equal intervals and approximately parallel to each other, so that the amount of movement in the X direction of the first running unit 121a to the fourth running unit 121d is equal. Therefore, the lateral movement amount may be, for example, the distance in the X direction between the first reinforcing bars R14 and the first reinforcing bars R15 detected by the fourth sensor 130d. Alternatively, since the distances between the first reinforcing bars R10 are almost equal, the lateral movement amount may be calculated based on the distance between adjacent first reinforcing bars R10 calculated based on the detection results by other sensors. Also, the distance in the X direction between multiple (e.g., three or more) first reinforcing bars R10 may be calculated, and the average value of the calculated distances in the X direction between the multiple first reinforcing bars R10 may be calculated, and the average value of the distances between the first reinforcing bars R10 may be used as the lateral movement amount. By calculating the average value, for example, even if there is an error in the distance between the first reinforcing bars R10, the effect of the error on the calculated lateral movement amount can be reduced.

[0144] Next, the rebar binding robot 100 is moved laterally based on the calculated amount of lateral movement (S2118).

[0145] After completing its lateral movement, the rebar tying robot 100 may, for example, move along the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R15 where the first running unit 121a to the fourth running unit 121d are located after the movement (S2120), and begin tying work at the intersection point c12 on the first rebar R14.

[0146] The detection of the end R10e of the first rebar R10 described above may be determined, for example, by preparing a template corresponding to the image of the end R10e and determining the degree of matching between the end R10e and the template. For example, when preparing a template image extending in one direction for the portion other than the end R10e as illustrated with reference to Fig. 16, a template image may be prepared for the end R10e in which the length in the Y direction of the portion corresponding to the rebar is shorter than that of the portion other than the end R10e.

[0147] Alternatively, it may be determined that the end R10e is being reached when the degree of matching is within a certain range. For example, in the portion other than the end R10e of the first rebar R10, the presence of the portion other than the end R10e of the first rebar R10 may be determined when the degree of matching is relatively close to 100%, i.e., 75% or more, and it may be determined that the portion of the first rebar R10 close to the end R10e is being traveled when the degree of matching is relatively low, for example, 50% or more and 75% or less. The degree of matching here is merely an example for the portion other than the end R10e and for the vicinity of the end R10e, and other values ​​may be set, or the reference value may be configured to be changeable depending on the arrangement of the rebars and other environments.

[0148] In this way, when the rebar tying robot 100 moves laterally, the detection result of the first rebar R10 by the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d is used in particular. As for the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d, as described above, for example, when calculating the position of the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20, the detection result of the position of the second rebar R20 by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d is used. In other words, when calculating the position of the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20, the detection result of the position of the first rebar R10 by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d does not need to be used, so in this case, the first rebar R10 does not need to be detected by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d. When the rebar tying robot 100 progresses with the rebar tying work and reaches the end R10e of the first rebar R10, for example, the rebar tying robot 100 moves laterally, and therefore, the imaging range of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be changed, for example, by changing the orientation of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d so that the first rebar R10 can be detected by the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d and the amount of movement can be calculated.

[0149] 21, an example has been described in which the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the fourth sensor 130d are used, but the sensors that refer to the detection results are not limited to these, and it is also possible to change which sensor is used depending on the traveling direction of the rebar binding robot 100, for example. As described above, when the end R10e of the first rebar R10 is detected by the first sensor 130a, the rebar binding robot 100 is not limited to moving laterally in the direction of the fourth sensor 130d, and for example, when the end R10e of the first rebar R10 is detected by the first sensor 130a, the rebar binding robot 100 may move laterally in the direction of the third sensor 130c. Also, for example, when the end R10e of the first rebar R10 is detected by the second sensor 130b, the rebar tying robot 100 may move laterally in the direction of the third sensor 130c, or when the end R10e of the first rebar R10 is detected by the second sensor 130b, the rebar tying robot 100 may move laterally in the direction of the fourth sensor 130d.

[0150] 22A to 27B, an example of lateral movement of the rebar binding robot 100 will be described below. Fig. 22A to Fig. 27B are views of the rebar binding robot 100 during lateral movement, Fig. 22A, Fig. 23A, ..., Fig. 27A are views of the rebar binding robot 100 as seen from behind, and Fig. 22B, Fig. 23B, ..., Fig. 27B are views of the rebar binding robot 100 as seen from diagonally above.

[0151] 22A and 22B show the rebar binding robot 100 before starting its lateral movement. As shown in Fig. 22A and 22B, the rebar binding robot 100 travels over the first rebars R12 and R14.

[0152] Next, the rebar binding robot 100 starts to move laterally. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, as described above, it is determined that the rebar binding robot 100 starts to move laterally when it is determined that the rebar binding robot 100 has reached or is about to reach the vicinity of the end R10e of the first rebar R10 based on the detection result by the first sensor 130a. Figures 23A and 23B show the state when the rebar binding robot 100 starts to move laterally. As shown in Figures 23A and 23B, the rebar binding robot 100 does not move the traveling unit 121, but moves in the direction in which the main unit 140 moves (X direction). As shown in Figures 23A and 23B, at this time, the first traveling unit 121a and the second traveling unit 121b are present on the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, respectively, without moving. At this time, the support bars 150a and 150b are not in contact with any of the rebars. The lateral movement of the main unit 140 (here, for example, movement in the horizontal direction (movement in the X direction)) may be performed, for example, by driving the first lateral movement roller 146la and the second lateral movement roller 146lb provided on the first connecting portion 147a and the second connecting portion 147b by the first lateral movement motor 146ma and the second lateral movement motor 146mb of the lateral movement unit 146 not shown in Figures 23A and 23B, and moving the main unit 140 in the X direction via the first driving rack 146ca and the second driving rack 146cb.

[0153] Next, the rebar binding robot 100 moves the traveling unit 121 (the lower end of the traveling unit 121) upward relative to the first rebar R10. As shown in Fig. 24A and Fig. 24B, the lower end of the traveling unit 121 in the -Z direction is raised upward in the Z direction (+Z direction) in Fig. 24A and Fig. 24B. At this time, for example, the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a move in a direction in which they relatively approach each other (i.e., the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a close to each other). In other words, the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a move so that the angle formed by the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a becomes smaller. Similarly, for the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d, the second body side link portion 125b and the second roller side link portion 123b, the third body side link portion 125c and the first roller side link portion 123c, and the fourth body side link portion 125d and the fourth roller side link portion 123d move in the closing direction, respectively.

[0154] When the main body side link portion 125 and the roller side link portion 123 close and the lower end of the traveling unit 121 rises, the support bars 150a and 150b relatively descend. When the traveling unit 121 moves away from the first rebar R10, the support bars 150a and 150b come into contact with the first rebar R10. For example, the running unit 121 may be configured so that its length in the Z direction can be changed by closing the main body side link portion 125 and the roller side link portion 123 (the first main body side link portion 125a and the first roller side link portion 123a, the second main body side link portion 125b and the second roller side link portion 123b, the third main body side link portion 125c and the third roller side link portion 123c, and the fourth main body side link portion 125d and the fourth roller side link portion 123d) which correspond to a configuration supporting the rollers (the first roller portion 122a, the second roller portion 122b, the third roller portion 122c, and the fourth roller portion 122d) using a motor or the like (for example, the first wheel height changing motor 126a, the second wheel height changing motor 126b, the third wheel height changing motor 126c, and the fourth wheel height changing motor 126d shown in FIG. 7). The roller portion 122 may be raised by closing the main body side link portion 125 and the roller side link portion 123, so that the roller portion 122 moves away from the first rebar R10.

[0155] 24A and 24B, the support bars 150a and 150b contact, for example, the first rebars R11 to R14. In this way, the entire rebar binding robot 100 is supported by the support bars 150a and 150b.

[0156] Next, the traveling units 121 of the rebar binding robot 100 move in the X direction. As shown in Fig. 25A and Fig. 25B, the first traveling unit 121a and the third traveling unit 121c, and the second traveling unit 121b and the fourth traveling unit 121d, which were in contact with the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, respectively, are moved above the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R15. At this time, none of the first traveling units 121a to the fourth traveling unit 121d are in contact with the first rebar R10, and the support bars 150a and 150b are in contact with the first rebar R10 (the first rebars R12 to R15) and support the rebar binding robot 100.

[0157] Next, the main body side link part 125 and the roller side link part 123 of the traveling unit 121 are opened. As a result, the lower end of the traveling unit 121 in the -Z direction is lowered relatively to the first rebar R10. At this time, for example, the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a move in a direction in which they move relatively away from each other (i.e., the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a open). That is, the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a move so that the angle formed by the first main body side link part 125a and the first roller side link part 123a becomes larger. Similarly, for the second running unit 121b, the third running unit 121c, and the fourth running unit 121d, the second body side link portion 125b and the second roller side link portion 123b, the third body side link portion 125c and the first roller side link portion 123c, and the fourth body side link portion 125d and the fourth roller side link portion 123d move in the opening direction, respectively.

[0158] As shown in Figures 26A and 26B, the lower end of the -Z direction of the traveling unit 121 is lowered downward in the Z direction (-Z direction) in Figures 26A and 26B. As shown in Figures 26A and 26B, the first traveling unit 121a and the third traveling unit 121c contact the first rebar R13, and the second traveling unit 121b and the fourth traveling unit 121d contact the first rebar R15. Therefore, the support bars 150a and 150b rise relative to the first rebar R10. Therefore, in this state, the rebar binding robot 100 is supported by the traveling units 121.

[0159] Next, as shown in Figures 27A and 27B, the main unit 140 is moved in the X direction. As described above with reference to Figures 23A and 23B, the lateral movement of the main unit 140 shown in Figures 27A and 27B (here, for example, movement in the horizontal direction (movement in the X direction)) may be performed, for example, by the first lateral movement motor 146ma and the second lateral movement motor 146mb of the lateral movement unit 146 not shown in Figures 27A and 27B. In this way, the lateral movement of the rebar binding robot 100 is completed. The rebar binding robot 100 starts traveling, for example, on the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R15, and performs the binding work at the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 on the first rebar R14.

[0160] The above describes an example in which the rebar tying robot 100 moves from the first rebars R12 and R14 to the first rebars R13 and R15, but it is also possible to move to a location separated by multiple first rebars R10. In this case, the robot can move using the same method as above, or the robot can move a longer distance by repeating the above movement method. In addition, when moving to a location separated by multiple first rebars R10, the movement amount may be calculated based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130 using the same method.

[0161] Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 may move laterally by other methods, not limited to the method described above. Even in such cases, it is possible to calculate the amount of movement of the rebar tying robot 100 based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130 in accordance with the movement amount calculation method in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and by using the movement amount calculation method in the embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to smoothly move the rebar tying robot 100.

[0162] As described above, the rebar binding robot 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a traveling unit 121 configured to travel on a group of rebars R including a plurality of first rebars R1 whose extension direction is a first direction (Y direction) and a plurality of second rebars R2 whose extension direction is a second direction (X direction) intersecting the first direction (Y direction) and arranged so as to intersect with the first rebars R1, a sensor unit 130 configured to detect at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20, and a first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or a second rebar determination unit 164a2 (also referred to as a "rebar position calculation unit" in this embodiment) configured to calculate the position of at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20 detected by the sensor unit 130 based on the pixel values ​​of a plurality of pixels that constitute a two-dimensional image generated by the detection results of the sensor unit 130. The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the efficiency of the calculation process of the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 by calculating the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 based on a two-dimensional image generated by the detection result of the sensor unit 130. Therefore, the efficiency of the rebar detection process in the rebar detection work of the rebar tying robot 100 can be improved. For example, by performing calculations based on two-dimensional images as the detection result of the sensor unit, the calculation load can be reduced compared to the case where the position of the rebar is calculated using three-dimensional data.

[0163] Improvements in the technical level of the various units that make up the rebar tying robot 100 have made it possible to speed up and streamline rebar tying work. In order to speed up rebar tying work, it is considered desirable to speed up the process of detecting rebars and the intersections between rebars where the rebars are tied. The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can improve the efficiency of the rebar detection process, thereby contributing to speeding up rebar tying work.

[0164] In addition, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes, for example, a group of rebars including a plurality of first rebars R10 whose extension direction is a first direction (Y direction) and a plurality of second rebars R20 whose extension direction is a second direction (X direction) intersecting the first direction (Y direction) and arranged so as to intersect with the first rebars R10. The rebar tying unit 110 is configured to tie the intersections c12 between the first rebars R10 and the second rebars R20 of the group of rebars, and a traveling unit 110 configured to be able to travel on the first rebars R10 and / or the second rebars R20. The reinforcing bar binding robot 100 includes a knit 121, a first sensor 130a and a second sensor 130b that are configured to detect at least one first reinforcing bar R10 and / or at least one second reinforcing bar R20 and are arranged at a distance from each other along a third direction (Y direction), and a third sensor 130c and a fourth sensor 130d that are configured to detect at least one first reinforcing bar R10 and / or at least one second reinforcing bar R20 and are arranged at a distance from each other along a fourth direction (X direction) that intersects with the third direction (Y direction). As described above, the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 includes four sensors 130 (the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d), and therefore, for example, as described above, the detection of the intersection point c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 can be efficiently performed. The position of the intersection point c12 can be confirmed, for example, by providing a sensor near the rebar binding unit 110, but since the rebar binding unit 110 is configured to move up and down, it may be difficult to provide a sensor in the vicinity. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, even if no sensor is provided near the rebar binding unit 110, the position of the intersection point c12 can be estimated based on the detection results of the four sensors 130.

[0165] In addition, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes, for example, a group of rebars including a plurality of first rebars R10 whose extension direction is a first direction (Y direction) and a plurality of second rebars R20 whose extension direction is a second direction (X direction) that intersects the first direction (Y direction), and includes a rebar tying unit 110 configured to tie intersections c12 between the first rebars R10 and the second rebars R20 of the group of rebars, and a rebar tying unit 110 configured to be capable of traveling on the first rebars R10 and / or the second rebars R20. The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a traveling unit 121, a sensor unit 130 configured to detect the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20, and a movement amount calculation unit 174 that calculates the movement amount of the traveling unit 121 based on the position information of the first rebar R10 or the second rebar R20 detected by the sensor unit 130 when the traveling unit 121 moves from the first rebar R10 or the second rebar R20 on which it is traveling to another first rebar R10 or another second rebar R20. As described above, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can determine the position of the rebar to which the rebar tying robot 100 is to move based on the detection result of the sensor unit 130, and calculate the movement amount of the rebar tying robot 100 based on the position of the rebar on which the traveling unit 121 of the rebar tying robot 100 is to move and the position of the rebar to which it is to move. For example, when the rebar tying robot 100 reaches the end of the rebar on which it has been performing rebar tying work, and then moves to the next rebar on which it will perform rebar tying work, the amount of movement can be calculated based on the detection results by the sensor unit 130.

[0166] In the above-described embodiment of the present disclosure, an example has been described in which the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 performs reinforcing bar tying work at the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 in a group of reinforcing bars arranged so that the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are perpendicular to each other. However, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be used in cases in which the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are in a non-perpendicular relationship.

[0167] FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram of a rebar bundling robot 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from below in the Z direction (-Z direction). As shown in FIG. 28, in this embodiment, the second rebar R20 is arranged at an angle of about 30° with respect to the first rebar R10. The rebar bundling robot 200 according to this embodiment has a different position of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d from the rebar bundling robot 100. The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d of the rebar bundling robot 200 are arranged so as to be on a straight line that is inclined at 30° with respect to the X direction. In the rebar bundling robot 200, the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are arranged to be aligned with the second rebar R20 and in a direction inclined from the X direction, so that the second rebar R20 can be detected in the same manner as the rebar bundling robot 100.

[0168] In this way, the arrangement of the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d may be changed depending on the arrangement of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20. The arrangement of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be changed manually or automatically before starting the rebar binding work depending on the construction site where the rebar group R to be bound is located, for example. Alternatively, even after the rebar binding robot 100 starts traveling, the relationship between the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 may be determined based on the detection result of the sensor unit 130, and the arrangement of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be dynamically changed based on the determination result. In this case, for example, a motor or the like capable of driving the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d may be provided, and the positions of the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d may be changed by driving the motor.

[0169] The present embodiment has been described above with reference to specific examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Any design modifications made by a person skilled in the art to these specific examples are also included within the scope of the present disclosure as long as they have the features of the present disclosure. The elements of each of the above-mentioned specific examples and their arrangements, conditions, shapes, etc. are not limited to those exemplified and can be changed as appropriate. The combination of each of the elements of each of the above-mentioned specific examples can be changed as appropriate as long as no technical contradiction occurs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0170] 100, 200 Rebar tying robot 110 Rebar Binding Unit 120 Mobile Units 121 Traveling unit 121a 1st running unit 121b Second traveling unit 121c 3rd running unit 121d 4th running unit 130 Sensor unit 130a First sensor 130b Second sensor 130c 3rd sensor 130d 4th sensor 140 Main unit 146 Lateral Movement Unit 150 Support bar 160 Control Unit 162 Sensor detection result acquisition unit 164 Judgment section 166 Intersection Calculation Section 168 Rebar binding unit control section 170 Driving control unit 172 Stop control section 174 Movement amount calculation unit 176 Attitude Control Unit 178 Motor control unit 184 Intersection Map Generation Unit 186 Driving route generation unit 188 Foreign object bypass control unit 190 Odometry information calculation unit c12 Intersection cp12 intersection R10 1st Reinforcement Bar R20 2nd Reinforcement Bar

Claims

1. A rebar binding unit configured to bind an intersection of at least two rebars of the plurality of rebars; A traveling unit configured to be capable of traveling on the plurality of reinforcing bars; A traveling control unit that controls the traveling of the traveling unit; A binding device comprising: A binding device, wherein the travel control unit controls the travel of the travel unit based on a map including a plurality of areas including the estimated position of the intersection.

2. a detection unit for detecting the intersection within a predetermined detection area; The traveling control unit further controls traveling of the traveling unit based on the position of the intersection point detected by the detection unit. The strapping device of claim 1.

3. The driving control unit further comprises: determining which of the plurality of regions included in the map the position of the intersection detected by the detection unit is included in, and controlling the traveling of the traveling unit based on the result of the determination; The strapping device according to claim 2.

4. The travel control unit generates the map based on arrangement information regarding the arrangement of the plurality of reinforcing bars. The strapping device of claim 1.

5. The arrangement information includes information regarding the pitch of the plurality of reinforcing bars and / or information regarding the number of intersections; 5. The strapping device according to claim 4.

6. the driving control unit controls the driving of the driving unit so as to pass through each of the plurality of areas included in the map; The strapping device of claim 1.

7. The driving control unit includes: generating a driving route passing through each of the plurality of areas included in the map; Controlling the travel of the traveling unit based on the travel route.

7. The strapping device according to claim 6.

8. an obstacle detection unit for detecting an obstacle within a predetermined detection area; the driving control unit updates the generated driving route when a result of the obstacle detection by the obstacle detection unit is updated.

8. The strapping device according to claim 7.

9. The obstacle detection unit detects an angle between a direction of at least one of the plurality of reinforcing bars and a direction of the binding device; When the obstacle detection unit detects an obstacle, the driving control unit updates the generated driving route based on the angle.

9. The strapping device of claim 8.

10. The driving control unit includes: Identifying an area including the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit among the plurality of areas; updating the travel route so as not to include the identified area; 10. A binding device according to claim 8 or 9.

11. when the obstacle detected in the identified area is no longer detected by the obstacle detection unit, the travel control unit updates the travel route to include the identified area. The strapping device of claim 10.

12. A binding device according to claim 1; A map generating device that generates the map based on arrangement information regarding the arrangement of the plurality of reinforcing bars; A system comprising:

13. The map generating device generates the arrangement information by detecting the plurality of reinforcing bars. The system of claim 12.

Images