Control system, control method, and program

Abstract

To determine a stop position according to environment.SOLUTION: A control system that controls a mobile body capable of autonomously moving in a region where a pedestrian can move includes: a detection part that detects an object around the mobile body; a recognition part that recognizes, based on results of the detection performed by the detection part, a stop position where a traffic participant who is estimated to pass the mobile body included in the object and the mobile body can retreat; and a control part that, upon estimation that the traffic participant and the mobile body pass each other, stops the mobile body at the stop position in a manner such as to include the mobile body in a visual range of the traffic participant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, robots that guide users to desired locations or transport luggage are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-111011 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above system, the stopping position of the moving object is not sufficiently considered.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a control system, a control method, and a program that can determine a stopping position according to the environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The control system, the control method, and the program according to the present invention employ the following configuration. (1): A control system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control system for controlling a moving body that can move autonomously within an area in which pedestrians can move, and includes a detection unit that detects objects around the moving body, a recognition unit that recognizes traffic participants that are estimated to pass the moving body included in the objects based on the detection results of the detection unit and stopping positions where the moving body can escape, and a control unit that stops the moving body at a stopping position so that the moving body is included in the field of view of the traffic participant when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other.

[0007] (2): In the above aspect (1), when there are multiple traffic participants and multiple stop position candidates, the control unit determines, as a stop position, a stop position candidate among the multiple stop position candidates that includes the moving body within the field of view of each of the multiple traffic participants, and stops the moving body at the stop position.

[0008] (3): In the above aspect (1), when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other, the control unit assumes that the moving body has stopped at each of the multiple candidate stop positions, and determines as the stopping position the candidate stop position at which the moving body is located at or near the center of the field of view in the horizontal direction.

[0009] (4): In the above aspect (1), when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving object will pass each other, the control unit assumes that the moving object has stopped at each of a plurality of stop position candidates, and determines as the stop position the stop position candidate among the stop position candidates that corresponds to the field of view in which the moving object is not obscured by the object and a larger portion of the moving object is included.

[0010] (5): In the above aspect (1), when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other and there are multiple traffic participants, and it is assumed that the moving body has stopped at each of multiple stop position candidates, the control unit calculates, for each of the multiple traffic participants for each stop position candidate, an index based on the size of an area in which the moving body can be recognized without being hidden by objects in the field of view of each of the multiple traffic participants for each stop position candidate, and further determines the stop position candidate with the largest index among the multiple indexes after statistical processing of the indexes of each of the multiple traffic participants for each stop position candidate.

[0011] (6): In any of the aspects of (1) above, when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other, the control unit assumes that the moving body has stopped at each of a plurality of stop position candidates, and determines the stop position based on index information in which an index corresponding to the degree of deviation of the horizontal distance from the horizontal center of the field of view is associated with the horizontal position of the moving body that is not hidden by the object corresponding to each of the stop position candidates in the field of view.

[0012] (7): In the above aspect (6), the index information is set so that the index becomes lower the greater the horizontal distance from the horizontal center of the field of view, and the control unit derives the sum of the indexes of the index information according to the horizontal position of the moving body relative to each of the field of view of a plurality of traffic participants, and determines the stopping position by referring to each of the derived sums.

[0013] (8): In any of the above aspects (1) to (7), in a narrow road where the moving body needs to move in a width direction to avoid the traffic participant when passing the traffic participant, the control unit stops the moving body at a stopping position so that the moving body is included in the field of view of the traffic participant.

[0014] (9): In any of the above aspects (1) to (7), after the control unit moves the moving body to the stopping position or near the stopping position, the control unit moves the moving body in a width direction opposite to the direction in which the traffic participant is located as the traffic participant approaches the moving body.

[0015] (10): In any one of the above aspects (1) to (7), the moving body is capable of autonomously moving in an area where vehicles cannot move and pedestrians can move.

[0016] (11): A control method according to another aspect of the present invention is a control method in which a computer of a control system that controls a moving body that can move autonomously in an area where pedestrians can move is a control method in which, based on the detection results of a detection unit that detects objects around the moving body, a traffic participant that is estimated to pass the moving body included in the objects and a stopping position where the moving body can escape, are recognized, and when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other, the control method stops the moving body at a stopping position so that the moving body is included in the field of view of the traffic participant.

[0017] (12): A program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer of a control system for controlling a moving body that can move autonomously within an area in which pedestrians can move to execute a process of recognizing a traffic participant that is estimated to pass the moving body included in the objects and a stopping position where the moving body can escape, based on the detection result of a detection unit that detects objects around the moving body, and a process of stopping the moving body at a stopping position so that the moving body is included in the field of view of the traffic participant when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the aspects (1) to (12), a stopping position can be determined according to the environment.

[0019] According to the aspect (9), the control device moves the moving body to a stopping position or near the stopping position, and then, as the traffic participants approach the moving body, moves the moving body in the width direction opposite to the direction in which the traffic participants are present, thereby controlling the moving body so that it is easy for the traffic participants to recognize and does not interfere with the traffic participants. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object system 1 including a mobile object 100. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a usage mode of a moving object 100. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a guidance mode. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a moving body 100. [Diagram 5] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a moving object 100. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining avoidance control. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the control device 200. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of index information 226. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an index (In) for deriving the above index. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining Modification 1. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of index information 226A according to Modification Example 1 including a cumulative index, which is a cumulative index. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining index information 226B of the third modification example. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process of the modified example 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the control system, control method, and program of the present invention will be described. The control system of the mobile body of the present invention controls the drive device of the mobile body to move the mobile body. The mobile body in the present invention autonomously moves in an area where pedestrians walk, leading a leading subject and following the subject. The mobile body can move in an area where pedestrians can move, even if a vehicle (car, motorcycle, light vehicle) cannot move. The area where pedestrians move is a sidewalk, a public open space, a floor in a building, etc., and may include a roadway. In the following description, it is assumed that no person rides on the mobile body, but a person may ride on the mobile body. The leading subject is, for example, one of the pedestrians, but may also be a robot or an animal. For example, the mobile body moves a little ahead of an elderly user while heading toward a predetermined destination point, so that other pedestrians who are an obstacle to the user's movement do not get too close to the user (that is, it operates to make a way for the user). The user is not limited to the elderly, but may be a person who tends to have difficulty walking, a child, a person shopping at a supermarket, a patient moving in a hospital, a pet taking a walk, etc. Also, the user does not necessarily need to determine the destination point in advance, and the direction in which the user moves may be predicted and the vehicle may move autonomously in front of the user at the user's moving speed. Note that such an operation may not be performed all the time, but may be performed temporarily. For example, when a moving body runs alongside or pursues a user and detects a predetermined situation (e.g., the presence of an obstacle or traffic congestion) in the user's traveling direction, the moving body may temporarily lead the user by executing the algorithm of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile body system 1 including a mobile body 100. The mobile body system ("control system") 1 includes, for example, one or more terminal devices 2, a management device 10, one or more imaging units 20, an information providing device 30, and one or more mobile bodies 100. These communicate with each other, for example, via a network NW. The network NW is any network, such as a LAN, a WAN, or an Internet line. A part of the functional configuration included in the information providing device 30 may be mounted on the mobile body 100, and a part of the functional configuration included in the mobile body 100 may be mounted on the information providing device 30.

[0023] [Terminal Device] The terminal device 2 is, for example, a computer device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. The terminal device 2 requests the provision of authority to use the mobile object 100 from the management device 10 based on, for example, an operation by a user, and obtains information indicating that the use has been permitted.

[0024] [Management device] In response to a request from the terminal device 2, the management device 10 grants the user of the terminal device 2 the authority to use the mobile object 100 and manages reservations for the use of the mobile object 100. The management device 10 generates and manages schedule information that associates, for example, preregistered user identification information with the date and time of reservations for the use of the mobile object 100.

[0025] [Imaging section] The imaging unit 20 is a camera that captures images of the scenery of a target area. The imaging unit 20 provides the information providing device 30 with images captured at predetermined intervals.

[0026] [Information provision device] The information providing device 30 provides the mobile body 100 with information on the location of the mobile body 100, the area in which the mobile body 100 moves, and map information on the surrounding area. In response to a request from the mobile body 100, the information providing device 30 may generate a route to the destination of the mobile body 100 and provide the generated route to the mobile body 100. Details of the information providing device 30 will be described later.

[0027] [Mobile object] The moving body 100 is used by a user in the following manner of use. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the manner of use of the moving body 100. The moving body 100 can autonomously move in an area where pedestrians can move. The moving body 100 can pass through, for example, an area where vehicles cannot pass. The moving body 100 is disposed, for example, at a predetermined position in a facility or a town. When a user wants to use the moving body 100, the user can start using the moving body 100 by operating an operation unit (not shown) of the moving body 100, or can start using the moving body 100 by operating the terminal device 2. For example, when a user goes shopping and has a lot of luggage, the user starts using the moving body 100 and puts the luggage in a storage unit of the moving body 100. Then, the moving body 100 moves together with the user so as to autonomously follow the user. The user can continue shopping or move to the next destination with the luggage stored in the moving body 100. For example, the moving body 100 moves together with the user while moving on a sidewalk or a crosswalk on a roadway. The mobile body 100 can move in areas where pedestrians can pass, such as roadways and sidewalks. For example, the mobile body 100 may be used in indoor or outdoor facilities or private land, such as shopping centers, airports, parks, and theme parks, and can move in areas where pedestrians can pass.

[0028] The moving body 100 may be capable of moving autonomously in a mode such as a guidance mode or an emergency mode in addition to (or instead of) the following mode in which the moving body 100 follows the user as described above.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the guidance mode. The guidance mode is a mode in which the user is guided to a destination specified by the user, and the mobile unit moves autonomously in front of the user in accordance with the user's moving speed to lead the user. As shown in FIG. 3, when a user is looking for a specific product in a shopping center, if the user requests the mobile unit 100 to lead the user to the location of the specific product, the mobile unit 100 leads the user to the location of the product. This allows the user to easily find the specific product. When the mobile unit 100 is used in a shopping center, the mobile unit 100 or the information providing device 30 holds information in which the location of the product, the location of the store, the location of the facility in the shopping center, etc. are associated with map information, and map information of the shopping center. This map information includes detailed map information including the width of roads and passages.

[0030] The emergency mode is a mode in which the moving body 100 moves autonomously to request help from nearby people or facilities in order to help the user if something unusual happens to the user (e.g., the user falls) while moving with the user. In addition to (or instead of) following or guiding the user as described above, the moving body 100 may move while keeping a proper distance from the user.

[0031] 4 is a perspective view showing the moving body 100. In the following explanation, the forward direction of the moving body 100 is the plus x-direction, the rearward direction of the moving body 100 is the minus x-direction, the width direction of the moving body 100, which is the left direction based on the plus x-direction, the right direction is the minus y-direction, and the height direction of the moving body 100, which is a direction perpendicular to the x-direction and y-direction, is the plus z-direction.

[0032] The moving body 100 includes, for example, a base body 110, a door section 112 provided on the base body 110, and wheels (first wheel 120, second wheel 130, and third wheel 140) attached to the base body 110. For example, a user can open the door section 112 to put luggage into a storage section provided on the base body 110 or take luggage out of the storage section. The first wheel 120 and the second wheel 130 are driving wheels, and the third wheel 140 is an auxiliary wheel (driven wheel). The moving body 100 may be movable using a configuration other than wheels, such as caterpillars.

[0033] A cylindrical support 150 extending in the positive z direction is provided on the surface of the base 110 in the positive z direction. A camera 180 that captures an image of the surroundings of the moving body 100 is provided on the end of the support 150 in the positive z direction. The position at which the camera 180 is provided may be any position different from the above.

[0034] Camera 180 is, for example, a camera capable of capturing images of the periphery of moving body 100 at a wide angle (for example, 360 degrees). Camera 180 may include multiple cameras. Camera 180 may be realized by combining, for example, multiple 120-degree cameras or multiple 60-degree cameras.

[0035] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the moving body 100. In addition to the functional configuration shown in FIG. 4, the moving body 100 further includes a first motor 122, a second motor 132, a battery 134, a brake device 136, a steering device 138, a communication unit 190, and a control device 200. The first motor 122 and the second motor 132 are operated by power supplied to the battery 134. The first motor 122 drives the first wheel 120, and the second motor 132 drives the second wheel 130. The first motor 122 may be an in-wheel motor provided in the wheel of the first wheel 120, and the second motor 132 may be an in-wheel motor provided in the wheel of the second wheel 130.

[0036] The brake device 136 outputs a brake torque to each wheel based on an instruction from the control device 200. The steering device 138 includes an electric motor. The electric motor applies a force to a rack-and-pinion mechanism based on an instruction from the control device 200 to change the direction of the first wheel 120 or the second wheel 130, thereby changing the course of the moving body 100.

[0037] The communication unit 190 is a communication interface for communicating with the terminal device 2, the management device 10, or the information providing device 30.

[0038] [Control device] The control device 200 includes, for example, a position identification unit 202, an information processing unit 204, a recognition unit 206, a processing unit 208, a path generation unit 210, a trajectory generation unit 212, a control unit 214, and a storage unit 220. The position identification unit 202, the information processing unit 204, the recognition unit 206, the processing unit 208, the path generation unit 210, the trajectory generation unit 212, and the control unit 214 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device. The storage unit 220 is realized by a storage device such as a HDD, a flash memory, or a random access memory (RAM). The combination of the processing unit 208 and the control unit 214 is an example of a "control unit".

[0039] The storage unit 220 stores control information 222, which is a control program for controlling the behavior of the moving object 100 referred to by the control unit 214, map information 224, index information 226, and field of view information 228. The map information 224 is, for example, map information on the location of the moving object 100 provided by the information providing device 30, the area in which the moving object 100 moves, and the surroundings of the area. Details of the index information 226 and the field of view information 228 will be described later. A part or all of the functional configuration included in the control device 200 may be included in another device. For example, the moving object 100 may be controlled by communicating with the other device and cooperating with the other device.

[0040] The position identifying unit 202 identifies the position of the moving body 100. The position identifying unit 202 acquires position information of the moving body 100 by a GPS (Global Positioning System) device (not shown) built into the moving body 100. The position information may be, for example, two-dimensional map coordinates or latitude and longitude information. The position identifying unit 202 may also estimate the position of the moving body 100 at the same time as creating the environmental map by a method such as a so-called SLAM using a camera image captured by the camera 180 or a sensor such as Lidar.

[0041] The information processing unit 204 manages information acquired from the terminal device 2, the management device 10, or the information providing device 30, for example.

[0042] The recognition unit 206 recognizes the position (distance from the moving body 100 and direction relative to the moving body 100) of an object in the vicinity of the moving body 100, and the state of the object such as speed and acceleration, based on, for example, an image captured by the camera 180. The object includes traffic participants and obstacles present in a facility or on a road. The recognition unit 206 recognizes and tracks the user of the moving body 100. For example, the recognition unit 206 tracks the user based on an image (e.g., a face image of the user) captured by the user who is registered when the user uses the moving body 100, or a face image of the user (or a feature amount obtained from the face image of the user) provided by the terminal device 2 or the management device 10. The recognition unit 206 recognizes a gesture made by the user. The moving body 100 may be provided with a detection unit other than a camera, such as a radar device or LIDAR. The detection unit may be provided in an object or passage other than the moving body 100. In this case, the recognition unit 206 recognizes the situation around the moving object 100 using the detection results of a radar device or LIDAR instead of (or in addition to) an image.

[0043] When it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body 100 will pass each other, the processing unit 208 determines a stop position for stopping the moving body 100 at the stop position so that the moving body 100 is included in the visual field of the traffic participant. For example, the processing unit 208 determines, as the stop position, a stop position candidate that allows the traffic participant to easily visually recognize the moving body 100 from among a plurality of stop position candidates. Details of the processing by the processing unit 208 will be described later.

[0044] The route generation unit 210 generates a route to a destination specified by the user. The destination may be the location of a product or a facility. In this case, the user specifies the product or facility, and the mobile body 100 sets the location of the specified product or facility as the destination. The route is a route that can reach the destination reasonably. For example, the distance to the destination, the time required to reach the destination, the ease of travel of the route, etc. are scored, and a route is derived in which each score and the combined score of the scores are equal to or greater than a threshold value.

[0045] The trajectory generating unit 212 generates a trajectory along which the moving body 100 should travel in the future based on, for example, a gesture of the user, a destination set by the user, surrounding objects, the position of the user, and the like. The trajectory generating unit 212 generates a trajectory that allows the moving body 100 to move smoothly to a target point. The trajectory generating unit 212 generates a trajectory according to the behavior of the moving body 100 based on, for example, a correspondence between a gesture and a behavior determined in advance, or generates a trajectory for moving toward a destination while avoiding surrounding objects. The trajectory generating unit 212 generates, for example, a trajectory for following a tracked user or a trajectory for leading a user. The trajectory generating unit 212 generates, for example, a trajectory according to a behavior based on a preset mode. The trajectory generation unit 212 generates a plurality of trajectories according to the behavior of the moving body 100, calculates the risk for each trajectory, and when the total value of the calculated risks and the risk of each trajectory point meet a preset criterion (for example, when the total value is equal to or less than a threshold value Th1 and the risk of each trajectory point is equal to or less than a threshold value Th2), adopts the trajectory that satisfies the criterion as the trajectory for the moving body 100 to move along. For example, the risk tends to be higher the closer the distance between the trajectory (trajectory point of the trajectory) and an obstacle, and to be lower the closer the distance between the trajectory and an obstacle.

[0046] The control unit 214 controls the motors (the first motor 122, the second motor 132), the brake device 136, and the steering device 138 so that the moving body 100 travels along a trajectory that satisfies a preset standard.

[0047] [About avoidance control when avoiding objects] The control device 200 controls a moving body that can autonomously move in an area where pedestrians can move. The control device 200 recognizes traffic participants (e.g., pedestrians and other traffic participants) that are estimated to pass the moving body 100 and that are included in objects around the moving body 100 provided on the moving body 100, and stopping positions where the moving body 100 can retreat, and when it is estimated that the traffic participants and the moving body 100 will pass each other, the control device 200 stops the moving body 100 at a stopping position so that the moving body 100 is included in the visual field of the traffic participants.

[0048] The visual field range of a traffic participant is the visual field range when the traffic participant reaches a preset point. The preset point is a stop position candidate that is used as a reference with respect to the traveling direction of the moving body 100 or the traffic participant, or a position at a predetermined distance from the current position of the moving body 100. The reference stop position candidate may be, for example, each of the stop position candidates, or may be a specific stop position candidate (for example, a stop position candidate closest to the traffic participant). When the reference stop position candidate is each of the stop position candidates, it is determined whether the traffic participant can recognize the moving body 100 in the visual field range corresponding to each of the stop position candidates.

[0049] When there are multiple traffic participants and multiple stop position candidates, the control device 200 determines, as a stop position, a stop position candidate that includes the mobile body in the field of view of each of the multiple traffic participants among the multiple stop position candidates, and stops the mobile body at the stop position. For example, when the other stop position candidates do not include the mobile body 100 in the field of view of each of the traffic participants, and a predetermined stop position candidate includes the mobile body 100 in the field of view of each of the traffic participants, the control device 200 determines the predetermined stop position candidate as the stop position. The above-mentioned avoidance controls will be described below.

[0050] The avoidance control is executed, for example, when the moving body 100 stops temporarily. The avoidance control is executed, for example, in a narrow road. A narrow road is a passage where, when the moving body 100 passes another moving body, the moving body 100 needs to move in the width direction or into an area where the other moving body can be avoided in order to avoid the other moving body. The avoidance control stops the moving body 100 at a stopping position in this narrow road so that the moving body 100 is included in the visual field of the traffic participants.

[0051] When it is assumed that the mobile body 100 stops at each of the stop position candidates, which are candidates for the stop position, the control device 200 may determine, as the stop position, a stop position candidate in which the mobile body 100 is located at or near the center in the horizontal direction of the visual field range of each of the stop position candidates. For example, when there are multiple traffic participants and multiple stop position candidates, the control device 200 determines, as the stop position, a stop position candidate in which the mobile body 100 is included in the visual field range of each of the multiple traffic participants among the multiple stop position candidates, and stops the mobile body at the stop position. A stop position candidate in which the mobile body 100 is included in multiple visual field ranges among the visual field ranges of each of the multiple traffic participants, or a stop position candidate in which the mobile body 100 is included in a larger visual field range, may be determined as the stop position.

[0052] When it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body 100 will pass each other, the control device 200 may assume that the moving body 100 has stopped at each of the multiple stop position candidates, and may determine, as the stop position, the stop position candidate among the stop position candidates that corresponds to a visual field range in which the moving body 100 is not hidden by an object and a larger portion of the moving body 100 is included. For example, the control device 200 may determine, as the stop position, one of the stop position candidates that are multiple stop position candidates, such that the visual field range includes a larger portion of the moving body 100 without the moving body 100 being hidden by an object, and the portion of the moving body 100 that is not hidden by an object is located at the horizontal center of the visual field range. More specifically, the control device 200 may determine the stop position so that the sum of the indexes described later is larger.

[0053] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the avoidance control. In reality, the moving body 100 performs control based on an image captured in the horizontal direction (XY direction) from the ground, but for the sake of explanation, the description will be given with reference to Fig. 6 which shows the ground from above (from the plus Z direction to the minus Z direction). In the following example, users that the moving body 100 is following, leading, or moving together with the moving body 100 will be omitted.

[0054] Hereinafter, the traveling direction of the moving body 100 is referred to as direction d1, the opposite direction of direction d1 as direction d2, the direction rotated 90 degrees horizontally to the right from direction d1 as direction d3, and the opposite direction of direction d3 as direction d4. The moving body 100 moves in direction d1, and pedestrians P1-P3 (traffic participants) ahead of it are moving from direction d1 to direction d2. To avoid interference with pedestrians P1-P3, the moving body 100 needs to enter either area AR1 or area AR2 and wait for pedestrian P to pass by. Area AR1 or area AR2 is an example of an "evacuation area".

[0055] The area AR1 is located on the narrow road in the direction d3. The area AR2 is located on the narrow road in the direction d4. The areas AR1 and AR2 are avoidance areas large enough for the moving body 100 to enter. The arrows of the traffic participants P1-P3 in FIG. 6 indicate the center direction of the visual field ranges of the traffic participants P1-P3. For example, the visual field range of the traffic participant P1 is the visual field range V in FIG. 6. The wall on the direction d1 side that constitutes the area AR1 does not extend in the direction d4, but is formed at an angle in the direction d1. Therefore, the traffic participant P1 can see all or most of the area AR1 in the visual field range V. The wall on the direction d1 side that constitutes the area AR2 extends in the direction d4. Therefore, the traffic participant P1 can see part of the area AR2 in the visual field range V. In other words, when the moving object 100 is in the area AR1, the traffic participant P1 can recognize a larger area of ​​the moving object 100 than when the moving object 100 is in the area AR2. When the moving object 100 is in the area AR2, the wall on the side of the direction d1 that forms the area AR2 becomes an obstacle to the view, but when the moving object 100 is in the area AR1, the wall on the side of the direction d1 that forms the area AR1 does not become an obstacle to the view.

[0056] At time T, the moving body 100 is located at a position P0 just before the area AR1 and the area AR2 in the direction d2. At this time, the moving body 100 tries to avoid the traffic participants P1-P3 coming toward the moving body 100. The control device 200 searches for the area AR1 and the area AR2 where the moving body 100 can escape within the area AR, which is a search area.

[0057] It is assumed that the control device 200 moves the mobile body 100 to each of the areas AR1 and AR2 at time T+1. The control device 200 estimates the positions of the traffic participants P1-P3 at time T+1, and estimates the visual field range of each of the traffic participants P1-P3 based on the estimated positions. For example, the relationship between the positions of the traffic participants and the position of the mobile body 100, which is experimentally obtained in advance, and information indicating the visual field range according to this relationship are stored in the storage unit 220. The control device 200 estimates the visual field range and the position of the mobile body 100 in the visual field range by referring to this information and obstacles (e.g., walls, etc.).

[0058] In the example of FIG. 6, when the moving body 100 is located in the area AR1, a larger portion of the moving body 100 is recognizable from the visual field of each of the traffic participants P1-P3, so the control device 200 moves the moving body 100 to the area AR1. The control device 200 may move the moving body 100 so that the moving body 100 is stopped slightly outside the area AR1 and positioned toward the center of the visual field. The position where the moving body 100 is stopped outside the area AR1 is, for example, a position on the central side of the visual field by about several tens of centimeters from the reference position. The central position is, for example, a position in the area AR1 where the moving body 100 does not interfere with the traffic participants P1-P3 even if the traffic participants P1-P3 proceed.

[0059] [flowchart] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the process executed by the control device 200. First, the control device 200 judges whether the passage in which the moving object 100 exists is a narrow road or not (step S100). The map information 224 is associated with information indicating whether the passage is a narrow road or not with respect to position information, area, etc. The control device 200 judges whether the passage is a narrow road or not by referring to the map information 224. The control device 200 may detect a travelable area based on objects such as surrounding walls, and may judge that the travelable area is a narrow road when the width of the detected travelable area is equal to or smaller than a threshold value. The threshold value is defined based on the width of the moving object 100. The control device 200 may also detect objects such as surrounding traffic participants and obstacles to detect the travelable area, and may judge that the travelable area is a narrow road when the detected travelable area is narrower than the actual area of ​​the passage. This is because, when the passage is congested, etc., when it is judged that it is better to temporarily evacuate the moving object 100, it may be conveniently judged that the passage is a narrow road even if it is actually sufficiently wide. The determination may be made, for example, by comparing the area of ​​the actual passage with the area of ​​the detected drivable area, or based on the number of obstacles or other traffic participants per unit area.

[0060] When the passage in which the moving body 100 is present is a narrow passage, the control device 200 judges whether or not to stop the moving body 100 (step S102). For example, the control device 200 decides to stop the moving body 100 when the future route of the moving body 100 and the future position of the pedestrian P interfere with or approach each other. The control device 200 derives the risk of the moving body 100 approaching or interfering with the pedestrian P based on, for example, the future route of the moving body 100, the future position of the pedestrian P, and a predetermined algorithm for deriving the risk regarding interference, and stops the moving body 100 when this risk is equal to or exceeds a threshold value.

[0061] When it is determined to stop the moving body 100, the control device 200 detects a stop position candidate (step S104). The control device 200 predicts a future position of the pedestrian P, and determines a position that will not interfere with the predicted future position of the pedestrian P or will not come closer than a predetermined degree to the predicted future position of the pedestrian P when the moving body 100 moves, as a stop position candidate.

[0062] Next, the control device 200 calculates an index for each of the multiple stop position candidates (step S106), and determines a stop position based on the calculated index (step S108). Then, the control device 200 moves the moving body 100 to the stop position (step S110). The details of the processing of steps S106 and S108 will be described later. This ends the processing of one routine of this flowchart.

[0063] Thereafter, when a traffic participant passes by the moving body 100 and / or the risk of the moving body 100 approaching or interfering with the pedestrian P falls below a threshold, the control device 200 moves the moving body 100 from the stopped position.

[0064] [Calculate metrics] The control device 200 derives an index for each of the stop position candidates, and derives an integrated index by integrating the derived indexes. For example, the stop position candidate with the largest integrated index is determined as the stop position. The control device 200 may input each index into a predetermined function or model to determine the stop position.

[0065] The control device 200 generates the index information 226. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the index information 226. The index information 226 is information in which an index for each of the traffic participants P1-P3, information indicating whether each of the indexes is equal to or greater than a threshold, and a comprehensive index obtained by statistically processing (for example, summing) the above-mentioned multiple indexes are associated with each other. The index information 226 is generated for each stop position candidate. In the above indexes, a weight may be assigned to each traffic participant. For example, the indexes may be adjusted so that an index with a high risk of interference with the moving body 100 is emphasized. For example, an index with a low risk of interference may be assigned a small weight. A method for deriving the above indexes will be described later.

[0066] When it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body 100 will pass each other and there are multiple traffic participants, the control device 200 assumes that the moving body has stopped at each of the multiple stop position candidates. The control device 200 obtains an index for each of the multiple traffic participants for each stop position candidate based on the size of an area in which the moving body 100 can be recognized without being hidden by an object in the visual field range of each of the multiple traffic participants for each stop position candidate. As shown in FIG. 8 described above, the control device 200 assumes that the moving body 100 exists in the area AR1, and specifies the position of the moving body 100 in the visual field range of each of the traffic participants P1-P3 at this time. The same is true for the area AR2. The control device 200 further determines the stop position candidate with the largest index among multiple indexes (integrated index) after statistical processing of the respective indexes of the multiple traffic participants for each stop position candidate.

[0067] When it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body 100 will pass each other, the control device 200 assumes that the moving body has stopped at each of the multiple stop position candidates, and determines a stop position based on the visual field information 228 in which an index corresponding to the degree of deviation of the horizontal distance from the horizontal center of the visual field range is associated, and the horizontal position of the moving body 100 that is not hidden by an object corresponding to each of the stop position candidates in the visual field range. The visual field information 228 is set such that the index is lower the greater the deviation of the horizontal distance from the horizontal center of the visual field range (see G in FIG. 9, which will be described later). The control device 200 derives the sum of the indexes of the visual field information 228 corresponding to the horizontal position of the moving body 100 with respect to each of the visual field ranges of the multiple traffic participants, and determines a stop position by referring to each of the derived sums.

[0068] The control device 200 derives an index relating to the relationship between the field of view of the traffic participant and the moving body 100. The closer the moving body 100 is to the center of the field of view range and the larger the area or portion of the field of view occupied by the user U, the larger the index is derived. However, the area or portion of the moving body 100 that is not hidden by an object (the area or portion of the moving body 100 that is visible or recognizable by the traffic participant) is taken into account in calculating the index.

[0069] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the index (In) for deriving the index. Graph G in FIG. 9 is visual field information 228 in which an index is associated with each region in the visual field range. The index is highest at or near the center C of the visual field range, and decreases as it deviates from the center. The distribution of the index does not have to be a smooth mountain shape as shown in the figure, but may be a shape in which the index gradually decreases as it deviates from the center C. The distribution of the index may be set so that a predetermined region including the center is different from the end regions, or may be the same distribution in all regions.

[0070] The control device 200 assumes, for example, that the moving body 100 is stopped at each of the stop position candidates. In this assumption, the control device 200 identifies the area of ​​the moving body 100 reflected in the field of view of the traffic participant. For example, in the example of Fig. 9, most of the moving body 100 is hidden by an obstacle, and a part of the moving body 100 is included so as to be visible in the center of the field of view. The index at this time is the sum of the indexes of the width W1 of the area corresponding to the part of the moving body 100.

[0071] Furthermore, the index information 226 may be information in which an index is associated with a vertical position in addition to (or instead of) the information in which an index is associated with a horizontal position. The same index may be associated with each vertical position. The control device 200 identifies an index corresponding to the vertical position of the moving body 100, and derives the sum of the identified vertical indexes. The control device 200 may determine an index obtained by statistically processing the derived total index and the horizontal total index as the index to be used for judgment. This allows the control device 200 to determine the stop position by taking into consideration the position of the moving body 100 in the field of view.

[0072] The control device 200 sets the stop position candidate that maximizes the integrated index as the stop position. More specifically, the control device 200 sets the stop position candidate that maximizes the integrated index and does not become less than the threshold as the stop position. The control device 200 generates a trajectory from the position of the moving body 100 to the stop position, and moves the moving body 100 along the generated trajectory. This trajectory is, for example, a trajectory that allows the moving body 100 to stop at the stop position while facing the direction of the user U. For example, this trajectory is not, for example, a trajectory in which the moving body 100 stops at the stop position facing a direction different from the traffic participant or user, turns at the stop position and faces the direction of the traffic participant or user, but a trajectory in which the moving body 100 faces the direction of the traffic participant or user when stopped at the stop position is preferable. This realizes control such that the moving body 100 faces a desired direction smoothly and stops at the stop position while avoiding turning at the stop position.

[0073] As described above, when it is estimated that a traffic participant and the moving body 100 will pass each other, the control device 200 can determine a stopping position according to the environment by stopping the moving body 100 at a stopping position so that the moving body 100 is included in the field of view of the traffic participant.

[0074] <Variation 1> In the above example, the control device 200 determines the stop position based on the visual field range when the traffic participant reaches a preset point. In the first modification, the control device 200 determines the stop position by taking into account the future location of the traffic participant.

[0075] Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining the first modification. The control device 200 predicts that the traffic participants P1-P3 will move in the direction d2 in the future, and predicts the positions of the traffic participants P1-P3 (● in Fig. 10) at one or more future times. The control device 200 derives the sum of indices according to the visual field range corresponding to each position of the future traffic participants P1-P3. The control device 200 accumulates the indices of the future visual field range for each traffic participant.

[0076] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the index information 226A of the first modified example including a cumulative index, which is an accumulated index. The index information 226A is information in which the cumulative index for each position of each traffic participant P1-P3 at each time, information indicating whether each index is equal to or greater than a threshold, and a comprehensive index obtained by statistically processing (e.g., summing) the above multiple indexes are associated with each other. The index information 226A is generated for each stop position candidate. The control device 200 refers to the above index information 226A to determine a stop position candidate with the largest comprehensive index and no cumulative index equal to or less than the threshold.

[0077] As described above, the control device 200 can determine a stopping position according to the environment by determining a stopping position based on a viewing range according to the positions of one or more future traffic participants P1-P3.

[0078] <Variation 2> In the above example, the index corresponding to the visual field range is considered, but in addition to this, indexes of other target items are also considered in Modification 2. The corresponding items to be considered are, for example, (1) the distance between the stop position candidate and the user, (2) the distance between the stop position candidate and the moving body 100, and (3) the visual field range.

[0079] 12 is a diagram for explaining the index information 226B of the third modified example. The index information 226B is information in which, for example, sub-indices corresponding to each of the above (1)-(3) are associated with an integrated index obtained by statistically processing and integrating the sub-indices. The index information 226B is generated for each stop position candidate. The sub-indices of the visual field range of the index information 226B are indices obtained based on the visual field range of each traffic participant.

[0080] In the above (1), for example, the shorter the distance, the larger the sub-index derived. This is because if the distance is long, the cost of reaching a position suitable for tracking increases when tracking is resumed after stopping.

[0081] In the above (2), for example, the shorter the distance, the larger the sub-index that is derived. This is because it is difficult to reach the candidate stopping position when the distance is long.

[0082] The control device 200 determines the stop position using one or more of the sub-indicators (1) to (3) above, thereby enabling the moving body 100 to stop at an appropriate position according to the surrounding situation.

[0083] In addition to the sub-indices (1) to (3) described above, or instead of some of the sub-indices, (4) a cost related to the trajectory may be taken into consideration. (4) The control device 200 derives a sub-indicator related to the trajectory for stopping at the stop position candidate. If it is difficult for the moving body 100 to move along the trajectory, a small sub-indicator is derived. For example, the sub-indicator for a trajectory that turns at a sharp angle or makes small turns will be small.

[0084] As described above, the control device 200 determines the stop position based on the above-mentioned sub-indicators, thereby making it possible to determine a stop position that is more suited to the environment.

[0085] <Modification 3> In the above-described example, the behavior of the moving body 100 after the moving body 100 moves to the stop position is not taken into consideration. In the third modification, the control device 200 moves the moving body 100 to the stop position or near the stop position, and then moves the moving body 100 in the width direction in the opposite direction to the direction in which the traffic participants are present as the traffic participants approach the moving body 100.

[0086] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the processing of the modified example 3. At time T, the moving body 100 moves to the area AR1#, which is a stop position. The traffic participants P1-P3 are proceeding in the direction d2. If the traffic participants P1-P3 are closer to the moving body 100 at time T+1 than at time T, the control device 200 moves the moving body 100 in the direction d3. If the traffic participants P1-P3 are closer to the moving body 100 at time T+2 than at time T+1, the control device 200 moves the moving body 100 further in the direction d3. The position of the moving body 100 at time T+3 is a position that does not interfere with the traffic participants P1-P3 when they pass the moving body 100.

[0087] As described above, when the traffic participants P1-P3 are located far away, the moving body 100 is positioned at a position where the traffic participants P1-P3 can recognize most of the moving body 100, and as the traffic participants P1-P3 approach the moving body, the moving body 100 moves away from the traffic participants P1-P3 little by little in the width direction. This allows the traffic participants P1-P3 to recognize the moving body 100 and to pass the moving body 100 smoothly.

[0088] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. A control system for controlling a moving object that can autonomously move in an area where a pedestrian can move, comprising: a storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions; a processor coupled to the storage medium; The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: Based on a result of detection by a detection unit that detects objects around the moving object, traffic participants that are included in the objects and that are estimated to pass the moving object and a stopping position where the moving object can escape are recognized; A control system that, when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other, stops the moving body at a stopping position so that the moving body is included in the visual field of the traffic participant.

[0089] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1 Mobile Systems 2 Terminal Device 10 Management device 20 Imaging unit 30 Information provision device 100 Mobile 200 Control device 204 Information Processing Section 206 Recognition part 208 Processing section 214 Control Unit 220 Storage section 226 Indicator information 228 Visual Field Information

Claims

1. A control system for controlling a moving object that can autonomously move in an area where a pedestrian can move, comprising: A detection unit that detects objects around the moving object; a recognition unit that recognizes traffic participants that are estimated to pass the moving object included in the objects based on a result of detection by the detection unit and a stopping position where the moving object can escape; a control unit that, when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving object will pass each other, stops the moving object at a stop position so that the moving object is included in a visual field of the traffic participant; A control system comprising:

2. the control unit, when there are a plurality of the traffic participants and a plurality of stop position candidates, determines, as a stop position, a stop position candidate among the plurality of stop position candidates that includes a moving object within a visual field range of each of the plurality of traffic participants, and stops the moving object at the stop position. The control system of claim 1 .

3. When it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving object will pass each other, the control unit assumes that the moving object has stopped at each of the stop position candidates that are candidates for the stop position, and determines, as the stop position, the stop position candidate where the moving object is located at or near the center in the horizontal direction of the field of view among the stop position candidates. The control system of claim 1 .

4. the control unit, when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving object will pass each other, assumes that the moving object has stopped at each of a plurality of stop position candidates, and determines, as the stop position, one of the stop position candidates that corresponds to the field of view in which the moving object is not hidden by the object and a larger portion of the moving object is included. The control system of claim 1 .

5. when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving object will pass each other and there are a plurality of the traffic participants, and when it is assumed that the moving object has stopped at each of a plurality of stop position candidates, the control unit obtains, for each of the plurality of traffic participants for each of the stop position candidates, an index based on a size of an area in which the moving object can be recognized without being hidden by an object, within the visual field range of each of the plurality of traffic participants for each of the stop position candidates; Furthermore, the stop position candidate having the largest index among the plurality of indexes obtained by statistically processing the indexes of the plurality of traffic participants for each of the stop position candidates is determined as the stop position. The control system of claim 1 .

6. When it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving object will pass each other, the control unit: Assuming that the moving object has stopped at each of a plurality of stop position candidates, determining the stop position based on index information in which an index corresponding to a degree of deviation of a horizontal distance from a horizontal center of the field of view range is associated with the stop position candidate, and based on the horizontal positions of the moving body that are not hidden by the objects corresponding to each of the stop position candidates in the field of view range; The control system of claim 1 .

7. the index information is set so that the index becomes lower as the horizontal distance from the horizontal center of the field of view increases, the control unit derives a sum of indices of the index information corresponding to the horizontal positions of the moving object with respect to each of the visual field ranges of a plurality of traffic participants, and determines the stop position by referring to each of the derived sums.

7. The control system of claim 6.

8. the control unit stops the moving body at a stop position such that the moving body is included in a visual field of the traffic participant on a narrow road where the moving body needs to move in a width direction to avoid the traffic participant when passing the traffic participant, A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the control unit moves the moving body to the stop position or near the stop position, and then moves the moving body in a width direction opposite to a direction in which the traffic participant exists as the traffic participant approaches the moving body; A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. The moving body is capable of autonomously moving in an area where vehicles cannot move and pedestrians can move. A control system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. A computer of a control system that controls a moving object that can move autonomously in an area where a pedestrian can move, Based on a result of detection by a detection unit that detects objects around the moving object, traffic participants that are estimated to pass the moving object and stopping positions at which the moving object can escape are recognized; When it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other, the moving body is stopped at a stopping position so that the moving body is included in a visual field range of the traffic participant. Control methods.

12. A computer of a control system for controlling a mobile object that can autonomously move in an area where a pedestrian can move, A process of recognizing traffic participants that are estimated to pass the moving object and a stopping position where the moving object can escape based on a detection result of a detection unit that detects objects around the moving object; a process of stopping the moving body at a stop position so that the moving body is included in a visual field of the traffic participant when it is estimated that the traffic participant and the moving body will pass each other; A program for executing.

Images