Driving vehicle, autonomous driving method, and driving track generation method

Abstract

To provide a driving vehicle that can autonomously move toward a target point different from a marker.SOLUTION: A driving vehicle 12 moves toward a target point 15, a point different from a reference marker 14, in which the relation between the relative position and relative attitude of them is prescribed when the reference marker 14 is set as reference. The driving vehicle 12 recognizes the relation between the relative position and relative attitude of the driving vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 by performing image processing to the image of the reference marker 14 taken by an image acquisition unit at a start point P0 away from the reference marker 14. A driving track along which the driving vehicle 12 moves from the start point P0 to the target point 15 is generated on the basis of the relation between the relative position and relative attitude of the driving vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 and the relation between the relative position and relative attitude of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a traveling vehicle that moves autonomously to a target point, and an autonomous traveling method for making a traveling vehicle that moves autonomously to a target point arrive at the target point. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, a technology has been known in which a camera installed on a traveling vehicle such as a robot photographs a marker installed at a target point, thereby recognizing the relative position and orientation of the traveling vehicle with respect to the marker, generating a traveling trajectory for the traveling vehicle from the recognized relative position and orientation, and driving the traveling vehicle toward the target point. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-121928 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned technology, the autonomous movement of a vehicle functions on the assumption that a marker has been installed at the target location, and the autonomous movement of a vehicle to a target location where a marker has not been installed is not assumed.

[0005] The present invention provides a traveling vehicle that autonomously moves to a target point different from a marker, an autonomous traveling method, and a traveling trajectory generation method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The traveling vehicle of the present invention is a traveling vehicle that moves autonomously to a target point, and comprises: a main body unit; a drive unit installed on the main body unit and moving the main body unit; an image acquisition unit installed on the main body unit and capturing images of the outside world of the main body unit; and a control device connected to the drive unit and that outputs drive commands to the drive unit and performs image processing on a reference marker in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit, wherein in a target movement operation that moves the traveling vehicle to the target point that is located at a point different from the reference marker and whose relative position and relative attitude relationship is defined with respect to the reference marker, the control device performs image processing on the image of the reference marker captured by the image acquisition unit at a starting position where the traveling vehicle is located away from the reference marker, to recognize the relative position and relative attitude relationship between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker, and generates a traveling trajectory that will move the traveling vehicle from the starting position to the target point based on the relative position and relative attitude relationship between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker and the relative position and relative attitude relationship between the reference marker and the target point. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a traveling vehicle that autonomously moves to a target point different from a marker, an autonomous traveling method, and a traveling trajectory generation method. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a traveling vehicle system for running a traveling vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the traveling vehicle and the reference marker. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the relative positions and relative attitudes of a traveling vehicle, a reference marker, and a target point in the traveling vehicle system. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a pattern of a travel path of the same traveling vehicle. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the traveling vehicle system. [Figure 7] 5A to 5E are explanatory diagrams showing a first movement pattern of a target movement of the traveling vehicle. [Figure 8] 10(a) to 10(e) are explanatory diagrams showing a second movement pattern of the target movement of the traveling vehicle. [Figure 9] 10(a) to 10(f) are explanatory diagrams showing a third movement pattern of the target movement of the traveling vehicle. [Figure 10] 10(a) to 10(f) are explanatory diagrams showing a fourth movement pattern of the target movement of the traveling vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a vehicle system that drives vehicles, and Figure 2 shows a side view of the vehicle and reference markers. The vehicle system 10 includes a vehicle 12 that moves autonomously on a floor 11 within a facility, and the vehicle 12 autonomously moves to a target point 15, which is a separate location away from the reference marker 14, based on recognition of the reference marker 14 installed at a reference marker installation point 13. The vehicle system 10 includes multiple vehicles 12 and multiple target points 15.

[0011] The traveling vehicle 12 includes, for example, an unmanned guided vehicle that carries an object to be transported or tows a towing object such as a car truck or a dolly, and transports the object from a predetermined transport source to a destination.

[0012] The traveling vehicle 12 comprises a main body 20, a pair of drive wheels 21 and a plurality of driven wheels 22 that move the main body 20. The traveling vehicle 12 has one direction as a forward direction (straight direction) and the other direction as a reverse direction, with two drive wheels 21 installed on both sides in a left-right direction that intersects with the forward and reverse directions, and driven wheels 22 installed in the front and rear directions of the drive wheels 21 on both sides. The drive wheels 21 on both sides can be driven to rotate independently in the forward and reverse directions, and the driven wheels 22 are made up of casters or the like that can freely change the direction of movement. Depending on the combination of the rotation directions of the drive wheels 21 on both sides, the traveling vehicle 12 can move forward, backward, turn, spin (turn in place), and other movements.

[0013] The traveling vehicle 12 is equipped with an image acquisition unit 24 installed on a front surface 23 in the forward direction of the main body 20. The image acquisition unit 24 is a camera that captures images of the external environment ahead of the traveling vehicle 12, and has a predetermined range of field of view 25 in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0014] 3, the reference marker 14 is an AR marker with a figure, pattern, etc. displayed on its display surface. The reference marker 14 is installed in front of a reference marker installation member 28 that is installed at the reference marker installation point 13. The reference marker installation member 28 includes a part of a mechanism or structure installed on the floor surface 11, a dedicated member installed on the floor surface 11, etc.

[0015] A pattern that can be recognized by image processing is formed on the reference marker 14. By performing image processing on the reference marker 14 in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 24 of the traveling vehicle 12, it is possible to acquire information on the relative position (horizontal X-axis and Y-axis coordinates) between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 and information on the relative attitude (horizontal relative angle (relative yaw angle)) between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the relative position of the traveling vehicle 12 is expressed as an XY coordinate in a traveling vehicle coordinate system in which the X-axis, which is the direction of forward movement of the traveling vehicle 12, is the first reference axis and the Y-axis, which is the direction intersecting with the X-axis, is the second reference axis, relative to an origin 12a, which is the center of the traveling vehicle 12 (the center of spin rotation on the spot) when viewed from above. The relative posture of the traveling vehicle 12 is expressed by the tilt angle of the X-axis of the traveling vehicle 12 with respect to a virtual vertical line (virtual center line) 14a perpendicular to the center of the display surface of the reference marker 14 (the relative yaw angle is the rotation angle of a vertical axis (Z-axis) which serves as a third reference axis and passes through the origin 12a). In other words, the origin 12a is set on a vertical axis (Z-axis) which passes through the center position between the pair of drive wheels 21 and is perpendicular to the floor surface 11, and the first reference axis of the plane coordinate system is the X-axis and the second reference axis is the Y-axis.

[0017] The target point 15 is located at a different point away from the reference marker 14, and the relationship of the relative position and relative orientation with respect to the reference marker 14 is defined. Therefore, it can be assumed that a virtual marker 30, which does not actually exist but is virtual information, is installed at the target point 15. Therefore, the reference marker 14 and the virtual marker 30 are at least in different relative positions, and the relationship of the relative position and relative orientation of the virtual marker 30 with respect to the reference marker 14 is defined.

[0018] A target area 31 where the traveling vehicle 12 approaching the target point 15 will stop is set on the front side of the target point 15 (virtual marker 30) along a virtual vertical line (virtual center line) 15a that is perpendicular to the front of the target point 15 (virtual marker 30) and extends from the target point 15 (virtual marker 30). The target area 31 is a stopping point where the traveling vehicle 12 is stopped in a predetermined posture, and includes a source point where an object is loaded onto the traveling vehicle 12 or a towed object is coupled to the traveling vehicle 12, a destination point where an object is unloaded from the traveling vehicle 12 or a towed object is detached from the traveling vehicle 12, and the like. The target point 15 is located, for example, along the traveling route of the traveling vehicle 12, and includes a point where a reference marker 14 cannot be installed.

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the relative positions and relative orientations of the traveling vehicle 12, the reference marker 14, and the target point 15 in the traveling vehicle system 10.

[0020] The relationship between the relative position and relative attitude between the reference marker 14 and the target point 15 is defined, and the traveling vehicle 12 has this relationship as known information. Therefore, the traveling vehicle 12 has, as known information, the distance L1 between the reference position of the reference marker 14 (the center of the reference marker 14 in the left-right direction) and the target point 15 (the reference position of the virtual marker 30), the distance L2 between the target point 15 and a virtual intersection S where a virtual vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14 and a virtual vertical line 15a of the target point 15 intersect, the distance L3 between the virtual intersection S and the reference marker 14, the angle θ1 between a virtual line connecting the reference position of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15 and the virtual vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14, the angle θ2 between a virtual line connecting the reference position of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15 and the virtual vertical line 15a of the target point 15, and the angle θ3 between the virtual vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14 and the virtual vertical line 15a of the target point 15.

[0021] The traveling vehicle 12 temporarily stops at waypoint P1 located away from the reference marker 14, searches for the reference marker 14, recognizes the relative position between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14, and then spins around in place until the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14, at which point the relative attitude relationship between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 is recognized. From these recognitions, the X and Y coordinates of the reference marker 14 in the traveling vehicle coordinate system based on the traveling vehicle 12, the distance L4 between the origin 12a of the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference position of the reference marker 14, and the angle θ4 which is the relative yaw angle between the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 and the imaginary vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14 are recognized.

[0022] The via point P1 is located on the opposite side of the reference marker 14 with respect to the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15. This via point P1 is a starting position P0 where the traveling vehicle 12 starts a positioning operation, which is the final step of the target movement operation in which the traveling vehicle 12 autonomously moves to the target point 15. Note that each piece of known information may be stored in advance in the traveling vehicle 12, or the traveling vehicle 12 may receive this information from the management terminal 40. Also, various types of angle and distance information may be calculated from the coordinate information of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15 and the coordinate information of the traveling vehicle 12, and the coordinates of the reference marker 14, the target point 15, and the traveling vehicle 12 can be expressed in the same coordinate system.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the travel path pattern of the traveling vehicle 12.

[0024] The traveling vehicle 12 generates a travel trajectory for moving the traveling vehicle 12 from the via point P1, which is the starting position P0, to the destination point 15 based on the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the destination point 15.

[0025] Based on the XY coordinates and relative yaw angle of the reference marker 14 in the vehicle coordinate system and the relationship between the relative position and relative attitude of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15, the vehicle 12 transfers to an intermediate point P2 located away from the target point 15 on a virtual vertical line 15a of the target point 15, and a driving trajectory is generated in which the vehicle 12 moves from the intermediate point P2 toward the target point 15.

[0026] The travel trajectory generates a travel distance L11 of a transfer step that moves the travel vehicle 12 straight from the waypoint P1 to the intermediate point P2, a spin angle θ11 of an intermediate point spin step that spins the travel vehicle 12 that has arrived at the intermediate point P2 so that it faces the front of the target point 15 (the front of the virtual marker 30), and a travel distance L12 of an approach movement step that moves the travel vehicle 12 straight from the intermediate point P2 until it approaches the target point 15.

[0027] Next, a block diagram of the traveling vehicle system 10 is shown in Figure 6. The traveling vehicle system 10 includes a traveling vehicle 12, a reference marker 14, and a management terminal 40, which is a management device. The traveling vehicle 12 and the management terminal 40 can communicate with each other via wireless communication.

[0028] The traveling vehicle 12 includes a drive unit 41 , an external sensor unit 42 , an internal sensor unit 43 , a battery 44 , and a control device 45 .

[0029] The drive unit 41 includes two motors that individually drive and rotate the two drive wheels 21.

[0030] The external sensor unit 42 includes the image acquisition unit 24, which is a camera, as well as an optical sensor or ultrasonic sensor that detects obstacles in the direction of movement and the distance to an object.

[0031] The internal sensor unit 43 acquires the direction and amount of movement of the traveling vehicle 12 using an encoder that detects the amount of rotation of each drive wheel 21, an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor installed on the traveling vehicle 12, and the like.

[0032] The battery 44 is a power source for the traveling vehicle 12 and supplies power to each electrical device provided in the traveling vehicle 12.

[0033] The control device 45 controls the traveling vehicle 12 and includes a drive control unit 46, an image processing unit 47, and an odometry unit 48. The drive control unit 46 controls each motor of the drive unit 41, i.e., controls the movement of the traveling vehicle 12. The image processing unit 47 performs image processing on an image of the reference marker 14 to recognize the relative position and relative orientation between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14. The odometry unit 48 calculates the amount of movement of the traveling vehicle 12 based on information from the internal sensor unit 43 and estimates the self-position and orientation of the traveling vehicle 12. The control device 45 has a memory unit that stores a control program for the traveling vehicle 12, etc., and stores information on the relationship between the relative position and relative angle between the reference marker 14 and the target point 15 in this memory unit.

[0034] The control device 45 is connected to the drive unit 41 and the image acquisition unit 24, and outputs a drive command to the drive unit 41 and performs image processing of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 24. In a target movement operation in which the traveling vehicle 12 moves to a target point 15 that is located at a different point from the reference marker 14 and whose relative position and relative attitude are specified based on the reference marker 14, the control device 45 performs image processing on an image of the reference marker 14 taken by the image acquisition unit 24 at a via point P1 that is a starting position P0 where the traveling vehicle 12 is located away from the reference marker 14, to recognize the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14, and recognizes the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the target point 15 based on the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 and the relative position and relative attitude between the reference marker 14 and the target point 15, and generates a traveling trajectory for moving the traveling vehicle 12 from the via point P1 that is the starting position P0 to the target point 15 based on the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the target point 15.

[0035] The management terminal 40 also includes a work management unit 49, a map management unit 50, and a traveling vehicle management unit 51. The work management unit 49 manages work information and work progress information for the traveling vehicles 12, work assignments to the traveling vehicles 12, and the like. The map management unit 50 manages the location of each device on the floor of the facility as coordinate information. The traveling vehicle management unit 51 manages the work status of the traveling vehicles 12 and the status of the remaining power stored in the battery 44, and when issuing work instructions to the traveling vehicles 12, it notifies them of the map coordinates of a destination point to which they should move.

[0036] Next, the operation of the traveling vehicle system 10 will be described.

[0037] The management terminal 40 assigns a task such as transporting an object to the travelling vehicle 12 to be worked on and instructs it to move to the target point 15 , and the travelling vehicle 12 to which the task has been assigned moves to the target point 15 .

[0038] Upon receiving instructions from the management terminal 40, the traveling vehicle 12 executes a target movement operation to the target point 15. In this target movement operation, the traveling vehicle 12 moves to a waypoint P1 slightly away from the reference marker 14 while moving to the target point 15, stops there temporarily, searches for and recognizes the reference marker 14, and then moves to the target point 15.

[0039] 7 shows an example of a first operation pattern of the target movement operation of the traveling vehicle 12. In the first operation pattern, the traveling vehicle 12 moves forward along the X-ray of the traveling vehicle 12 with the X-ray of the traveling vehicle 12 overlapping the reference position of the reference marker 14, and moves onto the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15, and the waypoint P1 of the traveling vehicle 12 on the way to the target point 15 is closer to the target point 15 than the imaginary vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 7(a), the traveling vehicle 12 temporarily stops at waypoint P1 on the way to the destination point 15, and performs image processing on the images captured by the image acquisition unit 24 to search for the reference marker 14. After the reference marker 14 is confirmed, the relative position between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 is recognized. This relative position is a traveling vehicle coordinate system based on the X and Y axes of the traveling vehicle 12, and the X and Y coordinates (x1, y1) of the reference marker 14 are recognized based on the X and Y coordinates (x0, y0) of the traveling vehicle 12 located at waypoint P1. This process is called the first reference marker recognition step.

[0041] 7(b), after the first reference marker recognition step, the traveling vehicle 12 is spun on the spot at the waypoint P1 so that the front face 23 of the traveling vehicle 12 faces the reference marker 14 and the X-axis extending forward from the origin 12a of the traveling vehicle 12 coincides with the reference position of the reference marker 14. This process is called the first spin step.

[0042] The reference marker 14 in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 24 of the traveling vehicle 12 is subjected to image processing to recognize the relative orientation of the traveling vehicle 12 with respect to the reference marker 14. This relative orientation is indicated by the relative yaw angle of the traveling vehicle 12, and is recognized as the angle θ4 between an imaginary vertical line 14a perpendicular to the center of the surface of the reference marker 14 and the X-axis of the traveling vehicle 12. This process is called the second reference marker recognition step.

[0043] In the second reference marker recognition step, the traveling vehicle 12 facing the reference marker 14 is temporarily stopped for a predetermined time, and the image acquisition unit 24 takes multiple images of the reference marker 14. Then, the relative attitude of the traveling vehicle 12 with respect to the reference marker 14 is recognized from the multiple captured images. The relative attitude that forms the basis for trajectory generation is the median value of the relative attitudes acquired from the reference marker 14 in the multiple captured images, thereby improving the accuracy of approaching movement to the target point 15.

[0044] The relative position of the vehicle 12 may be recognized by recognizing the reference marker 14 after the first spin step and updating the relative position, or the vehicle 12 may be spun around while continuing to recognize the relative position from the reference marker 14 and continue to update the relative position.

[0045] After the second reference marker recognition step, a travel trajectory is generated that moves the traveling vehicle 12 from the via point P1 around to the front of the target point 15 and approach the target point 15, based on the relative position and relative attitude of the traveling vehicle 12 and the relative positions and relative attitudes of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15. This process is called a trajectory generation step.

[0046] The travel trajectory is a series of movements of the traveling vehicle 12 that combines straight travel and spin rotation of the traveling vehicle 12, and generates the travel distance of the transfer step that causes the traveling vehicle 12 to travel straight from the waypoint P1 to the intermediate point P2, the spin angle of the intermediate point spin step that causes the traveling vehicle 12 to spin and face the front of the target point 15 after reaching the intermediate point P2, and the travel distance of the approach movement step that causes the traveling vehicle 12 to approach the target point 15 from the intermediate point P2 and travel straight until it enters the target area 31.

[0047] The intermediate point P2 set on the virtual vertical line 15a of the target point 15 is the point where the center line connecting the via point P1 and the reference position of the reference marker 14 (the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 overlapping the reference position of the reference marker 14) intersects with the virtual vertical line 15a.

[0048] 7(c) to 7(e) show the movement of the traveling vehicle 12 according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15. In the step of causing the traveling vehicle 12 to travel according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15, the driving unit 41 is driven based on the traveling distance and spin angle of the generated traveling trajectory without using information recognized from the reference marker 14.

[0049] As shown in Fig. 7(c), the traveling vehicle 12 is caused to move forward toward the intermediate point P2, and when the origin 12a of the traveling vehicle 12 reaches the intermediate point P2, the traveling vehicle 12 is stopped temporarily. This process is called a transfer step.

[0050] 7(d), the traveling vehicle 12 that has reached the intermediate point P2 is spun so that the front surface 23 of the traveling vehicle 12 faces the target point 15 (virtual marker 30). This process is called an intermediate point spin step.

[0051] 7(e), the traveling vehicle 12 facing the target point 15 (front of the virtual marker 30) moves forward to approach the target point 15, moves closer to the target point 15 based on the odometry information of the internal sensor unit 43, and stops moving when it determines that it has entered the target area 31. This process is called the approaching / traveling step.

[0052] In this way, the traveling vehicle 12 can autonomously move to the target point 15 set at a point different from the reference marker 14 using the reference marker 14 as an intermediary.

[0053] Next, Fig. 8 shows an example of a second movement pattern of the target movement movement of the traveling vehicle 12. In the second movement pattern, the traveling vehicle 12 moves forward along the X-ray of the traveling vehicle 12 with the X-ray of the traveling vehicle 12 overlapping the reference position of the reference marker 14, and moves onto the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15, and the waypoint P1 of the traveling vehicle 12 on the way to the target point 15 is on the farther side from the target point 15 than the imaginary vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14.

[0054] 8(a), the traveling vehicle 12 temporarily stops at waypoint P1 on the way to the destination point 15, and processes the images captured by the image acquisition unit 24 to search for the reference marker 14. After confirming the reference marker 14, the traveling vehicle 12 recognizes the relative position between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 (the XY coordinates of the reference marker 14).

[0055] As shown in Figure 8(b), the front 23 of the moving vehicle 12 is directed toward the reference marker 14, and the moving vehicle 12 is spun around on the spot at the intermediate point P1 so that the X-axis extending forward from the origin 12a of the moving vehicle 12 overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14, and the moving direction of the moving vehicle 12 is directed toward the reference position of the reference marker 14.

[0056] The reference marker 14 in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 24 of the traveling vehicle 12 is subjected to image processing, and the relative attitude (relative yaw angle) of the traveling vehicle 12 with respect to the reference marker 14 is recognized.

[0057] Based on the XY coordinates and relative yaw angle of the reference marker 14 and the relationship between the relative position and relative attitude of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15, a travel trajectory is generated that moves the traveling vehicle 12 from the via point P1 around to the front of the target point 15 and approach it.

[0058] The travel trajectory is a series of movements of the traveling vehicle 12 that combines straight travel and spin rotation of the traveling vehicle 12, and generates the travel distance of the transfer step that causes the traveling vehicle 12 to travel straight from the waypoint P1 to the intermediate point P2, the spin angle of the intermediate point spin step that causes the traveling vehicle 12 to spin and face the front of the target point 15 after reaching the intermediate point P2, and the travel distance of the approach movement step that causes the traveling vehicle 12 to approach the target point 15 from the intermediate point P2 and travel straight until it enters the target area 31.

[0059] 8(c) to 8(e) show the movement of the traveling vehicle 12 according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15. In the step of causing the traveling vehicle 12 to travel according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15, the driving unit 41 is driven based on the traveling distance and spin angle of the generated traveling trajectory without using information recognized from the reference marker 14.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8(c), the traveling vehicle 12 at the via point P1 is caused to move forward toward the intermediate point P2, and when the origin 12a of the traveling vehicle 12 reaches the intermediate point P2, the traveling vehicle 12 is brought to a temporary halt.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 8(d), the traveling vehicle 12 that has reached the intermediate point P2 is spun around so that the front face 23 of the traveling vehicle 12 faces the target point 15 (the front face of the virtual marker 30).

[0062] As shown in Figure 8(e), the traveling vehicle 12 facing the target point 15 (in front of the virtual marker 30) moves forward to approach the target point 15, moves closer to the target point 15 based on the odometry information of the internal sensor unit 43, and stops moving when it determines that it has entered the target area 31.

[0063] In this way, the traveling vehicle 12 can autonomously move to the target point 15 set at a point different from the reference marker 14 using the reference marker 14 as an intermediary.

[0064] Next, Fig. 9 shows an example of a third movement pattern of the target movement movement of the traveling vehicle 12. The third movement pattern is an example in which the traveling vehicle 12 moves forward in a direction deviated from the direction in which the X-ray of the traveling vehicle 12 overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14, and moves onto the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15, and the waypoint P1 of the traveling vehicle 12 on the way to the target point 15 is closer to the target point 15 than the imaginary vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14, as in the example of the first movement pattern shown in Fig. 7, and the intermediate point P2 is closer to the target point 15 than in the example of the first movement pattern shown in Fig. 7.

[0065] 9(a), the traveling vehicle 12 temporarily stops at waypoint P1 on the way to the destination point 15, and processes the images captured by the image acquisition unit 24 to search for the reference marker 14. After confirming the reference marker 14, the traveling vehicle 12 recognizes the relative position between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 (the XY coordinates of the reference marker 14).

[0066] As shown in Figure 9(b), in the first spin step, the front 23 of the moving vehicle 12 is directed toward the reference marker 14, and the moving vehicle 12 is spun around on the spot at the intermediate point P1 so that the X-axis extending forward from the origin 12a of the moving vehicle 12 overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14, and the moving direction of the moving vehicle 12 is directed toward the reference position of the reference marker 14.

[0067] The reference marker 14 in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 24 of the traveling vehicle 12 is subjected to image processing, and the relative attitude (relative yaw angle) of the traveling vehicle 12 with respect to the reference marker 14 is recognized.

[0068] Based on the XY coordinates and relative yaw angle of the reference marker 14 and the relationship between the relative position and relative attitude of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15, a travel trajectory is generated that moves the traveling vehicle 12 from the via point P1 around to the front of the target point 15 and approach it.

[0069] The driving trajectory is a series of movements of the vehicle 12 that combines straight driving and spin rotations of the vehicle 12, and generates the spin angle of the second spin step that spins the vehicle 12 until the X-axis of the vehicle 12 overlaps with the intermediate point P2, the travel distance of the transfer step that moves the vehicle 12 straight from the intermediate point P1 to the intermediate point P2, the spin angle of the third spin step that spins the vehicle 12 that has reached the intermediate point P2 so that it faces the front of the target point 15 (virtual marker 30), and the travel distance of the approach movement step that moves the vehicle 12 straight from the intermediate point P2 to approach the target point 15 and enter the target area 31.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 9(c), the intermediate point P2 set on the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15 is a point on the imaginary vertical line 15a that is closer to the target point 15 than the point (see Fig. 9(b)) where the imaginary vertical line 15a intersects with the center line (the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 that overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14) connecting the via point P1 and the reference position of the reference marker 14. For example, the intermediate point P2 is a location where the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 and the imaginary vertical line 15a form a predetermined acute angle.

[0071] 9(c) to 9(f) show the movement of the traveling vehicle 12 according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15. In the step of causing the traveling vehicle 12 to travel according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15, the driving unit 41 is driven based on the traveling distance and spin angle of the generated traveling trajectory without using information recognized from the reference marker 14.

[0072] 9(c), the traveling vehicle 12 at the via point P1 is spun and rotated until the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 overlaps with the intermediate point P2. This process is called the second spin step.

[0073] 9(d), the traveling vehicle 12 is caused to move forward toward the intermediate point P2, and when the origin 12a of the traveling vehicle 12 reaches the intermediate point P2, the traveling vehicle 12 is stopped temporarily. This process is called a transfer step.

[0074] 9(e), the traveling vehicle 12 that has reached the intermediate point P2 is spun so that the front surface 23 of the traveling vehicle 12 faces the target point 15 (the front surface of the virtual marker 30). This process is called a third spin step.

[0075] As shown in Figure 9(f), the traveling vehicle 12 facing the target point 15 (in front of the virtual marker 30) moves forward to approach the target point 15, moves closer to the target point 15 based on the odometry information of the internal sensor unit 43, and stops moving when it determines that it has entered the target area 31.

[0076] In this way, the traveling vehicle 12 can autonomously move to the target point 15, which is set at a location different from the reference marker 14, using the reference marker 14 as an intermediary. Moreover, by setting the intermediate point P2 at a position close to the target point 15, the distance traveled by the traveling vehicle 12 is reduced, improving work efficiency.

[0077] Next, Fig. 10 shows an example of a fourth movement pattern of the target movement movement movement of the traveling vehicle 12. The fourth movement pattern is an example in which the traveling vehicle 12 moves forward in a direction deviated from the direction in which the X-ray of the traveling vehicle 12 overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14, and moves onto the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15, in which the waypoint P1 of the traveling vehicle 12 on the way to the target point 15 is located farther from the target point 15 than the imaginary vertical line 14a of the reference marker 14, as in the example of the second movement pattern shown in Fig. 8, and the movement is made from a direction perpendicular to the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15.

[0078] 10(a), the traveling vehicle 12 temporarily stops at waypoint P1 on the way to the destination point 15, and processes the images captured by the image acquisition unit 24 to search for the reference marker 14. After confirming the reference marker 14, the traveling vehicle 12 recognizes the relative position between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 (the XY coordinates of the reference marker 14).

[0079] As shown in Figure 10(b), the front 23 of the moving vehicle 12 is directed toward the reference marker 14, and the moving vehicle 12 is spun around on the spot at the intermediate point P1 so that the X-axis extending forward from the origin 12a of the moving vehicle 12 overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14, and the moving direction of the moving vehicle 12 is directed toward the reference position of the reference marker 14.

[0080] The reference marker 14 in the image captured by the image acquisition unit 24 of the traveling vehicle 12 is subjected to image processing, and the relative attitude (relative yaw angle) of the traveling vehicle 12 with respect to the reference marker 14 is recognized.

[0081] Based on the XY coordinates and relative yaw angle of the reference marker 14 and the relationship between the relative position and relative attitude of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15, a travel trajectory is generated that moves the traveling vehicle 12 from the via point P1 around to the front of the target point 15 and approach it.

[0082] The driving trajectory is a series of movements of the vehicle 12 that combines straight driving and spin rotations of the vehicle 12, and generates the spin angle of the second spin step that spins the vehicle 12 until the X-axis of the vehicle 12 overlaps with the intermediate point P2, the travel distance of the transfer step that moves the vehicle 12 straight from the intermediate point P1 to the intermediate point P2, the spin angle of the third spin step that spins the vehicle 12 that has reached the intermediate point P2 so that it faces the front of the target point 15 (the front of the virtual marker 30), and the travel distance of the approach movement step that moves the vehicle 12 straight from the intermediate point P2 to approach the target point 15 and enter the target area 31.

[0083] As shown in Figure 10(c), intermediate point P2 set on the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15 is the point where the imaginary vertical line 15a of the target point 15 intersects perpendicularly with the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 located at the via point P1.

[0084] 10(c) to 10(f) show the movement of the traveling vehicle 12 according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15. In the step of causing the traveling vehicle 12 to travel according to the traveling trajectory to the destination point 15, the driving unit 41 is driven based on the traveling distance and spin angle of the generated traveling trajectory without using information recognized from the reference marker 14.

[0085] 10(c), the traveling vehicle 12 at the waypoint P1 is spun around until the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 overlaps with the intermediate point P2. This spin rotation causes the imaginary vertical line 15a of the destination point 15 and the X axis of the traveling vehicle 12 to intersect at right angles.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 10(d), the traveling vehicle 12 is caused to move forward toward the intermediate point P2, and when the origin 12a of the traveling vehicle 12 reaches the intermediate point P2, the traveling vehicle 12 is brought to a temporary halt.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 10(e), the traveling vehicle 12 that has reached the intermediate point P2 is spun around so that the front face 23 of the traveling vehicle 12 faces the target point 15 (the front face of the virtual marker 30).

[0088] As shown in FIG. 10(f), the traveling vehicle 12 facing the target point 15 (in front of the virtual marker 30) moves forward to approach the target point 15, moves closer to the target point 15 based on the odometry information of the internal sensor unit 43, and stops moving when it determines that it has entered the target area 31.

[0089] In this way, the traveling vehicle 12 can autonomously move to the target point 15, which is set at a point different from the reference marker 14, using the reference marker 14 as an intermediary. Moreover, in the transfer step, the traveling vehicle 12 transfers from a direction perpendicular to the virtual vertical line 15a of the target point 15, thereby improving the accuracy of the autonomous movement to the target point 15.

[0090] As described above, the traveling vehicle 12 can autonomously move to the target point 15 set at a location different from the reference marker 14 using the reference marker 14 as an intermediary, so the traveling vehicle 12 can autonomously move to a location where the reference marker 14 cannot be set, for example, because the target point 15 is located on the traveling path of the traveling vehicle 12.

[0091] The travel trajectory of the traveling vehicle 12 is generated based on information on the relative position between the reference marker 14 and the target point 15 as well as information on the relative posture, so the traveling vehicle 12 can not only be moved to the position of the target point 15, but can also be moved so that it assumes the desired posture relative to the target point 15.

[0092] The driving accuracy of the vehicle 12 can be improved by recognizing the coordinates of the relative position of the vehicle 12 with respect to the reference marker 14 and the tilt angle of the relative attitude (relative yaw angle), and generating the driving trajectory of the vehicle 12 based on these coordinates of the relative position and the tilt angle of the relative attitude.

[0093] The relative yaw angle of the vehicle 12 relative to the reference marker 14 is recognized after the vehicle 12 is spun so that the X-axis of the vehicle 12 overlaps with the reference position of the reference marker 14, which increases the reliability of the relative yaw angle. Furthermore, the accuracy of the recognition of the relative yaw angle is improved by using the median value of the relative yaw angle obtained from multiple images of the reference marker 14, which results in an improvement in the accuracy of the trajectory generated using the relative yaw angle.

[0094] In the step of driving the vehicle 12 along the driving trajectory to the target point 15, the drive unit 41 is driven based on the driving distance and spin angle of the generated driving trajectory without using information recognized from the reference marker 14, so the vehicle 12 can drive even if the reference marker 14 goes out of the field of view 25 of the image acquisition unit 24 while turning around.In addition, the reliability of internal information such as odometry can be ensured more than when driving along a curved trajectory, improving the driving accuracy of the vehicle 12.

[0095] Because the travel trajectory of the traveling vehicle 12 consists of straight travel and spin rotations, the travel trajectory can be made more compact than when the travel trajectory includes curved travel, and the via point P1 can be set at a position closer to the reference marker 14. This allows the reference marker 14 to be photographed at a certain size or larger within the field of view of the image acquisition unit 24 of the traveling vehicle 12, improving recognition of the reference marker 14.

[0096] The traveling path of the traveling vehicle 12 is not limited to straight traveling, but may also be curved traveling. For example, the traveling vehicle 12 facing the reference marker 14 at the via point P1 shown in Fig. 9(b) may travel on a curve at the intermediate point P2 shown in Fig. 9(e) so that the front surface 23 of the traveling vehicle 12 faces the target point 15 (the front surface of the virtual marker 30).

[0097] Furthermore, since it is sufficient to set the target point 15 (virtual marker 30) so that the relative position and relative orientation with respect to the reference marker 14 are known, multiple destinations may be set by setting multiple target points 15 (virtual markers 30) for one reference marker 14. In this case, the multiple target points 15 may include points where a marker can be installed as well as points where a marker cannot be installed.

[0098] In addition, in the trajectory generation step, trajectory generation may be performed via a target point recognition step in which the XY coordinates (x2, y2) and relative attitude of the target point 15 (virtual marker 30) relative to the traveling vehicle 12 are recognized based on the XY coordinates and relative yaw angle of the traveling vehicle 12 relative to the reference marker 14 and the relationship between the relative position and relative attitude of the target point 15 relative to the reference marker 14 (the relationship between the positions and attitudes of the reference marker 14 and the target point 15).

[0099] In addition, in the above embodiment, the control device 45 of the traveling vehicle 12 generates the traveling trajectory, but the traveling trajectory of the traveling vehicle 12 may also be generated by an external processing device, such as a management terminal 40, which is separate from the traveling vehicle 12 and can communicate with each other. In this case, the traveling vehicle 12 performs image processing on the image of the reference marker 14 captured by the image acquisition unit 24 at a starting position P0 located away from the reference marker 14, and transmits information on the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 to an external processing device (relative position / relative attitude information transmission step).The external processing device also acquires the information on the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 transmitted from the traveling vehicle 12 (information acquisition step), and generates a traveling trajectory for moving the traveling vehicle 12 from the starting position P0 to the target point 15 based on the acquired information on the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle 12 and the reference marker 14 and the information on the relative position and relative attitude between the specified reference marker 14 and the target point 15 (traveling trajectory generation step), and transmits the generated information on the traveling trajectory to the traveling vehicle 12 (traveling trajectory information transmission step).The traveling vehicle 12 then acquires the information on the traveling trajectory transmitted from the external processing device (traveling trajectory information acquisition step). In this way, by generating the travel trajectory on the external processing device side, the travel vehicle 12 can omit the process of generating the travel trajectory, and can move toward the target point 15 based on the acquired travel trajectory information.

[0100] Although the embodiment of the present invention and its modified examples have been described above, various combinations of configurations, partial omissions, substitutions and modifications are also possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 12 Traveling vehicles 12a Origin 14 fiducial marker 15 Target point 15a Imaginary vertical line 20 Main body 24 Image acquisition unit 41 Drive unit 45 Control Device P0 Starting position P2 Midpoint

Claims

1. A traveling vehicle that moves autonomously to a destination point, a main body; a drive unit that is installed on the main body and moves the main body; an image acquisition unit that is installed in the main body and captures an image of the outside world of the main body; a control device connected to the drive unit and the image acquisition unit, and configured to output a drive command to the drive unit and to execute image processing on a fiducial marker in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit; The control device a target movement operation in which the traveling vehicle is moved to the target point, which is located at a point different from the reference marker and has a relationship of a relative position and a relative attitude defined with respect to the reference marker, At a start position where the traveling vehicle is positioned away from the reference marker, image processing is performed on the image of the reference marker captured by the image acquisition unit to recognize the relationship between the relative position and relative orientation of the traveling vehicle and the reference marker, and a traveling trajectory for moving the traveling vehicle from the start position to the target point is generated based on the relationship between the relative position and relative orientation of the traveling vehicle and the reference marker and the relationship between the relative position and relative orientation of the reference marker and the target point. A vehicle characterized by:

2. The control device At the starting position where the traveling vehicle is positioned away from the reference marker, the traveling vehicle is spun on the spot so that the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle faces the reference position of the reference marker based on the relative position relationship with the reference marker, and then image processing is performed on an image of the reference marker taken in a state where the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle faces the reference position of the reference marker, to recognize the relative posture relationship between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1.

3. The control device After the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle is directed toward the reference position of the reference marker, the traveling vehicle is stopped and the image acquisition unit is caused to capture images of the reference marker multiple times to acquire multiple images of the reference marker, and image processing is performed on each of the multiple images of the reference marker to determine the relative orientation between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker from the median value of multiple pieces of information on the relative orientation between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker acquired.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2.

4. The control device Recognizing the relative position between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker by the coordinates of the position of the reference marker in a traveling vehicle coordinate system with the traveling vehicle as the origin; The relative attitude between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker is recognized by the relative yaw angle of the traveling vehicle with respect to the display surface of the reference marker in a state where the traveling direction of the traveling vehicle is facing the reference position of the reference marker.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2 or 3.

5. a main body; a drive unit that is installed on the main body and moves the main body; an image acquisition unit that is installed in the main body and captures an image of the outside world of the main body; a control device connected to the drive unit and the image acquisition unit, which outputs a drive command to the drive unit and executes image processing for the reference marker in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit; to a target point that is located at a point different from the reference marker and has a relationship of a relative position and a relative attitude defined with respect to the reference marker, The control device a first reference marker recognition step of recognizing, from an image of the reference marker captured by the image acquisition unit at a start position where the traveling vehicle is positioned away from the reference marker, an XY coordinate of the reference marker in a traveling vehicle coordinate system in which the straight-ahead direction of the traveling vehicle is defined as an X axis and a direction perpendicular to the X axis is defined as a Y axis; a first spin step of spinning the traveling vehicle on the spot by the drive unit until the X axis of the traveling vehicle overlaps with a reference position of the reference marker; a second reference marker recognition step of recognizing a relative yaw angle of the traveling vehicle with respect to the reference marker from the image of the reference marker acquired by the image acquisition unit after the first spin step; a trajectory generation step of generating a travel trajectory for moving the traveling vehicle from the starting position to the target point based on the XY coordinates and the relative yaw angle of the reference marker and the relationship between the relative position and relative attitude of the reference marker and the target point. An autonomous driving method characterized by:

6. In the trajectory generation step, the traveling trajectory for the traveling vehicle to transfer to an intermediate point located away from the target point on a virtual vertical line that is perpendicular to the front of the target point and extends from the target point is generated based on the XY coordinates and the relative yaw angle of the reference marker, and the relative position and relative attitude between the reference marker and the target point. The autonomous driving method according to claim 5 .

7. In the trajectory generation step, a travel distance of a transfer step that causes the traveling vehicle to travel straight until it reaches the intermediate point and a spin angle of an intermediate point spin step that causes the traveling vehicle that has arrived at the intermediate point to spin and face the target point are generated.

7. The autonomous driving method according to claim 6.

8. the origin of the travelling vehicle coordinate system is located at the center of spin rotation of the travelling vehicle, the spin angles in the first spin step and the intermediate point spin step are rotation angles based on the origin; The travel distance in the transfer step is the distance until the origin overlaps with the intermediate point. The autonomous driving method according to claim 7 .

9. In the trajectory generation step, a spin angle of a second spin step for spinning the traveling vehicle until the X axis of the traveling vehicle overlaps with the intermediate point, a travel distance of a transfer step for moving the traveling vehicle straight until the traveling vehicle reaches the intermediate point, and a spin angle of a third spin step for spinning the traveling vehicle that has arrived at the intermediate point so that the traveling vehicle faces the target point are generated.

7. The autonomous driving method according to claim 6.

10. the origin of the travelling vehicle coordinate system is located at the center of spin rotation of the travelling vehicle, spin angles in the first spin step, the second spin step, and the third spin step are rotation angles based on the origin; The travel distance in the transfer step is the distance until the origin overlaps with the intermediate point. The autonomous driving method according to claim 9 .

11. In the step of driving the traveling vehicle based on the trajectory generation step, the driving unit is driven based on the traveling distance and the spin angle of the generated traveling trajectory without using information recognized from the reference marker.

11. The autonomous driving method according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle is driven autonomously.

12. a main body; a drive unit that is installed on the main body and moves the main body; an image acquisition unit that is installed in the main body and captures an image of the outside world of the main body; a control device to which the drive unit and the image acquisition unit are connected; A traveling trajectory generation method for generating a traveling trajectory for moving a traveling vehicle equipped with the above-mentioned reference marker to a target point that is located at a point different from a reference marker and has a relationship of a relative position and a relative attitude defined with respect to the reference marker, a step of performing image processing on the image of the reference marker captured by the image acquisition unit at a start position where the traveling vehicle is positioned away from the reference marker, and acquiring information on the relative position and relative attitude between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker; and generating the travel trajectory for moving the traveling vehicle from the starting position to the target point based on the acquired information on the relative position and relative orientation between the traveling vehicle and the reference marker and information on the relative position and relative orientation between the specified reference marker and the target point. A traveling trajectory generation method characterized by:

Images