Control system and control method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a control system and a control method that appropriately determine whether to transition a manipulator to a moving posture when moving a moving body equipped with a manipulator to a target position. [Solution] The control system disclosed herein is a control system 1 comprising a mobile body 10 equipped with a manipulator 12 capable of transitioning between a working posture when performing a specified task and a moving posture when moving, and a controller 20 that controls the mobile body 10, wherein when selecting an operation for the manipulator 12, if the moving time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the controller 20 selects a first operation that transitions from the first working posture to the second working posture without passing through a moving posture, and if the moving time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the controller 20 selects a second operation that transitions from the first working posture to the second working posture via a moving posture.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] Technologies relating to a mobile body equipped with a manipulator have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a trajectory generation device that generates a trajectory for moving an end effector of a manipulator to a target position. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-093364 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The inventors have found the following problem with the trajectory generation device disclosed in Patent Document 1. The working posture of the manipulator is an unstable posture when the moving body moves, for example, when the manipulator's arm is extended or the manipulator's lifting shaft is raised. Therefore, when the moving body moves, control is performed to transition the manipulator from the working posture to a posture suitable for movement (hereinafter referred to as the moving posture). However, transitioning the manipulator from the working posture to the moving posture every time the moving body moves is an unnecessary movement, for example, when the moving distance is short, and therefore reduces the working efficiency of the moving body.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and provides a control system and a control method that appropriately determine whether to transition a manipulator to a moving posture when moving a moving body equipped with a manipulator to a target position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A control system according to the present disclosure includes a mobile body equipped with a manipulator capable of transitioning between a working posture when performing a predetermined task and a movement posture when moving, and a controller for controlling the mobile body, wherein the controller calculates a movement time that is the time it takes for the mobile body to move from a first working position to a second working position, calculates a first transition time that is the time it takes for the manipulator to transition from the first working posture at the first working position to the movement posture, and calculates a second transition time that is the time it takes for the manipulator to transition from the movement posture to a second working posture at the second working position, Based on the movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time, an operation of the manipulator when moving the moving body from the first working position to the second working position is selected, and when selecting the operation of the manipulator, if the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a first operation of transitioning from the first working posture to the second working posture without passing through the movement posture is selected, and if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second operation of transitioning from the first working posture to the second working posture via the movement posture is selected.

[0007] A control method according to the present disclosure is a control method in which a controller controls a moving body equipped with a manipulator capable of transitioning between a working posture when performing a predetermined task and a movement posture when moving, the controller includes steps of: calculating a movement time that is the time it takes for the moving body to move from a first working position to a second working position; calculating a first transition time that is the time it takes for the manipulator to transition from the first working posture at the first working position to the movement posture; calculating a second transition time that is the time it takes for the manipulator to transition from the movement posture to a second working posture at the second working position; and calculating the calculated movement time. and selecting an operation of the manipulator when moving the moving body from the first working position to the second working position based on the time, the first transition time, and the second transition time, wherein in the step of selecting the operation of the manipulator, if the moving time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a first operation is selected to transition from the first working posture to the second working posture without passing through the moving posture, and if the moving time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second operation is selected to transition from the first working posture to the second working posture via the moving posture. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present disclosure can provide a control system and a control method that appropriately determine whether to transition the manipulator to a moving posture when moving a moving body equipped with a manipulator to a target position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a moving body according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of movement by a moving object according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the control method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a control method according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a control method according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0011] (Embodiment 1) <Control system configuration> First, a control system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control system according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a moving body according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the control system 1 includes a moving body 10 and a controller 20. Note that the controller 20 may be configured as an integral part of the moving body 10.

[0012] <Configuration of moving body> The moving body 10 includes a dolly 11 and a manipulator 12. The moving body 10 is also called a mobile manipulator or a mobile manipulator robot. The dolly 11 moves the manipulator 12 to a desired position in response to a control signal from a controller 20. The dolly 11 is equipped with, for example, wheels and a motor for rotating the wheels as a driving unit for movement. The driving unit for moving the dolly 11 is not limited to wheels and a motor for rotating the wheels, and may be, for example, legs for walking on two legs.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the manipulator 12 includes an end effector 120, a link 121, a joint 122, and an elevator shaft 123. The manipulator 12 is driven in response to a control signal from the controller 20. The end effector 120 is disposed at the tip of the link 121 and grips an object. One or more links 121 are provided to the manipulator 12 via joints 122. The joints 122 are driven by a rotation angle and an angular velocity based on a control signal from the controller 20. The elevator shaft 123 is installed on the cart 11 and is driven up and down by an extension / contraction amount based on a control signal from the controller 20. Note that the number of end effectors 120, links 121, joints 122, and elevator shafts 123 is not limited to one, and may be multiple.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the manipulator 12 can transition between a working posture and a moving posture. The working posture is the posture of the manipulator 12 when performing a predetermined task. The predetermined task is, for example, grasping and moving an object. On the other hand, the moving posture is the posture of the manipulator 12 when the mobile body 10 moves. More specifically, the moving posture is the posture of the manipulator 12 when, for example, the link 121 is folded and the lifting shaft is lowered. The center of gravity position in the moving posture is lower and closer to the center of gravity of the cart 11 than the center of gravity position of the mobile body 10 in the working posture, and therefore, this is a stable posture for the mobile body 10 to move.

[0015] <Controller configuration> 1, the controller 20 includes a motion generation unit 21, a time calculation unit 22, a motion selection unit 23, and a motion control unit 24. The controller 20 controls the cart 11 and the manipulator 12.

[0016] Although not shown, the controller 20 includes a calculation unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various programs, data, etc. In other words, the controller 20 functions as a computer and controls the carriage 11 and the manipulator 12 based on the various programs, etc.

[0017] 1 can be configured in hardware by the CPU, memory, and other circuits. In software, each functional block can be realized by a program stored in the memory. That is, each functional block can be realized in various forms by hardware, software, or a combination of both.

[0018] The motion generation unit 21 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of movement by the moving body according to embodiment 1. The motion generation unit 21 generates a motion of the moving body 10 for moving the end effector 120 from a current position Q1 to a target position Q2.

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

[0020] The operation of the manipulator 12 includes an operation in which the manipulator 12 transitions from a first working posture to a second working posture without passing through a moving posture (hereinafter referred to as a first operation), and an operation in which the manipulator 12 transitions from the first working posture to the second working posture via a moving posture (hereinafter referred to as a second operation). Note that when performing the first operation, the manipulator 12 may transition through one or more intermediate postures.

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

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

[0023] The movement generation unit 21 outputs information regarding the movement of the cart 11, the first transition movement, and the second transition movement to the time calculation unit 22. Furthermore, the movement generation unit 21 outputs information regarding the first movement or the second movement together with information regarding the movement of the cart 11 to the movement control unit 24 according to the selection result of the movement selection unit 23.

[0024] The time calculation unit 22 calculates the operation time based on information regarding the operation of the carriage 11, the first transition operation, and the second transition operation. The time calculation unit 22 calculates the time it takes for the moving body 10 to move from the first work position P1 to the second work position P2 (hereinafter referred to as the movement time) based on the information regarding the operation of the carriage 11. Furthermore, the time calculation unit 22 calculates the time it takes for the manipulator 12 to transition from the first work posture to the movement posture (hereinafter referred to as the first transition time) based on the information regarding the first transition operation, and the time it takes for the manipulator 12 to transition from the movement posture to the second work posture (hereinafter referred to as the second transition time) based on the information regarding the second transition operation. The time calculation unit 22 outputs information regarding the movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time to the operation selection unit 23.

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

[0026] If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the manipulator 12 transitions from the first working posture to the moving posture, and before the manipulator 12 completes the transition from the moving posture to the second working posture, the moving body 10 arrives from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2. In this case, the transition of the manipulator 12 to the moving posture is an unnecessary movement, and the working efficiency of the moving body 10 decreases. Therefore, if the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the operation selection unit 23 selects the first operation that does not transition to the moving posture. On the other hand, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the operation selection unit 23 selects the second operation. Note that if the movement time matches the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the operation selection unit 23 may select either the first operation or the second operation. The operation selection unit 23 outputs information about the selected operation to the operation control unit 24.

[0027] The time for the movement posture of the manipulator 12 in the second action is the time obtained by subtracting the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time from the movement time. Here, if the time for the movement posture is extremely short, the second action will be a rushed action in which the movement posture is transitioned to for only an instant. Therefore, when comparing the movement time with the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a minimum desired time for the movement posture in the case of the second action may be set as a parameter. In other words, the action selection unit 23 may select an action of the manipulator 12 by comparing the movement time with the sum of the first transition time, the second transition time, and the minimum desired time for the movement posture.

[0028] The operation control unit 24 controls the operations of the cart 11 and the manipulator 12 based on information related to the operation of the cart 11 and the operation of the manipulator 12 selected by the operation selection unit 23. More specifically, the operation control unit 24 controls the operation of the cart 11, for example, by controlling the moving speed and direction of the cart 11 based on the information related to the operation of the cart 11. Furthermore, the operation control unit 24 controls the operation of the manipulator 12, for example, by controlling the rotation angle and angular velocity of the joint unit 122, the extension / contraction amount of the elevator shaft 123, and the gripping operation of the end effector 120 based on the operation of the manipulator 12 selected by the operation selection unit 23.

[0029] <Control method> Next, a description will be given of a control method for the moving object 10 according to the embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the control method according to the embodiment 1. Note that the order of the steps is not limited to this, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0030] First, the motion generation unit 21 generates a motion of the carriage 11, a first transition motion, and a second transition motion (step S101). The motion generation unit 21 generates a second working position P2 and a second working posture that can realize the target position Q2 of the end effector 120 by inverse kinematics calculation. Then, the motion generation unit 21 generates a motion of the moving body 10 that does not pass through a moving posture. From the motion, the motion generation unit 21 extracts the motion of the carriage 11 and the first motion of the manipulator 12. Furthermore, the motion generation unit 21 generates the first transition motion and the second transition motion based on the generated second working posture. Then, the motion generation unit 21 outputs information on the motion of the carriage 11, the first transition motion, and the second transition motion to the time calculation unit 22.

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

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

[0033] If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time (step S105: YES), the action selection unit 23 selects the first action (step S106). On the other hand, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time (step S105: NO), the action selection unit 23 selects the second action (step S107). Note that if the movement time matches the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the action selection unit 23 may select either the first action or the second action. The action selection unit 23 outputs the selection result to the action generation unit 21.

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

[0035] Here, the generation of the second action will be described in detail. The second action is an action consisting of a first transition action, a second transition action, and a stationary action in a moving posture. Here, in order for the action generation unit 21 to generate the second action, the time for the stationary action is required. The time for the stationary action is the time obtained by subtracting the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time from the moving time. Therefore, the action generation unit 21 obtains the moving time, the first transition time, and the second transition time from the time calculation unit 22, and generates the second action.

[0036] Finally, the operation control unit 24 controls the operations of the carriage 11 and the manipulator 12 based on the information on the operation of the carriage 11 and the first operation or the second operation (step S110).

[0037] As described above, the control system 1 according to the first embodiment calculates the movement time, which is the time it takes for the moving body 10 to move from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2, the first transition time, which is the time it takes for the manipulator 12 to transition from the first working posture at the first working position P1 to the movement posture, and the second transition time, which is the time it takes for the manipulator 12 to transition from the movement posture to the second working posture at the second working position P2. If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the control system 1 selects the first operation, which does not involve transitioning to the movement posture. On the other hand, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the control system 1 selects the second operation. According to the first embodiment, when the moving body 10, which includes the manipulator 12 capable of transitioning between a working posture and a movement posture, is moved to a target position, it is possible to appropriately determine whether to transition the manipulator 12 to the movement posture.

[0038] (Embodiment 2) Another example of a control system and a control method will be described below, focusing on differences from embodiment 1. The control system 1 according to embodiment 2 further determines whether the moving body 10 will come into contact with another object when the moving body 10 moves from the first work position P1 to the second work position P2.

[0039] <Control system configuration> The control system 1 according to the second embodiment includes a moving object 10, a controller 20, and a sensor not shown in Fig. 1. The moving object 10 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the control system 1 according to the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0040] The sensor detects environmental information (e.g., distance information, image information, etc.) of objects around the mobile body 10. The sensor is mounted on the mobile body 10, for example, but may also be installed in the mobile environment in which the mobile body 10 moves. The sensor may also be a distance sensor such as a camera, laser range finder, or ultrasonic sensor. When the mobile body 10 moves from the first work position P1 to the second work position P2, the sensor detects other objects on the movement path. The sensor then outputs the environmental information of the detected objects to the operation selection unit 23.

[0041] The controller 20 according to the second embodiment includes, similarly to the first embodiment, a motion generation unit 21, a time calculation unit 22, a motion selection unit 23, and a motion control unit 24. The motion generation unit 21, the time calculation unit 22, and the motion control unit 24 according to the second embodiment have the same configurations as those according to the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0042] The operation selection unit 23 selects the operation of the manipulator 12 from the first operation or the second operation when moving the moving body 10 from the first work position P1 to the second work position P2 based on the movement time, the first transition time, the second transition time, and also environmental information acquired from the sensor. The environmental information is used to determine whether the first operation or the second operation will cause the moving body 10 to come into contact with another object.

[0043] <Control method> Next, a control method for the moving object 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the control method according to the second embodiment. The control method according to the second embodiment differs from the control method according to the first embodiment in steps S106 and thereafter. Therefore, in the control method according to the second embodiment, steps S101 to S105 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and their description will be omitted.

[0044] If the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time (step S105: NO), the action generation unit 21 generates a second action and outputs information about the action of the cart 11 and the second action to the action selection unit 23 (step S201). Next, the action selection unit 23 determines whether the moving object 10 will come into contact with another object based on the action of the cart 11, the second action, and environmental information (step S202). If the second action and the action of the cart 11 do not cause the moving object 10 to come into contact with another object (step S202: NO), the action selection unit 23 selects the second action (step S203). Then, the action generation unit 21 outputs information about the action of the cart 11 and the second action to the action control unit 24.

[0045] On the other hand, if the second action and the action of the dolly 11 cause the moving object 10 to come into contact with another object (step S202: YES), the action selection unit 23 determines whether the moving object 10 will come into contact with another object based on the action of the dolly 11, the first action, and the environmental information (step S204). Note that even if the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time (step S105: YES), the action selection unit 23 determines whether the moving object 10 will come into contact with another object based on the action of the dolly 11, the first action, and the environmental information (step S204). If the first action and the action of the dolly 11 do not cause the moving object 10 to come into contact with another object (step S204: NO), the action selection unit 23 selects the first action (step S205). Then, the action generation unit 21 outputs information regarding the action of the dolly 11 and the first action to the action control unit 24.

[0046] Finally, the operation control unit 24 controls the operations of the cart 11 and the manipulator 12 (step S206). The operation control unit 24 controls the operation of the manipulator 12 based on information about the first operation or the second operation selected by the operation selection unit 23 in step S203 or step S205. Note that if the first operation and the operation of the cart 11 cause the moving body 10 to come into contact with another object (step S204: YES), the operation control unit 24 does not execute control of the operations of the cart 11 and the manipulator 12.

[0047] As described above, the control system 1 according to the second embodiment uses the environmental information to determine whether the first action or the second action will cause the moving object 10 to come into contact with another object. In this way, by determining whether the moving object 10 will come into contact with another object, the control system 1 can select a safe action.

[0048] (Embodiment 3) Another example of a control system and a control method will be described below, focusing on the differences from the first and second embodiments. A control system 1 according to a third embodiment selects the operation of a moving body 10 equipped with a manipulator 12 having a plurality of working postures capable of performing a target task.

[0049] <Control system configuration> The control system 1 according to the third embodiment includes a moving object 10 and a controller 20. The control system 1 may include a sensor, as in the second embodiment.

[0050] The moving body 10 according to the third embodiment includes a carriage 11 and a manipulator 12, similar to the first or second embodiment. The manipulator 12 according to the third embodiment has redundant degrees of freedom. Therefore, the manipulator 12 has a plurality of working postures that can perform a target task. In other words, the manipulator 12 has a plurality of second working postures that can realize the target position Q2 of the end effector 120.

[0051] The controller 20 according to the third embodiment includes a motion generation unit 21, a time calculation unit 22, a motion selection unit 23, and a motion control unit 24, similar to the first or second embodiment.

[0052] The motion generation unit 21 generates, by inverse kinematics calculation, a plurality of second working postures that can realize the target position Q2 of the end effector 120. At the same time as generating the second working postures, the motion generation unit 21 also generates a second working position P2 for the second working postures. Then, for each of the plurality of second working postures, the motion generation unit 21 generates a motion of the carriage 11, a first transition motion, a second transition motion, a first motion, and a second motion, as in the first embodiment.

[0053] The time calculation unit 22 calculates the operation time in the same manner as in embodiment 1. The time calculation unit 22 calculates the movement time and the second transition time for each second working posture. Note that the first transition time for each second working posture is the same for all of them.

[0054] The action selection unit 23 selects a second working posture and an action of the manipulator 12 that have excellent movement efficiency and safety based on the movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time. First, the action selection unit 23 selects a candidate action of the manipulator 12 for each second working posture from the first action or the second action. More specifically, the action selection unit 23 compares the movement time with the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time to select a candidate action from the first action or the second action when moving the moving body 10 from the first working position P1 to the second working position P2 in each second working posture.

[0055] If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the movement selection unit 23 selects the first movement that does not transition to a movement posture as a movement candidate. On the other hand, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the movement selection unit 23 selects the second movement as a movement candidate. Note that if the movement time matches the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the movement selection unit 23 may select either the first movement or the second movement as a movement candidate.

[0056] After selecting the candidate movements of the manipulator 12 for each second working posture, the movement selection unit 23 sorts the candidate movements in ascending order of movement time. Here, if the sorted order of the candidate movements includes a candidate movement for the second movement after a candidate movement for the first movement, and the difference in movement time between the candidate movements is equal to or less than a reference value, the movement selection unit 23 changes the order of the candidate movements. Then, the movement selection unit 23 selects the candidate movement at the top of the order as the movement of the manipulator 12.

[0057] In this way, by sorting the candidate actions in ascending order of movement time, the action selection unit 23 can select a candidate action with good movement efficiency. Also, in the case of the above conditions, by switching the order of the candidate actions and prioritizing the second action that goes through the movement posture, the action selection unit 23 can select a candidate action with good safety.

[0058] As in the second embodiment, the action selection unit 23 may acquire environmental information from a sensor and determine whether the first action or the second action will cause the moving object 10 to come into contact with another object.

[0059] The movement control unit 24 controls the movements of the carriage 11 and the manipulator 12 based on the movement candidate at the top of the sequence and the movement of the carriage 11 corresponding to that movement candidate.

[0060] <Control method> Next, a description will be given of a control method for the moving object 10 according to embodiment 3. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the control method according to embodiment 3. Note that the order of steps is not limited to this, and may be changed as appropriate.

[0061] First, the motion generation unit 21 generates a motion, a first transition motion, and a second transition motion of the carriage 11 (step S301). The motion generation unit 21 generates, by inverse kinematics calculation, a plurality of second working postures and second working positions P2 in the second working postures that can realize the target position Q2 of the end effector 120. As in the first embodiment, the motion generation unit 21 generates the motion, the first transition motion, and the second transition motion of the carriage 11, and outputs information related to these to the time calculation unit 22.

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

[0063] Next, the action selection unit 23 selects candidate actions of the manipulator 12 for each second working posture (step S305). If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the action selection unit 23 selects the first action as the candidate action. On the other hand, if the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the action selection unit 23 selects the second action as the candidate action. Note that if the movement time matches the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, the action selection unit 23 may select either the first action or the second action as the candidate action.

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

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

[0066] As described above, the control system 1 according to the third embodiment selects a candidate action of the manipulator 12 for each second working posture from the first action and the second action. Then, the control system 1 sorts the candidate actions in ascending order of movement time. This allows the control system 1 to select a candidate action with good movement efficiency. Furthermore, if a candidate action of the second action occurs after a candidate action of the first action in the sorted order of the candidate actions, and the difference in movement time between the candidate actions is equal to or less than a reference value, the control system 1 swaps the order of the candidate actions. In this way, by prioritizing the second action that passes through a movement posture, the control system 1 can select a candidate action with good safety.

[0067] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 control system, 10 moving body, 11 cart, 12 manipulator, 20 controller, 21 motion generation unit, 22 time calculation unit, 23 motion selection unit, 24 motion control unit, 120 end effector, 121 link, 122 joint unit, 123 lift axis, P1 first working position, P2 second working position, Q1 current position, Q2 target position

Claims

1. a mobile body having a manipulator that can transition between a working posture when performing a predetermined task and a moving posture when moving; a controller for controlling the moving body, The controller calculating a travel time that is the time it takes for the moving body to travel from the first work position to the second work position; calculating a first transition time that is a time required for the manipulator to transition from a first working posture at the first working position to the moving posture; calculating a second transition time that is a time required for the manipulator to transition from the movement posture to a second working posture at the second working position; selecting an operation of the manipulator when moving the moving body from the first work position to the second work position based on the calculated movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time; When selecting an operation of the manipulator, If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a first action for transitioning from the first working posture to the second working posture without passing through the movement posture is selected; If the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second action is selected to transition from the first working posture to the second working posture via the movement posture. Control system.

2. The controller further determines whether the moving body will come into contact with another object when the moving body moves from the first working position to the second working position. The control system of claim 1 .

3. the moving body has a plurality of second working postures capable of performing a target task, and a plurality of second working positions in the second working postures; Calculating the movement time and the second transition time for each of the second working postures; As a candidate operation of the manipulator when moving the moving body from the first working position to the second working position in each of the second working postures, If the travel time is less than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, select the first action; If the travel time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, select the second action; sorting the action candidates in ascending order of the movement times, and in a case where the action candidate for the second action is located after the action candidate for the first action in the sorted order of the action candidates and the difference in the movement times between the action candidates is equal to or less than a reference value, rearranging the order; controlling the manipulator based on the candidate action at the head of the sequence; 3. A control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When performing the first action, the moving body passes through one or more intermediate postures. The control system of claim 3 .

5. A control method in which a controller controls a moving body having a manipulator that can transition between a working posture when performing a predetermined task and a moving posture when moving, comprising: The controller Calculating a travel time that is the time it takes for the moving body to travel from the first work position to the second work position; calculating a first transition time that is a time required for the manipulator to transition from a first working posture at the first working position to the moving posture; calculating a second transition time that is a time required for the manipulator to transition from the movement posture to a second working posture at the second working position; selecting an operation of the manipulator when moving the moving body from the first working position to the second working position based on the calculated movement time, the first transition time, and the second transition time; In the step of selecting an operation of the manipulator, If the movement time is shorter than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a first action for transitioning from the first working posture to the second working posture without passing through the movement posture is selected; If the movement time is longer than the sum of the first transition time and the second transition time, a second action is selected to transition from the first working posture to the second working posture via the movement posture. Control method.

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