Dispersion recovery device and dispersion recovery method

Abstract

A specific measure for increasing the work efficiency of recovery work by reducing, to the greatest extent possible, travel of a machine body while the machine body is not performing work to recover dispersed objects is presented, and a work area is set for an electric recovery device so as to take into consideration battery consumption, in order to make work effectively more efficient.　This dispersed object recovery device is provided with an electric machine body that travels autonomously within an activity area along a set travel path, the machine body is made to depart from a collection site to travel autonomously within a set work area so that dispersed objects dispersed within the work area are accommodated in an accommodation section provided inside or outside the machine body and recovered to the collection site, and the work area is set as a closed region following the locations of the outer edge of the dispersed objects in an aggregation range where a plurality of the dispersed objects are densely clustered.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a dispersion recovery device and a dispersion recovery method for recovering dispersed material dispersed within a work area while moving autonomously. [Background technology]

[0002] The scattered objects include balls hit at a golf driving range, etc. Conventionally, a self-propelled ball recovery device is known that includes a memory that stores information about the distribution of balls in a working area, and a processing unit that guides a vehicle into the working area to recover the balls according to the information stored in the memory (see Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-220935 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The problem with self-propelled recovery devices like those in the conventional example is how to make the vehicle move more efficiently and collect more scattered balls in a short time. In response to this problem, the conventional technology proposes to make the vehicle move based on information about the distribution of scattered balls in a work area, and indicates that a place where the distribution or concentration of balls is high or high compared to other areas, or where there is a possibility of this being the case, is designated as a work area, and that work in that work area is given priority.

[0005] However, the setting of the above-mentioned work area is only vaguely indicated as being based on the predicted distribution of the dispersed material or on monitoring the dispersed state using a visual sensor, and no more specific method for setting the work area is given in order to reduce as much as possible the movement of vehicles that are not performing recovery operations.

[0006] In addition, when the vehicle in the recovery device runs or operates electrically, if the battery installed in the vehicle needs to be charged during operation, the efficiency of the operation will be significantly reduced. For this reason, in the case of an electrically-driven recovery device, it is important to reduce battery consumption as much as possible and reduce (or eliminate) the number of times the battery needs to be recharged during operation in order to perform efficient recovery operations.

[0007] The greater the load on the motor, the greater the battery consumption. Therefore, simply reducing the travel distance is not a sufficient measure to reduce battery consumption. In the above-mentioned conventional technology, the work area is not set with battery consumption in mind, and when applied to an electric recovery device, there is a problem that effective work efficiency cannot be achieved.

[0008] The present invention has been proposed to address such problems. That is, the objectives of the present invention are to provide a specific measure for increasing the efficiency of the collection operation by reducing as much as possible the travel of the machine when not performing the collection operation of dispersed materials in a self-propelled dispersed material collection device, and to achieve effective work efficiency by setting the work area in consideration of battery consumption in an electrically-driven collection device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve such problems, the present invention has the following configuration. A dispersed material recovery device comprising an electric vehicle that travels autonomously along a set travel route within an activity area, the vehicle being started from a collection point and travelling autonomously within a set work area, whereby dispersed materials within the work area are stored in a storage unit provided within or outside the vehicle, and the dispersed materials are recovered at the collection point, A collection area where a plurality of dispersed substances are concentrated is set so that the distance between two adjacent dispersed substances is equal to or less than a set distance and the number of dispersed substances is less than the number that can be accommodated in the storage section, and the work area is set as a closed area that contacts the outer edge positions of the dispersed substances in the collection area. A dispersion recovery device comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0010] In the case of a self-propelled dispersion recovery device having such characteristics, the running of the machine when not performing the dispersion recovery work can be reduced as much as possible, thereby improving the work efficiency of the recovery work. Also, in the case of an electrically-driven recovery device, the work area can be set in consideration of battery consumption, thereby realizing effective work efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a working environment of a dispersion recovery device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the equipment configuration of a dispersion recovery device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation steps of the dispersion recovery device (dispersion recovery method). [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram showing an example of setting a work area ((a) Identification of the collection area, (b) Identification of the outermost peripheral dispersed object, (c) Setting of the work area). [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of identifying an assembly area. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting a travel path of the machine. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting a vehicle's travel route for a plurality of gathering areas. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts having the same function, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0013] The dispersed material recovery device appropriately sets an activity area Fa in a facility area Fs as shown in Fig. 1, and recovers dispersed material P dispersed in the activity area Fa by having a vehicle 10 travel autonomously within the activity area Fa. A collection point Ga is provided outside the activity area Fa in the facility area Fs, and the vehicle 10 departs from the collection point Ga or another starting point and stores dispersed material P in a storage unit 11 provided inside or outside the vehicle 10 during the process of autonomously traveling within the activity area Fa.

[0014] When the predetermined collection operation is completed, the vehicle 10 returns to the collection point Ga and discharges the dispersion P stored in the storage unit 11 to the collection point Ga. A charging facility Es is provided at the collection point Ga. The vehicle 10 is electrically powered, and when the vehicle 10 returns to the collection point Ga, the battery 12 provided in the vehicle 10 is charged by the charging facility Es.

[0015] The equipment configuration of the dispersed material recovery device is shown in Fig. 2. The dispersed material recovery device 1 includes a machine 10 that autonomously travels within the aforementioned activity area Fa, a camera 20 that takes an overhead image of a part or the whole of the aforementioned activity area Fa, and a work instruction transmission unit 30 that acquires the image taken by the camera 20 and transmits work instructions to the machine 10.

[0016] In addition to the storage unit 11 and battery 12 mentioned above, the machine 10 is equipped with a running unit 13 (running wheels 13a and running drive unit 13b) for running on the field surface of the activity area Fa, a pickup mechanism 14 for picking up dispersed material P from the field surface and storing it in the storage unit 11, and a control unit 15 for controlling the running unit 13 and the pickup mechanism 14 based on an instruction signal received from a work instruction transmission unit 30 and a detection signal from a position detection unit 16 such as a GPS receiver.

[0017] Depending on the operating status of the dispersed material recovery device 1, the camera 20 transmits images of a part or the whole of the activity area Fa to the work instruction transmission unit 30 at any time or periodically, or in response to an instruction from a user. The camera 20 is also capable of capturing images of a predetermined range within the activity area Fa in response to a control signal from the work instruction transmission unit 30, and at that time, the work instruction transmission unit 30 is capable of recognizing position information of the capturing range (angle of view) of the camera 20.

[0018] In the illustrated example, the camera 20 is supported on a predetermined support (such as a pillar or a wall or ceiling surface of a facility) 21 in order to capture an overhead image of the activity area Fa, but the camera 20 may be installed on the aircraft 10. Also, in order to compensate for blind spots of the camera 20 installed in the facility, etc., the camera 20 installed in the facility and the camera 20 installed in the aircraft 10 may be used together.

[0019] The work instruction transmission unit 30 basically sets a work area within the activity area Fa, sets a driving route for the aircraft 10 departing from the collection point Ga (or other location) to perform collection work within the set work area and return to the collection point Ga, and transmits that data to the aircraft 10.

[0020] In the illustrated example, the work instruction transmission unit 30 is provided outside the machine 10, but the control unit 15 of the machine 10 itself may have a similar function. In this case, image information acquired by the camera 20 is transmitted to the control unit 15, or image information captured by an external camera or the like is input in advance, so that the control unit 15 itself sets the work area and travel route.

[0021] An overview of the operational steps of the work instruction transmission unit 30 is shown in Fig. 3. In the first step (image acquisition step) S1, an image for setting a work area is acquired from the camera 20. The image to be acquired is a field image within the activity area Fa in which dispersed objects are dispersed, and a still image of the set shooting range and position information of that shooting range are acquired simultaneously.

[0022] In the second step (work area setting step) S2, a work area is set based on the acquired image. The acquired image is processed to distinguish between images of dispersed objects (e.g., balls) and other images (such as background images). Then, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the position of dispersed objects P present in the acquired image is recognized on the position coordinates (XY coordinates) corresponding to the shooting range of the acquired image.

[0023] In setting the work area, the position of each dispersed particle P on the position coordinates is identified, and then an assembly area Se where multiple dispersed particles are densely gathered is identified as shown in Fig. 4(a). The assembly area Se is identified, for example, by displaying the position coordinates and an image of the dispersed particles P on a display screen, inputting a line surrounding the assembly of the densely gathered dispersed particles P with a predetermined input means (touch pad, touch pen, mouse, keyboard, etc.), and determining the closed area surrounded by the line as the assembly area Se.

[0024] The aforementioned gathering area Se can be set as the work area as is, but the work area is further narrowed down to reduce as much as possible the travel of the machine 10 when not performing dispersed material recovery work, thereby increasing the work efficiency of the recovery work, and the work area is set using the following steps.

[0025] In this case, after identifying the above-mentioned collection area Se, as shown in Fig. 4(b), the dispersions P in the collection area Se are identified, and from among them, the dispersions Ps existing on the outermost periphery are identified. The dispersions Ps existing on the outermost periphery can be identified as those outside which no dispersions P exist in either the X or Y direction, judging from the XY coordinate positions of each dispersion P in the collection area Se. Whether or not a dispersion P exists on the outer side is determined by whether or not it exists within the width (diameter) of the dispersion P.

[0026] When the dispersed matter Ps existing at the outermost periphery is identified from the dispersed matter P in the collection area Se, a closed area is set along the outer edge position of the dispersed matter Ps existing at the outermost periphery as shown in FIG. 4(c), and this is set as the working area W. By setting such a working area W, the traveling of the machine 10 in a state where the collection work of the dispersed matter P is not being performed can be reduced as much as possible, and the work efficiency of the collection work can be improved. Here, in the illustrated example, the closed area is set so as to be in contact with the outer edge of the dispersed matter Ps existing at the outermost periphery, but the closed area may be set at a position slightly away from the outer edge of the dispersed matter Ps existing at the outermost periphery, and the closed area may be set so as to connect a part such as the center of the dispersed matter Ps existing at the outermost periphery.

[0027] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the collection area Se is specified by manual input using the input means, but in order to perform a more efficient collection operation, the collection area Se is specified by calculation processing. In this case, first, as shown in Fig. 5, a unit area with a width X1 in the X direction and a width Y1 in the Y direction is set for the position of each dispersion P on the above-mentioned position coordinates, and the number of dispersion P in the unit area is counted. Then, the collection area Se is defined as an area formed by connecting consecutive unit areas in which the number of dispersions per unit area is equal to or greater than the set number. In the figure, the set number is 5 or more, and the shaded area is the collection area Se.

[0028] In the case of an assembly area Se identified in this manner, this assembly area (the shaded area) Se can be set as the working area W as is, or, as described above, the dispersed matter Ps present at the outermost periphery of the assembly area Se can be identified, a closed area can be set along the outer edge position, and the working area W can be set as shown in Figure 5.

[0029] Furthermore, the method of identifying the assembly area Se by calculation processing is not limited to the example described above. For example, the positions of the dispersed particles P dispersed on the position coordinates can be identified, and an assembly of dispersed particles in which the distance between two adjacent dispersed particles is less than a set distance can be identified and set as the assembly area Se.

[0030] When the collection area Se is specified by calculation processing, the number of dispersions P present in the work area W is set to be less than the number that can be accommodated in the storage unit 11 of the body 10. If the number of dispersions P present in the work area W exceeds the number that can be accommodated in the storage unit 11, the body 10 must be temporarily returned to the collection point Ga to discharge the dispersions P and then collect the dispersions P in the work area W again, which makes efficient collection impossible.

[0031] The working area W is set so as to enable more efficient collection in one collection. At this time, the size and position of the assembly area Se are set so as to perform collection with optimal efficiency, taking into account the travel distance and battery consumption of the machine 10 and other conditions.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, after the work area W is set in the second step (work area setting step) S2, the travel path of the machine body 10 is set in the third step (travel path setting step) S3.

[0033] When setting the driving route, the driving route of the aircraft 10 from the collection point Ga (or other starting position) to the work area W, the driving route of the aircraft 10 when performing dispersed material collection work within the work area W, if the work area W is defined by multiple assembly areas Se, the driving route of the aircraft 10 when moving from one assembly area Se to another assembly area Se, and the driving route of the aircraft 10 when returning from the work area W to the collection point Ga after the collection work is completed are optimally set taking into consideration collection efficiency and battery consumption.

[0034] For example, when the work area W is elongated in one direction, the travel path of the machine 10 within the work area W is set to be a straight path R that turns around along the longitudinal direction of the work area W, as shown in Fig. 6. By setting it in this way, the number of turns around can be reduced when traveling throughout the entire work area W, and recovery work can be performed efficiently.

[0035] Furthermore, when setting the travel route, if battery consumption is to be given priority, the travel distance is set to be short for the vehicle 10 in a heavy state with dispersed materials stored in the storage unit 11. For this purpose, for example, the travel route is set so that the travel distance from when the vehicle 10 leaves the work area W to when it heads toward the collection point Ga is the shortest. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the point B entering the work area W is set to a point away from the collection point Ga so that the point A leaving the work area W is close to the collection point Ga.

[0036] 7, when a plurality of assembly areas Se1, Se2 are identified at distant locations, the travel route of the vehicle 10 is set so that the work area W in the assembly area Se2 that is farthest from the collection point Ga is worked on first, and the work area W in the assembly area Se1 that is closest to the collection point Ga is worked on last. This makes it possible to shorten the travel distance of the vehicle 10, which has become heavy due to the dispersion P stored in the storage unit 11, and to suppress battery consumption.

[0037] When multiple assembly areas Se are identified, one of them may be selected to set the working area W. In this case, it is preferable to select the assembly area Se with high work efficiency based on the distance from the collection point Ga to the assembly area Se and the number of dispersed objects in the assembly area Se, and set the working area W within the selected assembly area Se.

[0038] In addition, if multiple assembly areas Se are identified, all of them can be set as work areas W, and the priorities of the multiple assembly areas Se can be determined based on the distance from the collection point Ga to the assembly area Se and the number of dispersed objects in the assembly area Se, and collection work can be carried out from the work areas W in the assembly areas Se with the highest priority.

[0039] Regarding the running speed of the vehicle 10 on the travel route, appropriate settings can be made, such as slowing down the running speed within the work area W taking into account the collection rate, speeding up the running speed of the vehicle 10 when the storage section 11 is empty taking into account battery consumption and work time, and slowing down the running speed of the vehicle 10 when the storage section 11 has a high storage rate.

[0040] Once the travel route has been set, in a fourth step (data transmission step) S4, data on the set work area W and data on the travel route are transmitted from the work instruction transmission unit 30 to the control unit 15 of the machine 10, as shown in Fig. 3. The control unit 15 of the machine 10 controls each part of the machine 10 in accordance with the data transmitted from the work instruction transmission unit 30, and performs the collection work of the dispersed material P within the set work area W while causing the machine 10 to travel autonomously.

[0041] Then, the work continues until the recovery work of the dispersion P in the work area W is completed (step S5: "NO"), and when the work in the work area W is completed (step S5: "YES"), a signal notifying the completion is sent from the control unit 15 to the work instruction transmission unit 30. After that, the work instruction transmission unit 30 judges whether to set the next work area W, and if the next work area W is to be set (step S6: "YES"), it returns to step S1 and executes steps S1 to S5, and if the next work area W is not to be set (step S6: "NO"), the process ends.

[0042] The setting of the work area W in the step S1 can be performed at an appropriate timing. For example, it may be performed at regular intervals or at a set time, or it may be performed arbitrarily according to a user's specification. It may also be performed when the aircraft 10 returns to the collection point Ga.

[0043] Such a dispersed material recovery device 1 can increase the efficiency of the recovery work by reducing as much as possible the travel of the machine 10 when not performing dispersed material recovery work by setting an appropriate work area W. Furthermore, by setting the work area W and the travel route with consideration given to battery consumption, it is possible to achieve more effective work efficiency.

[0044] The dispersed material recovery device 1 can be installed in a facility such as a golf driving range, and can be used as a device for recovering balls hit from the tee. In this case, the ball recovery work can be performed even when the tee is in use, and the recovery work can be performed efficiently, so that the time from when the ball is hit from the tee to when it is recovered can be shortened. This allows the number of balls stocked at the facility to be reduced, and the facility can be operated smoothly and economically.

[0045] However, the dispersed material recovery device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to ball recovery. It can be applied to various dispersed material recovery operations, such as recovery of dispersed materials such as harvested crops and grass in agricultural fields, to perform efficient recovery operations.

[0046] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention includes design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose, configuration, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1: Dispersed material recovery device, 10: Aircraft body, 11: Storage unit, 12: Battery, 13: running unit, 13a: running wheel, 13b: running drive unit, 14: Pick-up mechanism, 15: Control unit, 16: Position detection unit, 20: Camera, 21: Support unit, 30: Work instruction transmission unit, P, Ps: Dispersion, Se, Se1, Se2: Collection area, W: Work area, R: Travel route, Fa: Activity area, Fs: Facility area, Ga: collection point, Es: charging equipment

Claims

1. Equipped with an electric vehicle that autonomously navigates along a set route within the activity area, A dispersed material recovery device that causes the vehicle to depart from a collection location and autonomously travel within a set work area, thereby storing dispersed materials within the work area in a storage unit provided within or outside the vehicle, and recovering the dispersed materials at the collection location, A dispersion recovery device characterized in that a collection area in which multiple dispersion particles are concentrated is set so that the distance between two adjacent dispersion particles is equal to or less than a set distance and the number of dispersion particles is less than the number that can be accommodated in the storage section, and the working area is set as a closed region that borders the outer edge positions of the dispersion particles in the collection area.

2. 2. The dispersion recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the travel path of said vehicle within said work area is a straight path that runs along the longitudinal direction of said work area and then turns around.

3. 3. The dispersed material recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the collection site is provided with a charging facility for charging a battery provided in the vehicle.

4. 4. The dispersion recovery device according to claim 3, wherein the travel route of the vehicle is set so as to minimize the travel distance of the vehicle from the working area toward the collection location.

5. The work area is defined by a plurality of separate assembly areas, A dispersion recovery device as described in claim 4, characterized in that the vehicle's travel route is set so that it works first in the work area farthest from the collection location and last in the work area closest to the collection location.

6. 6. The dispersed material recovery device according to claim 1, wherein the gathering area is specified based on an image obtained by photographing dispersed materials within the activity area.

7. A method for collecting dispersed materials, comprising the steps of: starting an electrically-powered vehicle that autonomously travels along a set travel route within an activity area from a collection point, and autonomously traveling within a set work area, thereby storing dispersed materials within the work area in a storage unit provided within or outside the vehicle, and collecting the dispersed materials at the collection point, A dispersion recovery method characterized in that a collection area in which a plurality of dispersion particles are concentrated is set so that the distance between two adjacent dispersion particles is equal to or less than a set distance and the number of dispersion particles is less than the number that can be accommodated in the storage section, and the work area is set as a closed region that borders the outer edge positions of the dispersion particles in the collection area.

8. acquiring an image of dispersed objects within the activity area; identifying the cluster area based on the location of the dispersions and the number of dispersions in the image; 8. The method for recovering dispersed material according to claim 7, further comprising a step of setting the work area at the position of the dispersed material present in the collection area.

Images