Mobile body that overcomes obstacles, mobile body control method, mobile body control system, and mobile body control program

Abstract

A moving body that overcomes obstacles, a method, a system, and a program for controlling the moving body are provided. [Solution] The moving body that overcomes an obstacle, the method, system, and program for controlling the moving body are a method for controlling a moving body that overcomes an obstacle, and include the steps of guiding the attitude of the moving body relative to the obstacle based on a predetermined specific attitude, determining a path for the moving body to overcome the obstacle based on the guided attitude of the moving body, and controlling the operation of the moving body based on the path.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile body that overcomes obstacles, a method for controlling a mobile body, a system for controlling a mobile body, and a program for controlling a mobile body, and in particular to control a mobile body such as an autonomous robot or a multi-linked mobile robot having a snake-like shape to overcome obstacles such as pipes. [Background technology]

[0002] Buildings and other structures have electricity, gas, and water pipes, as well as pumps for pumping groundwater. These facilities are primarily installed in the building's underground space (also known as an underground pit). When a building is constructed or undergoes maintenance, these underground facilities are inspected to ensure they are properly installed and operating, and to check the deterioration of the concrete in the underground space itself. Specifically, inspectors pass through narrow access doors and enter small compartments to inspect the condition of the pipes visually, by taking photographs, or by relying on their five senses. Remote control via wireless or other means can also be difficult. The pipes are located in very narrow compartments and do not have sufficient permanent lighting. Furthermore, due to high carbon dioxide concentrations, these areas are designated as oxygen-deficient hazard areas under the Industrial Safety and Health Act and other laws, making them highly susceptible to danger for inspectors.

[0003] One promising solution to the above-mentioned problems is the use of robots. For example, autonomous snake-shaped robots (hereinafter simply referred to as "snake robots" or "robots") with a long, slender shape like a snake can be used (see Patent Document 1). Snake robots are robots that mimic the shape of living snakes, and like snakes, they can move their joints in a variety of ways to perform inspections and search for victims at disaster sites. Snake robots can also freely move their shape to perform various actions. In particular, snake robots have a shape that is well-suited to entering narrow and complex spaces such as disaster sites and plant facilities, and are effective for rescue activities such as searching for victims inside collapsed houses, as well as for inspecting pipes in narrow spaces.

[0004] One of the problems with using snake-like robots for inspection is the difficulty of controlling (operating) them. For example, snake-like robots generally have dozens of joints, making it difficult for a human operator to remotely control all of the snake-like robot's joints.

[0005] Patent Document 2 discloses a snake-like robot capable of climbing over a human access doorway. The snake-like robot in Patent Document 2 is designed to automatically climb over obstacles, such as underground pits in apartment buildings, based on known information about the obstacles to be climbed. However, in narrow spaces, such as under floors in detached houses, where the location of obstacles to be climbed, such as pipes and hoses, is unknown, the device must be miniaturized and its specifications must be as minimal as possible. Furthermore, sensors are prone to malfunction in narrow, dusty spaces like under floors in detached houses. Due to these circumstances, it is difficult to equip the robot with sensors, and an operator must remotely control the robot to climb over obstacles. Such control in such narrow spaces requires skilled techniques.

[0006] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a prior art method for overcoming obstacles. Patent Document 2 discloses an example of a robot climbing over a manhole in an underground pit of an apartment building. Accurate information about the manhole to be climbed over (such as its location and shape within the underground pit) was known. Therefore, it was easy to generate a robot path and have the robot climb over it automatically.

[0007] On the other hand, in the case of underfloor spaces in detached houses, there are not only access points but also pipes and hoses. In particular, the exact information about the pipes and hoses that must be climbed over (such as their position and shape within the underground pit) is unknown.

[0008] Furthermore, because the space under the floor of a detached house is smaller than that under an apartment building, the robot needs to be smaller, making it difficult to install sensors. Therefore, the robot has to be remotely controlled to climb over.

[0009] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the background of the present invention.

[0010] Inspecting under the floor was difficult because the space was narrow and it was a burden on the workers.

[0011] As one means for solving such difficulties, a crawler-type robot that performs underfloor inspections (for example, Patent Document 3) has been utilized.

[0012] However, such crawler robots are unable to climb over pipes or other piping that is located at a high position.

[0013] On the other hand, a multi-linked mobile robot can climb over pipes because it has a long, slender body and many joints and degrees of freedom. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0014] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-084665 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-013398 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-133717 [Non-patent literature]

[0015] [Non-Patent Document 1] Motoyasu Tanaka, Mizuki Nakajima, Yosuke Suzuki, and Kazuo Tanaka: Development and Control of Articulated Mobile Robot for Climbing Steep Stairs, IEEE / ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol.23, issue 2, pp.531-541, 2018 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0016] One aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for performing a pipe climbing operation, as shown in FIG. 13, which illustrates the object and proposal of the present invention.

[0017] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing the maneuverability of pipe climbing operations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0018] One aspect of the present invention provides a method for adjusting the position and posture of a pipe to be climbed over, using an interface that can set a guideline as a straight line to serve as a marker for the pipe to be climbed over, thereby reliably executing the pipe climbing operation.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a moving body to overcome an obstacle, the method comprising the steps of: recognizing the obstacle via an imaging means; setting guidelines for the obstacle; determining a route for the moving body to overcome the obstacle based on the guidelines and the shape of the obstacle; and causing the moving body to overcome the obstacle according to the route. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a snake-like robot and its system that can travel in a remotely controlled three-dimensional free space such as an inspection site or disaster site, and perform inspections in difficult-to-work locations.

[0021] Another aspect of the present invention is to enable a pipe climbing operation to be performed reliably.

[0022] Yet another aspect of the present invention is to reduce the difficulty of maneuvering a pipe climbing operation.

[0023] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a robot in which the robot posture matches the reference posture. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a robot when the robot is in a lifting posture. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a robot control device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a robot control device to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 6] 1 shows a flowchart for controlling a robot to overcome an obstacle. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow in which a robot control device operates a robot. [Figure 8] This explains a part of the information processing in the previous figure (especially S13010, S13020) from a different perspective, and shows an example of the flow of the operation of overcoming an obstacle. [Figure 9] 1 illustrates the background of the present invention. [Figure 10]FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of a multi-linked mobile robot. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art method for overcoming obstacles. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the operation of climbing over a pipe by remote control. [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram illustrating the object and proposal of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating adjustment of position and orientation using an interface. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 illustrates a piloting assistance interface. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 illustrates a diagram showing a route generation for a climbing operation. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a control method for overcoming obstacles. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a robot to be used. [Figure 19] Results: Experimental results of the present method. [Figure 20] Comparison with the prior art: Experimental conditions. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 shows a comparison with the prior art: success rate of jumping over. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the definition of a fault state. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 shows a comparison with the prior art: defect rate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, terms such as rod, snake-like robot, mobile body, autonomous robot, multi-linked mobile robot, etc. are used, but for convenience of explanation, these terms may have the same or similar technical meanings.

[0026] <Robot system configuration> The configuration of the robot system 1 will be described below.

[0027] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot system 1 according to an embodiment. The robot system 1 includes a robot 10, a robot control device 20, and an operation device 30. Note that in the robot system 1, some or all of the robot 10, the robot control device 20, and the operation device 30 may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0028] The robot 10 is a snake-like robot that includes a head E equipped with a camera (such as a fisheye lens) that corresponds to the snake's head, a tail Z that corresponds to the snake's tail, and a main body M equipped with multiple joints. Note that in the robot 10, the head E may be configured integrally with the main body M.

[0029] The head E is supported by the main body M and moves in accordance with the movement of the main body M. Note that instead of being configured to move in accordance with the movement of the main body M, the head E may be configured to be able to move independently of the movement of the main body M.

[0030] In this example, the head E has one wheel unit W. The wheel unit W is covered with a slippery resin such as plastic to enable skidding movement. The head E may not have a wheel unit W. The head E may also have two or more wheel units W. The wheel unit W has a pair of wheels. The wheel unit W may have one wheel instead of a pair of wheels, or may have three or more wheels. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, when referring to the wheels of a certain part of the robot 10, this refers to the wheels of the wheel unit W of that part. In other words, if a certain part of the robot 10 has one wheel unit W, the number of wheels of that part is two. If a certain part of the robot 10 has two wheel units W, the number of wheels of that part is four.

[0031] The head E is connected to a first end, which is one of the two ends of the main body M that is selected by the operator as the leading end. The head E and the main body M may be connected by any method, for example, by some kind of link member. For ease of explanation, the end opposite the first end of the two ends of the main body M will be referred to as the second end below.

[0032] The camera provided in the head E is wirelessly connected to the robot control device 20 so as to be able to communicate with it. As a result, the camera operates based on a control signal acquired from the robot control device 20. Here, the wireless communication is performed, for example, according to a communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Note that the camera may also be configured to be connected to the robot control device 20 by wired communication via a cable according to a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0033] In this example, the rearmost part Z is a part of the robot 10 that is equipped with one wheel part W. The rearmost part Z may not be configured to have a wheel part W. The rearmost part Z may also be configured to have two or more wheel parts W. The rearmost part Z is supported by the main body part M and moves in accordance with the movement of the main body part M. Instead of being configured to move in accordance with the movement of the main body part M, the rearmost part Z may also be configured to be able to move independently of the movement of the main body part M.

[0034] Furthermore, the rearmost portion Z is connected to the second end portion of the two ends of the main body portion M. The rearmost portion Z and the main body portion M may be connected by any method, for example, by some kind of link member.

[0035] The main body M is a snake-shaped manipulator (in this embodiment, referred to as a "mobile body having a multi-linked mechanism composed of a plurality of main bodies and a plurality of joints connecting the main bodies" or a "snake-shaped robot") that includes n first joints J1 and (n-1) second joints J2 as the plurality of joints of the robot 10. Here, n may be any integer equal to or greater than 5. The main body M may be configured to include the same number of second joints J2 as the number of first joints J1, or may be configured to include a number of second joints J2 greater than the number of first joints J1. The main body M may be configured to include fewer than (n-1) second joints J2, or may be configured to include more than (n-1) second joints J2.

[0036] The main body M also includes link members L that connect the plurality of joints. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the link members L are link members that connect a first joint J1 and a second joint J2. That is, in this example, the main body M includes the first joints J1 and the second joints J2, and the first joints J1 and the second joints J2 are alternately arranged (included) in the order of the first joint J1, the second joint J2, the first joint J1, the second joint J2, ..., the first joint J1, from the first end toward the second end. That is, the main body M includes 2(n-1) link members L. Note that the order in which the first joints J1 and the second joints J2 are arranged in the main body M may be different.

[0037] Furthermore, the main body M is provided with (n-1) wheel units W. Note that the main body M may be configured to have fewer than (n-1) wheel units W. The main body M may be configured to have more than (n-1) wheel units W, if it is possible to attach the wheel units W in some way so as not to interfere with the movement of the robot 10. The main body M may be configured to have no wheel units W.

[0038] Furthermore, the main body M is provided with wheel units W at the second joints J2 such that the rotation axis of the second joint J2 coincides with the axle (rotation axis) of the wheel of the wheel unit W for each of the (n-1) second joints J2. That is, the main body M has 2(n-1) wheels (i.e., (n-1) pairs of wheels). The main body M is also provided with the (n-1) wheel units W such that, when the posture of the robot 10 coincides with a reference posture described below, all of the 2(n+1) wheels, which are the two wheels of the head E, the two wheels of the tail-end Z, and the 2(n-1) wheels of the main body M, can come into contact with a certain plane. That is, in this case, when the robot 10 is placed on a certain plane, all of the wheels of the robot 10 come into contact with the plane. Of the 2(n+1) wheels, it is desirable that the material of the circumferential surface of each wheel except for the head E be a material with a high coefficient of friction (e.g., rubber) to prevent skidding, and it is desirable that the material of the circumferential surface of the head E be a material with a low coefficient of friction (e.g., plastic resin) to prevent skidding when changing direction.

[0039] In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which all of the (n+1) wheel units W, which are the one wheel unit W provided on the head E, the one wheel unit W provided on the rearmost unit Z, and the (n-1) wheel units W on the main body M, have the same configuration. Note that the main body M may be configured such that the wheel units W are provided at the second joints J2 such that the rotation axis of the second joint J2 does not coincide with the axle (rotation axis) of the wheel of the wheel unit W for some or all of the (n-1) second joints J2. Also, some or all of the (n+1) wheel units W may have different configurations.

[0040] Here, the first joint J1 is a joint having a rotation axis parallel to the first direction when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture are the same. Note that the first joint J1 may be a joint having a rotation axis that is not parallel to the first direction in this case. Here, in this example, the posture of the robot 10 is represented by the rotation angles of each of the multiple joints included in the robot 10. Note that the posture of the robot 10 may also be represented by other quantities depending on the robot 10.

[0041] The reference posture is a posture that serves as a reference among postures of the robot 10. In this example, the reference posture is a posture of the robot 10 in which all of the multiple joints (i.e., n first joints J1 and (n-1) second joints J2) included in the robot 10 are aligned on a straight line. More specifically, the reference posture is a posture of the robot 10 in which the positions of the multiple joints are aligned on a straight line. In this example, the position of the first joint J1 is represented by the position of the center of gravity of the first joint J1. In this example, the position of the second joint J2 is represented by the position of the center of gravity of the second joint J2. For convenience of explanation, in the following description, when the posture of the robot 10 matches the reference state, a virtual straight line passing through the positions of the multiple joints is referred to as a straight line CL. In addition, in the following description, as an example, a case will be described in which, when the posture of the robot 10 matches the reference posture, the rotation angles of all of the multiple joints included in the robot 10 are 0. That is, in this example, each of the multiple joints is a joint that can rotate up to an upper or lower limit angle in the movable range of the joint, with 0 as the reference rotation angle. Note that the position of the first joint J1 may be represented by another position according to the first joint J1. Also, the position of the second joint J2 may be represented by another position according to the second joint J2. Also, the reference posture of the robot 10 may be another posture of the robot 10 instead of the posture.

[0042] The first direction is one of the directions orthogonal to the line CL when the posture of the robot 10 matches the reference posture. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the first direction matches the direction orthogonal to the ground surface (i.e., the normal direction to the ground surface) when the robot 10 is placed on the ground surface in this case. Note that the first direction may not match the direction orthogonal to the ground surface in this case.

[0043] The ground surface is a flat surface on which the robot 10 can be placed. The ground surface is, for example, a flat surface such as an indoor floor or an outdoor ground, but is not limited to these and may be another flat surface. As described above, when the posture of the robot 10 matches the reference posture, all of the 2(n+1) wheels of the robot 10 can be placed on a single flat surface. That is, in this case, when the robot 10 is placed on the ground surface, all of the wheels will be in contact with the ground surface. In addition, in this case, since all of the wheel portions W in this example have the same configuration, the line CL is a line parallel to the ground surface.

[0044] Furthermore, the second joint J2 is a joint having a rotation axis parallel to the second direction when the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture are the same. The second direction is a direction perpendicular to the line CL in this case, which is different from the first direction. Below, as an example, a case will be described in which the second direction is a direction perpendicular to both the line CL and the first direction in this case. That is, in this case, when the robot 10 is placed on a ground surface, the rotation axis of the second joint J2 becomes parallel to the ground surface.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the structure of a multi-linked mobile robot.

[0046] In the multi-linked mobile robot of this embodiment, yaw joints and pitch joints are alternately linked, and active wheels are arranged coaxially with the pitch joints.

[0047] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the robot used.

[0048] The robot of this embodiment comprises a head portion equipped with a front camera, a main body portion equipped with a pitch joint, active wheels and a yaw joint, and a rear portion equipped with a rear camera.

[0049] The camera is configured to rotate at a predetermined angle (for example, 90 degrees) so that it can recognize obstacles such as pipes even when the head moves.

[0050] Here, the reference posture of the robot 10, the first joint J1, and the second joint J2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the robot 10 when the posture of the robot 10 matches the reference posture. As shown in Fig. 2, when the posture of the robot 10 matches the reference posture, the positions of the multiple joints included in the robot 10 (i.e., n first joints J1 and (n-1) second joints J2) are aligned on a straight line (a virtual straight line CL shown in Fig. 2).

[0051] 2, the robot 10 is placed on a plane MN. That is, the plane MN shown in FIG. 2 is an example of the aforementioned contact plane. In this example, since the posture of the robot 10 and the reference posture are the same, all of the multiple wheels of the robot 10 are in contact with the plane MN.

[0052] In the example shown in FIG. 2, the first direction is the direction indicated by the arrow AN in FIG. 2, which is a direction perpendicular to the plane MN (i.e., the normal direction of the plane MN). Therefore, the rotation axes of the n first joints J1 provided in the robot 10 shown in FIG. 2, which are indicated by the dotted line A1 in FIG. 2, are parallel to this direction. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the second direction is a direction perpendicular to the line CL and this direction. Therefore, the rotation axes of the (n-1) second joints J2 provided in the robot 10 shown in FIG. 2, which are indicated by the dotted line A2 in FIG. 2, are parallel to this direction.

[0053] Returning to FIG. 1 , each of the n first joints J1 of the robot 10 is equipped with an actuator (not shown). Furthermore, each of the (n−1) second joints J2 of the robot 10 is equipped with an actuator (not shown). The actuators of the n first joints J1 and the actuators of the (n−1) second joints J2 are wirelessly connected to the robot control device 20 so as to be able to communicate with each other. As a result, the actuators of the n first joints J1 and the actuators of the (n−1) second joints J2 operate the robot 10 based on control signals acquired from the robot control device 20. Here, the wireless communication is performed, for example, using a communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Note that some or all of the actuators of the n first joints J1 may be connected to the robot control device 20 via wired communication using a cable in accordance with a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB. In addition, some or all of the actuators provided in each of the (n-1) second joints J2 may be configured to be connected to the robot control device 20 by wired communication via a cable in accordance with standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB.

[0054] Furthermore, at least some of the (n+1) wheel units W of the robot 10 (i.e., one wheel unit W of the head unit E, one wheel unit W of the tail unit Z, and the (n-1) wheel units W of the main unit M) are equipped with actuators (not shown) that rotate the wheels. That is, in this example, the wheels of at least some of the (n+1) wheel units W are active wheels that rotate by actuators. Furthermore, the wheels of the wheel units W other than the wheel units W that have active wheels among the (n+1) wheel units W are passive wheels that do not rotate by actuators. The (n+1) wheel units W of the robot 20 are composed of at least some of the wheel units W that have a pair of active wheels, the wheel units W that have a pair of passive wheels, and the wheel units W that have both active and passive wheels as a pair of wheels. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the (n+1) wheel units W of the robot 20 are configured by a wheel unit W having a pair of active wheels and a wheel unit W having a pair of passive wheels. The actuators of the robot 10 that rotate the active wheels of the robot 10 are wirelessly connected to the robot control device 20 so as to be able to communicate with each other. As a result, the actuators rotate the active wheels based on control signals acquired from the robot control device 20. Here, wireless communication is performed, for example, according to a communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Note that some or all of the actuators may be configured to be connected to the robot control device 20 by wired communication via cables according to standards such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB.

[0055] In this example, the robot control device 20 is a control device that controls (operates) the robot 10. The robot control device 20 controls the robot 10 so that it moves autonomously in accordance with the acquired operation information.

[0056] More specifically, the robot control device 20 sets a control point T on the robot 10, which is a virtual point that moves together with a predetermined part of the parts of the robot 10. The predetermined part is, for example, the center of gravity of a camera provided on the head E. Note that the predetermined part may be another part of the robot 10 instead of the center of gravity. The control point T is, for example, a TCP (Tool Center Point). Note that the control point T may be another virtual point instead of the TCP.

[0057] The robot control device 20 also associates a control point coordinate system, which is a virtual three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system that moves together with the control point T set on the robot 10. The position of the control point T is represented by the relative position of the origin of the control point coordinate system with respect to the origin of a reference coordinate system, which is a reference three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. The orientation of the control point T is represented by the relative direction of each coordinate axis in the control point coordinate system with the direction of each coordinate axis in the reference coordinate system. The position of the control point T may be represented by another position depending on the control point T. The orientation of the control point T may be represented by another direction depending on the control point T.

[0058] The reference coordinate system is an inertial system that is stationary relative to the control point coordinate system. For example, the robot control device 20 specifies, as the reference coordinate system, a three-dimensional coordinate system that coincides with the control point coordinate system at the timing when the robot control device 20 receives an operation from the operator to set the reference coordinate system, which is before the robot control device 20 starts moving the robot 10. Alternatively, the robot control device 20 may be configured to specify, as the reference coordinate system, another three-dimensional coordinate system, such as a three-dimensional coordinate system set at a predetermined position by the operator. Furthermore, the robot control device 20 may be configured to specify, each time operation information is acquired from the operation device 30, a three-dimensional coordinate system that coincides with the control point coordinate system at the timing when the operation information is acquired, as the reference coordinate system.

[0059] Based on the operation information acquired from the operating device 30 and a closed-loop system described later, the robot control device 20 rotates each of the multiple joints of the robot 10 so that the velocity of the control point T coincides with the target velocity indicated by the operation information. In this way, the robot control device 20 can make the robot 10 perform the movement desired by the operator. In other words, the velocity of the control point T is a controlled variable in the closed-loop system.

[0060] The velocity of control point T includes a control point translation velocity, which is the velocity at which the position of control point T translates, and a control point rotation velocity, which is the velocity at which the attitude of control point T rotates. The translation velocity includes an X-axis translation velocity, which is the velocity at which the position translates along the X-axis in the control point coordinate system, a Y-axis translation velocity, which is the velocity at which the position translates along the Y-axis in the control point coordinate system, and a Z-axis translation velocity, which is the velocity at which the position translates along the Z-axis in the control point coordinate system. The rotation velocity includes an X-axis rotation velocity, which is the velocity at which the attitude rotates around the X-axis, a Y-axis rotation velocity, which is the velocity at which the attitude rotates around the Y-axis, and a Z-axis rotation velocity, which is the velocity at which the attitude rotates around the Z-axis.

[0061] The target velocities include a target translational velocity for matching the control point translational velocities and a target rotational velocity for matching the control point rotational velocities. The target translational velocities include a target X-axis translational velocity for matching the X-axis translational velocities, a target Y-axis translational velocity for matching the Y-axis translational velocities, and a target Z-axis translational velocity for matching the Z-axis translational velocities. The target rotation velocities include a target X-axis rotational velocity for matching the X-axis rotational velocities, a target Y-axis rotational velocity for matching the Y-axis rotational velocities, and a target Z-axis rotational velocity for matching the Z-axis rotational velocities.

[0062] Furthermore, by controlling the robot 10 based on a closed-loop system described below, the robot control device 20 can match the rotation angle of each of one or more joints of the robot 10 desired by the operator, among the joints provided in the robot 10, with the rotation angle desired by the operator, while matching the velocity of the control point T with the target velocity. As a result, the robot control device 20 can operate the robot 10 and, in a state in which at least a portion of the robot 10 is lifted from a plane MN on which at least a portion of the wheels of the robot 10 are in contact with the ground, match the velocity of the control point T with the target velocity. Furthermore, the robot control device 20 can operate the robot 10 and, in a state in which a portion of the robot 10 is lifted, move the portions of the robot 10 that are not lifted from the plane MN without changing the position and posture of the control point T. As a result, the robot control device 20 can cause the robot 10 to perform the operation desired by the operator.

[0063] The robot control device 20 may be configured to operate the robot 10 according to an operation program stored in advance in the robot control device 20 or the operation device 30.

[0064] The robot control device 20 is, for example, an information processing device such as a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, a tablet PC, a multi-function mobile phone terminal (smartphone), a mobile phone terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc. Note that the robot control device 20 may be other information processing devices instead of these information processing devices.

[0065] The robot control device 20 may be wirelessly connected to the operation device 30 or other devices that can be manually operated from the outside so as to be able to communicate with each other. As a result, the robot control device 20 operates the robot 10 in response to requests received from the operation device 30. Here, wireless communication is performed using a communication standard such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The robot control device 20 may also be configured to be connected to the operation device 30 via a cable using wired communication using a standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or USB.

[0066] The operation device 30 is a controller (e.g., a joystick) that causes the robot control device 20 to control the robot 10. The operation device 30 generates operation information according to an operation received from an operator (user OP in the example shown in FIG. 1 ). Specifically, the operation device 30 specifies each of an X-axis target translational velocity, a Y-axis target translational velocity, a Z-axis target translational velocity, an X-axis target rotational velocity, a Y-axis target rotational velocity, and a Z-axis target rotational velocity according to the operation. The operation device 30 generates operation information including information indicating each of the specified X-axis target translational velocity, Y-axis target translational velocity, Z-axis target translational velocity, X-axis target rotational velocity, Y-axis target rotational velocity, and Z-axis target rotational velocity, i.e., information indicating the target velocity. The operation device 30 outputs the generated operation information to the robot control device 20.

[0067] In addition, instead of a configuration including information indicating a target speed, the operation information may be configured to include other information such as information indicating a target displacement that is a target to be matched with the displacement of the control point T when the control point T is moved, or in addition to a configuration including information indicating a target speed, the operation information may be configured to include other information such as information indicating a target displacement that is a target to be matched with the displacement of the control point T when the control point T is moved.

[0068] As described above, the robot 10 can change its state to a state in which at least a portion of the robot 10 is lifted from a plane MN on which at least a portion of the wheels of the robot 10 are in contact with the ground. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the posture of the robot 10 in this state will be referred to as a lifted posture. More specifically, the robot 10 can change its posture to a lifted posture in which at least a portion of the wheels of the base part BB are in contact with the plane MN by rotating the nhth joint (nh is an even number greater than or equal to 4 among even numbers included in 1 to (2n-1)) (i.e., the (nh / 2)th second joint J2) as shown in FIG. 3 . However, the robot 10 lifts the head part HB from the plane MN in the normal direction of the plane MN so that the sum of the number of first joints J1 included in the base part BB and the number of active wheels included in the base part BB is 2 or more. Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the robot 10 when the robot 10 is in a lifting posture. J2h shown in FIG. 3 indicates the nh-th joint counting from the end effector unit E side (i.e., the (nh / 2)-th second joint J2). Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the head part HB is a part of the robot 10 that includes the end effector unit E to the nh-th link member L. The head part HB is an example of a first part. Also, the base part BB is a part of the robot 10 that includes the nh-th link member L to the tail end Z. The base part BB is an example of a second part. Note that the link member Lh shown in FIG. 3 is an example of the link member L.

[0069] <Hardware configuration of robot control device> The hardware configuration of the robot control device 20 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the robot control device 20.

[0070] The robot control device 20 includes, for example, a processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit) 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 24. These components are connected to each other via a bus BS so that they can communicate with each other. The robot control device 20 also communicates with the robot 10 and the operation unit 30 via the communication unit 24.

[0071] The CPU 21 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 22. The storage unit 22 includes, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a read-only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The storage unit 22 may be an external storage device connected via a digital input / output port such as USB instead of being built into the robot control device 20. The storage unit 22 stores various information and programs processed by the robot control device 20. It may also store information related to the shape (diameter, etc.) of obstacles that the robot must overcome. The communication unit 24 includes, for example, a digital input / output port such as USB, an Ethernet (registered trademark) port, etc.

[0072] <Major functional configurations of the robot 10, robot control device 20, and operation unit 30> Hereinafter, the main functional configurations of the robot 10, the robot control device 20, and the operation unit 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0073] The robot 10 includes a driving unit 11. The driving unit 11 includes a driving unit main body 12 and an imaging unit 13.

[0074] The driving unit main body 12 is, for example, an actuator provided in the robot 10. The driving unit main body 12 may also include a sensor that can detect the speed of the actuator.

[0075] The image capturing unit 13 captures an image in the direction of travel of the robot 10 and displays the captured image data to the operator via any display means (for example, the interface unit 33 described below). At this time, a guide set based on a specific posture of the robot 10 is displayed together with the captured image data to guide the operator's operation. In this embodiment, the guide set based on the specific posture of the robot 10 is displayed as a line or a horizontal straight line superimposed on the captured image.

[0076] The drive data obtained from the drive unit main body 12 may be configured to be fed back to the operation control unit 22. Furthermore, image data obtained by the photographing unit 13 may be transmitted to the communication unit 21 so that the data can be transmitted to the interface unit 33 of the operation unit 30 and displayed to the operator. At this time, guide information that guides the posture of the robot 10 with respect to an obstacle based on a predetermined specific posture may be transmitted to the communication unit 21 so that the guide information can be displayed on the interface unit 33 of the operation unit 30. For example, image data in which a guide is superimposed on an image captured by the photographing unit 13 may be transmitted to the transmission unit 21. Furthermore, only the image data captured by the photographing unit 13 may be transmitted to the communication unit 21. At this time, the interface unit 32 of the operation unit 30 may superimpose the guide information on the image transmitted from the communication unit 21.

[0077] The robot control device 20 includes a communication unit 21 and an operation control unit 22. The operation control unit 22 has a normal operation control unit 23 and a crossing operation control unit 24.

[0078] The operation control unit 22 includes a normal operation control unit 23 and a crossing operation control unit 24 .

[0079] The normal operation control unit 23 controls the robot 10 in a normal operation. Here, the normal operation in this embodiment refers to, for example, an operation in which an operator manually controls the robot 10 via the operation unit 30 to move the robot 10 from any position to any other position, or an operation in which the snake-like robot 10 achieves a target posture such as lifting its head.

[0080] The climbing-over operation control unit 24 controls the robot 10 to perform a climbing-over operation. Here, the climbing-over operation in this embodiment refers to, for example, an operation in which the robot 10 automatically climbs over an obstacle when the robot 10 performs a predetermined control via the operation unit 30.

[0081] The operation unit 30 includes an operation unit main body 31 , a communication unit 32 , and an interface unit 33 .

[0082] The operation unit main body 31 has a function of enabling the robot 10 to be controlled via the robot control device 20 by the operation of the operator.

[0083] The communication unit 33 has a function of communicating with the communication unit 21 of the robot control device 20 .

[0084] The interface unit 32 has a function of outputting any information to the operator, for example, displaying image data captured by the imaging unit 13.

[0085] <Process by which the robot controller operates the robot> The process of the robot control device operating the robot will be described below. The robot of this embodiment may be configured as a mobile object having a multi-link mechanism made up of multiple main bodies and multiple joints connecting the main bodies.

[0086] In the description of this embodiment, the robot control device may be the subject of operation, or the robot may be the subject of operation (autonomous control), but please note that a person skilled in the art can freely change the design to determine which is the subject of operation.

[0087] Figure 6 shows a flowchart for controlling a mobile object (main body) such as a robot that overcomes an obstacle. The total length of the robot is assumed to be sufficiently long compared to the height of the obstacle, but it must be at least longer than the height adjustment line (described later).

[0088] In S6010, it is confirmed whether a control signal for executing a normal operation instruction has been received. If a control signal for executing a normal operation instruction has been received (Y in S6010), the process proceeds to S6020. If a control signal for executing a normal operation instruction has not been received (N in S6010), the process proceeds to S6110.

[0089] In S6020, the main body of the moving body (for example, the robot 10) is controlled for normal operation.

[0090] In S6030, it is determined whether a control signal indicating the end of operation has been received. If a control signal indicating the end of operation has been received (Y in S6030), the information processing in this flowchart ends. If a control signal indicating the end of operation has not been received (N in S6030), the process returns to S6010 and the information processing in this flowchart continues.

[0091] In S6110, the posture of the moving body is guided. Specifically, the posture of the moving body is guided relative to the obstacle based on a specific posture of the moving body (for example, the robot 10) that has been set in advance.

[0092] Specifically, the front side of the mobile body is raised and the guide is aligned with the obstacle, thereby guiding the posture of the mobile body so that a specific position preset on the front side of the mobile body is at the same height as the obstacle.

[0093] When guiding the posture of the mobile body, a guide set based on a specific posture is displayed together with the image to guide the operator's operation. The guide is displayed together with the image as a line or a horizontal straight line. When the operator operates the operation unit 30 to align the guide with an obstacle on the image, a specific position set in advance on the front side of the mobile body will be aligned at the same height as the obstacle.

[0094] Here, an image in the traveling direction of the mobile body is captured by imaging means (for example, imaging unit 13). The captured image is displayed to the operator via any image display means. As another example, an obstacle may be recognized based on two-dimensional data of the obstacle from image data acquired via the imaging means, or three-dimensional (spatial) data calculated based on the image data and position information of the mobile body.

[0095] In S6120, a path is determined. Specifically, a path for the mobile body to climb over the obstacle and a start point and an end point of the path are determined based on the posture of the guided robot. The determined path may be a path consisting of at least a height adjustment line, a climbing over line, and an arc, based on the spatial position of the front side of the mobile body and the spatial position and shape of the obstacle.

[0096] The height adjustment line may be part of the path along which the mobile body moves in the vertical direction, and the overpass line may be part of the path along which the mobile body moves in the horizontal direction, and the arc is a line connecting the height adjustment line and the overpass line, and may have a curvature and length such that the mobile body does not collide with an obstacle when climbing over it.

[0097] The path may further include an offset straight line, wherein the offset straight line may have a length complementary to the height adjustment straight line so that the moving body does not collide with an obstacle.

[0098] Furthermore, the path may be determined based on each angle of the moving body and each rotation angle of the joints of the moving body.

[0099] Furthermore, the shape of the obstacle may be stored in advance in a storage means provided in the mobile body or the remote control device.

[0100] Furthermore, if a fisheye lens (as an imaging means) is mounted on the head of the mobile body, the wheels in front of the mobile body can be recognized through the fisheye lens, and the spatial position of the wheels can also be calculated. The calculated spatial position of the wheels can then be taken into account when calculating the route.

[0101] In S6130, the movement of the mobile body to overcome an obstacle is controlled. Specifically, the movement of the mobile body is controlled based on the path determined in S6120. When the mobile body overcomes an obstacle, the target joint angles may be calculated from the path, and a shift movement may be performed while changing the fitting range. Also, the mobile body may overcome an obstacle while tilting the absolute pitch angle of the head of the mobile body with respect to the ground.

[0102] When the mobile body reaches the start point of the route determined in S6120, the normal operation control ends and the control shifts to the over-riding operation control. After that, when the mobile body reaches the end point of the route, the control shifts to the normal operation control.

[0103] 1 to 3, the mobile body of this embodiment is composed of multiple body parts M, and therefore the time it takes for each body part M to reach the start point or end point of the route is different. In such a case, the timing of transition from normal operation control to over-passing operation control or the timing of transition from over-passing operation control to normal operation control may be determined for each body part M.

[0104] In S6140, it is determined whether a control signal indicating the end of the climbing-over operation has been received. If a control signal indicating the end of the climbing-over operation has been received (Y in S6140), the process proceeds to S6030. If a control signal indicating the end of the climbing-over operation has not been received (N in S6140), the determination in S6040 continues until a control signal indicating the end of the climbing-over operation is received. Here, the control signal indicating the end of the climbing-over operation may be a signal indicating the state of the drive unit 11. For example, the operation control unit 22 may recognize the end posture of the mobile body based on the state of the mobile body (posture, joint rotation angles, etc.), and determine whether the climbing-over operation has ended based on that posture. Furthermore, the control signal indicating the end of the climbing-over operation may be transmitted from the operation unit 30 in response to an operation by the operator.

[0105] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process flow in which the robot control device operates the robot.

[0106] In S13010, the route to be taken is determined.

[0107] In S13020, the movement amount of each wheel (angular velocity, etc.) of the robot and each body movement is calculated based on the current spatial position (three-dimensional coordinates) of the robot and the physical positional relationship with the obstacle to be overcome, so that the robot can move a predetermined distance along the path determined in S13010. Furthermore, the calculation may take into account the hardware performance of each wheel, etc., and the influence of the movement of the center of gravity of the robot.

[0108] In S13030, the robot is moved a predetermined distance based on the calculation result.

[0109] In S13040, information such as the spatial position of each wheel and body of the robot that has moved a predetermined distance is fed back via images from a camera mounted on the head.

[0110] In S13050, it is determined whether or not an obstacle has been overcome. One example of the basis for determining that an obstacle has been overcome may be based on the rearmost wheel of the robot passing a predetermined spatial position. If it is determined that an obstacle has been overcome, the passage control mode is terminated and the process transitions to the inspection control mode. If it is determined that an obstacle has not been overcome, the process returns to S13020 and continues.

[0111] FIG. 8 illustrates a part of the information processing in FIG. 7 (particularly S13010 and S13020) from another perspective, and shows an example of the flow of the operation of getting over an obstacle.

[0112] In S14010, a path for getting over the obstacle is set. Leaning to avoid tipping, load torque reduction, and abdominal interference avoidance may also be taken into consideration.

[0113] In S14020, a moving speed for overcoming the obstacle is set. The moving speed may be constant during the obstacle overcoming operation, or may be changed at each arbitrary point.

[0114] In S14030, joint angles are calculated so that all joints are on the path when moving along the path at the set movement speed.

[0115] In S14040, the joint angular velocity is calculated from the difference between the current joint angle and the joint angle at S14030, and if the joint angular velocity exceeds the limits of the hardware performance, the movement speed is halved, for example, and the process returns to S14020 or S14030. If it is within the limits of the hardware performance, that value may be used for operation.

[0116] <Processing for the robot to overcome obstacles on the path> In this embodiment, a method for accurately following a path that a robot should follow to overcome obstacles is described. In this embodiment, in addition to accurately following the path, the speed may also be adjusted so that the target angle and angular velocity do not exceed the hardware constraints.

[0117] When a multi-linked mobile robot overcomes an obstacle, it is expected that the body will come into contact with part of the obstacle. When passing through an obstacle autonomously, it is preferable to avoid contact with any part of the obstacle.

[0118] Other examples of requirements that take into account the load on the pitch joints and the contact polygon are listed below. Requirement (1) No interference between the fuselage and any part of the obstacle Requirement (2) Reduction of load torque when lifting the fuselage Requirement (3) Prevention of falls Requirement (4) The target angle and angular velocity must be within the hardware limits.

[0119] In this embodiment, the wheel angular velocity is calculated using the geometric mean of the position difference between the x and z axes, since the pitch joint may move on the x-axis or the z-axis. In this case, the rotational speed ωi of the i-th wheel can be expressed by Equation 1.

[0120]

number

[0121] where Δxi and Δzi are the difference in the i-th pitch joint position, r is the wheel radius, and Δt is the time per step.

[0122] In this embodiment, the path-following operation is performed by inputting the distance the pitch joint at the end of the robot is moved per step as the reference joint. The change in each pitch joint angle that occurs when the reference joint moves the input distance, along with the corresponding wheel angular velocity, is calculated geometrically and provided to each motor to achieve path-following movement. In path-following operation, not all joints necessarily move along the path at the same speed. The movement speed of each joint varies depending on the shape and location of the path. Therefore, attempting to move the reference joint at a constant speed may result in values ​​that drive the joint angle and wheels at angular velocities that exceed the motor's hardware capabilities. Therefore, the difference between all pitch joint angles and wheel angular velocity are monitored at each step, and the movement amount of the reference joint is adjusted using a dichotomy method to ensure that it does not exceed a threshold determined by the motor's performance.

[0123] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the operation of climbing over a pipe under remote control.

[0124] When an operator controls a snake-like robot equipped with a camera on its head to overcome obstacles, the following problems can be considered.

[0125] First of all, the piping cannot be properly seen from the camera operation footage.

[0126] Secondly, all operations to operate the snake-like robot's joints and pitch joints are done manually, so ultimately the operator's timing is left to their own devices.

[0127] Therefore, when climbing over pipes by remote control, it is necessary to reduce the difficulty of the operation.

[0128] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the adjustment of the position and orientation using an interface. (1) Raise the head of the snake-like robot while approaching the pipe you want to climb over. (2) With its head raised, the robot approaches the pipe and recognizes it using a camera in its wheels. (3) To align the height of the top of the pipe with the camera, the robot lifts its joints vertically, following the head.

[0129] The operations (1) to (3) may be performed by an operator while watching the video, or may be configured to be performed by any control means (including a processor or computer) inside the snake-like robot or by a control means that can be remotely controlled from outside.

[0130] Figure 15 shows a control support interface for setting a path for a moving object to overcome obstacles. The control support interface synthesizes guide lines (shown as straight lines) that serve as markers onto the camera image, and aligns the lines with the top of the pipe. By utilizing the control support interface, it is possible to make visual judgments without relying on intuition.

[0131] An example configuration of a steering assistance interface for setting a path for an obstacle to be overcome by a moving body includes a means for recognizing the obstacle via an imaging means, a means for setting guidelines for the obstacle, and a means for determining a path for the moving body to overcome the obstacle based on the guidelines and the shape of the obstacle.

[0132] The guidelines displayed in the camera image can also be erased by entering any command from the operation unit, etc.

[0133] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the generation of a path in a climbing over operation.

[0134] The route consists of at least two height adjustment lines, a crossing line, and a circular arc. The curvature and length of the crossing line, offset line, and circular arc are calculated so as not to collide with the pipe.

[0135] Figure 17 shows a control method for the climbing motion. The snake-like robot starts climbing motion based on the calculated path. At this time, the target joint angles are calculated from the target path, and a shift motion is performed while changing the fitting range.

[0136] FIG. 19 shows the results of an operational experiment of the method of the present invention.

[0137] It was confirmed that the technique of the present invention can perform the operation of climbing over a pipe.

[0138] FIG. 20 shows experimental conditions in comparison with the prior art.

[0139] The experimental trial method was that five operators tried the prior art and the method of the present invention three times each in the direction of travel in the experimental field until they were successful.

[0140] The experimental conditions were that the pipe height was 250 mm and it ran on a straight course.

[0141] The evaluation criteria are the success rate of overcoming the problem and the rate of defective conditions.

[0142] Fig. 21 is a diagram showing the success rate of climbing over in comparison with the prior art. Here, the prior art refers to "Motoyasu Tanaka, Mizuki Nakajima, Yosuke Suzuki, and Kazuo Tanaka: Development and Control of Articulated Mobile Robot for Climbing Steep Stairs, IEEE / ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 23, issue 2, pp. 531-541, 2018" (Non-Patent Document 1).

[0143] The number of trials was 17 for the prior art method and 15 for the method of the present invention.

[0144] The number of successful crossings was 15 for the prior art method and 15 for the method of the present invention.

[0145] The success rate of crossing over was 88% for the prior art method and 100% for the method of the present invention.

[0146] An example of a failure of the prior art approach is when the drive wheels spin and get stuck.

[0147] The robot body shape of the method of the present invention climbs over the pipe by following a path of its body that follows the pipe, and as a result, the method of the present invention had a 100% success rate in climbing over the pipe.

[0148] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the definition of a fault state.

[0149] Examples of failures in the prior art include excessive head lifting and a leaning-back posture, and the improper states are states that must be avoided because they pose a risk of damage or tipping over to the robot. Therefore, the improper states are defined as at least one of the following: a leaning-back posture, getting under a pipe, or a collision between the front of the head and the pipe.

[0150] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the defective rate in comparison with the prior art.

[0151] In the prior art method, out of 17 trials, 9 failures occurred, resulting in a failure rate of 53%. The breakdown of the failures in the prior art method was 5 head-on collisions with the pipe, 3 leaning back, and 1 getting under the pipe. The method of the present invention was able to execute the jump-over operation without causing any failures.

[0152] As described above, the method of the present invention produced better results than the prior art method. Also, as described above, it is essentially impossible for a crawler-type robot such as that disclosed in Patent Document 3 to climb over pipes. Therefore, it can be seen that the method of the present invention is superior to the prior art method in terms of climbing over obstacles.

[0153] In the above embodiment, the guide is configured by a line-shaped display, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as it can guide the posture of the main body of the moving object relative to the obstacle. For example, the guide may be configured by notification information that notifies the deviation of the posture of the main body of the moving object relative to the obstacle using letters, numbers, sound, light, or the like.

[0154] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the guide is configured to align the height of the obstacle and the mobile body, but the present invention is not limited to this as long as it can guide the posture of the mobile body relative to the obstacle. For example, the guide may be configured to align the distance in the traveling direction between the obstacle and a specific part of the mobile body. For example, the guide may be configured with a convex portion such as a wheel, and the convex portion may be brought into contact with the obstacle to align the distance between the obstacle and the mobile body. Furthermore, the guide may be configured to align the degree of left-right tilt of the front side of the mobile body relative to the obstacle.

[0155] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various alternatives, modifications, and variations are possible for those skilled in the art based on the above description, and the present invention includes the various alternatives, modifications, and variations described above within the scope of the present invention.

[0156] For example, it may be realized by a combination of hardware and software programs. The programs may be provided as non-transitory recording media readable by a computer (information processing device), or may be provided as downloadable media from an external server, or the programs may be run on an external computer, enabling each function to be performed on a client terminal, thereby implementing so-called cloud computing.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a moving body to overcome an obstacle, comprising: a step of outputting guide information to an operation unit for causing a specific position on the front side of the movable body to assume a specific posture that is aligned with the height of the obstacle, and guiding an operation by an operator to cause the movable body to assume the specific posture relative to the obstacle; determining a path for the moving body to overcome the obstacle based on the guided attitude of the moving body; controlling the movement of the moving body based on the route; A method comprising:

2. The step of guiding the operator's operation to place the movable body in the specific posture includes: The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of lifting the front side of the mobile body.

3. capturing an image of the moving body in the traveling direction by an imaging means; The method further includes a step of displaying the captured image to an operator. The step of guiding the operator's operation to place the movable body in the specific posture includes: displaying guide information set based on the specific posture together with the image.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

4. The guide information is displayed in a line shape on the image, and by aligning the guide information with the obstacle, a predetermined specific position on the front side of the moving body is set in advance so as to be at the same height as the obstacle.

4. The method according to claim 3.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the guide information is a horizontal straight line.

6. The step of determining a path for the moving body to overcome the obstacle includes: determining the path, which includes at least a height adjustment line, a riding-over line, and a circular arc, based on a spatial position of the front side of the moving body and a spatial position and shape of the obstacle; The height adjustment straight line is a part of a path along which the movable body moves in a height direction, and the overpass straight line is a part of a path along which the movable body moves in a horizontal direction, The method according to claim 1, wherein the arc is a line connecting the height adjustment straight line and the climbing over straight line, and has a curvature and length such that the mobile body does not collide with the obstacle when climbing over the obstacle.

7. the moving body has a multi-link mechanism composed of a plurality of body parts and a plurality of joints connecting the body parts, 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining a path for the mobile body to overcome the obstacle determines the path based on the angles of the body portions and the rotation angles of the joints.

8. the path further includes an offset straight line; The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the offset straight line has a length complementary to the height adjustment straight line so that the mobile body does not collide with the obstacle.

9. The step of controlling the movement of the moving body includes: calculating a target joint angle from the path; performing a shift operation while changing the fitting range; 2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

10. The method according to claim 1 , characterized in that the mobile body is an autonomous robot or a multi-articulated mobile robot.

11. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle is overcome while the absolute pitch angle of the head of the mobile body is tilted with respect to the ground.

12. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mobile body includes a storage means for storing the shape of the obstacle in advance.

13. The method according to claim 6, wherein the total length of the moving body is at least longer than the height adjustment straight line.

14. A program for controlling a moving body that overcomes an obstacle, a step of outputting guide information to an operation unit for causing a specific position on the front side of the movable body to assume a specific posture that is aligned with the height of the obstacle, and guiding an operation by an operator to cause the movable body to assume the specific posture relative to the obstacle; determining a path for the moving body to overcome the obstacle based on the guided attitude of the moving body; controlling the movement of the moving body based on the route; A program comprising:

15. A system for controlling a moving body that overcomes an obstacle, a means for outputting guide information to an operation unit for causing a specific position on the front side of the mobile body to assume a specific posture that is aligned with the height of the obstacle, and guiding an operation by an operator to cause the mobile body to assume the specific posture relative to the obstacle; a means for determining a path for the moving body to overcome the obstacle based on the guided attitude of the moving body; means for controlling the movement of the main body of the moving body based on the route; A system comprising:

16. A moving object that overcomes obstacles, a plurality of main bodies; a mobile body having a multi-link mechanism including a plurality of joints connecting the body parts; a transmitting unit that outputs guide information from an operating unit to an operator for causing a specific position on the front side of the movable body to assume a specific posture that is aligned with the height of the obstacle, and transmits the guide information to an interface unit of the operating unit to guide the operator's operation to cause the movable body to assume the specific posture relative to the obstacle; a control unit that controls the movement of the movable body based on the guided attitude of the movable body; A moving body comprising:

17. A method for controlling a moving body to overcome an obstacle, comprising: a step of lifting the front side of the mobile body by a control means inside or outside the mobile body, and guiding the attitude of the mobile body relative to the obstacle so that a predetermined specific position on the front side of the mobile body is at the same height as the obstacle; determining a path for the moving body to overcome the obstacle based on the guided attitude of the moving body; controlling the movement of the moving body based on the route; A method comprising:

Images