Autonomous Mobile Body Dynamic Pull-Off Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional autonomous mobile bodies require pre-defined halt regions, which are difficult to secure in dynamic environments like hospitals and factories, and struggle to adapt to changing layouts or obstacles without interfering with moving objects.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous mobile body that autonomously sets a pull-off direction by identifying obstacle positions and using stored size information to navigate around obstacles without pre-defined halt regions, incorporating sensors for obstacle detection and environmental mapping to control its movement and stop positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a halt region is set in advance for the autonomous mobile body to stop, then the mobile body can autonomously move while avoiding interference with detected obstacles, but it becomes difficult to secure a halt region in dynamic environments like hospitals and factories where people continually pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the stop position determination adaptive rather than fixed. The control unit dynamically calculates the stop position based on real-time obstacle detection data, allowing the autonomous mobile body to adapt to changing environments such as hospitals and factories where people continually pass through. This resolves the contradiction by enabling reliable obstacle avoidance without requiring pre-set halt regions in static locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies self-service by enabling the autonomous mobile body to independently determine its own stop position based on detected obstacle information. The control unit autonomously calculates the appropriate stop position without external intervention or pre-defined halt regions, allowing the system to serve itself in dynamic environments where traditional pre-set regions are impractical.
2Ease of operation
If a halt region is set in advance, then the autonomous mobile body can stop and make way for obstacles, but effort is required to re-set the halt region each time the layout is changed in factories or warehouses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for manual halt region re-setting by implementing dynamic stop position calculation. The control unit automatically adjusts the stop position based on real-time obstacle detection, adapting to layout changes in factories or warehouses without requiring human intervention to re-set halt regions. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation while eliminating the complexity of manual reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies feedback by using obstacle detection information to automatically adjust the stop position. The control unit receives feedback from obstacle detectors and dynamically recalculates the halt position, eliminating the need for manual re-setting when layouts change. This closed-loop approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining automated obstacle making way functionality while removing the burden of manual halt region reconfiguration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the autonomous mobile body detects obstacle positions and sets pull-off direction based on its size and obstacle positions, then it can move without pre-defined halt regions, but the control system must calculate and determine appropriate stop positions in real-time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the control unit to autonomously calculate and determine stop positions based on detected obstacle information and the mobile body's own size parameters. The system serves itself by independently computing the appropriate pull-off direction and stop position without external assistance or pre-defined regions, resolving the contradiction by achieving adaptability through autonomous real-time calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that processes obstacle detection data, combines it with stored size information, and generates appropriate stop position commands. This intermediary function resolves the contradiction by bridging the gap between raw obstacle detection and actionable navigation decisions, enabling operation without pre-defined halt regions while managing the complexity of real-time calculations through a dedicated control mechanism.
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
Provided is an autonomous mobile body capable of moving in a pull-off direction that is set by the autonomous mobile body itself so that a movable obstacle can pass through safely, without setting a halt region in advance. An autonomous mobile body (1) comprises a storage unit (22) for storing a size D2 of the autonomous mobile body, a laser range sensor (12) for acquiring obstacle information, an obstacle identification unit (233) for identifying, based on the acquired obstacle information, edge points (86) showing positions of both ends of a region in which an interfering obstacle (66) exists, the both ends being both ends on a plane parallel to a passage plane in a direction which is substantially perpendicular to a moving target direction (72) of the autonomous mobile body, a direction setting unit (237) for setting a pull-off direction based on the size D2 of the autonomous mobile body and the edge points (86), and a mobile control unit (25) for controlling the autonomous mobile body to move toward the pull-off direction.