JPS62179003A - Autonomous mobile robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a robot which has the universatility for traveling and can set freely a moving scope by executing autonomously up to the destination while an obstacle is avoided by a driving means based on the calculating result of a calculating means. CONSTITUTION:The distance of one path composed of a linear segment and the attitude changing angle of a robot main body until the robot arrives at it are calculated, stored and plural paths from a starting point to a final destination are stored as the linking of respective linear paths into a RAM 65. The teaching path data are shifted to a communication memory 43 and a RAM 61 by a CPU 18, a CPU 17 prepares the map data from the teaching data of the RAM 61 and displays them onto a CRT display 11. For the displayed channel data, various paths can be optionally written and come to be the paths which are the traveling target. During the traveling, basic path data controlled always at the CPU 17 and the traveling data to occur by the actual movement controlled at CPUs 18 and 19 are mutually compared, corrected and traveled.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical portion of the invention! ? ] The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile robot that moves while detecting the state of a route and making decisions.

[Prior art and its issues] Conventionally, systems have been known that use mobile robots to transport goods in factories, etc., and these include a central control type and a mobile type. There is. Central control type.

For example, ゛llj: A magnetic induction type guidance type central controller that manages the transportation of two robots, and has wiring for guidance on the floor, so it is essentially a track type. For this reason, there was a drawback that it could only travel along the wiring, and it was not possible to set a movement range at 11111.

On the other hand, in the autonomous mobile type, the mobile robot itself determines the coordinates etc.
The vehicle travels along a predetermined route to a designated location while making decisions. This type is a robot that can only have one medium running loop, and it also lacks versatility. Is it common for robots that are versatile in running and can freely set their movement range to be extremely 1° i'rI? The impact type has not yet been realized.

[Object of the invention] This invention accomplishes the following: 1. This was done in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is not only in places with limited environments such as L fields, but also in other places such as offices, hospitals, schools, etc. The present invention aims to provide an autonomous mobile robot that can detect the route state at 11r, and move to a designated destination with peace of mind while avoiding obstacles.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, this invention 1 includes a driving means for moving the robot by driving wheels provided on the robot so that the robot can be steered and rotated.

a teaching means for teaching the robot the IY route to the destination; a storage means provided in the robot for storing the route; an input stage for inputting destination information into the first stage of the memory; Based on the route and destination information stored in the means, (1) a calculation is made to calculate the steering t, H and rotation speed of the wheels to the destination, and the distance and direction to the robot obstacle is calculated. Equipped with one stage of failure detection,
The main point is that the vehicle runs in a 1111' manner to the destination while avoiding obstacles using the 11-wheels. ] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external view of the autonomous mobile robot of the present invention.
is a shelf-shaped robot body. This robot main body l is provided with a table 2 on which goods such as products and processed products are placed.
It consists of a table 2c with tiers b and ).

Twelve ultrasonic sensors 3 (3a to 39.) for the passage are arranged on the outer periphery of the robot body 1 every 30 degrees, and each ultrasonic sensor 3a to 3 cross connects to a pair of ultrasonic receivers 4. and two sets each in the L downward direction of the ultrasonic wave receiver 'a5. (The wave speed transmitter 4 is mounted on the outer wall of the middle table 2b, and the paired ultrasonic receiver 5 is mounted on the lower table 2c.
The other ultrasonic transmitter 4 is connected to the outer wall of the lower table 2C, and the other ultrasonic wave transmitter 4 is connected to the outer wall of the lower table 2C.
is on the outer wall of the lower end of robot body 1! It is arranged approximately in a straight line.

As shown in FIG.
Up to three sentences are arranged equiangularly and detect the distance to an obstacle in one rotation.

On the bottom of the robot body 1 are 4MI 11t and a ring 6 (6a
~6d) are provided with 11 rotating wheels, and these ilj wheels 6
The robot main body l moves according to steps a to 6d. front wheel 6a,
6b is a steering wheel Ii (function), and the rear wheels 6c and 6d follow this.

At the bottom of the robot body 1, ultrasonic sensors 7 (7a to 7d) in the floor direction are used to detect the external force of each i1i wheel 6 (6a to 6d).
The ultrasonic sensor 7 is located adjacent to the IL and has a paired ultrasonic transmitter 8 and a tfIr'i wave receiver 9. This ultrasonic sensor 7 detects irregularities on the floor surface and prevents the robot body 1 from falling down the stairs T.

Also, there are 8 contact sensors 10 on the outer periphery of the 'F section of the robot body l.
The contact sensors 10 are arranged at equal angles.
Contact of a sharp protruding obstacle that cannot be detected by the °F wave sensor 3 is detected.

■The area of the two-tiered table 2a is smaller than that of the sunken tables 2b and 2C, and there is a CRT display 1 on the outer wall between the L-tiered table 2a and the middle-tiered table 2b.
1 is provided, and this CRT display 11 instructs the user to operate the F condyle and displays a map of the taught route, which will be described later.

A group of keys 12 for input is arranged between one side of the middle table 2b, and the group of keys 12 are operation keys for giving instructions to the robot.

In one corner of the first stage table 2a, there is installed an ultra-H'7 wave transmitter 14 that communicates with a guide device for passage teaching, which will be described later.・
It transmits ultra-high pulses at regular intervals, and this frequency is different from that of the ultra+' wave sensor 3 for the passage.

” As shown in FIG.
Infrared receiver 15 consisting of nine photodiodes, etc.
(15a-15h) are arranged. Infrared receiver 15
15a, 15b, 15c and 15h, 15g, 15f
are sunk in the front of the robot body l, that is, in the direction of the middle table 2b, and 15d and 15e are sunk in the back.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 16 denotes a guidance device for teaching the path, which is manually held, and this guidance device 16 is connected to the robot main body.
4 inputs are sent to the built-in control device for path teaching.

Figure 4 is a block of the autonomous mobile robot control device [h]
This control device has three CPUs 17.18
．． 19 are provided. The CPU 17 controls the path sensor section 24, floor sensor section 30, and contact sensor 10, and also controls the key group 12 and the path teaching sensor section 32, and determines the condition of the inbound road based on the data from each sensor section. Determine the direction and speed of the robot. Also, CPU1B, 1
9 controls the movement of the +lj wheel 6 and the route information of the robot body l.

The CPU 17 first has a passage sensor '111gg circuit 20.
are connected via path line a, and this passage sensor control circuit 20 controls a transmitter drive circuit group 21 and a receiver circuit group 22, and instructs a counter group 23 to start counting. The transmitter drive circuit group 21 drives the 12 ultra-FF wave sensors 3a to 3 for the passageway, and the ultra-1"f transmitters 4 (4a to 4) to transmit Itflh waves, and the receiver circuit group 22 receives the Jfl rf waves emitted from the ultrasonic transmitter 4 and reflected by obstacles. tfli°f wave receiver 5 (
Input the signals from sentences 5a to 5), respectively. Each counter group 23 measures the time from the launch to the injection, and the CPU
17 detects the distance to surrounding obstacles and the presence or absence of obstacles in the 12-division direction. In this way, the ultrasonic sensor 31, passage sensor control circuit 20, transmitter drive circuit group 21. The receiving circuit group 22 and the counter group 23 constitute a passage sensor section 24.

A floor sensor control circuit 26 is also connected to the CPU 17 via a path line a, and this floor sensor control circuit 26 controls a transmitter drive circuit group 27 and a receiver circuit group 28, and controls a counter group 29 and a counter group 29. Command start. The transmitter drive circuit group 27 includes four floor wave sensors 7a.
~7d ultrasonic transmitter 8 (8a~8d) is driven to M+
The receiving circuit group 28 receives the ultrasonic wave emitted from the TFLRF wave transmitter 8 and reflected by the floor surface. input the respective values. The counter group 29 measures the time from the launch to the injection, and the CPU 17 detects the distance to the floor and the unevenness of the floor around each 1j wheel 6. In this way, the ultrasonic sensor 7 and the floor sensor control circuit 26
, transmitter drive circuit group 27. The receiving circuit group 28 and the counter group 29 constitute a floor sensor section 30.

A contact sensor input circuit 31 is connected to the CPU 17 via a path line a, and each channel output of the eight contact sensors 10 described above is input to this contact sensor input circuit 31. This contact sensor 10 is composed of, for example, a contact switch, and detects a protruding obstacle that is not caught by any of the 12 ultrasonic sensors 3 by direct contact.

A path teaching sensor U control circuit 33 is also connected to the CPU 17 via a path line a, and this path teaching sensor control circuit 33 controls an ultrasonic transmitter drive circuit 34 and an infrared light receiving circuit group 35, and controls a counter 36a. command to start counting. The ultrasonic transmitter drive circuit 34 is connected to the upper table 2a,
First, the wave pumping vibration transmitter 14 is activated to transmit ultra-7'' i-wave pulses toward the guidance device 16 at regular intervals.

The frequency of this super f'f wave is the frequency of the passageway's 7'f wave transmitter 4.
The frequency of the ultra-i: waves emitted from the 1fli°f wave transmitter 8 for use on or on the floor is different from the frequency of the waves. The infrared receiver circuit group 35 includes the infrared receivers 15 (15a-15h) that receive infrared light.
Input t-;t;- from . And guidance equipment: ;11
The infrared rays from 6 are received by any one of the infrared receivers 15a to 15h as the maximum signal (-), and the infrared rays from any one of the infrared receivers 15a to 15h that received the drum dai Iha signal are received by one of the infrared receivers 15a to 15h. is notified to the CPU 17 via path line b.

The counter 36 is set to super HT according to the command from the passage teaching sensor control circuit 33, and the lift transmission Tai 14 is set to super r7 towards the guidance device 16.
The infrared signal t'i from the guidance device 16 from the sow that emitted the wave
The time required for the signal to be input to the infrared light receiving circuit 4T35 via the infrared light receiving section 15 is measured. The CPU 17 determines whether the light is received during the period 11'1 from the transmission of the 7f wave to the reception of the infrared light, or between the time of the infrared light reception n l 5 (7) l 5 a -15h, from the robot body l to the guidance system 7.
Detects the distance and direction up to 116. Further, the counter 36b measures the pulse width of the infrared rays from this guiding device 16, and this pulse width differs depending on the type of command. In this way, the ultrasonic transmitter 14, the infrared light receiving section 15, the path teaching sensor control circuit 33, the ultra FT wave transmitter drive circuit 34, the infrared light receiving circuit A\35, and the counters 36a and 36b control the path teaching sensor section 32. 1.1, and inputs it to the CPU 17 via line a.

The internal configuration of the guide JA station 16 will now be explained.

The ultra-H'f wave receiver 37 receives the ultra-RF wave transmitted from the liquid transmitter 14, and this signal is waveform-shaped by the receiving circuit 38 and sent to the light emission time control circuit 39. The 0 emission time control circuit 39 received this signal and at the same time sends a drive signal 5) to the infrared emission circuit 40.
The infrared light emitting circuit 40 causes an infrared light emitting element r41 to emit a predetermined pulse of infrared light. This light emission duration and pulse width are controlled by the key group 42, but when the route teaching is finished,
By performing key operations such as setting a predetermined fl point, the pulse width, immersion chamber, etc. are performed.

The robot body 1 is guided on the floor by the operator holding the guidance device 16 from a predetermined starting point to a stopover point,
On the way, I was told in advance the final destination of U Art Hall, but CPU1
7 is these teaching data.

11p, the traveling direction, distance, speed, etc. are stored in the communication memory 43. This communication memory 43 is accessible not only from the CPU 17 but also from the CPU 18.19, and is used for exchanging commands between the CPUs 17, 18, and 19, and its stored data is stored in these CPUs 17.
Used on 18.19. These CPU17.18.1
The access timing from 9 is controlled by the communication memory control circuit 44.

The CPU 17 controls the CRT display 11 via the display drive circuit 25, and receives route information and arrival information (to be described later) from the key group 12 via the key input circuit 48.

The ROM 49 connected via path line a includes a CPU.
A program for operating 17 is stored for the tth time. R
AM61 has counter group 23.29, counter 36a, 3
The output signal of 6b is stored for various calculations. And CPU17.

The communication memory 43 receives and receives real-time coordinate data and distance data calculated by the CPU 19 and the CPU 19 based on the movement of the robot body (2). Also C
When the guidance device 16 teaches a path, the PU 17 stores the path data as map data in the RAM 61, and when the robot body 1 is running uniformly, it compares it with the map data and determines its traveling direction along with the data from each sensor section. decide.

A gyro 45 is installed inside the robot body l,
This gyro 45 measures the rotational angular velocity due to a change in the posture of the robot body l. The output voltage of the gyro 45 is A/D
The signal is converted into a digital signal -y by the f conversion unit 46, and sent to the CPU 18 via a pass line. The timing of the A/D converter 46 is controlled by the gyro control circuit 47, and the CPU 18 divides the angular velocity signal inputted from the A/D converter 46 into 1111 parts to control the turning of the robot body 1 rotated by the operation of the wheels 6. The rotation angle is determined and written into the communication memory 43 as angle data.

In addition, the CP018 receives the direction and speed command from the CPU 17 through the communication memory 43, and executes ■1(
A speed command is sent to the motor control circuit 52, 57 at regular intervals so that the steering operation and acceleration/deceleration of running by the wheels 6 are performed at the optimum acceleration.

The robot body I has the aforementioned 1 (front wheels 6a, 6 of the wheels 6).
A steering motor 51 is provided for simultaneously steering the motors b, and the steering motor 51 is driven by a motor control circuit 52 via a motor drive circuit 53. The steering motor 51 is provided with an optical rotary encoder 54 that detects its rotational speed, and the output signal -J of the encoder 54 is sent to a counter 55 to change the posture of the robot body 1. It is converted as CPU1B, 19
and input into the communication memory 43, CP
U19 calculates the coordinates indicating the position of the robot body 1 based on the frequency division result and the angle data of the robot body 1 obtained from the CPU 18 through the communication memory 43. The resulting data is then stored in the communication memory 43.

Also, inside the robot body 1, there is a DC motor 5 for driving that rotates the front wheels 6a, 6b (or the rear wheels 6C16d) of the 11 wheels 6.
6 is provided, and the DC motor 56 is rotationally driven by a motor control circuit 57 via a motor drive circuit 58. D.C.
The motor 56 is provided with an optical rotary encoder 59 that detects its rotation, and the output of this encoder 59 is sent to a counter 60! j- is obtained, is converted into the movement jI of the robot body l, and is input to the CPU 19 and communication controller memory 43.

A program for controlling the CPU 18 is stored in the ROM 62 in advance, and a trigonometric function table for coordinate calculation and a program for the CPU 19 are stored in the ROM 64 in advance. The RAM 65 receives the output signal of the gyro 45 as a digital signal from the A/D converter 44, and also receives the output signal from the RA
M63 receives the outputs (14) of encoders 55 and 60 and temporarily stores them for various calculations.

In order to teach the robot body 1 a path consisting of a straight line segment using the guidance device 16, first, the robot body 1 is placed as a starting point, and the super η wave signal transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitter 14 of the robot body 1 is transmitted. , the Mia wave receiver 3 of the guidance device 16
7, the infrared light emitting element 4 of the folding guidance device 2116
1 transmits infrared rays to the infrared receiver i-1!15 of the robot body l. As a result, the CPU 17
Knowing the distance and direction between the robot body 1 and the guidance device 16,
The vehicle travels in the direction of the guidance device 16.

At this time, 1 in front of the infrared receiving section 15 of the robot body 1
If 5a is not directly facing the guidance device 16, the robot main body 1 changes direction by steering the front wheels 6a and 6b,
After dealing with iE 1. Start approaching Sei 4 equipment 16. The measured distance data to the guidance device 7116 obtained by sending and receiving infrared signals is first stored in the communication memory 43 by the CPU 17. Front wheel 6a
, 6b with the steering motor 51, rotate the front wheels 6a, 6b with the DC motor 56, and rotate the robot body l until 15a of the infrared receiver 15 directly faces the guidance device 16. At this time, the steering motor 51
Ift of the encoder 54 regarding the rotation of the Dc motor 5
1 of the encoder 59 regarding the rotation of 6 is the counter 5
5 and 60, and is stored in the RAM 63 of the CPU 19.

At this time, the direction change angle of the robot body l is gyro 45
The robot main body 1 approaches the predetermined position by one path in the direction of the guidance device 16 due to the rotation of the wheels 6. i is stored in the RAM 63 of the CPU 19 via the counter 60.

Next, the CPU 18 calculates the rotational speed of the steering motor 51 and the driving DC motor 56 necessary for the robot body l to change the predetermined posture (direction) from the detected angle of the gyro 45 and the output fi of the encoders 54 and 59. It is stored in the RAM 65 of the CPU 18.

In addition, the CPU 18 retrieves the distance to the 'A4 device 16 calculated by the CPU 17 from the RAM 61, and stores it in the CPU 18.
From the data regarding the encoder 59 in the RAM 63 of No. 19, the number of rotations of the C motor 56 required for the distance is calculated and stored in the RAM 65.

The distance of one path consisting of a straight line segment and the attitude change angle of the robot body 1 until reaching the distance are calculated as shown in , and are stored in the RAM 65.

Thereafter, proceed in the same manner from the starting point to the first route, second route, etc.
... Crossroads [Multiple routes to one target are each direct! It is stored in the RAM 65 as a combination of paths a. This teaching route data is transferred to the communication memory 43 by the CPU 18 and then transferred to the RAM 61 first. and CPU17
creates map data from the teaching data in the RAM 61 and displays it on the CRT display 11 J: via the display drive circuit 25.

The route data displayed on the CRT display 11 is such that various routes can be arbitrarily updated using the method described above, and the route that the bot main body 1 should travel after teaching becomes the route that should be set as one target. Also, while driving, the basic route data managed by the CPU 17 and the driving data generated by actual movement managed by the CPUs 18 and 19 are constantly compared and corrected while driving.

[Operation of the Embodiment] Next, the operation of the embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 (1) to (4) and FIGS. 6 (1) to (3).

The processes shown in the flowcharts 51.4(1) to (4) are performed under the control of the CPU 17, and the processes shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 are performed under the control of the CPUL8 and CPU19.

When the power is turned on to 1, each CPU 17, 18, 19 goes to RO.
Perform initial setting operations using M49, 62.64,
Each starts processing in parallel.

When the CPU 17 starts, it first executes the path teaching routine of step AI in FIG. 5(1). Here, the processing contents of step A1 are executed according to steps B1 to B7 in FIG. 5(2).

That is, in step B1, CP is used for route learning.
A teaching reception start command is sent from U17 to the passage teaching sensor control circuit 33 of the one passage teaching sensor section 32. Then, the ultrasonic transmitter drive circuit 34 drives the ultrasonic transmitter ``A1''.
From 4, TFL sweat wave for a certain period of time (several hundred le 5ec), +d
The signal is sent to the transceiver 2116. At the same time as this transmission, the passage teaching sensor control circuit 33 issues a count lH start command to the counter 36, and the counter 36a starts counting the time until the infrared teaching signal is transmitted from the guidance device 16 as a counter answer. Furthermore, at the same time, the sensor control circuit 33
is a device that receives infrared signals coming from the guidance device 16.
The r signal is sent to the infrared receiving circuit group 35.

When the ultra BY wave signal from the ultrasonic transmitter 14 is received by the guidance device 16, the infrared vj light emitting element 41 of the guidance device 7116 transmits the infrared light for a certain period of time (about 300 pLsec) to the robot body l. Light is emitted toward the section 15. When any one of the infrared receivers 15a to 15h of the infrared receiver 15 receives this light, the infrared receiver circuit group 35 activates the counter 36.
A pulse is output to stop the count, and the counter 36a stops counting. The count (/i) of the counter 36 so far (that is, the flight time of the ultrasonic wave) is converted by the CPU 17 into a distance value from the robot body 1 to the guidance device 16 and stored in the RAM 61.

On the other hand, the counter 36b starts counting in response to the stop pulse of the infrared receiving circuit group 35, and starts measuring the pulse width of the incoming infrared light. When the infrared signal stops coming, the counter 36b stops counting by 1 in response to a signal from the infrared receiving circuit group 35 indicating the end of light reception.

At the same time, the infrared receiving circuit group 35 communicates with the CPU through the signal mb.
Multiply 17 by -1,1. This means that the teaching of the route has been completed, and the CPU 17 performs step 1 in FIG. 5 (4).
Steps Di, D4, and D move the process to the 1-inclusive routine.
At step 7, the type of interruption is classified by 'I', but since it is an interruption from the path teaching sensor section 32, step D8 is executed.

In this step D8, the ultrasonic transmitter 14
The time from the transmission of the wave to the reception of the infrared light by the infrared receiver 15 (distance phase 'I/I from the robot body 1 to the guidance device 16) is read out from the counter 36a, and the pulse width of the infrared light is read out from the counter 36b6. Also, which light receiving element J'15a to 15h of the infrared light receiving section 15 has reached the maximum value, the maximum value is read into the CPU 17 via the path line a, and the data of the direction relative to the front and CPT II is read. The data is immediately written to RAM 61.

In this way, when the teaching of the route is completed, the 514th (2nd
) Returning to step B2, the CPU 17 refers to the pulse width data of the infrared light measured 1:1 by the counter 37, and determines whether or not the teaching has ended. By operating the key group 42, the pulse width of the infrared light transmitted from the infrared light emitting element 41 is set to approximately 900g5e.
Since the counter 36b is set to c, the data of the counter 36b is checked to make a decision.

If the teaching of all routes is not completed, proceed to step B3, and CP
U17 issues an obstacle detection command to the passage sensor control circuit 20 of the passage sensor section 24 through the path line a (this is to check whether there is an obstacle on the taught path), and then the passage sensor control circuit 20 drives the 12 ultra-7.7 wave senders 4 in a time-division manner via the transmitter driving circuit group 21, and transmits the ultra-7.7 wave around the robot body l at one time in the evening and at the same time. Each Zhao H'? Set the wave receiver 4' The distance is calculated by J in all directions.
The distance data from fl i'7 wave sensor 3 (3a to 3 sentences) to the obstacle is 1! When the counter IT23 interrupts the CPU 17 through the call line C.

Here, the CPU 17 moves the processing to the routine including I and 1 in FIG. 5 (4), and at steps Di, D4, D7, and D9;
, 1-inclusive types are classified by r1. At present, since ;I3 from the passage sensor section 24 is included, step DIO is executed.

In this step DIO, the time from transmission to reception (corresponding to the distance to the obstacle) is read from the counter 823 and stored in the RAM 61. Since the object detection has been completed, the process returns to step B4 in FIG. 5(2).

In step B4, the DC motor 5 for driving, which is calculated by the CPU 18 and written in the communication memory 43,
6, that is, the robot body l for the rotation speed of the wheel 6.
The moving direction of the robot is determined from the traveling distance and the coordinate data at each time, and the direction in which the robot body l should move is generated by roughly taking into account the direction of the guidance device 16 determined in step B1. And here for learning CPUl
7 causes the robot body 1 to travel toward the :A guide device 16.

Since the passage sensor i24 scans the obstacle detection in all directions until step B3, which is completed, takes a time of more than 100 m5ec, the running direction generation process in step B4 is performed in parallel.

Note that the one-passage sensor section 24 is automatically turned off when the detection operation is performed once around the entire circumference of the robot body 1.

Step B5 is a process of storing the ward 9J of one route.
If the distance between the robot body l and the guidance device 16 is too large and communication between ultrasonic waves and infrared rays is likely to weaken, or if the distance between the robot body l and the guidance device 16 is too large,
When the guidance device 16 teaches that it is the destination of 1 which should be temporarily stopped +L by operating the key group 42 of 6 (at this time, the pulse width emitted from the infrared light emitting element:/-41 becomes about 800 pSeC) ) is the guidance device 16 at that time.
The point where is located is regarded as a branching point, and its coordinates are memorized. However, in the process of step 7, which is the first time after the power is turned on, the coordinates are stored unconditionally.

For learning purposes, if even one contact sensor 10 turns on while the robot main body l is running, it means that there is some kind of obstacle in the path, so input signals 1+ and 1 are sent from the sensor input circuit 31 to the CPU 17 via the signal line d. It takes. ' Here, the CPU 17 moves the process to the 11,1 inclusion routine in FIG. 5(4) and separates the -13 inclusion type into 11 in steps D1 and D4. Since the current value includes -13 from the contact sensor IO, the process advances to step D5. In step D5, data indicating which direction of the eight contact sensors is turned on and its position is read from the sensor input circuit 31. In the zero-order step D6, The CPU 17 applies top priority ;', l input to the CPU 18 via the signal line e.

Then, the CPU 18 outputs an emergency stop command to the motor IJI control circuits 52 and 57, and the robot main body l stops 1.
- to do.

On the other hand, the floor sensor section 30 automatically operates after power is turned on.

That is, in response to a transmission command from the floor sensor control circuit 26, each ultra-RF pumping device 8 emits ultra-11 wave pulses.At the same time, the counter group 29 starts measuring the time until reception. (The wave signal device 9 receives the reflected wave from the floor and stops counting the corresponding counters. If there is a place where the count value exceeds a certain value, the number of the reflected waves from the floor becomes four. The counter group 29 is connected to the CP via the signal line f.
Multiply U17 by ;I, including 1.

Here, the CPU 17 similarly moves the process to the interrupt routine shown in FIG. 5(4) and determines the type of interrupt in step DI. Now, since the signal from the floor sensor section 30 includes :11, proceed to step D2. In step D2, which of the four
In the next step D3, data indicating whether the wave sensor 7 has responded or its position is read from the receiving circuit 1128.
The PU 17 applies the highest priority ;1,1 to the CPU 18 via the No. 41 i9e.

Then, the CPU 18 uses the contact control group 10; 1.1
In the same way as the above, a J1 constant stop command is output to the motor control circuits 52 and 57 to stop the robot body and prevent it from tipping over or falling.

Returning to step B6, here the robot body l obtained in step B4 is 1 in the direction and distance traveled for learning.
Passage sensor section 24, contact sensor group lO1 floor sensor section 3
Practical direction and distance command data is generated by taking into account the surrounding obstacle data obtained from 0, and these data are stored in the communication memory 43 and sent to the CPU 18 from there. At the same time, the traveling speed is determined based on the distance from surrounding obstacles and sent to the CPU 18.

In step B7, the process waits until it is confirmed whether the teaching of one route has been completed.

By repeating the above process, the robot main body l approaches and follows the guidance device 16 held by the operator while avoiding obstacles, and is taught and learned a plurality of routes.

When storing a branch point where a route and the next route connect, the route to the next branch point and the connection status are also stored at the same time. When the teaching of the entire route is completed, the process proceeds to step A2 in FIG. 5(1), where a map is created by performing coordinate transformation to match the CRT display 11 from the coordinates of the branch points obtained so far and the contact information 1 avoidance information. Display on 11Jz. Also, each of the plurality of destination points to which the teacher is instructed to stop during teaching is clearly displayed with a unique famous song such as "A", "B", "C", etc.

In step A3, the middle table 2 b, the key group 1
2 to L [In order of passing through 1 destination, for example, “B, A
Enter instructions like ``4C''.

In step A4, an appropriate route between the destinations instructed in the previous step A3 is selected and stored. The next step A5 is a driving routine in which the vehicle actually travels along the route determined in this manner.

The process at step A5 is performed at step Cl-C in FIG. 5(3).
5.

In other words, in step CI, it is determined whether all the waypoints have been passed.This determination is made by the CPU 19 based on the coordinate data of the actual passage passed through the communication memory 43 and the data obtained in step A3 of FIG. 5(1). This is done by comparing the [1 target route data] every time.

The next steps 02 to C5 are basically the same as steps B3 to B7 after the teaching sense time in FIG. 5(2). However, in step B4, when obtaining the direction in which the robot body l should move, data indicating the direction in which the guidance device fi16 is located is used, but in step C3, data indicating the direction in which the guidance device fi16 is located is used instead.
The route data selected in step 4 (the direction of the route determined from the coordinates of both ends of the route) is used.

Next, in step C4, f;-+ of the robot body l
When the robot body 1 reaches the destination, the stop+L command is executed until the CPU 17 receives an input operation from the key group 12 to confirm arrival, and the robot body 1 stops at the destination.

When an input operation is received from the key group 12, l! When a travel command is issued, the robot 7 (body 1) travels toward the next destination.

In this way, all the destinations specified in step A3 of FIG. 5(1) are passed through (step C5).

Next, the processing of the CPU 18 will be explained with reference to the flowcharts in FIGS. 56 (1) and (3). The CPU 1B has an internal timer and an internal interrupt is generated every 20 msec (step El). Then, in step E2, the rotational angular velocity due to the attitude change of the robot body l obtained by the gyro 45 is converted to A/ The digital signal converted by the Df converter 46 is taken into the RAM 65 and stored.

In step E3, the angular velocity stored in the RAM 65 is integrated to calculate rotation angle data of the robot body 1.

Next, in step E4, the CP is guided by the guidance device 16.
Processed by U17 and stored in communication memory 43, (untraveled data ca direction, speed,
The CPU 1B reads the distance command).

In step E5, it is checked whether the command data includes a special run end command.

If there is no end r command, proceed to step E6, and step E4
According to the basic traveling data, the current direction of travel and the commanded direction of travel are compared to determine the difference, the amount of rotation of the steering motor 51 is calculated, and the optimum speed and direction of rotation at that time are determined. Further, the speed command for traveling is compared with the current traveling speed, the difference is found, the rotational speed of the traveling DC motor 56 is calculated, and the rotational speed that provides the optimum acceleration at that time is determined.

In step E7, the calculated motor speed/revolution command is sent to the motor control circuit 52,57, and the robot main body l
travels along a predetermined route toward the target value.

The process of step Gl in FIG. 6(3) is performed by CPU17 to C
The highest priority is sent to the PU 18 via the signal line e; in the processing when 1 is included, a speed "0" command is sent to the motor control circuits 52 and 57 to apply the brakes to the robot body 1. This is done when there is a large part or protrusion on the east side or an obstacle occurs on the path, and the robot body l suddenly stops.

FIG. 6(2) is a flowchart showing the processing of the CPU 19. In step Fl, the output of the travel encoder 59 is frequency-divided by the counter 60, and every time the travel encoder 59 travels a certain distance (rotation a), the output is transmitted via the signal line g. If the CPU 19 is interrupted, proceed to step F2, where the angle data calculated by the CPU 18 is sent to the output signal of the gyro 45.
In step F3 of reading from the communication memory 43, data of 5lnO and casO is read from the trigonometric function table in the ROM 64 for this angle data 0. Then, in step F4, coordinates are calculated using these angle data and the 5inO1casO table data to calculate the current position t of the robot body 1. [Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, the robot a driving means for moving the robot by driving wheels provided rotatably and rotatably; a teaching means for teaching the robot a route to a destination; a storage means provided on the robot for storing the route; an input stage for inputting destination information into the storage means; and a calculation means for calculating the steering amount and rotation speed of the wheels at the predetermined destination II based on the route and destination information stored in the first stage t12r. , an obstacle detection means for detecting the distance and direction from the robot to the obstacle, and based on the calculation result of the calculation means, the robot autonomously runs to a predetermined destination while avoiding obstacles. ), (You can constantly check your own direction and distance traveled in real time while driving toward your destination according to this driving data. In this way, you can constantly check your direction and distance traveled in offices, hospitals, etc. while avoiding obstacles.) +1
There are now 11 more ``111'' mobile robots that travel in 1B, and whose path can be changed to ``L mountain'' depending on the spirit.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the exterior of the autonomous mobile robot related to Unexploded 11 [
A, Figure 2 is a side view of the arrangement of the ultra-i'-wave sensor in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a front view of the arrangement of the infrared receiver in Figure 1, and Figure 4 is a view of the arrangement of the infrared receiver in Figure 1. Block circuit diagrams of the control device and guidance device, Fig. 5 (1) to (4) and Fig. 6 (1) to (3)
) is a flowchart for explaining the present invention in detail. ■・・・Robot body, 3.7・・・Super 1
°F wave sensor, 6...Wheel, 10...
Contact sensor, 12°42...Key group, 14...
...Ultrasonic transmitter, 15...Infrared receiver, 16...Guidance device, 17.18.19...
... CPU, 24 ... - Passage sensor section, 30.
... Floor sensor section, 32 ... Passage teaching sensor section, 37 ... Ultrasonic receiver, 41 ...
...Infrared light emitting J-f, 43...Communication memory, 45...Gyro, 51.56
...Motor, 52゜57 ...Motor control circuit, 54.59 ...Encoder, 61.6
3.65...RAM. Figure 2 15 ← Iku Figure 3 Figure 6 PUI8

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a robot that autonomously travels between a plurality of destinations on a floor surface, a driving means for driving wheels provided on the robot so as to be steerable and rotatable to move the robot; a teaching means for teaching a robot; a storage means provided in the robot for storing the route; an input means for inputting information about the destination into the storage means; and the route and the destination stored in the storage means. a calculation means for calculating the steering amount and rotation speed of the wheels to a predetermined destination based on information; and an obstacle detection means for detecting the distance and direction from the robot to the obstacle; and the calculation result of the calculation means. An autonomous mobile robot, characterized in that the robot autonomously travels to a predetermined destination while avoiding obstacles using the drive means.