AUTONOMOUS MOVING BODY AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120035797A1
• Filed: 11/27/2009
• Published: 02/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yabushita, Hidenori, Ogura, Takashi, Oobayashi, Souichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,164,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

To enable stable collision avoidance operation without the need to install an infrastructure or the like even in a dangerous area where running out is likely to occur. An autonomous moving body according to the present invention includes: a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to an object existing in an environment; a distance information acquisition unit that acquires a distance measurement value of the distance measuring sensor as distance information on a measurement point; and a dangerous area extraction unit that categorizes adjacent measurement points as an identical object according to a distance difference between the measurement points, and extracts an endpoint of the object as a dangerous area when the categorized object itself has a size equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold and when an opening formed between endpoints of the objects has a width equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, in which the autonomous moving body travels so as to avoid a collision in the extracted dangerous area.

Claims

1. An autonomous moving body that autonomously travels from a travel start point to a travel end point in an environment, comprising:

a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to an object existing in the environment;

a distance information acquisition unit that acquires a distance measurement value of the distance measuring sensor as distance information on a measurement point; and

a dangerous area extraction unit that determines whether a distance difference between adjacent measurement points is equal to or larger than a threshold that increases as a distance from the autonomous moving body, categorizes adjacent measurement points as an identical object when the distance difference is smaller than the threshold, and extracts an endpoint of the object as a dangerous area when the categorized object itself has a size equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold and when an opening formed between endpoints of the objects has a width equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold,

wherein the autonomous moving body travels so as to avoid a collision in the extracted dangerous area.

3. The autonomous moving body according to claim 1, wherein assuming that the endpoint of the object extracted as the dangerous area is a dangerous candidate area, the dangerous area extraction unit determines whether an angle formed between a straight line connecting the dangerous candidate area as a base point and another endpoint of the identical object and a traveling direction of the autonomous moving body is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, and extracts the dangerous candidate area as a dangerous area when the angle is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold.

4. The autonomous moving body according to claim 1, further comprising a safe speed selection unit which selects a traveling speed to decelerate according to a relative distance between the dangerous area and a position of the autonomous moving body when the autonomous moving body enters the dangerous area extracted by the dangerous area extraction unit,

wherein the autonomous moving body enters the dangerous area according to the traveling speed selected by the safe speed selection unit.

5. The autonomous moving body according to claim 1, further comprising a path planning unit that creates a path from the travel start point to the travel end point,

wherein when the autonomous moving body travels to avoid the dangerous area extracted by the dangerous area extraction unit, the path planning unit creates a path for avoiding the dangerous area using map information reflecting the dangerous area, and the autonomous moving body travels along the created path.

6. The autonomous moving body according to claim 1, further comprising:

a safe speed selection unit that selects a traveling speed to decelerate according to a relative distance between the dangerous area extracted by the dangerous area extraction unit and a position of the autonomous moving body; and

a path planning unit that creates a path from the travel start point to the travel end point,

wherein when the autonomous moving body approaches the dangerous area, the autonomous moving body enters the dangerous area according to the traveling speed selected by the safe speed selection unit, or travels along the path for avoiding the dangerous area, the path being created by the path planning unit.

2. (canceled)

7. A control method for an autonomous moving body including a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to an object existing in an environment, the control method comprising:

acquiring a distance measurement value of the distance measuring sensor as distance information on a measurement point;

determining whether a distance difference between adjacent measurement points is equal to or larger than a threshold that increases as a distance from the autonomous moving body,

categorizing adjacent measurement points as an identical object when the distance difference is smaller than the threshold;

extracting an endpoint of the object as a dangerous area when the categorized object itself has a size equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold and when an opening formed between endpoints of the objects has a width equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold; and

performing a travel control to avoid a collision in the extracted dangerous area.

9. The control method for an autonomous moving body according to claim 7, wherein in the extraction of the dangerous area, assuming that the endpoint of the object extracted as the dangerous area is a dangerous candidate area, it is determined whether an angle formed between a straight line connecting the dangerous candidate area as a base point and another endpoint of the identical object and a traveling direction of the autonomous moving body is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold;

and when the angle is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold, the dangerous candidate area is extracted as a dangerous area.

10. The control method for an autonomous moving body according to claim 7, wherein when the autonomous moving body enters the dangerous area, a traveling speed to decelerate according to a relative distance between the dangerous area and a position of the autonomous moving body is selected, and the autonomous moving body travels according to the selected traveling speed.

11. The control method for an autonomous moving body according to claim 7, wherein when the autonomous moving body travels to avoid the dangerous area, a path for avoiding the dangerous area is created using map information reflecting the dangerous area, and the autonomous moving body travels along the created path.

12. The control method for an autonomous moving body according to claim 7, wherein when the autonomous moving body approaches the dangerous area, the autonomous moving body decelerates according to a relative distance between the dangerous area and a position of the autonomous moving body, or travels along a path for avoiding the dangerous area.

8. (canceled)

13. An autonomous moving body that autonomously travels from a travel start point to a travel end point in an environment, comprising:

a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to an object existing in the environment;

a distance information acquisition unit that acquires a distance measurement value of the distance measuring sensor as distance information on a measurement point; and

a dangerous area extraction unit that categorizes adjacent measurement points as an identical object according to a distance difference between the measurement points, extracts an endpoint of the object as a dangerous area when the categorized object itself has a size equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold and when an opening formed between endpoints of the objects has a width equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, determines whether an angle formed between a straight line connecting the dangerous candidate area as a base point and another endpoint of the identical object and a traveling direction of the autonomous moving body is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, assuming that the endpoint of the object extracted as the dangerous area is a dangerous candidate area, and extracts the dangerous candidate area as a dangerous area when the angle is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold,

wherein the autonomous moving body travels so as to avoid a collision in the extracted dangerous area.

14. A control method for an autonomous moving body including a distance measuring sensor that measures a distance to an object existing in an environment, the control method comprising:

acquiring a distance measurement value of the distance measuring sensor as distance information on a measurement point;

categorizing adjacent measurement points as an identical object according to a distance difference between the measurement points;

extracting an endpoint of the object as a dangerous area when the categorized object itself has a size equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold and when an opening formed between endpoints of the objects has a width equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold;

assuming that the endpoint of the object extracted as the dangerous area is a dangerous candidate area, determining whether an angle formed between a straight line connecting the dangerous candidate area as a base point and another endpoint of the identical object and a traveling direction of the autonomous moving body is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold;

extracting the dangerous candidate area as a dangerous area when the angle is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold; and

performing a travel control to avoid a collision in the extracted dangerous area.