Obstacle avoidance apparatus

• US 5,416,713 A
• Filed: 10/19/1993
• Issued: 05/16/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Kameda, Hiroshi, Nomoto, Kohei, Tachibana, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US08/139,187
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 364/461, 364/460, 364/462, 364/444, 364/447, 364/449, 364/456, 395/90, 395/119, 367/909, 342/29, 342/450, 342/32, 342/455
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones

Abstract

An obstacle avoidance apparatus including a target data generator for outputting observation values of a target, a static obstacle driver for expressing a static obstacle by a turning acceleration of the target, a characteristic amount extractor for outputting characteristic amounts for representing first control amounts of a destination direction and a static obstacle avoidance by the turning acceleration, and a control amount determiner for outputting a second control amount of the target based on the first control amounts. A three-dimensional obstacle is expressed by the turning acceleration looked at from the target and the control amount for avoiding the obstacle until the target reaches a destination is determined.

Claims

1. An obstacle avoidance apparatus, comprising:

a digital map database for storing digital map information including positional information about a static obstacle;

destination data memory for storing destination data including positional information about a destination to be reached by a controlled target;

a target data generator for observing the target to be controlled and for outputting target data as observation values;

a static obstacle driver for outputting a turning acceleration of the target derived from the target data and the map information;

a characteristic amount exactor for extracting characteristic amounts based on a positional relationship between the target and the static obstacle and a positional relationship between the target and the destination, the characteristic amounts being derived from the turning acceleration and the destination data, and for outputting the characteristic amounts; and

a control amount determiner for determining a control signal to control the target to avoid the static obstacle, the control signal being derived from the characteristic amounts.

2. The obstacle avoidance apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an observer data generator for measuring conditions including positional information about a moving observer and for outputting observer data;

wherein the turning acceleration of the target outputted by the static obstacle driver is further derived from the observer data output from the observer data generator.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the observer is a flying object.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the static obstacle is a landform.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the static obstacle is a landform.

6. An obstacle avoidance apparatus for a target to avoid a static obstacle, comprising:

a target data generator for providing positional information about the target;

a digital map database for storing digital map information including positional information about a static obstacle;

destination data memory for storing destination data including positional information about a destination to be reached;

an initial condition generator for determining conditions of an observer at a start time, and for outputting the conditions;

a static obstacle driver for outputting static obstacle information expressing a static obstacle by providing a turning acceleration of the observer on the basis of the map information;

a characteristic amount extractor for determining positional relationships among the observer, the target, the destination, and the static obstacle, and for outputting the extracted characteristic amounts;

a control amount determiner for determining a control amount of the observer on the basis of the characteristic amounts output from the characteristic amount extractor; and

a dynamic characteristics calculator for calculating conditions of the observer after a predetermined time from the start time on the basis of the control amount output from the control amount determiner, and for outputting calculated conditions.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the observer is a flying object.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the static obstacle is a landform.

9. An obstacle avoidance apparatus, comprising:

a digital map database for storing digital map information including positional information about a static obstacle;

destination data memory for storing destination data including positional information about a destination to be reached;

an observer data generator for outputting conditions of an observer on the basis of observation values obtained from a global positioning system;

a movable obstacle data generator for observing a movable obstacle except the observer and for outputting movable obstacle data;

a movable obstacle driver for outputting a control amount required for the observer to avoid the movable obstacle, the control amount being derived from the movable obstacle data;

a static obstacle driver for outputting static obstacle information expressing a static obstacle by a turning acceleration of the observer based on the map information;

a characteristic amount extractor for grasping a positional relationship between the own apparatus and the static obstacle and a positional relationship between the observer and the destination based on the static obstacle information output from the static obstacle driver and the destination data of the destination data memory, and for outputting a control amount required for static obstacle avoidance and a control amount for directing the observer to the destination;

a control amount determiner for determining a control amount of the observer based on the control amount required for the static obstacle avoidance, the control amount required for directing the observer to the destination, output from the characteristic amount extractor and the control amount required for the own apparatus to avoid the movable obstacle output from the movable obstacle driver; and

a dynamic characteristics calculator for calculating conditions of the own apparatus after a predetermined time on the basis of the control amount output from the control amount determiner and the outputting the calculated conditions.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the observer is a flying object.

11. A method for directing a target to avoid a static obstacle, the method comprising the steps of:

observing the target;

outputting target data including positional information about the target;

providing turning acceleration data for the target, the turning acceleration data being derived from the target data and from map information stored in a database including positional information about the static obstacle, the turning acceleration being for the target to avoid the static obstacle; and

providing a control signal to control the target based at least in part on the turning acceleration data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of providing turning acceleration data includes timewisely stepping turning acceleration values and calculating positions of the target for each of the stepped values.

13. The method of claim 12, further including the step of comparing the calculated positions of the target and the map information to determine whether the calculated positions are coincident with the position of the static obstacle.