Autonomous moving apparatus having obstacle avoidance function

• US 6,515,614 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2001
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitano, Yukihiko, Sakai, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E.
• Application Number:
  US09/973,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 481 Days
• Field of Search: 342/52-58, 342/61-66, 342/69-72, 342/147, 342/158, 342/175, 342/195, 342/13, 342/29, 342/42, 340/435, 701/300, 701/301, 701/302, 180/167, 180/168, 180/169
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/87 Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/939 vertical stacking of sensors, e.g. to enable obstacle height determination
• 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 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931

Abstract

An autonomous moving apparatus moving to a destination while detecting and avoiding an obstacle includes a radar device for scanning a horizontal plane in its travelling direction to thereby detect a position of an obstacle and an obstacle sensor for detecting an obstacle in a space different from the scanning plane of the radar device. The apparatus moves to the destination under such control as to avoid the obstacle based on detection information from the radar device and the obstacle sensor from a detection output provided by a specific-configuration detecting element for detecting a present specific configuration from scanning information by the radar device. By providing such a specific-configuration detecting element that detects a specific configuration based on the scan information by the radar device that can accurately know about position information, it is possible to guess an obstacle having an upper structure, thus providing efficient avoidance.

Claims

1. An autonomous moving apparatus moving to a destination while detecting and avoiding an obstacle, comprising:

a scan-type sensor that scans a horizontal plane in a traveling direction to thereby detect a position of an obstacle;

a non-scan-type sensor that detects, without scanning, an obstacle in a space different from the scanning plane scanned by the scan-type sensor;

a specific-configuration detecting element that determines the presence of an object having a specific configuration based on detected-object distance information for each scanning angle of the scan-type sensor to thereby detect a preset specific configuration;

an obstacle detecting element that determines an estimated position of an obstacle or an area where the obstacle is present based on detection information from both of the scan-type and non-scan-type sensors if any specific configuration is detected by the specific-configuration detecting element and, otherwise, determines an estimated position of the obstacle only based on detection information from the scan-type sensor; and

a controller for controlling the autonomous moving apparatus to travel to the destination, based on the position of the obstacle obtained by the obstacle detecting element.

2. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the specific-configuration detecting element has a memory in which information for detecting a columnar object as a specific configuration is stored beforehand, so that based on a series of detected-object distance data pieces for each angle obtained from the scan-type sensor, the specific-configuration detecting element determines an estimated width of a detected object from such data pieces that a difference between distances indicated by adjacent data pieces is in a range set in the memory and, if the width of the detected object is thus in the range set in the memory and a distance indicated by data pieces on both sides of the estimated object data is larger than a distance set in the memory, decides that a configuration indicated by the data pieces is a specific configuration.

3. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if a distance with respect to a specific configuration detected by the specific-configuration detecting element is smaller than a value set in the memory, the obstacle detecting element determines an estimated position of an obstacle or an area where the obstacle is present based on detection information from both of the scan-type and non-scan-type sensors and, if the distance with respect to the specific configuration is larger than the value set in the memory or no specific configuration is detected, determines an estimated position of the obstacle only based on detection information of the scan-type sensor.

4. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the obstacle detecting element makes the non-scan-type sensor operative if there is a detection output provided by the specific-configuration detecting element.

5. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller decreases a traveling speed if there is a detection output provided by the specific-configuration detecting element.

6. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller provides control so that the autonomous moving apparatus may not be permitted to come near an obstacle detected by the scan-type sensor only within a range of a predetermined distance from the obstacle.

7. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-scan-type sensor is a set of supersonic sensors.

8. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the set of supersonic sensors are provided in such an arrangement as to provide a semi-circle shaped obstacle detection area in a horizontal plane in a traveling direction.

9. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of supersonic sensors are arranged vertically and have supersonic-wave oscillation timing settings thereof synchronized with each other.

10. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the non-scan-type sensor is an optical sensor and disposed at both ends of the apparatus in a width direction thereof, to emit a vertically spreading slit light and then detect an obstacle based on a reflected light from the obstacle.

11. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls autonomous movement based on information of an output of the scan-type sensor on which an output of the non-scan-type sensor is superimposed.

12. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein based on an obstacle detection output provided by the non-scan-type sensor, the controller changes a direction of the apparatus until there is no obstacle detection output provided in a predetermined direction and then restarts autonomous movement.

13. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 12, wherein based on an obstacle detection output provided by the non-scan-type sensor, the controller sets an obstacle in a relevant direction and stores a position of the obstacle, to erase information of the position when the controller approaches a destination beyond the position.

14. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 12, wherein based on an obstacle detection output provided by the non-scan-type sensor, the controller sets an obstacle in a relevant direction and stores a position of the obstacle, to erase information of the position when the controller reaches a predetermined distance with respect to the position.

15. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein based on an obstacle detection output provided in either right or left direction by the non-scan-type sensor, the controller changes a direction of the apparatus until there is no obstacle detection output provided in the opposite direction and then restarts autonomous movement.

16. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein based on a detection result of a plurality of detections by the specific-configuration detecting element, the controller decides whether a specific-configuration object is moving and, if the controller decides that the specific-configuration detecting element is moving, stops the traveling of the apparatus and, otherwise, validates detection information of the non-scan-type sensor.

17. The autonomous moving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is applied to a robot for use in conveyance of products, cleaning, etc.