MOBILE BODY

• US 20130184980A1
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation), Waseda University (Waseda University Educational Association)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation), Waseda University (Waseda University Educational Association)
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Kentaro, Kindo, Toshiki, Sugano, Shigeki, Sugaiwa, Taisuke, Iwata, Hiroyasu
• Granted Patent: US 9,075,416 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/08 by means of sensing devices, e.g. viewing or touching devices
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/162 Mobile manipulator, movable base with manipulator arm mounted on it
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39091 Avoid collision with moving obstacles
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40198 Contact with human allowed if under pain tolerance limit
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40203 Detect position of operator, create non material barrier to protect operator
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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 3/12 using feedback

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile body which plans an avoidance operation of the mobile body and an expected avoidance operation which is expected of a mobile obstacle, thereby improving efficiency of the avoidance operation. A mobile body (1) which moves along an operation target includes mobile obstacle detection means (6) and (7) for detecting a mobile obstacle in the vicinity of the mobile body (1), approach determination means (15) for determining whether or not the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within a predetermined interval, and operation planning means (16) for, when the approach determination means (15) determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body (1) approach each other within the predetermined interval, planning the avoidance operation of the mobile body (1) and an expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A mobile body which moves on the basis of an operation target, the mobile body comprising:

mobile obstacle detection means for detecting a mobile obstacle in the vicinity of the mobile body;

approach determination means for determining whether or not the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within a predetermined interval; and

operation planning means for, when the approach determination means determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within the predetermined interval, planning an avoidance operation of the mobile body and an expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle.

17. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

alert operation planning means for planning an alert operation to the mobile obstacle on the basis of the expected avoidance operation planned by the operation planning means.

18. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

contact tolerance calculation means for calculating contact tolerance of the mobile body with respect to the mobile obstacle,

wherein the operation planning means plans the avoidance operation of the mobile body and the expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle on the basis of the contact tolerance calculated by the contact tolerance calculation means.

19. The mobile body according to claim 17, further comprising:

contact tolerance calculation means for calculating contact tolerance of the mobile body with respect to the mobile obstacle,

wherein the alert operation planning means plans an alert operation including a contact operation to the mobile obstacle on the basis of the contact tolerance calculated by the contact tolerance calculation means.

20. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

priority relationship determination means for, when the approach determination means determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within the predetermined interval, determining the priority relationship between the mobile obstacle and the mobile body,

wherein the operation planning means plans the avoidance operation of the mobile body and the expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle on the basis of the determination result of the priority relationship determination means.

21. The mobile body according to claim 17, further comprising:

priority relationship determination means for, when the approach determination means determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within the predetermined interval, determining the priority relationship between the mobile obstacle and the mobile body,

wherein the alert operation planning means plans the alert operation to the mobile obstacle on the basis of the determination result of the priority relationship determination means.

22. The mobile body according to claim 18, further comprising:

priority relationship determination means for, when the approach determination means determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within the predetermined interval, determining the priority relationship between the mobile obstacle and the mobile body,

wherein the contact tolerance calculation means calculates the contact tolerance on the basis of the determination result of the priority relationship determination means.

23. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

affinity calculation means for, when the mobile obstacle is a human, calculating affinity of the human for the mobile body,

wherein the operation planning means plans the avoidance operation of the mobile body and the expected avoidance operation which is expected of the human on the basis of the affinity calculated by the affinity calculation means.

24. The mobile body according to claim 17, further comprising:

affinity calculation means for, when the mobile obstacle is a human, calculating affinity of the human for the mobile body,

wherein the alert operation planning means plans the alert operation to the mobile obstacle on the basis of the affinity calculated by the affinity calculation means.

25. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

operation target generation means for generating the operation target of the mobile body; and

operation prediction means for predicting the operation of the mobile obstacle detected by the mobile obstacle detection means,

wherein the approach determination means determines whether or not the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within the predetermined interval on the basis of the operation target generated by the operation target generation means and the operation of the mobile obstacle predicted by the operation prediction means.

26. The mobile body according to claim 25,

wherein the operation planning means corrects the avoidance operation and the expected avoidance operation on the basis of the deviation between the planned avoidance operation and the operation target generated by the operation target generation means and the deviation between the planned expected avoidance operation and the operation of the mobile obstacle predicted by the operation prediction means.

27. The mobile body according to claim 16,

wherein the operation planning means plans a plurality of operation candidates of the mobile body based on the avoidance operation of the mobile body and the expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle, predicts the operation results of the plurality of operation candidates, and from among the plurality of operation candidates, selects an operation candidate for which it is predicted that the operation result will satisfy a predetermined constraint condition.

28. The mobile body according to claim 16,

wherein the mobile body is an autonomous mobile robot.

29. The mobile body according to claim 16,

wherein the mobile body is a manipulator robot.

30. The mobile body according to claim 16,

wherein the mobile body is a personal mobility device.

32. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

alert operation planning unit for planning an alert operation to the mobile obstacle on the basis of the expected avoidance operation planned by the operation planning unit.

33. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

contact tolerance calculation unit for calculating contact tolerance of the mobile body with respect to the mobile obstacle,

wherein the operation planning unit plans the avoidance operation of the mobile body and the expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle on the basis of the contact tolerance calculated by the contact tolerance calculation unit.

34. The mobile body according to claim 17, further comprising:

contact tolerance calculation unit for calculating contact tolerance of the mobile body with respect to the mobile obstacle,

wherein the alert operation planning unit plans an alert operation including a contact operation to the mobile obstacle on the basis of the contact tolerance calculated by the contact tolerance calculation unit.

35. The mobile body according to claim 16, further comprising:

priority relationship determination unit for, when the approach determination unit determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within the predetermined interval, determining the priority relationship between the mobile obstacle and the mobile body,

wherein the operation planning unit plans the avoidance operation of the mobile body and the expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle on the basis of the determination result of the priority relationship determination unit.

31. A mobile body which moves on the basis of an operation target, the mobile body comprising:

mobile obstacle detection unit for detecting a mobile obstacle in the vicinity of the mobile body;

approach determination unit for determining whether or not the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within a predetermined interval; and

operation planning unit for, when the approach determination unit determines that the mobile obstacle and the mobile body approach each other within the predetermined interval, planning an avoidance operation of the mobile body and an expected avoidance operation which is expected of the mobile obstacle.