JP2018182984A - Travel command device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel command device which is used for a mobile object and enables a dead zone to be freely set.SOLUTION: A travel command device comprises: an operation input section 11 and 12 which includes an operation lever 11; a detection section 13 which detects control input applied to an operation lever 11 in a longitudinal direction as longitudinal control input and the control input in a lateral direction as lateral control input; and a command signal generation section 20 which generates and outputs a longitudinal command signal and a lateral command signal in accordance with the control input detected by the detection section 13. The command signal generation section 20 outputs: a neutral signal value when the longitudinal control input and the lateral control input are in a range from 0 to a lower threshold vale; and signals identical to the longitudinal command signal and the lateral command signal corresponding to a predetermined upper threshold value when the longitudinal control input and the lateral control input exceed the upper threshold value. The travel command device enables: a longitudinal lower threshold value and a longitudinal upper threshold value to be set differently in accordance with a value of the lateral control input; and a lateral lower threshold value and a lateral upper threshold value to be set differently in accordance with the value of the longitudinal control input.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention is provided in a moving body having a moving mechanism and a control device for controlling the moving mechanism, and receives an operation for moving the moving body and outputs a command signal according to the amount of operation to the control device It relates to a command device.

  Conventionally, as a travel command device such as an electric wheelchair, one using a joystick is known (for example, Patent Document 1). The travel command device can tilt the joystick back and forth and left and right, and outputs an operation command signal according to the tilt direction and the tilt angle. Further, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that includes dead zones in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction in which a travel command signal becomes a neutral range value, and one neutral range decreases as the other operation amount increases.

  However, the setting of the dead zone described in Patent Document 1 is not always preferable depending on the type of operator and the use mode of the user, and a travel command device capable of freely setting the dead zone has been required.

JP-A-9-130918

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a travel commanding device that can be used for a mobile body and can freely set a dead zone. Moreover, it is not limited to the mechanical operation range of a joystick, but it aims at providing the run instruction device which can set a substantial operation range.

In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, the run command device concerning the present invention is:
A traveling command which is provided on a moving body having a moving mechanism and a control device for controlling the moving mechanism, receives an operation for moving the moving body, and outputs a command signal corresponding to the amount of operation to the control device. A device,
An operation input unit having an operation lever that can be gripped by the operator of the movable body;
The operation amount in the direction parallel to the front-rear direction of the movable body, which is applied to the operation lever by the operator is detected as the front-back operation amount, and the operation amount in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the movable body A detection unit that detects as a quantity;
And a command signal generation unit that generates and outputs a front / rear command signal and a left / right command signal according to the operation amount detected by the detection unit.
The command signal generation unit
The front-rear command signal is not output until the front-rear operation amount reaches 0 to a preset front-rear lower threshold, or a signal indicating that it is in the neutral range is output, and the left-right operation amount is from 0 in advance The control unit does not output the left and right command signals or outputs a signal that indicates that it is in the neutral range until the determined lower left and right threshold values are reached,
When the front-rear operation amount exceeds a predetermined front-rear upper threshold, the same signal as the front-rear command signal corresponding to the front-rear upper threshold is output, and the left-right operation amount is a predetermined left-right upper threshold. When it exceeds, the same signal as the left and right command signal corresponding to the left and right upper limit threshold is output,
The front and rear lower limit threshold and the front and rear upper limit threshold can be set to be different according to the value of the left and right operation amount,
The left and right lower limit threshold and the left and right upper limit threshold may be set to be different according to the value of the front and rear operation amount.

  Since the dead zone can be freely set, it is suitable for an operator with a physical disability and various usage modes.

It is an explanatory view showing a run command device notionally. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a substantial operation range of the travel commanding device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing a straight advance sensitivity of the travel commanding device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing a substantial operation range of the travel commanding device according to the third embodiment. FIG. 16 is an explanatory view showing a substantial operation range of the travel commanding device according to the fourth embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the relationship between the back and forth operation amount and the command signal. It is explanatory drawing which showed the relationship between the back and forth operation amount and the command signal.

  Hereinafter, although the embodiment which materialized the run command device of the present invention is described using a drawing, the technical scope of the present invention is of course not limited to this. The detailed description of the well-known techniques is omitted.

  First, a travel command device 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view conceptually showing a travel command device. The travel command device 1 mainly includes a joystick 10 and a command signal generation unit 20.

  The joystick 10 includes an operation lever 11, a base 12, and a detector 13. The operation lever 11 can be gripped by the operator, has its lower end fixed to the base portion 12, and can be tilted toward the 360 ° around the lower end as a fulcrum. The combination of the control lever 11 and the base portion 12 corresponds to the operation input portion in the present invention. Although the base portion 12 is attached to a moving body (not shown), the front and rear, right and left directions are fixed, and the base portion 12 is attached in accordance with the front, rear, left and right directions of the moving body. Note that the moving body is provided with a moving mechanism and a control device that controls the moving mechanism.

  The detection unit 13 is provided inside the base unit 12 and detects an operation amount in a direction parallel to the front-rear direction of the movable body as the front-rear operation amount with respect to the operation amount (tilt angle) of the operation lever 11 The operation amount in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction is detected as the left and right operation amount, and the operation amount signal is output.

 The detection unit 13 is configured to output an analog signal that changes in accordance with the tilting operation in the up, down, left, and right directions using a potentiometer, a capacitive sensor, or the like. It is also possible to use one using a rotary encoder or a piezoelectric element.

  The detection unit 13 and the command signal generation unit 20 are electrically connected via the IF 30, and the operation amount signal output from the detection unit 13 is A / D converted via the IF 30, and the command signal is generated. It is input to the unit 20. The command signal generation unit 20 is a computer that generates a front / rear command signal and a left / right command signal from the input signal and outputs the command signal.

The command signal generation unit 20 is configured to be able to set the front / rear lower limit threshold, and a signal indicating that the front / back command signal is not output or the neutral range is reached until the front / back operation amount reaches 0 to the front / rear lower limit threshold. Output
Further, the command signal generation unit 20 can set the left and right lower threshold value, and does not output the left and right command signal or the neutral range from the left and right operation amount ranging from 0 to the left and right lower threshold. Output a known signal.

The command signal generation unit 20 can set the front and rear upper limit threshold, and outputs the same signal as the front and rear command signal corresponding to the front and rear upper limit threshold when the front and rear operation amount exceeds the front and rear upper threshold.
Further, the command signal generation unit 20 can set the left and right upper limit threshold, and outputs the same signal as the left and right command signal corresponding to the left and right upper limit threshold when the left and right operation amount exceeds the left and right upper threshold.

  Furthermore, the command signal generation unit 20 can set the front and rear lower threshold and the front and rear upper threshold so as to differ according to the value of the left and right operation amount, and the left and right lower threshold and the left and right upper threshold also It can be set differently depending on the value. The process of the command signal generation unit 20 generating the front and rear command signals and the left and right command signals will be described later.

  Next, how to set the front / rear lower limit threshold, the left / right lower threshold, the front / back upper limit threshold, and the left / right upper threshold will be described by way of an example. Note that the numbers in the figure represent the magnitude of the operation amount (tilt angle) of the operation lever 11 in order to make the description easy to understand, and the operation amount signal actually output from the detection unit 13 is 0. It does not mean a range of ~ 10. The circle represents the mechanical structural limit of the operation amount (tilt angle) of the operation lever 11.

Example 1
A travel command device according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a substantial operation range of the traveling instruction device according to the first embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 2A shows the front and rear lower threshold and the front and rear upper threshold, and FIG. 2B shows the left and right lower threshold and the left and right upper threshold.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment, the front lower limit threshold is 1 near the left and right 0 points, and is 2 near the left and right 10 points. As described above, the lower limit threshold can be freely set as well as a straight line parallel to the left and right direction. In terms of programming, at least a combination of straight lines is desirable, but it is also possible to make it a curved line. In the first embodiment, the rear lower limit threshold is vertically symmetrical with the front lower limit threshold centered on the left and right central axes, but of course is not limited thereto.

As in the first embodiment, when the front and rear lower threshold is set to increase as the absolute value of the left and right operation amount increases (to increase as it goes to the left and right), the following effects can be obtained.
For example, it is assumed that there is a movable body on which a brake is applied when the operation amount in the front-rear direction is 0 while traveling and only the operation amount is generated in the left-right direction. Such an operation is often performed in an emergency, and it is even more so when the amount of operation in the left-right direction is large (sudden braking). However, when the lower limit threshold in the front-rear direction is small, the operation amount in the front-rear direction does not become 0, and the command signal from the command signal generation unit may not indicate the brake but may indicate the turning. In this respect, with the front and rear lower limit threshold as in the first embodiment, such a malfunction can be prevented.

  In addition, for example, there is a wheelchair that turns on the spot when the operation amount is generated only in the left and right direction while the user is at rest. In such a wheelchair, when generating a large amount of operation to the left and right when standing still, there are many cases where you want to make a turn on the spot (it is rare when you want to turn while advancing slightly). . In this regard, with the front and rear lower limit threshold as in the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent an operation contrary to the operator's intention.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment, the front upper threshold is 8 and the rear upper threshold is 6. Thus, different values can be used before and after. In the first embodiment, the upper limit threshold is a straight line parallel to the left and right direction, but can be set freely as in the case of the lower limit threshold.

  In the case of a setting such as that of the first embodiment, for example, there is no problem with the operation of tilting the control lever 11 in the forward direction, but there is a problem in the operation of tilting the control lever 11 with a slight inconvenience. Suitable for

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, in the first embodiment, the lower left and right lower threshold values are 1 near the upper and lower 0 points, and the other is 0.5. Further, the upper limit threshold is 7 on both sides. In the first embodiment, although such a setting is made, what can be freely set is the same as in the case of the front / rear lower limit threshold.

(Example 2)
A travel command device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing left and right lower threshold values of the travel commanding device according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the second embodiment is characterized in that the left and right lower threshold can be set arbitrarily.

  Setting the left and right lower threshold values means setting the ease of going straight forward and backward, in other words, setting the sensitivity (sensitivity / insensitivity) from straight line to left and right. That is, it can be called linear sensitivity setting. In the second embodiment, the lower limit threshold value 0.02 for the setting value 1, the lower limit threshold value 0.08 for the setting value 2, the lower limit threshold value 0.16 for the setting value 3 ... the lower limit threshold value 3.3 for the setting value 9 The setting value and lower limit threshold value correspond to each other (MAX) (not in a proportional relationship), and the width of the straight band spreads evenly from the center to the left and right as the setting value increases (the straightness sensitivity Going up).

(Example 3)
A travel command device according to a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing a substantial operation range of the travel commanding device according to the third embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 4A shows the front and rear lower threshold and the front and rear upper threshold, and FIG. 4B shows the left and right lower threshold and the left and upper upper threshold.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the third embodiment, the front lower limit threshold is 5 near the left and right 0 points, and is 0.5 near the left and right 5 points. In addition, the rear lower limit threshold is obtained by vertically symmetrical the front lower limit threshold with respect to the left and right central axes.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the third embodiment, the front upper threshold is 6 and the rear upper threshold is 6 as well.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, in the third embodiment, the lower left and right lower threshold values are 5 near the upper and lower zero points, and 0.5 near the front and rear 5 points. The upper limit threshold is 6 on both sides.

The setting as in the third embodiment is suitable, for example, when the mobile body is an electric wheelchair used only outdoors and the operator is a person who can not perform detailed operations. In the third embodiment, the front and rear lower threshold, the left and right lower threshold, the front and rear upper threshold, and the left and right upper threshold are set for a virtual operator having such features. The reason for setting as in the third embodiment is as follows.
Although the ingenuity of lever operation is insufficient and it is difficult to determine the direction when starting from the neutral state, the lever can be operated in the intended direction by tilting the lever to some extent, so the lower limit value in all directions is the middle position It was five.
Moreover, since it becomes use only wide from the living environment, the need for speed adjustment is low, and it is more convenient to continue traveling at the highest speed, so the upper limit was set as close as possible to the lower limit.

(Example 4)
A travel command device according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a substantial operation range of the travel commanding device according to the fourth embodiment. More specifically, FIG. 5A shows the front and rear lower threshold and the front and rear upper threshold, and FIG. 5B shows the left and right lower threshold and the left and upper upper threshold.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the fourth embodiment, the front lower limit threshold is 3 between the left 2 and the right 2 and decreases linearly to 3 to 0.5 from the right 2 to the right 4 ing. Otherwise it is 0.5. The lower / lower threshold is 1 between the left 2 and the right 2 and is linearly reduced from 1 to 0.5 from the right 2 to the right 4. Otherwise it is 0.5.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5A, in the fourth embodiment, the front upper limit threshold is 6 and the rear upper limit threshold is 3.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the fourth embodiment, the left lower threshold is 2. The lower right threshold value is 4 near 0 before and after, and is almost 2 otherwise. The upper left threshold is 4 and the upper right threshold is 5.

  The setting as in the fourth embodiment is suitable, for example, in the following case. The movable body is an electric wheelchair, and the operator has a narrow range in which the user can move his or her fingers due to a disorder or a pathological condition, and the operator can not turn down the control lever 11 to the mechanical limit of front, rear, left, and right. Such a person can not travel at the maximum speed with the conventional travel command device. Also, depending on the disorder or condition, the later than before may be more difficult to operate, and the left may be more difficult to operate than the right. This is especially true for people with paralysis of the upper limbs and those who can not sit straight in a chair with bent trunks.

  In the fourth embodiment, the front and rear lower threshold, the left and right lower threshold, the front and rear upper threshold, and the left and right upper threshold are set for a virtual operator having such features. The reason for setting as in the fourth embodiment is as follows.

  As for the forward direction, since the beginning of the operation tends to be a little excessive, the front lower threshold was set a little larger. In addition, since the control lever 11 can not be turned over, the front upper limit threshold is set so that the maximum speed in the forward direction is reached when the control lever 11 is slightly turned over.

  As for the rear, since the beginning of operation can be slightly adjusted, the rear lower threshold is set small, and the operation lever 11 can not be turned over, and the symptom is heavier than the front, so the rear is a little before the middle The upper upper threshold was set to reach the maximum speed of.

  As for the right side, the sitting position is such that the trunk is slightly inclined to the right, and since the start of operation is slightly over-operation, the lower right threshold was set a little larger. The inclination of the posture causes the hand to be pulled out, and there is also a limitation on pulling, so the upper right threshold is set to reach the maximum speed of the in-situ turning on the right at an intermediate level.

  For the left side, the lower left threshold and the upper left threshold are set for the same reason as the right side, but since the posture is generally inclined to the right, the set value of the left upper threshold is made smaller than the right . In addition, the operator can not overturn the control lever 11 and can not press and fix the control lever 11 at the mechanical structural limit, so even if he intends to turn it straight forward, he may feel loose is there. Therefore, the left and right lower threshold values are made relatively large, and the left and right dead zones are set wide. This makes it easy to maintain the straight movement even in the operation where the operation lever 11 can not be fixed. In addition, since the prevention of blurring is not necessarily processed by a low pass filter, there is no sense of discomfort due to "delay".

  Next, the process in which the command signal generation unit 20 generates a command signal will be described.

(Calculation of lower threshold and upper threshold)
The command signal generation unit 20 monitors whether or not the detection of the operation amount is obtained by the detection unit 13 at minute time intervals. Then, when the information of the operation amount in the front and back direction and the information of the operation amount in the left and right direction are received from the detection unit 13, the front and back lower limit threshold and the front and back upper limit threshold for the operation amount in the left and right direction are calculated. The left and right lower limit threshold and the left and right upper limit threshold for the operation amount are calculated. As a result, when the front / rear operation amount received from the detection unit 13 is between 0 and the front / rear lower limit threshold, the front / back command signal is not output or a signal indicating that it is in the neutral range is output. When the amount is between 0 and the lower left and right threshold values, the left or right command signal is not output, or a signal indicating that it is in the neutral range is output.

(Generation of command signal)
When the front-back operation amount is between the front-back lower threshold and the front-back upper threshold, the command signal generation unit 20 sets the front-back lower threshold as a zero point and a predetermined function that maximizes the front-back command signal when the front-back upper threshold is When the calculated front and rear command signal is output and the left and right operation amount is between the left and right lower threshold and the left and right upper threshold, the left and right lower threshold is set to a zero point, and the left and right command signal is maximized when it is the upper left threshold. Output the left and right command signal calculated by the function of
Also, when the front-back operation amount exceeds the predetermined front-rear upper threshold, the same signal as the front-rear direction signal corresponding to the front-rear upper threshold is output, and when the left-right operation amount exceeds the predetermined left-right upper threshold, The same signal as the left / right command signal corresponding to the upper limit threshold is output.

  As a specific example, the front-rear direction of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A and 6. FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a relationship between an operation amount in the front-rear direction and a command signal in the fourth embodiment. First, the relationship between the operation amount in the front-rear direction and the command signal when the operation amount in the left-right direction is zero will be described. As shown in FIG. 5A, the front lower limit threshold is 3 and the rear lower limit threshold is 1 when the operation amount in the left-right direction is 0. The front upper threshold is 6, and the rear upper threshold is 4. As described above, the front-back command signal is maximized at the front-back upper threshold, but here it is assumed that the front-command signal at the front upper threshold is 100 (MAX) in order to make the description easy to understand. It is assumed that the rear command signal at the rear upper threshold value is 50. Thus, the command signal at the upper threshold value does not necessarily have to be MAX. By doing this, it is possible to reduce the difference in the output of the speed with respect to the amount of operation between the forward operation and the backward operation, and to suppress the maximum backward speed.

  The relationship between the operation amount in the front-rear direction and the command signal in this case is as shown by the graph a in FIG. That is, the command signal generation unit 20 sets the front and rear lower limit threshold value as a zero point, and outputs the front and rear command signal calculated by a predetermined function (here, a linear function) at which the front and rear command signal is maximum at the front and rear upper threshold. As described above, by setting the command signal at the lower limit threshold to 0, the vehicle can be smoothly started. In the present embodiment, although the predetermined function is a linear function, it may be a non-linear function.

  When the front-rear operation amount exceeds the front-rear upper threshold, the same signal as the signal corresponding to the front-rear upper threshold is output (here, front 100, rear 50).

  Next, the relationship between the operation amount in the front-rear direction and the command signal when the operation amount in the left-right direction is 3 in the left direction will be described. As shown in FIG. 5A, the front lower limit threshold is 0.5 when the operation amount in the left direction is 3, and the rear lower threshold is also 0.5. The front upper threshold is 6, and the rear upper threshold is 4.

  The relationship between the operation amount in the front-rear direction and the command signal in this case is as shown by the graph b in FIG.

  Next, the relationship between the operation amount in the front-rear direction and the command signal when the operation amount in the left-right direction is 9 in the left direction will be described. As shown in FIG. 5A, the front / rear lower limit threshold when the operation amount in the left direction is 9 is the same as the case where the operation amount in the left direction is 3. Here, although the operation in the forward direction can be performed up to only about 4.2 at the maximum (because of the mechanical structural limit), the upper upper threshold is calculated as the command signal as 6. As described above, the upper limit threshold may be set to a value exceeding the maximum operation amount determined by the mechanical structure of the operation input units 11 and 12.

  Therefore, the relationship between the operation amount in the front-rear direction and the command signal is as shown by the graph c in FIG.

  The lower limit threshold and the upper limit threshold and the generation of the command signal may be calculated and determined each time, or table data created in advance is stored in a memory or the like, and this table data is stored according to the data of the detection unit 13 It may be determined by reference.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, the content mentioned above is related with one embodiment of this invention to the last, and does not mean that this invention is limited to the said content. For example, the upper limit threshold in the left and right direction may not be parallel but may be smaller as the front operation amount is larger. In this case, the left and right command signals corresponding to the left and right upper threshold values are not constant, and may be reduced as the front operation amount increases. By doing this, it is possible to limit the turning speed when the pre-operation amount is large (when the forward speed is high), and to prevent overturning.

  Further, the command signal generation unit 20 corrects the front and rear operation amount and the left and right operation amount by a predetermined method, and generates the front and rear command signal and the left and right command signal based on the corrected front and rear operation amount and the left and right operation amount. May be For example, in the case of an operator who has a habit of slightly tilting even if he intends to operate in the forward direction, for example, correction is made by rotating it about zero point in advance.

1 travel command device 10 joystick 11 operation lever 12 base 13 detection unit 20 command signal generation unit 30 IF

Claims (5)

A traveling command which is provided on a moving body having a moving mechanism and a control device for controlling the moving mechanism, receives an operation for moving the moving body, and outputs a command signal corresponding to the amount of operation to the control device. A device,
An operation input unit having an operation lever that can be gripped by the operator of the movable body;
The operation amount in the direction parallel to the front-rear direction of the movable body, which is applied to the operation lever by the operator is detected as the front-back operation amount, and the operation amount in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the movable body A detection unit that detects as a quantity;
And a command signal generation unit that generates and outputs a front / rear command signal and a left / right command signal according to the operation amount detected by the detection unit.
The command signal generation unit
The front-rear command signal is not output until the front-rear operation amount reaches 0 to a preset front-rear lower threshold, or a signal indicating that it is in the neutral range is output, and the left-right operation amount is from 0 in advance The control unit does not output the left and right command signals or outputs a signal that indicates that it is in the neutral range until the determined lower left and right threshold values are reached,
When the front-rear operation amount exceeds a predetermined front-rear upper threshold, the same signal as the front-rear command signal corresponding to the front-rear upper threshold is output, and the left-right operation amount is a predetermined left-right upper threshold. When it exceeds, the same signal as the left and right command signal corresponding to the left and right upper limit threshold is output,
The front and rear lower limit threshold and the front and rear upper limit threshold can be set to be different according to the value of the left and right operation amount,
The travel command device according to claim 1, wherein the left and right lower limit threshold and the left and right upper limit threshold can be set differently according to the value of the front and rear operation amount. The absolute values of the front and rear lower threshold and the front and rear upper threshold can be set to different values in the forward direction and the backward direction,
The travel command device according to claim 1, wherein the absolute values of the left and right lower limit threshold and the left and right upper threshold can be set to different values in the left direction and the right direction.   The front and rear upper limit threshold and the left and right upper limit threshold can be set to a value exceeding the maximum operation amount determined by the mechanical structure of the operation input unit. Travel command device.   The command signal generation unit sets the front and rear lower limit threshold value as a zero point when the front and rear operation amount is between the front and rear lower limit threshold and the front and rear upper limit threshold, and the front and rear command signal is maximum when the front and rear upper limit threshold is The left and right upper limit threshold is set to a zero point when the left and right lower limit threshold is a zero point when the left and right operation amount is between the left and right lower limit threshold and the left and right upper limit threshold, and The travel command device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the left / right command signal calculated by a predetermined function that maximizes the left / right command signal when a threshold value is output.   The travel command device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the front and rear lower limit threshold value is set to increase as the absolute value of the left and right operation amount increases.