JP2023030818A - Self-position estimation device - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a self-position estimating device that can estimate the final self-position of a moving object with high precision using the reliability of a self-position estimate. A self-position estimating device 10 includes a first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 that acquires the self-position of a moving body 2 as a first self-position estimate, and a second self-position estimate that acquires the self-position of the mobile body 2 as a second self-position estimate. The second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 acquires the first self-position estimation value for multiple times and the second self-position for multiple times acquired when the mobile object 2 repeatedly travels the same traveling route multiple times. a reliability determining unit 14 that determines the reliability of the first self-position estimate and the second self-position estimate based on the estimated values; a map storage unit 5 that stores the reliability in association with map data; A self-position determination unit 16 that determines the final self-position of the mobile body 2 based on the first self-position estimate, the second self-position estimate, and the reliability when the body 2 travels along the travel route. Equipped with. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a self-localization device.

As a conventional self-position estimation device, for example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is known. The self-position estimation device described in Patent Literature 1 has a first sensor and a second sensor that acquire different information, a sensor unit that acquires information used for estimating the position of a mobile body, and a first sensor. A first position estimating unit that estimates the position of a mobile object using information acquired by a sensor and acquires the reliability of the estimation result, and a mobile object using information acquired by a second sensor a second position estimating unit for estimating the position of and acquiring the reliability of the estimation result; an acquisition unit that acquires the self-position of the mobile object according to the estimation result corresponding to the reliability.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-18638

However, the above conventional technology has the following problems. That is, it is technically difficult to calculate the reliability of the self-position estimation value in real time when the position estimation unit estimates the self-position of the mobile object. If the reliability of the self-position estimation value is not calculated, the final self-position estimation accuracy of the moving body will deteriorate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-position estimation device capable of estimating the final self-position of a mobile object with high accuracy using the reliability of the self-position estimation value.

One aspect of the present invention is a self-position estimation device that estimates the self-position of a mobile object using map data of a travel area including a travel route when the mobile object travels along a predetermined travel route, Using a first self-position estimating unit that acquires the self-position of the mobile body as a first self-position estimation value and a self-position estimation method that is different from the first self-position estimating part, the self-position of the mobile body is obtained as a second self-position A second self-position estimating unit acquired as an estimated value, and a plurality of times of the first self-position estimating unit and the second self-position estimating unit respectively acquired when the moving object repeatedly travels the same travel route a plurality of times. a reliability determination unit that determines the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value based on one estimated self-position value and a plurality of second estimated self-position values; a storage unit that stores the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value in association with map data; and the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value respectively acquired by the second self-position estimation unit and the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value stored in the storage unit and a self-position determining unit that determines the final self-position of the mobile body based on the position of the moving body.

In such a self-position estimating device, first, the moving object is caused to repeatedly travel along the same travel route a plurality of times. At this time, the first self-position estimation unit obtains the first estimated self-position values of the moving object a plurality of times, and the second self-position estimation unit obtains the second estimated self-position values of the moving object a plurality of times. be. Then, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined based on the first estimated self-position value obtained a plurality of times and the second estimated self-position value obtained a plurality of times. Then, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is stored in the storage unit in association with the map data. Thereafter, when the moving body is caused to travel along the travel route, the first estimated self-position value obtained by the first self-position estimation unit and the second estimated self-position value obtained by the second self-position estimation unit are stored. A final self-position of the moving object is determined based on the reliability of the first self-position estimate and the second self-position estimate stored in the unit. In this way, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value can be obtained in advance by causing the mobile body to repeatedly travel along the same travel route a plurality of times. As a result, the final self-position of the moving body is highly accurately estimated using the reliability of the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value.

The self-localization device determines whether the surrounding environment of the driving route has changed or may have changed, and determines whether the surrounding environment of the driving route has changed or the surrounding environment of the driving route has changed. further comprising a reliability update processing unit that updates the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value by re-executing the reliability determination unit when it is determined that there is a possibility of may

With such a configuration, when the surrounding environment of the travel route changes or when there is a possibility that the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is updated. be. Therefore, regardless of changes in the surrounding environment of the travel route, the appropriate reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is used. Therefore, the final self-position of the moving body can be estimated with high accuracy over a long period of time.

The reliability determination unit calculates a deviation amount of the first estimated self-position value for multiple times and a deviation amount of the second estimated self-position value for a plurality of times, and calculates the first estimated self-position value and the deviation amount based on each deviation amount. A confidence level of the second self-location estimate may be determined.

In such a configuration, by calculating the deviation amount of the first self-position estimation value for a plurality of times and the deviation amount of the second self-position estimation value for a plurality of times, the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value You get the repeatability of the value. Therefore, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value can be easily determined according to the repeatability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value.

The travel route may be divided into a plurality of travel sections, and the reliability determination unit may determine the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value for each travel section.

With such a configuration, even if the accuracies of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value change depending on the travel zone, the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are appropriate for all travel zones of the travel route. Value confidence is used. Therefore, the final self-position of the mobile object can be estimated with high accuracy in all travel sections of the travel route.

The self-position estimation device further includes an environmental state detection unit that detects the state of the surrounding environment of the mobile object, the reliability determination unit acquires state information of the surrounding environment of the mobile object detected by the environmental state detection unit, A plurality of first self-position estimation values obtained by the first self-position estimation unit and the second self-position estimation unit when the moving object repeatedly travels the same travel route a plurality of times in the same surrounding environment state, and a plurality of The reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined based on the second estimated self-position values, and the storage unit stores the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value. The reliability is stored in association with the map data together with state information of the surrounding environment, and the self-localization unit stores the first estimated self-position value, the second estimated self-position value, and the state of the surrounding environment detected by the environmental state detection unit. A final self-location of the mobile body may be determined based on the reliability of the first self-location estimate and the confidence of the second self-location estimate corresponding to .

With such a configuration, even if the accuracies of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value change depending on the state of the surrounding environment of the mobile object (for example, time of day, weather, etc.), Confidences of corresponding first and second self-location estimates are used. Therefore, regardless of the state of the surrounding environment of the mobile object, the final self-position of the mobile object can be estimated with high accuracy.

The self-position estimation device further includes a third self-position estimation unit that acquires a third self-position estimation value of the mobile body, and the reliability determination unit is configured to obtain the first self-position estimation value including the first self-position estimation values for a plurality of times. determining whether or not the value group and the second self-position estimation value group including the second self-position estimation values for a plurality of times are offset by a specified amount or more; is offset by a specified amount or more, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined based on the third estimated self-position value obtained by the third self-position estimation unit. You may

With such a configuration, even if the repeatability of the first self-position estimation values for multiple times is equal to the repeatability of the second self-position estimation values for multiple times, the first self-position estimation values for multiple times are included. If the first self-position estimation value group and the second self-position estimation value group including the second self-position estimation values for a plurality of times are offset by a specified amount or more, the third self-position estimation unit acquired by the third self-position estimation unit Using the position estimate, a good first and second self-position estimate confidence is obtained. Therefore, the final self-position of the moving body can be estimated with higher accuracy.

The self-position estimation device further includes a guide detection unit that detects a guide arranged along the travel route, and the reliability determination unit repeats the same travel route multiple times while the moving body detects the guide with the guide detection unit. Based on the first self-position estimation value for a plurality of times and the second self-position estimation value for a plurality of times respectively acquired by the first self-position estimation unit and the second self-position estimation unit when traveling with the first self-position A confidence level of the estimate and the second self-location estimate may be determined.

In such a configuration, since the moving body travels along the travel route while detecting the guide, the influence of travel error of the moving body can be suppressed. Therefore, since the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value can be obtained with high accuracy by the moving object repeatedly traveling along the same travel route a plurality of times along the guide, the final target self-position is estimated with higher accuracy.

The self-position estimation device further includes an input unit for setting and inputting an initial value of reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value, and the reliability determination unit receives the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value When determining the reliability of the estimated self-position, correcting the initial reliability value set and input by the input unit according to the first estimated self-position and the second estimated self-position for multiple times. You may

In such a configuration, for example, if it is known in advance whether or not the accuracy of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is likely to decrease depending on the state of the surrounding environment of the mobile object, the surrounding environment By presetting and inputting the initial values of the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value according to the state, it is possible to reduce the number of times the moving object is repeatedly caused to travel along the same travel route.

According to the present invention, the final self-position of a moving object can be estimated with high accuracy using the reliability of the self-position estimation value.

1 is a block diagram schematically showing a cruise control device including a self-position estimation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing details of a procedure of reliability determination processing executed by a reliability determination unit shown in FIG. 1; 4 is a flow chart showing the details of the procedure of self-position determination processing executed by the self-position determination unit shown in FIG. 1; 4 is a graph showing a first estimated self-position value and a second estimated self-position value of a mobile object together with position coordinates of the travel route when the mobile object travels along the travel route only once; 10 is a graph showing the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value of the mobile object together with the position coordinates of the travel route when the mobile object repeatedly travels the same travel route ten times. The final self-position of the mobile body estimated using the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value, using the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value 10 is a graph showing a comparison with the final self-position of the mobile body estimated without FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing a travel control device including a self-position estimation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the details of the procedure of reliability update processing executed by the reliability update processing unit shown in FIG. 7; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing a cruise control device including a self-position estimation device according to a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing details of a procedure of reliability determination processing executed by a reliability determination unit shown in FIG. 9; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the details of the procedure of self-position determination processing executed by the self-position determination unit shown in FIG. 9; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing a travel control device including a self-position estimation device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing details of a procedure of reliability determination processing executed by a reliability determination unit shown in FIG. 12; FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing a travel control device including a self-position estimation device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a block diagram schematically showing a travel control device including a self-position estimation device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a cruise control device including a self-position estimation device according to a first embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, a travel control device 1 is a device that automatically travels a mobile body 2 along a predetermined travel route. The moving body 2 is, for example, an industrial vehicle such as a forklift or an unmanned guided vehicle. Industrial vehicles often travel repeatedly along the same travel route.

The travel control device 1 includes a laser sensor 3 , a camera 4 , a map storage section 5 , a driving section 6 and a controller 7 .

The laser sensor 3 detects the distance to an object existing around the moving body 2 by irradiating the surroundings of the moving body 2 with laser light and receiving the reflected light of the laser light. The objects are walls, pillars, etc., and are registered in map data (described later). A laser range finder, for example, is used as the laser sensor 3 .

The camera 4 captures an image of the surroundings of the moving body 2 and acquires the captured image of the surroundings of the moving body 2 . A monocular camera, a stereo camera, or the like is used as the camera 4 .

The map storage unit 5 stores map data used for estimating the self-position of the mobile object 2 . At this time, the map data is associated with the reliability (described later) regarding the estimation of the self-position of the moving body 2 . Map data is represented by two-dimensional coordinates (XY coordinates).

The drive unit 6 has a traveling motor that causes the moving body 2 to travel and a steering motor that steers the moving body 2 (not shown).

The controller 7 is composed of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, an input/output interface, and the like. The controller 7 includes a first self-position estimation calculation unit 11, a second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, a first travel control unit 13, a reliability determination unit 14, a reliability storage unit 15, and a self-position determination unit. 16 and a second travel control unit 17 .

Laser sensor 3 , camera 4 , map storage unit 5 , first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 , second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 , reliability determination unit 14 , reliability storage unit 15 and self-position determination unit 16 of controller 7 constitutes a self-position estimation device 10 for estimating the self-position of a mobile body 2 using map data of a travel area including a travel route when the mobile body 2 travels along a predetermined travel route. there is

The first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 uses the detection data of the laser sensor 3 and the map data stored in the map storage unit 5 to perform calculations to estimate the self-position of the mobile object 2. The self-position is obtained as the first self-position estimation value of the moving body 2 . The first self-position estimates of the moving body 2 are recorded sequentially. The first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 cooperates with the laser sensor 3 to constitute a first self-position estimation unit that acquires the self-position of the moving body 2 as a first self-position estimation value.

The first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 performs a self-position estimation calculation of the moving body 2 using a laser SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) technique. SLAM is a self-localization technique that performs self-localization using sensor data and map data. SLAM uses sensor data to perform self-localization and map creation simultaneously. The first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 matches the detection data of the laser sensor 3 and the map data, and calculates the self-position estimation of the moving body 2 . Note that the self-position of the moving body 2 is represented by two-dimensional coordinates.

The second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 uses the image data of the camera 4 and the map data stored in the map storage unit 5 to calculate the self-position estimation of the mobile object 2, thereby The position is obtained as the second self-position estimate of mobile 2 . The second self-position estimates of mobile 2 are recorded sequentially. The second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 cooperates with the camera 4 and uses a self-position estimation method different from that used by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 to obtain the self-position of the moving body 2 as a second self-position estimation value. It constitutes a second self-position estimation unit that acquires as

The second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 performs a calculation for estimating the self-position of the moving body 2 using the Visual SLAM technique. The second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 matches the image data of the camera 4 and the map data, and performs a self-position estimation calculation of the moving body 2 .

Based on the first estimated self-position value of the moving body 2 acquired by the first self-position estimation calculating part 11, the first traveling control part 13 is a driving part so as to automatically travel the moving body 2 along the travel route. 6 is controlled.

The travel route is set in advance by teaching. Teaching is performed, for example, by manually running the moving body 2 at a very low speed (for example, about 1 km/h). At this time, the travel route is set while registering the position coordinates of the first estimated self-position value of the moving body 2 acquired by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 . The travel route is divided into a plurality of travel sections (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

The first travel control unit 13 controls the drive unit 6 so that the moving body 2 is repeatedly traveled along the same travel route a plurality of times (here, ten times). At this time, the first travel control unit 13 controls the drive unit 6 so that the moving body 2 travels at a low speed (for example, 10 km/h or less).

The reliability determination unit 14 determines the ten times of the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 respectively acquired when the moving body 2 repeatedly travels the same travel route ten times. Based on the estimated self-position value and ten second estimated self-position values, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined. At this time, the reliability determination unit 14 determines the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value for each travel section of the travel route.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the details of the procedure of reliability determination processing executed by the reliability determination unit 14. As shown in FIG.

Note that the map storage unit 5 stores in advance the initial values of the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value. For example, the same value (0.5) is set as the initial value of the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value. The total value of the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value is 1.0.

In FIG. 2, the reliability determination unit 14 first acquires the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value obtained by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, respectively. (Step S101).

Then, the reliability determining unit 14 determines whether or not the moving body 2 has repeatedly traveled the same travel route R (see FIG. 4) ten times based on the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value. (step S102). When the reliability determining unit 14 determines that the moving body 2 has not repeatedly traveled the same travel route R ten times, the above procedure S101 is executed again.

When the reliability determination unit 14 determines that the moving object 2 has repeatedly traveled the same travel route R 10 times, the deviation amount H1 of the first self-position estimation value for 10 times and the second self-position estimation value for 10 times A value deviation amount H2 is calculated (step S103). The deviation amount H1 of the ten first self-position estimation values is the maximum deviation width of the first self-position estimation value group including the ten first self-position estimation values (see FIG. 5). The deviation amount H2 of the ten second self-position estimation values is the maximum deviation width of the second self-position estimation value group including the ten second self-position estimation values (see FIG. 5).

Subsequently, the reliability determination unit 14 determines whether the deviation amount H1 of the ten first self-position estimation values is equal to the deviation amount H2 of the ten second self-position estimation values (step S104). ). Equivalent here means that the difference between the deviation amount H1 of the first self-position estimation values for ten times and the deviation amount H2 of the second self-position estimation values for ten times is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

When it is determined that the deviation amount H1 of the ten first self-position estimation values and the deviation amount H2 of the ten second self-position estimation values are equivalent, the reliability determination unit 14 determines that the first self-position The reliability of the estimated value and the reliability of the second self-position estimated value are made equal (step S105). Therefore, when the initial reliability values of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are the same, the reliability values of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are equal to the initial values. remain.

When it is determined that the deviation amount H1 of the ten first self-position estimation values and the deviation amount H2 of the ten second self-position estimation values are not equal, the reliability determining unit 14 determines the ten times first estimation value. It is determined whether or not the deviation amount H1 of the self-position estimation value is larger than the deviation amount H2 of the ten second self-position estimation values (step S106).

When it is determined that the amount of deviation H1 of the ten estimated values of the first self-position is larger than the amount of deviation H2 of the second estimated values of the ten times, the reliability determining unit 14 determines the amount of deviation H2 of the second estimated values of the self-position. is made lower than the reliability of the second self-position estimation value (step S107). Therefore, when the initial reliability values of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are the same, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value is corrected to be lower than the initial value. , the reliability of the second self-position estimation value is corrected to be higher than the initial value.

When it is determined that the amount of deviation H1 of the ten estimated values of the first self-position is smaller than the amount of deviation H2 of the second estimated values of the ten times of the self-position, the reliability determination unit 14 determines the amount of deviation H2 of the second estimated value of the self-position. is made higher than the reliability of the second self-position estimation value (step S108). Therefore, when the initial reliability values of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are the same, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value is corrected to be higher than the initial value. , the reliability of the second self-position estimation value is corrected to be lower than the initial value.

After executing any of steps S105, S107, and S108, the reliability determination unit 14 determines whether the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value has been determined for all sections of the travel route. It judges (procedure S109).

When the reliability determination unit 14 determines that the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value has not been determined for all the travel sections of the travel route, the above step S103 and subsequent steps are executed again. . When the reliability determining unit 14 determines that the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value has been determined for all travel sections of the travel route, the process ends.

Returning to FIG. 1, the reliability storage unit 15 stores the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value determined for each travel section of the travel route by the reliability determination unit 14 in the map storage unit 5. Save by linking to map data. The reliability storage unit 15 replaces the initial value of the reliability stored in advance in the map storage unit 5 with the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value determined by the reliability determination unit 14. .

The reliability storage unit 15 cooperates with the map storage unit 5 to store the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value determined by the reliability determination unit 14 in association with the map data. It constitutes a storage unit for

The self-position determining unit 16 calculates the first estimated self-position and A final self-position of the moving body 2 is determined based on the second self-position estimation value and the reliability of the first self-position estimation unit and the second self-position estimation unit stored in the map storage unit 5 .

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the details of the self-position determining process executed by the self-position determining unit 16. As shown in FIG. This processing is executed when the start of automatic driving is instructed by an instruction switch or the like.

In FIG. 3, the self-position determination unit 16 first acquires the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value obtained by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, respectively. (Step S111). Further, the self-position determining unit 16 reads the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value corresponding to the travel section of the travel route R (see FIG. 4) from the map storage unit 5 (step S112). .

Subsequently, the self-position determining unit 16 determines the final determine its own position (procedure S113).

At this time, the self-position determination unit 16 performs a final self-position estimation calculation of the moving body 2 using, for example, a Kalman filter or weighted average. When using the Kalman filter, by correcting the error between the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value and the observed value according to the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value , the final self-position of the mobile 2 is estimated. When using the weighted average, the multiplied value of the first estimated self-position value and the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the multiplied value of the second estimated self-position value and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value is added, the final self-position of the moving body 2 is calculated.

In addition, when the difference between the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value is large, the self-position determining unit 16 determines whether the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value Of these, the one with the higher reliability may be selected as the final self-position of the moving body 2 .

Subsequently, the self-position determination unit 16 outputs the final self-position data of the moving body 2 to the second travel control unit 17 (step S114). Subsequently, the self-position determination unit 16 determines whether the mobile body 2 has reached the end point of the travel route R based on the final self-position of the mobile body 2 (step S115). When the self-position determination unit 16 determines that the moving body 2 has not reached the end point of the travel route R, the above-described steps S111 and subsequent steps are executed again. When the self-position determination unit 16 determines that the moving body 2 has reached the end point of the travel route R, the processing ends.

Returning to FIG. 1, the second travel control unit 17 drives the mobile object 2 to automatically travel along the travel route based on the final self-position of the mobile object 2 determined by the self-position determination unit 16. control part 6;

In the above, first, the moving body 2 is caused to automatically travel ten times along the same travel route, thereby acquiring ten first estimated self-position values and ten second estimated self-position values. Next, for each travel section of the travel route R, the deviation amount H1 of the first self-position estimation value for ten times and the deviation amount H2 of the second self-position estimation value for ten times are calculated. Based on this, the reliability of the first self-position estimate and the second self-position estimate is determined. Then, the reliability levels of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are stored in the map storage unit 5 in association with the map data.

After that, when the mobile body 2 is caused to automatically travel along the travel route R while estimating the self-position of the mobile body 2, the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are obtained first, and The reliability of the corresponding first self-position estimation value and second self-position estimation value is read from the map storage unit 5 . Then, the final self-position of the moving body 2 is determined based on the first estimated self-position value, the second estimated self-position value, and the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value. . Then, the moving body 2 travels according to its final self-position.

By the way, it is impossible to know which of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value has higher accuracy (reliability) in each travel section just by traveling the travel route R once. . For example, when the moving object 2 travels along a travel route R as shown in FIG. , the first self-position estimate and the second self-position estimate are different. 4 is a graph showing the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value together with the position coordinates of the travel route R. As shown in FIG. A solid line P with black triangles indicates the first estimated self-position value, and a solid line Q with black circles indicates the second estimated self-position value.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the fact that the industrial vehicle, which is the moving object 2, repeatedly travels along the same travel route R is used to obtain the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value. Determines the reliability of the value.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value together with the position coordinates of the travel route R when the moving object 2 repeatedly travels the same travel route R ten times. 5, the travel route R is the same as in FIG. A solid line Pg indicates a first self-position estimation value group including ten first self-position estimation values. A solid line Qg indicates a second self-position estimation value group including ten second self-position estimation values.

In FIG. 5, in the traveling section A, the deviation amount H1 of the ten first self-position estimation values and the deviation amount H2 of the ten second self-position estimation values are equivalent. That is, since the repeatability of the first estimated self-position value and the repeatability of the second estimated self-position value are equal, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value are equal. .

On the other hand, in the travel section B, the amount of deviation H1 of the ten first estimated self-position values is larger than the amount of deviation H2 of the ten second estimated self-position values. That is, since the repeatability of the first estimated self-position value is lower than the repeatability of the second estimated self-position value, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value is lower than the reliability of the second estimated self-position value.

The average value of the first estimated self-location value and the second estimated self-location value is used as the final self-location of the mobile body 2 without using the reliability of the first estimated self-location value and the second estimated self-location value If it is determined, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the variation in the self-position of the mobile body 2 in the travel section B increases, and the estimation accuracy of the self-position of the mobile body 2 deteriorates.

On the other hand, by causing the moving object 2 to repeatedly travel along the same travel route R 10 times, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined, and using the reliability When the final self-position of the moving body 2 is determined, as shown in FIG. Improves estimation accuracy.

As described above, in this embodiment, first, the moving body 2 is caused to repeatedly travel along the same travel route a plurality of times. At this time, the laser sensor 3 and the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 acquire the first estimated self-position value of the moving object 2 for a plurality of times, and the camera 4 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 acquire the moving object 2 is obtained a plurality of times. Then, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined based on the first estimated self-position value obtained a plurality of times and the second estimated self-position value obtained a plurality of times. Then, the reliability levels of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are stored in the map storage unit 5 in association with the map data. After that, when the moving body 2 is caused to travel along the travel route, the laser sensor 3 and the first self-position estimation value obtained by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the camera 4 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 Based on the second estimated self-position value acquired by and the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value stored in the map storage unit 5, the final self-position of the moving body 2 is It is determined.

In this way, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value can be obtained in advance by causing the moving body 2 to repeatedly travel along the same travel route a plurality of times. As a result, the final self-position of the moving body 2 is highly accurately estimated using the reliability of the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value. As a result, variation in the position where the moving body 2 actually travels is suppressed, and the accuracy of repeated travel of the moving body 2 increases, so that the moving body 2 can automatically travel in narrow passages, for example.

Further, in the present embodiment, by calculating the deviation amount H1 of the first self-position estimation value for a plurality of times and the deviation amount H2 of the second self-position estimation value for a plurality of times, the first self-position estimation value and the second estimation value are calculated. Repeatability of the self-location estimate is obtained. Therefore, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value can be easily determined according to the repeatability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value.

Further, in the present embodiment, by determining the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value for each traveling section of the traveling route, the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value Even if the accuracy of the estimated value changes, the appropriate reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is used for all sections of the travel route. Therefore, the final self-position of the moving body 2 can be estimated with high accuracy in all travel sections of the travel route.

In this embodiment, during teaching, the travel route is set while registering the position coordinates of the first self-position estimation value of the moving body 2 acquired by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11. The configuration is not limited, and the travel route may be set while registering the position coordinates of the second self-position estimation value of the moving body 2 acquired by the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 . In this case, when the mobile object 2 is repeatedly caused to travel along the travel route a plurality of times, the first travel control unit 13 automatically moves the mobile object 2 along the travel route based on the second self-position estimation value. You may control the drive part 6 so that it may run.

When the moving body 2 is repeatedly driven along the traveling route a plurality of times, the first traveling control unit 13 determines the first estimated self-position value, the second estimated self-position value, and the initial reliability value. The driving unit 6 may be controlled so that the moving body 2 automatically travels along the travel route based on.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing a cruise control device including a self-position estimation device according to a second embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 7, the traveling control device 1 including the self-position estimation device 10A of this embodiment includes a controller 7A instead of the controller 7 in the first embodiment. The controller 7A has a reliability update processing section 18 in addition to the configuration of the controller 7 .

The reliability update processing unit 18 determines whether the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed or there is a possibility that the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed. has changed, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are updated by re-executing the reliability determination unit 14 .

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the details of the procedure of reliability update processing executed by the reliability update processing unit 18. As shown in FIG.

In FIG. 8, the reliability update processing unit 18 first determines whether a specified period has passed since the reliability determination unit 14 last determined the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value. It judges (procedure S121). When the reliability update processing unit 18 determines that the prescribed period has passed, it determines that there is a possibility that the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed. An instruction to update the reliability of the second self-position estimation value is issued (step S122).

When the reliability update processing unit 18 determines that the specified period has not elapsed, it acquires the past final self-position (final self-position) of the moving body 2 obtained by the self-position determination unit 16 ( step S123). Then, the reliability update processing unit 18 determines whether or not the latest final self-position of the mobile body 2 is shifted from the past final self-position of the mobile body 2 by a specified amount or more (step S124).

When the reliability update processing unit 18 determines that the latest final self-position of the mobile body 2 deviates from the past final self-position of the mobile body 2 by a specified amount or more, the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed. and instructs the reliability determining unit 14 to update the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value (step S122). When the reliability update processing unit 18 determines that the latest final self-position of the moving body 2 does not deviate from the past final self-position of the moving body 2 by a specified amount or more, the procedure S122 is not executed.

When the reliability update processing unit 18 instructs to update the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value in step S122 of the reliability update processing unit 18, the reliability determination unit 14 performs the processing shown in FIG. 2 again. By executing, the reliability of the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value is updated. At this time, the reliability determination unit 14 determines the latest The reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined based on ten first estimated self-position values and ten second estimated self-position values.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed or when there is a possibility that the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined. degree is updated. Therefore, regardless of changes in the surrounding environment of the travel route, the appropriate reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is used. Therefore, the final self-position of the moving body 2 can be estimated with high accuracy over a long period of time.

In the present embodiment, it is determined whether or not the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed by determining whether or not the final self-position of the moving body 2 has deviated by a specified amount or more. Alternatively, it may be determined whether or not the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed based on detection data from the laser sensor 3, image data from the camera 4, or the like.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing a cruise control device including a self-position estimation device according to a third embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 9, the traveling control device 1 including the self-position estimation device 10B of this embodiment includes a controller 7B instead of the controller 7 in the first embodiment.

The controller 7B includes the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11, the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, the first travel control unit 13, the environmental state detection unit 19, and the reliability determination unit 14B. , a reliability storage unit 15B, a self-position determination unit 16B, and the second travel control unit 17 described above.

The environmental state detection unit 19 detects the state of the surrounding environment of the moving body 2 based on the image data of the camera 4 and the information transmitted from the host computer 20 . The high-level computer 20 transmits, for example, information related to traveling of the mobile body 2 such as an operation schedule of the mobile body 2 and weather information to the mobile body 2 by wireless communication. The state of the surrounding environment of the mobile object 2 includes time zones (daytime, evening and night) and weather conditions (clear, cloudy, rainy and snowy). The time period may be acquired from a timer built into the controller 7B.

The reliability determination unit 14B acquires the state information of the surrounding environment of the moving body 2 detected by the environmental state detection unit 19, and when the moving body 2 repeatedly travels the same travel route 10 times in the same surrounding environment state First self-position estimation based on ten first self-position estimation values and ten second self-position estimation values obtained by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, respectively. Determine the reliability of the estimate and the second self-location estimate.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the details of the procedure of reliability determination processing executed by the reliability determination unit 14B, and corresponds to FIG.

In FIG. 10, the reliability determination unit 14B first acquires the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value obtained by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, respectively. (Step S101). Further, the reliability determining unit 14B acquires state information of the surrounding environment of the moving body 2 detected by the environmental state detecting unit 19 (step S131).

Then, based on the first estimated self-position value, the second estimated self-position value, and the state information of the surrounding environment of the moving body 2, the reliability determining unit 14B determines whether the moving body 2 is traveling on the same traveling route in the same surrounding environment state. It is determined whether or not the vehicle has traveled 10 times (step S132). When the reliability determining unit 14B determines that the moving body 2 has not repeatedly traveled the same travel route 10 times in the same ambient environment state, the above steps S101 and S131 are executed again.

When the reliability determination unit 14B determines that the vehicle has repeatedly traveled the same travel route 10 times in the same ambient environment state, the steps S103 and subsequent steps are executed in the same manner as in the flowchart shown in FIG.

Returning to FIG. 9, the reliability storage unit 15B stores the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value determined by the reliability determination unit 14B together with the state information of the surrounding environment of the moving body 2. It is stored in the map storage unit 5 in association with the data.

The self-position determination unit 16B calculates the first estimated self-position and Based on the second estimated self-position value and the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value corresponding to the state of the surrounding environment detected by the environmental state detection unit 19, the final determine the correct self-position.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the details of the self-position determining process executed by the self-position determining section 16B, and corresponds to FIG.

In FIG. 11, the self-position determination unit 16B first acquires the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value obtained by the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, respectively. (Step S111). In addition, the self-position determining unit 16B acquires the state information of the surrounding environment of the moving body 2 detected by the environmental state detecting unit 19 (step S135).

Subsequently, the self-position determining unit 16B reads the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value corresponding to the travel section of the travel route and the state of the surrounding environment from the map storage unit 5 (step S136). . Then, the self-position determination unit 16B executes the steps after step S113, as in the flowchart shown in FIG.

In this embodiment as described above, even if the accuracies of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value change depending on the state of the surrounding environment of the moving object 2 (for example, the time of day, the weather, etc.), the moving object 2 The reliability of the first self-localization estimate and the second self-localization estimate corresponding to the state of the surrounding environment is used. Therefore, the final self-position of the mobile object 2 can be estimated with high accuracy regardless of the state of the surrounding environment of the mobile object 2 .

FIG. 12 is a block diagram schematically showing a travel control device including a self-position estimation device according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 12, the cruise control device 1 including the self-position estimation device 10C of this embodiment includes an odometry sensor 21 and an alarm device 22 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

The odometry sensor 21 is a sensor that detects the amount and direction of movement of the moving body 2 . A wheel encoder or the like that measures the rotation angle of the wheels of the moving body 2 is used as the sensor that detects the amount of movement of the moving body 2 . As a sensor for detecting the moving direction of the moving body 2, a steering potentiometer for measuring the steering angle of the moving body 2, a gyro sensor for measuring the angular velocity of the moving body 2, or the like is used. The alarm device 22 is a device that emits an alarm sound and displays an alarm.

Further, the traveling control device 1 includes a controller 7C instead of the controller 7 in the first embodiment. The controller 7C includes the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11, the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12, the first travel control unit 13, the third self-position estimation calculation unit 23, and the reliability It has the determination unit 14C, the reliability storage unit 15, the self-position determination unit 16, and the second travel control unit 17 described above.

The third self-position estimation computation unit 23 estimates the self-position of the mobile body 2 based on the movement amount and the movement direction of the mobile body 2 detected by the odometry sensor 21 , thereby calculating the self-position of the mobile body 2 . is obtained as the third self-position estimation value of the moving body 2 . The third self-position estimation calculation unit 23 cooperates with the odometry sensor 21 to constitute a third self-position estimation unit that acquires a third self-position estimation value of the moving body 2 . The third self-position estimation values of the moving body 2 are recorded sequentially.

The reliability determination unit 14C determines the first self-position estimation value group (described above) including ten first self-position estimation values and the second self-position estimation value group including ten second self-position estimation values (described above). is offset by a specified amount or more, and when the first self-position estimation value group and the second self-position estimation value group are offset by a specified amount or more, the third self-position estimation calculation unit 23 Based on the obtained third self-position estimation value, the reliability of the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value is determined.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the details of the procedure of reliability determination processing executed by the reliability determination unit 14C, and corresponds to FIG.

In FIG. 13, the reliability determination unit 14C first executes steps S101 to S104 as in the flowchart shown in FIG. Then, when the reliability determination unit 14C determines in step S104 that the deviation amount of the first self-position estimation value for ten times is equivalent to the deviation amount of the second self-position estimation value for ten times, It is determined whether or not the first self-position estimation value group including the first self-position estimation value of and the second self-position estimation value group including the second self-position estimation values for 10 times are offset by a specified amount or more ( step S141).

When the reliability determining unit 14C determines that the first self-position estimation value group and the second self-position estimation value group are not offset by a specified amount or more, the reliability of the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value are determined. The reliability of the position estimation value is made equal (step S105).

When the reliability determination unit 14C determines that the first self-position estimation value group and the second self-position estimation value group are offset by a specified amount or more, the reliability determination unit 14C determines the 3 Obtain a self-position estimation value (step S142).

Subsequently, the reliability determining unit 14C determines whether the third self-position estimation value group including the ten third self-position estimation values is closer to the first self-position estimation value group than the second self-position estimation value group. It judges (procedure S143). When the reliability determination unit 14C determines that the third self-position estimation value group is closer to the first self-position estimation value group than the second self-position estimation value group, the reliability of the first self-position estimation value is set to 2 Make the reliability higher than the self-position estimation value (step S108).

When the reliability determining unit 14C determines that the third self-position estimation value group is not closer to the first self-position estimation value group than the second self-position estimation value group, the third self-position estimation value group is the first self-position estimation value group. It is determined whether the second self-position estimation value group is closer than the self-position estimation value group (step S144).

When the reliability determining unit 14C determines that the third self-position estimation value group is closer to the second self-position estimation value group than the first self-position estimation value group, the reliability of the first self-position estimation value is set to 2 lower than the reliability of the self-position estimation value (step S107).

When the reliability determining unit 14C determines that the third self-position estimation value group is not closer to the second self-position estimation value group than the first self-position estimation value group, the third self-position estimation value group is the first self-position estimation value group. It determines that the group of estimated self-position values and the second group of estimated self-position values are different, and outputs a warning signal to the alarm device 22 (step S145). As a result, the alarm device 22 performs an alarm operation. Then, the reliability determination unit 14C equalizes the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value (step S105).

After any one of steps S105, S107, and S108 is executed, the reliability determination unit 14C executes step S109 as in the flowchart shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment as described above, even when the repeatability of the first self-position estimation values for a plurality of times and the repeatability of the second self-position estimation values for a plurality of times are equal, the first self-position estimation values for a plurality of times If the first estimated self-position value group including the estimated values and the second estimated self-position value group including the second estimated self-position values for a plurality of times are offset by a specified amount or more, the odometry sensor 21 and the third self-position estimation Using the third estimated self-position value acquired by the calculation unit 23, the appropriate reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value can be obtained. Therefore, the final self-position of the moving body 2 is estimated with higher accuracy.

In the present embodiment, it is determined whether the third self-position estimation value group including the ten third self-position estimation values is closer to the first self-position estimation value group or the second self-position estimation value group. However, it is not particularly limited to that form. For example, it is determined whether the average value of the third self-position estimation values for 10 times is closer to the first self-position estimation value group or the second self-position estimation value group. You may

In addition, in the present embodiment, the third self-position estimation value of the moving body 2 is acquired using the odometry sensor 21, but the present invention is not limited to this form. A third self-location estimate may be obtained. Also, using a plurality of types of sensors, a plurality of third self-position estimation values of the moving body 2 are obtained, and using the plurality of third self-position estimation values, a first self-position estimation value group and a second self-position estimation value It may be determined which of the groups it is closer to.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram schematically showing a travel control device including a self-position estimation device according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 14, the traveling control device 1 including the self-position estimation device 10D of this embodiment includes a magnetic sensor 25 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

The magnetic sensor 25 is a sensor that detects magnetic markers attached to the road surface of the travel area. The magnetic marker is a guide that visually represents the traveling route of the mobile body 2 . The magnetic sensor 25 constitutes a guide detection section that detects a guide arranged along the travel route.

Further, the travel control device 1 includes a controller 7D instead of the controller 7 in the first embodiment. The controller 7D has a first travel control section 13D instead of the first travel control section 13 in the first embodiment. Based on the guidance detected by the magnetic sensor 25, the first travel control unit 13D controls the drive unit 6 so that the moving body 2 automatically travels along the travel route.

The reliability determination unit 14 calculates the first self-position estimation calculation unit 11 and the second self-position estimation calculation unit 12 when the moving body 2 repeatedly travels the same travel route ten times while detecting the magnetic markers by the magnetic sensor 25. The reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined based on the ten first estimated self-position values and the ten second estimated self-position values respectively obtained by .

In this embodiment, since the mobile body 2 travels along the travel route while detecting the magnetic markers, the influence of travel errors of the mobile body 2 can be suppressed. Therefore, since the mobile body 2 repeatedly travels along the same travel route a plurality of times along the magnetic markers, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value can be obtained with high accuracy. 2's final self-position is estimated with higher accuracy.

In this embodiment, the magnetic sensor 25 detects the magnetic marker attached to the road surface of the travel area. A reflector, an AR marker, or the like may be temporarily installed on the travel route. In this case, a sensor that detects a reflector, an AR marker, or the like is used.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram schematically showing a travel control device including a self-position estimation device according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 15, the traveling control device 1 including the self-position estimation device 10E of the present embodiment has an input device 27 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

The input device 27 is an input unit for setting and inputting data relating to automatic traveling of the moving body 2 . One of the data related to the automatic travel of the moving body 2 is the initial value of the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value.

A first self-position estimate is obtained using the laser sensor 3 . Therefore, when there are many objects around the moving body 2, the accuracy of the first self-position estimation value is high. Less accurate estimates. On the other hand, a second self-position estimate is obtained using camera 4 . Therefore, when the surroundings of the moving body 2 are bright, the accuracy of the second self-position estimation value is high, but when the surroundings of the moving body 2 are dark, the accuracy of the second self-position estimation value is low.

In this way, when the environment in which the accuracy of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value tends to decrease is known in advance, the worker can perform the first self-position estimation according to the surrounding environment of the moving body 2. and the initial value of the reliability of the second self-position estimation value are set and input by the input device 27 . In an environment where the accuracy of the first estimated self-position value tends to decrease, for example, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value is set to 0.3, and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value is set to 0.7. In an environment in which the accuracy of the second estimated self-position value tends to decrease, for example, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value is set to 0.7, and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value is set to 0.3.

Further, the travel control device 1 includes a controller 7E instead of the controller 7 in the first embodiment. The controller 7E has a reliability determination unit 14E and a reliability storage unit 15E instead of the reliability determination unit 14 and the reliability storage unit 15 in the first embodiment.

When determining the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value, the reliability determination unit 14E determines the reliability of the first estimated self-position value ten times and the second estimated self-position value ten times. to correct the initial value of the reliability input by the input device 27 .

When the initial reliability values of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value are set and input by the input unit 27, the reliability storage unit 15E stores the initial reliability values in the map storage unit 5. Bind and save the data. Further, when the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined by the reliability determination unit 14E, the reliability storage unit 15E determines the initial value of the reliability by the reliability determination unit 14E. replaced with the confidence level specified and saved.

In this embodiment, for example, if it is known in advance whether or not the accuracy of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is likely to decrease depending on the state of the surrounding environment of the mobile body 2, the By presetting and inputting the initial values of the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value according to the state of the surrounding environment, the number of times the moving body 2 is repeatedly caused to travel along the same travel route can be increased. less.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the above second to sixth embodiments are performed separately, but the present invention is not particularly limited to that form, and at least any two of the above second to sixth embodiments may be combined. good.

Further, in the above embodiment, the travel route is divided into a plurality of travel sections, and the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined for each travel section. For example, if the travel route is short or if the surrounding environment of the travel route is generally the same, the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value are used as the entire travel route. may determine the reliability of

Further, in the above embodiment, when it is determined that the moving object 2 has repeatedly traveled the same travel route a plurality of times based on the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value, the first self-position estimation value Although the process of determining the reliability of the value and the second self-position estimation value is executed, it is not particularly limited to such a form. After the moving object 2 repeatedly travels along the same travel route a plurality of times, for example, when an instruction to determine the reliability is given by an instruction switch or the like, the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value is determined. may be executed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the deviation amount H1 of the first self-position estimation values for ten times is the maximum deviation width of the first self-position estimation value group including the first self-position estimation values for ten times. The deviation amount H1 of the first self-position estimation value is not particularly limited to that form, and may be, for example, a variance value of the first self-position estimation values for a plurality of times. Similarly, the deviation amount H2 of the second self-position estimation values for a plurality of times may also be the variance value of the second self-position estimation values for a plurality of times.

Further, in the above embodiment, the total value of the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the reliability of the second estimated self-position value is 1.0. It is also possible to calculate the percentage of the whole without it.

Further, in the above embodiment, the first self-position estimation value of the moving object 2 is acquired by the laser SLAM method using the detection data of the laser sensor 3, and the visual SLAM method using the image data of the camera 4 is used to detect the position of the moving object 2. Although the second estimated self-position value is acquired, if the map data of the travel area including the travel route is used, as a method of acquiring the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value, laser It is not limited to the combination of the SLAM technique and the Visual SLAM technique.

For example, a first self-localization estimate may be obtained using laser SLAM techniques or visual SLAM techniques, and a second self-localization estimate may be obtained using other self-localization techniques. Other self-localization techniques include, for example, RTK-GNSS (realtime kinematic-global navigation satellite system) positioning, inertial measurement units (IMUs) for measuring the angular velocity and acceleration of moving objects, and the above odometry.

2 Mobile body 3 Laser sensor (first self-position estimation unit) 4 Camera (second self-position estimation unit) 5 Map storage unit (storage unit) 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E Self-position estimation device 11 First self-position estimation calculation unit (first self-position estimation unit) 12 Second self-position estimation calculation unit (first self-position estimation unit) 14, 14B, 14C, 14E Reliability determination unit 15, 15B, 15E Reliability storage unit (storage unit) 16, 16B Self-position determination unit 18 Reliability update processing unit 19 Environmental state detection unit 21 Odometry sensor ( third self-position estimation unit), 23 third self-position estimation calculation unit (third self-position estimation unit), 25 magnetic sensor (guide detection unit), 27 input device (input unit), R travel route, A, B... Traveling section, H1, H2... Deviation amount.

Claims (8)

A self-position estimation device for estimating the self-position of a mobile object using map data of a travel area including the travel route when the mobile object travels along a predetermined travel route,
a first self-position estimation unit that acquires the self-position of the moving body as a first self-position estimation value;
a second self-position estimation unit that acquires the self-position of the moving body as a second self-position estimation value using a self-position estimation method different from that of the first self-position estimation unit;
A plurality of first self-position estimation values and a plurality of first self-position estimation values acquired respectively by the first self-position estimation unit and the second self-position estimation unit when the moving object repeatedly travels along the same travel route a plurality of times. a reliability determination unit that determines the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value based on two estimated self-position values;
a storage unit that stores the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value determined by the reliability determination unit in association with the map data;
The first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value respectively acquired by the first self-position estimation unit and the second self-position estimation unit when the moving object is caused to travel along the travel route. and a self-position determination unit that determines the final self-position of the mobile object based on the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value stored in the storage unit. Self-localization device. Determining whether the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed or may have changed, and whether the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed or the possibility that the surrounding environment of the travel route has changed Further, a reliability update processing unit that updates the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value by executing the reliability determination unit again when it is determined that there is a possibility of 2. The self-localization device according to claim 1. The reliability determination unit calculates a deviation amount of the first self-position estimation value for the plurality of times and a deviation amount of the second self-position estimation value for the plurality of times, and calculates the first self-position estimation value based on each deviation amount. 3. The self-position estimation device according to claim 1, wherein the position estimation value and the reliability of the second self-position estimation value are determined. The travel route is divided into a plurality of travel sections,
The self-position estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reliability determination unit determines the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value for each travel section. Further comprising an environmental state detection unit that detects the state of the surrounding environment of the moving body,
The reliability determination unit acquires state information of the surrounding environment of the moving body detected by the environmental state detection unit, and the moving body repeats the same travel route a plurality of times in the same surrounding environment state. Based on the first self-position estimation value for a plurality of times and the second self-position estimation value for a plurality of times respectively acquired by the first self-position estimation unit and the second self-position estimation unit at the time, the first self-position determining a confidence level of the estimate and the second self-location estimate;
The storage unit stores the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value together with the state information of the surrounding environment in association with the map data,
The self-position determination unit determines the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value, and the first self-position estimation value and the second self-position estimation value corresponding to the state of the surrounding environment detected by the environmental state detection unit. 2. The self-position estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the final self-position of the moving body is determined based on the reliability of the self-position estimation value. Further comprising a third self-position estimating unit that acquires a third self-position estimation value of the moving body,
The reliability determination unit determines that a first estimated self-position value group including the first estimated self-position values for the plurality of times and a second estimated self-position value group including the second estimated self-position values for the plurality of times are defined by a specified amount. determining whether or not the first self-position estimation value group and the second self-position estimation value group are offset by the prescribed amount or more; The self-position estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reliability of said first self-position estimation value and said second self-position estimation value is determined based on said third self-position estimation value. Further comprising a guide detection unit that detects a guide arranged along the travel route,
The reliability determining unit is configured to determine the first self-position estimating unit and the second self-position estimating unit when the moving object repeatedly travels the same travel route a plurality of times while detecting the guide by the guide detecting unit. determining the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value based on the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value obtained a plurality of times respectively by 7. The self-localization device according to any one of items 1 to 6. An input unit for setting and inputting an initial value of reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value,
When determining the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value, the reliability determination unit determines the reliability of the first estimated self-position value and the second estimated self-position value for the multiple times. The self-position estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the initial value of the reliability set and input by the input unit is corrected according to the estimated value.

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