CN110825120A - target following vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a target following carrier. The target following vehicle includes: target end equipment, mobile carrier and target follow assembly. The target following carrier provided by the invention utilizes two technologies to detect the distance between the target and the moving carrier. When the detected distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the distance data from the laser range finder replaces the distance data from the radio frequency module. Thus, relative distance following may be applied to the target. At the same time, the target following assembly can be compactly mounted on any moving carrier, such as a smart luggage or golf cart, to meet the demands from the market.

Description

target following vehicle

technical field

The present invention relates to a vehicle, in particular to a target following vehicle.

Background technique

For short walks with items, people can choose a backpack or luggage to put everything in. A cart or even an electric vehicle may be a good option to save energy if the items to be carried are large in size. For example, when people play golf, golf carts can carry all the equipment people need on the golf course. However, bulky assistive devices cannot follow us all the time, so these bulky assistive devices need to be smart and powered.

In real life, such inventions do exist. For example, the COWAROBOTTM R1 smart luggage provides users with a luggage following solution, which allows people to let go of their hands to do other things. The smart luggage includes a wristband worn on the user's hand, and the wristband communicates wirelessly with the smart luggage. On the telescopic rod, there is a set of laser modules. A laser camera is attached to the handle of the telescopic pole to receive reflected laser beams from the environment, further identifying the human image to calculate the position of the person to follow. Meanwhile, a control module next to the laser camera controls the power wheel module to move when its owner walks. If the smart suitcase gets lost and its owner cannot be found, the wristband will alert you. The owner can go back to where they were before to find the smart luggage. The smart luggage can help people move heavy objects when they travel and shop.

The smart luggage and related applications have been widely accepted around the world. In addition to drones, people need assistive equipment to follow them around the ground. However, such a target following system that does not include a power wheel module is too expensive, and the tracking effect still needs to be improved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Based on this, it is necessary to provide another useful target following system and related applications for the problem that the target following system is too expensive and the tracking effect is not good.

A target-following vehicle, comprising a target-end device, a mobile vehicle and a target-following assembly, the target-end device: the target-end device comprises: a signal transmitting radio frequency module for transmitting radio frequency signals; a first power module, is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module for providing power required for operation; a first control unit is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module and the first power module for managing the signal transmitting radio frequency module operation; a fixed module, installed on the target to be followed, is used to carry the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the first power module and the first control unit; the mobile vehicle includes: a casing, the The housing has an accommodating space; a moving module is integrated with the housing, and the moving module moves on the ground according to a received command; a second power module is detachably connected to the housing for supplying power; The target following assembly, mounted on the moving vehicle and electrically connected to the second power module, includes: a signal receiving radio frequency module, paired with the signal transmitting radio frequency module, for receiving the signal from the signal transmitting the radio frequency signal emitted by the radio frequency module; at least 3 laser rangefinders, installed next to the signal receiving radio frequency module, each laser rangefinder calculates the relative distance between itself and the target; the controller , the signal is connected to the signal receiving radio frequency module and the at least 3 laser rangefinders, for calculating the signal transmitting radio frequency by the radio frequency signal sent from the signal transmitting radio frequency module and received by the signal receiving radio frequency module The estimated distance between the module and the signal receiving radio frequency module, and also calculate the direction from the signal transmitting radio frequency module to the signal receiving radio frequency module and the front plane of the mobile carrier where the signal receiving radio frequency module is located. The direction angle between the normal directions, sends commands to control the movement of the mobile vehicle, and the target is dynamically tracked by one of at least 3 laser rangefinders so that the relative distance can be continuously calculated. The tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder is substantially along the normal direction, and is used to emit and receive laser beams; the controller continuously calculates the estimated distance and the direction angle, and drives the moving vehicle Move towards the target and maintain the heading angle at substantially 0 degrees until the estimated distance is shorter than a set control exchange distance; when the estimated distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the controller still calculates The estimated distance and the direction angle are simultaneously driven to keep the relative distance within a predetermined range and to maintain the normal direction substantially toward the target.

In one of these embodiments, when the estimated distance is found to be shorter than the control exchange distance, the controller may further check whether the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control exchange distance or not The target is tracked by any laser rangefinder; if any of these conditions occur, the controller uses the estimated distance and the heading angle to drive the mobile vehicle. The predetermined percentage may be 50% to 90%.

In another embodiment, when the controller uses the relative distance and a relative angle to drive the moving vehicle, the controller also checks whether the difference between the direction angle and the relative angle falls within within a predetermined angle range, the relative angle is formed between the normal direction and the line connecting the first laser rangefinder to the target; if the difference falls within the predetermined angle If the difference is not within the predetermined angle range, drive the moving vehicle with the estimated distance and the direction angle. the mobile vehicle. The predetermined angle range may be +3% to -3%.

According to the present application, the normal direction substantially facing the target can be maintained by: if a second laser rangefinder to the left of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, then The moving vehicle turns left until the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, and if the third laser rangefinder to the right of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, then Turn the mobile vehicle to the right until the target is tracked by the first laser rangefinder. The tracking direction of the second laser range finder and/or the third laser range finder deviates from the tracking direction of the first laser range finder to a predetermined angle. The predetermined angle is not greater than 45°. The control exchange distance may be 1.5m˜2.5m.

In another embodiment, the target following assembly further includes an antenna module connected to the signal receiving radio frequency module for receiving signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, wherein the antenna module Including: omnidirectional antennas for receiving signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module for pairing and stopping operation after the pairing is completed; at least 3 directional antennas, each directional antenna receives signals from a specific horizontal angle range, wherein , the difference between the center direction angles of the specific horizontal angle range of any two directional antennas is a multiple of a fixed angle. When the at least three directional antennas cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the omnidirectional antenna can start pairing again.

The target device may further include a warning unit, the warning unit is electrically connected to the first control unit and the first power module for providing warning messages. If the antennas in at least three directions cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the controller sends an alarm signal to the warning unit, and the warning unit emits an alarm message. The warning unit can be a buzzer, an LED, a micro speaker or a micro motor. The alert message can be in the form of buzzer, sound, music, light or vibration. The first power module may be a low-power secondary battery pack or a low-power primary battery. The second power module may be a high-power secondary battery pack.

In another embodiment, the moving module may further comprise: a wheel set unit, the wheel set unit has at least 2 wheels, wherein the at least 2 wheels rotate to push, stop and rotate the a moving vehicle; a motor coupled to the wheel set unit for outputting electric power to drive the wheel set unit; a second control unit electrically connected to the wheel set unit and the motor, according to the received power from the wheel set unit Commands of the controller control the operation of the wheel unit and the motor.

The target following vehicle provided by this application uses two techniques to detect the distance between the target and the moving vehicle. When the detected distance is shorter than a control exchange distance, the distance data from the laser rangefinder replaces the distance data from the radio frequency module. Therefore, relative distance following can be applied to the target. At the same time, the target following assembly can be compactly mounted on any moving carrier, such as a smart luggage or golf cart. Compared with similar products on the market, it has the advantages of low cost and high tracking accuracy.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a target following vehicle;

Fig. 2 is the structural representation of the mobile module;

Fig. 3 is the definition explanatory diagram of estimated distance and direction angle;

4 is a schematic diagram of a layout of a laser rangefinder;

Fig. 5 is another arrangement schematic diagram of the laser rangefinder;

6 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between the control exchange distance, the relative distance and the estimated distance;

7 is a schematic diagram of an arrangement of an antenna;

8 is a schematic structural diagram of a target device;

Fig. 9 is the flow chart of the target following method;

10 is a flowchart of a more specific target following method;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of another more specific target following method.

in,

10 target following vehicles

20 goals

100 target devices

110 Signal transmitter RF module

120 first power module

130 First control unit

140 Fixed module

150 Warning Unit

200 mobile vehicles

210 shell

211 accommodating space

212 Fixed plate

220 Mobile Module

221 Wheel Units

222 Motor

223 Second control unit

230 Second power module

300 target follower assembly

310 signal receiving RF module

320 Laser Rangefinder

321 The first laser rangefinder

322 Second Laser Rangefinder

323 Third Laser Rangefinder

330 Controller

340 Antenna Module

341 Omnidirectional Antenna

342 directional antenna

Detailed ways

Please refer to FIG. 1, which discloses an embodiment of a target following vehicle 10 in accordance with the present application. The target following vehicle 10 includes three main parts: a target end device 100 , a moving vehicle 200 and a target following assembly 300 . A detailed description of these components, functions and their interaction will be illustrated with the associated diagrams below.

The target device 100 is used to install on the target to be followed. In application, the target may be a person moving on the ground. By following the target, certain carried items can follow the target accordingly. For example, if the target is a tourist, the target following vehicle 10 may be a smart suitcase that automatically moves with the tourist. If the target is a golfer, the target following vehicle 10 may also be a golf cart. The target device 100 has a signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 , a first power module 120 , a first control unit 130 and a fixing module 140 . The signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 can transmit radio frequency signals. In this embodiment, the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 transmits radio frequency signals in one direction; in other embodiments, the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 may transmit in two directions. That is, the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 can also receive radio frequency signals.

The first power module 120 is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 , and the first power module can provide power required for operation to any electronic components connected to it. Because the target device 100 should be designed to be as compact as possible so that it does not become a burden for the target to carry, the selection of the first power module 120 should be carefully considered. In practical applications, the first power module 120 is a low-power secondary battery pack, such as a lithium battery, which can be charged when the power is depleted or at a low level. For convenience, the first power module 120 may be designed to use a low-power primary battery, such as a mercury battery. This application does not make any specific limitations.

The first control unit 130 is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and the first power module 120 . The first control unit 130 may take the form of an integrated circuit. The function of the first control unit 130 is to manage the operation of the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 . If possible, the first control unit 130 may be designed to control the power output and recharging of the first power module 120 .

The fixing module 140 is a tool mounted on the target to be followed. Therefore, it can carry the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 , the first power module 120 and the first control unit 130 . In practical applications, the fixing module 140 can be mounted on a moving part of the target, such as a human wrist, in the form of a wrist strap. The securing module 140 may also be designed as a charm attached to a lanyard or installed in a key ring.

The moving vehicle 200 is the main part of the moving following target, which includes a housing 210 , a moving module 220 and a second power module 230 . The housing 210 is used for accommodating carried items, such as clothes purchased by tourists. Therefore, the housing 210 has an accommodating space 211 , as shown by the dotted frame in FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the accommodating space 211 is completely closed by the casing 210 and can be opened for use when the casing 210 is opened. In other embodiments, the housing 210 may have several openings, and the accommodating space 211 can communicate with the space of the housing 210 . A good example of such an application is a smart golf cart. Golf equipment may be placed in the accommodating space 211 , and the golf cart body is the housing 210 .

The movement module 220 is responsible for the movement of the mobile vehicle 200, it is integrated with the housing 210 and can move on the ground in accordance with received commands. Referring to FIG. 2 , according to the present application, the mobile module 220 may further include multiple sub-modules. The sub-modules are the wheel unit 221 , the motor 222 and the second control unit 223 . The wheel unit 221 is an assembly and has at least 2 wheels that push, stop and rotate the mobile carrier 220 in a rotational manner. In practical applications, the wheel set unit 221 may be several non-powered wheels with at least one powered wheel among these wheels. In addition, some of the wheels may be controlled to change the direction of their rotational axis, ie, the steering wheel. The wheel set unit 221 may also be a combination of universal wheels. Of course, in order to improve off-road performance, the wheel set unit 221 may be a plurality of track wheels with tracks attached around them. However, the wheel unit 221 itself is unpowered. Therefore, the motor 222 is coupled to the wheel unit 221 to output electric power for the wheel unit 221 to drive the wheel unit 221 . Any type of motor suitable for driving the designed wheel set unit 221 may be used, which is not specifically limited in this application. If desired, the number of motors 222 may be more than one for fine directional control or increased speed.

Like the first control unit 130 , the second control unit 223 may be in the form of an integrated circuit, electrically connected to the wheel unit 221 and the motor 222 , and capable of controlling the operation of the wheel unit 221 and the motor 222 according to commands received from the controller 330 .

The second power module 230 is detachably connected to the housing 210 . Because it can be disassembled, if the mobile vehicle 200 only needs to use its carrying function and does not need to use the target following function, the second power module 230 can be removed from the housing 210 to reduce the overall weight of the mobile vehicle 200 or perform maintenance . Similarly, the second power module 230 is used to provide power. Different from the first power module 120, the second power module 230 must provide higher power and should be rechargeable. Therefore, the second power module 230 should be a high-capacity secondary battery pack.

The target following assembly 300 is a key part of performing target following and controlling the movement of the mobile vehicle 200 . It is mounted on the mobile vehicle 200 and is electrically connected to the second power module 230 , as shown by the right dashed line in FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, a wire (dotted line on the right) connecting the target following assembly 300 and the second power module 230 is embedded in the casing 210 ; in other embodiments, the wire may be installed on the surface of the casing 210 , that is, in the accommodating space 211 or the external environment. In one embodiment, the target following assembly 300 should fit on the outer surface of the housing 210, or be embedded in the housing 210 with a portion of it exposed outward. On the one hand, it reduces the occupancy rate of the accommodating space 211; on the other hand, the target following assembly 300 can be easily installed or removed for maintenance. The target following assembly 300 includes three sub-modules: a signal receiving radio frequency module 310 , at least three laser rangefinders 320 and a controller 330 . Below is a description of these submodules.

The signal receiving radio frequency module 310 is selected according to the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 in the target device 100, so that the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 can be paired with the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, and can receive the radio frequency signal sent from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110. Similarly, the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 can also transmit and receive radio frequency signals bidirectionally. In one embodiment, the signal receiving RF module 310 and the signal transmitting RF module 110 use 5.8G (802.11a/n/ac) bandwidth. The two RF modules together provide the data for calculating the estimated range and bearing.

Please refer to Figure 3, which defines the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ for a better understanding. The estimated distance De is defined as the distance between the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 , and is calculated by the radio frequency signal sent from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and received by the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 . The estimated distance De is an "estimation" because the RF signal may float while being sent, causing the true distance to be incorrectly calculated. The direction angle θ is defined as the angle between the direction (solid line) from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 to the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 and the normal direction N of the front plane where the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 is located on the mobile vehicle 200 . Here, the fixing plate 212 having a smooth plane is used to mount the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 so as to indicate the normal direction N. In other embodiments, the normal direction N may be defined by any plane of any device on the signal receiving RF module 310, as long as the plane is not easily changed by external force or heat. In fact, any existing techniques that can realize the calculation of the above-mentioned estimated distance De and direction angle θ using radio frequency signals can be applied to the present application. The key feature of the present application is to control the distance between the target and the moving vehicle 200 according to the radio frequency signal and the results of at least three laser rangefinders 320 .

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which shows one arrangement of the laser rangefinder 310 . Each laser rangefinder 320 calculates the precise relative distance Dr between the target 20 and itself by emitting a laser beam reflected by the target 20 . The number of the laser rangefinders 320 should be at least 3, such as 3, 4, 5 or more. In one embodiment, the number should be odd, which means there will be one central laser rangefinder 320 . In this embodiment, in order to simplify the target following assembly 300, three laser rangefinders 320 are used for description. They are the first laser range finder 321 , the second laser range finder 322 on the left side of the first laser range finder 321 , and the third laser range finder on the right side of the first laser range finder 321 , respectively. 323. The laser rangefinder 320 has a laser beam transmitter (not shown) and a laser beam receiver (not shown). Taking the first laser range finder 321 as an example, when the emitted laser beam is reflected by the target 20 and then received by the first laser range finder 321, the relative distance Dr can be obtained. However, when the emitted laser beam is not reflected, no distance data is available. It also means that the associated laser rangefinder 320 cannot detect or track the target 20 . The second laser range finder 322 and the third laser range finder 323 are the same as the first laser range finder 321 . No matter how many laser rangefinders 320 are used, they should be installed next to the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 . This is because the benchmarks for calculating the distance De and the relative distance Dr should be as close as possible.

Each laser rangefinder 320 has a tracking direction, which is the direction in which the laser beam is emitted. In this embodiment, the tracking directions of the three laser rangefinders 320 are different. The tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder 321 is 0°, pointing upward. In other words, the tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder 321 is substantially along the normal direction N for emitting and receiving the laser beam. The tracking direction of the second laser rangefinder 322 is 10° counterclockwise. The tracking direction of the third laser rangefinder 323 is rotated clockwise by 10°. This means that the tracking direction of the second laser range finder 322 and/or the third laser range finder 323 may be deviated from the tracking direction of the first laser range finder 321 to a predetermined angle. In this example, the predetermined angle is 10°. In one embodiment, the predetermined angle may be larger but should not be larger than 45°.

Referring to FIG. 5 , in another embodiment, the tracking directions of the three laser rangefinders 320 are all the same. However, the second laser range finder 322 and the third laser range finder 323 are farther away from the first laser range finder 321 . This arrangement of the laser rangefinder 320 is also within the scope of the present application. The difference between the arrangements of Figures 4 and 5 is that the arrangement in Figure 4 should be applied to a mobile vehicle 200 with a narrower front, such as a smart luggage, whereas the arrangement of Figure 4 should be applied to a mobile with a wider front Vehicle 200, such as a golf cart.

The controller 330 is signal-connected to the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 and the at least three laser rangefinders 320 . Meanwhile, in order to issue a command to control the second control unit 223, they are connected by a connecting line as shown in FIG. 1 (dashed line on the left). Similarly, the connecting wire can be embedded in the casing 210 , or can be arranged on the surface of the casing 210 . The controller 330 is used to calculate the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ, issue a command to the second control unit 223 to control the movement of the mobile vehicle 200 and dynamically measure the distance by one of the at least three laser rangefinders 320 The target 20 is tracked so that the relative distance Dr can be continuously calculated.

The present application utilizes two technologies to obtain the distance between the target and the tracker's own signal. The two technologies are the technology of using the laser range finder 320 and the technology of using the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 . The controller 330 uses the feedback information from the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 to calculate the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ, so that the absolute position can be identified. Meanwhile, the controller 330 also uses the results of the at least three laser rangefinders 320 to obtain relative position identification. The latter is more accurate than the former. Therefore, with the same reference as the tracker, when the target is closer to the controller 330, the relative distance Dr can be used to represent the "true distance". The estimated distance De is used when the target is far from the controller 330, since there may be many obstacles between the laser rangefinder 320 and the target, the relative distance Dr may be incorrect. For the switching between the relative distance Dr and the estimated distance De, here, the control exchange distance Dce is defined as the boundary between the application of the relative distance Dr and the estimated distance De. In a practical application, in one embodiment, the exchange distance Dce is controlled to be 1.5m˜2.5m, and preferably, the exchange distance Dce is controlled to be 2m.

Please refer to FIG. 6, which shows the relationship among the control exchange distance Dce, the relative distance Dr and the estimated distance De. In general, the estimated distance De can be very far, ranging from 2m to over 20m. If the distance between the controller 330 and the target obtained by the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 is shorter than the control exchange distance Dce, the relative distance Dr from the laser rangefinder 320 takes over as the real distance. Although the distance data from the laser rangefinder 320 is used, the controller 330 continues to calculate the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ as occasion demands.

The controller 330 drives the moving vehicle 200 to move toward the target so that the distance between the moving vehicle 200 and the target is shortened. Meanwhile, the controller 330 maintains the direction angle θ to be substantially 0 degrees until the estimated distance is shorter than the control exchange distance Dce. As described above, when the estimated distance De is shorter than the control exchange distance Dce, the controller 330 still calculates the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ, and drives the mobile vehicle 200 to keep the relative distance Dr within a predetermined range, and maintain the The normal direction N is substantially toward the target. The predetermined range is set to keep the mobile vehicle 200 away from the target to avoid collision, for example, the predetermined range may be 0.5m. The normal direction N substantially towards the target is maintained by the following method. Please refer to Figure 4 again. If the second laser rangefinder 322 to the left of the first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20, which means that the normal direction N is rotated a little bit clockwise, just turn the mobile vehicle 200 to the left until When the first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20 , the normal direction N can be substantially directed toward the target 20 . Conversely, if the third laser rangefinder 323 to the right of the first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20, it means that the normal direction N is rotated a little counterclockwise, and it is only necessary to move the vehicle 200 to the When the vehicle 200 is moved to the right until the first laser rangefinder 321 tracks the target 20 , the normal direction N can be substantially directed toward the target 20 again.

The frame rate of the laser range finder 320 and the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 , that is, the data collection frequency, may be dozens of times per second, such as 10 times per second. Therefore, when something or someone quickly enters between the target and the controller 330, it is difficult to find the distance between the target and the controller 330. Therefore, it is necessary to design some special switching distance decision control to solve the above problems. When the estimated distance De is found to be shorter than the control exchange distance Dce, the controller 330 can further check whether the relative distance Dce is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control exchange distance De, or the target is not tracked by the laser rangefinder 320 . This is to check if someone broke in suddenly or if the target is missing. If any of the above situations occurs, the controller 330 drives the moving vehicle 200 using the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ instead of using the relative distance Dr determined by the laser rangefinder 320 . In one embodiment, the predetermined percentage is 50% to 90%. In other words, the sudden change in the relative distance Dce can be up to 1m or 1.8m. In another condition, when the controller 330 uses the relative distance Dr and a relative angle to drive the moving vehicle 200, the controller 330 also checks whether the difference between the direction angle θ and the relative angle falls within a predetermined angle range Inside. The above-mentioned relative angle is formed between the normal direction N and the connecting line from the first laser range finder 321 to the target 20. If the difference falls within the predetermined angle range, the relative distance Dr and the relative angle are determined by the relative distance Dr. Continue to drive the mobile vehicle 200. If the difference value does not fall within the predetermined angle range, the mobile carrier 200 is driven with the estimated distance De and the direction angle θ. The predetermined angle range should not be set too large. In one embodiment, the predetermined angle range may be +3% to -3%.

Referring to FIG. 7 , in accordance with the present application, the target following assembly 300 may further include an antenna module 340 . The target following assembly 300 can be connected to the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 to receive signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 . The antenna module may include an omnidirectional antenna 341 and at least three directional antennas 342 . The omnidirectional antenna 341 receives the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 for pairing, and the omnidirectional antenna 341 stops operating after the pairing is completed. That is, the omnidirectional antenna 341 is used to establish the connection between the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 and the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 . The number of directional antennas 342 is preferably three, five or seven. Each directional antenna 342 can receive signals from a specific horizontal angle range. For example, the directional antenna 342 marked by the dots receives signals from the top side of Figure 7, where a specific horizontal angular range is represented by the two dashed lines. The difference between the center direction angles of the specific horizontal angle ranges of any two directional antennas 342 is a multiple of a fixed angle. In the present embodiment, the center direction angle of the specific horizontal angle range of the any-directional antenna 342 faces the outside along the connection between itself and the omni-directional antenna 341 . The direction angle θ may be determined from the signal received by the directional antenna 342 . For example, the two directional antennas 342 marked with diagonal lines receive signals from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 . A more precise direction angle θ can be obtained from the signal strength found in the directional antenna 342 . The direction angle θ falling between the center direction angles of the specific horizontal angle ranges of the two directional antennas 342 is actually closer to the one with the stronger received signal strength.

Sometimes, if the target moves too fast to follow, that is, the target is farther away from the signal receiving RF module 310 that can be reached by the signal, or when there is a noise signal in the environment, the connection between the signal transmitting RF module 110 and the signal receiving RF module 310 will be possible. interrupt. That is, the at least 3-directional antennas 342 cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110 . If this happens, the omnidirectional antenna 341 will start pairing again. Thus, the connection can be re-established.

Referring to FIG. 8 , in another embodiment, the target device 100 may further include an alert unit 150 . The warning unit 150 is electrically connected to the first control unit 130 and the first power module 120, and can provide warning messages. In practical applications, the warning unit 150 may be a buzzer, an LED, a micro speaker, or a micro motor. Thus, the alert message may be in the form of a beep, sound, music, light or vibration. If the directional antenna 342 cannot receive the signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, the controller 330 will send an alarm signal to the alarm unit 150 through the signal receiving radio frequency module 310 and the signal transmitting radio frequency module 110, and then the alarm unit 150 will send out an alarm message .

Referring to FIG. 9, according to the present application, a target following method is also provided. The first step S01 of the method is to provide a signal transmitting radio frequency module installed on a target, a signal receiving radio frequency module installed on a mobile carrier, and at least three laser detectors installed next to the signal receiving radio frequency module. distance meter. The functions of the devices mentioned here are the same as those of the correspondingly named devices described above. Next, the next step S02 is to calculate the estimated distance and direction angle. The definitions of the estimated distance and the direction angle are the same as those disclosed in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated. It should be noted that the tracking direction of the first laser rangefinder among the at least three laser rangefinders is substantially along the normal direction disclosed in the previous embodiment for emitting and receiving laser beams.

The third step S03 is to drive the moving vehicle to move forward toward the target while maintaining the direction angle to be substantially 0 degrees. In this step, the movement of the mobile vehicle toward the target is controlled by the position data. The position data are estimated distances and heading angles. Next, the next step S04 is an iterative loop process of guiding the moving vehicle from the calculated position data: repeating steps S02 and S03 until the estimated distance is shorter than a control exchange distance. The above-mentioned control switching distance has the same definition in the previous embodiments. In practical applications, the control exchange distance may be 1.5m-2.5m.

As mentioned above, if the distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the distance between the mobile vehicle and the target is determined by the laser rangefinder. In this way, the next step S05 is to dynamically track the target by one of at least three laser rangefinders, so as to continuously calculate the relative distance between the laser rangefinder and the target, and simultaneously calculate the Estimate the distance and the bearing angle. Dynamic tracking means that none of the laser rangefinders are assigned to track and find the distance between it and the target. As long as one of its laser rangefinders finds a target, its data is available until the first laser rangefinder takes over. The final step S06 of the method is to drive the moving vehicle to keep the relative distance within a predetermined range and maintain the normal direction substantially toward the target. The target can then be followed by the mobile vehicle.

Referring to Figure 10, there are some unpredictable conditions that interfere with distance measurements for RF modules and/or laser rangefinders. Therefore, there must be some additional steps to deal with these issues. Before the data from the laser rangefinder can be used stably, check steps must be taken. For example, after step S05 there are two additional steps: checking if the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control exchange distance or if none of the laser rangefinders track the target (S05-1 ) and if any one of the situations in step S05-1 occurs, repeat steps S02 and S03; otherwise, execute step S06 (S05-2). Step S05-1 determines whether the relative distance has decreased significantly, or whether the laser rangefinder has lost the target originally tracked by the radio frequency module. In other words, it checks if someone or something suddenly appears between the target and the laser rangefinder or if the laser rangefinder cannot catch the target. If step S05-1 occurs, step S05-2 uses the data calculated by the radio frequency module to determine the current position of the target. After the target location is determined, the method will continue from step S04. Here, the predetermined percentage is 50%˜90%.

Referring to FIG. 11, in another case, there may be additional steps after step S06. The first step S07 is to check whether the difference between the direction angle and a relative angle is within a predetermined angle range, and the relative angle is formed in the normal direction and from the first laser rangefinder to the between the target lines. In the second step S08, if the result of step S07 is yes, repeat step S06; if the result of step S07 is no, repeat step S02 and step S03. Steps S07 and S08 are used to deal with the situation that someone suddenly appears between the target and the laser rangefinder, causing different direction judgments caused by the radio frequency module. In one embodiment, the predetermined angle range is +3% to -3%.

The method also provides the same procedure to maintain the normal direction substantially towards the target as the target follows the vehicle. This is achieved by: if a second laser rangefinder to the left of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, turning the mobile vehicle to the left until the first laser The rangefinder tracks the target, and if the third laser rangefinder to the right of the first laser rangefinder tracks the target, the mobile vehicle is turned to the right until the first The laser rangefinder tracks the target. In one embodiment, the tracking direction of the second laser range finder and/or the third laser range finder deviates from the tracking direction of the first laser range finder to a predetermined angle. Similarly, the predetermined angle should not be greater than 45°.

The above technical features of this embodiment can be combined arbitrarily. In order to simplify the description, all possible combinations of the technical features in this embodiment are not described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, all It should be considered as the range described in this specification.

The above examples only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are specific and detailed, but should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can also be made, which all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims (18)

1. A target following carrier is characterized by comprising target end equipment, a mobile carrier and a target following assembly;

the target device comprises:

the signal transmitting radio frequency module is used for transmitting a radio frequency signal;

the first power module is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module and used for providing power required by operation;

the first control unit is electrically connected to the signal transmitting radio frequency module and the first power module and is used for managing the operation of the signal transmitting radio frequency module;

the fixed module is arranged on a target to be followed and is used for carrying the signal transmitting radio frequency module, the first power module and the first control unit;

the mobile carrier comprises:

the shell is provided with an accommodating space;

a movement module integrated with the housing, the movement module moving over the ground in accordance with the received command;

a second power module detachably connected to the housing for providing power;

the target following assembly is installed on the mobile carrier and electrically connected to the second power module, and comprises:

a signal receiving radio frequency module, paired with the signal transmitting radio frequency module, for receiving the radio frequency signal transmitted by the signal transmitting radio frequency module;

at least 3 laser range finders, which are arranged beside the signal receiving radio frequency module and calculate the relative distance between the laser range finders and the target to be tracked;

a controller, signal connected to the signal receiving RF module and the at least 3 laser rangefinders, for calculating an estimated distance between the signal transmitting RF module and the signal receiving RF module by RF signals emitted from the signal transmitting RF module and received by the signal receiving RF module, and further calculating a direction angle between a direction from the signal transmitting RF module to the signal receiving RF module and a normal direction of a front plane on the mobile vehicle where the signal receiving RF module is located, sending a command to control the movement of the mobile vehicle, and dynamically tracking a target by one of the at least 3 laser rangefinders so as to be able to continuously calculate the relative distance,

wherein the tracking direction of the first laser range finder is substantially along the normal direction for emitting and receiving a laser beam; the controller continuously calculates the estimated distance and the direction angle, drives the mobile carrier to move towards a target and maintains the direction angle to be substantially 0 degrees until the estimated distance is shorter than a set control exchange distance; when the estimated distance is shorter than the control exchange distance, the controller still calculates the estimated distance and the direction angle while driving the mobile vehicle to keep the relative distance within a predetermined range and maintain the normal direction substantially toward the target.

2. The target-following vehicle of claim 1, wherein when the estimated distance is found to be shorter than the control swap distance, the controller further checks whether the relative distance is shorter than a predetermined percentage of the control swap distance or whether no laser rangefinder is tracking the target; if any one of the above occurs, the controller drives the mobile vehicle by using the estimated distance and the direction angle.

3. The object following carrier according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined percentage is 50% to 90%.

4. The target-following vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the controller drives the moving vehicle using the relative distance and a relative angle, the controller further checks whether a difference between the direction angle and the relative angle falls within a predetermined angle range; the relative angle is formed between the normal direction and a connecting line from the first laser range finder to a target; if the difference value falls into the preset angle range, the relative distance and the relative angle continuously drive the mobile carrier; and if the difference value does not fall into the preset angle range, driving the mobile carrier by the estimated distance and the direction angle.

5. The object-following vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined angle range is + 3% to-3%.

6. The object-following vehicle of claim 1, wherein the normal direction is substantially maintained towards the object by: if a second laser range finder to the left of the first laser range finder tracks the target, then turn the mobile vehicle to the left until the first laser range finder tracks the target, and if a third laser range finder to the right of the first laser range finder tracks the target, then turn the mobile vehicle to the right until the first laser range finder tracks the target.

7. The target-following vehicle of claim 6, wherein a tracking direction of the second laser range finder and/or the third laser range finder deviates from a tracking direction of the first laser range finder by a predetermined angle.

8. The target-following vehicle of claim 7, wherein the predetermined angle is no greater than 45 °.

9. The target-following vehicle of claim 1, wherein the control exchange distance is 1.5m to 2.5 m.

10. The target-following vehicle of claim 1, wherein the target-following assembly further comprises an antenna module coupled to the signal-receiving rf module for receiving the signal from the signal-transmitting rf module, wherein the antenna module comprises:

the omnidirectional antenna is used for receiving a signal from the signal transmitting radio frequency module for pairing and stopping operation after the pairing is finished;

at least 3 directional antennas, each directional antenna receiving signals from a specific horizontal angle range, wherein the difference of the central directional angles of the specific horizontal angle range of any 2 directional antennas is a multiple of a fixed angle.

11. The object following vehicle of claim 10, wherein the omni-directional antenna initiates pairing again when none of the at least 3 directional antennas receive a signal from the rf signaling module.

12. The target following vehicle of claim 10, wherein the target device further comprises an alert unit electrically connected to the first control unit and the first power module for providing an alarm message.

13. The object following vehicle of claim 12, wherein if none of the at least 3 directional antennas receives the signal from the rf signaling module, the controller sends an alarm signal to the warning unit and the warning unit sends an alarm message.

14. The target following vehicle of claim 12, wherein the warning unit is a buzzer, an LED, a micro-speaker, or a micro-motor.

15. The object following vehicle of claim 12, wherein the warning message is in the form of a beep, a sound, a music, a light, or a vibration.

16. The target following vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first power module is a low-battery secondary battery or a low-battery primary battery.

17. The target following vehicle of claim 1, wherein the second power module is a high-charge secondary battery.

18. The target-following vehicle of claim 1, wherein the movement module further comprises:

a wheel set unit having at least 2 wheels, wherein the at least 2 wheels propel, stop, and turn the mobile vehicle in a rotating manner;

a motor coupled to the wheel set unit for outputting power to drive the wheel set unit;

and a second control unit electrically connected to the wheel set unit and the motor, and controlling operations of the wheel set unit and the motor in accordance with a command received from the controller.

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