JPS61167814A - Measuring instrument for moving direction of moving body - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To measure the moving direction of a moving body through simple facilities with excellent detection sensitivity almost without requiring maintenance by providing two light reflecting means, two photodetectors, two run distance measuring means, etc. CONSTITUTION:The 1st and the 2nd light reflecting means 2R and 2L are provided at the right and left sides of the path of the moving body. The light reflecting means 2R and 2L reflect incident light in the same direction. The moving body 3, on the other hand, is provided with a projecting means 4 which projects light in the right and left directions of its moving direction and the 1st and the 2nd photodetectors. The 1st detector photodetects light reflected by the 1st light reflecting means 2R and the 2nd photodetector photodetects light reflected by the 2nd light reflecting means 2R. Then, the distance that the moving body runs from the detection of the reflected light by either of the 1st and the 2nd photodetectors to the detection of reflected light by the other photodetector is measured. Then, the angle of deviation of the moving direction of the moving body 3 from a predetermined reference direction is calculated on the basis of the measurement result and the distance between the light reflecting means 2R and 2L.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a device for measuring the traveling direction of a moving object, and particularly when a moving object such as an automobile or an airplane moves along a desired route, the direction of movement of a moving object is determined in advance. deviation in the moving direction of the moving object (deviation angle) with respect to the reference direction (for example, north, south, east, west)
It relates to a device for measuring.

[Prior Art] For example, when guiding an aircraft from the runway to the taxiway at an airport, or when driving a golf cart, self-service vehicle, etc. on a predetermined course, if the direction of travel of these moving objects can be measured, the direction of travel of these moving objects can be measured. Automatic guidance will be possible, and it will be very convenient to use.

Therefore, the applicant of the present application has developed a device for measuring the traveling direction of a moving body as described above in Japanese Patent Application No. 1853-13815 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 54
-107098). This proposed invention will be briefly explained below.

In other words, multiple large signal lines (paint, tape, etc.) are installed to detect the position of a moving object along a predetermined direction in relation to the moving object's path. A first detection means and a second detection means for detecting the signal line are provided on the right and left sides of the moving body. The first detection means detects the signal line and the second detection means detects the signal line, or after the second detection means detects the signal line and the first detection means detects the signal line. measures the distance traveled by the moving object until it detects the signal line, and calculates the distance between this measurement result and the first and second detection means (
(which is known in advance), the deviation angle of the moving direction of the moving object with respect to the reference direction is calculated.

According to the invention proposed by the applicant as described above, it is possible to extremely accurately measure the deflection angle in the traveling direction of a moving object with respect to a predetermined reference direction.

In addition, as a signal line, it is sufficient to simply install multiple strips of identifiable cables in a fixed direction, and there is no need to add a signal to each signal line to identify each signal line, resulting in low installation costs. That's enough.

[rIR problem to be solved by the invention J By the way, in the above-mentioned invention proposed by the applicant, it is difficult to connect the 7i1 stage of the signal line when the road surface condition is poor (for example, there is snow on the ground or there are severe ups and downs). There was a problem that. Furthermore, even if the signal line is yimed, there is a problem in that the detection sensitivity of the signal line is significantly reduced if the road surface is in poor condition.

Furthermore, since the signal line is installed on the road surface, it is constantly stepped on by moving objects, and there is also the problem that it is necessary to check from time to time whether the signal line has disappeared or broken.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a moving direction measuring device for a moving object that can be easily operated even when the road surface is in poor condition, has no decrease in detection sensitivity, and requires almost no maintenance. .

[Means for Solving the Problems] According to the present invention, first light reflecting means and second light reflecting means are provided on the right side and the left side of the path along which the moving body should travel, respectively. These first and second light reflecting means have optical properties such that they reflect incident light in the same direction. On the other hand, the moving body is provided with a light projecting means for projecting light in left and right directions in the traveling direction of the moving body, and first and second photodetectors associated with the light projecting means. The first photodetector is for receiving the light projected from the light projecting means and reflected by the first light reflecting means.The second light detector is for receiving the light projected from the light projecting means and reflected by the first light reflecting means. It is for receiving the light reflected by the second light reflecting means.Then, after one of the first and second photodetectors detects the reflected light, the first and second photodetectors The distance traveled by the moving object until the other one detects the reflected light is measured, and based on this measurement result and the distance between the first and second light reflecting means, a predetermined standard is determined. This method calculates the □ deviation angle of the moving direction of the moving body with respect to the azimuth.

[Operation 1] In this invention, since the distance between the first and second light reflecting means is known in advance, one of the first and second light detectors detects the reflected light, and then the other one detects the reflected light. By measuring the distance traveled by the moving object until the light is detected, the traveling direction of the moving object relative to the reference direction can be determined based on this measurement result and the distance between the first and second light reflecting means. The deflection angle can be determined by calculation.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an illustrative diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, light reflecting means 2R and 2LS are provided on the right and left sides of the road 1, respectively. These light reflecting means 2R and 2L have an optical property of reflecting the incident light in the same direction as the incident direction, and for example, a corner cube or the like is used. Further, the light reflecting means 2R and 2L are selected such that a line segment α connecting each of them is orthogonal to a predetermined reference direction X. This reference direction X may be selected, for example, parallel to the road 1, or may be selected, for example, north, south, east, west, etc., regardless of the direction in which the road extends. On the other hand, a light emitting/receiving device 4 is provided in a moving body 3 such as an automatic vehicle. This light projecting/receiving device I14 projects light beams 5R and 5L in right and left directions perpendicular to the traveling direction of the moving body 3.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the light emitting/receiving device 4 shown in FIG. 1. In the figure, the light emitting and receiving device 4 includes a pair of left and right light emitting and receiving units 4L and 4R. The light projecting/receiving unit 4L is for projecting light to the left side of the moving body 3, and the light projecting/receiving unit 4R is for projecting light to the right side of the moving body 3. In addition, these light emitting and receiving units 4L
Since both units 4R and 4R have the same left-right symmetrical structure, only the right light emitting/receiving unit 4R will be described here. Inside the lens barrel 41R, there is a light source 42R and a lens 43R.
and a half mirror 44R are stored. As the light source 42R, a laser light source or the like with sharp directivity is used. The lens 43R is for converting the light emitted from the light source 43R into a planar light beam 5R that spreads in the vertical direction.

The reason why the light beam 5R is made into such a planar beam is because
This is to ensure that the light beam 5R hits the light reflecting means 2R even if the moving body 3 moves a little. Lens 43R
The light beam 5R that has exited is transmitted through the half mirror 44R and projected to the outside. Further, the half mirror 44R reflects the reflected light 6R from the light reflecting means 2R. A light receiver 45R is provided at a position capable of receiving the reflected light from the half mirror 44R.

This light receiver 45'R uses, for example, a photodiode or a phototransistor, and derives a detection signal in response to receiving reflected light from the half mirror 44R.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electric circuit portion of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram to help understand the heading measuring operation, which is a feature of the present invention. Further, FIG. 5 is a diagram geometrically showing the positional relationship shown in FIG. 4. The specific configuration and operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 3 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

In the following description, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it is assumed that the reference orientation is X and the moving body 3 travels in a direction Y at an angle θ from the reference orientation X.

In this case, the light beam 5L from the left light emitting/receiving unit 4L first hits the light reflecting means 2L.

Since the light reflecting means 2L reflects the received light beam 5 in the same direction as the incident direction, the reflected light 6L is reflected by the half mirror 4.
4L and is reflected by this 44L to the receiver 45.
incident on L. Accordingly, the light receiver 45 derives a detection output and provides the detection output to the first-come-first-served discrimination circuit 10,
It is applied to flip 70 tube 12 via OR gates 1,1. Since this flip-flop 12 derives a set output from the first input and a reset output from the next input, the light receiver 4 that first detects the reflected light
Set at 5L output. The set output (high level) of the flip 70 knob 12 is applied to the AND gate 13, activating the IAND gate 13, and is inverted to low level and applied to the AND gate 14.
The ND gate 14 is disabled. Pulse generation accordingly! Since the pulses generated from 115 are applied to counter 16 via AND gate 13, counter 16 counts the number of applied pulses. Here, pulse generator 1
Reference numeral 5 generates a pulse every time the movable body 3 advances a predetermined unit distance, and for example, a rotary encoder or the like that detects the rotation of the wheels of the movable body 3 is used. Therefore, by counting the number of output pulses from the pulse generator 15, the travel distance of the moving object 3 can be measured.

Assuming that the moving object 3 travels a little and comes to the position shown by the dotted line in FIG.
It is also applied to the flip-flop 12 via the OR gate 11.

Since the output of the light receiver 45R is the second signal, the flip-flop 12 inverts its output logic state and derives a low level signal from the set output terminal and a high level signal from the reset output terminal. Accordingly, AN
D gate 13 is disabled and AND gate 14 is enabled. Therefore, the counter 16 is
After L detects the reflected light 6L, the receiver 45R detects the reflected light 6.
The number of pulses n correlated with the distance traveled by the moving body 3 is counted until R is detected, and the needle value n is applied to one input of the divider circuit 17 via the ANO gate 14. Further, the reset output of the flip-flop 12 is given as a reset signal to the counter 16 after a fixed time m* determined by the timer 18.

The other input of the division circuit 17 is given the setting value nw of the interval setting section 19. This interval setting section 19 determines the distance d between the light reflecting means 2R and 21, and if the moving object 3 runs, a pulse is generated! A value nw that correlates to the number of pulses that would be obtained from 115 is set in advance. therefore,
The division circuit 17 divides the count value n of the counter 16 by a setting W1nW that correlates with the installation interval of the light reflecting means (n /nw).
L/, sin θ- is determined when the horizontal angle θ' of the movable body 3 with respect to the line segment α connecting the light reflecting means 2R and 2L is determined.

Since this sin θ' is equal to the angle θ of the traveling direction Y of the moving body 3 with respect to the M-subdirection X, the division value (n/nw) calculated by the division circuit 17, that is, sin θ, is given to the conversion circuit 20. This conversion circuit 20 converts sin θ into angle θ, for example, at each address of the ROM.
≦θ<90'), and set the antilog number (sine value) of each of
Read the angle θ of inθ. At this time, conversion @11i20
The angle θ derived from the moving body 3 with respect to the reference direction
This is the absolute value of the deflection angle in the traveling direction Y, and it is not clear whether the angle θ is positive or negative with respect to the reference direction X. Therefore, for the purpose of determining whether the angle θ is positive or negative, the conversion circuit 20
The output is given to the positive/negative discrimination circuit 21.

The first arrival discrimination circuit 10 detects the detection output of the light receiver 45R and the light reception! 145L, it is determined which one came first, and the first-arrival determination output is given to the positive/negative determination circuit 21. The positive/negative determining circuit 21 is for determining whether the angle θ of the traveling direction Y with respect to the reference azimuth X is positive or negative based on the first-come-first-served determination output. Negative (=
), and when the light receiver 45L provided on the left side first detects the reflected light 6L, it is determined to be positive (+).

Therefore, when the moving body 3 travels as shown in FIG. Let the angle θ be 10.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the photodetectors 45R,
45 m, the distance traveled by the mobile body 3 from when one detects the reflected light from the light reflecting means 2R, 2L until the other detects the reflected light, and the light reflecting means 2R.

Based on the mounting interval of 2L, the traveling direction of the moving body 3 can be accurately measured. Further, the light reflecting means 2R and 2L can be easily installed even if the road surface condition of the road 1 is poor, and the detection sensitivity will not be reduced. Furthermore, since there is almost no need for maintenance, the effort for maintenance and inspection can be significantly reduced.

In the above-described embodiment, the reference direction X was selected to be parallel to the direction in which the road 1 extends, but the reference direction X may be selected, for example, north, south, east, or west, regardless of the direction in which the road 1 extends. In this case, the line segment α connecting the light reflecting means 2R and 2L
The light reflecting means 2R and 2L may be installed so that the direction is perpendicular to the reference direction X. Alternatively, the light reflecting means 2R and 2L are installed so that the line segment α is perpendicular to the direction in which the road 1 extends, as shown in the first factor, and the calculation formula for calculating the deflection angle θ is changed as appropriate. You can do it like this.

Further, in the above embodiment, light sources 42R and 42L with sharp directivity are used, but the present invention can of course be realized even if a light source with poor directivity such as a xenon lamp, an infrared lamp, or a semiconductor laser is used. be able to. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a slit 46 is provided to give directionality to the reflected light from the light reflecting means, and the reflected light transmitted through the slit 46 is reflected by a half mirror 44 to a light receiver 45. Just let it guide you. in this case,
The slit 46 has a shape similar to a so-called trumpet tube that extends vertically in a fan shape. Further, the light emitted from the light source 420 may be projected to the outside without being converged by a lens. However, it is assumed that light from the light source 420 is shielded from entering the light receiver 45.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a pulse generator that generates pulses according to the rotation of the wheels is used to detect the travel distance of the mobile body 3, but other methods may be used to detect the travel distance of the mobile body 3. It can also detect the distance traveled. For example, ultrasonic oscillators, electromagnetic wave generators, or infrared ray generators that project ultrasonic waves, electromagnetic waves, or light onto a moving plane are installed on the left and right sides of a moving object, and the reflected signals are detected, and the Doppler effect can be used to determine the moving speed, The moving distance per level time may be calculated and measured during movement, and the moving distance per unit time of the moving body may be calculated using half the sum of the left and right detection outputs and the difference.

This invention can be applied not only to automobiles, but also to golf carts at golf courses, aircraft moving on airport cooking paths,
Of course, it can also be applied to various transportation vehicles in the premises, guidance wagons for automatically guiding blind people, self-extraction machines, and various agricultural and construction equipment. In other words, it can be applied to all moving objects that move on a plane.

Note that when the present invention is applied to a moving object that runs indoors, the light reflecting means 2R and 2L may be provided on a wall or a ceiling.

Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to automatically guide a moving object by providing a plurality of sets of light reflecting means 2R, 2m at appropriate locations on the route through which the moving object passes.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the configuration is relatively simple and inexpensive, and the traveling direction of a moving body can be accurately measured. In addition, even if the road surface of the route that the moving object should travel is poor, the light reflecting means can be easily installed.
There is no reduction in the detection sensitivity of reflected light. Furthermore, there is almost no need for maintenance, and the labor for maintenance and inspection can be greatly reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an illustrative diagram showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the internal structure of the light emitting/receiving device 14 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the electrical path portion of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an illustrative diagram to help understand the heading measuring operation, which is a feature of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram geometrically showing the various positional relationships shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another example of the light emitting/receiving unit. In the figure, 1 is a road, 2R and 2 [are light reflecting means,
3 is a moving body, 4 is a light emitting and receiving device F, 4R and 4L are light emitting and receiving units, 41R and 41L are lens barrels, 42R and 42L are light sources, 43R and 43m are lenses, 44R
and 44L are half mirrors, 145R and 45L are light receivers, 10 is a first-come-first-served discrimination circuit, 15 is a pulse generator, 16
is a counter, 17 is a division circuit, 19 is an interval setting section, 20
Reference numeral 21 indicates a conversion circuit, and 21 indicates a positive/negative discrimination circuit.

Claims (4)

[Claims] (1) A moving direction measuring device for measuring the deflection angle of the moving direction of the moving object with respect to a predetermined reference direction, in which the incident light A first light reflecting means for reflecting the incident light in the same direction as the incident direction is provided, and a second light reflecting means for reflecting the incident light in the same direction as the incident direction is provided on the left side of the path along which the moving body should move. is provided, a light projecting means provided on the moving body and projecting light in left and right directions with respect to the traveling direction of the moving body, provided in association with the light projecting means and projecting light from the light projecting means. a first photodetector for receiving the light reflected by the first light reflecting means, provided in association with the light projecting means, and projected from the light projecting means to the second light reflecting means; a second photodetector for receiving light reflected by the first and second photodetectors; after one of the first and second photodetectors detects the reflected light, the other of the first and second photodetectors detects the reflected light; a traveling distance measuring means for measuring the distance traveled by the moving object until detecting the reflected light; and a traveling distance measured by the traveling distance measuring means;
measuring the traveling direction of a moving object, comprising an angle calculation means for calculating a deviation angle of the traveling direction of the moving object with respect to a predetermined reference direction based on the distance between the first and second light reflecting means. Device. (2) The distance measuring means operates according to the movement of the moving object, and generates a pulse every time the moving object moves a predetermined unit distance; and the first and second pulse generating means one of the first and second photodetectors detects the reflected light and starts counting output pulses of the pulse generating means, and the other of the first and second photodetectors detects the reflected light. counting means for finishing counting of the output pulses of the pulse generating means in response to the output of the pulse generating means, and the angle calculating means includes a count value of the output of the counting means, the first light reflecting means, and the second light reflecting means. Claim 1, characterized in that the deflection angle of the traveling direction of the moving body with respect to a predetermined reference azimuth is calculated based on the numerical value corresponding to the distance between the moving body and the reflecting means. A moving direction measuring device. (3) The pulse generating means is provided in connection with the movement of the movable body, and is configured to generate pulses in accordance with the movement of the movable body. A moving direction measuring device for a moving object as described above. (4) The angle calculating means further includes first-come-first-served discriminating means for discriminating between the output of the first photodetector and the output of the second photodetector, and a first-come-first-served discriminating means for determining the deviation angle based on the output of the first-come-first-served discriminating means. and a means for determining whether it is positive or negative.
A moving direction measuring device for a moving body according to any one of claims 1 to 3.