Mobile apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10248123-B2
Application number	US-201715469960-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

A mobile apparatus includes a main body, a range sensor, an operation device, and a mobile mechanism. The operation device includes a wide route data generation unit that generates a wide route data according to which the main body is moved from a first specified location to a second specified location, a determination unit that determines a location and a posture of a reference object, an approaching route data generation unit that generates an approaching route data according to which the main body is moved from the second specified location to a target location, and a route data switching unit that switches traveling route from the wide rote data to the approaching route data after the approaching route data is generated. The approaching route data generation unit generates the approaching route data while the main body is traveling according to the generated wide route data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile apparatus that moves in a specified range, comprising:
a main body;
a laser range sensor that is mounted to the main body and configured to measure a distance between the main body and an object that is present at a position in a specified direction with respect to the main body;
a microprocessor having a CPU configured to generate a route data according to which the main body is moved; and
a drive wheel motor and a steering device which are configured to move the main body according to the route data generated by the microprocessor, wherein
the microprocessor is configured to:
generate a wide route data according to which the main body is moved from a first specified location to a second specified location, the first specified location and the second specified location being set in the specified range,
determine a location and a posture of a reference object that is located in the vicinity of the second specified location based on the measured distance received from the range sensor, and
generate, based on the determined location and posture of the reference object, an approaching route data according to which the main body is moved from the second specified location to a target location at which the main body is placed in a specified location and a specified posture with respect to the reference object,

wherein the mobile apparatus further comprises a route data switch configured to switch a traveling route for the main body from being based on the wide route data to the approaching route data after the approaching route data is generated,
wherein the microprocessor is further configured to generate the approaching route data while the main body is traveling according to the generated wide route data, and
wherein in the approaching route data a same speed is set for a terminal speed of the main body traveling according to the wide route data and an initial speed of the main body traveling according to the approaching route data.

2. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the microprocessor is further configured to correct the approaching route data sequentially based on the determined location and posture of the reference object while the main body is moving from the second specified location to the target location.

3. The mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the mobile apparatus is a forklift truck having a fork assembly mounted to the main body,
a specified angular range is provided in the specified direction with respect to the forklift truck, and
the laser range sensor detects an object that is present in a space specified in front of the fork assembly and within the specified angular range.

Assignees

• Toyota Jidoshokki Kk

Inventors

• Ichinose Makoto
• Koide Mitsuo
• TSUSAKA Yuuji
• Tanaka Minoru
• Fujii Akinobu

Classifications

• G01S17/08

  for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48) · CPC title

• G01S17/931

  of land vehicles · CPC title

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title

• G01S7/4808

  Evaluating distance, position or velocity data · CPC title

• G01S17/87

  Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · CPC title