Autonomous traveling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10444758-B2
Application number	US-201615365258-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 1, 2015
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

An autonomous traveling device includes a vehicle body, a traveling body to move the vehicle body, a ranging device to consecutively change a direction of emission of light beams while optically scanning a scanning range, and a reflection body to change a direction of an optical path of at least part of light beams emitted from the ranging device and reflected to an area other than a center area of the scanning range. Further, an autonomous traveling device includes an optical path changing device. The optical path changing device changes an angle of inclination downwardly relative to a scanning plane of the ranging device and changes a direction of an incident light from a lateral direction to a forward direction of the vehicle body. Further, the optical path changing device changes a direction of an incident light toward a foot area of the vehicle body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous traveling device comprising:
a vehicle body;
a traveling body configured to move the vehicle body;
a ranging device configured to consecutively change a direction of emission of light beams while optically scanning a scanning range; and
a reflection body configured to change a direction of an optical path of at least part of light beams emitted from the ranging device and reflected to an area other than a center area of the scanning range,
wherein an entire scanning surface of the reflection body on the vehicle body is disposed behind a light emitting position at which the ranging device emits the light beams while optically scanning, relative to a travel direction of the vehicle body, and
wherein the reflection body reflects the at least part of the light beams emitted from the ranging device to a foot area in the travel direction of the vehicle body without changing an arrangement angle of the reflection body.

2. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reflection body reflects an incident light on a scanning plane of the ranging device downwardly relative to the scanning plane of the ranging device in the travel direction of the vehicle body.

3. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 2 , further comprising a light reflecting direction changing device configured to change a light reflecting direction of the reflection body.

4. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the light beams includes direct light beams emitted directly in the travel direction of the vehicle body from the ranging device without being reflected on the reflection body and reflection light beams reflected on the reflection body, and
wherein, when information of an object in front of the vehicle body detected by the direct light beams is different from information of an object in the travel direction of the vehicle body detected by the reflection light beams, the light reflecting direction changing device causes the reflection body to swing at different angles of inclination of the reflection body relative to the scanning plane.

5. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the reflection body includes multiple reflection bodies and the light reflecting direction changing device configured to change the light reflecting direction of the respective reflection bodies includes multiple light reflecting direction changing devices, and
wherein the multiple reflection bodies and the corresponding multiple light reflecting direction changing devices constitute multiple pairs.

6. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the light reflecting direction changing devices of the multiple pairs cause the corresponding reflection bodies to swing at different angles of inclination in the light reflection direction relative to the scanning plane.

7. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reflection body includes a lateral side reflection body configured to reflect and direct the reflection light beams toward the foot area on a lateral side of the vehicle body.

8. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 7 ,
wherein the reflection body includes a rear side reflection body configured to reflect and direct the reflection light beams toward the foot area on a rear side of the vehicle body.

9. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reflection body includes a reflection body configured to reflect incident light beams toward the center area of the scanning range of the ranging device.

10. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the reflection body includes multiple reflection bodies.

11. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an object shape storing device configured to store information of a shape of an object existing around a travel path of the vehicle body; and
an object shape checking device configured to generate information of the shape of the object based on a detection result obtained by the ranging device and compare the information of the shape of the object stored in the object shape storing device and the generated information of the shape of the object.

12. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 , further comprising a storing device configured to separately store measured range information obtained by the reflection light beams reflected on the reflection body and emitted to an object and measured range information obtained by the direct light beams directly emitted to the object.

13. The autonomous traveling device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an obstacle detector configured to detect an obstacle based on range information of a distance obtained by the ranging device;
a self position estimating device configured to estimate a self position based on the range information and correct a self position obtained by an amount of movement of the vehicle body using the estimated self position; and
a traveling body controller configured to control the traveling body based on the obstacle information obtained by the obstacle detector and the self position corrected by the self position estimating device.

14. An autonomous traveling device comprising:
a vehicle body;
a traveling body configured to move the vehicle body;
a ranging device configured to consecutively change a direction of emission of light beams while optically scanning a scanning range; and
an optical path changing device configured to change a direction of an optical path of at least part of light beams emitted from the ranging device and reflected to an area other than a center area of the scanning range,
the optical path changing device changing an angle of inclination downwardly relative to a scanning plane of the ranging device and changing a direction of an incident light to a forward direction in a width of the vehicle body,
wherein an entire scanning surface of the optical path changing device on the vehicle body is disposed behind a light emitting position at which the ranging device emits the light beams while optically scanning, relative to a travel direction of the vehicle body, and
wherein the optical path changing device reflects the at least part of the light beams emitted from the ranging device to a foot area in the travel direction of the vehicle body without changing an arrangement angle of the optical path changing device.

15. An autonomous traveling device comprising:
a vehicle body;
a traveling body configured to move the vehicle body;
a ranging device configured to consecutively change a direction of emission of light beams while optically scanning a scanning range; and
an optical path changing device configured to change a direction of an optical path of at least part of light beams emitted from the ranging device and reflected to an area other than a center area of the scanning range,
the optical path changing device including a device configured to change a direction of an incident light toward a foot area of the vehicle body,
wherein an entire scanning surface of the optical path changing device on the vehicle body is disposed behind a light emitting position at which the ranging device emits the light beams while optically scanning, relative to a travel direction of the vehicle body, and
wherein the optical path changing device reflects the at least part of the light beams emitted from the ranging device to the foot area in the travel direction of the vehicle body without changing an arrangement angle of the optical path changing device.

Assignees

• Serizawa Keiichi
• Takabayashi Kazuhiro
• Maeda Daisuke
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Serizawa Keiichi
• Takabayashi Kazuhiro
• Maeda Daisuke

Classifications

• G06V20/58

  Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads · CPC title

• G06V10/145

  Illumination specially adapted for pattern recognition, e.g. using gratings · CPC title

• G01C21/3407

  specially adapted for specific applications · CPC title

• G01C3/08

  Use of electric radiation detectors · CPC title

• G08G1/16

  Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08) · CPC title