Mobile apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017285643-A1
Application number	US-201715469960-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2016
Publication date	Oct 5, 2017
Grant date	—

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 range sensor that is mounted to the main body and measures 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; an operation device configured to generate a route data according to which the main body is moved; and a mobile mechanism that moves the main body according to the route data generated by the operation device, wherein 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, the first specified location and the second specified location being set in the specified range, a determination unit that determines 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, an approaching route data generation unit that generates, based on the determination of the determination unit, 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, and a route data switching unit that, after the approaching route data is generated, switches traveling route for the main body from the wide route data to the approaching route data, and wherein the approaching route data generation unit generates the approaching route data while the main body is traveling according to the generated wide route data.

2 . The mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the route data switching unit switches the traveling route for the main body from the wide route data to the approaching route data without causing the main body to stop,

3 . The mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the approaching route data generation unit generates the approaching route data in which 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.

4 . The mobile apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the approaching route data generation unit corrects the approaching route data sequentially based on the determination of the determination unit while the main body is moving from the second specified location to the target location.

5 . 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 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

• G01S17/87

  Combinations of systems using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves · 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

• G01S17/08

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