クローラ型ロボットにおける超音波センサアレイを用いた360°近接検知機能の実現

抄録

Collision avoidance is one of the most important safety functions for service robots working with humans. To avoid collisions, obstacles must be detected by sensors. The crawler-type robot we are developing for autonomous outdoor mobility has an exposed crawler section, so it is necessary to prevent people and objects from being entangled in the rotating section. We evaluated a 360° proximity detection and entrapment prevention function using an ultrasonic sensor array, which is available and inexpensive for outdoor use. It was found that by placing sensors around the robot's periphery and at the apex of the triangular-shaped crawler section, both 360° coverage and the anti-entrapment function could be achieved.