Method for operating a cleaning vehicle

Abstract

A method for the operation of a cleaning vehicle, in particular a street sweeper capable of being operated in automated fashion, by a control device. A trajectory is calculated and control commands are produced for a longitudinal guiding and transverse guiding of the cleaning vehicle during travel of the calculated trajectory. Measurement data are received from at least one sensor in order to ascertain a cleaning region. At least one actuator is controlled, based on the received measurement data, in order to position a cleaning device of the cleaning vehicle in the longitudinal direction and/or transverse direction relative to a direction of travel of the cleaning vehicle, in order to clean the cleaning region. A control device, a computer program, and a machine-readable storage medium are also described.

Claims

1. A method for operating a cleaning vehicle that is operable in an automated manner by a control device, the method comprising: calculating a trajectory, and producing control commands for longitudinally guiding and transversely guiding the cleaning vehicle during travel of the calculated trajectory; receiving measurement data from at least one sensor to ascertain a cleaning region; and controlling at least one actuator, based on the received measurement data, to position a cleaning device of the cleaning vehicle in a longitudinal direction and/or transverse direction relative to a direction of travel of the cleaning vehicle, to clean the cleaning region; wherein the cleaning device is positioned relative to the cleaning vehicle by the at least one actuator as a function of a type of the ascertained cleaning region.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the cleaning vehicle is a street sweeper.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is activated or deactivated as a function of the ascertained cleaning region.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a positioning of the cleaning device is carried out through the longitudinal guiding and the transverse guiding of the cleaning vehicle and/or by the at least one actuator.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the positioning of the cleaning device is carried out by the control device so that a portion of the longitudinal guiding and/or the transverse guiding of the cleaning vehicle in the positioning of the cleaning device is minimal.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the positioning of the cleaning device is carried out through the longitudinal guiding and the transverse guiding of the cleaning vehicle, and/or by the at least one actuator, based on an algorithm of the control device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the measurement data are used by the control device for ascertaining a position of the cleaning region, in a form of a soiling edge or a roadway edge.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the measurement data for the ascertaining of the position of the cleaning region is ascertained by the at least one sensor and/or by at least one environmental sensor of the cleaning vehicle.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one travelable roadway, and/or other traffic participants, and/or dynamic objects, and/or static objects, and/or pedestrians, and/or traffic regulations are ascertained by the at least one sensor and/or by at least one environmental sensor of the cleaning vehicle.

10. A control apparatus for operating a cleaning vehicle, comprising: a control device connectable to at least one sensor for evaluating measurement data, wherein the control device is configured to perform the following: calculating a trajectory and producing control commands for longitudinally guiding and transversely guiding the cleaning vehicle during travel of the calculated trajectory; receiving measurement data from the at least one sensor to ascertain a cleaning region; and controlling at least one actuator, based on the received measurement data, to position a cleaning device of the cleaning vehicle in a longitudinal direction and/or transverse direction relative to a direction of travel of the cleaning vehicle, to clean the cleaning region; wherein the cleaning device is positioned relative to the cleaning vehicle by the at least one actuator as a function of a type of the ascertained cleaning region.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, on which is stored a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising: a program code arrangement having program code for operating a cleaning vehicle that is operable in an automated manner by a control device having the processor, for performing the following: calculating a trajectory and producing control commands for longitudinally guiding and transversely guiding the cleaning vehicle during travel of the calculated trajectory; receiving measurement data from at least one sensor to ascertain a cleaning region; and controlling at least one actuator, based on the received measurement data, to position a cleaning device of the cleaning vehicle in a longitudinal direction and/or transverse direction relative to a direction of travel of the cleaning vehicle, to clean the cleaning region; wherein the cleaning device is positioned relative to the cleaning vehicle by the at least one actuator as a function of a type of the ascertained cleaning region.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a cleaning vehicle illustrating the method for the case of a flat roadway boundary, according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a cleaning vehicle illustrating the method for the case of a flat roadway boundary, according to a further specific embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a cleaning vehicle illustrating the method for the case of a curbstone as roadway boundary, according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

(4) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a cleaning vehicle 1 illustrating the method for the case of a flat roadway boundary 2, according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

(5) Cleaning vehicle 1 is realized as a large street sweeper, and has a cleaning device 4. In the Figure, a cleaning tool 6 of cleaning device 4 is shown. Cleaning tool 4 is realized as a rotating brush.

(6) Cleaning device 4 has a sensor 8. Sensor 8 is a lidar sensor acting in two dimensions that can scan roadway edge 2. Through sensor 8, a relative distance can be measured, in transverse direction Q, between cleaning vehicle 1 and roadway edge 2. In addition, the type of roadway edge 2 can be ascertained on the basis of measurement values of sensor 8.

(7) In addition to roadway edge 2, a cleaning region 9 is ascertained using the measurement data of sensor 8. Cleaning region 9 is a region that is cleaned by cleaning tool 6 in the course of trajectory T.

(8) Sensor 8 is connected in data-conducting fashion to a control device 10 of cleaning vehicle 1. In addition, at least one further sensor 12 is connected in data-conducting fashion to control device 10. Sensor 12 is a camera sensor and is realized as an environmental sensor 12 of cleaning vehicle 1. With the aid of environmental sensor 12, cleaning vehicle 1 can be guided along a trajectory T by control device 10.

(9) While cleaning vehicle 1 is guided or steered along trajectory T, sensor 8 detects roadway edge 2 and the distance of cleaning tool 6 from roadway edge 2. Control device 10 here generates, as a function of the received measurement data from sensor 8, control commands for controlling an actuator 14. Using actuator 14, the position of rotating brush 6 can be adjusted in order to achieve an optimal cleaning result.

(10) According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an optimal position of rotating brush 6 is set. Here, rotating brush 6 overlaps flat roadway edge 2, here realized as a roadway marking.

(11) FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a cleaning vehicle 1 illustrating the method for the case of a flat roadway boundary 2, according to a further specific embodiment. Differing from the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, here roadway boundary 2 is realized in the form of the edge of a lawn.

(12) The lawn edge and its position are detected here by sensor 8, and cleaning tool 6 is set by actuator 14 to the position shown in FIG. 2.

(13) FIG. 3 shows a further schematic representation of a cleaning vehicle 1 illustrating the method for the case of a curbstone 3 as an uneven roadway boundary 3, according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

(14) Differing from the above-described exemplary embodiments, cleaning vehicle 1 has a cleaning device 4 having two cleaning tools 6, 7. Cleaning tools 6, 7 are realized as rotating brushes 6, 7. A first rotating brush 6 is situated in the longitudinal direction L between the wheels, laterally on cleaning vehicle 1, and is adjustable in its position via a first actuator 14.

(15) A second rotating brush 7 is situated in the direction of travel, or longitudinal direction L, of cleaning vehicle 1, in front of vehicle 1, and can be adjusted in its position via a second actuator 15.

(16) Actuators 14, 15 are both connected to control device 10 in such a way that, based on measurement data of sensor 8, control device 10 can adjust the positions of cleaning tools 6, 7 independently of one another.

(17) Here, the position of first brush 6 is set in such a way that a surface of curbstone 3 that is at the road, i.e. is lower, is cleaned. Second brush 7 has a position that is optimal for cleaning that is set higher than the position of first brush 6. In this way, second brush 7 cleans an upper surface, or a side away from the roadway, of curbstone 3. Through the depicted configuration of cleaning tools 6, 7, an optimal cleaning of curbstone 3 can be realized in automated fashion.