AUTONOMOUS MOBILE DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

To provide an autonomous mobile device that moves by tracking a tracking target in a state traveling side by side with the tracking target and that can smoothly cope with a course change of the tracking target, and to provide a control method of the same.SOLUTION: An autonomous mobile device 100 comprises: a tracking target course estimation unit 53 which estimates a first course, which is a changed course of a tracking target 200, when detecting a sign that the tracking target 200 is changing a course; a course determination unit 51 which determines a second course of the autonomous mobile device 100 for moving the autonomous mobile device 100 in a state traveling side by side with the tracking target 200 when assuming the tracking target 200 moves along the first course; and an operation determination unit 54 which determines whether or not to stop the autonomous mobile device 100 at a position at the time when the sign has been detected until the tracking target 200 starts moving along the changed course based on the position of the autonomous mobile device 100 and the first course.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4 【課題】追従対象と併走した状態で、追従対象に追従して移動する自律移動装置において、追従対象の進路変更にスムーズに対応できる自律移動装置およびその制御方法を提供する。【解決手段】追従対象２００が進路を変更しようとする予兆を検知した場合に、追従対象２００の変更後の進路である第１進路を推定する追従対象進路推定部５３と、第１進路に沿って追従対象２００が移動すると仮定した場合に、追従対象２００と併走した状態で移動させるための自律移動装置１００の第２進路を決定する進路決定部５１と、予兆を検知した時点での自律移動装置１００の位置および第１進路に基づいて、追従対象２００が変更後の進路に沿って移動を開始するまで自律移動装置１００を位置で停止させるか否かを決定する動作決定部５４と、を有する。【選択図】図４