Autonomous traveling work system, autonomous traveling work method, management server, and program

Abstract

To provide an autonomous traveling work system, an autonomous traveling work method, a management server, and a program that can be smoothly operated by acquiring information indicating a use situation of a work area and creating a work plan corresponding to the use situation.SOLUTION: The management server (3) includes a situation information acquiring unit (54) that acquires situation information indicating a use situation of the area (100), a difference determining unit (55) that determines whether the use situation is different from a normal use situation of the area (100), a temporary map creating unit (56) that creates a temporary environmental map 101a by reflecting the difference in the use situation on a normal environmental map (101) of the area (100) when the use situation is different from the normal use situation, and a temporary plan creating unit (57) that creates a temporary work plan based on the temporary environmental map 101a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous navigation and work system, an autonomous navigation and work method, a management server, and a program for an autonomous navigation and work device that performs autonomous navigation and work in a predetermined work area according to a work plan that has been set in advance. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, autonomous mobile work devices are configured to perform automated mobile work (cleaning) by traveling and performing work (cleaning) in a predetermined work area according to a preset work plan. For example, when an autonomous mobile work device is operated in a work area such as a shopping mall, it often performs teaching runs in advance to create an environmental map and work plan for the work area, and then performs automated mobile work when no one is present, such as outside business hours.

[0003] When business is conducted as usual in a work area, the autonomous driving work (cleaning) can be carried out according to a pre-registered work plan, but in work areas such as shopping malls, the layout may suddenly change for a limited period of time to accommodate events, special events, etc. Information about such changes to the work area is often not communicated to the cleaning management company, which means that the autonomous driving work device is no longer able to carry out the autonomous driving work according to the pre-registered work plan, and cleaners are forced to respond on the spot.

[0004] For example, in Patent Document 1, a system for cleaning a floor comprises at least one cleaning robot, a control means for controlling the cleaning robot, and a communication means for detecting at least one environmental event, wherein the environmental event is an event determined from a data bank, in particular a weather event, or an event determined by a sensor, and the control means adjusts the intensity of use of the cleaning robot for cleaning at least a part of the floor depending on the environmental event. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6681360 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, while conventional technologies such as those described in Patent Document 1 can acquire weather information for the day and reflect it in the operation of the cleaning robot, they cannot perform autonomous driving work in response to various usage conditions, such as layout changes, on the day. Furthermore, in the case of events or special events where layout changes are suddenly made on the day, usage conditions such as layout changes may not be communicated to the cleaning management company or the autonomous driving work system. This results in the problem that the cleaning management company or the autonomous driving work system cannot grasp the usage conditions of the work area, preventing the autonomous driving work device from properly performing autonomous cleaning.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems described above, and the object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous driving work system, an autonomous driving work method, a management server, and a program that can be operated smoothly by obtaining information indicating the usage status of a work area and creating a work plan that corresponds to that usage status. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, the first autonomous driving work system of the present invention is an autonomous driving work system for an autonomous driving work device that performs autonomous driving work in accordance with a pre-set work plan for a specified work area, and is characterized by comprising: a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information indicating the usage status of the work area; a difference determination unit that determines whether the usage status differs from the normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation unit that, when the usage status differs from the normal usage status, creates a temporary environmental map that reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map of the work area; and a temporary plan creation unit that creates a temporary work plan that modifies the work plan based on the temporary environmental map.

[0009] According to the first autonomous driving work system of the present invention, when layout changes are made in a work area due to an event or other reason, even if no notification of usage status such as layout changes is made, information indicating the usage status of the work area can be obtained and a work plan corresponding to the usage status can be created, thereby enabling smooth operation by performing appropriate autonomous driving work that corresponds to various usage statuses such as layout changes.

[0010] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, the second autonomous driving work system of the present invention has a temporary map creation unit that creates a temporary environmental map that reflects the cleaning restricted area indicated by the usage status, and a temporary plan creation unit that creates the temporary work plan so as to avoid the cleaning restricted area.

[0011] According to the second autonomous driving work system of the present invention, even if there is no notification that a restricted cleaning area has been created due to a layout change in the work area, the system can avoid this restricted cleaning area and perform appropriate autonomous driving work.

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, in a third autonomous navigation and operation system of the present invention, the situation information acquisition section periodically acquires the situation information from an external website or an external information storage device.

[0013] According to the third autonomous navigation work system of the present invention, it is possible to obtain information from multiple angles about the usage status of the work area, such as newer events and special events.

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, in the fourth autonomous driving work system of the present invention, the situation information acquisition unit acquires, as the situation information, at least drawing data or text data indicating the location of an event to be held in the work area, and text data indicating the usage period of the event.

[0015] According to the fourth autonomous traveling work system of the present invention, it is possible to carry out autonomous traveling cleaning during the event usage period, taking into account the location of the event.

[0016] In order to solve the above problems, the autonomous driving work method of the present invention is an autonomous driving work method for an autonomous driving work device that performs automatic driving work in accordance with a predetermined work plan for a specified work area, and is characterized by having the following steps: a situation information acquisition process for acquiring situation information indicating the usage status of the work area; a difference determination process for determining whether the usage status differs from the normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation process for creating a temporary environmental map that reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map of the work area if the usage status differs from the normal usage status; and a temporary plan creation process for creating a temporary work plan that modifies the work plan based on the temporary environmental map.

[0017] In order to solve the above problems, the management server of the present invention is a management server that manages an autonomous driving work device that performs autonomous driving work in accordance with a work plan that has been preset for a specified work area, and is characterized by comprising: a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information indicating the usage status of the work area; a difference determination unit that determines whether the usage status differs from the normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation unit that, when the usage status differs from the normal usage status, creates a temporary environmental map that reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map of the work area; and a temporary plan creation unit that creates a temporary work plan that modifies the work plan based on the temporary environmental map.

[0018] In order to solve the above problem, the program of the present invention is a program for a management server that manages an autonomous driving work device that performs autonomous driving work in accordance with a predetermined work plan for a specified work area, and is characterized in that it causes the computer of the management server to execute the following steps: a status information acquisition process that acquires status information indicating the usage status of the work area; a difference determination process that determines whether the usage status differs from the normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation process that, if the usage status differs from the normal usage status, creates a temporary environmental map that reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map of the work area; and a temporary plan creation process that creates a temporary work plan that modifies the work plan based on the temporary environmental map. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain information indicating the usage status of a work area, create a work plan corresponding to that usage status, and provide an autonomous driving work system, an autonomous driving work method, a management server, and a program that can be operated smoothly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous mobile work device in an autonomous mobile work system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the autonomous mobile work device according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a management server according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an operation terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cleaning area in an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an environmental map in an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route in an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 9] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a layout diagram of an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a cleaning area in which characteristic points are set in an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an environmental map on which specific feature points are set in an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a temporary environmental map in an autonomous navigation and operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route for a temporary cleaning plan in an autonomous mobile operation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of the autonomous navigation and operation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are preferred specific examples of the present invention and disclose various preferred techniques, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects.

[0022] [Autonomous Driving and Work System] An autonomous mobile work system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the autonomous mobile work system 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the autonomous mobile work system 1 comprises an autonomous mobile work device 2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that autonomously travels and automatically works (cleans) in a work area (cleaning area), a management server 3 (see FIG. 4) that manages the autonomous mobile work device 2, and an operation terminal 4 (see FIG. 5) that remotely controls the autonomous mobile work device 2. The autonomous mobile work device 2 and operation terminal 4 are communicably connected to the management server 3 via a network 6 such as the Internet. The management server 3 is also connected via the network 6 so as to be able to access an external website 7 and an external information storage device 8.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the autonomous mobile work device 2, and Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the autonomous mobile work device 2. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the management server 3, and Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the operation terminal 4.

[0024] [Autonomous mobile work device] First, we will explain the autonomous mobile work device 2. Note that the directions indicated by arrows in Figure 2 are set relative to the operator operating the autonomous mobile work device 2, and "Fr" shown in the figure indicates "front," "Rr" indicates "rear," "L" indicates "left," "R" indicates "right," "U" indicates "up," and "D" indicates "down."

[0025] The autonomously traveling work device 2 is a vehicle capable of manual traveling based on manual operation and autonomous traveling (automatic traveling) based on automatic control, and operates in either a manual traveling mode or an automatic traveling mode. In the automatic traveling mode, the autonomously traveling work device 2 performs automatic traveling cleaning (automatic traveling work), traveling autonomously and automatically cleaning (working) based on a cleaning plan (work plan) consisting of preset data and programs for the work area that is the target of the automatic traveling cleaning. Figure 6 shows an example of a cleaning area 100, which is the work area of ​​a facility where the autonomously traveling work device 2 will perform automatic traveling cleaning.

[0026] The autonomous mobile work device 2 performs mobile cleaning by supplying cleaning water to clean the floor surface of a cleaning area 100 while traveling on a vehicle body 10, and may be configured as a ride-on self-propelled type, or as an autonomous mobile so-called robotic floor washer. The autonomous mobile work device 2 targets cleaning of all or part of a target facility, such as a commercial facility such as a shopping mall, an office, a hotel, a hospital, a school, or a factory, as the cleaning area 100. At least one cleaning area 100, or two or more cleaning areas 100, may be set for each floor of the target facility.

[0027] 2, autonomous mobile work device 2 comprises a body 10 for accommodating each component, a traveling unit 11 for moving body 10, and a cleaning unit 12 for cleaning the floor surface below body 10. As will be described later, cleaning unit 12 comprises a cleaning pad 23, a supply pump 24, a squeegee device 25, a cleaning tank 26, a recovery tank 27, a suction blower 28, and the like.

[0028] Autonomous mobile work device 2 performs floor cleaning work while traveling with vehicle body 10. The floor cleaning work is performed by driving supply pump 24 to supply cleaning water and the like from cleaning tank 26 to cleaning pad 23 while rotating cleaning pad 23 on the floor. After cleaning, the dirty water is collected in squeegee device 25, which is towed to the rear of vehicle body 10, and is sucked and collected from squeegee device 25 into collection tank 27 by driving suction blower 28.

[0029] The autonomous mobile work device 2 also has a travel operation unit 13 and an operation display unit 14 for operating and displaying various functions of the autonomous mobile work device 2, and the travel operation unit 13 and the operation display unit 14 form an operation unit for the autonomous mobile work device 2. The autonomous mobile work device 2 also has a measurement unit 15 that measures the distance and angle (for example, the angle with respect to the forward direction of the vehicle body 10) between the vehicle body 10 and obstacles (objects) such as walls and ornaments around the vehicle body 10, and an imaging unit 16 that captures images of the area around the vehicle body 10. As shown in FIG. 2 , the autonomous mobile work device 2 also has a power supply unit 17 that controls charging of the battery (not shown) and supplies power to each unit, and an apparatus-side control unit 18 that provides overall control of each unit and various functions of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (travel by the travel unit 11, cleaning by the cleaning unit 12, measurement by the measurement unit 15, etc.).

[0030] The vehicle body 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped appearance. A pair of left and right wheels 21 and a pair of left and right casters 22 are provided on the bottom of the vehicle body 10 as a running part 11.

[0031] Each of the pair of left and right wheels 21 has a left and right drive motor (not shown), and the left and right drive motors are provided with left and right encoders (not shown) that detect the number of rotations. The drive motors can simultaneously rotate the wheels 21 to move the vehicle body 10 forward or backward, while the left or right wheel 21 can be stopped or rotated at a reduced speed while simultaneously rotating the right or left wheel 21 to turn the vehicle body 10 left or right. The pair of left and right casters 22 are positioned rearward of the wheels 21 and are rotatably supported on the bottom surface of the vehicle body 10.

[0032] The cleaning unit 12 is provided under the vehicle body 10 and is configured to clean the floor surface below the vehicle body 10. The cleaning unit 12 cleans the floor surface in accordance with initially set cleaning data, cleaning data set via the operation display unit 14, or cleaning data set by automatic control.

[0033] The cleaning unit 12 is composed of a wet cleaning mechanism that cleans the floor surface using cleaning water as a detergent, for example, and includes a cleaning pad 23 that comes into contact with the floor surface to clean it, a supply pump 24 for supplying and spraying the cleaning water onto the floor surface, and a squeegee device 25 that collects the cleaning water used to clean the floor surface, i.e., wastewater. Inside the body 10, the cleaning unit 12 is equipped with a cleaning tank 26 that stores fresh water or cleaning water, and a recovery tank 27 that stores the cleaning water used to clean the floor surface, i.e., wastewater.

[0034] The cleaning unit 12 also has a suction blower 28 inside the vehicle body 10 that creates a negative pressure inside the collection tank 27, and the suction blower 28 functions as a suction unit that sucks the wastewater collected by the squeegee device 25 into the collection tank 27. The cleaning unit 12 also has a cleaning motor 29 that rotates the cleaning pad 23 on the floor surface, a pad cylinder 30 that moves the cleaning pad 23 up and down relative to the floor surface, and a squeegee cylinder 31 that moves the squeegee device 25 up and down relative to the floor surface. Most of the top and side surfaces of the cleaning pad 23 are covered by a pad cover 32 (which also serves as a bumper) that is fixed to the front underside of the vehicle body 10. Note that a rotating brush may be used as a cleaning member instead of the cleaning pad 23.

[0035] The squeegee device 25 is disposed below the rear of the vehicle body 10. The squeegee device 25 is a device that is towed to the rear of the vehicle body 10 and collects cleaning water (sewage) after cleaning. The squeegee device 25 receives and collects the sewage discharged rearward from the cleaning pad 23, and the collected sewage is sucked up by a suction hose 33 connected to the suction blower 28 using the suction force of the suction blower 28, and the sucked up sewage is collected in a collection tank 27 connected to the suction hose 33.

[0036] The cleaning data for the cleaning unit 12 as described above includes the start / stop of rotation of the cleaning pad 23, the start / stop of cleaning water supply by the supply pump 24, the start / stop of suction by the suction blower 28, the strength of the contact pressure of the cleaning pad 23 against the floor surface and the rotation speed, the amount of cleaning water supplied by the supply pump 24, and the suction strength by the suction blower 28.

[0037] Travel operation unit 13 is provided at the rear of body 10 and includes a handle 34 and a throttle (not shown) for operating manual travel. Handle 34 is a component that is held and operated by an operator who performs floor cleaning work with self-propelled autonomously traveling work device 2 or who teaches travel with autonomously traveling work device 2. Travel operation unit 13 converts the amount of steering of handle 34 or the amount of throttle operation by the operator into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal to travel unit 11 to drive the drive motor, thereby enabling manual travel or taught travel.

[0038] The operation display unit 14 is provided on the rear side of the vehicle body 10 and includes, for example, a main switch, a forced stop button, a microphone, a speaker, and a display, all of which are not shown. Each part of the operation display unit 14 is connected to the device-side control unit 18. The operation display unit 14 may be configured integrally with the vehicle body 10, or may be configured as a tablet terminal or the like that is detachable from the vehicle body 10.

[0039] The main switch is configured to be switchable between "off," "manual," and "automatic." By switching the main switch to "manual," the device-side control unit 18 (mode switching unit 40) switches the operation mode of the autonomously traveling work apparatus 2 to manual traveling mode, while by switching the main switch to "automatic," the device-side control unit 18 (mode switching unit 40) switches the operation mode of the autonomously traveling work apparatus 2 to automatic traveling mode.

[0040] The forced stop button operates to forcibly stop the autonomous mobile work device 2, and outputs a forced stop signal to the device-side control unit 18 in response to the operation. The speaker generates an alarm sound or the like in response to control from the device-side control unit 18. The display is composed of a touch panel or the like, and displays various screens in response to control signals from the device-side control unit 18, and transmits operation signals to the device-side control unit 18 based on touch operations on each screen.

[0041] The measurement unit 15 includes an obstacle sensor 15a that measures the distance and angle between the vehicle body 10 and obstacles (objects) and walls around the vehicle body 10. The obstacle sensor 15a is provided, for example, on the front of the vehicle body 10 and is composed of a laser range finder (LRF) or the like, and detects obstacles that exist within a predetermined measurable height (e.g., 30 cm) from the floor and within a predetermined measurable range (e.g., a radius of 20 m) from the obstacle sensor 15a. Note that multiple LRFs (two LRFs) that make up the obstacle sensor 15a are provided in the left and right directions. The measurement unit 15 is connected to the device-side control unit 18 and transmits measurement results to the device-side control unit 18.

[0042] The measurement unit 15 also includes a bumper sensor 15b attached to the pad cover 32, which also serves as a bumper, for detecting contact with a wall or obstacle, a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 15c for detecting obstacles approaching the vehicle body 10, and a step sensor 15d for detecting steps on the floor surface on which the traveling unit 11 travels. The ultrasonic sensor 15c can detect unknown obstacles approaching the vehicle body 10. The step sensor 15d is composed of an infrared sensor facing forward and downward from the front of the vehicle body 10, and is provided to detect stairs or grooves on the floor surface in the forward and downward direction, and to prevent the vehicle body 10 from falling into stairs or large grooves.

[0043] The imaging unit 16 includes a front camera 16a capable of capturing images of the front view of the vehicle body 10, including the floor, and a rear camera 16b capable of capturing images of the rear view of the vehicle body 10. The front camera 16a can detect unknown obstacles approaching the vehicle body 10.

[0044] The power supply unit 17 includes a battery (power supply) mounted inside the vehicle body 10 and is configured to be rechargeable by connecting to an external power source, and supplies power to each component of the autonomous traveling and working device 2.

[0045] The device-side control unit 18 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like. As shown in FIG. 3, the device-side control unit 18 is connected to the device-side storage unit 36 ​​via a bus 37, and the bus 37 is further connected to an interface 38. The device-side control unit 18 is also connected to the traveling unit 11, cleaning unit 12, traveling operation unit 13, operation display unit 14, measurement unit 15, imaging unit 16, and power supply unit 17 via the bus 37 and interface 38, and is further connected to a device-side communication unit 39. The device-side communication unit 39 wirelessly communicates with external devices such as the management server 3 by a wireless communication method using a wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or short-range wireless such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0046] The device-side storage unit 36 ​​is made up of a ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, flash memory, etc., and stores programs and data for controlling each part and various functions of the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2. The device-side control unit 18 reads the programs and data stored in the device-side storage unit 36 ​​and executes these programs to control each part and various functions. The functions of the device-side control unit 18 will be described in detail below.

[0047] The apparatus-side control unit 18 receives cleaning plans and automatic driving instructions from the management server 3 via the apparatus-side communication unit 39, and stores the cleaning plans in the apparatus-side memory unit 36. Note that when a work schedule for a cleaning plan is formulated by the management server 3 or when a cleaning plan is changed, the apparatus-side control unit 18 also receives a cleaning plan from the management server 3 and stores and updates it in the apparatus-side memory unit 36. In addition, while the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performing automatic driving and cleaning based on a cleaning plan in response to automatic driving instructions, the apparatus-side control unit 18 transmits work status information (e.g., area identification number, etc.) of the cleaning area 100 being worked on, such as the driving status, cleaning status, and notification information, to the management server 3 via the apparatus-side communication unit 39.

[0048] A cleaning plan includes, for example, an environmental map 101 (see, for example, Figures 7 and 8), a floor identification number, a travel route 102 (see, for example, Figure 8), cleaning data, and a work start time for a cleaning area 100. A different plan identification number is assigned to each cleaning plan. The coordinates in the cleaning area 100 (environmental map 101) are recorded in the work order in the travel route 102 of the cleaning plan. For example, the travel route 102 is set for the cleaning area 100 in Figure 6 as shown in Figure 8. In Figure 8, the start position of the travel route 102 is indicated by a white circle, and the end position of the travel route 102 is indicated by a black circle.

[0049] The device-side control unit 18 performs overall control of each unit and each function by executing arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the device-side storage unit 36. For example, a computer such as the device-side control unit 18 executes the programs stored in the device-side storage unit 36 ​​to operate as a mode switching unit 40, a map creation unit 41, a plan creation unit 42, and an automatic driving control unit 43.

[0050] Next, each part executed by the device-side control part 18 will be described.

[0051] Mode switching unit 40 switches the operating mode of autonomous mobile work device 2 between manual driving mode and automatic driving mode in response to operation of a main switch or the like on operation display unit 14. While the operating mode is set to manual driving mode by mode switching unit 40, manual operation input to driving operation unit 13 is possible, and while it is set to automatic driving mode, manual operation input to driving operation unit 13 is disabled.

[0052] The map creation unit 41 uses technology such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) to estimate its own position and create an environmental map 101 in real time. The map creation unit 41 creates a local map of the periphery of the vehicle body 10 by performing coordinate conversion on the distance and angle from an obstacle (object) measured by the measurement unit 15 for the vehicle body 10 at a predetermined position, and estimates the own position of the vehicle body 10 in the local map based on the created local map and the amount of movement of the vehicle body 10 measured by the measurement unit 15. Note that the obstacle sensor 15a of the measurement unit 15 acquires two-dimensional data of the distance and angle from the obstacle, and the map creation unit 41 creates the local map by piecing together the two-dimensional data acquired by the obstacle sensor 15a.

[0053] The plan creation unit 42 creates a cleaning plan including an environmental map 101 and a travel route 102 for the cleaning area 100 where the autonomous mobile work device 2 will perform the cleaning, and stores the plan in the device-side memory unit 36. The plan creation unit 42 also transmits the created environmental map 101 and cleaning plan to the management server 3 via the device-side communication unit 39 to register them in the management server 3. For example, the plan creation unit 42 creates the environmental map 101 based on drawing data of the cleaning area 100 that was input in advance. Alternatively, the plan creation unit 42 creates the environmental map 101 by piecing together (combining) each local map created by the map creation unit 41 at each position in the cleaning area 100 from when the autonomous mobile work device 2 starts to when it finishes manual travel.

[0054] Furthermore, the plan creation unit 42 creates a travel route 102 that travels back and forth in a zigzag pattern to fill in the travelable area on the environmental map 101 (so as not to miss any cleaning) based on various set values ​​such as pre-input start and end positions, safe distances from obstacles such as walls, travel data such as the travel speed of the travel unit 11 when cleaning and not cleaning, and the working width and cleaning data of the cleaning unit 12 (such as the ground pressure strength and rotation speed of the cleaning pad 23, the amount of cleaning water supplied by the supply pump 24, and the suction strength of the suction blower 28).The plan creation unit 42 creates the travel route 102 by associating the position data (coordinates and angle), the travel data of the travel unit 11, and the cleaning data of the cleaning unit 12 for each step (position at a predetermined interval) of the travel route 102.

[0055] In the automatic driving mode, when the automatic driving control unit 43 receives an automatic driving instruction from the management server 3, it reads the cleaning plan from the device-side memory unit 36 ​​and controls the driving unit 11 and the cleaning unit 12 so that the autonomous driving work device 2 performs automatic driving and cleaning in accordance with the cleaning plan. The autonomous driving work device 2 starts automatic driving and cleaning after being positioned at a start position preset in the cleaning plan. When the management server 3 formulates a work schedule for the cleaning plan or when the cleaning plan is changed, the automatic driving control unit 43 reads the updated cleaning plan from the device-side memory unit 36 ​​and controls the automatic driving and cleaning.

[0056] Specifically, the automatic driving control unit 43 automatically controls the driving unit 11 based on the cleaning plan read from the device-side memory unit 36, and controls the driving unit 11 so that the vehicle body 10 automatically drives in accordance with the driving route 102 of the cleaning plan and the driving data for each step. Furthermore, in the automatic driving mode, while the driving unit 11 causes the vehicle body 10 to automatically drive in accordance with the driving route 102 of the cleaning plan, the automatic driving control unit 43 reads cleaning data corresponding to the position of the vehicle body 10 on the driving route 102 from the cleaning plan, and controls the cleaning unit 12 to perform cleaning work by automatic control in accordance with this cleaning data.

[0057] When the automatic traveling cleaning starts, the automatic traveling control unit 43 matches the local map created by the map creation unit 41 with the environmental map 101 of the cleaning plan to determine the vehicle body 10's own position on the environmental map 101, and controls the automatic traveling cleaning so that the vehicle body 10's own position follows the traveling route 102 of the cleaning plan. While the automatic traveling cleaning is being performed, the automatic traveling control unit 43 detects the work status, such as information on the cleaning area 100 being worked on, the traveling status at each traveling position, the cleaning status, and notification information, and transmits the information to the management server 3.

[0058] When the automatic driving control unit 43 completes the automatic driving cleaning based on the cleaning plan, it controls the driving unit 11 so that the autonomous driving work device 2 automatically drives back to the end position preset in the cleaning plan, and sends a notification of the completion of the automatic driving cleaning to the management server 3.

[0059] [Administration Server] Next, a description will be given of the management server 3. The management server 3 includes a server-side control unit 50, a server-side storage unit 51, and a server-side communication unit 52, as shown in FIG.

[0060] The server-side control unit 50 controls the various units and functions of the management server 3 , and is configured by a computer such as a CPU, and is connected to a server-side storage unit 51 and a server-side communication unit 52 .

[0061] The server-side storage unit 51 is composed of a ROM, RAM, a hard disk, flash memory, etc., and stores programs and data for controlling the various parts and functions of the management server 3. The server-side control unit 50 is also connected to be able to communicate with external devices via a server-side communication unit 52. The server-side communication unit 52 wirelessly communicates with external devices such as the autonomous mobile work device 2 using a wireless communication method such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or wireless LAN, and is also connected to be able to communicate with the operation terminal 4, external website 7, and external information storage device 8 wirelessly or via a wired connection.

[0062] For example, when the server-side control unit 50 receives an instruction to select a cleaning plan from the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 52, it reads out a cleaning plan from the server-side storage unit 51 in accordance with the received instruction to select a cleaning plan, and transmits the plan to the autonomous mobile work device 2 via the server-side communication unit 52. Furthermore, when the server-side control unit 50 receives an automatic driving instruction from the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 52, it transmits the received automatic driving instruction to the autonomous mobile work device 2 via the server-side communication unit 52.

[0063] Furthermore, the server-side control unit 50 receives work status such as information on the cleaning area 100 being worked on, the driving status, the cleaning status, and notification information from the autonomous mobile work device 2 via the server-side communication unit 52, stores the work status in the server-side memory unit 51, and also transmits the received work status to the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 52.

[0064] The server-side control unit 50 performs overall control of each unit and various functions by executing arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the server-side storage unit 51. For example, a computer such as the server-side control unit 50 executes the programs stored in the server-side storage unit 51 to operate as a situation information acquisition unit 54, a difference determination unit 55, a temporary map creation unit 56, a temporary plan creation unit 57, and a notification unit 58.

[0065] The server-side storage unit 51 also has an environmental map DB (database) 58 and a cleaning plan DB (database) 59. The environmental map DB 59 and the cleaning plan DB 60 may be installed in the management server 3, or may be external databases.

[0066] The environmental map DB 59 is a database that stores map information for each cleaning area 100. In addition to the environmental map 101 created for the cleaning area 100, the environmental map DB 59 stores, as map information for each cleaning area 100, the facility name and facility identification number by which the target facility where the cleaning area 100 is located can be identified, the area identification number by which the cleaning area 100 can be identified, the area name assigned to the cleaning area 100, the floor number of the cleaning area 100, image data captured while traveling through the cleaning area 100, and the like. The environmental map DB 59 stores map information for a situation in which the target facility is normally used (normal usage situation). In addition, the environmental map DB 59 stores map information including a temporary environmental map 101a (see FIG. 12) for a situation (usage situation) in which the target facility is used in conjunction with an event or special event, etc., different from normal usage, together with situation information on the usage situation for the event or special event, in association with the map information.

[0067] The cleaning plan DB 60 is a database that stores cleaning plans for normal cleaning of each cleaning area 100. The cleaning plan DB 60 stores, as cleaning plans for each cleaning area 100, the facility name and facility identification number that can identify the facility where the cleaning area 100 is located, the plan identification number that can identify the cleaning plan, the plan name assigned to the cleaning plan, the environmental map 101, the travel route 102, cleaning data, etc. The cleaning plan DB 60 stores cleaning plans for normal usage conditions of the target facility. The cleaning plan DB 60 also stores special cleaning plans for usage conditions that differ from normal conditions of the target facility, in association with situation information on usage conditions such as events and special events.

[0068] Next, each unit executed by the server-side control unit 50 will be described.

[0069] The status information acquisition unit 54 automatically acquires status information indicating usage conditions other than normal usage of the target facility, particularly usage conditions in which automatic cleaning is restricted in cleaning areas 100. For example, the status information acquisition unit 54 acquires business conditions related to events and special events held at the target facility other than normal business hours as usage conditions of a target facility such as a shopping mall. The status information acquisition unit 54 determines the cleaning areas 100 included in the target facility for which the usage conditions have been acquired based on map information stored in the environmental map DB 59 and cleaning plans stored in the cleaning plan DB 60, and determines the usage conditions of each cleaning area 100 included in the target facility based on the usage conditions of the target facility.

[0070] Specifically, the status information acquisition unit 54 acquires, as usage status (business status), drawing data showing layout diagrams, installation plans, work instructions, etc., relating to the venue of events and other special events to be held in the target facility where the cleaning area 100 is located, as well as text data showing other event information such as the venue floor, event period, preparation period, usage details (event details, special event details, etc.), venue area, venue layout, precautions, etc.

[0071] The status information acquisition unit 54 periodically accesses external websites 7 and external information storage devices 8 via the server-side communication unit 52 to acquire status information indicating the usage status of the target facility. The status information acquisition unit 54 accesses external websites 7 that may be related to the target facility, such as the homepage of the target facility where the cleaning area 100 is located, or the homepages of organizers, related parties, advertisers, etc. of events and other events held at the target facility where the cleaning area 100 is located, to acquire the usage status from public information. The status information acquisition unit 54 also accesses external information storage devices 8, such as servers and databases owned by the target facility where the cleaning area 100 is located, or organizers, related parties, advertisers, etc. of events and other events, to acquire the usage status from private information.

[0072] The status information acquisition unit 54 registers access destination information, such as the homepage address or IP address of the external website 7 or external information storage device 8 to be accessed, in advance and stores it in the server-side storage unit 51 in response to an arbitrary operation of the management server 3. At this time, the status information acquisition unit 54 may register and store access cycle information, such as the date, day of the week, time, and time interval, regarding the cycle for periodically accessing the external website 7 or external information storage device 8, together with the access destination information in response to an arbitrary operation of the management server 3. Note that the status information acquisition unit 54 may also register and store the priority for accessing the external website 7 or external information storage device 8 together with the access destination information.

[0073] Furthermore, the status information acquisition unit 54 may perform web crawling or web scraping on websites on the network 6 as well as external websites 7 whose access destination information has been registered in advance, thereby identifying external websites 7 to access and acquiring the usage status of the target facility in which the cleaning area 100 is located. The status information acquisition unit 54 registers in advance keywords and tags for web crawling or web scraping, such as the name and type of store, the name and type of facility, the name and type of event, and the name and type of special event, in response to an arbitrary operation of the management server 3, and stores them in the server-side storage unit 51. The status information acquisition unit 54 may also set the frequency of web crawling or web scraping in response to an arbitrary operation of the management server 3.

[0074] For example, the status information acquisition unit 54 may set the priority of accessing an external website 7 or an external information storage device 8 whose access destination information has been registered in advance to be higher than the priority of accessing an external website 7 or an external information storage device 8 by web crawling or web scraping.

[0075] For example, when a Christmas tree is displayed in cleaning area 100 in connection with a Christmas event at the target facility, status information acquisition unit 54 acquires layout diagram 105 showing Christmas tree display location 106 from external website 7 or external information storage device 8, as shown in FIG. 9. In this way, status information acquisition unit 54 acquires area information such as layout diagram 105 of an area where exhibits or other items are temporarily placed in cleaning area 100 in connection with an event or special event held at the target facility where cleaning area 100 is located, and area information such as layout diagram 105 and text data that can identify areas in cleaning area 100 where automatic cleaning is restricted, i.e., cleaning restricted areas. Note that cleaning restricted areas include not only areas where entry by automatic cleaning machines is prohibited, but also areas where the travel speed and work intensity of automatic cleaning machines are reduced compared to normal.

[0076] The difference determination unit 55 determines whether or not there is a difference in the drivable area between the usage status acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 54 and the normal usage status of the cleaning area 100 of the target facility. At this time, the difference determination unit 55 acquires an environmental map 101 showing the cleaning area 100 from the environmental map DB 59 as the normal usage status of the target facility. Furthermore, the difference determination unit 55 acquires area information such as a layout diagram 105 or text data showing events, special events, etc. at the target facility, which is capable of identifying cleaning-restricted areas in the cleaning area 100, as the usage status acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 54. Then, the difference determination unit 55 compares the environmental map 101 with the area information and determines whether or not there is a difference within the range of the drivable area.

[0077] When the area information is a layout drawing 105, the difference determination unit 55 performs a matching process of the layout drawing 105 with the environmental map 101, and determines a difference within the range of the drivable area with the layout drawing 105 corresponding to the environmental map 101. When an object or the like that does not exist within the range of the drivable area in the environmental map 101 is present in the layout drawing 105, the difference determination unit 55 determines that there is a difference in the usage situation from the normal usage situation.

[0078] Note that the difference determination unit 55 can perform a matching process between the environmental map 101 and the layout drawing 105, regardless of whether the layout drawing 105 corresponds to a part of the environmental map 101 or the entire environmental map 101. When the difference determination unit 55 detects through the matching process that the layout drawing 105 corresponds to a part of an area in the environmental map 101, it determines a difference within the range of the drivable area with the layout drawing 105 corresponding to that area of ​​the environmental map 101.

[0079] Specifically, the difference determination unit 55 detects a group of feature points that form the boundary between the drivable area and the prohibited area from the layout plan 105, and detects the area in the environmental map 101 to which the layout plan 105 corresponds by performing a matching process on the group of feature points of the layout plan 105 with the group of feature points that indicate the drivable area in various areas of the environmental map 101. The difference determination unit 55 may determine various areas in the environmental map 101, some of which overlap. In this case, if a group of feature points does not exist within the drivable area in the environmental map 101 but does exist in the layout plan 105, the difference determination unit 55 determines that the group of feature points is a cleaning-restricted area in the layout plan 105 and determines that there is a difference in the usage situation with respect to the normal usage situation. The difference determination unit 55 also detects coordinates that indicate the cleaning-restricted area in the environmental map 101.

[0080] For example, the difference determination unit 55 may determine in advance a predetermined number of specific feature points 111 (see FIG. 11 ) that form an arrangement pattern specific to each area (for example, a pattern based on the distance or direction between each point) from among the group of feature points that indicate the drivable area on the environmental map 101, and register and store them in association with the environmental map 101. For example, for characteristic points 110 such as boundaries between stores or corners of passages in a commercial facility such as a shopping mall as shown in FIG. 10 , the difference determination unit 55 determines specific feature points 111 that form an arrangement pattern specific to each area from the feature points on the environmental map 101 that correspond to the points, as shown in FIG.

[0081] In this case, the difference determination unit 55 similarly detects feature points that form the boundaries of the cleaning area 100 from the feature point group of the layout plan 105, and determines specific feature points that form a unique arrangement pattern from the detected feature points. The difference determination unit 55 then compares the specific feature points of the layout plan 105 with the specific feature points 111 associated with each area of ​​the environmental map 101, thereby detecting the area in the environmental map 101 to which the layout plan 105 corresponds, along with the scale and orientation of the layout plan 105 relative to the environmental map 101. At this time, even if the scale and orientation of the layout plan 105 differ from the scale and orientation of the environmental map 101, the difference determination unit 55 can detect the area in the environmental map 101 to which the layout plan 105 corresponds, without having to perform a matching process while enlarging, reducing, or rotating the layout plan 105 in various ways.

[0082] Furthermore, the difference determination unit 55 may correspond the layout drawing 105 to an overall detailed map of the target facility used for digital signage or the like installed in the target facility, and determine the difference between the detailed map and the environmental map 101 instead of the layout drawing 105. Note that the difference determination unit 55 may acquire and store the detailed map in advance, and the detailed map is set for each floor of the target facility, regardless of whether one or two or more environmental maps 101 are set for one floor of the target facility.

[0083] When the layout drawing 105 acquired from the external website 7 or the external information storage device 8 is a simplified map, the difference determination unit 55 performs a matching process of the layout drawing 105 with the detailed map to detect the area on the detailed map to which the layout drawing 105 corresponds, along with the scale and orientation of the layout drawing 105 relative to the detailed map. Note that the difference determination unit 55 can perform the matching process between the detailed map and the layout drawing 105 regardless of whether the layout drawing 105 corresponds to a partial area of ​​the detailed map or to the entire detailed map. Furthermore, with the layout drawing 105 matched to the detailed map, the difference determination unit 55 determines the position on the detailed map of the cleaning restriction area for automatic traveling cleaning shown in the layout drawing 105, and sets the cleaning restriction area on the detailed map.

[0084] When the area information is represented by text data, and the location of an event, special event, etc. represented by the text data is within the range of the navigable area in the cleaning area 100, the difference determination unit 55 determines that the location is an area where automatic cleaning is restricted (cleaning-restricted area) and that the usage situation differs from the normal usage situation. At this time, the difference determination unit 55 detects coordinates indicating the cleaning-restricted area on the environmental map 101 based on the position information of the cleaning-restricted area represented by the text data, and determines whether the cleaning-restricted area is within the range of the navigable area in the cleaning area 100 based on the detected coordinates.

[0085] For example, in a target facility, use locations such as event venues and event spaces in the cleaning area 100 may be predetermined, and names may be assigned to the use locations. The management server 3 sets coordinates in the environmental map 101 for the use locations in advance, and stores the coordinates together with the names in association with the cleaning area 100. When the name of the use location is detected from the text data of the usage status acquired by the status information acquisition unit 54, the difference determination unit 55 determines that the coordinates stored for the use location are a cleaning restricted area, and determines that the usage status differs from the normal usage status.

[0086] When the difference determination unit 55 determines that there is a difference in the usage status of the cleaning area 100 of the target facility compared to the normal usage status, the temporary map creation unit 56 reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map 101 of the cleaning area 100, creates a temporary environmental map 101a as shown in Fig. 12, and stores it in the environmental map DB 59. The temporary map creation unit 56 associates the situation information of the usage status acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 54 with the map information of the temporary environmental map 101a and stores it in the environmental map DB 59.

[0087] Furthermore, the temporary map creation unit 56 creates a temporary environmental map 101a by reflecting the cleaning restricted area shown in the layout drawing 105, text data, or the like, which is the area information acquired by the situation information acquisition unit 54, on the environmental map 101, and, for example, adding a feature point corresponding to the cleaning restricted area to the environmental map 101 based on the coordinates of the cleaning restricted area detected on the environmental map 101. Specifically, for the layout drawing 105 shown in Fig. 9, a cleaning restricted area feature point 106a corresponding to the exhibition location 106 shown in the layout drawing 105 is added to the temporary environmental map 101a, as shown in Fig. 12. Note that the temporary map creation unit 56 may set only a no-entry area of ​​the same range as the cleaning restricted area on the temporary environmental map 101a, or may set a speed limited area around the no-entry area in addition to the no-entry area.

[0088] When the difference determination unit 55 determines that the usage status of the cleaning area 100 of the target facility differs from the normal usage status, the temporary plan creation unit 57 creates a temporary cleaning plan by modifying the cleaning plan created for the cleaning area 100 based on the temporary environmental map 101a created by the temporary map creation unit 56, and stores the plan in the cleaning plan DB 60. The temporary plan creation unit 57 associates the usage status information acquired by the status information acquisition unit 54 with the temporary cleaning plan and stores the information in the cleaning plan DB 60.

[0089] For example, the temporary plan creation unit 57 creates a temporary cleaning plan by changing the travel route 102 and cleaning data so as to avoid the cleaning-restricted area shown on the temporary environmental map 101a, as shown in Fig. 13. Note that the temporary plan creation unit 57 may create a temporary cleaning plan so that the safety distance from obstacles such as walls is longer around the cleaning-restricted area than usual.

[0090] Furthermore, the temporary plan creation unit 57 may change the cleaning plan by adjusting the travel speed or work intensity on the travel route 102 around the restricted cleaning area depending on the use content, such as an event or special event. Specifically, in the case of a use content, such as an event or special event where food and drink are provided, where more people are expected to come and go to the restricted cleaning area than during normal business hours and the floor around the restricted cleaning area is expected to become more soiled, the temporary plan creation unit 57 may change the cleaning plan by reducing the travel speed on the travel route 102 around the restricted cleaning area or by increasing the work intensity.

[0091] In addition, when a no-entry area and a speed-limited area are set as cleaning restricted areas, the temporary plan creation unit 57 may change the cleaning plan by changing the travel route 102 and cleaning data to avoid the no-entry area, and by changing the travel route 102 and cleaning data to suppress the travel speed and work intensity in the speed-limited area.

[0092] Furthermore, when changing the cleaning plan depending on the use content of an event or event, the temporary plan creation unit 57 may create not only a temporary cleaning plan to be used during the use period, such as the preparation period or the duration of the event or event, but also a post-processing cleaning plan specific to the post-processing period thereafter. Specifically, in the case of a use content that is expected to result in more dirt on the floor in the cleaning-restricted areas than during normal business hours, such as an event or event where food and drink are provided, the temporary plan creation unit 57 may change the cleaning plan to increase the work intensity in the cleaning-restricted areas and create a post-processing cleaning plan.

[0093] When the management server 3 receives a notification from the autonomously traveling work device 2 regarding an error or other notification related to the traveling or work of the autonomously traveling cleaning device, the notification unit 58 sends this notification to the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 52 to notify the administrator or the like.

[0094] The management server 3 may allow the administrator to view and modify the special cleaning plans registered in the cleaning plan DB 60. For example, the management server 3 may accept an extension of the usage period for a special cleaning plan after the usage period for the special cleaning plan has elapsed, or may accept a setting to use the special cleaning plan periodically, such as annually or monthly.

[0095] Furthermore, the management server 3 may associate the type of event held in the cleaning area 100 with the work history of the automatic cleaning performed in the cleaning area 100 at the time of the event, and store the association information in the server-side storage unit 51. Thereafter, if the type of event indicated in the new usage status acquired by the status information acquisition unit 54 is similar to the type of past event associated with the work history, the management server 3 can refer to the work history and cleaning plan DB 60 to reflect the method of changing the travel route 102 and cleaning data of the cleaning plan used in the past event in the changes to the cleaning plan for the new usage status.

[0096] If the usage status of an event or the like acquired by the status information acquisition unit 54 is only text data, and the usage content is unclear, the management server 3 may acquire past usage status of the same event, such as last year or the previous time, from an external website 7 or an external information storage device 8, and estimate the cleaning restricted area and usage period based on the past usage status to create the temporary environmental map 101a and the temporary cleaning plan. Alternatively, the management server 3 may acquire past usage status of the same event, such as last year or the previous time, by referring to the work history and cleaning plan DB 60, and estimate the cleaning restricted area and usage period based on the past usage status to create the temporary environmental map 101a and the temporary cleaning plan.

[0097] [Operation terminal] Next, the operation terminal 4 will be described. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the operation terminal 4. As shown in Fig. 5, the operation terminal 4 includes an operation-side control unit 70, an operation-side memory unit 71, an operation-side communication unit 72, and an operation-side display unit 73 such as a liquid crystal display. The operation terminal 4 is configured from a personal computer or tablet terminal owned by a manager such as an external manager or a managerial employee.

[0098] The operating side control unit 70 is responsible for overall control of each part and function of the operating terminal 4, and is composed of a computer such as a CPU, and is connected to the operating side memory unit 71, the operating side communication unit 72, and the operating side display unit 73.

[0099] The operating-side storage unit 71 is composed of a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, a flash memory, etc., and stores programs and data for controlling each unit and each function of the operating terminal 4. The operating-side control unit 70 is also connected to be able to communicate with external devices via an operating-side communication unit 72. The operating-side communication unit 72 is connected to be able to communicate with external devices such as the management server 3 wirelessly or via a wired connection.

[0100] The operating-side control unit 70 performs overall control of each unit and each function by executing arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the operating-side storage unit 71. For example, a computer such as the operating-side control unit 70 executes the programs stored in the operating-side storage unit 71 to operate as a driving instruction unit 75 and a notification control unit 76.

[0101] Next, each part executed by the operation-side control part 70 will be described.

[0102] The travel instruction unit 75 receives multiple cleaning plans registered in the cleaning plan DB 60 from the management server 3 via the operating-side communication unit 72 so that the manager can select the autonomous mobile work device 2 that will perform the automatic traveling and cleaning and the cleaning plan. The travel instruction unit 75 notifies the manager by displaying a selectable list of the multiple cleaning plans received on the screen of the operating-side display unit 73. In response to the manager's selection of a cleaning plan, the travel instruction unit 75 transmits an instruction to select a cleaning plan for the automatic traveling and cleaning to the management server 3 via the operating-side communication unit 72.

[0103] When the autonomous mobile work device 2 performing automatic traveling and cleaning sends notifications to the management server 3 regarding the work status such as the traveling status, cleaning status, notification information, and errors, the notification control unit 76 receives the work status and notification from the management server 3 via the operation side communication unit 72 and displays them on the screen of the operation side display unit 73 to notify the administrator.

[0104] [Example of autonomous driving and work system in action] 14 is a flowchart showing an example of operation according to a cleaning plan that corresponds to the usage status of the target facility in the autonomous mobile work system 1. Next, an example of operation of the autonomous mobile work system 1 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0105] First, the management server 3 periodically accesses an external website 7 or an external information storage device 8 using the status information acquisition unit 54 to automatically acquire status information indicating the usage status of the target facility other than normal usage, and acquires the usage status of each cleaning area 100 included in the target facility (step S1). The management server 3 determines, by the difference determination unit 55, whether or not there is a difference between the normal use status of each cleaning area 100 and the use status acquired by the status information acquisition unit 54 (step S2).

[0106] If the usage status of the cleaning area 100 is not different from the normal usage status (step S2: No), the management server 3 does not create a temporary environmental map 101a and a temporary cleaning plan according to the usage status of the cleaning area 100.

[0107] If the usage status of the cleaning area 100 differs from the normal usage status (step S2: Yes), the management server 3 causes the temporary map creation unit 56 to create a temporary environmental map 101a by reflecting the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map 101 of the cleaning area 100 (step S3).The management server 3 causes the temporary plan creation unit 57 to create a temporary cleaning plan by modifying the cleaning plan based on the temporary environmental map 101a (step S4).

[0108] Furthermore, regardless of whether the usage status has been acquired by the status information acquisition unit 54, the management server 3 is in a state of waiting for an instruction to select a cleaning plan for the cleaning area 100 from the operation terminal 4 (step S5).

[0109] If the management server 3 does not receive an instruction from the operation terminal 4 to select a cleaning plan for the cleaning area 100 (step S5: No), the operation ends in the flowchart, but the management server 3 proceeds to step S1 and repeats obtaining the usage status.

[0110] When the management server 3 receives an instruction to select a cleaning plan for the cleaning area 100 from the operation terminal 4 (step S5: Yes), it determines whether the cleaning area 100 is currently within the usage period indicated in the usage status (step S6).

[0111] If the usage period is within the period (step S6: Yes), the management server 3 reads out a special cleaning plan corresponding to the usage status from the cleaning plan DB 60 and sends it to the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S7). If the usage period is not within the period (step S6: No), the management server 3 reads out a regular cleaning plan from the cleaning plan DB 60 and sends it to the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S8).

[0112] The autonomously traveling work device 2 performs autonomous traveling and cleaning in accordance with the received special cleaning plan or normal cleaning plan (step S9). In other words, when the autonomously traveling and cleaning device 2 performs autonomous traveling and cleaning of the cleaning area 100, if a special cleaning plan for the cleaning area 100 is registered in the cleaning plan DB 60 and if the time of performing the autonomous traveling and cleaning is within the usage period indicated in the usage status of the special cleaning plan, the autonomously traveling and cleaning device 2 automatically performs autonomous traveling and cleaning in accordance with the special cleaning plan.

[0113] For example, when the autonomous mobile work device 2 performs automatic cleaning according to a temporary cleaning plan, it will travel and clean in a way that avoids the cleaning-restricted area indicated by the usage status. However, if the measurement unit 15 or the image capture unit 16 does not detect any obstacles within the cleaning-restricted area, the autonomous mobile work device 2 may switch from the temporary cleaning plan to a normal cleaning plan or set the cleaning-restricted area and its surroundings as a semi-no-travel area. This allows the autonomous mobile work device 2 to perform automatic cleaning in the cleaning-restricted area where no obstacles were detected.

[0114] [Configuration and effects of autonomous driving and work systems] As described above, according to this embodiment, the autonomous driving work system 1 of the autonomous driving work device 2 that performs autonomous driving work according to a cleaning plan (work plan) set in advance for a specified cleaning area 100 (work area) includes a management server 3, and the management server 3 includes a status information acquisition unit 54 that acquires status information indicating the usage status of the cleaning area 100, a difference determination unit 55 that determines whether the usage status differs from the normal usage status of the cleaning area 100, a temporary map creation unit 56 that creates a temporary environmental map 101a that reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map 101 of the cleaning area 100 when the usage status differs from the normal usage status, and a temporary plan creation unit 57 that creates a temporary work plan that modifies the cleaning plan based on the temporary environmental map 101a.

[0115] In other words, the autonomous driving work method of the present invention is an autonomous driving work method for an autonomous driving work device 2 that performs automatic driving work in accordance with a cleaning plan (work plan) set in advance for a specified cleaning area 100 (work area), and includes a situation information acquisition process in which a situation information acquisition unit 54 acquires situation information indicating the usage status of the cleaning area 100, a difference determination process in which a difference determination unit 55 determines whether the usage status differs from the normal usage status of the cleaning area 100, a temporary map creation process in which a temporary map creation unit 56 creates a temporary environmental map 101a that reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map 101 of the cleaning area 100 if the usage status differs from the normal usage status, and a temporary plan creation process in which a temporary work plan is created by the temporary plan creation unit 57 that modifies the cleaning plan based on the temporary environmental map 101a.

[0116] In other words, the program of the present invention is a program of a management server 3 that manages an autonomously traveling work device 2 that performs autonomous traveling work in accordance with a cleaning plan (work plan) that is preset for a specified cleaning area 100 (work area), and causes the computer of the management server 3 to execute the following steps: a situation information acquisition process in which a situation information acquisition unit 54 acquires situation information indicating the usage status of the cleaning area 100; a difference determination process in which a difference determination unit 55 determines whether the usage status differs from the normal usage status of the cleaning area 100; a temporary map creation process in which a temporary map creation unit 56 creates a temporary environmental map 101a that reflects the difference in usage status in the normal environmental map 101 of the cleaning area 100 if the usage status differs from the normal usage status; and a temporary plan creation process in which a temporary work plan that modifies the cleaning plan based on the temporary environmental map 101a is created by the temporary plan creation unit 57.

[0117] With this configuration, in the autonomous driving work system 1 of this embodiment, when layout changes are made in the cleaning area 100 due to an event or other reason, even if no notification of usage status such as layout changes is made, information indicating the usage status of the work area can be obtained and a work plan corresponding to the usage status can be created, thereby enabling smooth operation by performing appropriate autonomous driving work that corresponds to various usage statuses such as layout changes.

[0118] Furthermore, in the autonomous driving work system 1 according to this embodiment, the temporary map creation unit 56 creates a temporary environmental map 101a that reflects the cleaning restricted area indicated by the usage status, and the temporary plan creation unit 57 creates a temporary work plan that avoids the cleaning restricted area.

[0119] With this configuration, even if a restricted cleaning area has been created due to a layout change in the cleaning area 100 and no notification is made, the robot can avoid the restricted cleaning area and perform appropriate automatic travel work.

[0120] Furthermore, in the autonomous navigation and operation system 1 according to this embodiment, the situation information acquisition section 54 periodically acquires situation information from an external website 7 or an external information storage device 8.

[0121] With this configuration, it is possible to obtain information on the usage status of the cleaning area 100, such as new events and special events, from multiple angles.

[0122] In addition, in the autonomous driving work system 1 according to this embodiment, the situation information acquisition unit 54 acquires, as situation information, at least drawing data or text data indicating the location of the event to be held in the cleaning area 100, and text data indicating the usage period of the event.

[0123] With this configuration, automatic traveling cleaning can be performed during the event usage period, taking into account the location of the event.

[0124] [Another example of an autonomous mobile work system] In the above embodiment, an example was described in which, when the autonomous mobile work device 2 performs automatic traveling and cleaning of the cleaning area 100, if a temporary cleaning plan has been registered for the cleaning area 100 and if the temporary cleaning plan is currently in use, the autonomous mobile work device 2 automatically performs automatic traveling and cleaning in accordance with the temporary cleaning plan, but the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0125] In another example, when the management server 3 receives an instruction to select a cleaning plan for the cleaning area 100 from the operation terminal 4, if a special cleaning plan has been registered for the cleaning area 100 and the special cleaning plan is currently in use, the management server 3 may confirm with an administrator or the like whether to use the special cleaning plan or the normal cleaning plan. Specifically, the management server 3 uses the notification unit 58 to send a confirmation notification to the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 52 asking whether to use the special cleaning plan or the normal cleaning plan. Note that if a special cleaning plan has not been registered for the cleaning area 100 or if the special cleaning plan is not currently in use, the management server 3 sends a normal cleaning plan to the autonomous mobile work device 2 via the server-side communication unit 52 without sending a confirmation notification.

[0126] In this case, when the operating-side communication unit 72 of the operating terminal 4 receives a confirmation notification from the management server 3, the notification control unit 76 notifies the manager by displaying a confirmation screen on the operating-side display unit 73 in response to the confirmation notification, asking the manager whether to use the special cleaning plan or the regular cleaning plan. When a cleaning plan selection operation is performed on this confirmation screen, the operating terminal 4 transmits the selection operation result to the management server 3 via the operating-side communication unit 72.

[0127] Then, when the server-side communication unit 52 of the management server 3 receives the result of the selection operation of the cleaning plan from the operation terminal 4, the management server 3 transmits the cleaning plan (an emergency cleaning plan or a normal cleaning plan) corresponding to the result of the selection operation to the autonomously traveling work device 2 via the server-side communication unit 52.

[0128] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the autonomous traveling work system 1 is equipped with a cleaning device as the autonomous traveling work device 2 that performs autonomous traveling and cleaning according to a preset cleaning plan for a specified cleaning area 100, but the present invention is not limited to this example. In other examples, the autonomous traveling work system 1 may be configured to include, as the autonomous traveling work device 2, not only a cleaning device but also other work devices such as an automatic guide device (concierge robot), an automatic security robot, an automatic food distribution device, or the like.

[0129] The present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and autonomous navigation and operation systems that involve such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0130] The present invention can be suitably used in an autonomous mobile work system for carrying out cleaning work at commercial facilities such as shopping malls and other facilities where temporary events and other functions may be held. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 1. Autonomous driving and operation system 2. Autonomous mobile work device 3 Management Server 4 Operation terminal 6 Network 7. Websites 8 Information storage device 10. Body 11 Running part 12 Cleaning Department 13 Travel control unit 14 Operation display section 15 Measurement section 15a Obstacle sensor 15b Bumper sensor 15c Ultrasonic Sensor 15d Cliff Sensor 16 Imaging unit 16a Front camera 16b Rear camera 17 Power supply section 18 Device side control section 21 wheels 22 Caster 23 Cleaning Pads 24 Supply Pump 25 Squeegee device 26 Cleaning Tank 27 Recovery Tank 28 Suction blower 29 Washing motor 30 Pad cylinder 31 Squeegee cylinder 32 Pad Cover 33 Suction hose 34 Handle 36 Device side storage unit 37 Bus 38 Interface 39 Device side communication unit 40 Mode switching section 41 Map Creation Department 42 Planning Department 43 Automatic driving control unit 50 Server-side control unit 51 Server-side storage unit 52 Server-side communication unit 54 Status information acquisition unit 55 Difference judgment part 56 Temporary Mapping Department 57 Temporary Planning Department 58 Notification Department 59 Environmental Map DB 60 Cleaning Plan DB 70 Operation side control section 71 Operation side storage unit 72 Operation side communication unit 73 Operation side display section 75 Driving instruction unit 76 Notification control unit 100 cleaning areas 101 Environmental Map 101a Temporary Environmental Map 102 Travel route 105 Layout diagram 106 Exhibition space 106a Cleaning Restriction Area Feature Points 110 points 111 Specific feature points

Claims

1. An autonomous mobile work system for an autonomous mobile work device that performs autonomous mobile work in accordance with a preset work plan for a predetermined work area, a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information indicating a usage status of the work area; a difference determination unit that determines whether or not the usage status differs from a normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation unit that, when the usage situation differs from the normal usage situation, creates a temporary environmental map that reflects the difference in usage situation in the normal environmental map of the work area; a temporary plan creation unit that creates a temporary work plan by modifying the work plan based on the temporary environmental map; An autonomous driving operation system comprising:

2. the temporary map creation unit creates the temporary environmental map that reflects the cleaning restricted area indicated by the usage status, The autonomous navigation and work system according to claim 1 , wherein the temporary plan creation unit creates the temporary work plan so as to avoid the restricted cleaning area.

3. 2. The autonomous navigation and operation system according to claim 1, wherein the situation information acquisition unit periodically acquires the situation information from an external website or an external information storage device.

4. The autonomous driving work system according to claim 1, characterized in that the situation information acquisition unit acquires, as the situation information, at least drawing data or text data indicating the location of an event to be held in the work area, and text data indicating the period of use of the event.

5. An autonomous navigation and work method for an autonomous navigation and work device that performs autonomous navigation and work in accordance with a preset work plan for a predetermined work area, comprising: a situation information acquisition step of acquiring situation information indicating a usage status of the work area; a difference determination step of determining whether or not the usage status differs from a normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation step of creating a temporary environmental map in which, when the usage situation differs from the normal usage situation, the difference in usage situation is reflected in the normal environmental map of the work area; a temporary plan creation step of creating a temporary work plan by modifying the work plan based on the temporary environmental map; An autonomous navigation operation method comprising:

6. A management server that manages an autonomous mobile work device that performs autonomous mobile work in accordance with a preset work plan for a predetermined work area, a situation information acquisition unit that acquires situation information indicating a usage status of the work area; a difference determination unit that determines whether or not the usage status differs from a normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation unit that, when the usage situation differs from the normal usage situation, creates a temporary environmental map that reflects the difference in usage situation in the normal environmental map of the work area; a temporary plan creation unit that creates a temporary work plan by modifying the work plan based on the temporary environmental map; A management server comprising:

7. A management server program for managing an autonomous mobile work device that performs autonomous mobile work in accordance with a preset work plan for a specified work area, a situation information acquisition step of acquiring situation information indicating a usage status of the work area; a difference determination step of determining whether or not the usage status differs from a normal usage status of the work area; a temporary map creation step of creating a temporary environmental map in which, when the usage situation differs from the normal usage situation, the difference in usage situation is reflected in the normal environmental map of the work area; a temporary plan creation step of creating a temporary work plan by modifying the work plan based on the temporary environmental map; a program for causing a computer of the management server to execute the above steps.

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