Control device, control system, and method

Abstract

[Problem] To more easily achieve the emission of light to the surroundings of a moving device. [Solution] This control device comprises: a communication unit that receives, from a moving device having a moving function, position information of the moving device, and that transmits an emission instruction relating to the emission of light to an emission device having an emission function mounted on the moving device; a storage unit that stores information indicating a plurality of combinations of moving devices and emission devices; an identification unit that identifies an emission device that forms a pair with the moving device which is the transmission source of the position information, such identification being performed on the basis of the reception of the position information by the communication unit and by referencing the storage unit; and a transmission control unit that controls the transmission of the emission instruction to the emission device identified by the identification unit, such control being performed on the basis of the position information received from the moving device which is the transmission source.

Description

Control device, control system and method

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control system and a method.

[0002] In recent years, development of autonomous mobile robots has been progressing to automate security and transportation tasks in transportation facilities, commercial facilities, etc. Autonomous movement is the ability of a robot to move autonomously from its current location to its destination without human intervention, and an autonomous mobile robot is a robot that has the ability to move autonomously.

[0003] When operating an autonomous mobile robot indoors, there are many obstacles between the robot and people. For example, a wall at a corner of a passageway is an example of an obstacle. When such obstacles exist, it is difficult for people to notice the approach of the autonomous mobile robot, which may result in a collision between the autonomous mobile robot and the person.

[0004] In this regard, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle that irradiates a road surface with a laser beam. Anyone who sees the laser beam irradiated onto the road surface can recognize the approach of a vehicle even if they cannot see the vehicle directly.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-220257

[0006] By customizing an autonomous mobile robot, it is possible to add irradiation functionality to an autonomous mobile robot that does not have an irradiation device. However, adopting such customization raises concerns about cost and delivery time.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technology that makes it possible to more easily illuminate the surroundings of a mobile device with light.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device including: a communication unit that receives, from a mobile device having a movement function, location information of the mobile device, and transmits an irradiation instruction for irradiating light to an irradiation device that has an irradiation function and is mounted on the mobile device; a memory unit that stores information indicating a plurality of combinations of mobile devices and irradiation devices; an identification unit that, based on the location information received by the communication unit, identifies an irradiation device that is paired with the mobile device that is the sender of the location information by referring to the memory unit; and a transmission control unit that controls transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device identified by the identification unit, based on the location information received from the mobile device that is the sender.

[0009] The memory unit may store area condition information associated with a designated area, an operation condition indicating entry or exit, and information indicating an action plan consisting of one or more actions, and the transmission control unit may control the transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device in accordance with the action plan associated with the designated area when the mobile device of the sending source performs an operation indicated by the operation condition with respect to the designated area.

[0010] The mobile device may move autonomously in accordance with a set movement action, and the transmission control unit may control the transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device when the mobile device performs an action indicated by the operating condition in the designated area while autonomously moving in accordance with the movement action.

[0011] The transmission control unit may cause the communication unit to send an instruction to the mobile device to interrupt the movement action when the mobile device performs an action indicated by the action condition in relation to the designated area while autonomously moving in accordance with the movement action.

[0012] The memory unit may store information associating the mobile device with the area condition information, and the transmission control unit may control the transmission of the irradiation instruction to an irradiation device paired with the source mobile device based on area condition information associated with the source mobile device among the plurality of area condition information.

[0013] The information processing device may further include an operation detection unit that detects an operation by a user, and a display control unit that generates a setting screen for setting the area condition information in accordance with the operation detected by the operation detection unit.

[0014] Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control system including an irradiation device and a control device, wherein the irradiation device includes an irradiation unit that irradiates light, a receiving unit that receives an irradiation instruction regarding the irradiation of light from the control device, and an irradiation control unit that controls the irradiation of light by the irradiation unit in accordance with the irradiation instruction, and the control device includes: a communication unit that receives, from a mobile device having a movement function, position information of the mobile device, and transmits an irradiation instruction regarding the irradiation of light to an irradiation device having an irradiation function mounted on the mobile device; a memory unit that stores information indicating a plurality of combinations of mobile devices and irradiation devices; an identification unit that, based on the position information received by the communication unit, identifies an irradiation device that is paired with a mobile device that is a sender of the position information by referring to the memory unit; and a transmission control unit that controls transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device identified by the identification unit, based on the position information received from the mobile device that is the sender.

[0015] The irradiation device may include an engagement portion that is detachably engaged with the movement device.

[0016] In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-executable method including: receiving, from a mobile device having a mobility function, location information of the mobile device; based on the received location information, identifying an irradiation device paired with the mobile device that transmitted the location information by referring to information indicating a plurality of combinations of mobile devices and irradiation devices that are stored in advance; and controlling the transmission of an irradiation instruction for irradiating light to the identified irradiation device based on the location information received from the mobile device that transmitted the location information.

[0017] According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to more easily realize the illumination of light around the mobile device.

[0018] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing an autonomous mobile device 10 equipped with a road surface illumination device 20. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of combination information stored in a control server 30. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of irradiation of laser light by a road surface illumination device 20. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting a designated area Z. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting a designated area Z. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous mobile device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a road surface illumination device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a control server 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of an action plan. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of area condition information. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a driving environment of an autonomous mobile device 10. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of device-specific area information. FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration 90.

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0020] Furthermore, in this specification and drawings, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by adding different letters after the same reference numeral. For example, multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration or logical significance may be distinguished as necessary, such as road surface illumination devices 20A, 20B, and 20C. However, if there is no need to particularly distinguish between multiple components having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numeral is assigned to each of the multiple components. For example, if there is no need to particularly distinguish between road surface illumination devices 20A, 20B, and 20C, each road surface illumination device will simply be referred to as road surface illumination device 20.

[0021] <Overview of Control System> One embodiment of the present invention relates to a control system that controls the irradiation of a road surface with laser light by a road surface irradiation device mounted on an autonomous mobile device. An overview of the control system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

[0022] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of autonomous mobile devices 10, a plurality of road surface illumination devices 20, and a control server 30.

[0023] The plurality of autonomous mobile devices 10 and the plurality of road surface illumination devices 20 are connected to a control server 30 via a communication network 12. The communication network 12 is a wired or wireless transmission path for information transmitted from devices connected to the communication network 12. For example, the communication network 12 may include public network such as the Internet, a telephone network, or a satellite communication network, or various LANs (Local Area Networks) including Ethernet (registered trademark), WANs (Wide Area Networks), etc. The communication network 12 may also include a dedicated network such as an IP-VPN (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Network).

[0024] (Autonomous Mobile Device 10) The autonomous mobile device 10 has a mobile mechanism. The mobile mechanism may be a mechanism that enables the device to travel on the ground, such as wheels, legs, leg-wheels, crawlers, or an air cushion. The mobile mechanism may also be a mechanism that enables the device to travel in the air, such as a propeller or a jet mechanism.

[0025] The autonomous mobile device 10 has a function of estimating its current location. The autonomous mobile device 10 transmits information indicating the estimated current location to the control server 30. Each autonomous mobile device 10 has an autonomous mobile device identifier, which is a unique identifier, and therefore the control server 30 can identify each autonomous mobile device 10 based on the autonomous mobile device identifier.

[0026] Furthermore, the autonomous mobile device 10 executes an action in accordance with an action instruction received from the control server 30. An example of an action is movement to a specified position. When the autonomous mobile device 10 receives an instruction to move to a specified position as an action instruction, it autonomously moves to the specified position. Other examples of actions include various other operations such as pausing, changing direction, cleaning, and outputting an alarm sound.

[0027] Although this specification describes an example in which the autonomous mobile device 10 is mainly used for autonomous movement indoors, embodiments of the present invention can also be applied to autonomous movement outdoors. Also, this specification mainly describes an example in which embodiments of the present invention are applied to the autonomous mobile device 10 that moves autonomously, but the autonomous mobile device 10 is one example of a mobile device, and embodiments of the present invention can also be applied to non-autonomous mobile devices that move in accordance with real-time remote control.

[0028] (Road surface illumination device 20) The road surface illumination device 20 is an example of an illumination device having an illumination function of emitting light. The road surface illumination device 20 is detachably mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10. For this purpose, the road surface illumination device 20 has an engagement portion that detachably engages with the autonomous mobile device 10. The engagement portion may be configured to engage with the autonomous mobile device 10 by magnetic force, or may be configured to engage with the autonomous mobile device 10 by a mechanical structure such as screwing or fitting. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the road surface illumination device 20A is mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10A, the road surface illumination device 20B is mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10B, and the road surface illumination device 20C is mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10C. By mounting the road surface illumination device 20 on the autonomous mobile device 10, the road surface illumination device 20 moves along with the movement of the autonomous mobile device 10.

[0029] The road surface illumination device 20 executes an action in accordance with an action instruction received from the control server 30. For example, the action may be to start emitting laser light (start road surface illumination) or to end laser light illumination (end road surface illumination). When the road surface illumination device 20 receives an instruction to start emitting laser light as an action instruction, it starts road surface illumination by emitting laser light toward the road surface. Each road surface illumination device 20 has an illumination device identifier that is a unique identifier, and the control server 30 can identify each road surface illumination device 20 based on the illumination device identifier.

[0030] 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating an autonomous mobile device 10 equipped with a road surface illumination device 20. The road surface illumination device 20 illuminates one or more laser beams in the direction of travel of the road surface illumination device 20. An operator may attach the road surface illumination device 20 to the autonomous mobile device 10 while adjusting the angle and direction of illumination so that the distance d from the road surface illumination device 20 to the tip of the laser beam on a flat surface matches the detection range for the road surface illumination device 20 to perform an operation to avoid people. Note that the road surface illumination device 20 may flash some or all of the multiple laser beams.

[0031] (Control Server 30) The control server 30 is an example of a control device that controls the operations of the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20. The control server 30 stores information indicating the combination of the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20. For example, the control server 30 stores, as combination information, a pair of the autonomous mobile device identifier of the autonomous mobile device 10 and the illumination device identifier of the road surface illumination device 20 mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10.

[0032] 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of combination information stored in the control server 30. FIG. 3 shows a pair of an autonomous mobile device identifier DA and an illumination device identifier LA, and a pair of an autonomous mobile device identifier DB and an illumination device identifier LB. When the autonomous mobile device identifier of the autonomous mobile device 10A is the autonomous mobile device identifier DA and the illumination device identifier of the road surface illumination device 20A is the illumination device identifier LA, it is understood from the combination shown in FIG. 3 that the road surface illumination device 20A is mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10A. Similarly, when the autonomous mobile device identifier of the autonomous mobile device 10B is the autonomous mobile device identifier DB and the illumination device identifier of the road surface illumination device 20B is the illumination device identifier LB, it is understood that the road surface illumination device 20B is mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10B.

[0033] Such combination information can be registered in advance using various methods. For example, the combination information may be registered by manually inputting each identifier. Alternatively, if information indicating each identifier is formed on the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20, the combination information may be registered based on reading the information. Furthermore, if the autonomous mobile device 10 has a camera, the control server 30 may instruct the road surface illumination device 20 to illuminate laser light in a specific pattern, and register a pair of the illumination device identifier of the road surface illumination device 20 and the autonomous mobile device identifier of the autonomous mobile device 10 that captured an image in which laser light illuminated in the specific pattern is detected.

[0034] A control server 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention receives, from an autonomous mobile device 10, information indicating the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10, and identifies the road surface illumination device 20 mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10 based on information indicating the combination of the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20. Furthermore, the control server 30 controls the transmission of an instruction for an action related to the irradiation of laser light to the identified road surface illumination device 20 based on the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10.

[0035] 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of irradiation of laser light by the road surface illumination device 20. As shown in FIG. 4, when the autonomous mobile device 10 enters a designated area Z on a passage sandwiched between obstacles, the control server 30 transmits an instruction to start emitting laser light to the road surface illumination device 20 mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10. As a result, the road surface illumination device 20 starts illuminating the road surface. Furthermore, when the autonomous mobile device 10 exits the designated area Z, the control server 30 may transmit an instruction to end irradiation of laser light to the road surface illumination device 20 mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10. As a result, the road surface illumination device 20 ends road surface illumination.

[0036] By this control, the road surface illumination device 20 can illuminate the road surface while the autonomous mobile device 10 is within the designated area Z. This control is particularly useful when the autonomous mobile device 10 is heading towards a corner with poor visibility, as shown in FIGS.

[0037] 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams showing an example of setting a designated area Z. As shown in FIG. 5, the designated area Z may be set near a corner with poor visibility. In this case, when the autonomous mobile device 10 equipped with the road surface illumination device 20 enters the designated area Z, the road surface illumination device 20 starts illuminating the road surface, as shown in FIG. 6. This allows passersby who cannot directly see the autonomous mobile device 10 due to an obstacle to be aware of the presence of the autonomous mobile device 10, thereby avoiding a collision between the autonomous mobile device 10 and the passersby.

[0038] The above has provided an overview of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Next, the configurations of the autonomous mobile device 10, road surface illumination device 20, and control server 30 included in the control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0039] <Configuration of Autonomous Mobile Device> Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous mobile device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 7, the autonomous mobile device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 110, a sensor unit 120, a map information storage unit 130, a mobile mechanism 140, a control unit 150, and a power supply unit 170.

[0040] (Communication Unit 110) The communication unit 110 wirelessly communicates various information with the control server 30. For example, the communication unit 110 transmits information indicating the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10 to the control server 30. The communication unit 110 also receives action instructions transmitted from the control server 30.

[0041] (Sensor Unit 120) The sensor unit 120 is at least one type of sensor capable of sensing images or parameters of the traveling environment of the autonomous mobile device 10. The sensor unit 120 may be, for example, an RGB camera, an RGB-D camera, a monochrome camera, or a stereo camera that captures images of the traveling environment in front of the autonomous mobile device 10, or may be a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor, LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), millimeter wave radar, or the like that senses the distance between the autonomous mobile device 10 and the surrounding environment. The images or parameters of the traveling environment sensed by the sensor unit 120 are used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile device 10.

[0042] (Map Information Storage Unit 130) The map information storage unit 130 stores map information of the location where the autonomous mobile device 10 is located. The map information may be information that represents the traveling environment of the autonomous mobile device 10 as a metric map on a two-dimensional plane. More specifically, the map information may have an occupancy grid map format that is represented as a grid.

[0043] (Movement mechanism 140) The movement mechanism 140 is a mechanism for moving the autonomous mobile device 10. The movement mechanism 140 operates under control from the control unit 150. As described above, the movement mechanism 140 may be a mechanism that enables the movement on the ground, such as wheels, legs, leg-wheels, crawlers, or air cushions. The movement mechanism 140 may also be a mechanism that enables the movement in the air, such as a propeller or a jet mechanism.

[0044] (Control Unit 150) The control unit 150 controls the overall operation of the autonomous mobile device 10. For example, the control unit 150 may estimate the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10 based on an image or parameters (e.g., ranging information) of the traveling environment of the autonomous mobile device 10 acquired by the sensor unit 120. Specifically, the control unit 150 may estimate the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10 using SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology. As another example, the control unit 150 may estimate the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10 on a map by measuring the latitude and longitude of the autonomous mobile device 10 based on a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal received by a GNSS receiver mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10.

[0045] The control unit 150 causes the communication unit 110 to transmit information indicating the estimated current position of the autonomous mobile device 10 to the control server 30. The control unit 150 also controls the mobile mechanism 140 in accordance with the action instructions received from the control server 30 by the communication unit 110.

[0046] (Power Supply Unit 170) The power supply unit 170 supplies power to each component of the autonomous mobile device 10. The power supply unit 170 may be, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery.

[0047] The autonomous mobile device 10 may have other configurations not shown in Fig. 7 depending on the use of the autonomous mobile device 10. For example, if the use of the autonomous mobile device 10 is cleaning, the autonomous mobile device 10 has a mechanism for cleaning. Also, if the use of the autonomous mobile device 10 is security, the autonomous mobile device 10 has a mechanism for security.

[0048] <Road Surface Illumination Device> Next, the configuration of the road surface illumination device 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0049] 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a road surface illumination device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the road surface illumination device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention has a communication unit 210, an illumination unit 230, a control unit 250, and a power supply unit 270.

[0050] (Communication Unit 210) The communication unit 210 communicates various information with the control server 30. For example, the communication unit 210 functions as a receiving unit that receives, from the control server 30, an instruction to perform an action, such as an instruction to emit light, and also functions as a transmitting unit that transmits a response to the instruction to perform an action to the control server 30.

[0051] (Irradiation unit 230) The irradiation unit 230 irradiates the road surface with laser light under control of the control unit 250. In FIG. 4, an example is shown in which two laser beams are formed on the road surface, each having a linear shape. The number of laser beams formed on the road surface may be other, or the laser beams may have other shapes such as a curved or diagrammatic shape. Furthermore, the number and shape of the laser beams formed on the road surface may change over time.

[0052] (Control unit 250) The control unit 250 controls the overall operation of the road surface illumination device 20. For example, the control unit 250 has a function as an illumination control unit that controls the illumination of laser light by the illumination unit 230 in accordance with an action instruction received from the control server 30 by the communication unit 210. The control unit 250 also has a function as a communication control unit that controls communication between the communication unit 210 and the control server 30.

[0053] (Power supply unit 270) The power supply unit 270 supplies power to each component of the road surface illumination device 20. The power supply unit 270 may be, for example, a rechargeable secondary battery.

[0054] <Control Server> Next, the configuration of the control server 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0055] 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a control server 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the control server 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit 310, a user interface unit 320, a storage unit 330, and a control unit 350.

[0056] (Communication unit 310) The communication unit 310 communicates various information with the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20. For example, the communication unit 310 receives information indicating the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10 from the autonomous mobile device 10. Furthermore, the communication unit 310 transmits action instructions to the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20 in accordance with control from the control unit 350.

[0057] (User Interface Unit 320) The user interface unit 320 functions as an operation detection unit that detects operations by the user and as a display unit that displays a display screen. For example, the user interface unit 320 displays a setting screen for setting combination information, an action plan (described later), and area condition information, and detects operations by the user on the setting screen.

[0058] (Storage Unit 330) The storage unit 330 stores various information used for the operation of the control server 30. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9 , the storage unit 330 stores map information, device position information, combination information, action plans, and area condition information.

[0059] The map information indicates a map of the location where the autonomous mobile device 10 is located. When multiple autonomous mobile devices 10 are located in different locations, the storage unit 330 stores multiple pieces of map information. The device position information is position information that indicates the current location of each autonomous mobile device 10. As described with reference to FIG. 3 , the combination information indicates a pair of the autonomous mobile device identifier of the autonomous mobile device 10 and the illumination device identifier of the road surface illumination device 20 mounted on the autonomous mobile device 10.

[0060] An action plan is information that describes in order the operations (actions) to be performed by the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20. Specifically, an action plan includes one or more ordered atomic actions. An atomic action consists of an action and an execution condition of the autonomous mobile device 10 or the road surface illumination device 20. One or more action plans are associated with each autonomous mobile device 10.

[0061] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing specific examples of action plans, including an action plan AP1 with an action plan identifier AP1, an action plan AP2 with an action plan identifier AP2, an action plan AP7 with an action plan identifier AP7, an action plan AP8 with an action plan identifier AP8, and an action plan AP9 with an action plan identifier AP9.

[0062] Action plan AP1 and action plan AP2 are associated with the autonomous mobile device 10A, whose autonomous mobile device identifier is DA. That is, action plan AP1 and action plan AP2 are action plans for the autonomous mobile device 10A. Action plan AP7 is associated with the autonomous mobile device 10B, whose autonomous mobile device identifier is DB. That is, action plan AP7 is an action plan for the autonomous mobile device 10B.

[0063] On the other hand, the action plan AP8 and the action plan AP9 are associated with ALL as an autonomous mobile device identifier. ALL indicates that all autonomous mobile devices 10 are the target. In other words, the action plan AP8 and the action plan AP9 are action plans for all autonomous mobile devices 10.

[0064] Alternatively, an identifier indicating that the target is a group of multiple autonomous mobile devices 10 may be used as the autonomous mobile device identifier.

[0065] As described above, each action plan includes one or more atomic actions each consisting of an execution condition and an action. For example, action plan AP1 includes an atomic action each consisting of execution condition 1-1 and action 1-1. In action plan AP1, when execution condition 1-1 is satisfied, the autonomous mobile device 10 or the road surface illumination device 20 is instructed to execute action 1-1.

[0066] The execution condition may be any condition, such as the current time being a specific time or the detection of a specific object. The execution condition may also be set to information indicating that there is no condition (e.g., NULL). In this case, the action corresponding to the execution condition is executed unconditionally.

[0067] Examples of actions include moving to a specified position, pausing, changing direction, performing a cleaning operation, outputting an alarm sound, starting road surface illumination, or ending road surface illumination.

[0068] The area condition information is information indicating the designated area Z and an action plan to be applied when entering or exiting the designated area Z. The area condition information is linked to any of the map information stored in the memory unit 330.

[0069] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of area condition information. As shown in FIG. 11, the area condition information includes an area condition information identifier, a designation method, area information, an operation condition, and an action plan identifier.

[0070] The designation method is set to a method of indicating the designated area Z. For example, the designation method is set to indicate the inside or outside of a rectangular area formed by four points as the designated area Z. The area information is set to vertex coordinates indicating the designated area Z.

[0071] The operation condition is set to be entering or exiting the designated area Z. The action plan identifier is set to the action plan identifier of the action plan to be executed among the action plans shown in FIG. 10 .

[0072] 11 , area condition information SA1, whose area condition information identifier is SA1, includes designation method 1, area information 1, action condition “entry,” and action plan identifier “AP8.” According to this area condition information, when the autonomous mobile device 10 enters the designated area Z indicated by designation method 1 and area information 1, action plan AP8 is executed.

[0073] (Control unit 350) The control unit 350 controls the overall operation of the control server 30. For example, the control unit 350 can register combination information, action plans, area condition information, and the like in the storage unit 330 based on user operations on the user interface unit 320. The control unit 350 also stores location information indicating the current location of the autonomous mobile device 10, received from the autonomous mobile device 10 by the communication unit 310, in the device location information of the storage unit 330.

[0074] The control unit 350 also functions as a transmission control unit that causes the communication unit 310 to transmit an instruction for an action to the autonomous mobile device 10 based on the action plan stored in the storage unit 330. For example, the control unit 350 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit an instruction for action 1-1 to the autonomous mobile device 10A whose autonomous mobile device identifier is DA based on the fact that execution condition 1-1 of action plan AP1 is satisfied in accordance with the action plan shown in FIG. 10 . Thereafter, the control unit 350 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit an instruction for action 1-2 to the autonomous mobile device 10A based on the fact that execution condition 1-2 is satisfied. The control unit 350 similarly determines whether the execution conditions are satisfied for all of the atomic actions included in action plan AP1, and controls the transmission of the action instructions.

[0075] The control unit 350 also functions as an identification unit that identifies, based on the combination information stored in the storage unit 330, the road surface illumination device 20 that is paired with the autonomous mobile device 10 that has transmitted the location information received by the communication unit 310. The control unit 350 controls the transmission of an illumination instruction to the identified road surface illumination device 20 based on the location information received by the communication unit 310.

[0076] More specifically, the control unit 350 determines whether the autonomous mobile device 10 that transmitted the position information has performed the operation indicated by the operation conditions of any of the area condition information for the designated area Z indicated by the area condition information, based on the position information received by the communication unit 310 and the area condition information stored in the storage unit 330. When it is determined that the autonomous mobile device 10 that transmitted the position information has performed the operation indicated by the operation conditions of the area condition information for the designated area Z indicated by the area condition information, the control unit 350 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit an illumination instruction to the road surface illumination device 20 that is paired with the autonomous mobile device 10 that transmitted the position information, in accordance with the action plan indicated by the area condition information.

[0077] For example, when it is determined that the autonomous mobile device 10 that transmitted the location information has entered the designated area Z indicated by the designation method 1 and area information 1 of the area condition information SA1 shown in Fig. 11, the control unit 350 causes the communication unit 310 to transmit an illumination instruction to the road surface illumination device 20 that is paired with the autonomous mobile device 10 that transmitted the location information, in accordance with the action plan AP8 indicated by the area condition information SA1. Note that when the autonomous mobile device 10 that transmitted the location information is performing another action, the control unit 350 may cause the communication unit 310 to transmit an instruction to the autonomous mobile device 10 to suspend the other action.

[0078] <Operation> The above has described the configurations of the autonomous mobile device 10, road surface illumination device 20, and control server 30 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Next, the operation of the control system according to one embodiment of the present invention will be summarized with reference to Figs. 12 and 13 .

[0079] 12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, the control unit 350 of the control server 30 registers area condition information SA1 and SA2 in the storage unit 330 (S204). Then, the autonomous mobile device 10 repeatedly transmits its position information to the control server 30 (S208).

[0080] Thereafter, when an instruction to execute action plan AP1 is input to the control server 30 (S212), the communication unit 310 of the control server 30, under control of the control unit 350, transmits an instruction to execute action 1-1 included in action plan AP1 to the autonomous mobile device 10 (S216). Based on the reception of the instruction to execute action 1-1, the autonomous mobile device 10 begins executing action 1-1 (S220). Action 1-1 is, for example, movement to a specific location.

[0081] When the control unit 350 of the control server 30 recognizes, based on the position information of the autonomous mobile device 10 repeatedly transmitted from the autonomous mobile device 10, that the autonomous mobile device 10 has entered the designated area Z indicated in the area condition information SA1 (S224), the communication unit 310 transmits an instruction to suspend action 1-1 to the autonomous mobile device 10 under control of the control unit 350 (S228). Then, when the autonomous mobile device 10 suspends action 1-1, it transmits a notification to the control server 30 indicating that action 1-1 has been suspended (S232).

[0082] Next, the communication unit 310 of the control server 30 transmits an instruction to execute action 8-1 included in the action plan AP8 indicated by the area condition information SA1 to the autonomous mobile device 10 under control of the control unit 350 (S236). Based on the reception of the instruction to execute action 8-1, the autonomous mobile device 10 starts executing action 8-1 (S240). Action 8-1 is, for example, a pause for a predetermined period of time.

[0083] Furthermore, the control unit 350 of the control server 30 identifies the road surface illumination device 20 that will be paired with the autonomous mobile device 10 based on the combination information stored in the storage unit 330. Then, the communication unit 310 of the control server 30, under control of the control unit 350, transmits an execution instruction for action 8-2 included in the action plan AP8 indicated by the area condition information SA1 to the road surface illumination device 20 identified as the paired autonomous mobile device 10 (S244). Based on receiving the execution instruction for action 8-2, the road surface illumination device 20 executes action 8-2 (S248). Then, the road surface illumination device 20 transmits an execution completion notification for action 8-2 to the control server 30 (S252). The action 8-2 is, for example, the start of road surface illumination.

[0084] Thereafter, when the control server 30 receives a notification from the autonomous mobile device 10 that the execution of action 8-1 has been completed (S256), it sends an instruction to the autonomous mobile device 10 to resume the suspended action 1-1, since all actions included in the action plan AP8 indicated by the area condition information SA1 have been completed (S260).

[0085] Then, when the control unit 350 of the control server 30 recognizes, based on the position information of the autonomous mobile device 10 repeatedly transmitted from the autonomous mobile device 10, that the autonomous mobile device 10 has exited the designated area Z indicated in the area condition information SA2 (S264), the communication unit 310 transmits an instruction to suspend action 1-1 to the autonomous mobile device 10 under control of the control unit 350 (S268). Then, when the autonomous mobile device 10 suspends action 1-1, it transmits a notification to the control server 30 indicating that action 1-1 has been suspended (S272).

[0086] Next, the control unit 350 of the control server 30 identifies the road surface illumination device 20 that will be paired with the autonomous mobile device 10 based on the combination information stored in the storage unit 330. Then, the communication unit 310 of the control server 30, under control of the control unit 350, transmits an execution instruction for action 9-1 included in the action plan AP9 indicated by the area condition information SA2 to the road surface illumination device 20 identified as the paired autonomous mobile device 10 (S276). Based on receiving the execution instruction for action 9-1, the road surface illumination device 20 executes action 9-1 (S278). Then, the road surface illumination device 20 transmits an execution completion notification for action 9-1 to the control server 30 (S280). The action 9-1 is, for example, the end of road surface illumination.

[0087] Thereafter, since all actions included in action plan AP9 indicated by area condition information SA2 have been completed, the control server 30 transmits an instruction to resume the suspended action 1-1 to the autonomous mobile device 10 (S282). Then, when the autonomous mobile device 10 completes action 1-1 and transmits a completion notification of action 1-1 to the control server 30 (S284), the control server 30 transmits an instruction to execute the next action, action 1-2, in action plan AP1 to the autonomous mobile device 10 (S286), and the autonomous mobile device 10 begins executing action 1-2 (S288). Thereafter, actions up to action 1-N included in action plan AP1 are executed sequentially in the same manner.

[0088] Although the above describes an example in which the start and end of road surface illumination are realized by two actions, action 8-2 to start road surface illumination and action 9-1 to end road surface illumination, the start and end of road surface illumination can also be realized by other methods. For example, by setting the content of action 8-2 to "execute road surface illumination for a predetermined period of time," it is possible to start and end road surface illumination with a single action 8-2.

[0089] <Effects> According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, various effects can be obtained. For example, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to realize road surface illumination around the autonomous mobile device 10 without implementing any new functions in the autonomous mobile device 10. Therefore, businesses can easily introduce a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by utilizing the area condition information, the autonomous mobile device 10 can start or stop road surface illumination when the autonomous mobile device 10 enters or exits the designated area Z. This allows for reduced power consumption compared to when road surface illumination is always performed. Furthermore, by utilizing the area condition information, it is possible to simplify the setting of an action plan compared to when area condition information is not used. This point will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 14.

[0091] Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a traveling environment of the autonomous mobile device 10. Fig. 14 shows point A, which is the current position of the autonomous mobile device 10, point B, which is the destination position of the autonomous mobile device 10, routes 1 and 3 heading from point A to point B, routes 2 and 4 heading from point B to point A, point C, which is the position where the autonomous mobile device 10 enters designated area Z if the autonomous mobile device 10 travels along route 1, and point D, which is the position where the autonomous mobile device 10 exits designated area Z if the autonomous mobile device 10 travels along route 1.

[0092] In such a driving environment, an action plan for the autonomous mobile device 10 to move from point A to point B and then return to point A, if area condition information is not used, consists of 10 actions as follows:

[0093] ・Action 1: Move from point A to point C ・Action 2: Start illuminating the road surface ・Action 3: Move from point C to point D ・Action 4: End illuminating the road surface ・Action 5: Move from point D to point B ・Action 6: Move from point B to point D ・Action 7: Start illuminating the road surface ・Action 8: Move from point D to point C ・Action 9: End illuminating the road surface ・Action 10: Move from point C to point A

[0094] On the other hand, when area condition information is used, it is sufficient to have an action plan consisting of two actions, one for moving from point A to point B and the other for moving from point B to point A, and another action plan consisting of actions for starting and ending road surface illumination. In this case, the autonomous mobile device 10 may take either route 1 or route 3, and road surface illumination starts when it enters designated area Z, and ends when it exits designated area Z. It is not necessary to set area condition information for each autonomous mobile device 10 placed in the same driving environment.

[0095] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present invention, when the autonomous mobile device 10 enters a designated area Z while autonomously moving according to an action plan, the control server 30 transmits an instruction to interrupt the action being performed by the autonomous mobile device 10, and then transmits an instruction related to road surface illumination. With this configuration, the road surface illumination device 20 can more reliably perform operations related to road surface illumination at a position desired by the user.

[0096] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the user can use the user interface unit 320 of the control server 30 to set the area condition information as appropriate according to the purpose, application, and the like.

[0097] <Modifications> One embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Below, several modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described. Note that each modification described below may be applied alone to the above-described embodiment, or may be applied in combination with the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, each modification may be applied in place of the configuration of the above-described embodiment, or may be applied in addition to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

[0098] For example, a location where road surface illumination is undesirable may be set as the designated area Z. If the road surface on which the autonomous mobile device 10 is traveling is translucent, such as glass, the laser light emitted by the road surface illumination device 20 may hit a person on a lower floor. Also, if the road surface on which the autonomous mobile device 10 is traveling is reflective, such as a mirror or a puddle, the laser light emitted by the road surface illumination device 20 may reflect and hit a person. For this reason, by setting a location where the road surface is translucent or reflects light as the designated area Z and setting the area condition information so that road surface illumination is not performed in the designated area Z, it is possible to prevent the laser light from hitting people.

[0099] Furthermore, the area condition information to be applied may differ for each autonomous mobile device 10. In this case, an operation can be realized in which when a certain autonomous mobile device 10 enters a certain area, the road surface illumination device 20 mounted on that autonomous mobile device 10 illuminates the road surface, but when another autonomous mobile device 10 enters the same area, the road surface illumination device 20 mounted on the other autonomous mobile device 10 does not illuminate the road surface. For this purpose, the storage unit 330 may store area information for each device.

[0100] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of device-specific area information. As shown in FIG. 15, the device-specific area information includes an autonomous mobile device identifier, which is the identifier of the autonomous mobile device 10, an application condition, and an area condition information identifier. The device-specific area information shown in FIG. 15 includes an autonomous mobile device identifier DA, application condition 1, and area condition information identifier SA4. This indicates that, when application condition 1 is satisfied, area condition information SA4, whose area condition information identifier is SA4, is applied to an autonomous mobile device 10A whose autonomous mobile device identifier is DA. The application condition may be, for example, a condition that the autonomous mobile device 10 is equipped with a road surface illumination device 20, a weather-related condition, a condition related to the number of passersby, or the like. Furthermore, there may be no application condition.

[0101] By using such device-specific area information, it is possible to realize road surface illumination operation suited to each autonomous mobile device 10.

[0102] <Hardware Configuration> Each embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Information processing such as identifying the road surface illumination device 20 that is paired with the autonomous mobile device 10 described above and instructing the autonomous mobile device 10 and the road surface illumination device 20 to take actions is realized by cooperation between software and hardware. Below, an example of a hardware configuration that can be applied to the autonomous mobile device 10, the road surface illumination device 20, the control server 30, etc. will be described.

[0103] 16 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration 90. The hardware configuration 90 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903, and a host bus 904. The hardware configuration 90 also includes a bridge 905, an external bus 906, an interface 907, an input device 908, a display device 909, an audio output device 910, a storage device (HDD) 911, a drive 912, and a network interface 915.

[0104] The CPU 901 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a control unit, and controls overall operation in accordance with various programs. The CPU 901 may also be a microprocessor. The ROM 902 stores programs used by the CPU 901, calculation parameters, etc. The RAM 903 temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 901, parameters that change as appropriate during the execution, etc. These are interconnected by a host bus 904 that includes a CPU bus, etc. The functions of the control unit 150, control unit 250, control unit 350, etc. can be realized by the cooperation of the CPU 901, ROM 902, RAM 903, and software.

[0105] The host bus 904 is connected to an external bus 906, such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect / Interface) bus, via a bridge 905. The host bus 904, bridge 905, and external bus 906 do not necessarily need to be configured separately, and these functions may be implemented on a single bus.

[0106] The input device 908 is composed of input means such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, buttons, microphone, sensors, switches, and levers that allow the user to input information, and an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on the user's input and outputs it to the CPU 901. By operating the input device 908, the user can input various types of data and instruct processing operations.

[0107] The display device 909 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a projector device, an OLED (organic light emitting diode) device, a lamp, etc. The audio output device 910 includes audio output devices such as a speaker and headphones.

[0108] The storage device 911 is a data storage device configured as an example of a storage unit according to this embodiment. The storage device 911 may include a storage medium, a recording device that records data on the storage medium, a reading device that reads data from the storage medium, and a deletion device that deletes data recorded on the storage medium. The storage device 911 is configured, for example, with an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a memory with equivalent functions. This storage device 911 drives the storage and stores programs executed by the CPU 901 and various data.

[0109] The drive 912 is a reader / writer for a storage medium, and is built into or externally attached to the hardware configuration 90. The drive 912 reads information recorded on a removable storage medium 84, such as an attached magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs the information to the RAM 903 or the storage device 911. The drive 912 can also write information to the removable storage medium 84.

[0110] The network interface 915 is, for example, a communication interface configured with a communication device for connecting to the communication network 12. The network interface 915 may be a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) compatible communication device or a wired communication device for performing wired communication.

[0111] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modified or altered examples within the scope of the technical ideas described in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0112] For example, the steps in the processing of the control system in this specification do not necessarily have to be processed in chronological order according to the order shown in the sequence diagram. For example, the steps in the processing of the control system may be processed in an order different from the order shown in the sequence diagram, or may be processed in parallel.

[0113] It is also possible to create a computer program that causes hardware such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM built into the autonomous mobile device 10, the road surface illumination device 20, and the control server 30 to perform functions equivalent to those of the above-described configurations of the autonomous mobile device 10, the road surface illumination device 20, and the control server 30. A non-transitory storage medium on which the computer program is stored is also provided.

[0114] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Autonomous mobile device 110 Communication unit 120 Sensor unit 130 Map information storage unit 140 Mobile mechanism 150 Control unit 170 Power supply unit 20 Road surface illumination device 210 Communication unit 230 Illumination unit 250 Control unit 270 Power supply unit 30 Control server 310 Communication unit 320 User interface unit 330 Storage unit 350 Control unit

Claims

1. A control device comprising: a communication unit that receives location information of a mobile device having a mobility function from the mobile device, and transmits an irradiation instruction for irradiating light to an irradiation device having an irradiation function mounted on the mobile device; a memory unit that stores information indicating a plurality of combinations of mobile devices and irradiation devices; an identification unit that, based on the location information received by the communication unit, identifies an irradiation device that is paired with the mobile device that transmitted the location information by referring to the memory unit; and a transmission control unit that controls transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device identified by the identification unit, based on the location information received from the mobile device that transmitted the location information.

2. The control device of claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores area condition information associated with a designated area, an operating condition indicating entry or exit, and information indicating an action plan consisting of one or more actions, and the transmission control unit controls the transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device in accordance with the action plan associated with the designated area when the mobile device that is the sender performs an operation indicated by the operating condition with respect to the designated area.

3. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the mobile device moves autonomously in accordance with a set movement action, and the transmission control unit controls the transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device when the mobile device performs an action indicated by the operating condition in the designated area during the process of autonomously moving in accordance with the movement action.

4. The control device according to claim 3, wherein the transmission control unit causes the communication unit to transmit an instruction to the mobile device to interrupt the movement action when the mobile device performs an action indicated by the action condition in the designated area during the process of autonomously moving in accordance with the movement action.

5. The control device according to claim 4, wherein the memory unit stores information associating the mobile device with the area condition information, and the transmission control unit controls the transmission of the irradiation instruction to an irradiation device paired with the mobile device that is the sender based on area condition information associated with the mobile device that is the sender among the multiple pieces of area condition information.

6. A control device as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising: an operation detection unit that detects an operation by a user; and a display control unit that generates a setting screen for setting the area condition information in accordance with the operation detected by the operation detection unit.

7. A control system including an irradiation device and a control device, wherein the irradiation device includes an irradiation unit that irradiates light, a receiving unit that receives an irradiation instruction regarding irradiation of light from the control device, and an irradiation control unit that controls the irradiation of light by the irradiation unit in accordance with the irradiation instruction, and the control device includes a communication unit that receives location information of a mobile device having a moving function from the mobile device and transmits an irradiation instruction regarding irradiation of light to an irradiation device having an irradiation function mounted on the mobile device, a memory unit that stores information indicating a plurality of combinations of mobile devices and irradiation devices, an identification unit that identifies an irradiation device paired with a mobile device that has transmitted the location information by referring to the memory unit based on the location information received by the communication unit, and a transmission control unit that controls transmission of the irradiation instruction to the irradiation device identified by the identification unit based on the location information received from the mobile device that has transmitted the location information.

8. The control system according to claim 7, wherein the irradiation device has an engagement portion that detachably engages with the moving device.

9. A method executed by a computer, comprising: receiving location information of a mobile device having a mobility function from the mobile device; based on the received location information, identifying an irradiation device paired with the mobile device that transmitted the location information by referring to information indicating a plurality of combinations of mobile devices and irradiation devices that are stored in advance; and controlling the transmission of an irradiation instruction for irradiating light to the identified irradiation device based on the location information received from the mobile device that transmitted the location information.

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