Control system, control method, and computer readable medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a control system, a control method, and a computer-readable medium that can suppress the difficulty of executing a task performed by a user on an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion. The control system for controlling an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading cargo comprises: a user identification unit that identifies a user of the loading portion; a feature information acquisition unit that acquires feature information of the identified user; and an action control unit that controls the height of the loading portion based on the feature information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system, a control method, and a program. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a technology for transporting articles by an autonomous mobile robot in a factory or warehouse has been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-099724 discloses an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading goods. The autonomous mobile robot can transport the goods by moving while loading the goods on the loading portion. Summary of the invention

[0003] As users of the autonomous mobile robot having a loading unit, there are various people. Therefore, when the height of the loading unit is fixed, some users may find it difficult to load goods on the loading unit or take goods off the loading unit by hand.

[0004] The present disclosure is an invention completed against the background of the above-mentioned actual situation, and its purpose is to provide a control system, a control method, and a program that can suppress the difficulty of executing a task performed by a user on an autonomous mobile robot having a loading unit.

[0005] One method of the present disclosure for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is a control system for controlling an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading cargo, comprising: a user identification unit for identifying a user of the loading portion; a feature information acquisition unit for acquiring feature information of the identified user; and an action control unit for controlling the height of the loading portion based on the feature information.

[0006] According to the control system, the height of the placing part is adjusted according to the identified user. That is, the height of the placing part can be changed for each user. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the difficulty of executing the work performed by the user on the autonomous mobile robot having the placing part.

[0007] In the above-mentioned aspect, the characteristic information may be information indicating an action of the identified user in the past when using the placing unit.

[0008] By adopting such a mode, the height of the placing section can be adjusted based on the user's past behavior when using the placing section. Therefore, the height of the placing section suitable for the user can be realized.

[0009] In the above-mentioned aspect, the characteristic information may be information indicating whether the identified user used the placing section in a predetermined posture when using the placing section in the past.

[0010] By adopting such a mode, it is possible to determine whether the height of the placing portion was too low or too high for the user during the previous use. Therefore, it is possible to realize an appropriate height of the placing portion.

[0011] In the above-mentioned aspect, the characteristic information may be information on an instruction to change the height of the placing section input by the identified user when using the placing section in the past.

[0012] By adopting such a mode, it is possible to determine whether the height of the placing portion was too low or too high for the user during the previous use. Therefore, it is possible to realize an appropriate height of the placing portion.

[0013] In one of the above-mentioned aspects, the following aspect may also be adopted, namely, further comprising: an action detection unit which detects the action of the identified user when using the placement unit; and an action recording unit which stores information representing the detected action in a storage device.

[0014] By adopting such a mode, the control system itself acquires information for adjusting the height of the placement unit. Therefore, such information can be acquired automatically.

[0015] In the above-mentioned one embodiment, the following embodiment may also be adopted, that is, the characteristic information is information indicating the height of the user.

[0016] By adopting such a mode, the height of the placing part can be adjusted according to the height of the user. Therefore, the height of the placing part suitable for the user can be realized.

[0017] Another embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is a control method for controlling an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading cargo, in which method, a user of the loading portion is identified; characteristic information of the identified user is obtained; and the height of the loading portion is controlled based on the characteristic information.

[0018] According to this control method, the height of the placing part is adjusted according to the identified user. That is, the height of the placing part can be changed for each user. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the difficulty of executing the work performed by the user on the autonomous mobile robot having the placing part.

[0019] Another method of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose is a program, which enables a computer that controls an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading cargo to execute the following steps, namely: an identification step, which identifies a user of the loading portion; a feature information acquisition step, which acquires feature information of the identified user; and an action control step, which controls the height of the loading portion based on the feature information.

[0020] According to the program, the height of the placing part can be adjusted according to the identified user. That is, the height of the placing part can be changed for each user. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the difficulty of executing the work performed by the user on the autonomous mobile robot having the placing part.

[0021] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a control system, a control method, and a program that can suppress difficulty in executing a task performed by a user on an autonomous mobile robot having a placing unit.

[0022] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only and thus should not be considered as limiting the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic side view showing an example of an autonomous mobile robot according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 2 A block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of an autonomous mobile robot according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 3 A block diagram showing an example of a functional structure of a control device for an autonomous mobile robot according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing related to the control of the height of the placing unit performed by the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 5 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing related to the control of the height of the placing unit performed by the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] Figure 1 , is a schematic side view showing an example of the autonomous mobile robot 10 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic system configuration of the autonomous mobile robot 10 according to the embodiment.

[0030] The autonomous mobile robot 10 is a robot that moves autonomously in a mobile environment such as a residence, facility, warehouse, factory, or outdoors, and its movements are controlled by a control system. In addition, although in the present embodiment, a control device 100 described later of the autonomous mobile robot 10 functions as a control system, a part or all of the functions of the control system may be implemented in a device other than the autonomous mobile robot 10, such as a server.

[0031] The autonomous mobile robot 10 comprises: a housing 110 including a moving device 111 for moving the autonomous mobile robot 10; a telescopic portion 120 that is telescopic in the upward and downward directions; a loading portion 130 for supporting the loaded goods; a control device 100 that implements control of the autonomous mobile robot 10, including control of the moving device 111 and the telescopic portion 120; a sensor 140; and a wireless communication unit 150.

[0032] The mobile device 111 disposed on the housing 110 has a pair of left and right driving wheels 112 and a pair of front and rear driven wheels 113 disposed on the housing 110 in a rotatable manner, and a pair of motors 114 for driving each driving wheel 112 to rotate. Each motor 114 rotates each driving wheel 112 via a speed reducer, etc. Each motor 114 rotates each driving wheel 112 according to a control signal from the control device 100, thereby enabling the autonomous mobile robot 10 to move forward, move backward, and rotate. Thus, the autonomous mobile robot 10 can move to any position. In addition, the structure of the above-mentioned mobile device 111 is an example and is not limited thereto. For example, the number of driving wheels 112 and driven wheels 113 of the mobile device 111 can also be arbitrary, as long as it can enable the autonomous mobile robot 10 to move to any position, and any structure can be applied.

[0033] The telescopic portion 120 is a telescopic mechanism that is telescopic in the vertical direction, and is a support that supports the loading portion 130 at the upper part of the housing 110. The telescopic portion 120 may also be constructed as a telescopic mechanism of a telescopic sleeve type. The loading portion 130 is provided at the upper end of the telescopic portion 120, and the loading portion 130 is raised or lowered by the movement of the telescopic portion 120. The telescopic portion 120 includes a driving device 121 such as a motor, and is extended and retracted by the driving device 121. That is, the loading portion 130 is raised or lowered by the driving device 121. The driving device 121 is driven according to a control signal from the control device 100. In addition, in the autonomous mobile robot 10, any known mechanism for controlling the height of the loading portion 130 provided on the upper side of the housing 110 may be used instead of the telescopic mechanism.

[0034] The loading part 130 is disposed at the upper part (top) of the telescopic part 120. That is, the loading part 130 is disposed above the housing 110 of the autonomous mobile robot 10 via the telescopic part 120. The loading part 130 is raised and lowered by a driving device 121 such as a motor. In the present embodiment, the loading part 130 is used to load goods to be transported by the autonomous mobile robot 10, or to support the goods so as to lift the goods. In order to carry out the transportation, the autonomous mobile robot 10 moves together with the goods while maintaining the state of supporting the goods by the loading part 130. Thus, the autonomous mobile robot 10 carries the goods. In addition, during the transportation process performed by the autonomous mobile robot 10, the autonomous mobile robot 10 may not be moved. That is, the transportation may also be the movement of the goods in the up and down directions achieved by the lifting and lowering of the loading part 130. For example, in order for the autonomous mobile robot 10 to carry the goods, the user loads the goods on the loading part 130 by hand. Furthermore, in order to receive the cargo carried by the autonomous mobile robot 10 , the user removes the cargo loaded on the placing portion 130 by hand.

[0035] The placement portion 130 is formed of, for example, a plate material. In the present embodiment, the shape of the plate material, that is, the placement portion 130 is, for example, a flat disk shape, but may be any other shape.

[0036] The sensor 140 is a sensor that is installed at any position of the autonomous mobile robot 10 and detects information about the appearance of the user. For example, the sensor 140 is a camera, but it can also be any sensor that detects information about the appearance of an object, such as a LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensor. The output of the sensor 140 is input to the control device 100.

[0037] The wireless communication unit 150 is a circuit for wireless communication with a server or other robots as needed, and includes, for example, a wireless transceiver circuit and an antenna. In addition, the wireless communication unit 150 may be omitted when the autonomous mobile robot 10 does not communicate with other devices.

[0038] The control device 100 is a device that controls the autonomous mobile robot 10, and includes a processor 101, a memory 102, and an interface 103. The processor 101, the memory 102, and the interface 103 are connected to each other via a data bus or the like.

[0039] The interface 103 is an input / output circuit used for communicating with other devices such as the mobile device 111 , the extendable unit 120 , the sensor 140 , and the wireless communication unit 150 .

[0040] The memory 102 is composed of, for example, a combination of a volatile memory and a nonvolatile memory and is used to store software (computer programs) including one or more commands executed by the processor 101 and data used in various processes of the autonomous mobile robot 10 .

[0041] The processor 101 reads software (computer program) from the memory 102 and executes it, thereby performing the processing of the control device 100 described later.

[0042] The processor 101 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. The processor 101 may include a plurality of processors.

[0043] In this manner, the control device 100 is a device that functions as a computer.

[0044] The program includes a command group (or software code) for causing the computer to perform one or more functions described in the embodiment when read by the computer. The program may also be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium or a storage medium having a physical body. By way of example and not limitation, the computer-readable medium or the storage medium having a physical body includes random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technology, CD-ROM (read-only compact disk), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc or other optical storage, cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device. The program may also be sent on a temporary computer-readable medium or communication medium. By way of example and not limitation, the temporary computer-readable medium or communication medium includes a transmission signal in the form of electricity, light, sound or other form.

[0045] Figure 3 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional structure of the control device 100 of the autonomous mobile robot 10. Figure 3 As shown, the control device 100 includes a user recognition unit 160 , a body recognition unit 161 , an operation reception unit 162 , an action recording unit 163 , a feature information acquisition unit 164 , and a motion control unit 165 .

[0046] The user recognition unit 160 recognizes the user of the placement unit 130. The user recognition unit 160 analyzes the output data from the sensor 140 and recognizes the user. For example, the user recognition unit 160 recognizes the user by performing image recognition processing on the image data output from the sensor 140. In this way, the user is specifically specified. The user recognition unit 160 can recognize the user by recognizing the user's physical features such as the face based on the output data of the sensor 140, or can recognize the user by having the sensor 140 read the ID card held by the user.

[0047] The body recognition unit 161 recognizes the height and posture of the user of the loading unit 130. The body recognition unit 161 analyzes the output data from the sensor 140 and recognizes the height and posture. For example, the body recognition unit 161 recognizes the height and posture of the user by performing image recognition processing on the image data output from the sensor 140. In this way, the height and posture of the user are specifically specified. In addition, the body recognition unit 161 may only recognize either the height or the posture of the user. When the body recognition unit 161 recognizes the height of the user, it may also store the height of the user in a storage device such as the memory 102 in a manner associated with the identification information of the user recognized by the user recognition unit 160.

[0048] When recognizing the posture of the user, the body recognition unit 161 particularly recognizes the posture of the user when using the carrying unit 130. For example, the body recognition unit 161 can recognize the posture of the user when the user is in a position close to the autonomous mobile robot 10 (within a predetermined distance from the autonomous mobile robot 10) as the posture of the user when using the carrying unit 130, or can recognize the posture when a change occurs in the weight of the carrying unit 130 as the posture of the user when using the carrying unit 130. In addition, the relative position of the user with respect to the autonomous mobile robot 10 can also be determined based on the output data of the sensor 140. In addition, the weight of the carrying unit 130 can also be determined by a weight sensor or the like provided on the carrying unit 130. In addition, the body recognition unit 161 is an example of an action detection unit that detects the action of the user when using the carrying unit 130, and recognizes the posture as an action.

[0049] The operation receiving unit 162 receives input of an operation performed by the user to instruct the raising or lowering of the placing unit 130. That is, the operation receiving unit 162 receives input of an instruction to change the height of the placing unit 130. The operation receiving unit 162 can receive instructions by, for example, receiving a signal from a user interface (such as a button or a lever, etc.) provided on the autonomous mobile robot 10 and operated by physical force (physical contact), or by receiving an operation signal sent from a terminal held by the user, etc., via the wireless communication unit 150. In addition, the operation receiving unit 162 is an example of an action detection unit that detects the action of the user when using the placing unit 130, and recognizes the input operation as an action.

[0050] The action recording unit 163 records information indicating the detected action. The action recording unit 163 records the information indicating the detected action by storing it in a storage device such as the memory 102. The action recording unit 163 stores the information indicating the action of the user in the storage device in a manner associated with the identification information of the user identified by the user identification unit 160. For example, the action recording unit 163 stores information indicating whether the user uses the placing unit 130 in a predetermined posture in the storage device. Here, the so-called predetermined posture is any posture that the user can feel that the execution of the work is difficult. Specifically, for example, it can be a posture of bending down (i.e., bending over or bending knees), a posture of tiptoeing, or a posture of raising the hand to a position higher than a predetermined body part (e.g., shoulder). In addition, the action recording unit 163 can also store information about the instruction to change the height of the placing unit 130 input by the user when using the placing unit 130 in the storage device. For example, information indicating an instruction to raise the placing unit 130 to a height higher than a predetermined reference height may be recorded, information indicating an instruction to lower the placing unit 130 to a height lower than a predetermined reference height may be recorded, or information indicating the height of the placing unit 130 achieved by control in accordance with the input instruction may be recorded. In addition, in the action recording unit 163, as information indicating an action, only one of the information on the posture and the information on the instruction may be recorded, or both may be recorded. Furthermore, the action recording unit 163 may associate the height of the placing unit 130 when the user uses the placing unit 130 in a predetermined posture with the information indicating the action and record it, or may associate the height of the placing unit 130 when the user inputs an instruction to change the height of the placing unit 130 with the information on the instruction and record it.

[0051] The characteristic information acquisition unit 164 acquires characteristic information of the user identified by the user identification unit 160. Here, the characteristic information of the user refers to information indicating the characteristics of the user related to the height of the placing unit 130. That is, the characteristic information of the user refers to personal data related to the height of the placing unit 130. Specifically, the characteristic information of the user may be information indicating the actions of the user when using the placing unit 130 in the past. In this case, the characteristic information of the user may also be information recorded by the action recording unit 163. The information on the actions of the user when using the placing unit 130 in the past may be information indicating whether the user used the placing unit 130 in a predetermined posture when using the placing unit 130 in the past, or information on instructions for changing the height of the placing unit 130 input by the user when using the placing unit 130 in the past. By way of example, the characteristic information of the user is information indicating that the user used the placing unit 130 in a posture of bending down when using the placing unit 130 in the past. In addition, if another example is given, the characteristic information of the user is information indicating an instruction input by the user to raise the placing unit 130 to a height higher than a predetermined height when the placing unit 130 was used in the past. In addition, these are merely examples of characteristic information, and the characteristic information is not limited to these examples. The characteristic information acquisition unit 164 acquires characteristic information indicating the actions of the user when the placing unit 130 was used in the past by reading information corresponding to the user identified by the user identification unit 160 from characteristic information (for example, information recorded by the action recording unit 163) pre-stored in a storage device such as the memory 102, thereby acquiring characteristic information indicating the actions of the user when the placing unit 130 was used in the past. In addition, the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 may not necessarily acquire the information recorded by the action recording unit 163. For example, the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 may also acquire characteristic information stored in the storage device by inputting it through an input device by each user or an administrator. In this case, the action recording unit 163 may also be omitted. On the other hand, there is an advantage in that, since the control device 100 itself acquires information for adjusting the height of the placing unit 130 due to the existence of the action recording unit 163 , such information can be acquired automatically.

[0052] By acquiring information indicating whether the user used the placing section 130 in a predetermined posture in the past when using the placing section 130 as characteristic information, it is possible to determine whether the height of the placing section 130 was too low or too high for the user when using it in the past. Therefore, it is possible to achieve an appropriate height of the placing section 130 as described later. In addition, by acquiring information about an instruction to change the height of the placing section 130 input by the user when using the placing section 130 in the past as characteristic information, it is possible to determine whether the height of the placing section 130 was too low or too high for the user when using it in the past. Therefore, it is possible to achieve an appropriate height of the placing section 130 as described later.

[0053] In addition, the characteristic information of the user may also be information indicating the height of the user. In this case, the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 may acquire the characteristic information by reading the height corresponding to the user identified by the user identification unit 160 from the heights pre-stored in a storage device such as the memory 102, or may acquire the height identified by the body identification unit 161 as the characteristic information. By acquiring the information indicating the height of the user as the characteristic information, the height of the placing unit 130 may be adjusted according to the height of the user. Therefore, the height of the placing unit 130 suitable for the user may be realized.

[0054] The motion control unit 165 controls the autonomous mobile robot 10. Specifically, the motion control unit 165 mainly controls the motion of the mobile device 111 and the telescopic unit 120. The motion control unit 165 can control the rotation of each driving wheel 112 by sending a control signal to each motor 114 of the mobile device 111, thereby moving the autonomous mobile robot 10 to an arbitrary position. In addition, the motion control unit 165 can control the height of the loading unit 130 by sending a control signal to the driving device 121 of the telescopic unit 120.

[0055] The motion control unit 165 may also control the movement of the autonomous mobile robot 10 by performing well-known control such as feedback control and robust control based on the rotation information of the driving wheel 112 detected by the rotation sensor provided on the driving wheel 112. In addition, the motion control unit 165 may control the mobile device 111 based on the distance information detected by the distance sensor such as the camera or ultrasonic sensor provided on the autonomous mobile robot 10, the map information of the mobile environment, and the like, so that the autonomous mobile robot 10 moves autonomously. In addition, the sensor 140 for detecting the appearance information related to the user may also be a sensor used for sensing the mobile environment when the autonomous mobile robot 10 moves.

[0056] In addition, the action control unit 165 controls the height of the placing unit 130 based on the instruction received by the operation receiving unit 162. In this case, the action control unit 165 changes the height of the placing unit 130 according to the received instruction. Furthermore, when the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 acquires characteristic information, the action control unit 165 controls the height of the placing unit 130 based on the acquired characteristic information. In this case, specifically, the action control unit 165 controls the height of the placing unit 130 according to a predetermined control rule corresponding to the acquired characteristic information. For example, the action control unit 165 implements the following control.

[0057] When the characteristic information acquired by the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 indicates that the user used the placing unit 130 in a bent posture in the past, the motion control unit 165 controls the placing unit 130 to be raised to a predetermined first height. When the characteristic information acquired by the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 indicates that the user used the placing unit 130 in a tiptoeing posture or with the hands raised to a position higher than a predetermined body part in the past, the motion control unit 165 controls the placing unit 130 to be lowered to a predetermined second height. In addition, in these controls, the motion control unit 165 may refer to the height of the placing unit 130 when the user used the placing unit 130 in such a posture in the past. For example, when the characteristic information is information indicating that the placing unit 130 is used in a bent-down posture, the motion control unit 165 may control the placing unit 130 to rise to a height that is higher by a predetermined value than the height of the placing unit 130 when the placing unit 130 is used in this posture. Similarly, when the characteristic information is information indicating that the placing unit 130 is used in a posture of standing on tiptoes or raising the hands to a position higher than a predetermined body part, the motion control unit 165 may control the placing unit 130 to fall to a height that is lower by a predetermined value than the height of the placing unit 130 when the placing unit 130 is used in this posture.

[0058] In addition, when the characteristic information acquired by the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 is information indicating an instruction inputted by the user in the past when the placing unit 130 was used, and the placing unit 130 was raised to a height higher than a predetermined reference height, the action control unit 165 performs control to raise the height of the placing unit 130 to a predetermined first height. The predetermined first height may be a height higher than the predetermined reference height by a predetermined value. In addition, when the characteristic information acquired by the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 is information indicating an instruction inputted by the user in the past when the placing unit 130 was used, and the placing unit 130 was lowered to a height lower than a predetermined reference height, the action control unit 165 performs control to lower the height of the placing unit 130 to a predetermined second height. The predetermined second height may be a height lower than the predetermined reference height by a predetermined value. In addition, in these controls, the action control unit 165 may also perform control with reference to the height of the placing unit 130 when the user inputs an instruction to change the height of the placing unit 130. For example, when the characteristic information is information indicating an instruction to raise the placing unit 130 to a height higher than a predetermined reference height, the action control unit 165 may also perform control to raise the placing unit 130 to a height higher than the height of the placing unit 130 when the user inputs an instruction to raise the height of the placing unit 130 by a predetermined value. Similarly, when the characteristic information is information indicating an instruction to lower the placing unit 130 to a height lower than the predetermined reference height, the action control unit 165 may also perform control to lower the placing unit 130 to a height lower than the height of the placing unit 130 when the user inputs an instruction to lower the height of the placing unit 130 by a predetermined value. Furthermore, when the characteristic information acquired by the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 is information indicating the height of the placing unit 130 achieved by control in accordance with an instruction input by the user when the placing unit 130 was used in the past, the action control unit 165 performs control in such a manner that the height of the placing unit 130 becomes the height indicated by the characteristic information.

[0059] Furthermore, when the characteristic information acquired by the characteristic information acquisition unit 164 is information indicating the height of the user, the operation control unit 165 performs control so that the height of the placing unit 130 becomes a height corresponding to the height.

[0060] Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing related to the control of the height of the placing unit 130 performed by the autonomous mobile robot 10 according to the present embodiment. In particular, Figure 4 An example of the process flow when the user uses the placement unit 130 for the first time is shown. Figure 5 An example of the flow of processing when the user uses the placement unit 130 again is shown.

[0061] First, in reference Figure 4 An example of the process flow when the user uses the placement unit 130 for the first time will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG.

[0062] In step S100 , the user identification unit 160 identifies the user of the placement unit 130 .

[0063] Next, in step S101, it is determined whether the operation accepting unit 162 has accepted an input of an operation for instructing adjustment of the height of the placing unit 130. If an input of an operation for instructing adjustment of the height of the placing unit 130 has been accepted (yes in step S101), the process proceeds to step S102, and if not (no in step S101), the process proceeds to step S103.

[0064] In step S102, the operation control unit 165 controls the height of the placement unit 130 based on the operation (instruction) received by the operation receiving unit 162. For example, the user performs an operation to adjust the height of the placement unit 130 to a height that facilitates operation. After step S102, the process moves to step S104.

[0065] In step S103, the body recognition unit 161 recognizes the posture of the user when the user uses the placement unit 130. After step S103, the process proceeds to step S104.

[0066] In step S104, the action recording unit 163 records information indicating an action as information about the user recognized in step S100. Specifically, when receiving input of an operation to instruct adjustment of the height of the placing unit 130, the action recording unit 163 records information about the instruction to change the height of the placing unit 130. In addition, the action recording unit 163 records information indicating whether the posture recognized in step S103 is a predetermined posture (for example, a posture of bending down).

[0067] In addition, although Figure 4 In the flowchart shown, in step S103, only the user's posture is recognized, but the user's posture and height may also be recognized.

[0068] Next, in reference Figure 5 An example of the process flow when the user uses the placement unit 130 again will be described while referring to the flowchart of FIG.

[0069] In step S200 , the user identification unit 160 identifies the user of the placement unit 130 .

[0070] Next, in step S201, the feature information acquisition unit 164 acquires the feature information of the user identified in step S200. Figure 4 The information recorded in step S104 is used to obtain the characteristic information of the user.

[0071] Next, in step S202, the motion control unit 165 adjusts the height of the placing unit 130 based on the characteristic information acquired in step S201. In step S201, when multiple types of characteristic information are acquired for the same user, the motion control unit 165 controls the height of the placing unit 130 based on, for example, characteristic information selected from the multiple types of characteristic information in a predetermined priority order. Figure 5 Although not shown in the flowchart, when the user uses the placing section 130 again, an input of an instruction to adjust the height of the placing section 130 may be received, and control in accordance with the instruction may be performed.

[0072] The above is a description of the embodiment. The autonomous mobile robot 10 involved in the present embodiment adjusts the height of the loading section according to the identified user. That is, the height of the loading section can be changed for each user. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the difficulty in performing the operation performed by the user on the autonomous mobile robot 10 having the loading section 130. Specifically, when loading goods on the loading section 130 by hand, or taking goods off the loading section 130 by hand, the user can reduce the situation where the user feels that the operation is difficult to perform. In particular, in the case where the acquired characteristic information is information indicating the user's actions when using the loading section 130 in the past, the height of the loading section 130 can be adjusted based on the user's actions when using the loading section 130 in the past. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a height of the loading section 130 suitable for the user.

[0073] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the gist. Figure 3 Some or all of the components shown may be implemented in a device other than the autonomous mobile robot 10 , such as a server, or the sensor 140 may be provided separately from the autonomous mobile robot 10 .

[0074] From the disclosure thus described, it is obvious that the embodiments of the disclosure can be changed in many ways. Such changes should not be regarded as departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and all such modifications obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A control system for controlling an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading cargo, comprising: a user identification unit for identifying a user of the placement unit; a feature information acquisition unit configured to acquire feature information of the identified user; an action control unit that controls the height of the placing unit based on the characteristic information, The characteristic information is information indicating whether the identified user used the placing portion in a predetermined posture when using the placing portion in the past. When the characteristic information is information indicating that the carrying portion is used in a posture of standing on tiptoe or raising the hands to a position higher than a predetermined body part, the action control unit controls the carrying portion to be lowered to a height that is lower by a predetermined value than the height of the carrying portion when the carrying portion is used in this posture. When the characteristic information is information indicating that the placing section is used in a bent-down posture, the motion control section controls the placing section to rise to a height that is higher by a predetermined value than the height of the placing section when the placing section is used in the bent-down posture.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein: Also features: a motion detection unit configured to detect a posture of the identified user when using the placement unit; The action recording unit stores information indicating the detected posture in a storage device.

3. A control method for controlling an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading cargo, wherein: identifying a user of the loading unit, Obtaining characteristic information of the identified user, controlling the height of the placing portion based on the characteristic information, The characteristic information is information indicating whether the identified user used the placing portion in a predetermined posture when using the placing portion in the past. When the characteristic information is information indicating that the carrying portion is used in a posture of standing on tiptoe or raising the hands to a position higher than a predetermined body part, control is performed to lower the carrying portion to a height that is lower by a predetermined value than the height of the carrying portion when the carrying portion is used in this posture, When the characteristic information indicates that the placing section is used in a bent-down posture, control is performed to raise the placing section to a height that is higher by a predetermined value than the height of the placing section when the placing section is used in the bent-down posture.

4. A computer-readable medium storing a program for causing a computer controlling an autonomous mobile robot having a loading portion for loading cargo to execute the following steps: an identification step of identifying a user of the placement unit; a feature information acquisition step, which acquires the feature information of the identified user; an action control step of controlling the height of the placing portion based on the characteristic information, The characteristic information is information indicating whether the identified user used the placing portion in a predetermined posture when using the placing portion in the past. When the characteristic information is information indicating that the carrying portion is used in a posture of standing on tiptoe or raising the hands to a position higher than a predetermined body part, in the action control step, control is performed to lower the carrying portion to a height that is lower by a predetermined value than the height of the carrying portion when the carrying portion is used in this posture, When the characteristic information is information indicating that the placing section is used in a bent-down posture, in the action control step, control is implemented to raise the placing section to a height that is higher by a predetermined value than the height of the placing section when the placing section is used in this posture.

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