Management device, management method, and management program

Abstract

The management server (30) includes: an acquisition unit that receives a current position of a robot or a travel route of the robot from a control server that controls the robot that autonomously travels indoors and outdoors; a disaster occurrence detection unit (334) that detects, on the basis of external information including disaster information, the occurrence of a disaster and a disaster occurrence area in which the disaster has occurred; a target robot specifying unit (335) that specifies a robot that is located in the disaster occurrence area or that is predicted to be located in the disaster occurrence area on the basis of the current position of the robot or the travel route of the robot; a retreat route determination unit (336) that determines, on the basis of the external information and the map information, a retreat route to a preset retreat location for each robot located in the disaster-occurring area or for each robot predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area; and a retreat route recommendation unit (337) that recommends the retreat route to the terminal device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a management device, a management method and a management program. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, autonomous robots have been developed to address the shortage of manpower. Autonomous robots can carry out tasks such as delivering goods, guarding, guiding, cleaning, and transporting people by driving indoors and outdoors.

[0003] Through remote operation and simultaneous control of multiple units, the driving area of ​​this autonomous driving robot is not limited to the interior of a facility and the area surrounding the facility, but is also being studied to be expanded to travel between multiple facilities and their surrounding areas, and between multiple areas and the areas.

[0004] Each robot drives autonomously by, for example, having its mission and driving route set by its own robot operator and being controlled by a control server of the robot operator.

[0005] Prior art literature

[0006] Patent Literature

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-078618

[0008] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-079247 Summary of the invention

[0009] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0010] Here, when a disaster occurs or when a disaster is predicted, each robot operator needs to make each robot traveling in the disaster area retreat. In this case, for example, the robot operator must collect disaster information, rewrite the travel route of the robot in the disaster area into a retreat route, and make the robot retreat.

[0011] As the number of robots and areas expand, the number of robots in the area managed by the robot operator continues to increase. In this case, the robot operator must quickly evacuate each robot when a disaster occurs or is predicted to occur. Therefore, it is also considered that the processing burden of the robot operator becomes very high when a disaster occurs or is predicted to occur, making it difficult to quickly evacuate the robots.

[0012] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a management device, a management method, and a management program that can assist in the rapid evacuation of an autonomous driving robot when a disaster occurs or when a disaster is predicted.

[0013] Means for solving problems

[0014] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, the management device of the present invention is characterized in that it has: a storage unit, which stores map information of various areas where the outdoor and indoor autonomously traveling robots travel; a collection unit, which collects external information including disaster information; an acquisition unit, which receives the current position of the robot or the travel route of the robot from a control device that controls the robot; a detection unit, which detects the occurrence of a disaster and the disaster-occurring area where the disaster occurs based on the external information; a determination unit, which determines the robot located in the disaster-occurring area or the robot predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area based on the current position of the robot or the travel route of the robot; a judgment unit, which determines the evacuation route leading to a predetermined evacuation place for each of the robots located in the disaster-occurring area or each of the robots predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area based on the external information and the map information; and a recommendation unit, which recommends the evacuation route to a terminal device.

[0015] Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, it is possible to assist the rapid evacuation of an autonomous traveling robot when a disaster occurs or when the occurrence of a disaster is predicted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a diagram for explaining the outline of the management system in the embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management system in the embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 Yes means Figure 2 A block diagram of an example of the structure of the control server shown.

[0020] Figure 4 Yes means Figure 2 A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server shown in FIG.

[0021] Figure 5 Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a map image of an area.

[0022] Figure 6 It is a diagram for explaining an example of setting an evacuation route.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a diagram for explaining an example of setting an evacuation route.

[0024] Figure 8 Yes means Figure 2FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a management server shown in FIG.

[0025] Fig. 9 Yes means Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a management server shown in FIG.

[0026] Fig.10 Yes means Figure 2 A diagram showing an example of a screen of a control server shown.

[0027] Fig.11 It is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the management processing according to the embodiment.

[0028] Fig.12 A diagram showing a computer that executes a program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Hereinafter, embodiments of the management device, management method, and management program of the present application will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, the management device, management method, and management program of the present application are not limited to the embodiments.

[0030] [Implementation Method]

[0031] In the following embodiments, the processing flow of the management device and the management method of the embodiments is described in sequence, and finally the effect of the embodiments is described.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a diagram for explaining the outline of the management system in the embodiment. Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management system in the embodiment.

[0033] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the management system in the embodiment has: control servers 20A, 20B (control devices), which control robots 10A-1, 10A-2, 10B-1, 10B-2 that travel autonomously outdoors and indoors; and a management server 30 (management device), which provides information related to robot control.

[0034] In the management system of the embodiment, a plurality of control servers 20A and 20B control autonomous traveling robots 10A-1, 10A-2, 10B-1, and 10B-2 using wireless communication or the like.

[0035] also, Figure 1 , Figure 2The structure shown is only an example, and the specific structure and the number of each device are not particularly limited. In addition, when robots 10A-1, 10A-2, 10B-1, and 10B-2 are collectively referred to, they are recorded as robot 10. When robots 10A-1 and 10A-2 are collectively referred to, they are recorded as robot 10A. When robots 10B-1 and 10B-2 are collectively referred to, they are recorded as robot 10B. In addition, when control servers 20A and 20B are collectively referred to, they are recorded as control server 20.

[0036] The control server 20A controls the autonomous driving of the robot 10A according to the robot control system of the robot operator A. The control server 20B controls the autonomous driving of the robot 10B according to the robot control system of the robot operator B. The control server 20 sets the tasks and driving routes of each robot 10 as a control target through, for example, the operation of the robot operator. In addition, as the operation of the robot operator described above, the robot operator (human) operates a terminal device or the like to set the tasks and driving routes of each robot 10 as a control target.

[0037] The robot 10 travels in multiple areas E1-1 to E1-3 including multiple facilities and their surrounding areas, or between areas E1-1 to E1-3 under the control of the control server 20 to perform tasks such as item delivery, security, guidance, cleaning, and personnel transfer.

[0038] The robot 10, for example, has a communication unit for communicating with the control server 20 and a driving function capable of autonomous driving. In addition, the robot 10 has various sensors for detecting obstacles in the surroundings, and input / output units such as a touch panel, a microphone, and a speaker for accepting user operation input or outputting sound or image information. The robot 10 may also have a camera for capturing images of the surroundings of the robot 10. The robot 10 transmits the detection results of the sensors, the images captured by the camera, and various information input by the user to the control server 20 via the communication unit.

[0039] The robot 10 travels along the travel route set by the control server 20 and executes the task set by the control server 20. In addition, the control server 20 may determine the current position of the robot 10 using a positioning system such as a GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0040] The management server 30 as a platform provides information related to robot control to the terminal device. The management server 30 receives the current position or driving route of the robot 10 from each control server 20. The driving route is also given a driving period of the driving route. In addition, the management server 30 can also receive various information sent from the robot 10 to the control server 20 from each control server 20.

[0041] Furthermore, the management server 30 collects external information from various external servers connected via the communication network. Based on the collected information, the management server 30 provides information related to robot control to the terminal device.

[0042] Examples of the external server include a disaster prediction server 40 , a sensor management server 50 , a crowd prediction server 60 , and an external server 70 .

[0043] The disaster prediction server 40 is a server installed in the Meteorological Agency, local public organizations, private enterprises, etc., and predicts the occurrence of earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions, and issues special warnings / alerts / cautions and disaster prevention information.

[0044] The sensor management server 50 manages the detection operations of various sensors installed in the robot's driving area and collects the detection results of various sensors. As various sensors, there are surveillance cameras installed in various places, human body sensing sensors, temperature sensors, etc.

[0045] The crowd flow prediction server 60 predicts the crowd flow in the prediction target area during the prediction target period based on movement data, images from surveillance cameras, transportation tool utilization information, detection results of sensors (such as human body sensing sensors), and the like.

[0046] The external server 70 is a server that distributes news reports, blog reports, SNS (Social Networking Service) reports, and the like.

[0047] The management server 30 collects external information from various external servers, and when a disaster is detected, recommends an evacuation route to an evacuation location for the robot 10 located in the disaster area to the terminal device 90. The evacuation location of the robot 10 is preset. In addition, a terminal device 90 is provided that outputs information sent from the management server 30 and accepts operations on the management server 30, and a terminal device 90 that can instruct the control server 20 to change the travel route of the robot 10. In addition, a plurality of terminal devices 90 may be provided for each robot operator.

[0048] The control server 20 sets the retreat route of each robot based on the information input from the terminal device 90 operated by the robot operator. For example, the robot operator rewrites the travel route of each robot 10 to the retreat route recommended by the management server 30, and makes the robot 10 retreat to the retreat place. In this way, the management server 30 assists the rapid retreat of the autonomous driving robot when a disaster occurs or when a disaster is predicted. In addition, the terminal device 90 operated by the robot operator can also be set as an independent terminal device for each robot operator.

[0049] [Control Server]

[0050] The control server 20 will be described. Figure 3 Yes means Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the control server 20. Figure 3 As shown, the control server 20 includes, for example, a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23. In addition, the control server 20 is connected to input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard, and output devices such as a display and a speaker.

[0051] The communication unit 21 controls communication related to various information. For example, the communication unit 21 controls communication with the robot 10 and communication with the management server 30. The communication unit 21 can send setting instructions for tasks and driving routes and driving control information to the robot 10 to control the driving and task execution of the robot 10. In addition, the communication unit 21 can receive information obtained by the robot 10. The communication unit 21 can send the current position of the robot 10 or the driving route of the robot 10 to the management server 30.

[0052] The storage unit 22 stores data and programs required for various processes of the control unit 23. For example, the storage unit 22 may be a semiconductor storage element such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or optical disk. The storage unit 22 may include robot information 221, map information 222, a task storage unit 223, driving route information 224, and robot position information 225.

[0053] The robot information 221 may include identification information, types, and executable tasks of each robot controlled by the control server 20 .

[0054] The map information 222 may be a map including maps of each area E1-1 to E1-3 and maps of travel between areas E1-1 to E1-3. The map information 222 may be acquired in advance and updated appropriately based on various sensor information, information sent from the robot 10, etc. The map information 222 may overlap the facilities of each area E1-1 to E1-3, the areas where the robot 10 can travel within and around the facilities, and the areas where the robot 10 can travel between areas E1-1 to E1-3 on the map. In addition, the robot 10 may be able to travel outdoors and indoors.

[0055] The task storage unit 223 may store historical information of tasks executed by each robot 10. In addition, the task setting unit 231 (described later) may register the tasks being executed by each robot 10 in the task storage unit 223. Tasks include article delivery, security, guidance, cleaning, personnel transfer, etc. The task storage unit 223 may store identification information of the robot 10, identification information of the task, task execution period, etc.

[0056] The driving route information 224 may be information indicating the driving route of the robot 10. Regarding the driving route, for example, a plurality of representative routes may be pre-set according to the area, task and / or type of the robot 10, and may be modified or added as appropriate according to the driving conditions. In the driving route information 224, each driving route for each robot 10 set by the driving route setting unit 232 (described later) may also be registered.

[0057] The robot position information 225 may be information in which identification information of the robot 10 , the position of the robot 10 , and the position detection time are associated with each other.

[0058] The control unit 23 has an internal memory for storing programs and required data that define various processing procedures, and performs various processing. Here, the control unit 23 can be, for example, an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0059] The control unit 23 may include, for example, a task setting unit 231 , a travel route setting unit 232 , a robot position acquisition unit 233 , a travel control unit 234 , and a robot information transmission control unit 235 .

[0060] For example, when receiving a request for service provision from a user, the task setting unit 231 sets a task to be executed and selects a robot 10 to execute the task.

[0061] The driving route setting unit 232 sets a driving route corresponding to the task for the robot 10 selected by the task setting unit 231. For example, the driving route setting unit 232 may select any of the pre-set routes as the driving route according to the operation of the robot operator. In addition, the driving route setting unit 232 may set a route that is a correction of the pre-set route according to the operation of the robot operator.

[0062] The robot position acquisition unit 233 acquires the current position of each robot 10 to be controlled using a positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System). The robot position acquisition unit 233 may store the position and position detection time of the robot 10 in the storage unit 22 in association with the identification information of the robot 10 .

[0063] The travel control unit 234 controls the travel of the robot 10 as the control target so as to make the robot 10 as the control target travel along the travel route set by the travel route setting unit 232 , for example.

[0064] The robot information transmission control unit 235 transmits information related to each robot 10 as a control target to the management server 30, for example, via the communication unit 21. The robot information transmission control unit 235 may transmit the current position of each robot 10 or the travel route of each robot 10 together with the identification information of each robot 10 as a control target to the management server 30. The robot information transmission control unit 235 may also transmit both the current position of each robot 10 as a control target and the travel route of each robot 10 to the management server 30. The robot information transmission control unit 235 may also transmit the task of the robot 10 as a control target and the information received from the robot 10 to the management server 30.

[0065] [Management Server]

[0066] Next, Figure 2 The management server 30 shown will be described. Figure 4 Yes means Figure 2 FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of the management server 30. Figure 4 As shown, the management server 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33. In addition, the management server 30 is connected to input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard, and output devices such as a display and a speaker.

[0067] The communication unit 31 controls communication related to various information. For example, the communication unit 31 controls communication with external servers and communication with the management server 30. The communication unit 31 receives the current position of the robot 10 as the control target or the travel route of the robot 10 from the control server 20. In addition, the communication unit 31 receives information obtained by the robot 10 as the control target from the control server 20. In addition, the communication unit 31 receives external information including disaster information from an external server.

[0068] The storage unit 32 stores data and programs required for various processes of the control unit 33. For example, the storage unit 32 is a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 32 has robot information 321, map information 322, a task storage unit 323, driving route information 324, robot position information 325, disaster information 326, a sensor information group 327, crowd flow prediction information 328, and an external information group 329.

[0069] The robot information 321 is information that is registered by correspondingly matching the identification information of the control server 20 with the identification information of each robot controlled by the control server 20. When the type and executable tasks of the robot 10 are provided from the control server 20, the type and executable tasks of the robot 10 are registered in the robot information 321 in correspondence with the identification information of each robot.

[0070] The map information 322 is map information including maps of each area E1-1 to E1-3 and maps of travel between the areas E1-1 to E1-3. The map information 322 overlays the facilities of each area E1-1 to E1-3, the areas where the robot 10 can travel in and around the facilities, and the areas where the robot 10 can travel between the areas E1-1 to E1-3 on the map. The map information 322 is provided, for example, from the control server 20.

[0071] When information on the task of the robot 10 is provided from the control server 20 , the task storage unit 323 stores the task and the task execution period, etc. in association with the identification information of the robot 10 .

[0072] The travel route information 324 is information indicating the travel route of the robot 10 provided from the control server 20. The identification information of the robot 10 and the travel route of the robot 10 are associated with the travel route information 324. The travel period of the travel route is also given to the travel route.

[0073] The robot position information 325 is information indicating the current position of the robot 10 provided from the control server 20 . The identification information of the robot 10 , the position of the robot 10 , and the position detection time correspond to the robot position information 325 .

[0074] Disaster information 326 is, for example, special warnings / alarms / cautions and disaster prevention information for disasters, and includes the type of disaster predicted to occur, the extent of the disaster, the time of occurrence, and the period of occurrence. Disaster information 326 is, for example, included in information received from the disaster prediction server 40 .

[0075] The sensor information group 327 is an information group received from the sensor management server 50 and indicates the detection results of various sensors installed in the robot driving area. The sensor information group 327 includes, for example, images captured by a monitoring camera, sensing results of a human body sensing sensor, and detected temperatures of a temperature sensor.

[0076] The crowd flow prediction information 328 is information indicating the crowd flow in the prediction target area during the prediction target period predicted by the crowd flow prediction server 60. For example, when the management server 30 receives a special alarm / alarm / caution report or disaster prevention information for a disaster, crowd flow prediction information in the disaster-affected area during the disaster-affected period is obtained based on a prediction request from the management server 30 to the crowd flow prediction server 60.

[0077] The external information group 329 includes various reports and SmartCity data distributed by the external server 70. Based on these information, the disaster situation may be sequentially identified.

[0078] The control unit 33 has an internal memory for storing programs defining various processing procedures and necessary data, and executes various processing by using these. Here, the control unit 33 is an electronic circuit such as a CPU or an MPU, or an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

[0079] The control unit 33 has a robot position acquisition unit 331 (acquisition unit), a driving route acquisition unit 332 (acquisition unit), an information collection unit 333 (collection unit), a disaster occurrence detection unit 334 (detection unit), an object robot determination unit 335 (determination unit), an evacuation route determination unit 336 (determination unit) and an evacuation route recommendation unit 337 (recommendation unit).

[0080] The robot position acquisition unit 331 acquires the current position of the robot 10 by receiving the robot identification information and the current position of the robot 10 from the control server 20 . The robot position acquisition unit 331 registers the acquired current position of the robot 10 in the robot position information 325 .

[0081] The travel route acquisition unit 332 receives the robot identification information and the travel route of the robot 10 from the control server 20 , thereby acquiring the travel route of the robot 10 . The travel route acquisition unit 332 registers the acquired travel route of the robot 10 in the travel route information 324 .

[0082] The information collection unit 333 collects external information including disaster information. As external information, the information collection unit 333 collects the following information: special warnings / alarms / caution warnings and disaster prevention information for disasters received from the disaster prediction server 40; detection results of various sensors installed in the robot driving area received from the sensor management server 50; crowd flow prediction information in the disaster occurrence area predicted by the crowd flow prediction server 60; and various reports issued by the external server 70.

[0083] The information collection unit 333 obtains crowd flow prediction information of the disaster-prone area by requesting crowd flow prediction of the disaster-prone area from the crowd flow prediction server 60. In addition, in order to determine whether the robot 10 can travel around, the information collection unit 333 can also collect images captured by the robot 10 and detection results detected by the robot 10's sensors.

[0084] The disaster occurrence detection unit 334 determines whether the occurrence of a disaster is predicted based on the external information. Furthermore, the disaster occurrence detection unit 334 detects the occurrence of a disaster, the disaster occurrence area where the disaster occurs, and the disaster occurrence period during which the disaster is predicted to occur based on the external information. The disaster occurrence detection unit 334 detects the occurrence of a disaster in any area of ​​the management object based on the special warning / alert / attention report and disaster prevention information for the disaster received from the disaster prediction server 40. Alternatively, the disaster occurrence detection unit 334 may also identify the occurrence of a disaster and the disaster occurrence area based on various reports issued by the external server 70.

[0085] The target robot determination unit 335 determines the robot 10 located in the disaster occurrence area as the robot to be evacuated based on the current position of the robot 10 or the travel route of the robot 10. The target robot determination unit 335 determines the robot 10 currently located in the disaster occurrence area detected by the disaster occurrence detection unit 334 based on the current position of the robot 10 provided from the control server 20. In addition, the target robot determination unit 335 determines the robot 10 currently traveling in the disaster occurrence area detected by the disaster occurrence detection unit 334 based on the travel route of the robot 10 provided from the control server 20.

[0086] The evacuation route determination unit 336 determines the evacuation route leading to the preset evacuation place for each robot 10 located in the disaster occurrence area based on the external information collected by the information collection unit 333 and the map information 322. The evacuation place is preset and registered in the map information 322. In the map information 322, as the evacuation place, in addition to the location of the evacuation place, the number of robots that can evacuate, the area, etc. are also registered.

[0087] When a plurality of evacuation sites are set in the disaster occurrence area, the evacuation route determination unit 336 determines an evacuation route for causing each robot located in the disaster occurrence area to evacuate to the plurality of evacuation sites in a dispersed manner.

[0088] The evacuation route determination unit 336 determines the evacuation route of each robot so as to avoid the flow of people indicated by the result of the prediction of the flow of people. Furthermore, the evacuation route determination unit 336 determines different evacuation routes among the robots located in the disaster occurrence area.

[0089] The evacuation route determination unit 336 may determine the evacuation location to which the robot 10 should evacuate based on the task or type of the robot 10. For example, the evacuation route determination unit 336 may determine the evacuation route by allocating a shaded evacuation location to the robot 10 assigned the task of delivering refrigerated or frozen goods.

[0090] For example, the evacuation route determination unit 336 selects or modifies any one of the preset travel routes according to a preset determination rule and sets the travel direction, thereby determining the evacuation route of the robot 10 .

[0091] Alternatively, the evacuation route determination unit 336 may determine the evacuation route using a determination model 3361 for determining the evacuation route. The determination model 3361 is a model that has been learned by using various information such as map information of each area, evacuation locations, positions of robots 10, number of robots 10, types of robots 10, predicted human flow information or historical information of human flow, types and scales of disasters, and periods of occurrence of disasters, and evacuation routes corresponding to each condition as learning data to output the evacuation routes of each robot 10.

[0092] The evacuation route recommendation unit 337 recommends the evacuation route determined by the evacuation route determination unit 336 to the terminal device 90. For example, the evacuation route recommendation unit 337 transmits the evacuation route to the terminal device 90 in a manner that displays the robot 10 to be evacuated and the evacuation route of the robot 10 on a system screen displayed on a terminal device operated by the robot operator. Alternatively, the evacuation route recommendation unit 337 may transmit visual information obtained by superimposing a text recommending evacuation accompanying the occurrence of a disaster and the evacuation route of each robot 10 on a map of the disaster occurrence area to the terminal device 90. Furthermore, the robot operator may also change the travel route of the robot 10 by operating the terminal device based on the recommended information.

[0093] [An example of setting a route]

[0094] An example of the travel route of the robot 10 transmitted from the control server 20 is described below. Figure 5 Hereinafter, the description will be given by taking the area E1-1 among the plurality of areas as an example. Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a map image of the area E1 - 1 .

[0095] like Figure 5 As shown in the map M1s of FIG. 1 , a plurality of facilities are provided in the area E1-1. The robot 10 can travel inside these facilities, outdoors including areas other than buildings around the facilities, and outdoors including areas other than obstacles. In addition, as shown in the map M1s, two retreat places T1 and T2 can be set in the area E1-1 as retreat places for the robot 10. The retreat places T1 and T2 are both capable of being used by the two robots 10 for retreat.

[0096] For example, the management server 30 receives the travel routes and current positions of the two robots 10A-1 and 10B-2 from the control server 20. For example, the travel route of the robot 10A-1 is the travel route R1s, and the travel route of the robot 10B-2 is the travel route R2s.

[0097] [Example of setting an evacuation route]

[0098] Next, the setting of the evacuation route of the robot 10 when the area E1 - 1 is detected as a disaster occurrence area will be described. Figure 6 and Figure 7 It is a diagram for explaining an example of setting an evacuation route.

[0099] As shown in map M1( Figure 6 ), when the two robots 10A-1 and 10B-2 are traveling in the area E1-1, the evacuation route determination unit 336 determines the evacuation routes R1 and R2 that allow the robots 10A-1 and 10B-2 to evacuate to the nearest evacuation location T1.

[0100] At this time, the evacuation route determination unit 336 determines the evacuation routes R1 and R2 so as not to overlap with the human flow Fp predicted during the disaster period. The human flow Fp is a predicted route along which people move for evacuation.

[0101] For example, the retreat route determination unit 336 determines that the robot 10A-1 includes the retreat route R1 that avoids the human flow Fp in the area D1, rather than the route R1-2 that partially overlaps with the human flow Fp. As a result, the management system can make the robot 10 retreat to the retreat location without hindering the human evacuation route. In other words, the management system can prevent the robot 10 from becoming an obstacle on the route (e.g., human flow Fp) where people retreat when a disaster occurs. In addition, for the robot 10B-2, the retreat route determination unit 336 determines the shortest route to the retreat location T1 as the retreat route R2.

[0102] In addition, as shown in map M2 ( Figure 7 ), when the four robots 10A-1, 10B-2 to 10B-4 are traveling in the area E1-1, the retreat route determination unit 336 determines the retreat route in such a way that the robots 10A-1, 10B-2 to 10B-4 retreat to the retreat locations T1 and T2 in a dispersed manner.

[0103] For example, the retreat route determination unit 336 determines the retreat routes R1 and R2 for the robots 10A-1 and 10B-2 to retreat to the retreat location T1. Furthermore, the retreat route determination unit 336 determines the retreat routes R3 and R4 for the robots 10B-3 and 10B-4 to retreat to the retreat location T2. ​​In the management system, the retreat routes are determined in such a way that the robots 10 can retreat to the retreat locations in a dispersed manner, thereby preventing congestion in the retreat locations. In other words, the management system can prevent the robots 10 from being stranded while making the robots 10 retreat by appropriately configuring the retreat locations for the robots 10.

[0104] Furthermore, the retreat route determination unit 336 also disperses the retreat routes between the robots 10B-3 and 10B-4, which are located close to each other. Specifically, the retreat route determination unit 336 avoids the collision of the robots 10B-3 and 10B-4 by determining the retreat routes R3 and R4, which are different between the robots 10B-3 and 10B-4, respectively, thereby achieving smooth retreat of each robot 10B-3 and 10B-4.

[0105] [Screen display example]

[0106] For example, a screen display example of the management server 30 when a tsunami warning is issued in the area E1 - 1 will be described. Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Yes means Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the management server 30 shown.

[0107] When the management server 30 detects that a tsunami warning has been issued in the area E1-1 based on the information received from the disaster prediction server 40, it displays ( Figure 8 ), overlapping a window W1 indicating that an evacuation advisory related to a tsunami warning has been issued.

[0108] During the period when a tsunami is predicted, the management server 30 identifies the robots 10 located in the area E1-1 as the robots 10 to be evacuated. For example, the management server 30 identifies the robots 10A-1 and 10B-2 as the robots 10 located in the area E1-1 and displays them in the control instruction list L1-2 ( Fig. 9 ) in columns C1-1 and C1-2.

[0109] When the button B1-2 of "Notify the robot operator of the evacuation route" is selected by the operator of the management server 30, the management server 30 determines the evacuation routes R1 and R2 of the robots 10A-1 and 10B-2. Then, the management server 30 transmits the evacuation route R1 of the robot 10A-1 to the terminal device 90. In addition, the management server 30 transmits the evacuation route R2 of the robot 10B-2 to the terminal device 90 (refer to the control instruction lists L1-3 and L1-4). Then, based on the recommended information, the robot operator can change the travel route of the robot 10 by operating the terminal device or the like.

[0110] Fig.10 Yes means Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of the control server 20A shown in FIG. 1. In the terminal device of the operator of the robot 10A-1, on the retreat route recommendation screen ( Fig.10 ) indicates that a tsunami warning has been issued in area E1-1. In column C2 of the control instruction list, text information of the identification information "10A-1" of the robot 10 determined as the evacuation target, the evacuation location "T1" of the robot 10A-1, and the evacuation route "R1" are displayed. In addition, the evacuation route R1 of the robot 10A-1 is displayed in an overlapping manner on the map M3 of area E1-1.

[0111] The robot operator confirms the recommended evacuation route screen ( Fig.10 ) can identify the information, retreat location and retreat route of the robot 10 that is the retreat object.

[0112] The robot operator may input control processing so that, after correcting the recommended retreat route R1 of the robot 10A-1, the robot 10A-1 retreats along the corrected retreat route.

[0113] [Management Processing]

[0114] Next, the management process according to the embodiment will be described. Fig.11 It is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the management processing according to the embodiment.

[0115] like Fig.11 As shown, the control servers 20A and 20B communicate with the robots 10A and 10B to set tasks and travel routes for the robots 10A and 10B, and control the autonomous travel of the robots 10A and 10B (steps S1 and S3).

[0116] The management server 30 receives the current position or travel route of each robot 10 from each control server 20 (steps S2 and S4 ), and thereby acquires the current position or travel route of each robot 10 (step S5 ).

[0117] The management server 30 collects external information including disaster information from an external server or the like (step S6). Then, the management server 30 determines whether a disaster is predicted based on the external information (step S7). If the management server 30 does not predict a disaster (step S7: No), it returns to the beginning.

[0118] When the occurrence of a disaster is predicted (step S7 : Yes), the management server 30 detects a disaster occurrence area where a disaster has occurred and a disaster occurrence period during which the disaster is predicted to occur (step S8 ).

[0119] The management server 30 identifies the robot 10 located in the disaster-occurring area or the robot 10 predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area based on the current position of the robot 10 or the travel route of the robot 10 (step S9 ).

[0120] Next, the management server 30 determines the evacuation route leading to the preset evacuation place for each robot 10 located in the disaster occurrence area based on the external information and the map information 322 collected by the information collection unit 333 (step S10). Then, the management server 30 recommends, for example, to the terminal device 90 the information related to the robot 10 located in the disaster occurrence area or the robot 10 predicted to be located in the disaster occurrence area determined by the evacuation route determination unit 336, and the evacuation route of each robot (steps S11 and S12).

[0121] When the evacuation route of the robot 10 located in the disaster area is set by the terminal device 90 operated by the robot operator (steps S13, S14, S15, S16), the control servers 20A and 20B drive the robot 10 located in the disaster area to the evacuation location according to the set evacuation route (steps S17 and S18).

[0122] [Effects of Embodiment]

[0123] In this way, disaster information and information related to the robot 10 located in the disaster occurrence area or the robot 10 predicted to be located in the disaster occurrence area are provided from the management server 30 to the terminal device 90. Therefore, the robot operator of the control server 20 does not need to collect disaster information, detect the occurrence of a disaster, and identify the robot 10 located in the disaster occurrence area.

[0124] Furthermore, the management server 30 recommends an evacuation route for the robot 10 located in the disaster-occurring area to the terminal device 90. Therefore, when the robot operator of the control server 20 rewrites the travel route of the robot 10 into an evacuation route, the evacuation route is set based on the evacuation route recommended by the management server 30 instead of creating the evacuation route from scratch.

[0125] Therefore, according to the embodiment, the processing burden on the robot operator until the robot is evacuated can be reduced, and the robot 10 can be evacuated quickly when a disaster occurs or when the occurrence of a disaster is predicted.

[0126] In addition, if an evacuation route is set for each robot operator, the position of robots controlled by other operators cannot be grasped, so there is also a possibility of collision during evacuation. In contrast, in the embodiment, the management server 30 collects information at once, not limited to the robots 10 of any operator, but each robot 10 located in the disaster occurrence area, and recommends an evacuation route suitable for each robot 10 to the terminal device 90.

[0127] Therefore, according to the embodiment, even when multiple robots are introduced to multiple areas by multiple robot operators, it is possible to determine the evacuation route across areas and robot operators. Therefore, according to the embodiment, when a disaster occurs, it is possible to assist the robot 10 located in the disaster area to evacuate quickly and smoothly.

[0128] [System structure, etc.]

[0129] In addition, the structural elements of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functions and do not necessarily need to be physically constructed as shown in the figure. That is, the specific method of dispersing / merging each device is not limited to the figure, and it can be functionally or physically dispersed / merged in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. In addition, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device can be implemented by a CPU or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU or GPU, or as hardware based on wired logic.

[0130] In addition, all or part of the processing described as automatically performed in the various processes described in this embodiment can also be performed manually, or all or part of the processing described as manually performed can also be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the information on the processing process, control process, specific name, various data and parameters contained in the above-mentioned documents and shown in the drawings can be arbitrarily changed except for special records.

[0131] [program]

[0132] In addition, it is also possible to create a program that describes the processing performed by the management server 30 described in the above embodiment in a language that can be executed by a computer. For example, it is also possible to create a program that describes the processing performed by the control server 20 and the management server 30 in the embodiment in a language that can be executed by a computer. In this case, by executing the program by a computer, the same effect as the above embodiment can be obtained. In addition, by recording the program in a computer-readable recording medium, causing the computer to read the program recorded in the recording medium and execute it, the same processing as the above embodiment can also be achieved.

[0133] Fig.12 is a diagram of a computer that executes a program. Fig.12 As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the computer 1000 includes, for example, a memory 1010 , a CPU 1020 , a hard disk drive interface 1030 , a disk drive interface 1040 , a serial port interface 1050 , a video adapter 1060 , and a network interface 1070 , and these components are mutually connected via a bus 1080 .

[0134] like Fig.12 As shown in the example, the memory 1010 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and a RAM 1012. The ROM 1011 stores a boot program such as a BIOS (Basic Input Output System). Fig.12 As shown in the example in FIG. 1 , the hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to the hard disk drive 1090. The disk drive interface 1040 is connected to the disk drive 1100. For example, a pluggable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk is inserted into the disk drive 1100. The serial port interface 1050 is connected to, for example, a mouse 1110 and a keyboard 1120. The video adapter 1060 is connected to, for example, a display 1130.

[0135] Here, if Fig.12As shown in FIG. 1 , the hard disk drive 1090 stores, for example, an OS (Operating System) 1091, an application program 1092, a program module 1093, and program data 1094. That is, the above-mentioned programs are stored in, for example, the hard disk drive 1090 as program modules in which instructions executed by the computer 1000 are described.

[0136] In addition, various data described in the above embodiments are stored as program data in, for example, the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090. Then, the CPU 1020 reads the program module 1093 or the program data 1094 stored in the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090 into the RAM 1012 as needed, and executes various processing procedures.

[0137] In addition, the program module 1093 or program data 1094 related to the program is not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1090, and may be stored in, for example, a pluggable storage medium and read out via a disk drive or the like by the CPU 1020. Alternatively, the program module 1093 or program data 1094 related to the program may be stored in another computer connected via a network (LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.), and may be read out via the network interface 1070 by the CPU 1020.

[0138] The above-described embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the technology disclosed in the present application, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

[0139] Description of symbols

[0140] 10, 10A, 10B, 10A-1, 10A-2, 10B-1 to 10B-4: Robot

[0141] 20, 20A, 20B: Control server

[0142] 30: Management Server

[0143] 40: Disaster prediction server

[0144] 50: Sensor Management Server

[0145] 60: Crowd prediction server

[0146] 70: External server

[0147] 21, 31: Ministry of Communications

[0148] 22, 32: Storage

[0149] 23, 33: Control Department

[0150] 221, 321: Robot information

[0151] 222, 322: Map information

[0152] 223, 323: Task storage unit

[0153] 224, 324: Driving route information

[0154] 225, 325: Robot position information

[0155] 231: Mission Setting Department

[0156] 232: Driving route setting unit

[0157] 233: Robot position acquisition unit

[0158] 234: Driving control unit

[0159] 235: Robot information sending control unit

[0160] 326: Disaster Information

[0161] 327: Sensor information group

[0162] 328: Crowd forecast information

[0163] 329: External Information Group

[0164] 331: Robot position acquisition unit

[0165] 332: Driving route acquisition unit

[0166] 333: Information Collection Department

[0167] 334: Disaster Occurrence Detection Department

[0168] 335: Target robot determination unit

[0169] 336: Evacuation route determination unit

[0170] 337: Escape route recommendation department

[0171] 3361: Determination Model

Claims

1. A management device, characterized in that: The management device has: A storage unit that stores map information of various areas where the outdoor and indoor autonomously traveling robot travels; A collection department, which collects external information including disaster information; an acquisition unit that receives the current position of the robot or the travel route of the robot from a control device that controls the robot; a detection unit that detects the occurrence of a disaster and a disaster occurrence area where the disaster occurs based on the external information; a determination unit that determines the robot located in the disaster-occurring area or the robot predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area based on the current position of the robot or the travel route of the robot; a determination unit that determines, based on the external information and the map information, an evacuation route leading to a preset evacuation location for each robot located in the disaster occurrence area or each robot predicted to be located in the disaster occurrence area; as well as A recommending unit recommends the evacuation route to a terminal device.

2. The management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determination unit determines the evacuation route for causing each robot located in the disaster occurrence area to evacuate to the evacuation locations in a dispersed manner when a plurality of the evacuation locations are set in the disaster occurrence area.

3. The management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The external information includes the crowd flow prediction result of the disaster-affected area. The determination unit determines the evacuation route by avoiding the crowd flow indicated by the crowd flow prediction result.

4. The management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determination unit determines whether the evacuation routes differ between robots located in the disaster occurrence area.

5. A management method, which is executed by a management device, and is characterized in that it comprises the following steps: Collect external information including disaster information; receiving a current position of the robot or a driving route of the robot from a control device that controls the robot that autonomously drives indoors and outdoors; Based on the external information, detecting the occurrence of a disaster and a disaster occurrence area where the disaster occurs; Determining the robot located in the disaster-occurring area or the robot predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area based on the current position of the robot or the driving route of the robot; Based on the external information and map information of each area where the robot travels, for each robot located in the disaster-occurring area or each robot predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area, determining an evacuation route to a pre-set evacuation location; as well as The evacuation route is recommended to the terminal device.

6. A management program, wherein: The hypervisor is used to cause the computer to perform the following steps: Collect external information including disaster information; receiving a current position of the robot or a driving route of the robot from a control device that controls the robot that autonomously drives indoors and outdoors; Based on the external information, detecting the occurrence of a disaster and a disaster occurrence area where the disaster occurs; Determining the robot located in the disaster-occurring area or the robot predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area based on the current position of the robot or the driving route of the robot; Based on the external information and map information of each area where the robot travels, for each robot located in the disaster-occurring area or each robot predicted to be located in the disaster-occurring area, determining an evacuation route to a pre-set evacuation location; as well as The evacuation route is recommended to the terminal device.

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