Delivery robot system and its control method

Abstract

To provide a delivery robot system and its control method which enable a recipient to take out food and drink suitably from a delivery robot which delivers the food and drink to the delivery area.SOLUTION: A server device 10 determines a stop direction, which is a direction in which a delivery robot 40 faces when the delivery robot 40 stops on the basis of information concerning the condition of an object detected with a sensor 50 and a camera 45 and the delivery area. The delivery robot 40 controls a drive part 49 so as to stop while facing the stop direction at the delivery place.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 15

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a delivery robot system and a control method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] Technology has been developed for a delivery robot that moves autonomously within a facility to deliver food and beverages to a delivery area. When this delivery robot makes a delivery, the driving route to the delivery area is set in advance. When the delivery robot arrives at the delivery location in the delivery area, it notifies the recipient of its arrival by sending an email or making a sound through a speaker. The recipient who receives this notification can go to the delivery location where the delivery robot is waiting to pick up the food and beverages.

[0003] However, in many cases, the convenience of the recipient when taking out the food and drink from the delivery robot is not fully considered. In this case, when the delivery robot opens the door of the storage unit in which the food and drink is stored, the recipient must take the time to go around to a direction where the door does not get in the way and take out the food and drink. To avoid this, the recipient must set in advance the stopping direction of the delivery robot when it stops at the delivery location, but this setting work is time-consuming.

[0004] An example of a robot that performs such delivery is the autonomous delivery system described in JP 2018-92588 A (Patent Document 1). In this system, the autonomous mobile device moves along a route to a generated delivery location, and when it arrives at the delivery location, it stops in a direction that makes it easy for the recipient to receive the item. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-92588 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to receive food and drink (items), the recipient, for example, opens the door to the delivery location and moves toward the delivery robot at the delivery location. In this case, the stopping direction that makes it easier to receive the food and drink differs depending on the path the recipient takes from the open door to the delivery location (it is not clear which direction the recipient will come from). However, in the autonomous delivery system described in Patent Document 1, no consideration was given to the relationship between the door state or the recipient's position information near the delivery location and the stopping direction.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a delivery robot system and a control method thereof that allow a recipient to conveniently pick up food and beverages from a delivery robot that delivers the food and beverages to a delivery area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A delivery robot system according to the present disclosure includes a delivery robot and a control device. The delivery robot autonomously moves within a facility to deliver food and beverages to a delivery area. The control device controls the delivery robot. The delivery robot includes a storage unit, a drive unit, and a detection device. The storage unit includes a door capable of storing food and beverages and allowing the food and beverages to be removed by opening the door, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the door. The drive unit moves the delivery robot. The detection device detects the state of an object present ahead. The control device controls the opening / closing mechanism to open the door after traveling to a delivery location in the delivery area. When the delivery robot is stopped facing a certain range of directions with respect to a recipient of the food and beverages, the recipient cannot remove the food and beverages from the storage unit due to the open door blocking the view. The state of the object detected by the detection device includes at least one of the position of the recipient and the state of the door for entering the delivery area. The control device determines a stop direction, which is the direction in which the delivery robot faces when the delivery robot stops, based on the state of the object detected by the detection device and information related to the delivery area. The control device controls the drive unit so that the vehicle faces the stopping direction and stops at the delivery location.

[0009] The control method according to the present disclosure is a control method for a delivery robot that autonomously moves within a facility to deliver food and beverages to a delivery area. The delivery robot includes a storage unit, a drive unit, and a detection device. The storage unit includes a door capable of storing food and beverages and allowing the food and beverages to be removed by opening the door, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the door. The drive unit moves the delivery robot. The detection device detects the state of an object present ahead. The control method includes a step of controlling the opening / closing mechanism to open the door after traveling to a delivery location in the delivery area. When the delivery robot is stopped facing a direction within a certain range with respect to a recipient of the food and beverages, the recipient cannot remove the food and beverages from the storage unit because the open door blocks the recipient. The state of the object detected by the detection device includes at least one of the position of the recipient and the state of the door for entering the delivery area. The control method further includes a step of determining a stop direction, which is the direction in which the delivery robot faces when the delivery robot stops, based on the state of the object detected by the detection device and information related to the delivery area, and a step of controlling the drive unit to stop the delivery robot facing the stop direction at the delivery location. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, a recipient can conveniently pick up food and beverages from a delivery robot that delivers the food and beverages to a delivery area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a delivery robot system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a delivery robot system. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram for explaining how a delivery robot delivers food and drink. FIG. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram for explaining how a delivery robot delivers food and drink. FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a diagram for explaining how a delivery robot delivers food and drink. FIG. [Figure 6]1 is a diagram for explaining how a delivery robot delivers food and drink. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of delivery schedule data. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of a delivery robot. [Figure 9] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of a delivery robot. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of a delivery robot. [Figure 11] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of a delivery robot. [Figure 12] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of a delivery robot. [Figure 13] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of a delivery robot. [Figure 14] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of a delivery robot. [Figure 15] 13 is a flowchart of a server-side process. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart of a process on the robot side. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart of a stop information determination process. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of learning data according to the second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of a learning device. [Figure 20] 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a learning process of the learning device. [Figure 21] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an inference processing unit. [Figure 22] 13 is a flowchart showing an inference procedure by an inference processing unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

[0013] Embodiment 1 Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a delivery robot system 100 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the delivery robot system 100.

[0014] 1, a delivery robot system 100 is installed in a facility 1. In this embodiment, the facility 1 is an office building. The facility 1 has a plurality of rooms.

[0015] The delivery robot system 100 includes a server device 10, a device management device 20, a delivery robot 40, and a plurality of wireless communication devices (communication devices) 72. In the delivery robot system 100 according to the present embodiment, the server device 10, together with a control unit 41 (FIG. 2) of the delivery robot 40, constitutes a “control device” that controls the delivery robot 40.

[0016] The server device 10 is configured to be able to communicate with the delivery robot 40 via the equipment management device 20. The delivery robot 40 autonomously moves within the facility 1 and delivers food and drink 51 to a delivery area (delivery destination). For example, the delivery robot 40 performs delivery tasks such as delivering drinks to a conference room where a meeting is being held, or delivering lunch boxes to the rooms where employees work.

[0017] An administrator of the delivery robot system 100 registers information such as the delivery area in advance in the server device 10, and then sets the food and drink 51 on the delivery robot 40. The delivery robot 40 transports the food and drink 51 to the delivery area so as to arrive in time for the set delivery time.

[0018] A plurality of wireless communication devices 72 are installed on the ceilings of each room, corridor, etc. in the facility 1. These wireless communication devices 72 communicate with the wireless communication device 42 (FIG. 2) provided on the delivery robot 40, and can identify the current location of the delivery robot 40.

[0019] In the example of Fig. 1, a delivery robot 40 is shown delivering food and drink 51 to a room A1, which is the delivery area. The delivery location for the room A1 is a corridor B1, which is located outside the entrance / exit 8 of the room A1. When the delivery robot 40 arrives at the delivery location, that is, the corridor B1, it notifies the recipient 5 of the arrival by email or the like.

[0020] The recipient 5 knows of the arrival of the delivery robot 40 through an email received at the terminal 30. The terminal 30 is, for example, a laptop computer. The terminal 30 is capable of communicating with the server device 10. The recipient 5 opens the door 9 and comes to the hallway B1 to receive the food and drink 51.

[0021] The delivery robot 40 includes a storage unit 53. The storage unit 53 is capable of storing food and drink 51. The storage unit 53 includes a door 52 and an opening / closing mechanism 47 (FIG. 2). When the door 52 is opened, the food and drink 51 can be removed. The opening / closing mechanism 47 is a device that opens and closes the door 52.

[0022] When the recipient 5 receives the food and drink 51, the delivery robot 40 drives the opening and closing mechanism 47 to open the door 52, enabling the recipient 5 to take out the food and drink 51. At that time, the stopping direction of the delivery robot 40 is determined so that the door 52 does not get in the way and make it difficult to take out the food and drink 51.

[0023] The stopping direction is the direction that the delivery robot 40 faces when the delivery robot 40 stops. In the example of Fig. 1, the delivery robot 40 stops in a 180 degree rotated state so that the door 52 does not get in the way when the recipient 5 takes out the food and drink 51.

[0024] 2, the server device 10 includes a processor 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, a storage device 14, and a communication IF (Interface) 15. The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage device 14 is, for example, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive). These devices exchange various data via a communication bus 16.

[0025] The processor 11 loads a program stored in the storage device 14 or the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executes it. In this program, processes to be executed by the server device 10 are described.

[0026] The communication IF 15 is an input / output device for exchanging signals or data with the equipment management device 20 and the terminal 30. The server device 10 receives information such as the position of the delivery robot 40 detected by the equipment management device 20 via the communication IF 15.

[0027] The storage device 14 is a storage for storing various information. The storage device 14 stores delivery schedule data 91, information on the facilities 1, information on the delivery robot 40, and the like, which will be described later.

[0028] The delivery robot 40 includes a control unit 41, a wireless communication device 42, an alarm unit 43, a memory unit 44, an opening / closing mechanism 47, a battery 48, a drive unit 49, and a sensor 50 and a camera 45 as detection devices.

[0029] The server device 10 as a control device and the control unit 41 of the delivery robot 40 control the delivery robot 40. Although not shown in the figure, the control unit 41 has a CPU, ROM, RAM, and a communication IF as main components. The CPU loads a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it. The program stored in the ROM describes the processing to be executed by the delivery robot 40. Note that the processing is not limited to being performed by software, and can also be executed by dedicated hardware (electronic circuits).

[0030] The wireless communication device 42 outputs a signal for detecting the position of the delivery robot 40, for example, using a communication method that complies with the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy, "Bluetooth" is a registered trademark) communication standard. Instead of the BLE communication standard, a communication method that complies with the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication standard may be used. The wireless communication device 42 also transmits a signal indicating an ID for identifying the delivery robot 40 to the equipment management device 20, for example, using a communication method that complies with a wireless communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0031] The notification unit 43 notifies the recipient 5 that the delivery robot 40 has arrived. The notification unit 43 may notify the recipient 5 that the delivery robot 40 has arrived by sending an email to the terminal 30 used by the recipient 5 to notify the recipient 5 that the food and drink 51 has arrived. Alternatively, the notification unit 43 may be a speaker. The notification unit 43 may notify the recipient 5 that the food and drink 51 has arrived by a sound (melody, ringing sound, etc.) output from the speaker.

[0032] The driving unit 49 generates a driving force for moving the delivery robot 40. The driving unit 49 includes, for example, wheels for moving the delivery robot 40 and a motor for driving the wheels. The driving unit 49 can be operated by receiving a supply of power from the battery 48.

[0033] The detection device includes a sensor 50 and a camera 45. The sensor 50 and the camera 45 detect the state of an object present ahead.

[0034] The sensor 50 is a sensor (for example, an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic sensor) for measuring the distance between the door 9 and the delivery robot 40. The delivery robot 40 determines the state of the door 9 (open / closed state of the door 9, installation state of the door 9 (installation position, opening direction of the door), etc.) based on the layout information and the distance measured by the sensor 50.

[0035] The camera 45 captures images of the surroundings of the delivery robot 40, including the recipient 5, and outputs the captured images to the control unit 41. The delivery robot 40 calculates the position of the recipient 5 based on the images captured by the camera 45 (for example, a stereo camera capable of measuring the distance to an object). The distance to the recipient 5 may be measured using a sensor 50, and the position of the recipient 5 may be calculated based on the measured distance. The state of the door 9 may also be determined based on the images captured by the camera 45.

[0036] The control unit 41 controls the driving unit 49 so that the delivery robot 40 moves autonomously based on the captured image from the camera 45. The battery 48 supplies power for operating the driving unit 49 and other devices of the delivery robot 40. The memory unit 44 temporarily stores various information used by the delivery robot 40.

[0037] The opening / closing mechanism 47 is a device that opens and closes the door 52. The delivery robot 40 controls the opening / closing mechanism 47 so as to open the door 52 after the delivery robot 40 travels to a delivery location in a delivery area. When the door 52 is opened, the recipient 5 can take out the food and drink 51 from the storage section 53.

[0038] The multiple wireless communication devices 72 are installed at an appropriate distance from each other on the ceiling 61, and receive signals transmitted from the delivery robot 40 using a communication method conforming to the same communication standard as the wireless communication device 42 of the delivery robot 40, and detect the reception strength of the signals. The position of the delivery robot 40 within the facility can be detected from the reception strength of each wireless communication device 72. The wireless communication device 72 outputs the reception strength of the signal received from the delivery robot 40 to the equipment management device 20. The wireless communication device 72 may be installed on a wall.

[0039] The equipment management device 20 controls equipment such as the wireless communication devices 72 and the delivery robot 40 installed in the facility 1. The equipment management device 20 issues commands to the delivery robot 40 based on commands from the server device 10. The equipment management device 20 identifies the position of the delivery robot 40 based on the reception strength received by each wireless communication device 72.

[0040] The device management device 20 is connected to a communication network NW. The device management device 20, a server device 10, and a terminal 30 are connected to the communication network NW.

[0041] The server device 10 can output commands and the like to the delivery robot 40 via the equipment management device 20, and can obtain information such as the position information of the delivery robot 40. The server device 10 can also be accessed from the terminal 30.

[0042] The terminal 30 is, for example, a personal computer or a notebook computer. The terminal 30 includes an input unit 34 and a display 35 that displays various information. The input unit 34 is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse. Instructions can be given to the terminal 30 by operating the input unit 34. The terminal 30 is used by the manager of the facility 1 or the recipient 5.

[0043] The terminal 30, like the server device 10, is configured to include a CPU, RAM, ROM, and a communication IF. The management and control of the delivery robot 40 may be performed by the server device 10, the equipment management device 20, or another server. The server device 10 may be a cloud server installed outside the facility 1. In addition, all of the functions executed by the server device 10 may be provided in the delivery robot 40.

[0044] 3 to 6 are diagrams for explaining how the delivery robot 40 delivers food and drink 51. The delivery robot 40 delivers food and drink 51 to a delivery area. In this example, the delivery area is "room A1." In addition, in each delivery area, a receiving location where the recipient 5 receives the food and drink 51 is set in advance. The receiving location in "room A" is set to a specified position in "corridor B1" (for example, near the door 9).

[0045] 3 shows a door 9 installed at an entrance 8 of a room A. Also, a delivery robot 40 is traveling along a corridor B1 to deliver food and drink 51.

[0046] 4 shows the state where the delivery robot 40 has arrived at the receiving location. When the delivery robot 40 arrives at the receiving location, the notification unit 43 of the delivery robot 40 notifies the delivery robot 40 of its arrival (by sending an email notifying the delivery robot 40 of its arrival or by outputting a voice from a speaker). This causes the recipient 5 to open the door 9 and go out into the corridor B1 to receive the food and drink 51.

[0047] When the recipient 5 approaches the delivery robot 40 (or when the delivery robot 40 arrives at the delivery location), the delivery robot 40 drives the opening / closing mechanism 47 to open the door 52, as shown in FIG. 5. This allows the food and drink 51 to be taken out. Here, if the delivery robot 40 is stopped facing a certain range of directions (directions in which the food and drink 51 cannot be taken out) with respect to the recipient 5 of the food and drink 51, the recipient 5 cannot take out the food and drink 51 from the storage section 53 because the open door 52 blocks the view. Specifically, the delivery robot 40 cannot take out the food and drink 51 from the face (front side) of the delivery robot 40 that faces the direction of travel of the delivery robot 40 with respect to the recipient 5.

[0048] For this reason, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the delivery robot 40 is configured to stop facing a direction in which the recipient 5 can take out the food and drink 51 from the storage unit 53. When the delivery robot 40 stops facing a direction other than the above-mentioned certain range of directions (a direction in which the food and drink 51 can be taken out) relative to the recipient 5 of the food and drink 51, the recipient 5 can take out the food and drink 51 from the storage unit 53 without being blocked by the open door 52. Specifically, the delivery robot 40 can take out the food and drink 51 from the side opposite the moving direction of the delivery robot 40, the right side, and the left side.

[0049] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the delivery schedule data 91. The delivery schedule data 91 is data that records information about the delivery schedule of the delivery robot 40. The delivery schedule data 91 records "delivery area," "receiving location," "door information," "delivery time," "type of food and drink," and "number of recipients."

[0050] For example, the receiving location of the delivery area "Room A1" is "Hallway B1 (X11, Y11)." Here, (X, Y) represent the position on the floor plane with the X axis and the Y axis. The position (X11, Y11) indicates the "stop position" of the delivery robot 40 in the hallway B1.

[0051] This "stop position" may be set in advance by the manager of the facility 1 or the recipient 5. In this case, the previously set stop position is corrected according to the situation of the delivery location at the time of delivery. Also, without setting the stop position in advance (simply setting the receiving location = "Corridor B1"), the stop position may be automatically determined according to the situation of the delivery location at the time of delivery.

[0052] Door 9 of room A1 opens to the left, and the location of door 9 in corridor B1 is (X12, Y12). It also shows that the delivery time to room A1 is "15:00", the type of food and drink 51 to be delivered is "beverage", and the number of recipients 5 who will pick up food and drink 51 from delivery robot 40 is "1 person".

[0053] It is shown that the receiving location for the delivery area "Room A2" is "Hallway B2 (X21, Y21)," the door 9 opens to the left, the location of the door 9 in the hallway B2 is (X22, Y22), the delivery time to Room A2 is "12:00," the type of food and drink 51 to be delivered is "Lunchbox," and the number of recipients is "6 people."

[0054] On the other hand, the delivery area "Room F1" is an open space, and room F1 does not have a door. Therefore, the receiving location for room F1 is set to a position (X31, Y31) within room F1. It is shown that the delivery time to room F1 is "10:30", the type of food and drink 51 to be delivered is "drinks", and the number of recipients is "1 person".

[0055] 8 to 14 are diagrams for explaining the stopping position and stopping direction of the delivery robot 40. In Fig. 8, a room A1 which is the delivery area and a hallway B1 which is the receiving location are shown. The door 9 of the entrance 8 to the room A1 is in a closed state.

[0056] The delivery robot 40 is currently at the stopping position (X11, Y11) in the corridor B1. At this time, the delivery robot 40 stops facing the direction of the door 9 (the direction in which the delivery robot will reach the door 9 if it continues moving forward). The position (X11, Y11) at this time is the "stopping position" and the direction at this time is the "stopping direction".

[0057] The delivery robot 40 calculates the distance from the delivery robot 40 to the door 9 based on the relationship between the layout information of the facility 1, the stopping position and stopping direction of the delivery robot 40, and the installation position of the door 9. Furthermore, the delivery robot 40 measures the distance from the door 9 to the delivery robot 40 using the sensor 50. If the calculated distance from the delivery robot 40 to the door 9 matches the distance measured by the sensor 50, the delivery robot 40 determines that the door 9 is closed.

[0058] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9, when the door 9 is opened, the sensor 50 measures the distance to the wall in the room A1, not the distance to the door 9. At this time, the distance measured by the sensor 50 is longer than the calculated distance from the delivery robot 40 to the door 9. In this case, the delivery robot 40 determines that the door 9 is open. In this case, the stopping position and stopping direction are the same as when the door 9 is closed. Note that the state of the door 9 may be determined by analyzing the image captured by the camera 45.

[0059] After that, as shown in Figure 10, suppose that the recipient 5 comes out into the hallway B1 from the doorway 8 of the room A1. If the recipient 5 walks straight towards the delivery robot 40, there is no need to change the stopping position and stopping direction of the delivery robot 40. However, if the recipient 5 walks slightly to the left as shown in Figure 10, the stopping direction of the delivery robot 40 is corrected so that it faces the direction of the recipient 5. The stopping position of the delivery robot 40 may also be corrected according to the movement of the recipient 5.

[0060] If the stopping position in the corridor B1 is not determined in advance, the server device 10 may determine the stopping position of the delivery robot 40 so that the delivery robot 40 stops near the door 9. In this case, if the door 9 opens to the left, the stopping position is determined so that the delivery robot 40 stops to the right of the door, as in the example of Figs. 8 to 10.

[0061] For example, as shown in Fig. 11, if the stop position is determined to be on the left side of the door, the door 9 will get in the way, making it difficult for the recipient 5 to receive the food or drink 51. Therefore, the stop position is determined to avoid such a stop position.

[0062] Also, as shown in Fig. 12, depending on the delivery time, many passersby 6 may be passing through the corridor B1. In this case, if the delivery robot 40 is stopped in the middle of the corridor B1, it will obstruct the passage of passersby 6. For this reason, the stopping position of the delivery robot 40 can be determined based on the congestion state of the corridor B1 depending on the time of day. For example, during busy times such as when people arrive at work, lunch time, and when they leave work, the stopping position can be determined so that the delivery robot 40 stops at a position that avoids the center of the corridor (a position closer to the wall).

[0063] 13 shows room A2, which is the delivery area, and hallway B2, which is the receiving location. Door 9 of entrance 8 opens to the left. In addition, the delivery time to room A3 is "12:00", the type of food and drink 51 to be delivered is "lunch box", and the number of recipients is "6 people".

[0064] Since the door 9 opens to the left, the stopping position of the delivery robot 40 is set to the right of the entrance 8. In addition, since it is expected that there will be a certain number of passersby 6 in the corridor B2 during the lunch hour, the delivery robot 40 is set to stop near the wall.

[0065] Furthermore, a case is assumed in which six recipients 5 line up to receive the lunch boxes. In this case, as in the example of FIG. 10, the delivery robot 40 can smoothly remove the lunch boxes from the line if the left side of the delivery robot 40 faces the recipient 5 at the front, rather than facing the direction of travel of the delivery robot 40 toward the recipient 5 at the front. For this reason, when the type of food and drink 51 is lunch boxes and there are a large number of recipients, the stopping direction can be determined to be a direction in which the lunch boxes can be removed from the left side of the delivery robot 40 when a line is formed. Also, the stopping position can be determined to stop the delivery robot near a wall during peak hours (lunchtime).

[0066] In Fig. 14, rooms F1 to F4, including room F1, are shown as the delivery area. These rooms are open spaces and do not have doors. For this reason, the receiving location for room F1 is set to a position (X31, Y31) within room F1.

[0067] In the room F1, the delivery robot 40 does not detect a door, and therefore does not determine the stopping direction based on door information. When the delivery robot 40 detects the recipient 5 by the camera 45, the stopping direction of the delivery robot 40 is determined so that the delivery robot 40 faces the recipient 5.

[0068] The process executed by the delivery robot system 100 will be described below with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 15 is a flowchart of the server-side process. The server-side process is a process executed by the server device 10. The server-side process may be started periodically (for example, every minute). Hereinafter, "step" will be simply abbreviated as "S".

[0069] When the server-side process starts, in S101, the server device 10 acquires data with a nearest delivery time from the delivery schedule data 91. For example, when it is currently 14:30, the server device 10 acquires data with a nearest delivery time (delivery time: 15:00) for the delivery area "room A1" from the delivery schedule data 91 in FIG.

[0070] In S102, the server device 10 sets a travel route to the receiving location and sets a departure time that is in time for the delivery. For example, at this time, the server device 10 may instruct the manager of the delivery robot system 100 by email or the like to store the food and drink 51 to be delivered to "Room A1" in the storage unit 53 of the delivery robot.

[0071] Facility 1 has a storage area where food and beverages 51 are stored, and a route is set from the "storage area" to the location (X11, Y11) of "corridor B1" which is the pick-up location. In addition, the departure time is set to the time obtained by subtracting the required time (driving time) to the pick-up location from the delivery time "15:00".

[0072] In S103, the server device 10 transmits a delivery command to the delivery robot 40 to perform the above-mentioned delivery. As a result, when the departure time arrives, the delivery robot 40 starts traveling. In addition, in S201 (described later) of the robot side process executed by the delivery robot 40, it is determined whether or not the delivery command can be received.

[0073] In S104, the server device 10 judges whether or not the state of the object has been received. In this process, if the judgement is YES, the process proceeds to S105, and if the judgement is NO, the process returns to S104 (remains in S104 until YES is obtained). Note that in S207 of the robot side process, the state of the object is transmitted.

[0074] Although details will be described later, the "state of the object" refers to at least one of the state of the door 9 and the position of the recipient 5 detected by the delivery robot 40. Since the state of the object is data detected at the receiving location, at this point in time, the delivery robot 40 has already arrived at the receiving location.

[0075] In S105, the server device 10 executes a stop information determination process (FIG. 17). In the stop information determination process, a stop position and a stop direction of the delivery robot 40 are determined based on information such as the state of the object (the state of the door 9, the position of the recipient 5), etc. For example, the stop position and the stop direction as exemplified in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 are determined.

[0076] In S106, the server device 10 transmits a stop command to the delivery robot 40. In S208 of the robot side process, it is determined whether the stop command can be received. The stop command is a command output to the delivery robot 40 to stop at the determined stop position in the determined stop direction.

[0077] In S107, the server device 10 judges whether the delivery robot 40 has completed delivery. If the judgment in this process is YES, the server-side process is terminated, and if the judgment is NO, the process returns to S104. In addition, in S212 of the robot-side process, delivery completion information is transmitted.

[0078] As will be described later, when the recipient 5 has received all the food and drink 51, delivery completion information is transmitted from the delivery robot 40. When the delivery completion information is received, the server-side processing ends. On the other hand, in a situation where the door 9 is closed, or the recipient 5 is detected but is far away from the delivery robot 40, the processing of S104 to S107 is repeated. This allows the stopping position and stopping direction to be changed in response to changes in the situation, such as a change in the position of the recipient 5.

[0079] 16 is a flowchart of the robot-side process. The robot-side process is a process executed by the delivery robot 40. The robot-side process may be started periodically (for example, every minute).

[0080] When the robot-side process starts, the delivery robot 40 determines in S201 whether or not a delivery command has been received. If the determination in this process is YES, the process proceeds to S202, and if the determination is NO, the process returns to S201. Note that the delivery command is sent in S103 of the server-side process.

[0081] In S202, the delivery robot 40 starts traveling toward the receiving location at the departure time. In the above example, the delivery robot 40 starts traveling from the "storage area" toward the position (X11, Y11) of the receiving location "corridor B1" at the departure time.

[0082] In S203, the delivery robot 40 determines whether or not the delivery robot 40 has arrived at the receiving location. If the determination in this process is YES, the process proceeds to S204, and if the determination is NO, the process returns to S203.

[0083] Upon arrival at the receiving location, the delivery robot 40 notifies the recipient 5 of its arrival at the receiving location by email or by sound output from a speaker in S204.

[0084] In S205, the delivery robot 40 measures the distance between the delivery robot 40 and the door 9 using the sensor 50, and determines the state of the door 9 based on the distance measured by the sensor 50 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). Note that the state of the door 9 may include the installation position of the door 9 and the installation state of the door 9 (the direction in which the door 9 opens).

[0085] In S206, when the delivery robot 40 detects the recipient 5 based on the image captured by the camera 45, the delivery robot 40 calculates the position of the recipient 5 (see FIG. 10).

[0086] In S207, the delivery robot 40 transmits the state of the object (the state of the door 9, the position of the recipient 5). In S104 of the server-side processing, it is determined whether or not the state of the object can be received. The state of the object detected by the sensor 50 and the camera 45 includes at least one of the position of the recipient 5 and the state of the door 9 for entering the delivery area.

[0087] For example, in the situations of Figures 8 and 9, the state of the object is the state of the door 9. In the situation of Figure 10, the state of the object is the position of the recipient 5 and the state of the door 9. In the situation of Figure 14, the state of the object is the position of the recipient 5.

[0088] In S208, the delivery robot 40 determines whether or not a stop command has been received. In this process, if the determination is YES, the process proceeds to S209, and if the determination is NO, the process returns to S208. Note that the stop command is sent in S106 of the server-side process.

[0089] In S209, the delivery robot 40 controls the driving unit 49 so that the delivery robot 40 stops at the stopping position facing the stopping direction. For example, the delivery robot 40 stops at the stopping position and in the stopping direction as described with reference to Figs. 8 to 10.

[0090] In S210, the delivery robot 40 determines whether or not the recipient 5 has approached the delivery robot 40. In this process, if the determination is YES, the process proceeds to S211, and if the determination is NO, the process returns to S205. Here, "the recipient 5 has approached the delivery robot 40" refers to, for example, a case where the distance between the delivery robot 40 and the recipient 5 is 1 meter or less.

[0091] When the recipient 5 approaches the delivery robot 40, the delivery robot 40 opens the door 52 of the storage unit 53 in S211. The delivery robot 40 may open the door 52 of the storage unit 53 when it arrives at the receiving location.

[0092] When the delivery robot 40 completes the delivery in S212, the delivery robot 40 notifies the server device 10 of the completion of the delivery, and ends the robot-side processing. "The delivery is completed" refers to a state in which all of the food and drink 51 stored in the storage unit 53 has been removed. In addition, in S107 of the server-side processing, it is determined whether or not the delivery completion information can be received.

[0093] On the other hand, if the recipient 5 is not approaching, the processes of S205 to S210 are repeated. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, the stopping position and stopping direction are adjusted according to the position of the recipient 5 from when the recipient 5 appears from the entrance / exit 8 until the recipient 5 approaches the delivery robot 40.

[0094] 17 is a flowchart of the stop information determination process, which is executed in S105 of the server side process.

[0095] When the stop information determination process starts, the server device 10 sets the location (X, Y) of the receiving location as the "stop location" in S301. In this example, the receiving location set in the delivery schedule data 91 is set as the "stop location", and is configured to be corrected in S306.

[0096] In S302, the server device 10 determines whether or not only the door state is detected. In this process, if the determination is YES, the process proceeds to S303, and if the determination is NO, the process proceeds to S304.

[0097] In S303, the server device 10 determines the stopping direction so that the direction in which the door 9 is located does not fall within a certain range. Specifically, this means that the stopping direction is determined so that the delivery robot 40 faces the direction in which removal is possible as shown in Fig. 6, avoiding the direction in which removal is not possible as shown in Fig. 5, with respect to the door 9 (for example, the direction shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 is determined).

[0098] When the server device 10 detects that the door 9 is open by the sensor 50, the server device 10 determines the stop direction so that the direction of the door 9 does not fall within the above-mentioned certain range. This allows the server device 10 to recognize that the recipient 5 is coming through the door 9, and to wait facing the direction of the door 9 through which the recipient 5 will pass. In order to face the direction of the door 9, it is necessary to make a decision based on the layout information, the installation information of the door 9, the detection information of the sensor 50, etc.

[0099] However, in this embodiment, the server device 10 is configured to determine the stop direction so that the direction in which the door 9 is located does not fall within the above-mentioned certain range even when the sensor 50 detects that the door 9 is not open (closed). Of course, the stop direction may be configured to be different between when the door 9 is open and when the door 9 is closed.

[0100] In S304, the server device 10 determines whether or not it has detected the location of the recipient 5. In this process, if the determination is YES, the process proceeds to S305, and if the determination is NO, the process proceeds to S306.

[0101] In S305, the server device 10 determines the stopping direction so that the direction in which the recipient 5 is located does not fall within a certain range (see Figs. 5, 6 and 10). In this way, when the server device 10 detects the position of the recipient 5 by the camera 45, it determines the stopping direction so that the direction in which the recipient 5 is located does not fall within a certain range.

[0102] In S306, the server device 10 corrects the stop position and stop direction based on the state of the object and the information on the delivery area, and ends the stop information determination process. The information on the delivery area includes the delivery area, the pick-up location, the door information, the delivery time, the type of food and drink, the number of recipients, the door status, and the recipient status.

[0103] For example, if the delivery time falls within a busy time period such as lunch time, the stopping position is adjusted so that the stopping position is closer to a wall. This means that correction is made taking into account the situation as described with reference to Figures 11 to 13.

[0104] In this way, the server device 10 determines the stopping direction and stopping position based on the "state of the object" and "information about the delivery area" detected by the sensor 50 and the camera 45. Then, the delivery robot 40 controls the driving unit 49 so that the delivery robot 40 faces the stopping direction and stops at the delivery location (stopping location).

[0105] As described above, in the first embodiment, the delivery robot system 100 includes the delivery robot 40, the server device 10 as a control device, and the control unit 41 of the delivery robot 40. The delivery robot 40 autonomously moves within the facility 1 to deliver food and drink 51 to a delivery area. The server device 10 and the control unit 41 of the delivery robot 40 control the delivery robot 40. The delivery robot 40 includes a storage unit 53, a drive unit 49, and a sensor 50 and a camera 45 as detection devices. The storage unit 53 includes a door 52 capable of storing food and drink 51 and opening so that the food and drink 51 can be taken out, and an opening / closing mechanism 47 for opening and closing the door 52. The drive unit 49 moves the delivery robot 40. The sensor 50 and the camera 45 detect the state of an object present ahead. The delivery robot 40 controls the opening / closing mechanism 47 to open the door 52 after traveling to a delivery location in the delivery area. When the delivery robot 40 is stopped facing a certain range of directions toward the recipient 5 of the food and drink 51, the recipient 5 cannot take out the food and drink 51 from the storage section 53 because the open door 52 blocks the recipient 5. The state of the object detected by the sensor 50 and the camera 45 includes at least one of the position of the recipient 5 and the state of the door 9 for entering the delivery area. Based on the state of the object detected by the sensor 50 and the camera 45 and information related to the delivery area, the server device 10 determines the stopping direction, which is the direction in which the delivery robot 40 will face when it stops. The delivery robot 40 controls the drive unit 49 so that it stops at the delivery location facing the stopping direction.

[0106] In this way, by determining the stopping direction of the delivery robot 40 based on the state of the object including at least one of the position of the recipient 5 and the state of the door 9 for entering the delivery area and information about the delivery area, it is possible to make the delivery robot 40 wait in a direction that makes it easier for the recipient 5 to take out the food and drink 51. This allows the recipient 5 to conveniently take out the food and drink 51 from the delivery robot 40 that delivers the food and drink to the delivery area.

[0107] The server device 10 further determines a stopping position of the delivery robot 40 in the delivery location based on the state of the object detected by the sensor 50 and the camera 45 and information on the delivery area. The delivery robot 40 controls the drive unit 49 so that the delivery robot 40 faces the stopping direction at the stopping position and stops. This makes it possible to determine an appropriate stopping position and stopping direction based on the position of the recipient 5 or the state of the door 9.

[0108] The detection device (sensor 50, camera 45) includes a sensor 50 that measures the distance between the door 9 and the delivery robot 40, and a camera 45 that captures an image of the recipient 5. The delivery robot 40 determines the state of the door 9 using the distance measured by the sensor 50. The delivery robot 40 calculates the position of the recipient 5 using the image of the recipient 5 captured by the camera 45.

[0109] When the server device 10 detects that the door 9 is opened by the sensor 50, it determines the stopping direction so that the direction of the door 9 does not enter a certain range. This allows the recipient 5 coming through the door 9 to conveniently take out the food and drink 51.

[0110] When the server device 10 detects the position of the recipient 5 by the camera 45, it determines the stopping direction so that the direction in which the recipient 5 is located does not fall within a certain range. This makes it possible to determine an optimal stopping direction according to the movement route of the recipient 5.

[0111] Embodiment 2 In the second embodiment, the server device 10 is configured to use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to estimate the stopping position and stopping direction of the delivery robot 40. Below, differences from the delivery robot system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of the same points as those in the delivery robot system 100 according to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0112] 18 is a diagram showing an example of the learning data 92 according to embodiment 2. The learning data 92 is data indicating a learning data set used for learning.

[0113] The input data includes information about the delivery area and the state of the object. The information about the delivery area includes the delivery area, the receiving location, door information, delivery time, the type of food and drink, the number of recipients, the door status, and the recipient status. The state of the object includes the door status and the recipient status. The door information may be included in the door status. The output data is the output result when the input data is given. The output result includes the stopping position and the stopping position. In the learning data 92, the output result is used as correct answer data (teaching data).

[0114] The "information relating to the delivery area" in these input / output data is the same as the delivery area, pick-up location, door information, delivery time, type of food and drink, and number of recipients in the delivery schedule data 91 shown in FIG.

[0115] In input / output example 1, data related to room A1 in the delivery schedule data 91 is recorded. In input / output example 2, data related to room A2 in the delivery schedule data 91 is recorded. In input / output example 3, data related to room F1 in the delivery schedule data 91 is recorded.

[0116] The "state of the object" includes the door state (open / closed state, etc.) detected by the sensor 50 and the state of the recipient 5 (the position of the recipient 5) detected by the camera 45 when the delivery robot 40 arrives at the delivery location.

[0117] The "output result" is the correct data for the "stop position" and "stop direction" when the "state of the object" is detected with the "information related to the delivery area" set.

[0118] The learning data 92 using these input / output data utilizes the input / output data collected by the delivery robot system 100 in the first embodiment. However, the "stop position" and the "stop direction" determined in the first embodiment are not necessarily optimal.

[0119] For this reason, inappropriate data may be manually removed and an optimal combination of input and output data may be selected as the learning data. Alternatively, the actually detected "stop position" and "stop direction" may be modified to the optimal ones and used as the correct answer data.

[0120] For example, as shown in Figure 11, data in which the stopping position is on the left side of a left-opening door is inappropriate and is therefore excluded from the learning data. Also, as shown in Figure 12, data in which the stopping position is in the center of a hallway during peak hours is inappropriate and is therefore excluded from the learning data. Alternatively, the correct answer data is corrected so that the stopping position is closer to the wall.

[0121] 13, since the door 9 opens to the left, the correct data is modified so that the stopping position of the delivery robot 40 is to the right of the entrance 8. Since it is expected that there will be a certain number of passersby 6 in the corridor B2 during the lunch hour, the correct data is modified so that the delivery robot 40 stops close to the wall. Furthermore, if there are many recipients 5 and the type of food and drink is boxed lunches, it is expected that they will come in a line to receive the boxed lunches, so the correct data is modified so that the direction is such that the recipients can smoothly pick up the boxed lunches from the line.

[0122] In this way, there is a certain correlation between information about the delivery area and the state of the object, and the optimal stopping position and direction (as mentioned above, if the delivery time is during a peak time, it is preferable for the stopping position to be closer to a wall, etc.). In this way, by setting input and output data and performing learning, the optimal stopping position and direction can be determined.

[0123] In the object state, the state of the door 9 represents the action state of the recipient 5 who opens the door 9 to receive the food and drink 51 (the recipient 5 will soon come out), and the position of the recipient 5 represents the relative positional relationship with the delivery robot 40. These states also correlate with the stopping position and stopping direction.

[0124] 19 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the learning device 201. In the second embodiment, the delivery robot system 100 includes the learning device 201. Note that the functions realized by the learning device 201 may be realized by the server device 10.

[0125] The learning device 201 includes a data acquisition unit 202 and a model generation unit 203. The functions of the data acquisition unit 202 and the model generation unit 203 are realized by a processor executing a program stored in a memory.

[0126] The processor acquires training data including information about the delivery area, the state of the object, and the stopping position and stopping direction, and uses the training data to generate a trained model that infers the stopping position and stopping direction from the information about the delivery area and the state of the object.

[0127] The information about the delivery area includes the delivery area, the delivery location, door information including the installation position and opening / closing direction of the door 9, the delivery time of the food and drink 51, the type of food and drink 51, and the number of recipients 5. The state of the object is the door state (open / closed state, installation state, etc.) detected by the sensor 50 and the state of the recipient 5 detected by the camera 45 (the position of the recipient 5) when the delivery robot 40 arrives at the delivery location.

[0128] The data acquiring unit 202 acquires input data and output data (correct answer data (teacher data)) as learning data. The model generating unit 203 generates a trained model that infers output data from input data, based on the learning data consisting of a combination of input data and output data output from the data acquiring unit 202. The model generating unit 203 can perform learning using supervised learning using a neural network, for example.

[0129] Deep learning, which learns to extract features themselves, can also be used as a learning algorithm used in the model generation unit 203. The model generation unit 203 stores the learned model generated by executing learning in the learned model storage device 300.

[0130] 20 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the learning process of the learning device 201. In step 501, the data acquisition unit 202 acquires input data and output data (teacher data).

[0131] In step 502, the model generation unit 203 generates a trained model that infers output data from input data by so-called supervised learning, according to learning data consisting of a combination of input data and output data (teacher data) acquired by the data acquisition unit 202.

[0132] In other words, as shown in Figure 18, the trained model is a model that infers the stopping position and stopping direction as output data when the delivery area, receiving location, door information, delivery time, type of food and drink, number of recipients, door status, recipient status, stopping position and stopping direction are input as input data.

[0133] In step 503, the trained model storage device 300 stores the trained model generated by the model generation unit 203.

[0134] 21 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the inference processing unit 401. In the delivery robot system 100 according to the second embodiment, the server device 10, together with the control unit 41 of the delivery robot 40, constitutes a “control device” that controls the delivery robot 40. This control device includes the inference processing unit 401.

[0135] The inference processing unit 401 includes a data acquisition unit 402 and an inference unit 403. The functions of the data acquisition unit 402 and the inference unit 403 are realized, for example, by the processor 11 of the server device 10 executing a program stored in the storage device 14.

[0136] The server device 10 infers the stopping position and the stopping direction from the object state (door state, recipient position) and information on the delivery area (delivery area, pick-up location, door information, delivery time, food and drink type, number of recipients) using a trained model for inferring the stopping position and the stopping direction from the object state and information on the delivery area. The data acquisition unit 402 acquires the delivery area, pick-up location, door information, delivery time, food and drink type, number of recipients, door state, and recipient state as input data.

[0137] The inference unit 403 uses the trained model to infer the stop position and the stop direction as output data. That is, the inference unit 403 can output output data inferred from the input data by inputting the input data acquired by the data acquisition unit 402 to the trained model.

[0138] 22 is a flowchart showing an inference procedure by the inference processing unit 401. In step 601, the data acquisition unit 402 acquires input data. In step 602, the inference unit 403 inputs the input data to the learned model stored in the learned model storage device 300 and obtains output data. In step 603, the inference unit 403 outputs the output data obtained by the learned model, i.e., the stopping position and stopping direction.

[0139] In the first embodiment, the stopping position and stopping direction are determined based on the information on the state of the object and the delivery area by the stop information determination process of S105. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the processes of S301 to S306 shown in FIG. 17 are executed.

[0140] In contrast to this, in the second embodiment, the inference processing unit 401 determines the stopping position and stopping direction from the information on the state of the object and the delivery area using the trained model. That is, the stopping information determination process (FIG. 17) in the first embodiment is executed by replacing it with the process using the trained model by the inference processing unit 401.

[0141] As described above, in the second embodiment, the server device 10 infers the stopping position and stopping direction from the information on the object's state and the delivery area using a trained model for inferring the stopping position and stopping direction from the information on the object's state and the delivery area. This makes it possible to estimate the optimal stopping position and stopping direction derived from the information on the object's state and the delivery area that has been accumulated in the past. This allows the recipient 5 to conveniently pick up the food and drink 51 from the delivery robot 40 that delivers the food and drink 51 to the delivery area.

[0142] The information related to the delivery area includes the delivery area, the delivery location, door information including the location of the door 9 and the opening / closing direction, the delivery time of the food and drink 51, the type of food and drink 51, and the number of recipients 5. This makes it possible to estimate the optimal stopping position and stopping direction while also taking into account the influence (correlation) of the delivery area, the delivery location, door information including the location of the door 9 and the opening / closing direction, the delivery time of the food and drink 51, the type of food and drink 51, and the number of recipients 5 on the stopping position and stopping direction.

[0143] [Note] The above-described embodiment is a specific example of the following supplementary notes.

[0144] (Appendix 1) A delivery robot that autonomously moves within the facility and delivers food and beverages to the delivery area; A control device for controlling the delivery robot, The delivery robot includes: A storage section including a door capable of storing the food and drink and allowing the food and drink to be removed by opening the door, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the door; A drive unit that moves the delivery robot; A detection device for detecting a state of an object present ahead of the vehicle; The control device controls the opening / closing mechanism to open the door after the vehicle has traveled to a delivery location in the delivery area, When the delivery robot is stopped facing a certain range of directions toward a recipient of the food and beverages, the recipient cannot take out the food and beverages from the storage unit because the door is open, The state of the object detected by the detection device includes at least one of the location of the recipient and the state of a door for entering the delivery area; The control device includes: determining a stop direction, which is a direction in which the delivery robot faces when the delivery robot stops, based on the state of the object detected by the detection device and information about the delivery area; A delivery robot system that controls the drive unit so as to face the stopping direction and stop at the delivery location.

[0145] (Appendix 2) The control device includes: Further determining a stopping position of the delivery robot in the delivery location based on the state of the object detected by the detection device and information about the delivery area; A delivery robot system as described in Appendix 1, which controls the drive unit so that the robot stops at the stopping position facing the stopping direction.

[0146] (Appendix 3) The detection device includes a sensor that measures a distance between the door and the delivery robot, and a camera that captures an image of the recipient; The control device includes: determining a state of the door using the distance measured by the sensor; 3. A delivery robot system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the position of the recipient is calculated using an image of the recipient captured by the camera.

[0147] (Appendix 4) The delivery robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the detection device detects that the door has been opened, the control device determines the stopping direction so that the direction in which the door is located does not fall within the certain range.

[0148] (Appendix 5) The delivery robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the detection device detects the position of the recipient, the control device determines the stopping direction so that the direction in which the recipient is located does not fall within the certain range.

[0149] (Appendix 6) The control device infers the stopping position and the stopping direction from the state of the object and information about the delivery area using a trained model for inferring the stopping position and the stopping direction from information about the state of the object and the delivery area.

[0150] (Appendix 7) The information regarding the delivery area includes the delivery area, the delivery location, door information including the installation position and opening / closing direction of the door, delivery time of the food and beverages, type of the food and beverages, and number of recipients.

[0151] (Appendix 8) A control method for a delivery robot that autonomously moves within a facility and delivers food and beverages to a delivery area, comprising: The delivery robot includes: A storage section including a door capable of storing the food and drink and allowing the food and drink to be removed by opening the door, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the door; A drive unit that moves the delivery robot; A detection device for detecting a state of an object present ahead of the vehicle; The control method includes a step of controlling the opening / closing mechanism to open the door after the vehicle has traveled to a delivery location in the delivery area; When the delivery robot is stopped facing a certain range of directions toward a recipient of the food and beverages, the recipient cannot take out the food and beverages from the storage unit because the door is open, The state of the object detected by the detection device includes at least one of the location of the recipient and the state of a door for entering the delivery area; The control method includes: determining a stop direction, which is a direction in which the delivery robot faces when the delivery robot stops, based on the state of the object detected by the detection device and information about the delivery area; and controlling the drive unit to face the stopping direction and stop at the delivery location.

[0152] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely examples and are not limited to the above. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 1 Facility, 5 Recipient, 6 Passersby, 8 Entrance / Exit, 9 Door, 10 Server Device, 11, 21, 41 Processor, 12, 22 ROM, 13, 23 RAM, 14, 24 HDD, 15, 25 Communication IF, 16, 26, 46 Communication Bus, 20 Equipment Management Device, 30 Terminal, 34 Input Unit, 35 Display, 40 Delivery Robot, 42, 72 Wireless Communication Device, 43 Notification Unit, 44 Memory Unit, 45 Camera, 47 Opening / Closing Mechanism, 48 Battery, 49 Drive Unit, 51 Food and Drink, 52 Door, 53 Storage Unit, 61 Ceiling, 91 Delivery Schedule Data, 92 Input / Output Data, 100 Delivery Robot System, 201 Learning Device, 202 Data Acquisition Unit, 203 Model Generation Unit, 300 Learned Model Storage Device, 401 Inference Processing Unit, 402 Data acquisition section, 403 inference section, NW communication network.

Claims

1. A delivery robot that autonomously moves within the facility and delivers food and beverages to the delivery area; A control device for controlling the delivery robot, The delivery robot comprises: A storage section including a door capable of storing the food and drink and allowing the food and drink to be removed by opening the door, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the door; A drive unit that moves the delivery robot; A detection device for detecting a state of an object present ahead of the vehicle; The control device controls the opening / closing mechanism to open the door after the vehicle has traveled to a delivery location in the delivery area, When the delivery robot is stopped facing a certain range of directions toward a recipient of the food and beverages, the recipient cannot take out the food and beverages from the storage unit because the door is open, The state of the object detected by the detection device includes at least one of the location of the recipient and the state of a door for entering the delivery area; The control device includes: determining a stop direction, which is a direction in which the delivery robot faces when the delivery robot stops, based on the state of the object detected by the detection device and information about the delivery area; A delivery robot system that controls the drive unit so as to face the stopping direction and stop at the delivery location.

2. The control device includes: Further determining a stopping position of the delivery robot in the delivery location based on the state of the object detected by the detection device and information about the delivery area; The delivery robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the drive unit is controlled so as to face the stopping direction at the stopping position and stop.

3. The detection device includes a sensor that measures a distance between the door and the delivery robot, and a camera that captures an image of the recipient; The control device includes: determining a state of the door using the distance measured by the sensor; The delivery robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the position of the recipient is calculated using an image of the recipient captured by the camera.

4. The delivery robot system according to claim 1 , wherein, when the detection device detects that the door has been opened, the control device determines the stop direction such that a direction in which the door is located does not fall within the certain range.

5. The delivery robot system according to claim 1 , wherein the control device, when detecting the position of the recipient by the detection device, determines the stopping direction such that the direction in which the recipient is present does not fall within the certain range.

6. 3. The delivery robot system of claim 2, wherein the control device infers the stopping position and the stopping direction from information relating to the state of the object and the delivery area using a trained model for inferring the stopping position and the stopping direction from information relating to the state of the object and the delivery area.

7. The delivery robot system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the information regarding the delivery area includes the delivery area, the delivery location, door information including the installation position and opening / closing direction of the door, delivery time of the food and beverages, type of the food and beverages, and number of recipients.

8. A control method for a delivery robot that autonomously moves within a facility and delivers food and beverages to a delivery area, comprising: The delivery robot includes: A storage section including a door capable of storing the food and drink and allowing the food and drink to be removed by opening the door, and an opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the door; A drive unit that moves the delivery robot; A detection device for detecting a state of an object present ahead of the vehicle; The control method includes a step of controlling the opening / closing mechanism to open the door after the vehicle has traveled to a delivery location in the delivery area; When the delivery robot is stopped facing a certain range of directions toward a recipient of the food and beverages, the recipient cannot take out the food and beverages from the storage unit because the door is open, The state of the object detected by the detection device includes at least one of the location of the recipient and the state of a door for entering the delivery area; The control method includes: determining a stop direction, which is a direction in which the delivery robot faces when the delivery robot stops, based on information about the state of the object detected by the detection device and the delivery area; and controlling the drive unit to face the stopping direction and stop at the delivery location.

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