Robot position coordinate integration system, robot position coordinate integration device, robot position coordinate integration method, and program

Abstract

To accurately integrate position coordinates of a plurality of types of mobile robots on one map.SOLUTION: There is disclosed a robot position coordinate integration system in which an origin position specifying object representing the origin positions of each of a plurality of heterogeneous mobile robots and at least one or more three-dimensional objects arranged in the real space are arranged in the real space. The robot position coordinate integration system is provided with a measurement unit for measuring the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object by the mobile robot, a registration unit for registering the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object in a common map, and a correspondence unit for specifying the position coordinates of each of the heterogeneous mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional objects and for associating the position coordinates of each of the heterogeneous mobile robots with corresponding positions in the common map.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot position coordinate integration system, a robot position coordinate integration device, a robot position coordinate integration method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, service robots that move indoors have been increasingly popular in office buildings and restaurants. Service robots are becoming capable of performing a variety of tasks, such as security, guidance, cleaning, transportation, or meal delivery. In such a situation, it is expected that multiple different types of service robots will operate simultaneously in the same area in the future.

[0003] When multiple different types of service robots travel simultaneously in the same indoor area, it is important to manage how to set the origin positions of each service robot on the map. In particular, different service robots may adopt different mapping systems, and it is necessary to map the maps used by each service robot onto a single unified map.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an information processing apparatus including: an acquisition unit that acquires map data generated by at least one robot among a plurality of types of robots that move based on different types of map data indicating a movable area; a common map generation unit that generates a common map for commonly managing the movement of the plurality of types of robots from the acquired map data; and a specific map generation unit that generates a plurality of types of specific maps for each of the plurality of types of robots from the common map.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, when integrating individual maps measured by a plurality of types of robots into a single common map, there were cases where the common map could not be generated due to errors in measurement information or the like, or the shape of the real space could not be accurately reproduced. For example, the common map can be integrated by adjusting the positions between maps by the ICP (Interactive Closest Point) method or the like for two or more individual maps in the real space generated by each robot. However, if the individual maps themselves generated by each mobile robot are distorted, partially missing, or there is a deviation in the relative positions between the maps, the common map (virtual space map) cannot be accurately generated. Also, there may be cases where there is a deviation between the position and orientation of each robot on the common map and the real space. Therefore, there has been a problem that the deviation between the common map and the real space and the position display of each robot on the common map become inaccurate, and as a result, the robot may move in a direction unintended by the robot operator.

[0007] Thus, there has been a problem that the position coordinates of a plurality of types of mobile robots cannot be accurately integrated onto a single map.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a robot position coordinate integration system, a robot position coordinate integration device, a robot position coordinate integration method, and a program capable of accurately integrating the position coordinates of a plurality of types of mobile robots onto a single map.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to solve the above-described problems, one aspect of the present invention is a robot position coordinate integration system in which an origin position specifying object representing the origin position of each of a plurality of different types of mobile robots and at least one or more three-dimensional objects arranged in the real space are arranged in the real space, the system including: a measurement unit that measures the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object by the mobile robot; a registration unit that registers the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object in a common map; and a correlation unit that specifies the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and correlates the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots with corresponding positions in the common map.

[0010] Also, one aspect of the present invention is a robot position coordinate integration device in a robot position coordinate integration system in which an origin position specifying object representing the origin position of each of a plurality of different types of mobile robots and at least one or more three-dimensional objects arranged in the real space are arranged in the real space, the device including: a position coordinate acquisition unit that acquires the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object measured by the mobile robot; a registration unit that registers the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object in a common map; and a correlation unit that specifies the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and correlates the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots with corresponding positions in the common map.

[0011] Also, one aspect of the present invention is a robot position coordinate integration method executed by a computer of a robot position coordinate integration device in a robot position coordinate integration system in which an origin position specifying object representing the origin position of each of a plurality of different types of mobile robots and at least one or more three-dimensional objects arranged in the real space are arranged in the real space. The method includes a position coordinate acquisition process of acquiring the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object measured by the mobile robot, a registration process of registering the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object in a common map, and specifying the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and associating the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots with corresponding positions in the common map.

[0012] Also, one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer of a robot position coordinate integration device in a robot position coordinate integration system in which an origin position specifying object representing the origin position of each of a plurality of different types of mobile robots and at least one or more three-dimensional objects arranged in the real space are arranged in the real space to execute. The program causes the computer to perform a position coordinate acquisition step of acquiring the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object measured by the mobile robot, a registration step of registering the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object in a common map, and a specifying step of specifying the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and an association step of associating the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots with corresponding positions in the common map.

Effects of the Invention

[0013] As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, the position coordinates of a plurality of types of mobile robots can be accurately integrated on one map.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] (First Embodiment) Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot position coordinate integration system SYS according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The robot position coordinate integration system SYS includes origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C representing the origin positions of a plurality of different types of mobile robots, and at least one or more three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C arranged in the real space. The robot position coordinate integration system SYS measures the position coordinates of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C by the mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C, and registers the position coordinates of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C in a common map. Further, the robot position coordinate integration system SYS specifies the position coordinates of a plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and associates the position coordinates of the plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C with the corresponding positions in the common map.

[0016] Here, the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are installed to impart shape characteristics to the real space. The real space is the environment of the real world where the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C travel. More specifically, the real space refers to indoor facilities or outdoor facilities. Indoor facilities are, for example, the interiors of buildings such as office buildings, houses, schools, gymnasiums, and government buildings. Outdoor facilities are facilities outside indoor facilities, such as parks, zoos, amusement parks, and stadiums. In this embodiment, there is no distinction between indoor facilities and outdoor facilities, but hereinafter, for the sake of ease of explanation, an example in the case of indoor facilities will be described.

[0017] The three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are installed on the walls, floors, ceilings, fixtures, furniture, or objects of indoor facilities. The three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are three-dimensional structures composed of a plurality of planes and curved surfaces. The shape of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C may be line-symmetric, may not be line-symmetric, may have the same shape when viewed from anywhere, or may have different shapes when viewed from anywhere, but a shape that fits the shape of the grounding surface in the structure of the building on the installation side is preferable. The three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are, for example, regular tetrahedrons, cubes, octahedrons, dodecahedrons, icosahedrons, cones, triangular pyramids, square pyramids, spheres, or ellipsoids if they are line-symmetric three-dimensional objects. Three-dimensional objects that are not line-symmetric three-dimensional objects have various shapes, for example. Also, a shape that is the same when viewed from anywhere is, for example, a sphere. Three-dimensional objects that have different shapes when viewed from anywhere have various shapes, for example.

[0018] The three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are preferably, for example, asymmetric three-dimensional objects. An asymmetric three-dimensional object is a three-dimensional object in which the shape of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C is asymmetric, or a three-dimensional object in which the shape of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C is a line-symmetric three-dimensional object, but each face of the three-dimensional object is painted asymmetrically. A three-dimensional object in which each face of the three-dimensional object is painted asymmetrically is, for example, a three-dimensional object in which the entire surface of each face of a regular tetrahedron is painted with a different color for each face, a three-dimensional object in which the entire surface of one face of a regular tetrahedron is painted with various colors, or a three-dimensional object in which each face of a regular tetrahedron is distinguishable.

[0019] Note that when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are a plurality of three-dimensional shaped objects of the same shape, the respective three-dimensional shaped objects may be distinguishable by changing the orientation when installing the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C, etc. In this case, for example, when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are regular hexahedrons and the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are installed on the four walls of a room, the three-dimensional shaped object 20A is attached to wall A with a regular hexahedron in an appropriate orientation, and for wall B, the three-dimensional shaped object 20B is installed by rotating the three-dimensional shaped object 20A installed on wall A 20 degrees to the right, for wall C, the three-dimensional shaped object 20C is installed by rotating the three-dimensional shaped object 20A installed on wall A 45 degrees to the right, and for wall D, the three-dimensional shaped object 20D is installed by rotating the three-dimensional shaped object 20A installed on wall A 75 degrees to the right.

[0020] Also, when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are a plurality of three-dimensional shaped objects of the same shape, the respective three-dimensional shaped objects may be distinguishable by changing the size of the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D. In this case, for example, when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are regular hexahedrons and the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and 20D are installed on the four walls of a room, the three-dimensional shaped object 20A of the first size is installed on wall A, the three-dimensional shaped object 20B with a size that is 0.5 times the volume of the three-dimensional shaped object 20A installed on wall A is installed on wall B, the three-dimensional shaped object 20C with a size that is 1.5 times the volume of the three-dimensional shaped object 20A installed on wall A is installed on wall C, and the three-dimensional shaped object 20D with a size that is 2 times the volume of the three-dimensional shaped object 20A installed on wall A is installed on wall D.

[0021] The size of the three-dimensional object is preferably such that it can be identified by a camera (described later) or a shape measurement device such as LiDAR provided in the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C. Although it also depends on the imaging resolution of the cameras of the cameras and shape measurement devices provided in the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C, the size of the three-dimensional object may be any size that can be determined by the shape, color, installation orientation, size, etc. of the three-dimensional object when the three-dimensional object is identified from the edge of the real space where the shape is measured. Alternatively, a plurality of these identification methods may be combined.

[0022] The three-dimensional object is preferably capable of measuring the real space when installed in a real space (inside a building) with particularly few shape features. For example, if all four walls of an indoor facility are constructed of flat surfaces of the same color, a shape measurement device such as LiDAR cannot measure the surface because there are no shape features on the surface to be measured, so it is impossible to measure the real space. Therefore, by installing a three-dimensional object on at least one wall, shape features appear on the wall that was originally flat, so that the shape of the real space can be measured even if it is a real space with few shape features.

[0023] The location where the three-dimensional object is installed may be determined by how many mobile robots are to be operated from the edge of the indoor facility. For example, if two mobile robots are to be run from two walls, one three-dimensional object and one origin position identification object may be installed at the desired positions on those walls. If two mobile robots are to be run from one wall, two three-dimensional objects and two origin position identification objects may be installed at the desired positions on that wall. However, when installing a plurality of three-dimensional objects and origin position identification objects on one wall, it is necessary to know that each of the three-dimensional object and the origin position identification object is associated with each other.

[0024] The material of the three-dimensional object is not particularly limited as long as it can form and maintain its shape. However, since it is installed on indoor walls, floors, etc., it is preferably a light material that can be carried by a person. Suitable materials for the three-dimensional object include, for example, cardboard, corrugated paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, etc. Also, for the method of installing the three-dimensional object on the wall, a weakly adhesive double-sided tape, a weak adhesive, etc. are suitable. When not considering reusing the three-dimensional object after removing it from the wall, the method of adhering the three-dimensional object to the wall does not particularly need to be limited.

[0025] The three-dimensional object is preferably opaque. For example, when the three-dimensional object is transparent, when a shape measurement device or the like measures the shape and position of the three-dimensional object using light, the light passes through the three-dimensional object, making it inappropriate to accurately measure the position and shape of the three-dimensional object. For example, when the material of the three-dimensional object is a transparent material such as glass, it is preferable to make the three-dimensional object opaque by coloring the surface of the three-dimensional object or scratching the surface by etching.

[0026] When measuring the shape of the real space, it is preferable that at least one or more three-dimensional objects are installed in the real space. By installing at least one or more three-dimensional objects in the real space, it becomes easier to integrate the shape measurement data of multiple real spaces into one in the ICP (Iterative Closest Point) and NDT (Normal Distributions Transform) methods described later.

[0027] Mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C are equipped with wheels for autonomous driving. Mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C have a power source and drive the wheels with the power generated by the power source. The power source is preferably an electromagnetic motor. The electromagnetic motor is, for example, a DC motor, a brushless DC motor, a stepping motor, a servo motor, an induction motor, a PM motor, an AC motor, an in-wheel motor, and an ultrasonic motor. The power source may be an internal combustion engine. The number of wheels and the installation positions of the wheels are not particularly limited as long as the mobile robot can travel stably. Mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C can each be remotely controlled by an operator using wireless communication. The wireless communication is a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), a mobile communication system such as the third generation, the fourth generation, and the fifth generation, and LPWA (Low Power Wide Area).

[0028] Mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C are equipped with an environmental shape measurement device. The environmental shape measurement device is used to realize the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology of mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C. SLAM is a method of estimating the current position information of a mobile robot while creating a map (map) of the surroundings of the mobile robot obtained using the environmental shape measurement device. It is a technology that completes the overall map while expanding a new measurement area as the mobile robot travels. Any method for calculating SLAM may be used, such as a scan matching method such as the ICP method or the NDT method, or a Bayesian filter method.

[0029] The environmental shape measurement device can be of any type as long as it can measure the shape of the real space. For example, a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) device using a laser range scanner, a ToF (Time of Flight) device, or a device combining these is suitable. Also, for the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C, the operator may manually drive the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C while checking the images taken by the cameras respectively equipped on the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C. Or the operator may specify the path from the start point to the goal point of the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C using a path search algorithm such as A* to automatically drive the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C. Or these manual driving and automatic driving may be used in combination.

[0030] Also, it is preferable that the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C be equipped with cameras. By the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C being equipped with cameras, for example, an image including a three-dimensional object by the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C can be viewed on the electronic display of a notebook PC. The camera may be a web camera built into the electronic display or a camera such as a single-lens reflex camera installed separately from the web camera. The camera is preferably selected appropriately according to, for example, image quality, weight, size, and price. The camera may capture still images, capture moving images, or be capable of switching between still images and moving images.

[0031] Note that although the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C have been described for the case of moving on a flat surface such as on land using wheels, it is not limited thereto, and they may be mobile robots that move using a leg structure or move in the air, on water, or underwater.

[0032] The origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are installed in the real space. The origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are used to register the origin position of the mobile robot on the virtual space (common map). The origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are installed in pairs with the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C respectively. One origin position specifying object 10A, 10B, or 10C may be installed near each of the corresponding three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C. The vicinity of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C is not limited as long as the positional relationship between the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C and the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C can be accurately measured. However, it is preferable that the distance between the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C and the corresponding three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C is within 100 cm. More preferably, the distance is within 50 cm. Particularly preferably, the distance is within 30 cm.

[0033] Similar to the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C, the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C preferably have a shape that fits the shape of the structure in the building where they are installed. The origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are preferably made of a material such as paper, plastic, metal, or glass and have a thin thickness. The origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are, for example, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) including NFC (Near Field Communication), a touch panel, a terminal for electrically connecting the mobile robot and the origin position specifying object, a barcode or two-dimensional barcode, a connecting device for mechanically connecting the mobile robot and the origin position specifying object, or a device in which a concave object and a convex object fit together.

[0034] Note that, in order to reduce errors due to differences in measurement methods, it is desirable that the method for specifying the positions of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C be different from the method for measuring the positions of the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C. Also, it is preferable that the method for specifying the positions of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C have a higher position measurement accuracy than the measurement method of the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C. The position measurement accuracy is higher as the measurement distance is shorter. Therefore, it is preferable that the measurement distance when specifying the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C be shorter than the measurement distance when measuring the positions of the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C.

[0035] Regarding the method of installing the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C on the wall, there is no particular limitation as long as the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C do not move from the wall, floor, etc. For example, they may be fixed with double-sided adhesive tape, an adhesive, screws, or the like.

[0036] In the present embodiment, in order to grasp the positional relationship between the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C and the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C, it is preferable that the distance between the center point when the three-dimensional shaped object is seen through on the ground plane in the real space (inside the building) and the center point when the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are seen through on the ground plane in the real space (inside the building) can be measured. The center point when the three-dimensional shaped object is seen through on the ground plane in the real space (inside the building) is the center point when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are installed in the real space (inside the building) and the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are viewed from the front and seen through on the ground plane of the building. The center point when the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are seen through on the ground plane in the real space (inside the building) is the center point when the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are installed in the building and the origin position specifying objects are viewed from the front and seen through on the ground plane of the building.

[0037] By measuring the positional relationship between the two, the positions of the origin position identifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are removed from the building can be identified. Also, by making the center points of the two coincide with the position coordinates in either the vertical or horizontal direction, the positional relationship between the two can be more easily grasped.

[0038] As a method for measuring the distance between the center points when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are seen in perspective and the center points when the origin position identifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are seen in perspective, the means is not particularly limited as long as the distance between two points can be measured, and a straightedge, a tape measure, a protractor, or a laser rangefinder, etc. can be used. In particular, as a method for measuring the distance between the center points when the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are seen in perspective and the center points when the origin position identifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are seen in perspective, it is preferable to use a total station device combined with an electronic theodolite that measures the time until the light beam emitted to the object is reflected back to the object and measures the angle at which the light beam is emitted. Since the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C and the origin position identifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C can be measured without being touched by a person, the convenience is high.

[0039] In this embodiment, the installation of the above-described three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C and the origin position identifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C in the real space and the measurement of the distances between the center points of the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C and the center points of the origin position identifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are carried out as preliminary preparations.

[0040] Next, a shape measurement method for measuring the shape of the real space (inside the building) will be described. The measurement of the shape of the real space is carried out to generate a virtual space map (common map) by measuring the real space. For the shape measurement of the real space, it is necessary to simultaneously measure the shape of the real space and the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, and 20C installed in the real space during a single measurement operation using a shape measurement device. The shape measurement device is, for example, a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device. The shape measurement by the shape measurement device uses the ToF (Time of Flight) method of measuring the distance by emitting a light beam from the shape measurement device and measuring the time until the light beam is reflected by the target object and returns, the SfM (Structure from Motion) method of reconstructing the three-dimensional shape of the target object by combining a plurality of camera images of the target object, or a total station device, etc. The SfM method can use photogrammetry software, and for example, Metashape (registered trademark, manufactured by Agisoft LLC), Pix4Dmapper (manufactured by Pix4D), TerraMapper (manufactured by Terradrone), etc. can be selected.

[0041] The shape measurement of the real space may use any of the methods described above, or a combination of a plurality of the methods described above, but it is preferable that the finally obtained data is the point cloud map A. By using the point cloud map A, the robot position coordinate integration system SYS can use the ICP method to integrate the individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B i (where i is the number of mobile robots) (described later) and the point cloud map A. The point cloud map A may be a collection of single-colored points or a collection of points with various colors.

[0042] The shape measurement by the shape measurement device is preferably performed by moving the shape measurement device to various positions in the real space so as not to be outside the measurement range of the shape measurement device.

[0043] In the case of measuring the shape in the real space, the ceiling part is measured in the same way as the wall and floor parts. Usually, the point group of the ceiling part is removed in the same way as removing the unnecessary point groups formed in the process of generating the point cloud map A. This is because it is only necessary to grasp the shape in the building from the point cloud map A, and the point group of the ceiling part is rather obstructive. Also, since the point group is removed, the data volume can be reduced and the calculation time on the computer can be shortened.

[0044] The shape measurement by the shape measurement device is carried out as a preliminary preparation after installing the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C and the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C in the real space as described above, and measuring the distances from the center points of the three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C and the center points of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C.

[0045] Next, the shape measurement by the mobile robot will be described.

[0046] The shape measurement by the mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C is performed by the environmental shape measurement devices provided in the mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C to conduct SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) measurement in the real space (inside the building). The environmental shape measurement devices provided in the mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C conduct SLAM measurement in the real space (inside the building) to obtain individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B for integration into the point cloud map A i (i is the number of mobile robots. For example, if the number of mobile robots is 4, the individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B 1 、B 2 、B 3 、and B 4is shown. It generates). An environmental shape measurement device uses, for example, a LiDAR, a ToF, or a camera for SfM. These environmental shape measurement devices simultaneously measure the shape inside the building and the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C installed inside the building by moving robots 30A, 30B, 30C traveling in various positions and directions in the real space (inside the building). The environmental shape measurement device mounted on the moving robots 30A, 30B, 30C may use any of the above devices, or may combine any of the above multiple devices, but the finally acquired data is an individual point cloud map (individual virtual space map) B i is preferably. Individual point cloud map (individual virtual space map) B i may be a collection of single-colored points or a collection of points with various colors.

[0047] When the environmental shape measurement device provided in the moving robots 30A, 30B, 30C uses light rays, the environmental shape measurement device is installed at a height at which the light rays emitted from the environmental shape measurement device irradiate the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C. For example, when the moving robots 30A, 30B, 30C are equipped with an environmental shape measurement device using light rays such as LiDAR, it is preferable that the measurement height of the LiDAR is the same as the height at which the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C are installed.

[0048] In the case of measuring the shape inside the building, the ceiling part is also measured as well as the wall and floor parts. Usually, however, the point cloud of the ceiling part is removed in the same way as removing the unnecessary point cloud generated in the above generation process. This is because it is only necessary to be able to grasp the shape inside the building from the individual point cloud map B i and the point cloud of the ceiling part rather becomes an obstacle. i

[0049] ​Instead of actually performing SLAM measurement on the real space in the building with the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C, the point cloud map A can be recreated into a polygon map, and SLAM measurement in the building can be performed by running a virtual mobile robot equipped with a virtual environmental shape measurement device on the polygon map. There are structures such as walls, pillars, furniture, fixtures, or objects in the building, and it is preferable that the polygon map is given the attributes of the structures whose shapes have been measured. By assigning the attributes of the structures, for example, problems such as the virtual mobile robot passing through the wall on the polygon map can be avoided. Alternatively, in the point cloud map A or the polygon map, the range of the floor on which the virtual mobile robot can travel can be determined in advance, and SLAM measurement in the building can be performed by running the virtual mobile robot within the range of the floor. In that case, it is not necessary to assign the attributes of structures such as pillars, furniture, fixtures, or objects.

[0050] Next, the robot position coordinate integration device will be described.

[0051] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot position coordinate integration device 100 according to the present embodiment. The robot position coordinate integration device 100 includes a communication unit 101, a storage unit 102, an input unit 103, an output unit 104, and a control unit 105.

[0052] The communication unit 101 has a function of communicating with other terminal devices such as the mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C, and the shape measurement device.

[0053] The storage unit 102 is composed of a storage medium, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access read / write Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or an arbitrary combination of these storage media. This storage unit 102 can use, for example, a non-volatile memory.

[0054] The storage unit 102 stores various data. For example, the storage unit 102 stores point cloud map information 1021 and common map information 1022.

[0055] The input unit 103 is an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard connected to the robot position coordinate integration device 100. The input unit 103 receives an operation input from the outside. The input unit 103 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation input to the control unit 105.

[0056] The output unit 104 is an output device such as a display device. The output unit 104 outputs the information output from the control unit 105 to the output device of its own device or another device.

[0057] The control unit 105 has a function of controlling each part of the robot position coordinate integration device 100. The control unit 105 includes an acquisition unit 1051, a registration unit 1052, and an association unit 1053.

[0058] The acquisition unit 1051 acquires the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud maps Bi from the shape measurement device and the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C. The point cloud map A and the individual point cloud maps B i include the position coordinates of the origin position identification objects 10A, 10B, and 10C, the position coordinates of the three-dimensional shape objects 20A, 20B, and 20C, etc. The acquisition unit 1051 outputs the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud maps B i to the registration unit 1052.

[0059] The registration unit 1052 stores the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud maps B i in the storage unit 102 as point cloud map information.

[0060] The association unit 1053 reads the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud maps B i from the storage unit 102. The association unit 1053 reads the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud maps Bi Integrate them into one point cloud map using the ICP method. The association unit 1053 includes the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map B i By integrating them, the coordinate points measured by the SLAM of the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C are superimposed on the coordinate points of the point cloud map A. The association unit 1053 includes the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map B i Use the ICP method for the integration with the point cloud map A. The ICP method is a method of superimposing the original point cloud S on the target point cloud T. For each point s of the point cloud S i (i = 1, 2, 3, ···), the transformation matrix P is applied, and P·s i and each point t of the point cloud T i (i = 1, 2, 3, ···), the difference is expressed by the objective function G(P), and the minimum value of the objective function G(P) is obtained by iterative calculation. The ICP method generally obtains the minimum value of the objective function G(P) using the Gaussian method, or when the point cloud has colors, the Gauss-Newton method is used to obtain the minimum value of the objective function G(P). Here, the point cloud map obtained by integrating the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map B i is called the integrated point cloud map.

[0061] For the shape measurement of the real space, it is preferable that at least one or more three-dimensional shaped objects 20A, 20B, 20C are included in the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map B i Thereby, the feature points of the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map B acquired by the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C become clear. When the two point cloud maps are superimposed by the ICP method, the value of the objective function G(P) is smaller, that is, the two point cloud maps A and the individual point cloud map B are accurately i superimposed. iThey can be superimposed. Alternatively, the objective function G(P) can be quickly converged to the minimum value. When performing shape measurement, the number of three-dimensional objects imaged by the shape measurement device is preferably at least one or more. However, the larger the number, the more the number of feature points increases. As a result, the amount of information for superimposing multiple point cloud maps by the ICP method increases, which is preferable. However, if the number of three-dimensional objects (feature points) increases too much, the computational load in the ICP method increases. Therefore, it is preferable to appropriately adjust the number of three-dimensional objects according to the number of mobile robots to be run or the shape and size of the building to be measured.

[0062] The point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map (individual virtual space map) B by the association unit 1053 i For the integration with, the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map B i are required. The association unit 1053 sequentially integrates, for example, one individual point cloud map B in the case of one mobile robot 1 two individual point cloud maps B in the case of two mobile robots 1 and B 2 or three individual point cloud maps B in the case of three mobile robots 1 B 2 and B 3 into the point cloud map A using the ICP method. By integrating the individual point cloud maps B existing for the number of mobile robots i with the point cloud map A, the shape features of the individual point cloud maps B i acquired by the respective mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C can be partially given to the integrated point cloud map.

[0063] Note that after generating the point cloud map A and the individual point cloud map B i the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C may be removed from the real space.

[0064] Next, the association unit 1053 deletes the portions of the three-dimensional objects from the integrated point cloud map. Since the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C were installed to impart shape features in the real space, they do not exist in the original real space. Also, if the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C were displayed in the integrated point cloud map, aesthetic problems would occur in the integrated point cloud map. As a method for deleting the portions of the three-dimensional objects from the integrated point cloud map, the association unit 1053 uses general point cloud processing software. The association unit 1053 generates a map obtained by removing the point cloud portions of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C from the integrated point cloud map. The map obtained by removing the point cloud portions of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C from the integrated point cloud map is referred to as a quasi-integrated point cloud map. The quasi-integrated point cloud map is, for example, the map G1 shown in FIG. 4.

[0065] Note that since the quasi-integrated point cloud map is composed of a collection of points, the space between points is not represented at all. Therefore, the quasi-integrated point cloud map looks different from the original real space. To improve the appearance, the points of the quasi-integrated point cloud map may be connected by lines and reshaped into a polygon map. By generating a polygon-mapped virtual space map, visibility closer to the real space can be obtained.

[0066] Next, the association unit 1053 causes the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C and the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C to interact with each other in order to assign the positions of the individual origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C installed in the real-space structure to the origin positions in the respective mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C one by one. Interaction means that the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C and the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C affect each other. For example, when the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C are RFID, they interact by the RFID reading devices provided in the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C reading the RFID. Also, when the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C are provided with electrical contact devices, they interact by bringing the terminals provided in the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C into contact with the electrical contact devices of the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C. Further, the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C interact with the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C by being provided with cameras and shape recognition software. Alternatively, anything may be used as long as the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C installed in the building and the cooperation devices provided in the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C are engaged. For example, if the shapes of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C installed in the building are concave (female) objects, the mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C interact by being provided with convex (male) objects.

[0067] Here, since the positional relationships between the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C and the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C have already been measured, the position coordinates are known, and the positions are also specified on the quasi-integrated point cloud map. At this time, the association unit 1053 can specify the origin positions of the respective mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C by software-assigning the individual origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C existing on the quasi-integrated point cloud map as the origins of the respective mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C.

[0068] The association unit 1053 causes the origin positions of the respective mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C specified on the quasi-integrated point cloud map to be displayed on the electronic display (output unit 104) by means of a GUI (Graphical User Interface). The association unit 1053 may also use a similar GUI to cause the current positions of the respective mobile robots 30A, 30B, and 30C that have moved from the origin positions on the quasi-integrated point cloud map to be displayed on the electronic display. The GUI uses various figures and symbols that can distinguish each origin position specifying object (the origin position of each mobile robot) installed on the wall from the current position of the mobile robot. The coordinates of the origin position and the current position of the mobile robot may be numerically displayed. As the electronic display, a PC monitor, a notebook PC, a tablet, a smartphone, or the like is preferably used. The electronic display is a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (OLED) display, a mini LED display, a micro LED display, a field sequential display, or the like.

[0069] Note that, in this embodiment, an example in the case of indoors (inside a building) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to indoors, and can be applied even outdoors (outside a building) as long as the real space can be shape-measured.

[0070] Next, the robot position coordinate integration process in the robot position coordinate integration system SYS according to this embodiment will be described.

[0071] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the robot position coordinate integration process in the robot position coordinate integration system SYS according to this embodiment.

[0072] In step S101, as preliminary preparation, the operator installs at least one or more three-dimensional shaped objects in the real space. Thereafter, the operator performs the process of step S102.

[0073] In step S102, as preliminary preparation, the operator installs an origin position specifying object in the real space. Thereafter, the operator performs the process of step S103.

[0074] In step S103, as a preliminary preparation, the operator measures the distance between the center point of the three-dimensional object and the center point of the origin position specifying object. Then, the shape measurement device executes the process of step S104.

[0075] In step S104, the shape measurement device performs shape measurement in the real space. Then, the mobile robot executes the process of step S105.

[0076] In step S105, the mobile robot performs SLAM measurement in the real space. Then, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 executes the process of step S106.

[0077] In step S106, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 uses the ICP method to integrate a plurality of point cloud maps to generate an integrated point cloud map. Then, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 executes the process of step S107.

[0078] In step S107, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 deletes the part of the three-dimensional object from the integrated point cloud map to generate a quasi-integrated point cloud map. Then, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 executes the process of step S108.

[0079] In step S108, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 causes the mobile robot equipped with the origin reading device to interact with the origin position specifying object. Then, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 executes the process of step S109.

[0080] In step S109, the robot position coordinate integration device 100 displays the position coordinates of each mobile robot on the quasi-integrated point cloud map. Then, the robot position coordinate integration system SYS ends the robot position coordinate integration process according to FIG. 3.

[0081] As described above, the robot position coordinate integration system SYS according to this embodiment is a robot position coordinate integration system in which origin position identifiers 10A, 10B, 10C representing the origin positions of a plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C and at least one or more three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C arranged in the real space are arranged in the real space. The system includes a measurement unit (mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C) that measures the position coordinates of the origin position identifiers 10A, 10B, 10C by the mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C, a registration unit 1052 that registers the position coordinates of the origin position identifiers 10A, 10B, 10C in a common map (quasi-integrated point cloud map), and a correspondence unit 1053 that identifies the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C based on the position coordinates of the origin position identifiers 10A, 10B, 10C and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and associates the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C with the corresponding positions in the common map (quasi-integrated point cloud map).

[0082] By doing so, even when the maps owned by a plurality of different types of mobile robots are different for each mobile robot, the position coordinates of the mobile robots can be accurately displayed on the common map. Therefore, the position coordinates of multiple types of mobile robots can be accurately integrated on one map.

[0083] In the above robot position coordinate integration system SYS, the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C are displayed on the common map.

[0084] By doing so, even when the maps owned by a plurality of different types of mobile robots are different for each mobile robot, the position coordinates of the mobile robots can be accurately displayed on the common map.

[0085] In the above robot position coordinate integration system SYS, the position of the origin position identifier is in the vicinity of the position of the three-dimensional object.

[0086] By installing the two in the vicinity, it is possible to easily grasp the positional relationship between the two.

[0087] In the above robot position coordinate integration system SYS, it further includes a distance measurement unit (shape measurement device) that measures the distance between the position of the origin position specifying object and the position of the three-dimensional object.

[0088] By measuring the positional relationship between the two, it is possible to specify the positions of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, and 10C when the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are removed from the building. Also, by making the center points of the two coincide in the position coordinates in either the vertical or horizontal direction, it is possible to easily grasp the positional relationship between the two.

[0089] In the above robot position coordinate integration system SYS, a plurality of maps obtained by measuring the shape of the real space in which at least one or more three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, and 20C are installed are integrated by performing position and orientation control using the ICP (Intractive Closest Point) method.

[0090] By doing so, it is possible to efficiently generate an integrated point cloud map by integrating a plurality of point cloud maps.

[0091] In the above robot position coordinate integration system SYS, a quasi-integrated point cloud map with improved aesthetics is generated by removing the three-dimensional object from the integrated plurality of maps.

[0092] In the above robot position coordinate integration system SYS, the three-dimensional object is an asymmetric three-dimensional object.

[0093] By doing so, it is possible to easily measure the shape and position of the three-dimensional object.

[0094] The robot position coordinate integration device 100 in the robot position coordinate integration system SYS in which origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C representing the origin positions of a plurality of different types of mobile robots and at least one or more three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C arranged in the real space are arranged in the real space, includes a position coordinate acquisition unit that acquires the position coordinates of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C measured by the mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C, a registration unit that registers the position coordinates of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C in a common map, and a correspondence unit 1053 that specifies the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying objects 10A, 10B, 10C and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional objects 20A, 20B, 20C, and associates the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different types of mobile robots 30A, 30B, 30C with corresponding positions in the common map.

[0095] By doing so, even when the maps owned by a plurality of different types of mobile robots are different for each mobile robot, the position coordinates of the mobile robots can be accurately displayed on the common map. For this reason, the position coordinates of a plurality of types of mobile robots can be accurately integrated on one map.

[0096] Next, the robot position coordinate integration system SYS according to the present invention will be described using the verification results. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited based only on the specific content of the verification results.

[0097] (First verification result) The actual space used for verification was the entrance of an office building (width 10 m × depth 10 m × height 4 m). For verification, the actual space was measured for its shape, and four mobile robots of different types were made to run. The entrance of the office building has three walls that are flat, and a door is installed on one of the walls. On three of the flat walls, a regular tetrahedron, a cube, and an octahedron were installed as three-dimensional objects using weakly adhesive double-sided tape. On the wall where the door is installed, a dodecahedron was installed as a three-dimensional object using weakly adhesive double-sided tape at a position avoiding the opening and closing range of the door. The three-dimensional objects were made of cardboard. On three of the flat walls, RFID was installed as an origin position identifier using double-sided tape. On the wall where the door is installed, RFID was installed as an origin position identifier using double-sided tape at a position avoiding the opening and closing range of the door. Each RFID was installed such that the straight line connecting the three-dimensional object and the RFID was perpendicular to the floor of the office building and 30 cm below the three-dimensional object using a straightedge and a protractor. Here, the distance of 30 cm below between the three-dimensional object and the RFID means the distance between the center point of the RFID and the center point of the perspective view of the wall when the three-dimensional object is viewed from the front.

[0098] Next, using a total station device, the positions of the center points of the perspective views of the respective three-dimensional objects on the wall when viewed from the front were measured.

[0099] Subsequently, while moving the shape measurement device NavVis VLX (manufactured by NavVis GmbH) to various locations inside the office building, the shape inside the office building was measured. Since the shape measurement device NavVis VLX is equipped with a LiDAR and a color camera, one colored point cloud map A was obtained.

[0100] Next, four mobile robots equipped with LiDAR were made to run in the entrance of the office building, and four individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B 1 、B 2 、B 3 、and B 4 were generated.

[0101] Colored point cloud map A and individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B generated by SLAM measurement 1 、B 2 、B 3 、and B 4 refers to integrating individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B 1 、B 2 、B 3 、and B 4 one by one into the colored point cloud map A using the Gauss-Newton method of the ICP method, and finally obtaining an integrated point cloud map that combines five point cloud maps into one.

[0102] Next, four solid-shaped object parts were removed from the integrated point cloud map using point cloud processing software to create a semi-integrated point cloud map. In the semi-integrated point cloud map, the point cloud of the ceiling part was removed to enable the indoor situation to be confirmed. Furthermore, for the semi-integrated point cloud map, the range where the mobile robot can travel on the floor surface of the point cloud was set in advance by software.

[0103] Next, an RFID reader was installed on each mobile robot. The height of the RFID reader installed on the mobile robot was made the same as the height of the center point of the RFID installed on the wall.

[0104] Subsequently, the mobile robots equipped with RFID readers were manually moved and placed along the wall. The first mobile robot was brought close to the RFID attached to the wall where a regular tetrahedron was installed, and the RFID was read by the RFID reader. At the same time, the center point of this RFID was registered as the individual origin on the semi-integrated point cloud map by software in the first mobile robot. Similarly, for the second, third, and fourth mobile robots, they were also manually moved and brought close to the RFID attached to the respective walls where a cube, an octahedron, and a dodecahedron were installed, so that the RFID was read by the RFID reader. At the same time, the center points of these RFID were registered as the individual origins on the semi-integrated point cloud map by software in the second, third, and fourth mobile robots.

[0105] Each mobile robot was automatically / manually driven from its respective unique origin position, and was freely driven within the entrance.

[0106] Regarding the quasi-integrated point cloud map shown in FIG. 4, it was displayed using a GUI visualizer on a notebook PC equipped with a liquid crystal display. In this display, the four origin positions of each mobile robot and the current positions of the four mobile robots could be distinguished by color.

[0107] (Second verification result) The real space used for verification was the entrance of an office building (width 10 m × depth 10 m × height 4 m). For the verification, the real space was measured in terms of its shape, and four mobile robots of different types were driven. The office building had three walls that were flat and a door was installed on the other wall. On three of the flat walls, regular tetrahedrons were installed as three-dimensional objects using double-sided tape. On the wall where the door was installed, a regular tetrahedron was installed as a three-dimensional object using low-tack double-sided tape at a position avoiding the opening / closing range of the door. Each regular tetrahedron installed on the wall was equal in size and material, but each face was painted with four colors so that it could be distinguished which wall the regular tetrahedron installed on was by the color when installed on the wall. The regular tetrahedrons were made of cardboard. On three of the flat walls, electrical contact devices were fixed to the wall with screws as origin position identification objects. On the wall where the door was installed, an electrical contact device was fixed to the wall with screws at a position avoiding the opening / closing range of the door. Each electrical contact device was installed such that the straight line connecting the regular tetrahedron and the electrical contact device was perpendicular to the floor of the office building and was separated 30 cm below the three-dimensional object using a straightedge and a protractor. Here, the distance of 30 cm below between the regular tetrahedron and the electrical contact device refers to the interval between the center point of the electrical contact device and the center point of the perspective view of the wall when the three-dimensional object is viewed from the front.

[0108] Next, using a total station device, the positions of the center points of the perspective views of the respective regular tetrahedrons on the wall when viewed from the front were measured.

[0109] Subsequently, while moving the shape measurement device NavVis VLX (manufactured by NavVis GmbH) to various locations inside the office building, the shape inside the office building was measured. Since the shape measurement device NavVis VLX is equipped with a LiDAR and a color camera, one colored point cloud map A was obtained.

[0110] Next, four virtual mobile robots equipped with virtual LiDARs were made to travel inside the colored point cloud map A, and four individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B 1 、B 2 、B 3 、and B 4 were generated. At this time, the range of the floor surface where the mobile robot can travel inside the colored point cloud map A was determined in advance by software.

[0111] The colored point cloud map A and the individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B 1 、B 2 、B 3 、and B 4 are such that the individual point cloud maps (individual virtual space maps) B 1 、B 2 、B 3 、and B 4 were integrated into the colored point cloud map A one by one using the Gauss-Newton method of the ICP method, and finally an integrated point cloud map in which five point cloud maps were combined into one was obtained.

[0112] Next, four three-dimensional shaped object parts were removed from the integrated point cloud map A by point cloud processing software to create a semi-integrated point cloud map. In the semi-integrated point cloud map, the point cloud of the ceiling part was removed so that the interior situation could be confirmed. Furthermore, in the semi-integrated point cloud map, the range where the mobile robot can travel on the floor surface of the point cloud was set in advance by software.

[0113] Next, an electrical contact device was installed on each mobile robot. The height of the electrical contact device installed on the mobile robot was made the same as the height of the center point of the electrical contact device installed on the wall.

[0114] Subsequently, the mobile robot equipped with the electrical contact device was moved manually and placed along the wall. The first mobile robot was brought close to the electrical contact device attached to the wall where the regular tetrahedron was installed, and the electrical contact devices on the wall side and the robot side were brought into contact. The center point of the electrical contact device on the wall side was registered as the individual origin in the first mobile robot in the pre-integration point cloud map by software. Similarly, for the second, third, and fourth mobile robots, they were also moved manually and brought close to their respective electrical contact devices attached to another wall where the regular tetrahedron was installed, so that the electrical contact devices on the wall side and the robot side were brought into contact, and the center points of these electrical contact devices were registered as the individual origins in the second, third, and fourth mobile robots in the pre-integration point cloud map by software.

[0115] The mobile robots were automatically / manually driven from their respective unique origin positions and freely driven inside the entrance.

[0116] The pre-integration point cloud map was displayed using the GUI visualizer on the tablet equipped with the organic EL display. In this display, the four origin positions in each mobile robot and the current positions of the four mobile robots were distinguishable by upper and lower case letters.

[0117] As shown by the above verification results, it was confirmed that the content described in this embodiment can be verified.

[0118] As described above in detail with reference to the drawings for the embodiments of the present invention, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0119] Note that the program operating in the robot position coordinate integration device 100 according to one aspect of the present invention may be a program (a program that functions a computer) that controls one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) so as to realize the functions shown in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications related to one aspect of the present invention. Here, the computer includes a quantum computer. And the information handled by these respective devices is temporarily stored in a RAM (Random Access Memory) during its processing, and then stored in various storages such as a flash memory and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and may be read by a CPU or the like as necessary and corrected or written.

[0120] Note that part or all of the robot position coordinate integration device 100 in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be realized by a computer including one or more processors. In that case, a program for realizing this control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize it.

[0121] Here, the "computer system" refers to a computer system built in the robot position coordinate integration device 100 and includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, or a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system.

[0122] Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" may include those that hold a program dynamically for a short time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and those that hold a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system serving as a server or client in that case. Also, the above program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above, and furthermore, it may be possible to realize the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

[0123] Also, part or all of the authority management device in each of the above-described embodiments and modification examples may typically be realized as an LSI which is an integrated circuit, or may be realized as a chipset. Also, each functional block of the authority management device in each of the above-described embodiments and modification examples may be individually chipized, or part or all of them may be integrated and chipized. Also, the method of integrating into an integrated circuit is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit and / or a general-purpose processor. Also, when a technology for integrating into an integrated circuit that replaces LSI appears due to the progress of semiconductor technology, it is also possible to use an integrated circuit based on that technology.

[0124] As described above, as one aspect of the present invention, each embodiment and modification example has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to each embodiment and modification example, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included. Also, one aspect of the present invention can be variously modified within the scope shown in the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Also, a configuration in which elements described in each of the above embodiments and modification examples and elements having the same effect are replaced with each other is also included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0125] 10A, 10B, 10C Origin position specifying objects 20A, 20B, 20C, 20D Three-dimensional shaped objects 30A, 30B, 30C Mobile robots 100 Robot Position Coordinate Integration Device 101 Communication Unit 102 Memory Unit 103 Input Unit 104 Output Unit 105 Control Unit 1021 Point Cloud Map Information 1022 Common Map Information 1051 Acquisition Unit 1052 Registration Unit 1053 Association Unit A (Integrated) Point Cloud Map Bi Individual Point Cloud Map (Individual Virtual Space Map) SYS Robot Position Coordinate Integration System

Claims

1. A robot position coordinate integration system in which an origin position specifying object representing an origin position of each of a plurality of different mobile robots and at least one three-dimensional object are arranged in a real space, comprising: a measurement unit that measures the position coordinates of the origin position specified object by the mobile robot; a registration unit that registers the position coordinates of the origin position specified object in a common map; a correspondence unit that specifies position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and associates the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots with corresponding positions on the common map; A robot position coordinate integration system comprising:

2. displaying the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots on the common map; The robot position coordinate integration system of claim 1 .

3. The position of the origin position specifying object is in the vicinity of the position of the three-dimensional object. The robot position coordinate integration system of claim 2.

4. a distance measurement unit for measuring a distance between the position of the origin position specified object and the position of the three-dimensional object; Further comprising:

4. The robot position coordinate integration system of claim 3.

5. A plurality of maps obtained by measuring the shape of a real space in which at least one of the three-dimensional objects is placed are integrated by controlling the position and orientation using an ICP (Intractive Closest Point) method.

5. The robot position coordinate integration system of claim 4.

6. removing the solid object from the combined maps; 6. The robot position coordinate integration system of claim 5.

7. The three-dimensional object is an asymmetric three-dimensional object. The robot position coordinate integration system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A robot position coordinate integrating device in a robot position coordinate integrating system in which origin position specifying objects representing origin positions of a plurality of different types of mobile robots and at least one three-dimensional object are arranged in a real space, comprising: a position coordinate acquisition unit that acquires position coordinates of the origin position specified object measured by the mobile robot; a registration unit that registers the position coordinates of the origin position specified object in a common map; a correspondence unit that specifies position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and associates the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots with corresponding positions on the common map; A robot position coordinate integration device comprising:

9. A robot position coordinate integrating method executed by a computer of a robot position coordinate integrating device in a robot position coordinate integrating system in which origin position specifying objects representing origin positions of each of a plurality of different mobile robots and at least one three-dimensional object are arranged in a real space, the method comprising the steps of: a position coordinate acquisition step of acquiring position coordinates of the origin position specified object measured by the mobile robot; a registration step of registering the position coordinates of the origin position specified object in a common map; a correspondence process of specifying position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and corresponding the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots to corresponding positions on the common map; The robot position coordinate integration method includes:

10. A program to be executed by a computer of a robot position coordinate integrating device in a robot position coordinate integrating system in which origin position specifying objects representing origin positions of each of a plurality of different types of mobile robots and at least one or more three-dimensional objects to be arranged are arranged in a real space, the program comprising: a position coordinate acquisition step of acquiring position coordinates of the origin position specified object measured by the mobile robot; a registration step of registering the position coordinates of the origin position specified object in a common map; a correspondence step of specifying position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots based on the position coordinates of the origin position specifying object and the position coordinates of the three-dimensional object, and corresponding the position coordinates of each of the plurality of different mobile robots to corresponding positions on the common map; A program for executing the above.

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