Robot

Abstract

To chase a suspicious object.SOLUTION: A robot according to an embodiment comprises: a robot body that can autonomously travel; a detection unit that detects conditions around the robot body; and a control unit that causes the robot body to autonomously travel according to the conditions detected by the detection unit. The robot body comprises: a trunk section; two legs that are movably attached to the trunk section; and rollers that move the robot body, one roller being provided on each of the two legs. A center part of each roller is provided at a substantially intermediate position between a knee part of each of the two legs and the ground surface.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to robots.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a system in which when a vehicle is damaged, a drone is launched from the vehicle and the vehicle and its surroundings are photographed by a camera provided on the drone (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, for example, there is a problem that when a suspicious person is detected and the suspicious person escapes, the suspicious person cannot be tracked.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to track a suspicious person.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A robot according to an aspect of the embodiment includes an autonomously drivable robot body, a detection unit that detects the situation around the robot body, and a control unit that autonomously drives the robot body according to the situation detected by the detection unit. The robot body includes a torso, two legs movably attached to the torso, and rollers provided one by one on each of the two legs to move the robot body. The central portion of the roller is provided at a position substantially intermediate between the knee and the ground in each of the two legs.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the embodiment, a suspicious target can be tracked.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution means of the invention.

[0010] A tracking system 1 including a tracking robot 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of the tracking system 1 according to an embodiment.

[0011] The tracking system 1 includes a tracking robot 2, a long-range drone 3, and a management device 4. The tracking robot 2, the long-range drone 3, and the management device 4 are connected via a network N. A plurality of tracking robots 2 and long-range drones 3 are provided, for example.

[0012] The network N is a mobile communication network such as LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 5G, for example. The tracking robot 2 and the long-range drone 3 may be connected via the network N.

[0013] Next, the tracking robot 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of the tracking robot 2 according to the embodiment.

[0014] The tracking robot 2 includes a robot main body 10, a short-range drone 11, a detection unit 12, and a control device 13. The tracking robot 2 is capable of autonomous driving and tracks a suspicious target when a suspicious target is detected. The suspicious target includes, for example, a person engaged in suspicious behavior, a criminal of an incident, etc. Also, the suspicious target is not limited to a person and may be a vehicle on which a person who has taken suspicious actions has ridden.

[0015] The robot main body 10 is a humanoid robot. For example, the robot main body 10 is approximately the same height as an average adult male human. The robot main body 10 includes a torso 10a, two legs 10b, arms 10c, and a head 10d. The legs 10b, arms 10c, and head 10d are movably attached to the torso 10a.

[0016] The robot main body 10 is provided with a driving mechanism such as a motor for moving each part such as the legs 10b, arms 10c, and head 10d. The robot main body 10 can travel by moving the legs 10b.

[0017] Also, the robot main body 10 includes rollers 14. The rollers 14 are provided on each of the two legs 10b. Specifically, the central portion 14a of the roller 14 is provided at a position approximately midway between the knee and the ground on each of the two legs 10b. One roller 14 is provided for each of the two legs 10b.

[0018] The roller 14 can rotate with respect to the leg 10b. For example, the roller 14 rotates when the rotation generated by a motor is transmitted. The robot body 10 can travel when the roller 14 rotates.

[0019] For example, each of the two legs 10b of the robot body 10 having a height of 160 cm or more and 180 cm or less, which is approximately the same height as an average adult male human, is equipped with one wheel that is a roller 14 having a diameter of 20 cm or more and 60 cm or less.

[0020] Also, the axle, which is the center part of the wheel, is not at a position approximately on the ground corresponding to the heel at the ankle of a human, but is provided at a position approximately in the middle (about 20 cm from the ground) between the knee part (about 40 cm from the ground) in each of the two legs 10b and the ground substantially corresponding to the ankle of a human. In this case, the robot body 10 has the ability to travel on a road at a speed of 40 km / h or more and 100 km / h or less.

[0021] Also, a drive mechanism for driving each of the rollers 14 is provided in the robot body 10. For example, the main motor 15 among the drive mechanisms is provided at the hip part in each of the two legs 10b. Also, the main motor 15 is connected to the roller 14 and the shaft 16. The drive mechanism for driving each of the rollers 14 may be provided at the calf part in each of the two legs 10b, or may be an in-wheel motor.

[0022] The roller 14 may have a speed reduction mechanism such as a gear. Also, a locking mechanism that can lock the roller 14 so that it does not rotate is provided on the leg 10b. For example, the locking mechanism locks the rotation axis of the roller 14.

[0023] The locking mechanism locks the roller 14 so that it cannot rotate relative to the leg portion 10b, for example, by engaging a claw portion with a gear provided on the rotation axis of the roller 14. When the engagement between the gear and the claw portion is released, the roller 14 can rotate relative to the leg portion 10b. Note that the above-described locking mechanism is merely an example and is not limited thereto.

[0024] The robot body 10 can travel by first traveling or second traveling. The first traveling is a method of traveling by moving the leg portion 10b. The second traveling is a method of traveling by rotating the roller 14.

[0025] In the first traveling, the roller 14 is locked by the locking mechanism so that it cannot rotate relative to the leg portion 10b. In the second traveling, the locking of the roller 14 by the locking mechanism is released.

[0026] The traveling speed by the second traveling is faster than the traveling speed by the first traveling. That is, the moving speed of the robot body 10 by the roller 14 is faster than the traveling speed of the robot body 10 by the movement of the leg portion 10b.

[0027] Fingers 10e are provided at the tip of the arm portion 10c. For example, five fingers 10e are provided at the tip of the arm portion 10c. Each finger 10e can be bent by a drive mechanism such as a motor.

[0028] A base portion 17 on which the short-range drone 11 can land and take off is provided on the back surface of the body portion 10a. The base portion 17 includes a charging device for charging the battery of the short-range drone 11. Further, the base portion 17 may include a replacement battery for the short-range drone 11.

[0029] The short-range drone 11 is an example of a moving body. The short-range drone 11 is a multicopter equipped with a plurality (for example, four) of rotary wing propellers and performs autonomous flight without a pilot. Further, the short-range drone 11 is driven by a battery.

[0030] The short-range drone 11 is provided with a camera 20 and a tracking mark 21. The tracking mark 21 is launched from the short-range drone 11. The short-range drone 11 is provided with a launching device for launching the tracking mark 21.

[0031] The tracking mark 21 adheres to a suspicious object when launched at it, for example. For example, a magnet is provided on the tracking mark 21. When the suspicious object is a vehicle, for example, the tracking mark 21 adheres to the suspicious object by magnetic force. The tracking mark 21 may have adhesiveness.

[0032] The tracking mark 21 has a positioning device, for example. The positioning device is, for example, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and can receive radio waves from navigation satellites orbiting in the sky to perform positioning and timing. The positioning device is also provided with a communication module for transmitting the detected self-position information. The position information of the tracking mark 21 detected by the positioning device is transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N. The position information of the tracking mark 21 detected by the positioning device is transmitted to the control device 13 via the network N. When the tracking mark 21 adheres to a suspicious object, the position of the suspicious object is detected based on the position information transmitted from the positioning device.

[0033] Also, the tracking mark 21 may be a ball containing fluorescent paint or the like. The ball containing fluorescent paint ruptures when hitting a suspicious object, and adheres the fluorescent paint to the suspicious object. The short-range drone 11 may be provided with a plurality of types of tracking marks 21.

[0034] The short-range drone 11 is provided with a communication module for performing wireless communication via the network N. The short-range drone 11 is also provided with various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an optical sensor.

[0035] In addition, the short-range drone 11 has a positioning device 22 for measuring its own position. The positioning device 22 is, for example, GNSS. The position information of the short-range drone 11 detected by the positioning device 22 may be transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N. The position information of the short-range drone 11 detected by the positioning device 22 may be transmitted to the control device 13 via the network N. Also, the short-range drone 11 has a computer (such as a microcomputer) that executes a flight control function, an attitude control function for controlling the attitude, and the like.

[0036] The short-range drone 11 acquires information regarding the first flight path from the control device 13 via the communication module. The information regarding the first flight path includes position information (for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the first flight path. The first flight path is a flight path for tracking a suspicious target.

[0037] The short-range drone 11 transmits the image captured by the camera 20 to the management device 4 via the communication module. The short-range drone 11 transmits the image captured by the camera 20 to the control device 13 via the communication module. The short-range drone 11 acquires information regarding the emission signal of the tracking mark 21 from the control device 13 via the communication module.

[0038] When a suspicious target is detected, the short-range drone 11 takes off from the base unit 17 of the robot body 10. The short-range drone 11 acquires information regarding the first flight path and flies along the first flight path to track the suspicious target. The short-range drone 11 executes image processing based on the image captured by the camera 20 and flies along the first flight path while avoiding obstacles. When the emission signal of the tracking mark 21 is acquired, the short-range drone 11 emits the tracking mark 21. The short-range drone 11 emits the tracking mark 21 toward the suspicious target.

[0039] The detection unit 12 is provided, for example, on the head 10d of the robot main body 10. The detection unit 12 may be provided on the body part 10a, finger parts 10e, etc. of the robot main body 10. The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot main body 10. The detection unit 12 includes, for example, a high-sensitivity camera capable of 360-degree sensing, LiDAR (light detection and ranging), a thermal camera, a radar, a microphone, etc. The detection unit 12 may include sensors such as vision recognition, fine sound, ultrasonic, vibration, infrared, ultraviolet, electromagnetic wave, etc. A plurality of detection units 12 may be provided. The detection unit 12 may be a plurality of types of sensors, etc. The detection unit 12 may include a gyroscope. The gyroscope is provided, for example, at the shoulder part in the body part 10a of the robot main body 10, the waist part, the knee part in the leg part 10b, and the position corresponding to the human ankle, etc.

[0040] Also, the detection unit 12 includes a positioning device. The positioning device is, for example, GNSS. The positioning device detects the position of the robot main body 10. The detected position information of the robot main body 10 is transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 13 includes a communication unit 30, a storage unit 31, and a control unit 32. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the outline of the control device 13 of the tracking robot 2 according to the embodiment.

[0042] The communication unit 30 is wirelessly connected to the network N. The communication unit 30 transmits and receives information to and from the management device 4 via the network N. The communication unit 30 transmits various information detected by the detection unit 12 to the management device 4. The communication unit 30 receives an image captured by the camera 20 of the short-range drone 11. The communication unit 30 receives the position information of the tracking mark 21 from the positioning device of the tracking mark 21.

[0043] The storage unit 31 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or an optical disk. Various programs and various data are stored in the storage unit 31.

[0044] The control unit 32 is a controller and includes, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM, input / output ports, etc., and various circuits. Further, the control unit 32 may be configured by hardware such as an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 32 includes a suspicious object detection unit 35, a drone control unit 36, and a robot control unit 37.

[0045] The suspicious object detection unit 35 detects a suspicious object. The suspicious object detection unit 35 detects a suspicious object based on various information detected by the detection unit 12. For example, the suspicious object detection unit 35 executes predetermined image processing on an image captured by a high-sensitivity camera provided in the tracking robot 2 to detect a suspicious object. For example, the suspicious object detection unit 35 may detect a suspicious object according to the detection result by an infrared sensor. The suspicious object detection unit 35 may detect a suspicious object using a suspicious object detection model in AI (Artificial Intelligence).

[0046] The drone control unit 36 controls the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3. The drone control unit 36 sets the first flight path of the short-range drone 11. The drone control unit 36 sets the first flight path for tracking the detected suspicious target. The drone control unit 36 sets the first flight path based on the current position information of the tracking robot 2 and the position information where the suspicious target was detected. For example, the drone control unit 36 sets the first flight path based on the current position information of the tracking robot 2, the direction in which the suspicious target was detected with respect to the tracking robot 2, and the distance from the tracking robot 2 to the suspicious target.

[0047] The drone control unit 36 sets the second flight path of the long-range drone 3. The drone control unit 36 sets the second flight path for tracking the detected suspicious target. The drone control unit 36 sets the second flight path based on the position information of the station where the long-range drone 3 is waiting and the position information of the tracking mark 21. The drone control unit 36 may set the second flight path based on the position information of the long-range drone 3 and the position information of the tracking mark 21.

[0048] The drone control unit 36 may set the first flight path and the second flight path based on the predicted escape path of the suspicious target. The predicted escape path is generated, for example, by an escape path prediction model. The escape path prediction model predicts the escape path of the suspicious target from the position information of the tracking robot 2 when the suspicious target was detected, the position information of the tracking mark 21, map information, traffic information, etc. The position information of the tracking mark 21 includes, for example, the history information of the position of the tracking mark 21.

[0049] For example, the escape route prediction model can use MapGPT. For example, the escape route prediction model can be a text generation model (so-called AI chat engine), and can be interpreted as an algorithm and operation for automatic dialogue processing by characters. Since the text generation model is publicly known as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-081444 and chatGPT (Internet search <URL: https: / / openai.com / blog / chatgpt>), a detailed description thereof is omitted. Such a text generation model is composed of a large language model (LLM: Large Language Model).

[0050] The drone control unit 36 generates a sentence such as "The suspicious person is escaping from east to west at the intersection of DD in ABC Town. What possible escape routes are there?" by the language generation model based on, for example, the position information of the tracking mark 21. Then, when the generated sentence is input into the escape route prediction model, a sentence such as "The suspicious person is likely to head towards EF in ABC Town." is generated. In this case, the drone control unit 36 sets a first flight route and a second flight route towards "EF in ABC Town".

[0051] Based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious person, by setting the first flight route and the second flight route, the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3 can get ahead of the moving destination of the suspicious person. Note that the predicted escape route may be set by the management device 4.

[0052] The set first flight route is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. The short-range drone 11 that has received the first flight route departs from the base unit 17, flies along the first flight route, and tracks the suspicious person.

[0053] The set second flight route is transmitted to the long-range drone 3. The long-range drone 3 that has received the second flight route departs from the waiting station, flies along the second flight route, and tracks the suspicious person.

[0054] The drone control unit 36 generates a transmission signal for the tracking mark 21 of the short-range drone 11. For example, the drone control unit 36 calculates the distance to the suspicious object from the image captured by the camera 20 of the short-range drone 11. Then, when the distance to the suspicious object is equal to or less than a preset predetermined distance, it generates a transmission signal for firing the tracking mark 21 toward the suspicious object. The generated transmission signal is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. As a result, the tracking mark 21 is fired toward the suspicious object.

[0055] The robot control unit 37 sets the traveling route of the robot body 10. The traveling route includes a preset warning route. The robot control unit 37 makes the robot body 10 autonomously travel along the traveling route. The robot control unit 37 makes the robot body 10 autonomously travel according to the situation detected by the detection unit 12. The robot control unit 37 makes the robot body 10 autonomously travel by controlling the driving of the legs 10b, the rollers 14, and the arm 10c of the robot body 10. The robot control unit 37 controls the driving of the legs 10b, the rollers 14, and the arm 10c of the robot body 10 so that the robot body 10 travels while avoiding obstacles, for example, based on various information detected by the detection unit 12.

[0056] For example, the robot control unit 37 uses the result obtained by inputting the situation detected by the detection unit 12 into a learned model that outputs motion information regarding the movement of each of the two legs 10b in response to the input of the situation around the robot body 10, to make the robot body 10 autonomously travel.

[0057] The learned model is, for example, a generative AI such as a text generation model like chatGPT that performs automatic dialogue processing using characters. The motion information includes, for example, at least one of the leg lift, knee bend of each of the two legs 10b, and the rotation speed of each of the rollers 14 provided one by one on each of the two legs 10b.

[0058] Also, for example, when a suspicious object is detected, the robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object. The robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object based on, for example, the position information of the robot main body 10 and the position information where the suspicious object is detected. For example, the robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object based on the current position information of the robot main body 10, the direction in which the suspicious object is detected with respect to the robot main body 10, and the distance from the robot main body 10 to the suspicious object.

[0059] Also, after the short-range drone 11 takes off, the robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object based on the position information of the robot main body 10 and the position information of the tracking mark 21.

[0060] When a suspicious object is detected, the robot control unit 37 may set a travel route to track the suspicious object based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious object described above. By setting the travel route of the robot main body 10 based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious object, the robot main body 10 can get ahead of the moving destination of the suspicious object.

[0061] The robot control unit 37 switches the traveling method of the robot main body 10. The robot control unit 37 switches the traveling method of the robot main body 10 to the first traveling by the movement of the leg portion 10b or the second traveling by the rotation of the roller 14.

[0062] For example, when no suspicious object is detected, the robot control unit 37 sets the traveling method of the robot main body 10 to the first traveling. When the robot control unit 37 causes the robot main body 10 to travel by the first traveling, it locks the roller 14 so that it does not rotate by a locking mechanism.

[0063] When it is necessary to move the robot main body 10 at a speed higher than the first travel speed, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot main body 10 to the second travel. For example, when a suspicious object is detected and the robot control unit 37 tracks the suspicious object, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot main body 10 to the second travel.

[0064] When the robot control unit 37 moves the robot main body 10 by the second travel, the robot control unit 37 stops the movement of the leg units 10b. For example, the robot control unit 37 positions the leg units 10b at a predetermined position. The predetermined position is a preset position and is a position where the robot main body 10 assumes a posture suitable for travel during the second travel by the rotation of the rollers 14. For example, the predetermined position is a position where the height of the center of gravity of the robot main body 10 is equal to or less than half of the total length of the tracking robot 2. For example, the predetermined position is a position where the robot main body 10 assumes a posture as if it is crouching. Further, the robot control unit 37 releases the lock by the locking mechanism and rotates the rollers 14.

[0065] Even when the robot control unit 37 starts tracking a suspicious object, for example, when the robot main body 10 ascends or descends a staircase or crosses a step, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot main body 10 to the first travel.

[0066] Here, an example of switching the travel method of the robot main body 10 between the first travel and the second travel depending on the presence or absence of detection of a suspicious object has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the robot main body 10 may mainly travel by the second travel and travel by the first travel when the robot main body 10 ascends or descends a staircase or crosses a step. The conditions for switching the travel method of the robot may be configurable.

[0067] Returning to FIG. 1, the long-range drone 3 is an example of a moving body. The long-range drone 3 is, for example, a multicopter equipped with a plurality of rotary wing propellers like the short-range drone 11 and performs autonomous flight without a pilot. Further, the short-range drone 11 is driven by a battery.

[0068] The long-range drone 3 has a longer flight range than the short-range drone 11. The flight range is the distance that can be flown in one charge. The long-range drone 3 waits at a preset station. For example, the long-range drone 3 is equipped with a large battery in order to have a longer flight range than the short-range drone 11. For example, the long-range drone 3 is larger than the short-range drone 11. The long-range drone 3 may be, for example, of an airplane type.

[0069] The long-range drone 3 is equipped with a camera, similar to the short-range drone 11. The long-range drone 3 does not have a tracking mark, for example, unlike the short-range drone 11. Note that the long-range drone 3 may be equipped with a tracking mark, similar to the short-range drone 11.

[0070] The long-range drone 3 is equipped with a communication module for performing wireless communication via the network N. The long-range drone 3 is also equipped with various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an optical sensor.

[0071] The long-range drone 3 also has a positioning device 39 (see FIG. 1) for measuring its own position. The positioning device 39 is, for example, GNSS. The position information of the long-range drone 3 detected by the positioning device 39 may be transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N. The position information of the long-range drone 3 detected by the positioning device 39 may be transmitted to the control device 13 via the network N. The long-range drone 3 also has a computer (for example, a microcomputer) that executes a flight control function and an attitude control function for controlling the attitude.

[0072] The long-range drone 3 acquires information regarding the second flight path from the control device 13 via the communication module. The information regarding the second flight path includes the position information (for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the second flight path.

[0073] The long-range drone 3 may fly to take over the tracking of a suspicious target by the short-range drone 11. The long-range drone 3 may track the suspicious target simultaneously with the short-range drone 11.

[0074] The long-range drone 3 transmits the images captured by the camera to the management device 4 via the communication module. The long-range drone 3 transmits the images captured by the camera to the control device 13 via the communication module.

[0075] When a suspicious target is detected, the long-range drone 3 takes off from the standby station. The long-range drone 3 acquires information on the second flight path and flies along the second flight path to track the suspicious target. The long-range drone 3 performs image processing based on the images captured by the camera and flies along the second flight path while avoiding obstacles.

[0076] By using the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3 to track a suspicious target, the tracking performance for the suspicious target can be improved. For example, indoors, tracking is performed by the short-range drone 11 which is smaller than the long-range drone 3, and when the suspicious target escapes outdoors, tracking can also be performed by the long-range drone 3.

[0077] The management device 4 is, for example, a server device. The management device 4 may be a cloud server. As shown in FIG. 4, the management device 4 includes a communication unit 40, a storage unit 41, and a control unit 42. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the outline of the management device 4 according to the embodiment.

[0078] The management device 4 collects various information and the like detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracking robot 2 from the tracking robot 2 that has detected a suspicious target. Further, the management device 4 collects various information and the like detected by the detection unit 12 from a tracking robot 2 different from the tracking robot 2 that has detected a suspicious target. Further, the management device 4 collects position information and the like of each long-range drone 3 from a plurality of long-range drones 3.

[0079] The management device 4 may generate information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2. Further, the management device 4 may generate information regarding the first flight route of the short-range drone 11. Further, the management device 4 may generate information regarding the second flight route of the long-range drone 3.

[0080] The communication unit 40 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly. The communication unit 40 transmits and receives information to and from the control device 13 of the tracking robot 2, the short-range drone 11, and the long-range drone 3 via the network N.

[0081] The communication unit 40 receives various information detected by the detection unit 12 from the control device 13 of the tracking robot 2. The communication unit 40 receives an image captured by the camera 20 from the short-range drone 11. The communication unit 40 receives position information from the short-range drone 11, the tracking mark 21, and the long-range drone 3. The communication unit 40 receives an image captured by the camera from the long-range drone 3.

[0082] The storage unit 41 is realized by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as an HDD, an SSD, or an optical disk. Various programs and various data and the like are stored in the storage unit 41. For example, various information and the like detected by the detection unit 12 of each tracking robot 2 are stored in the storage unit 41.

[0083] The control unit 42 is a controller and includes, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, input / output ports, etc., and various circuits. Further, the control unit 42 may be configured by hardware such as an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or an FPGA.

[0084] The control unit 42 may generate information regarding the traveling route of the robot body 10. For example, the control unit 42 generates information regarding the traveling route of the robot body 10 by a text generation model (so-called AI chat engine). The text generation model may be interpreted as an algorithm and calculation for automatic dialogue processing by characters as described above.

[0085] The control unit 42 generates questions about the suspicious target from various information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracking robot 2. First, the control unit 42 generates questions by, for example, a language generation model.

[0086] For example, when movement is detected by the infrared sensor of the tracking robot 2, questions such as "The infrared sensor detected such movement. Could the person making such movement be a suspicious person? From a criminal psychology perspective, what actions will they take next?" are generated.

[0087] When such questions are input into the text generation model, for example, the control unit 42 generates a sentence such as "There is a high possibility of a suspicious person. When they sense someone, they will take an evasive action." The generated sentence is transmitted to the tracking robot 2 as information regarding the traveling route, and the tracking robot 2 sets the traveling route to approach the person presumed to be a suspicious person at a low speed.

[0088] Also, for example, when sound is detected by a sensor that detects faint sounds of the tracking robot 2, questions such as "A sound like 'pipi' can be heard from 2m ahead. What kind of sound is this?" are generated.

[0089] When such a question is input into the document generation model, for example, the control unit 42 generates a sentence such as "An alarm sound is ringing." The generated sentence is transmitted to the tracking robot 2 as information regarding the travel route, and thereby the tracking robot 2 determines that it is a suspicious target and, for example, sets a travel route to approach the suspicious target along the shortest route.

[0090] In addition, the control unit 42 may similarly generate information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2 based on other information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracking robot 2. The control unit 42 may generate information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2 based on information obtained by a highly sensitive camera capable of 360-degree sensing, LiDAR, a thermal camera, a radar, and the like. The control unit 42 may generate information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2 based on information obtained by sensors such as vision recognition, ultrasonic waves, vibration, ultraviolet rays, and electromagnetic waves.

[0091] Also, based on a plurality of pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracking robot 2, information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2 may be similarly generated. Note that the control unit 42 may set the travel route of the tracking robot 2.

[0092] When information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2 is generated by the document generation model, the tracking robot 2 can, for example, accurately determine a suspicious target and can approach the suspicious target without being noticed by the suspicious target. Therefore, for example, the tracking robot 2 can improve the hit rate of the tracking mark 21 launched from the short-range drone 11. In this way, when information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2 is generated by the document generation model, the tracking performance of a suspicious target by the tracking robot 2 or the like can be improved.

[0093] Further, the control unit 42 may generate information regarding at least one of the first flight path of the short-range drone 11 and the second flight path of the long-range drone 3. For example, the control unit 42 generates information regarding the first flight path by means of a text generation model.

[0094] For example, when a suspicious object is detected by the tracking robot 2, the suspicious object is a vehicle, and "AA-BB" is detected as the number of the suspicious vehicle, the control unit 42 creates a sentence "Take a picture of the vehicle with the number AA-BB." by means of a language generation model. Then, the control unit 42 inputs the generated sentence into the text generation model to generate information regarding the first flight path. For example, the control unit 42 uses the camera of the short-range drone 11 to take a picture of the vehicle with the number "AA-BB" and generates a flight program for the short-range drone 11 to track the vehicle with the number "AA-BB". Then, the generated flight program is generated as information regarding the first flight path. The generated information regarding the first flight path is transmitted to the short-range drone 11, and the short-range drone 11 flies to track the vehicle with the number "AA-BB". The image taken by the camera of the short-range drone 11 is transmitted to the management device 4.

[0095] For example, by generating information regarding the first flight path of the short-range drone 11 by means of a document generation model, the tracking performance of the suspicious object by the short-range drone 11 can be improved.

[0096] The generation of information regarding the travel path of the tracking robot 2 using the text generation model and the like may be executed by the tracking robot 2.

[0097] Next, the travel control process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the travel control process according to the embodiment. The travel control process is executed by the control device 13 of the tracking robot 2.

[0098] The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot body 10 (S100). For example, the detection unit 12 detects various information from cameras, radars, microphones, and other sensors provided on the head 10d, body part 10a, finger parts 10e, etc. of the robot body 10.

[0099] The control unit 32 autonomously drives the robot body 10 according to the situation detected by the detection unit 12 (S102). For example, the control unit 32 inputs the situation detected by the detection unit 12 into a learned model that outputs motion information regarding the motion of each of the two leg parts 10b in response to the input of the situation around the robot body 10, and uses the obtained result to autonomously drive the robot body 10.

[0100] The tracking robot 2 includes a robot body 10, a detection unit 12, and a control unit 32. The robot body 10 is capable of autonomous driving. The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot body 10. The control unit 32 autonomously drives the robot body 10 according to the situation detected by the detection unit 12. The robot body 10 includes a body part 10a, two leg parts 10b, and rollers 14. The leg parts 10b are movably attached to the body part 10a. The rollers 14 are provided one by one on each of the two leg parts 10b and move the robot body 10. The central part 14a of the roller 14 is provided at a position approximately in the middle between the knee and the ground in each of the two leg parts 10b.

[0101] Since the tracking robot 2 can autonomously drive while maintaining balance according to the situation detected by the detection unit 12 such as a gyroscope without programming, it can track a suspicious object. Therefore, the tracking robot 2 can improve the tracking performance of the suspicious object.

[0102] In addition, the tracking robot 2 is a humanoid robot that can autonomously drive while maintaining balance with two rollers 14 provided at a natural height. Therefore, the tracking robot 2 not only has the ability to track suspicious objects, but also has various capabilities such as assembly, picking, packing, etc., and can execute tasks such as home delivery, takeout, work inside and outside the factory, and transportation more quickly and flexibly.

[0103] Further, the control unit 32 inputs the situation detected by the detection unit 12 into a learned model that outputs motion information regarding the motion of each of the two leg portions 10b in response to the input of the situation around the robot body 10, and uses the obtained result to autonomously drive the robot body 10.

[0104] As a result, the tracking robot 2 autonomously travels according to the result obtained from the learned model trained with various information. Therefore, even on an irregular scaffold such as a construction site, it can autonomously travel much more quickly and safely than a human while maintaining balance according to the situation.

[0105] The motion information includes at least one of the leg raising, knee bending of each of the two leg portions 10b, and the rotation speed of each of the rollers 14 provided one by one on each of the two leg portions 10b.

[0106] As a result, the tracking robot 2 can appropriately adjust the leg raising, knee bending of each of the two leg portions 10b and the rotation speed of each roller 14, and autonomously travel while maintaining balance. For example, even when the tracking robot 2 ascends or descends a staircase, it can autonomously travel much more quickly and surely than a human while maintaining balance by appropriately raising and bending the legs of each of the two leg portions 10b. Further, even when the tracking robot 2 corners at high speed, it can create an optimal body tilt by appropriately raising and bending the legs and adjusting the rotation speed of each roller 14, and autonomously travel without causing an accident safely and surely.

[0107] In addition, a drive mechanism for driving each of the rollers 14 is provided in the robot body 10, and the main motor 15 of the drive mechanism is provided at the hip portion of each of the two leg portions 10b.

[0108] As a result, the tracking robot 2 can provide the large-capacity main motor 15 at an appropriate position that does not hinder the autonomous travel of the robot body 10.

[0109] Further, the robot body 10 is approximately the same size as an average adult male human.

[0110] As a result, the tracking robot 2 can optimize the size and center position of the robot body 10 to match the average height of an adult male, which is the greatest common divisor, similar to the size and center position of objects used in almost all operations in human society.

[0111] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the computer hardware configuration that functions as the tracking robot 2 or the management device 4. The program installed in the computer 1200 causes the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to the present embodiment, or causes the computer 1200 to execute an operation or the one or more "parts" associated with the device according to the present embodiment, and / or causes the computer 1200 to execute the process or a stage of the process according to the present embodiment. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0112] The computer 1200 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphic controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or the like. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid state drive, or the like. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0113] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphic controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 in a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0114] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads a program or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides it to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0115] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like executed by the computer 1200 at activation and / or a program dependent on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, or the like.

[0116] The program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or an IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, the RAM 1214, or the ROM 1230, which is also an example of a computer-readable storage medium, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, resulting in cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. The apparatus or method may be configured by realizing the operation or processing of information according to the use of the computer 1200.

[0117] For example, when communication is executed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded in the RAM 1214 and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM, or the IC card, transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes the received data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0118] Further, the CPU 1212 may cause all or a necessary part of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, the DVD drive (DVD-ROM), the IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 1214, and may perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0119] Various types of information such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases may be stored in the recording medium and may undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on the data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, condition determination, conditional branch, unconditional branch, information search / replacement, etc. described throughout this disclosure and specified by the program instruction sequence, and write back the result to the RAM 1214. Further, the CPU 1212 may search for information in files, databases, etc. within the recording medium. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 searches for an entry that matches the condition in which the attribute value of the first attribute is specified among the plurality of entries, reads the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby may obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0120] The above-described program or software module may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium on or near computer 1200. Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided within a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to computer 1200 via the network.

[0121] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in this embodiment may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of a device having a role of performing an operation. Specific stages and "parts" may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuit may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include a reconfigurable hardware circuit including, for example, logical products, logical sums, exclusive logical sums, negative logical products, negative logical sums, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs).

[0122] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device that can store instructions to be executed by an appropriate device. As a result, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein will comprise a product that includes instructions that may be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy (registered trademark) disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk, memory stick, integrated circuit card, and the like.

[0123] Computer-readable instructions may include any combination of one or more programming languages, including assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk (registered trademark), JAVA (registered trademark), C++, and conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages.

[0124] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or to a programmable circuit, locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc., to cause the processor to execute the instructions to generate means for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0125] As described above, the present invention has been described using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that forms with such changes or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0126] For example, in the above embodiments, a tracking robot is described as an example, but the use of the robot of the present invention is not limited thereto, and other uses such as a worker replacement robot in a factory and a luggage handling robot in a warehouse are also envisioned.

[0127] It should be noted that the execution order of each process such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is not explicitly indicated as "before" or "preceding" etc., and can be realized in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flows in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if "first," "next," etc. are used for convenience of explanation, it does not mean that it is essential to implement in this order.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0128] 1 Tracking System 2 Tracking Robot 3 Long-Range Drone 4 Management Device 10 Robot Body 10a Trunk Part 10b Legs 11 Short-Range Drone 12 Detection Unit 13 Control Device 14 Roller 14a Central Part 15 Main Motor 20 Camera 21 Tracking Mark 32 Control Unit 35 Suspicious Object Detection Unit 36 Drone Control Unit 37 Robot Control Unit

Claims

1. A robot body capable of autonomous driving, a detection unit that detects the situation around the robot body, and a control unit that autonomously drives the robot body according to the situation detected by the detection unit are provided, wherein the robot body has a torso, two legs movably attached to the torso, and rollers provided one by one on each of the two legs to move the robot body are provided. The center of the roller is provided at a position substantially intermediate between the knee and the ground on each of the two legs. A robot.

2. The control unit inputs the situation detected by the detection unit into a learned model that outputs motion information regarding the motion of each of the two legs in response to the input of the situation around the robot body, and uses the result obtained thereby to autonomously drive the robot body. The robot according to claim 1.

3. The motion information includes at least one of the leg lift, knee bend of each of the two legs, and the rotation speed of each of the rollers provided one by one on each of the two legs. The robot according to claim 2.

4. A drive mechanism for driving each of the rollers is provided on the robot body, and the main motor of the drive mechanism is provided at the hip portion of each of the two legs. The robot according to claim 1.

5. The robot body is substantially the same size as an average adult male human. The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images