Tracking robot

Abstract

To track a suspicious object.SOLUTION: A tracking robot according to an embodiment comprises: a drone which can track a suspicious object; a robot body on which a drone can be launched and landed and which can autonomously travel; a detection unit which detects a situation around the robot body; and a control unit which controls the drone and causes the robot body to autonomously travel according to a situation detected by the detection unit. The robot body comprises: a body part; a leg part which is movably mounted on the body part; and a roller which is provided in the leg part and moves the robot body. The control unit can switch a first travel by the movement of the leg part and a second travel by a roller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a tracking robot.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when a vehicle is damaged, a system is known that launches a drone from the vehicle and photographs the vehicle and its surroundings with 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 a suspicious person cannot be tracked when a suspicious person is detected and the suspicious person escapes.

[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 tracking robot according to an aspect of the embodiment includes a drone capable of tracking a suspicious person, a robot body on which the drone can take off and land and is capable of autonomous driving, a detection unit that detects the situation around the robot body, and a control unit that controls the drone and autonomously drives the robot body according to the situation detected by the detection unit. The robot body includes a body part, legs movably attached to the body part, and rollers provided on the legs for moving the robot body. The control unit is capable of switching between a first driving by the movement of the legs and a second driving by the rollers.

Effects of the Invention

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

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode 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] (First Embodiment) A tracking system 1 including a tracking robot 2 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the tracking system 1 according to the first 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 the tracking robots 2 and the 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 outline of the tracking robot 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0014] The tracking robot 2 includes a robot 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 the suspicious target is detected. The suspicious target includes, for example, a person taking suspicious actions or a criminal of an incident. Also, the suspicious target is not limited to a person and may be a vehicle on which a person taking suspicious actions is riding.

[0015] The robot body 10 is a humanoid robot. The robot body 10 includes a torso 10a, legs 10b, arms 10c, and a head 10d. The legs 10b, arms 10c, and head 10d are movably attached to the torso 10a. The robot body 10 is provided with a drive mechanism such as a motor for moving each part such as the legs 10b, arms 10c, and head 10d. The robot body 10 can travel by moving the legs 10b.

[0016] In addition, the robot body 10 is provided with rollers 14. The rollers 14 are provided on the legs 10b. Specifically, the rollers 14 are provided at the lower ends of the legs 10b. A plurality of rollers 14 are provided for one leg 10b. For example, four rollers 14 are provided on one leg 10b. Note that the number of rollers 14 for one leg 10b is not limited to this.

[0017] 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 by the rotation of the roller 14.

[0018] The roller 14 may have a speed reduction mechanism such as a gear. In addition, the leg 10b is provided with a locking mechanism that can lock the roller 14 so that it does not rotate. For example, the locking mechanism locks the rotation shaft of the roller 14.

[0019] The locking mechanism locks the roller 14 so that it does not rotate with respect to the leg 10b, for example, by engaging a claw portion with a gear provided on the rotation shaft of the roller 14. When the engagement between the gear and the claw portion is released, the roller 14 can rotate with respect to the leg 10b. Note that the above-described locking mechanism is an example and is not limited thereto.

[0020] The robot body 10 can travel by the first travel or the second travel. The first travel is a method of traveling by moving the legs 10b. The second travel is a method of traveling by rotating the rollers 14.

[0021] In the first travel, the roller 14 is locked by the locking mechanism so as not to rotate with respect to the leg 10b. In the second travel, the locking of the roller 14 by the locking mechanism is released.

[0022] The traveling speed in the second travel is faster than the traveling speed in the first travel. 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.

[0023] 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 driving mechanism such as a motor. Note that the number of fingers 10e is not limited to five. The number of fingers 10e may be, for example, three. Instead of the fingers 10e, a suction pad may be provided at the tip of the arm portion 10c. Also, a suction pad may be provided instead of a part of the fingers 10e.

[0024] A base portion 15 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 15 includes a charging device for charging the battery of the short-range drone 11. Further, the base portion 15 may include a replacement battery for the short-range drone 11.

[0025] 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. Also, the short-range drone 11 is driven by a battery.

[0026] The short-range drone 11 includes 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 includes a launching device for launching the tracking mark 21.

[0027] The tracking mark 21 adheres to a suspicious object when, for example, it is launched at the suspicious object. For example, a magnet is provided on the tracking mark 21. The tracking mark 21 adheres to the suspicious object by magnetic force when the suspicious object is a vehicle, for example. The tracking mark 21 may have adhesiveness.

[0028] The tracking mark 21 has, for example, a positioning device. The positioning device is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), which can receive radio waves from navigation satellites orbiting in the sky and perform positioning and timing. The positioning device also includes a communication module that transmits 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.

[0029] Also, the tracking mark 21 may be, for example, a ball containing fluorescent paint. The ball containing fluorescent paint ruptures when it hits a suspicious object, attaching the fluorescent paint to the suspicious object. The short-range drone 11 may be equipped with multiple types of tracking marks 21.

[0030] The short-range drone 11 includes a communication module for performing wireless communication via the network N. The short-range drone 11 also includes various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an optical sensor.

[0031] The short-range drone 11 also has a positioning device 22 for measuring its own position. The positioning device 22 is, for example, a 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. The short-range drone 11 also has a computer (for example, a microcomputer) that executes a flight control function and an attitude control function for controlling the attitude.

[0032] 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 (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the first flight path. The first flight path is a flight path for tracking a suspicious target.

[0033] 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.

[0034] When a suspicious target is detected, the short-range drone 11 departs from the base unit 15 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.

[0035] The detection unit 12 is provided, for example, on the head 10d of the robot body 10. The detection unit 12 may be provided on the body part 10a of the robot body 10 or the like. The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot 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, and a radar. The detection unit 12 may include sensors such as vision recognition, fine sound, ultrasonic waves, vibration, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, and electromagnetic waves. A plurality of detection units 12 may be provided. The detection unit 12 may be a plurality of types of sensors or the like.

[0036] Further, the detection unit 12 includes a positioning device. The positioning device is, for example, GNSS. The positioning device detects the position of the robot body 10. The detected position information of the robot body 10 is transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N.

[0037] 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 an outline of the control device 13 of the tracking robot 2 according to the first embodiment.

[0038] 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.

[0039] The storage unit 31 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, or a storage device such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or optical disk. Various programs and various data are stored in the storage unit 31.

[0040] The control unit 32 is a controller and includes, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), 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 ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or 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.

[0041] The suspicious object detection unit 35 detects suspicious objects. The suspicious object detection unit 35 detects suspicious objects 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 suspicious objects. For example, the suspicious object detection unit 35 may detect suspicious objects according to the detection results of infrared sensors. The suspicious object detection unit 35 may also detect suspicious objects using a suspicious object detection model in AI (Artificial Intelligence).

[0042] 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 object. 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 object is 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 object is detected with respect to the tracking robot 2, and the distance from the tracking robot 2 to the suspicious object.

[0043] 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 object. 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 also 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.

[0044] The drone control unit 36 may set a first flight route and a second flight route based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious object. The predicted escape route is generated, for example, by an escape route prediction model. The escape route prediction model predicts the escape route of the suspicious object from the position information of the tracking robot 2 when the suspicious object is detected, the position information of the tracking mark 21, the map information, the 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.

[0045] For example, the escape route prediction model can use MapGPT. For example, the escape route prediction model is a text generation model (so-called AI chat engine), and it may be interpreted as an algorithm and calculation for automatic dialogue processing by text. 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 will be omitted. Such a text generation model is composed of a large language model (LLM: Large Language Model).

[0046] The drone control unit 36 generates, for example, a sentence such as "The suspicious object is escaping from east to west at the intersection of DD in ABC town. What possible escape routes are there?" by a language generation model based on the position information of the tracking mark 21. Then, by inputting the generated sentence 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".

[0047] Based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious object, 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 object. Note that the predicted escape route may be set by the management device 4.

[0048] The set first flight path is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. The short-range drone 11 that has received the first flight path takes off from the base unit 15, flies along the first flight path, and tracks the object of suspicion.

[0049] The set second flight path is transmitted to the long-range drone 3. The long-range drone 3 that has received the second flight path takes off from the waiting station, flies along the second flight path, and tracks the object of suspicion.

[0050] The drone control unit 36 generates a launch signal for the tracking mark 21 of the short-range drone 11. The drone control unit 36 calculates, for example, the distance to the object of suspicion from the image captured by the camera 20 of the short-range drone 11. Then, when the distance to the object of suspicion is equal to or less than a preset predetermined distance, a launch signal for launching the tracking mark 21 toward the object of suspicion is generated. The generated launch signal is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. Thereby, the tracking mark 21 is launched toward the object of suspicion.

[0051] The robot control unit 37 sets the traveling path of the robot body 10. The traveling path includes a preset warning path. The robot control unit 37 autonomously travels the robot body 10 along the traveling path. The robot control unit 37 autonomously travels the robot body 10 according to the situation detected by the detection unit 12. The robot control unit 37 autonomously travels the robot body 10 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 based on various information detected by the detection unit 12 so that the robot body 10 travels while avoiding obstacles, for example.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] The robot control unit 37 switches the travel method of the robot main body 10. The robot control unit 37 switches the travel method of the robot main body 10 to the first travel by the movement of the leg portion 10b or the second travel by the rotation of the roller 14.

[0056] For example, when no suspicious object is detected, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot main body 10 to the first travel. When the robot control unit 37 causes the robot main body 10 to travel by the first travel, it locks the roller 14 so that it does not rotate by a locking mechanism.

[0057] When it is necessary to make the robot body 10 travel at a speed faster than the first travel, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot body 10 to the second travel. For example, when a suspicious object is detected and the suspicious object is to be tracked, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot body 10 to the second travel.

[0058] When the robot control unit 37 makes the robot body 10 travel by the second travel, the movement of the leg portion 10b is stopped. For example, the robot control unit 37 positions the leg portion 10b at a predetermined position. The predetermined position is a preset position and is a position at which the robot body 10 assumes a posture suitable for travel in the second travel by the rotation of the roller 14. For example, the predetermined position is a position at which the height of the center of gravity of the robot 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 at which the robot body 10 assumes a posture of crouching. Further, the robot control unit 37 releases the lock by the locking mechanism and rotates the roller 14.

[0059] Note that even when the robot control unit 37 starts tracking a suspicious object, for example, when the robot body 10 ascends or descends a staircase or crosses a step, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot body 10 to the first travel.

[0060] Here, an example of switching the travel method of the robot 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 body 10 may mainly travel by the second travel and travel by the first travel when the robot body 10 ascends or descends a staircase or crosses a step. The conditions for switching the travel method of the robot may be configurable.

[0061] 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, similar to the short-range drone 11, and performs autonomous flight without a pilot. Further, the short-range drone 11 is driven by a battery.

[0062] 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 on a single 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.

[0063] The long-range drone 3 is equipped with a camera, like the short-range drone 11. The long-range drone 3, for example, does not have a tracking mark, unlike the short-range drone 11. Note that the long-range drone 3 may also have a tracking mark, like the short-range drone 11.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] The long-range drone 3 may fly to take over the tracking of the 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] By using the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3 to track the suspicious target, the tracking performance for the suspicious target can be improved. For example, indoors, the short-range drone 11, which is smaller than the long-range drone 3, can be used for tracking, and when the suspicious target escapes outdoors, the long-range drone 3 can also be used for tracking.

[0071] 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 first embodiment.

[0072] The management device 4 collects various information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracking robot 2 from the tracking robot 2 that has detected a suspicious target. In addition, the management device 4 collects various information 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 of each long-range drone 3 from a plurality of long-range drones 3.

[0073] The management device 4 may generate information regarding the travel route of the tracking robot 2. In addition, 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] 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 a camera from the long-range drone 3.

[0076] 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 are stored in the storage unit 41. For example, various information detected by the detection unit 12 of each tracking robot 2 is stored in the storage unit 41.

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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 means of a text generation model (so-called AI chat engine). The text generation model may be interpreted as an algorithm and operations for automatic dialogue processing by characters as described above.

[0079] 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, for example, by means of a language generation model.

[0080] For example, when movement is detected by the infrared sensor of the tracking robot 2, questions such as "The infrared sensor has detected such movement. Could such movement be that of a suspicious person? As a criminal psychology, what actions will be taken next?" are generated.

[0081] 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 sensing the presence of a person, 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 so as to approach the person presumed to be a suspicious person at a low speed.

[0082] Further, 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 2 m ahead. What kind of sound is this?" are generated.

[0083] 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 the tracking robot 2 determines that it is a suspicious target and sets a travel route to approach the suspicious target, for example, along the shortest route.

[0084] 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.

[0085] Also, based on a plurality 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.

[0086] 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 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 and the like can be improved.

[0087] 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] The generation of information regarding the travel path of the tracking robot 2 using the text generation model, etc. may be executed by the tracking robot 2.

[0091] Next, the travel switching process according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the travel switching process according to the first embodiment. The travel switching process is executed by the control device 13 of the tracking robot 2.

[0092] The control unit 32 acquires various information detected by the detection unit 12 (S100). Based on the acquired various information, the control unit 32 determines whether a suspicious target has been detected (S101). For example, the control unit 32 detects a suspicious target by performing predetermined image processing on an image captured by a high-sensitivity camera.

[0093] When no suspicious target is detected (S101: No), the control unit 32 sets the traveling method of the robot body 10 to the first travel (S102).

[0094] When a suspicious target is detected (S101: Yes), the control unit 32 sets the traveling method of the robot body 10 to the second travel (S103).

[0095] The tracking robot 2 includes a short-range drone 11, a robot body 10, a detection unit 12, and a control unit 32. The short-range drone 11 can detect a suspicious target. The robot body 10 is capable of taking off and landing the short-range drone 11 and can autonomously travel. The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot body 10. The control unit 32 controls the short-range drone 11 and causes the robot body 10 to autonomously travel according to the situation detected by the detection unit 12. The robot body 10 includes a body part 10a, leg parts 10b, and rollers 14. The leg parts 10b are movably attached to the body part 10a. The rollers 14 are provided on the leg parts 10b and move the robot body 10. The control unit 32 can switch between the first travel by the movement of the leg parts 10b and the second travel by the rollers 14.

[0096] Thereby, the tracking robot 2 can track a suspicious target while switching the traveling method. Therefore, the tracking robot 2 can improve the tracking performance of the suspicious target.

[0097] Also, the moving speed of the robot body 10 by the second travel is faster than the moving speed of the robot body 10 by the first travel.

[0098] As a result, when a suspicious object is detected, for example, the tracking robot 2 can track the suspicious object by traveling by the second travel. Therefore, the tracking robot 2 can, for example, quickly catch up with the suspicious object. Accordingly, the tracking robot 2 can improve the tracking performance of the suspicious object.

[0099] When the control unit 32 causes the robot body 10 to travel by the first travel, it locks the roller 14 so as not to rotate.

[0100] As a result, the tracking robot 2 can stabilize the travel in the first travel.

[0101] The short-range drone 11 can launch the tracking mark 21 toward the suspicious object.

[0102] As a result, the tracking robot 2 can track the suspicious object by tracking the tracking mark 21. Therefore, the tracking robot 2 can easily discriminate the suspicious object, the tracking of the suspicious object becomes easy, and the suspicious object can be accurately discriminated. Accordingly, the tracking robot 2 can improve the tracking performance of the suspicious object.

[0103] 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 a plurality of "units" of the device according to the present embodiment, or causes the computer 1200 to execute an operation associated with the device according to the present embodiment or the one or a plurality of "units", and / or causes the computer 1200 to execute the process according to the present embodiment or a stage of the process. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 so that the computer 1200 executes specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks of the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0104] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphic controller 1216, which are mutually connected 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.

[0105] 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 in itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0106] 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.

[0107] 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 be connected to the input / output controller 1220 via various input / output units such as a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0108] 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 the 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.

[0109] 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. The communication interface 1222 reads the transmission data stored in the transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, the DVD-ROM, or the IC card under the control of the CPU 1212, transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes the received data received from the network to the reception buffer area provided on the recording medium, etc.

[0110] Further, the CPU 1212 may cause all or necessary portions of files or databases stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 1214, and may execute 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.

[0111] 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, conditional judgments, conditional branches, unconditional branches, information search / replacement, etc. described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequence of the program, and write back the results to the RAM 1214. Also, 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 where 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.

[0112] The above-described program or software module may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in 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 the computer 1200 via the network.

[0113] In the flowchart and block diagram in this embodiment, the blocks may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of a device having a role of performing an operation. A specific stage and "part" 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 an integrated circuit (IC) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include, for example, a reconfigurable hardware circuit including 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 a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and a programmable logic array (PLA).

[0114] The computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions executable by an appropriate device. As a result, the computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein will comprise a product including instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagram. Examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium may include a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc, a memory stick, an integrated circuit card, and the like.

[0115] 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 object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, and conventional procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages, in either source code or object code.

[0116] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or 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 of the general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or the programmable circuit to execute the operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram, to generate means for performing the operations. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0117] (Second Embodiment) Next, the tracking system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. Here, configurations different from those of the first embodiment will be described. The tracking robot 50 in the second embodiment is different from the tracking robot 2 in the first embodiment. Descriptions of configurations similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 7, the tracking robot 50 includes a robot body 51, a short-range drone 11, a detection unit 12, and a control device 13. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the tracking robot 50 according to the second embodiment.

[0119] The robot body 51 includes a body part 51a, leg parts 51b, arm parts 51c, and a head part 51d. The body part 51a includes an upper body part 51e and a housing part 51f.

[0120] The arm parts 51c and the head part 51d are movably attached to the upper body part 51e. The housing part 51f is provided below the upper body part 51e. Note that the upper body part 51e may be movably attached to the housing part 51f. For example, the upper body part 51e may be rotatably attached to the housing part 51f in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Also, the upper body part 51e may be rotatably attached about a virtual axis in the vertical direction.

[0121] The housing part 51f is formed in a box shape. The housing part 51f is formed to be open at the top. That is, the housing part 51f has a bottom part 51g and is formed to be recessed from above downward.

[0122] The short-range drone 11 is housed in the housing part 51f. The short-range drone 11 lands on and takes off from the housing part 51f. Specifically, the short-range drone 11 lands on the bottom part 51g of the housing part 51f.

[0123] The leg parts 51b are movably attached to the housing part 51f. Three or more leg parts 51b are provided. Specifically, four leg parts 51b are provided. The four leg parts 51b are provided, one at each of the left and right ends on the front side and one at each of the left and right ends on the rear side.

[0124] Rollers 52 are provided at the lower ends of the leg parts 51b. For example, one roller 52 is provided for one leg part 51b. Note that the number of rollers 52 for one leg part 51b is not limited to this. The rotation speed of each roller 52 can be controlled respectively. For example, the rotation speed of each roller 52 can be controlled to be the same rotation speed.

[0125] Also, the rotational speed of at least a part of each roller 52 can be controlled to be different from that of the other rollers 52. For example, by making the rotational speed of the left roller 52 slower than that of the right roller 52, the robot body 51 can turn left.

[0126] Also, the rotational direction of each roller 52 can be controlled respectively. Also, the robot body 51 may be able to change the steering angle of the leg part 51b or the roller 52.

[0127] The robot body 51 can travel by the first traveling and the second traveling on four leg parts 51b. The arm part 51c is movably attached to the upper body part 51e. One arm part 51c is provided at each of the left and right ends of the upper body part 51e. That is, two arm parts 51c are provided. Note that the number of arm parts 51c is not limited to this. For example, one arm part 51c may be provided on the upper body part 51e, or three or more arm parts 51c may be provided.

[0128] In the robot body 51, at locations where each part is movably connected, for example, at locations corresponding to the joint parts of a human, a motor is provided as a joint for connecting each part. By moving each part by each motor, various movements of the robot body 51 are realized. Also, each motor can absorb the vibration of the robot body 51.

[0129] Also, at locations where each part is movably connected, a detection sensor such as a gyroscope for detecting the movement of each part is provided. Therefore, the vibration of each part and the movement of each part can be detected by the detection sensor.

[0130] The robot control unit 37 (see FIG. 3) controls each motor according to various information detected by the detection unit 12 and the detection results by detection sensors such as a gyroscope, and for example, can control the weight transfer of the robot body 51 and adjust the balance of the robot body 51.

[0131] Note that the robot body 51 is not limited to being used in the tracking system 1. The robot body 51 may be, for example, a cart robot that collects luggage (items) in a warehouse. The luggage is stored in the storage unit 51f. The robot body 51 takes out a specified piece of luggage (item) from the warehouse shelf and transports it to a specified delivery location. Also, the robot body 51 may transport luggage inside a building, for example, an office building.

[0132] As described above, the present invention has been described using the embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that forms with such changes or improvements may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0133] It should be noted that the execution order of each process such as the 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 "earlier" or "preceding" etc., and unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process, it can be realized in any order. Regarding the operation flows in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if they are described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to implement in this order.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0134] 1 Tracking system 2, 50 Tracking robot 3 Long-range drone 4 Management device 10, 51 Robot body 10a, 51a Body part 10b, 51b Legs 11 Short-range drone 12 Detection unit 13 Control device 14, 52 Roller 20 Camera 21 Tracking mark 32 Control unit 35 Suspicious object detection unit 36 Drone control unit 37 Robot control unit 51f Storage unit

Claims

1. A drone capable of tracking objects not subject to review, a robot body to which the drone can land and take off and that is capable of autonomous driving, a detection unit that detects the situation around the robot body, and a control unit that controls the drone and causes the robot body to autonomously drive according to the situation detected by the detection unit are provided. The robot body includes a body part, legs movably attached to the body part, and rollers provided on the legs to move the robot body and is provided with. The control unit is a tracking robot capable of switching between a first driving by the movement of the legs and a second driving by the rollers.

2. The tracking robot according to claim 1, wherein the moving speed of the robot body by the second driving is faster than the moving speed of the robot body by the first driving.

3. The tracking robot according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit causes the robot body to drive by the first driving, the control unit locks the rollers so that they do not rotate.

4. The tracking robot according to claim 1, wherein the drone is capable of firing a tracking mark toward the object not subject to review.

5. The tracking robot according to claim 1, wherein the tracking path of the object not subject to review is generated by a text generation model.

6. The body part includes a box-shaped storage part, and the tracking robot according to claim 1, wherein three or more legs are attached to the storage part.

7. The tracking robot according to claim 6, wherein the drone lands on and takes off from the storage part.

Images