Autonomous travel robot

Abstract

To provide an autonomous travel robot capable of executing a security operation according to the presence or absence of a person in an area connected via an entrance / exit.SOLUTION: An autonomous travel robot, which autonomously travels in a traveling area, includes a control unit that controls an operation of the autonomous travel robot, based on presence or absence of a person in an adjacent area connected to a traveling area via an entrance / exit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile robot. [Background technology]

[0002] For the purpose of guarding facilities, robots are known that autonomously travel within the facility and perform security operations such as checking that doors are locked. Some of these autonomous robots have arms to efficiently perform security operations. Patent Document 1 describes a robot that prevents the arms from coming into contact with obstacles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-85488 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When such a robot checks whether a door is locked, it may surprise or unsettle the person on the other side of the door. Furthermore, if the door is opened while the robot is checking whether it is locked, the robot or the door may be damaged, or the person who opened the door may be injured. Therefore, it is desirable for the robot to take security action depending on whether or not a person is present in the area on the other side of the door.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an autonomous mobile robot that can perform security operations depending on the presence or absence of people in areas connected via entrances and exits. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An autonomous mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is an autonomous mobile robot that travels autonomously within a travel area, and has a control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile robot based on the presence or absence of people in an adjacent area connected to the travel area via an entrance / exit.

[0007] In addition, it is preferable that the autonomous mobile robot further has an arm that performs a predetermined security operation, and the control unit causes the arm to perform the security operation near the entrance / exit when there are no people in the adjacent area.

[0008] Furthermore, it is preferable that the arm is capable of operating a door installed at the entrance / exit, and that the control unit causes the arm to perform a security operation to check or change the locking status of the door when there is no one in the adjacent area.

[0009] Furthermore, it is preferable that the control unit controls the autonomous mobile robot so that it does not travel within a predetermined distance from an entrance / exit of the travel area when there is a person in the adjacent area.

[0010] Furthermore, it is preferable that the control unit controls the autonomous mobile robot to travel at a slower speed when there is a person in the adjacent area than when there is no person in the adjacent area.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferable that the control unit notify the presence of the autonomous mobile robot when there is a person in the adjacent area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The autonomous mobile robot according to the present invention can perform security operations depending on whether or not a person is present in an area connected via an entrance / exit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a security system 1. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the autonomous mobile robot 2. [Figure 3]FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the autonomous mobile robot 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of security processing. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a driving process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Various embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Please note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but extends to the inventions set forth in the claims and their equivalents.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a security system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The security system 1 includes an autonomous mobile robot 2, a sensor 3, a security device 4, and a server 5. The autonomous mobile robot 2 is placed in a travel area A1. The sensor 3 and security device 4 are placed in an adjacent area A2 connected to the travel area A1 via an entrance / exit E. The travel area A1 and the adjacent area A2 are separated by a wall W and a door D attached to the entrance / exit E. For example, the travel area A1 may be a shared area of ​​a facility, and the adjacent area A2 may be a private area of ​​the facility. The travel area A1 may be outdoors, and the adjacent area A2 may be indoors. The autonomous mobile robot 2, the sensor 3, the security device 4, and the server 5 communicate with each other via a network N, which may be the Internet or an intranet.

[0016] The door D is not limited to a single swing door as shown in FIG. 1 , but may be a door of any shape, such as a double swing door, a sliding door, or a folding door. Furthermore, the entrance / exit E is not limited to a door provided for the purpose of allowing people to pass through, but may be any opening through which people can pass, such as a window frame. In this case, the entrance / exit E is equipped with a window of any shape, such as a single swing window, a double swing window, or a sliding window. In this embodiment, such windows are also considered to be included in the door D.

[0017] The autonomous mobile robot 2 autonomously travels within the travel area A1 and performs predetermined security operations. The security operations are operations related to the locking of the door D. For example, the security operation is an operation to check that the door D is locked. In this case, the autonomous mobile robot 2 patrols the travel area A1 and sequentially checks that the doors of the entrances E of multiple adjacent areas A2 are locked.

[0018] The sensor 3 generates information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the adjacent area A2. For example, the sensor 3 is a human presence sensor that detects a person using infrared rays. The sensor 3 may be a surveillance camera or a thermal imaging camera that captures images of the adjacent area A2. The sensor 3 may also be another sensor that detects sound, vibration, illuminance, etc. in the adjacent area A2. The sensor 3 transmits the generated information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the adjacent area A2 to the security device 4.

[0019] The security device 4 issues an alarm based on the result of detecting a person in the adjacent area A2. The security device 4 is set to either an alert mode or a deactivation mode by operation of a user in the adjacent area A2. The security device 4 acquires information regarding the presence or absence of a person in the adjacent area A2 from the sensor 3. If the security device 4 detects a person in the adjacent area A2 while set to the alert mode, it issues an alarm to the server 5. The security device 4 may issue an alarm using sound or light.

[0020] The server 5 is an information processing device equipped with a memory and a processor. The server 5 acquires information from the security device 4 indicating whether the security device 4 is set to the alert mode or the deactivation mode, and transmits the information to the autonomous mobile robot 2.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the autonomous mobile robot 2, and Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the autonomous mobile robot 2. The autonomous mobile robot 2 has a robot arm 21, tires 22, memory 23, a communication interface 24, sensors 25, an arm driving unit 26, a tire driving unit 27, and a processor 28. The memory 23, the communication interface 24, the sensors 25, the arm driving unit 26, the tire driving unit 27, and the processor 28 are housed in a housing H.

[0022] The robot arm 21 has an arm unit 211 and a hand unit 212. The arm unit 211 connects the housing H and the hand unit 212, and changes the position and posture of the hand unit 212. The hand unit 212 grasps an object. The robot arm 21 operates a door. For example, the robot arm 21 grasps the door handle or pull tab and moves it in the direction to open the door, and checks whether the door is locked.

[0023] The tires 22 are arranged on the bottom surface of the autonomous mobile robot 2 and rotate to make the autonomous mobile robot 2 move.

[0024] The memory 23 stores data and programs. The memory 23 is a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or the like. The memory 23 stores an operating system program, a driver program, an application program, data, and the like used for processing by the processor 28. Programs may be installed into the memory 23 from a computer-readable, non-transitory, portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory).

[0025] The communication interface 24 enables the autonomous mobile robot 2 to communicate with the server 5. For example, the communication interface 24 is an interface for wireless communication such as mobile communication or wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The communication interface 24 transmits data supplied from the processor 28 to the server 5, and supplies data received from the server 5 to the processor 28.

[0026] The sensor 25 generates information about the environment of the surrounding space of the autonomous mobile robot 2. For example, the sensor 25 may include a camera that captures and generates images of the surrounding space. The sensor 25 may include a distance sensor, a proximity sensor, or a thermal imaging camera that generates information about moving objects in the surrounding space. The sensor 25 may also include other sensors that generate information about the temperature, humidity, noise, vibration, illuminance, etc. of the surrounding space. The sensor 25 supplies the generated information about the environment of the surrounding space to the processor 28.

[0027] The arm driving unit 26 drives the robot arm 21. The arm driving unit 26 includes a motor, an actuator, and a control circuit. The motor and actuator are connected to the arm unit 211 and hand unit 212 of the robot arm 21. The control circuit controls the motor and actuator in accordance with instructions from the processor 28 to cause the robot arm 21 to perform security operations.

[0028] The tire driving unit 27 drives the tires 22. The tire driving unit 27 includes a motor and a control circuit. The motor is connected to the tires 22. The control circuit controls the motor in accordance with instructions from the processor 28 to drive the tires 22, thereby causing the autonomous mobile robot 2 to travel.

[0029] The processor 28 comprehensively controls the operation of the autonomous mobile robot 2. For example, the processor 28 is at least one CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 28 may be an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like. The processor 28 executes processing based on a program stored in the memory 23.

[0030] The processor 28 has an instruction acquisition unit 281, a drive control unit 282, a determination unit 283, an operation control unit 284, and a notification control unit 285. Each of these units is a functional module realized by the processor 28 executing a program. Each of these units may be implemented in the autonomous mobile robot 2 as a dedicated processing circuit. The drive control unit 282, the operation control unit 284, and the notification control unit 285 are examples of a control unit.

[0031] 4 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of security processing executed by the autonomous mobile robot 2. The security processing is executed when an operation instruction is generated to cause the autonomous mobile robot 2 to perform security operations. The security processing is realized by the processor 28 executing a program and working in cooperation with other components of the autonomous mobile robot 2.

[0032] First, the instruction acquisition unit 281 acquires an operation instruction (step S11). For example, the instruction acquisition unit 281 requests the server 5 for an operation instruction and receives and acquires the operation instruction from the server 5. The instruction acquisition unit 281 may generate and acquire the operation instruction itself.

[0033] The operation instruction includes a security target for the security operation to be performed by the autonomous mobile robot 2. If the security operation is to check whether a door is locked, the security target is information indicating the door that should be checked for locking or the entrance / exit where the door is installed, etc.

[0034] The operation instructions may be generated according to a predetermined schedule. For example, the operation instructions may be generated at a predetermined time or in a predetermined order so that the autonomous mobile robot 2 patrols all security targets in the travel area. The operation instructions may also be generated by a facility manager. For example, the operation instructions may be generated by the facility manager operating the server 5.

[0035] Next, the drive control unit 282 controls the tire drive unit 27 to move the autonomous mobile robot 2 to an entrance / exit where the door to be guarded is installed (step S12). For example, the drive control unit 282 identifies the current position of the autonomous mobile robot 2 and calculates a route from the current position to the position where the security operation is to be performed. The current position may be identified based on known SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology, an image of the surrounding space generated by the sensor 25, a wireless LAN access point with which the communication interface 24 communicates, or the like. The route from the current position to the position where the security operation is to be performed may be calculated by executing a known route calculation algorithm based on the shape of the travel area stored in advance. In addition, the route for patrolling the security operation target may be set before the autonomous mobile robot 2 starts traveling. The drive control unit 282 controls the tire drive unit 27 so that the autonomous mobile robot 2 travels along the calculated route.

[0036] Next, the determination unit 283 determines whether the autonomous mobile robot 2 has approached an entrance / exit equipped with a door to be guarded (step S13). For example, the determination unit 283 identifies the current position of the autonomous mobile robot 2. The determination unit 283 determines whether the autonomous mobile robot 2 has approached the entrance / exit based on the distance between the identified current position and the position of the entrance / exit stored in advance.

[0037] If the autonomous mobile robot 2 is not approaching the entrance / exit (step S13-No), the security process returns to step S 13. That is, the determination unit 283 waits until the autonomous mobile robot 2 approaches the entrance / exit that is to be guarded.

[0038] When the autonomous mobile robot 2 approaches an entrance / exit (step S13-Yes), the determination unit 283 determines whether or not there is a person in an adjacent area separated from the travel area by the door to be guarded (step S14). The presence or absence of a person in the adjacent area may be determined based on the state of the security device 4 placed in the adjacent area. For example, the determination unit 283 acquires information indicating whether the security device 4 is set to alert mode or deactivated mode from the server 5. When the security device 4 is set to alert mode, the determination unit 283 determines that there is no person in the adjacent area. When the security device 4 is set to deactivated mode, the determination unit 283 determines that there is a person in the adjacent area.

[0039] If there is no person in the adjacent area (step S15-No), the operation control unit 284 performs a security operation near the entrance / exit (step S16). If the security operation is to check whether the door is locked, the operation control unit 284 identifies the position of the door gripper based on the information generated by the sensor 25. The operation control unit 284 controls the arm driving unit 26 to make the robot arm 21 grip the gripper and perform an operation to open the door, thereby confirming that the door is locked. This completes the security processing.

[0040] If there is a person in the adjacent area (step S15-Yes), the security process ends. That is, the operation control unit 284 executes an operation related to locking the door when there is no person in the adjacent area, and does not execute an operation related to locking the door when there is a person in the adjacent area. This prevents people in the adjacent area from being surprised or uneasy.

[0041] 5 is a flow diagram showing an example of the flow of the driving process executed by the autonomous driving robot 2. The driving process is executed after step S12 of the security process while the autonomous driving robot 2 is driving. The driving process is realized by the processor 28 executing a program and cooperating with other components of the autonomous driving robot 2.

[0042] First, the determination unit 283 determines whether the autonomous mobile robot 2 has approached an entrance / exit other than the entrance / exit where the door to be guarded is installed (step S21). For example, the entrance / exit other than the entrance / exit where the door to be guarded is installed is an entrance / exit located midway along the route along which the autonomous mobile robot 2 is traveling. For example, the determination unit 283 determines whether the autonomous mobile robot 2 has approached an entrance / exit by identifying the current position of the autonomous mobile robot 2.

[0043] If the autonomous mobile robot 2 is not approaching the entrance / exit (step S21-No), the traveling process ends.

[0044] When the autonomous mobile robot 2 approaches an entrance / exit (step S21—Yes), the determination unit 283 determines whether or not a person is present in an adjacent area connected to the traveling area via the approached entrance / exit (step S22). The presence or absence of a person in the adjacent area may be determined based on the state of the security device 4 arranged in the adjacent area. For example, the determination unit 283 identifies a security device 4 arranged in an adjacent area separated from the traveling area by a door attached to the approached entrance / exit, based on the current position of the autonomous mobile robot 2. The determination unit 283 acquires information indicating whether the identified security device 4 is set to an alert mode or a disabled mode from the server 5. When the security device 4 is set to the alert mode, the determination unit 283 determines that no person is present in the adjacent area. When the security device 4 is set to the disabled mode, the determination unit 283 determines that a person is present in the adjacent area.

[0045] If a person is present in the adjacent area (step S23—Yes), the drive control unit 282 controls the autonomous mobile robot 2 so that it does not travel near the nearby entrance / exit in the travel area (step S24). The vicinity of the entrance / exit may be a portion within a predetermined distance from the entrance / exit. For example, the drive control unit 282 detours a portion within a predetermined distance from the entrance / exit on the route toward the security operation execution position, and modifies the route to head toward the execution position of the next security target, a predetermined home position (a standby position for the robot), or the like. On the other hand, if a person is present in an adjacent area that is not a security target, the drive control unit 282 modifies the route toward the security operation execution position so that it continues toward the security operation execution position while detours a portion within a predetermined distance from the entrance / exit of the adjacent area. The drive control unit 282 controls the tire drive unit 27 so that the autonomous mobile robot 2 travels along the modified route.

[0046] Next, the notification control unit 285 notifies people in the adjacent area of ​​the presence of the autonomous mobile robot 2 (step S25). For example, the notification control unit 285 notifies people in the adjacent area of ​​the presence of the autonomous mobile robot 2 by sound or lighting. This completes the traveling process.

[0047] If there is no person in the adjacent area in step S23 (step S23-No), the traveling process ends. That is, the drive control unit 282 controls the autonomous mobile robot 2 so that it does not travel near the entrance when there is a person in the adjacent area, and controls the autonomous mobile robot 2 so that it travels along a pre-calculated route when there is no person in the adjacent area. This makes it possible to prevent an accident from occurring when the autonomous mobile robot 2 comes into contact with an open door.

[0048] As described above, the autonomous mobile robot 2 has a determination unit 283 that determines whether or not there is a person in an adjacent area that can travel between the autonomous mobile robot 2 and the travel area via an entrance / exit, and a drive control unit 282, an operation control unit 284, and a notification control unit 285 that control the operation of the autonomous mobile robot 2 based on the presence or absence of a person in the adjacent area. This allows the autonomous mobile robot 2 to perform security operations according to the presence or absence of a person in the adjacent area across the entrance / exit.

[0049] In the above-described embodiment, the determination unit 283 determines whether a person is present in the adjacent area based on the state of the security device 4. However, the determination unit 283 may determine whether a person is present in the adjacent area based on an entry / exit history for the adjacent area. For example, the determination unit 283 acquires, as the entry / exit history for the adjacent area, information generated by the sensor 3 disposed in the adjacent area via the security device 4 and the server 5. The determination unit 283 determines that a person is present in the adjacent area if the number of times a person has entered the adjacent area is greater than the number of times a person has exited the adjacent area, and determines that a person is not present in the adjacent area if the number of times a person has entered the adjacent area is equal to the number of times a person has exited the adjacent area. If the door attached to the entrance / exit is unlocked with a card key, the entry / exit history for the adjacent area may be acquired from a card reader that reads the card key. Furthermore, the determination unit 283 may determine that a person is present in the adjacent area if the sensor 3 detects a person in the adjacent area within a certain period of time, and may determine that a person is not present in the adjacent area if the sensor 3 has not detected a person for a certain period of time.

[0050] Furthermore, the determination unit 283 may determine whether or not there is a person in the adjacent area based on the time of day. For example, the determination unit 283 may determine that there is no person in the adjacent area at night, and that there is a person in the adjacent area during the day.

[0051] In the above-described embodiment, in step S24 of the travel processing, the drive control unit 282 controls the autonomous mobile robot 2 so that it does not travel in the portion of the travel area within a predetermined distance from the approaching entrance / exit. This example is not limiting, and the drive control unit 282 may also control the autonomous mobile robot 2 to travel at a slower speed when a person is present in the adjacent area than when no person is present in the adjacent area. For example, the drive control unit 282 controls the autonomous mobile robot 2 so that it does not travel at a speed greater than a predetermined speed in the portion within a predetermined distance from the entrance / exit. The predetermined speed is a speed slower than the travel speed when no person is present in the adjacent area. This also prevents an accident from occurring when the traveling autonomous mobile robot 2 comes into contact with an open door.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the security action related to the locking of the doors is to confirm that the doors are locked. However, the action related to the locking of the doors is not limited to this example, and may be an action to close an open door or an action to open a closed door.

[0053] Furthermore, the security action related to door locking may be an action to lock or unlock the door. For example, the robot arm 21 operates the door lock (for example, grips the thumb turn lock and turns it in the locking direction) to lock or unlock the door. In this case, too, by performing this action when there is no person in the immediate area, it is possible to prevent the person on the other side of the door from being surprised or uneasy, and to prevent damage to the robot or the door due to the door being opened.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the security operation was described as being related to locking doors, but the security operation may also be an inspection operation such as detecting suspicious objects in trash cans, on shelves, on the floor, etc.

[0055] In the above-described embodiment, either step S24 or S25 of the travel processing may be omitted.

[0056] Some of the functions of the autonomous mobile robot 2 according to the above-described embodiment may be executed by the server 5. In addition, some or all of the functions of the server 5 may be executed by the autonomous mobile robot 2.

[0057] Furthermore, although the notification control unit 285 is configured to notify the presence of the autonomous mobile robot 2 by sound or light, a security device 4 placed in an adjacent area may also be configured to notify the presence of the autonomous mobile robot 2 by sound or display. For example, based on the current position of the autonomous mobile robot 2, the determination unit 283 identifies a security device 4 placed in an adjacent area that is separated from the traveling area by a door attached to the approached entrance, and the communication interface 24 sends a control instruction to the security device 4 to make the above-mentioned notification.

[0058] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make various changes, substitutions, and alterations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined and implemented within the scope of the present invention.

[0059] The autonomous mobile robot according to one embodiment of the present invention can contribute to solving social issues such as a declining labor force and long working hours. In addition, the autonomous mobile robot according to one embodiment of the present invention can contribute to achieving Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and resilience." [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 2. Autonomous robots 281 Instruction acquisition part 282 Drive control unit 283 Judgment Department 284 Motion control section 285 Notification control unit

Claims

1. An autonomous robot that autonomously travels in a travel area, An autonomous mobile robot having a control unit that controls the operation of the autonomous mobile robot based on the presence or absence of a person in an adjacent area connected to the mobile area via an entrance / exit.

2. further comprising an arm for performing a predetermined security action; the control unit causes the arm to perform the security operation near the entrance when there is no person in the adjacent area. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1 .

3. The arm is operable to operate a door provided at the entrance, the control unit causes the arm to perform a security operation of checking or changing the lock state of the door when there is no person in the adjacent area. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2 .

4. the control unit controls the autonomous traveling robot so as not to travel in a portion of the traveling area within a predetermined distance from the entrance / exit when a person is present in the adjacent area. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1 .

5. the control unit controls the autonomous mobile robot to travel at a slower speed when a person is present in the adjacent area than when no person is present in the adjacent area. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1 .

6. the control unit notifies the presence of the autonomous mobile robot when a person is present in the adjacent area. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1 .

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