Robot

Abstract

To provide a robot capable of tracking suspicious persons or objects.SOLUTION: A robot according to an embodiment comprises an autonomously movable robot body, a detection unit for detecting the situation around the robot body, and a control unit for allowing the robot body to autonomously move according to the situation detected by the detection unit. The robot body comprises two rollers for moving the robot body, and support units for supporting the robot body together with the two rollers on a ground surface. One support unit is provided to each of the two rollers.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a robot. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a system is known in which, when a vehicle is threatened with harm, a drone is launched from the vehicle and an image of the vehicle and its surroundings is captured by a camera mounted on the drone (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-93618 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional techniques have a problem in that, for example, if a suspicious object is detected and then escapes, the suspicious object cannot be tracked.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to track a suspicious object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A robot according to one aspect of the embodiment includes a robot main body capable of autonomous travel, a detection unit that detects the situation around the robot main body, and a control unit that causes the robot main body to autonomously travel in accordance with the situation detected by the detection unit. The robot main body includes two rollers that move the robot main body, and a support unit that supports the robot main body together with the two rollers on the ground. A support unit is provided on each of the two rollers. [Effects of the Invention]

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

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a tracking system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a tracked robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a control device of a tracked robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an overview of a management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the driving control process according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer hardware configuration that functions as a tracking robot or a management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will be described below through embodiments, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0010] A tracking system 1 including a tracked robot 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an outline 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. For example, a plurality of tracking robots 2 and a plurality of long-range drones 3 may be provided.

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

[0013] Next, the tracked robot 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the tracked robot 2 according to the embodiment.

[0014] The tracking robot 2 comprises 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 when a suspicious object is detected, it tracks the suspicious object. The suspicious object may be, for example, a person behaving suspiciously or the perpetrator of a crime. Furthermore, the suspicious object is not limited to a person, but may also be a vehicle carrying a person behaving suspiciously.

[0015] The robot body 10 is assumed to be, for example, a two-wheeled robot like a Segway (registered trademark). The robot body 10 is not limited to a Segway, and may also be realized as, for example, a humanoid robot. The robot body 10 includes a bottom portion 10a, a body portion 10b, and an upper end portion 10c.

[0016] The robot body 10 also includes two rollers 14. For example, one roller 14 is provided at each of the left and right ends of the bottom surface portion 10a.

[0017] The rollers 14 can rotate relative to the bottom surface portion 10a. For example, the rollers 14 rotate when rotation generated by a motor is transmitted to the rollers 14. The rotation of the rollers 14 enables the robot body 10 to move.

[0018] The rollers 14 may have a speed reduction mechanism such as a gear. The bottom surface portion 10a is provided with a locking mechanism that can lock the rollers 14 so that they do not rotate. For example, the locking mechanism locks the rotation shaft of the rollers 14.

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

[0020] The robot body 10 also includes a support portion 15 that supports the robot body 10 on the ground together with the two rollers 14. The support portion 15 is provided on each of the two rollers 14.

[0021] For example, the support parts 15 are provided on the shaft parts 14a of each of the two rollers 14 so as to extend from the shaft parts 14a, which are the rotation axes of each of the two rollers 14, to the ground. The support parts 15 are inserted into the shaft parts 14a of each of the two rollers 14 from the outside of the shaft parts 14a of each of the two rollers 14. The support parts 15 also support the robot body 10 at positions different from the two rollers 14. In FIG. 2, the two rollers 14 and the support parts 15 extending obliquely from the shaft parts 14a to the ground support the robot body 10 with a total of four points of contact with the ground.

[0022] The support portion 15 is released from contact with the ground by, for example, rotating around the shaft portion 14a. When the support portion 15 is released from contact with the ground, the roller 14 can rotate relative to the bottom surface portion 10a.

[0023] A base unit 17 is provided on the back of the body unit 10b, from which the short-range drone 11 can take off and land. The base unit 17 is equipped with a charging device that charges the battery of the short-range drone 11. The base unit 17 may also be equipped with a replacement battery for the short-range drone 11.

[0024] The short-range drone 11 is an example of a moving object. The short-range drone 11 is a multicopter equipped with multiple (for example, four) rotary propellers, and performs unmanned autonomous flight. The short-range drone 11 is also powered by a battery.

[0025] The short-range drone 11 includes a camera 20 and a tracking mark 21. The tracking mark 21 is emitted from the short-range drone 11. The short-range drone 11 includes a launcher that launches the tracking mark 21.

[0026] For example, when the tracking mark 21 is projected at a suspicious object, it adheres to the suspicious object. For example, the tracking mark 21 is provided with a magnet. For example, when the suspicious object is a vehicle, the tracking mark 21 adheres to the suspicious object by magnetic force. The tracking mark 21 may be adhesive.

[0027] The tracking mark 21 has, for example, a positioning device. The positioning device is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), and can receive radio waves from navigation satellites orbiting in the sky to determine position and time. The positioning device also has a communication module that transmits information about its own detected position. 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 is attached to a suspicious object, the position of the suspicious object is detected based on the position information transmitted from the positioning device.

[0028] The tracking mark 21 may also be a ball or the like containing fluorescent paint. The ball containing fluorescent paint explodes when it hits a suspicious object, and the fluorescent paint adheres to the suspicious object. The short-range drone 11 may be equipped with multiple types of tracking marks 21.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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, an attitude control function for controlling the attitude, and the like.

[0031] The short-range drone 11 acquires information about the first flight path from the control device 13 via the communication module. The information about 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.

[0032] The short-range drone 11 transmits images captured by the camera 20 to the management device 4 via the communication module. The short-range drone 11 transmits images 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.

[0033] When a suspicious object is detected, the short-range drone 11 launches from the base unit 17 of the robot main body 10. The short-range drone 11 acquires information about a first flight path and flies along the first flight path to track the suspicious object. The short-range drone 11 performs image processing based on images captured by the camera 20 and flies along the first flight path while avoiding obstacles. When a signal to launch a tracking mark 21 is acquired, the short-range drone 11 launches the tracking mark 21. The short-range drone 11 launches the tracking mark 21 toward the suspicious object.

[0034] The detection unit 12 is provided, for example, on the upper end 10c of the robot body 10. The detection unit 12 may be provided on the bottom surface 10a, the trunk 10b, or the like of the robot body 10. 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, radar, a microphone, or the like. The detection unit 12 may include sensors for vision recognition, fine sound, ultrasound, vibration, infrared, ultraviolet, electromagnetic waves, and the like. A plurality of detection units 12 may be provided. The detection unit 12 may be multiple types of sensors, or the like. The detection unit 12 may include a gyroscope. The gyroscope is provided, for example, on the trunk 10b, or the like of the robot body 10.

[0035] The detection unit 12 also includes a positioning device. The positioning device is, for example, a GNSS. The positioning device detects the position of the robot main body 10. Information about the detected position of the robot main body 10 is transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N.

[0036] 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 tracked robot 2 according to the embodiment.

[0037] 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 pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 to the management device 4. The communication unit 30 receives images captured by the camera 20 of the short-range drone 11. The communication unit 30 receives position information of the tracking mark 21 from the positioning device of the tracking mark 21.

[0038] 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), an optical disk, etc. The storage unit 31 stores various programs and various data.

[0039] 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 other circuits. The control unit 32 may also be configured with hardware such as an integrated circuit, for example, 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.

[0040] 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 performs predetermined image processing on an image captured by a high-sensitivity camera provided on the tracking robot 2 to detect a suspicious object. For example, the suspicious object detection unit 35 may detect a suspicious object based on the detection result of an infrared sensor. The suspicious object detection unit 35 may detect a suspicious object using a suspicious object detection model in AI (Artificial Intelligence).

[0041] The drone control unit 36 ​​controls the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a first flight path for the short-range drone 11. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a first flight path for tracking a detected suspicious target. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets the first flight path based on the current position information of the tracked 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 tracked robot 2, the direction in which the suspicious target was detected relative to the tracked robot 2, and the distance from the tracked robot 2 to the suspicious target.

[0042] The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a second flight path for the long-range drone 3. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a second flight path for tracking a 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 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.

[0043] The drone control unit 36 ​​may set a first flight path and a second flight path based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject. 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 subject from the position information of the tracking robot 2 at the time the suspicious subject is detected, the position information of the tracking mark 21, map information, traffic information, etc. The escape route prediction model includes the position information of the tracking mark 21, for example, historical information on the position of the tracking mark 21.

[0044] 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 may be interpreted as an algorithm and calculation for automatic text-based dialogue processing. The text generation model is, for example, disclosed in JP 2018-081444 A and chatGPT (Internet search engine).<URL: https: / / openai.com / blog / chatgpt> ) and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Such a sentence generation model is configured using a large language model (LLM).

[0045] For example, the drone control unit 36 ​​generates a sentence such as "A suspicious person is fleeing from east to west at the intersection of ABC Town DD. What escape route do you think they might have taken?" using a language generation model based on the position information of the tracking mark 21. The generated sentence is then input into an escape route prediction model, which generates a sentence such as "The suspicious person is likely heading towards EF in ABC Town." In this case, the drone control unit 36 ​​sets a first flight route and a second flight route toward "EF in ABC Town."

[0046] By setting the first flight path and the second flight path based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject, the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3 can get to the destination of the suspicious subject in advance. The predicted escape route may be set by the management device 4.

[0047] The set first flight path is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. Upon receiving the first flight path, the short-range drone 11 takes off from the base unit 17, flies along the first flight path, and tracks the suspicious object.

[0048] The set second flight path is transmitted to the long-range drone 3. Upon receiving the second flight path, the long-range drone 3 takes off from the waiting station, flies along the second flight path, and tracks the suspicious object.

[0049] The drone control unit 36 ​​generates a launch 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 target from an image captured by the camera 20 of the short-range drone 11. Then, if the distance to the suspicious target is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the drone control unit 36 ​​generates a launch signal for launching the tracking mark 21 toward the suspicious target. The generated launch signal is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. As a result, the tracking mark 21 is launched toward the suspicious target.

[0050] The robot control unit 37 sets a travel route for the robot body 10. The travel route includes a preset warning route. The robot control unit 37 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously along the travel route. The robot control unit 37 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously in accordance with the situation detected by the detection unit 12. The robot control unit 37 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously by controlling the drive of the rollers 14 of the robot body 10. The robot control unit 37 controls the drive of the rollers 14 of the robot body 10 based on various information detected by the detection unit 12, for example, so that the robot body 10 travels while avoiding obstacles.

[0051] For example, the robot control unit 37 inputs the situation detected by the detection unit 12 into a learned model that outputs motion information regarding the motion of each roller 14 in response to input of the situation around the robot main body 10, and uses the results obtained to cause the robot main body 10 to move autonomously.

[0052] The trained model is, for example, a generation AI such as a sentence generation model, such as chatGPT, which performs automatic dialogue processing using text. The motion information includes, for example, at least one of the rotation speeds of the rollers 14.

[0053] Furthermore, 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, for example, based on the position information of the robot main body 10 and the position information where the suspicious object was 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 was detected relative to the robot main body 10, and the distance from the robot main body 10 to the suspicious object.

[0054] In addition, 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 body 10 and the position information of the tracking mark 21.

[0055] When a suspicious subject is detected, the robot control unit 37 may set a travel route to track the suspicious subject based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject. By setting the travel route of the robot body 10 based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject, the robot body 10 can get to the destination of the suspicious subject in advance.

[0056] Returning to Figure 1, the long-range drone 3 is an example of a moving object. The long-range drone 3 is, for example, a multicopter equipped with multiple rotor propellers, similar to the short-range drone 11, and performs unmanned autonomous flight. The short-range drone 11 is also powered by a battery.

[0057] The long-range drone 3 has a longer flight distance than the short-range drone 11. The flight distance 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 to have a longer flight distance 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, an airplane-type drone.

[0058] The long-range drone 3 is equipped with a camera, similar to the short-range drone 11. Unlike the short-range drone 11, the long-range drone 3 is not equipped with a tracking mark. Note that the long-range drone 3 may be equipped with a tracking mark, similar to the short-range drone 11.

[0059] The long-range drone 3 includes a communication module for wireless communication via the network N. The long-range drone 3 also includes various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an optical sensor.

[0060] 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, a 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 flight control functions, attitude control functions for controlling its attitude, and the like.

[0061] The long-range drone 3 acquires information about the second flight route from the control device 13 via the communication module. The information about the second flight route includes position information (for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude) about the second flight route.

[0062] 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.

[0063] The long-range drone 3 transmits images taken by the camera to the management device 4 via the communication module. The long-range drone 3 transmits images taken by the camera to the control device 13 via the communication module.

[0064] When a suspicious object is detected, the long-range drone 3 takes off from the waiting station. The long-range drone 3 acquires information about the second flight path and flies along the second flight path to track the suspicious object. 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.

[0065] The ability to track a suspicious target can be improved by tracking the suspicious target using the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3. For example, indoors, tracking can be performed using the short-range drone 11, which is smaller than the long-range drone 3, and if the suspicious target escapes outdoors, tracking can be performed using the long-range drone 3.

[0066] 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 an outline of the management device 4 according to the embodiment.

[0067] The management device 4 collects various information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracked robot 2 from the tracked robot 2 that detected the suspicious object. The management device 4 also collects various information detected by the detection unit 12 from a tracked robot 2 different from the tracked robot 2 that detected the suspicious object. The management device 4 also collects position information of each long-range drone 3 from multiple long-range drones 3.

[0068] The management device 4 may generate information regarding the travel path of the tracked robot 2. The management device 4 may also generate information regarding the first flight path of the short-range drone 11. The management device 4 may also generate information regarding the second flight path of the long-range drone 3.

[0069] 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 tracked robot 2, the short-range drone 11, and the long-range drone 3 via the network N.

[0070] The communication unit 40 receives various information detected by the detection unit 12 from the control device 13 of the tracked robot 2. The communication unit 40 receives images 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 images captured by the camera from the long-range drone 3.

[0071] The storage unit 41 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as RAM or flash memory, or a storage device such as an HDD, SSD, or optical disk. Various programs and various data are stored in the storage unit 41. For example, the storage unit 41 stores various information detected by the detection unit 12 of each tracked robot 2.

[0072] 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. The control unit 42 may also be configured with hardware such as an integrated circuit, for example, an ASIC, an FPGA, etc.

[0073] The control unit 42 may generate information regarding the travel route of the robot body 10. For example, the control unit 42 generates information regarding the travel route of the robot body 10 using a sentence generation model (a so-called AI chat engine). As described above, the sentence generation model may be interpreted as an algorithm and calculation for automatic dialogue processing using text.

[0074] The control unit 42 generates a question about the suspicious object from various pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracked robot 2. First, the control unit 42 generates a question using, for example, a language generation model.

[0075] For example, if movement is detected by the infrared sensor of the tracking robot 2, the following question will be generated: "The infrared sensor detected this movement. Is this movement a suspicious person? From a criminal's perspective, what action would they take next?"

[0076] By inputting such a question into the sentence generation model, the control unit 42 generates a sentence such as, "There is a high possibility that this person is a suspicious person. If he senses the presence of a person, he will take action to run away." The generated sentence is sent to the tracking robot 2 as information regarding the travel route, and the tracking robot 2 sets a travel route so as to approach the person presumed to be a suspicious person at a low speed.

[0077] Also, for example, if a sound is detected by a sensor that detects minute sounds in the tracked robot 2, a question such as "I can hear a beep from 2 meters away. What sound is this?" is generated.

[0078] When such a question is input into the sentence generation model, the control unit 42 generates a sentence such as, for example, "An alarm is sounding." The generated sentence is sent to the tracked robot 2 as information about the travel route, and the tracked robot 2 recognizes the target as suspicious, and sets a travel route to approach the suspicious target via, for example, the shortest route.

[0079] The control unit 42 may similarly generate information regarding the travel route of the tracked robot 2 based on other information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracked robot 2. The control unit 42 may generate information regarding the travel route of the tracked robot 2 based on information obtained by a high-sensitivity camera capable of 360-degree sensing, LiDAR, a thermal camera, radar, etc. The control unit 42 may generate information regarding the travel route of the tracked robot 2 based on information obtained by sensors such as vision recognition, ultrasonic waves, vibration, ultraviolet rays, and electromagnetic waves.

[0080] Similarly, information regarding the travel route of the tracked robot 2 may be generated based on a plurality of pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 of the tracked robot 2. The control unit 42 may set the travel route of the tracked robot 2.

[0081] By generating information about the travel route of the tracked robot 2 using the document generation model, the tracked robot 2 can, for example, accurately determine a suspicious object and can move the tracked robot 2 closer to the suspicious object without being noticed by the suspicious object. Therefore, for example, the tracked robot 2 can improve the hit rate of the tracking mark 21 emitted from the short-range drone 11. In this way, by generating information about the travel route of the tracked robot 2 using the document generation model, the ability of the tracked robot 2 and the like to track the suspicious object can be improved.

[0082] Furthermore, 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 using a sentence generation model.

[0083] For example, if the tracking robot 2 detects a suspicious object, the suspicious object is a car, and the license plate number of the suspicious object is detected as "AA-BB," the control unit 42 uses the language generation model to create the sentence "Take a picture of the car with the license plate number AA-BB." The control unit 42 then inputs the generated sentence into a sentence generation model to generate information about the first flight path. For example, the control unit 42 generates a flight program for the short-range drone 11 that captures a picture of the car with the license plate number "AA-BB" using the camera of the short-range drone 11 and tracks the car with the license plate number "AA-BB." The control unit 42 then generates the generated flight program as information about the first flight path. The generated information about the first flight path is transmitted to the short-range drone 11, causing the short-range drone 11 to fly in a manner that tracks the car with the license plate number "AA-BB." The image captured by the camera of the short-range drone 11 is transmitted to the management device 4.

[0084] For example, by generating information regarding the first flight path of the short-range drone 11 using a document generation model, the ability of the short-range drone 11 to track suspicious objects can be improved.

[0085] The generation of information about the travel route of the tracked robot 2 using the sentence generation model may be executed by the tracked robot 2.

[0086] Next, the travel control process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the travel control process according to the embodiment. The travel control process is executed by the control device 13 of the tracked robot 2.

[0087] The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot body 10 (S100). For example, the detection unit 12 detects various information from a camera, radar, microphone, or other sensors provided on the trunk 10b, upper end 10c, etc. of the robot body 10.

[0088] The control unit 32 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously in accordance with the situation detected by the detection unit 12 (S101). For example, the control unit 32 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously using the results obtained by inputting the situation detected by the detection unit 12 into a learned model that outputs motion information regarding the motion of each of the two rollers 14 in accordance with input of the situation around the robot body 10.

[0089] The support parts 15 support the robot body 10 on the ground together with the two rollers 14 (S102). For example, the support parts 15 extend obliquely from the shaft parts 14a of the two rollers 14 to the ground, and support the robot body 10 at a position different from the two rollers 14.

[0090] The tracked robot 2 comprises a robot body 10, a detection unit 12, and a control unit 32. The robot body 10 is capable of autonomous travel. The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot body 10. The control unit 32 causes the robot body 10 to autonomously travel in accordance with the situation detected by the detection unit 12. The robot body 10 comprises two rollers 14 and a support unit 15 that supports the robot body 10 together with the two rollers 14 on the ground. A support unit 15 is provided for each of the two rollers 14.

[0091] The tracked robot 2 can track suspicious objects because it can move autonomously without programming while maintaining balance according to the situation detected by the detection unit 12 such as a gyroscope. Therefore, the tracked robot 2 can improve the tracking ability of suspicious objects.

[0092] Furthermore, the tracked robot 2 can maintain the balance of the robot body 10 without consuming power even when the robot body 10 is stationary. This will be described in detail below.

[0093] Two-wheeled autonomous robots such as Segways typically tip over when stationary. Therefore, conventionally, such robots have been able to stand on their own when stationary by using the principle of a gyroscope, which is based on the law of conservation of angular momentum, to maintain a constant angular momentum.

[0094] Furthermore, such robots have traditionally been equipped with sensors that detect the movement of the passenger's center of gravity. Based on information about the movement of the passenger's center of gravity, such robots apply force in the appropriate direction to maintain balance and stand on their own. In other words, the robot automatically adjusts its balance according to the passenger's movements, allowing it to stand without tipping over even when stationary. However, in this case, the robot must constantly control its motors, which consumes power.

[0095] In contrast, the tracked robot 2 supports the robot body 10 together with the two rollers 14 on the ground by means of supports 15 provided on each of the two rollers 14. The tracked robot 2 can save power for motor control and calculations to balance the robot body 10 by using the supports 15, so the battery can be maintained for a longer period of time. This allows the tracked robot 2 to maintain the balance of the robot body 10 without consuming power.

[0096] Furthermore, the support parts 15 are provided on the shaft parts 14a of the two rollers 14 so as to extend from the shaft parts 14a, which are the rotation axes of the two rollers 14, to the ground.

[0097] In this way, since the support part 15 is provided on the shaft part 14a which is the rotation shaft of the roller 14, the tracked robot 2 can support the robot body 10 without interfering with the rotation of the roller 14.

[0098] Furthermore, the support portion 15 is inserted onto the shaft portion 14a of each of the two rollers 14 from the outside of the shaft portion 14a of each of the two rollers 14.

[0099] This prevents the space on the bottom surface 10a of the robot body 10 from being eroded due to the support part 15 being attached to the rollers 14, so the tracked robot 2 can carry a short-range drone 11 or a passenger on the robot body 10.

[0100] Furthermore, the support portion 15 supports the robot body 10 at a position different from the two rollers 14 .

[0101] As a result, for example, the robot body 10 can be supported with the two rollers 14 and the support part 15 extending obliquely from the shaft part 14a to the ground in a total of four points of contact with the ground. Therefore, the tracked robot 2 can support the robot body 10 more stably.

[0102] The robot body 10 is a Segway.

[0103] Even in the case of a Segway, which tends to tip over forward and backward when the robot body 10 is stationary, the support part 15 can support the robot body 10 on the ground together with the two rollers 14. Therefore, the tracked robot 2 can maintain the balance of the robot body 10 without consuming power.

[0104] 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a computer hardware configuration that functions as the tracked robot 2 or the management device 4. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to the present embodiment, or to perform operations or one or more "parts" associated with the device according to the present embodiment, and / or to perform a process or steps of the process according to the present embodiment. Such a program can be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0105] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communications 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.

[0106] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or into the graphics controller itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0107] 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 programs or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them 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.

[0108] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 1200 upon activation, and / or programs that depend 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, etc.

[0109] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and causes cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing operations or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0110] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into 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 the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, a DVD-ROM, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0111] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database 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 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.

[0112] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and may undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, are stored on the recording medium, the CPU 1212 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0113] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. 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 also be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0114] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the present embodiments may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of an apparatus responsible for performing the operation. Particular stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, including integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), including AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0115] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by a suitable device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture, including instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy 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 disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0116] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0117] Computer-readable instructions may be provided locally or over a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc. to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or programmable circuitry, such that the processor or programmable circuitry executes the computer-readable instructions to generate means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0118] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, 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 modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0119] For example, in the above embodiment, a tracking robot is described as an example, but the use of the robot of the present invention is not limited to this, and other uses are also envisioned, such as a robot to replace workers in a factory or a robot to transport luggage in a warehouse.

[0120] 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, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order.

[0121] 1. Tracking System 2 Tracking robot 3 Long-Range Drone 4 Management device 10 Robot body 10a Bottom part 10b Body part 10c Upper end 11 Short-Range Drone 12 Detector 13 Control device 14 Roller 14a Shaft 15 Support part 20 Camera 21 Tracking Mark 32 Control section 35 Suspicious object detection unit 36 Drone control unit 37 Robot control unit

Claims

1. A robot body capable of autonomous travel; a detection unit that detects the surroundings of the robot body; a control unit that causes the robot body to autonomously travel in accordance with the situation detected by the detection unit; Equipped with The robot body includes: Two rollers for moving the robot body; a support part that supports the robot body together with the two rollers on the ground; Equipped with The robot, wherein the support portion is provided on each of the two rollers.

2. The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the support portion is provided on a shaft portion of each of the two rollers so as to extend from the shaft portion, which is a rotation axis of each of the two rollers, to the ground.

3. The robot according to claim 2 , wherein the support portion is inserted into the shaft portion of each of the two rollers from outside the shaft portion of each of the two rollers.

4. The robot according to claim 1 , wherein the support portion supports the robot body at a position different from the two rollers.

5. The robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the robot body is a Segway.

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