Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To prevent a robot from reducing a work efficiency of a mobile object the reduction used to occur when the robot changed the route.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises: plan acquisition means for acquiring a plan assigned to an autonomous mobile object; obstruction factor detection means for detecting an obstruction factor that may cause an obstruction to execution of the plan of the autonomous mobile object; obstruction prediction means for predicting the obstruction with respect to the plan based on information on the plan acquired by the plan acquisition means; and plan modification determination means for determining a modification content of the plan based on the obstruction predicted by the obstruction prediction means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to autonomous movement control technology and work management technology for mobile objects. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, mobile objects such as mobile robots and autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) have become widespread and are performing tasks such as transporting luggage in place of humans. When a mobile object performs a task, the task may be hindered by an obstacle on the path of the mobile object. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for avoiding an obstacle by changing the path plan of the mobile object when the obstacle interferes with the path of the mobile object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent application 2016-33029 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the method of Patent Document 1, the route plan is changed without considering the impact on the route plan of the mobile object, which may result in a decrease in operational efficiency of the mobile object.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to reduce the decline in the operational efficiency of a mobile body when there is an obstacle that could hinder the execution of a plan assigned to the mobile body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An information processing device according to the present invention is characterized by having: plan acquisition means for acquiring a plan assigned to an autonomous mobile body; failure factor detection means for detecting failure factors that may hinder the execution of the plan of the autonomous mobile body; failure prediction means for predicting failures to the plan based on information about the plan acquired by the plan acquisition means; and plan change determination means for determining changes to the plan based on the failures predicted by the failure prediction means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when there is an obstacle that may hinder the execution of a plan assigned to a mobile body, it is possible to reduce the decrease in the operational efficiency of the mobile body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing a scene in which a mobile object equipped with an information processing device travels through a passageway. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a process executed by an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claimed invention. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted. [Example]

[0010] Examples of the mobile object include an AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot), an AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle), a self-driving car, a cleaning robot, and a drone. The mobile object is also called an autonomous mobile object. In this embodiment, an example of application to an automatic guided vehicle will be described.

[0011] In this invention, an event that reduces the efficiency of work when a mobile unit executes a task assigned to it is called an obstacle. Alternatively, an event that reduces the efficiency of executing a plan assigned to it is called an obstacle. An event that causes an obstacle is called an obstacle factor. For example, if luggage accumulates in an aisle and blocks the aisle, the mobile unit will have to use a detour, which will reduce efficiency by extending the travel distance, resulting in an obstacle in which the aisle is "impassable." In this case, the obstacle factor is the "reduced aisle width" due to the accumulation of luggage.

[0012] In this embodiment, the task assigned to a mobile object is a transportation task. An example will be described in which, when transporting luggage, the presence of an obstacle on the transport route reduces the aisle width, making the transport impossible, and the time to pass through the aisle is changed. The prediction is performed by detecting the reduction in aisle width using a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor mounted on the mobile object, and predicting the obstacle. Furthermore, when changing the plan, the information processing device in this embodiment uses a route plan that includes information on the points on the aisle the mobile object will pass through and the time information on the time the points will be passed. If the mobile object travels using a detour, the travel route becomes longer, resulting in a decrease in work efficiency. Therefore, by advancing or delaying the process of passing through the aisle among the tasks assigned to the mobile object, the task can be performed while reducing the decrease in work efficiency.

[0013] 1 is a diagram showing a mobile object 103 equipped with an information processing device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention traveling along a passageway. The information processing device 200 measures the passageway width around an obstacle 104 in the figure and detects a decrease in the passageway width to detect the cause of the obstacle, predicts the obstacle, and determines a proposed change to the plan held by the plan management system 102. The worker can check the changes to the plan on the output device 101.

[0014] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing device 200 is composed of a plan acquisition means 203, a fault cause recognition means 204, a fault prediction means 205, and a plan change determination means 206. The information processing device 200 determines the contents of changes to the plan based on the measurement values ​​of the measurement device 201 and the measurement results of the position and orientation measurement means 202. Regarding the contents of changes, a plan update means 207 updates the plan held by the plan management system 102.

[0015] The measurement device 201 is a measurement device mounted on a moving object, and in this embodiment, is a LiDAR sensor.

[0016] The position and orientation measurement means 202 calculates the position and / or orientation of the mobile object on which the measurement device 201 is mounted based on the measurement values ​​of the measurement device 201. In this embodiment, both the position and orientation are calculated as position and orientation measurement values. The position and orientation measurement means 202 also generates a two-dimensional map that represents the arrangement of objects that exist in the environment in which the mobile object operates and that may obstruct the operation of the mobile object. The position and orientation measurement values ​​are sent to an obstacle detection means 204, and the position and orientation measurement values ​​and the two-dimensional map are sent to an obstacle prediction means 205.

[0017] The plan acquisition means 203 acquires information on the route plan assigned to the mobile unit from the plan update means 207 and sends it to the obstacle cause recognition means 204 and the obstacle prediction means 205 .

[0018] The obstacle detection means 204 detects obstacles in the operating environment of the mobile body based on the measurement values ​​of the position and orientation measurement means 202 mounted on the mobile body. The detected obstacles and the change rate of the obstacles are sent to the obstacle prediction means 205 and the plan change decision means 206. The change rate is the amount of change per unit time in which an event that becomes an obstacle changes, and for example, the change rate for an obstacle such as "a decrease in aisle width" is the rate at which the aisle width decreases.

[0019] The failure prediction means 205 predicts a failure that will occur based on the failure cause and the rate of change of the failure cause acquired from the failure cause detection means 204. The failure prediction means 205 sends the failure content, failure occurrence location, and failure occurrence time to the plan change determination means 206. Here, the failure content is an identifier of the event that will cause the failure, and in this embodiment, is the event name. The failure occurrence time is the time when the failure will occur.

[0020] The plan change determination means 206 determines a plan change proposal to reduce the impact of a failure based on the prediction results of the failure prediction means 205. The determined plan change proposal is sent to the plan update means 207.

[0021] The plan update means 207 updates the plan stored in the external storage means in accordance with the proposed changes from the plan change determination means 206 .

[0022] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 200. The information processing device 200 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 301, which controls various devices connected via a system bus 308. A ROM (Read Only Memory) 302 stores a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) program and a boot program used by the information processing device 200. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 303 is used as a main storage device for the CPU 301. An external memory 304 stores programs and data processed by the information processing device 300. Plans assigned to the mobile object are also stored in the external memory 304.

[0023] The input unit 305 has input devices for operating and inputting information, such as a keyboard, pointing device, robot controller, and buttons. The display unit 306 displays the results of the arithmetic processing of the information processing device 200 in accordance with commands from the CPU 301. The display unit 306 has display devices such as a liquid crystal display device, a projector, and an LED indicator.

[0024] The I / O 307 is a communication interface unit that communicates information with external devices via a network, etc. The I / O 307 can communicate with a local area network, a USB (Universal Serial Bus), serial communication, wireless communication, etc., and any type of communication is possible.

[0025] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of information processing device 200. The following flowchart is realized by CPU 301 executing a control program. The processing described in FIG. 4 starts automatically when information processing device 200 starts up.

[0026] In S401, the information processing device 200 executes system initialization.

[0027] Initialization processing is also performed on the parameters of the sensors of the measuring device 201 mounted on the moving object, which are stored in ROM 202, and on the memory used for calculations by CPU 201. In the initialization processing, data previously stored in ROM 202 or external memory 204 is read into RAM 203. The data read includes information on the minimum passage width Wm through which the moving object can pass. When the initialization processing is completed, the process proceeds to S402.

[0028] In S402, the measurement device 201 acquires measurement values ​​obtained by measuring the environment in which the moving object operates. The acquired measurement values ​​are output to the position and orientation measurement means 202, and the process proceeds to S403.

[0029] In S403, the position and orientation measurement unit 202 measures the position and orientation of the moving object.

[0030] In this method, the position and orientation of a moving object is measured by SLAM (SIMULTANEOUS LOCALIZATION AND MAPPING) based on the values ​​of the LiDAR sensor of the measurement device 202. In this embodiment, the position and orientation measurement results are coordinates in a two-dimensional coordinate system fixed to the space in which the moving object moves.

[0031] Next, the position and orientation measurement means 202 measures a two-dimensional map generated based on the scan information obtained by scanning the real space from the position and orientation measurement results. The two-dimensional map is an occupancy grid map, and the measurement device 201 generates the occupancy grid map using the method of Grisetti et al. (Grisetti et al., Improved Techniques for Grid Mapping with Rao-Blackwellized Particulate Filters, Trans on Robotics 23.1 (2007)). The occupancy grid map divides the environment into a grid and indicates the presence or absence of an obstacle in each grid using a number ranging from 0 to 1. The larger the number, the higher the probability that the grid is occupied by an obstacle. The position and orientation measurement results and the occupancy grid map are output to the obstacle prediction means 205, and the position and orientation measurement results are output to the obstacle detection means 204 and the path planning determination means 206, and the process proceeds to S404.

[0032] In S404, the plan acquisition means 203 acquires the plan assigned to the moving object from the plan update means 207.

[0033] In this embodiment, the plan acquisition means 203 acquires information about a route plan consisting of coordinate values ​​of waypoints, which are points through which the moving object will pass, and information about the time at which the waypoints will be passed. Here, the waypoints are represented in the same coordinate system as the coordinates used to measure the position and orientation of the moving object. The plan acquisition means 203 outputs the plan to the obstacle prediction means 205 and the plan change determination means 206, and the process proceeds to S405.

[0034] In S405, the fault detection means 204 detects the fault based on the measurement value.

[0035] The obstacle detection means 204 acquires the position and orientation measurement values ​​of the moving object calculated by the position and orientation measurement means 202 while the moving object is traveling. Then, it measures the passage width Wij at the waypoints of the route plan sent from the plan acquisition means 203. The subscript i is a number that identifies the waypoint, and j indicates the number of times the passage has been measured at each waypoint. The moving object measures the passage width at each waypoint, and stores the measurement time in RAM, linked to Wij. The passage width is the distance between the two occupied areas located immediately to the left and right of the moving object's travel path in the object's occupancy grid map. The obstacle detection means 204 compares the calculated passage width Wij with the passage width Wij-1 stored in RAM 303 when the moving object previously passed the waypoint. If the comparison reveals that the passage width Wij at the time of measurement is smaller than the passage width Wij-1, it sends the event name of the obstacle cause, "passage width decrease," to the obstacle prediction means 205. The obstacle detection means 204 also calculates the rate of change Vi of the passageway width at the point where the ground vehicle is passing based on the difference between the passageway width Wij at the time of measurement and Wij-1, and sends this to the obstacle prediction means 205 along with the event name of the obstacle. Note that the determination of whether the passageway width is decreasing or the rate of change of the passageway width is not limited to using passageway width information from two points in time, and may be performed using passageway width information from three or more points in time. Furthermore, the calculation of the passageway width is not limited to using an occupancy grid map, and the information used may be information on the area occupied by objects on the passageway. Furthermore, there is no limitation to using information on the area occupied by the objects, and the passageway width may be calculated by measuring the size of a group of objects on the passageway and subtracting it from the passageway width when no objects are present.

[0036] The obstacle detection means 204 stores the passage width Wij at the point where the moving object is passing in the RAM 303, and proceeds to S406.

[0037] In S406, the failure prediction means 205 predicts a failure based on the cause of the failure.

[0038] In this embodiment, the occurrence of a failure that will affect business operations, as well as the location and time of the failure, are predicted based on the failure cause and rate of change Vi input from the failure cause detection means 204. In this embodiment, the failure prediction means 205 references the rate of change Vi for each waypoint, and predicts the occurrence of a failure "passage impassable" at points where Vi is less than 0 and the event name of the failure cause is "reduced aisle width," and predicts "no failure" at points where Vi is 0 or greater.

[0039] The obstacle prediction means 204 calculates the obstacle occurrence time T for the waypoint where the occurrence of the obstacle "passage impassable" is predicted based on the passage width Wij and the change speed Vw of the passage. The obstacle occurrence time T is calculated as follows: Ti=Tij-(Wij-Wm) / Vi Equation (1) Tij is the time when the position and orientation measurement means 202 measures the passage width for the jth time at the ith waypoint.

[0040] The fault prediction means 205 outputs the fault content "passage impassable" and information on the fault occurrence location and fault occurrence time to the plan change determination means 206, and the process proceeds to S407.

[0041] In step S407, the plan change determination means 206 determines a plan change proposal based on the type of failure, the position and orientation measurement results of the moving object, the failure occurrence time T, and the plan.

[0042] The plan change determination means 206 determines whether the moving object will pass the obstacle point after the obstacle occurrence time based on the movement plan and position and orientation measurement results. For each waypoint where an obstacle occurs, the plan change determination means 206 calculates the latest time to pass that waypoint. Then, it calculates TDi, which is the maximum difference between the latest time to pass each waypoint where an obstacle occurs and the obstacle occurrence time at that waypoint, plus a predetermined time margin. Finally, it determines a plan change proposal that shifts all times included in the route plan forward by the maximum TDi value.

[0043] The plan change decision means 206 outputs the plan change proposal to the plan update means 207, and then proceeds to S408.

[0044] In S408, the plan update means 207 updates the plan.

[0045] In this embodiment, a new route plan is created based on the proposed changes input from the plan change determination means 206 and output to an external storage means. After output, the process proceeds to S409.

[0046] In S409, it is determined whether or not to terminate this system. In this embodiment, the processing of the present invention is terminated when a command to terminate the autonomous traveling of the moving body 200 is input from the user via an input unit (not shown). If there is no termination instruction, the processing of S402 to S409 continues.

[0047] As described above, in the first embodiment, if an obstacle will have an impact on the task assigned to the mobile object in the future, the plan of the mobile object can be updated, thereby improving task efficiency.

[0048] (First Modification 1) In this embodiment, the plan acquired by the plan acquisition means 203 is a travel route plan, but any plan that can be modified to reduce a decrease in work efficiency may be used. For example, it may be a work plan that includes work content, a work start point, and a time. Even in the case of a work plan, it is still the case that the point where an obstruction that makes the passage impassable and the time when the obstruction will occur are predicted, and the entire work plan is advanced so that the passage through the point is completed before the obstruction occurs.

[0049] (2nd modification of the first modification) In the first embodiment, the failure occurrence prediction means 205 predicts the time when a failure will occur, but it may only predict that a failure will occur after the predicted time. An example in which a failure occurs after the time measured by the measuring device 201 will be described.

[0050] The fault detection means 204 detects only the fault cause in S405 and sends it to the fault prediction means 205.

[0051] The failure prediction means 205 determines the details of the failure based on the failure cause input in S406, outputs the determined details of the failure and the location where the failure has occurred to the plan change determination means 206, and proceeds to S407.

[0052] In S407, the plan change determination means 206 determines a proposed change to the plan based on the type of failure, the location of the failure, and the plan. The proposed change is determined to be a change that changes the times in the route plan by a predetermined amount. For example, all times included in the plan change are advanced by one hour. The plan change determination means 206 inputs the proposed plan to the plan update means 207, and the process proceeds to S408.

[0053] As described above, in this modification, by not calculating the time of failure occurrence, it is possible to update the plan regardless of the accuracy of the failure occurrence prediction, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0054] (First Modification 3) In this embodiment, the passage width is measured and a decrease in the passage width is detected every time a moving object passes through the passage, but the method is not limited to the method in embodiment 1 as long as it is possible to detect a decrease in the passage width. For example, a LiDAR sensor installed in the passage may successively measure the passage width to detect the decrease.

[0055] Alternatively, objects may be recognized based on images captured by a camera mounted on a mobile object, and a decrease in the aisle width may be detected due to an increase in the number of objects on the aisle. The information processing device 200 may detect a decrease in the aisle width based on the number of pixels that an object occupies on the screen. Alternatively, detection may be performed based on images captured by a camera installed in the aisle rather than the mobile object.

[0056] In addition, in the first embodiment, the passage width is measured at each waypoint, but the point at which the passage width is measured may be anywhere on the travel route as long as the time at which the moving object will pass can be predicted. It may also be any point between waypoints. Furthermore, instead of a point, it may be an area divided in the longitudinal direction of the passage.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the obstacle detection means 204 detects a decrease in aisle width as an obstacle, but any event that causes an obstacle may be used. For example, the measurement device 201 may be an imaging device such as a camera, and water droplets may be detected in the captured image to detect an obstacle such as a "decrease in friction on the aisle floor." The obstacle prediction means 205 may predict "passage impassable" when a "decrease in friction on the aisle floor" occurs. Alternatively, the obstacle detection means 204 may detect an obstacle such as "congestion in the aisle" when the density of people on the aisle exceeds a predetermined threshold, and predict "passage impassable." Alternatively, the obstacle detection means 204 may detect mats or steps on the aisle to detect an obstacle such as a "change in the flatness of the aisle floor," and predict the obstacle content of "passage impassable."

[0058] Furthermore, the input to the obstacle cause detection means 204 does not have to be the measurement value of the measuring device 201, but may be any data that can detect an obstacle cause. For example, information on the occurrence of railway accidents may be input from the Internet, etc., to detect "congestion in the aisle," which is an obstacle cause, or "reduced friction on the aisle floor surface" may be detected based on weather forecast data such as the probability of precipitation.

[0059] In this embodiment, obstacles occurring in the aisles are detected, but the location of the obstacle is not limited to the aisles and may be any location where an event that reduces the operational efficiency of a mobile object occurs. For example, in transportation operations, a decrease in friction on the warehouse floor when unloading an item from a loading platform may be detected as an obstacle.

[0060] Furthermore, instead of detecting a single type of failure cause, multiple types of failure causes may be detected, which can further reduce the possibility of business efficiency being reduced due to a failure.

[0061] In this embodiment, an example of an "unpassable passage" has been described as an obstacle, but the obstacle may be any phenomenon that reduces work efficiency. Instead of an unpassable passage, the obstacle may be a "difficult passage" that requires the travel speed to be reduced or the travel route to be changed. Alternatively, the obstacle may be a phenomenon that makes it impossible to carry out the work, such as the absence of an item to be transported in a transportation work. If the obstacle is a "difficult passage," the plan modification means 206 determines a modification plan that extends the time taken between waypoints. Alternatively, a modification plan that causes the route to meander may be determined.

[0062] By detecting a failure that reduces business efficiency to a lesser extent, the reduction in business efficiency can be further reduced.

[0063] Furthermore, the plan may be changed by detecting multiple types of failures instead of a single type of failure, which can further reduce the decrease in business efficiency.

[0064] In this embodiment, the proposed change may be any measure that alleviates the decline in operational efficiency assigned to the mobile unit. The route plan may be postponed for a predetermined time. To avoid passing through the point of occurrence after the time of the failure, the plan may be postponed until the failure is removed.

[0065] Alternatively, a proposed change to the plan may be determined that adds an operation plan to remove obstacles, water droplets, steps, etc. that may cause obstructions.

[0066] In this embodiment, a proposed plan change is determined in which all of the times included in the route plan are moved forward, but a proposed plan change may also be determined in which all of the times included in the route plan are moved backward.

[0067] If the plan has ample time, it may be possible to shorten the entire plan so that the point where the problem occurs is not passed after the time when the problem occurs. If the plan does not have ample time, it may be possible to extend the entire plan in anticipation of the additional time that will be required due to the problem. In other words, the time when the problem occurs is not included in the execution time of the plan.

[0068] In this embodiment, the task assigned to the mobile body is a transportation task, but the task is not limited to transportation. It may be cleaning, security, or inventory. The method described above can be used to determine the proposed changes for these tasks.

[0069] In addition, when the work involves work in an area, such as cleaning, instead of or in addition to detecting obstacles and predicting obstacles at a specific point, detection of obstacles and prediction of obstacles are performed for the work area. The obstacles to be detected may be the types of obstacles mentioned above, or may be "occupied work area," in which the work area is occupied by a purpose other than the work of the mobile body, making it impossible for the mobile body to work. As mentioned above, the information used to detect obstacles may be either measured data or non-measured data. [Example]

[0070] In the first embodiment, a method for reducing the decrease in work efficiency by changing the route plan of a certain mobile object is shown. In the present embodiment, a method for reducing the decrease in work efficiency by shortening the travel time of the route plan and increasing the amount of work completed before a failure occurs is shown.

[0071] The configuration of the information processing apparatus 200 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0072] The processing of the second embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. Differences from the first embodiment will be explained using the flowchart of Fig. 4. The processing starts in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0073] In S407, in this embodiment, the plan change determination means 206 determines a change proposal for the operation plan of the mobile object.

[0074] In this embodiment, the process is the same as in the previous embodiment, up to the process in which the plan change determination means 206 determines whether the mobile body will pass the failure point. The plan change determination means 206 then changes the route plan so that the mobile body does not pass the failure point after the failure occurrence time. For the waypoint that is the failure point, the latest time to pass that waypoint is searched for in the route plan of the mobile body. If the acquired latest time is later than the failure occurrence time, the time between each waypoint is shortened by a fixed factor λ. Here, λ is a number greater than 0 and less than 1, and the plan modification means 206 sets it so that the latest time to pass the waypoint is before the failure occurrence time. In other words, the failure occurrence time is not included in the plan execution time. The shortened result is proposed as a proposed modification to the route plan.

[0075] The plan change determination means 206 outputs the proposed changes to the route plan to the plan change means 207, and the process proceeds to S408.

[0076] As described above, in the second embodiment, when an obstacle will have an impact on a task assigned to a mobile object in the future, it becomes possible to improve task efficiency without changing the start time of the route plan.

[0077] In the second embodiment, the plan change determination means 206 determines a change proposal by shortening the travel time, but the change proposal is not limited to shortening the travel time. Any change proposal for the route plan that improves work efficiency by preventing the moving body from passing the point of occurrence after the time of the failure may be used. For example, a change proposal may be one that improves work efficiency by changing the unloading mechanism, such as a gripper, mounted on the moving body to one with a relatively fast operating speed, thereby changing the time at which the moving body arrives at a waypoint after the work.

[0078] Alternatively, the work time may be reduced by dividing the work for a plurality of transported items among a plurality of moving bodies and performing the work simultaneously.

[0079] Alternatively, the proposed change may be to reduce the amount of items to be transported, thereby reducing the amount of work, thereby changing the time to arrive at the waypoint where the obstacle occurs.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a mobile body to which a transportation task is assigned has been described, but the assigned task is not limited to transportation. It may also be cleaning. A modification plan may be to improve efficiency by changing to a part that can clean a wider area at once, and change the time to reach the waypoint. Furthermore, a modification plan may be to divide the cleaning among multiple mobile bodies, or to change the time to reach the waypoint by not cleaning some areas. [Example]

[0081] In the first embodiment, a method for reducing the decrease in business efficiency by avoiding the occurrence of failures is shown. In this embodiment, a method for reducing the decrease in business efficiency without avoiding the occurrence of failures is shown.

[0082] In this embodiment, a plurality of mobile units assigned to a transport task share the task by delivering and receiving packages across a fault-prone area, thereby reducing the decline in task efficiency. In other words, this is an example of adding an execution entity.

[0083] The configuration of the information processing device 200 in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0084] The processing of the third embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. Differences from the first embodiment will be explained using the flowchart of Fig. 4. The processing starts in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0085] (Claim 4: Changing the plans of multiple autonomous moving bodies) In S404, the plan acquisition means 203 acquires the work plans assigned to each of the multiple mobile objects from the plan acquisition means 203. In this embodiment, the work plans for all mobile objects managed by the plan management system are acquired. The plan acquisition means 203 outputs the work plans for the multiple mobile objects to the failure prediction means 205, and the process proceeds to S405.

[0086] In S406, the failure prediction means 205 predicts a failure based on the cause of the failure.

[0087] In this embodiment, the obstacle content is predicted based on the obstacle factor input from the obstacle factor detection means 204. If the obstacle factor is "reduced aisle width", the obstacle prediction means 205 acquires "passage impassable". The obstacle prediction means 205 outputs the obstacle content to the plan update means 207, and then proceeds to S408.

[0088] In S407, the plan modification means 206 determines a proposed change to the business plan based on the type of failure, the location and time of failure, and the business plan. In this embodiment, the business plan input to the plan modification means 206 and the proposed change to the business plan output are plans assigned to multiple mobile units.

[0089] The plan modification means 206 determines a proposed modification to the work plan based on the work 504 assigned to the mobile objects. In this embodiment, work plans for two mobile objects equipped with automatic loading and unloading mechanisms for cargo are extracted. Then, the plan modification determination means 206 determines a proposed modification to the work plan so that the multiple mobile objects to which the extracted work plans are assigned will hand over and receive the transported goods at the obstacle point. In this embodiment, the work plan is modified so that one mobile object unloads the transported goods from its loading platform at the waypoint that is the obstacle point, and the other mobile object collects the transported goods by loading them onto the loading platform at the same waypoint. Then, the plan modification means 206 outputs the proposed modification to the plan to the plan update means 207, and the process proceeds to S408.

[0090] The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0091] As described above, in embodiment 1, if an obstacle will have a future impact on the work assigned to a mobile body, the mobile body's work plan can be updated without avoiding the obstacle, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0092] In this embodiment, the decrease in work efficiency is mitigated by changing the work plan to transfer the transported item at the obstacle point, but the proposed change to the work plan is not limited to the method of Example 3. Any proposed change that can mitigate the decrease in work efficiency is acceptable. For example, if an obstacle occurs that makes a moving object unable to pass due to an obstacle factor that causes a step, this can be mitigated by adding a work process to replace the wheels of the moving object with wheels that can overcome the step. If the step makes it impossible to pass due to an obstacle that the step poses to the loading platform or the gripping mechanism, the loading platform or the gripping mechanism can be replaced.

[0093] Furthermore, the decline in work efficiency can be alleviated by changing to a mobile unit that is not affected by the obstacle. For example, if an obstacle that reduces the width of the aisle occurs, the work assignment can be changed to a mobile unit with a smaller housing size and a smaller minimum passage width of the aisle. Alternatively, if passage is impossible due to steps or slippery passages, the mobile unit can be replaced with one that has a mechanism that allows it to move even if there are steps or slippery passages.

[0094] Furthermore, humans may be used as the execution agents of tasks. For example, a mobile object and a worker may hand over the transported item at the point where the problem occurs, thereby reducing the decrease in work efficiency. Alternatively, the decrease in work efficiency may be reduced by reassigning the task execution from the mobile object to a worker.

[0095] Alternatively, the work plan may be modified to remove the obstacle. For example, if an obstacle is predicted to cause an "impassable passage" due to an obstacle, a modification plan may be decided to add a task of transporting the obstacle from the passage to another point. [Example]

[0096] The first embodiment has shown a method for determining a change plan that avoids a failure that will occur and reduces a decline in business efficiency. In this embodiment, a method for determining multiple change plans that reduce a decline in business efficiency will be shown.

[0097] The configuration of the information processing device 200 in this embodiment is the same as that in the first embodiment.

[0098] The processing of the third embodiment is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. Differences from the first embodiment will be explained using the flowchart of Fig. 4. The processing starts in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0099] In S407, the plan change determination means 206 determines a plurality of change plans based on the obstacle content. In this embodiment, at least two of the change plans described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment are determined based on the obstacle "passage impassable."

[0100] In S408, the plan update means 207 updates the plan.

[0101] In this embodiment, it is determined whether the change plans are feasible in the order they are input from the plan change determination means 206. If they are feasible, the plan is output to the storage means, and the process proceeds to S409.

[0102] The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0103] (effect) According to the method of this embodiment, the decrease in work efficiency can be more reliably reduced.

[0104] In this embodiment, the order of the plan change proposals output from the plan change determination means 206 is fixed, but it may be changeable by the user of the device of the present invention.

[0105] In this embodiment, the first feasible change proposal input from the plan change determination means 206 was executed, but this is not limiting. The decrease in the total amount of work output or the amount of work output per task hour due to each change proposal may be estimated, and the plan change proposal to be executed may be selected in order of the least amount of decrease. Alternatively, the amount of time that the task end time will be delayed from the initial plan may be estimated, and the plan change proposal to be executed may be selected in order of the least amount of delay.

[0106] [Other embodiments] The information determined by the plan change determination means 206 may be displayed on a display device (not shown) in one or more forms of diagrams, images, and text, or may be output in the form of sound to an audio output device (not shown).

[0107] The present invention can also be realized by executing the following process. That is, software (programs) that realize the functions of the above-described embodiments are supplied to a system or device via a network or various storage media, and the computer (or CPU, MPU, etc.) of the system or device reads and executes the programs. The programs may also be provided by recording them on a computer-readable recording medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 101 Output Devices 102 Planning Management System 103 Mobile 104 Obstacles

Claims

1. a plan acquisition means for acquiring a plan assigned to the autonomous moving body; a fault detection means for detecting a fault that may hinder the execution of the plan based on the plan; a fault prediction means for predicting a fault against the plan based on the plan and the fault factor; a plan change determination means for determining a change to the plan based on the failure; An information processing device characterized by:

2. the plan change determination means determines to advance or delay at least one of the times included in the plan; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

3. the plan change decision means decides to shorten or extend the execution time of the plan; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

4. the plan acquisition means acquires the plans assigned to each of the plurality of autonomous moving bodies; the plan change determination means determines the changes to the plurality of plans based on the failure predicted by the failure prediction means; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

5. the plan change determination means determines whether to add an entity that executes the plan, or whether to change an entity that executes the plan, or whether to add and change an entity that executes the plan; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

6. the plan change determination means selects at least one of the change contents of the plurality of plans based on the amount of decrease in the business efficiency of the plan due to each of the change contents; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

7. the plan change determination means determines whether the change contents of the plurality of plans are feasible, and selects at least one of the change contents of the plans that are determined to be feasible; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

8. the failure prediction means predicts the time when a failure will occur, the plan change determination means determines the change content of the plan so that the time when the failure occurs is not included in the execution time of the plan; 8. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

9. The obstacle predicted by the obstacle prediction means is one or more of the following: impassable passage, reduced friction on the passage floor, difficulty in passage, and occupation of the work area; 2. The information processing device according to claim 1,

10. a plan acquisition step of acquiring a plan assigned to the autonomous moving body; a fault detection step of detecting a fault that may hinder the execution of the plan based on the plan; a failure prediction step of predicting a failure to the plan based on the plan and the failure factors; a plan change determination step of determining changes to the plan based on the failure; An information processing method comprising:

11. A program for causing a CPU to execute each step of the information processing method according to claim 10.

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