Autonomous mobile robot and control system

Abstract

To provide an autonomous mobile robot capable of providing appropriate control in sharing a ride with a person.SOLUTION: An autonomous mobile robot capable of moving between multiple floors using an elevator is provided. The autonomous mobile robot comprises: a first acquisition unit for acquiring a current work content of the autonomous mobile robot; a second acquisition unit for acquiring a presence / absence status of a person inside an elevator car; and a control unit for controlling a shared ride with the person based on the work content and the presence / absence status.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile robot and a control system. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, autonomous mobile robots have been developed that autonomously move along a predetermined patrol route in a building or the like, automatically avoiding pedestrians and obstacles on the patrol route.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses determining whether a robot can board an elevator car based on a list of planned destinations for the car. Patent Document 2 discloses a control system for an autonomous mobile robot that allows the autonomous mobile robot to board an elevator car when a boarding space availability determination means of the autonomous mobile robot determines that there is boarding space. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-129536 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-88721 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When an autonomous mobile robot travels using an elevator, it is desirable to appropriately control the sharing of the autonomous mobile robot with a person.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile robot and a control system that can appropriately control a ride-sharing with a person. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides an autonomous mobile robot that can move between multiple floors using an elevator, and has a first acquisition unit that acquires the current work content of the autonomous mobile robot, a second acquisition unit that acquires the presence or absence of a person in the elevator car, and a control unit that controls sharing a ride with a person based on the work content and the presence or absence status.

[0008] In this autonomous mobile robot, when the presence / absence status indicates that a person is present in the car, the control unit preferably restricts the autonomous mobile robot from entering the car if the work content is normal work, and allows the autonomous mobile robot to enter the car if the work content is emergency work.

[0009] In this autonomous mobile robot, normal work is work that is performed based on a predetermined work schedule, and when the presence / absence status indicates that a person is present in the elevator, the control unit preferably allows the autonomous mobile robot to board the elevator depending on the delay in the work schedule, even if the work content is normal work.

[0010] In this autonomous mobile robot, during normal operation, the control unit preferably allows the autonomous mobile robot to board the car when the presence / absence status indicates that there is space for the autonomous mobile robot to board the car and that the area of ​​the space for the autonomous mobile robot is equal to or greater than a predetermined area, and prohibits the autonomous mobile robot from boarding the car when the area of ​​the space for the autonomous mobile robot is less than the predetermined area.

[0011] This autonomous mobile robot preferably has an output unit that notifies people in the vicinity with a predetermined message, and if the work content is emergency work and the presence / absence status indicates that there is no space for the autonomous mobile robot to ride in the car, the control unit preferably instructs the people in the car to get out of the car via the output unit.

[0012] This autonomous mobile robot preferably has an output unit that notifies people in the vicinity with a predetermined message, and if the work content is an emergency task that may pose a danger to people and the presence / absence status indicates that a person is present in the elevator, the control unit preferably instructs the person in the elevator to exit the elevator via the output unit.

[0013] In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides a control system for controlling an autonomous mobile robot that can move between multiple floors using an elevator, and includes a first acquisition unit that acquires the current work content of the autonomous mobile robot, a second acquisition unit that acquires the presence or absence of a person in the elevator car, and a control unit that controls sharing a ride with a person in the elevator car based on the work content and the presence or absence status. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] The autonomous mobile robot and control system according to the present invention can appropriately control a ride-sharing with a person. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a control system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous mobile robot. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data structure of an operation status table. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of a ride-sharing control process. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of another operation status table. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of another ride-sharing control process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The control system according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0017] First Embodiment 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a control system 1 for an autonomous mobile robot 40 and an elevator 20 in the first embodiment. The control system 1 has an elevator control device 10, one or more elevators 20, a robot management device 30, and one or more autonomous mobile robots (hereinafter simply referred to as "robots") 40.

[0018] In the control system 1, an elevator control device 10 and a robot management device 30 are connected to each other via a network N such as a local network or the Internet. The elevator control device 10 is connected to an elevator 20 via contacts, a serial communication line, or a network (not shown) such as a local network or the Internet. The robot management device 30 is connected to a robot 40 via a wireless communication network (not shown) such as a wireless LAN or a mobile phone network.

[0019] The elevator control device 10 controls the movement of the elevator 20 in accordance with button operations on the elevator 20 or signals from the robot 40. The elevator 20 moves in accordance with control signals from the elevator control device 10. A camera is installed above or on the side of the elevator car. The elevator 20 periodically captures images of the interior of the car with the camera and transmits the captured images of the interior of the car to the elevator control device 10. The elevator control device 10 detects the presence and number of people in the car by using known object detection technology or pattern matching technology for the images received from the elevator 20.

[0020] The robot management device 30 controls the robot 40 according to a predetermined schedule or instructions from an administrator. The robot management device 30 transmits instruction signals to the robot 40 to instruct it to perform a specified task. The instruction signals include the content of the task to be performed and the location where the task will be performed. The robot 40 moves to a location specified by the instruction signal received from the robot management device 30 and performs the specified task. Note that the robot 40 may move between floors using the elevator 20.

[0021] The elevator control device 10 and the robot management device 30 work together to move the robot 40 across multiple floors via the elevator 20. The robot 40 moves by driving tires Tr attached to its bottom surface.

[0022] 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous mobile robot 40 in the first embodiment. The robot 40 has a communication unit 41, a sensor 42, a drive unit 43, an output unit 44, a memory unit 45, and a processing unit 46.

[0023] The communication unit 41 communicates between the robot 40 and the robot management device 30. For example, the communication unit 41 has an interface circuit for transmitting and receiving signals according to a wireless communication method such as a mobile phone network or a wireless LAN (Local Area Network). The communication unit 41 transmits data supplied from the processing unit 46 to the robot management device 30, and supplies data received from the robot management device 30 to the processing unit 46.

[0024] The sensor 42 generates information about the environment of the space surrounding the robot 40. For example, the sensor 42 includes an imaging sensor such as a visible camera or an infrared camera, or a thermal imaging camera, which captures images of the surrounding space and generates an image. The sensor 42 may be a distance sensor that generates information indicating the presence, position, distance, etc. of moving objects in the surrounding space. In this case, the sensor 42 includes a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor that measures the distance to an object in the surrounding space and outputs the distance as point cloud information. The sensor 42 may also include other sensors that detect temperature, humidity, noise, vibration, illuminance, etc. of the surrounding space and generate information indicating them. The sensor 42 supplies the generated information about the environment of the surrounding space to the processing unit 46.

[0025] The drive unit 43 includes a motor and a control circuit, and drives the tire Tr of the robot 40 to rotate via the motor. The control circuit of the drive unit 43 controls the motor in accordance with instructions from the processing unit 46 to drive the tire Tr to rotate, thereby causing the robot 40 to travel.

[0026] The output unit 44 includes a display such as a liquid crystal display, an organic electroluminescent display, or the like, and an interface circuit that outputs image data to the display, and displays various information such as images and text according to instructions from the processing unit 46. The output unit 44 includes a speaker and an interface circuit that outputs audio data to the speaker, and may output audio according to instructions from the processing unit 46. The output unit 44 can notify nearby people of a predetermined message.

[0027] The storage unit 45 stores data and various programs. The storage unit 45 includes semiconductor memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and SSD (Solid State Drive), as well as a magnetic disk, an optical disk drive such as CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, and a storage medium thereof. The storage unit 45 stores an operating system program, driver programs, application programs, data, and the like used in processing by the processing unit 46. Programs are installed into the storage unit 45 from a computer-readable, non-transitory, portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM using a known setup program or the like. The programs may be stored in a storage medium owned by a predetermined server and installed via a network.

[0028] The storage unit 45 stores an operation status table 451. The operation status table 451 is used to control the robot 40 and a person other than the robot 40 from sharing the elevator car 20 when the robot 40 gets on the elevator car 20.

[0029] 3 is a diagram showing the data structure of the operation status table 451. The operation status table 451 is used to determine whether or not to allow a person other than the robot 40 to share a ride in the car. The operation status table 451 stores, for each type (application) of the robot 40, the work content during normal operation (normal work) and the work content during emergency operation (emergency work) in association with each other. The work content during normal operation is work performed based on a predetermined work schedule, and the work content during emergency operation is work outside the schedule or work performed by the robot that has a high urgency and / or priority.

[0030] The types of robot 40 include, for example, a security robot, a cleaning robot, a transport robot, a reception robot, etc. The types of robot 40 may include other types. Furthermore, a single robot may be configured to be capable of performing multiple functions such as security, cleaning, transport, and reception.

[0031] If the type of robot 40 is a security robot, the tasks during normal operation include patrolling, inspection, etc., and the tasks during emergency operation include dealing with abnormalities, etc. Patrolling is the task of patrolling a predetermined route at a predetermined time, and inspection is the task of inspecting a predetermined target at a predetermined time. Dealing with abnormalities is, for example, the task of moving to a location where an abnormality has occurred specified by the robot management device 30, checking the condition (taking photographs), dealing with the abnormality, etc. In other words, tasks during emergency operation require the robot 40 to move quickly, and are tasks that require more sharing of passengers than tasks during normal operation.

[0032] If the type of robot 40 is a cleaning robot, the work content during normal operation includes regular cleaning, etc., and the work content during emergency operation includes cleaning instructions, etc. Regular cleaning is the work of moving to a predetermined location at a predetermined time to clean. A cleaning instruction is, for example, the work of quickly moving to a specific location specified by the robot management device 30 to clean. In this case, too, work during emergency operation requires the robot 40 to move quickly, and is work that more strongly requires allowing ride-sharing than work during normal operation.

[0033] If the type of robot 40 is a transport robot, the work content during normal operation includes transport and the like, and the work content during emergency operation includes emergency transport and the like. Transport is the work of transporting luggage to a specified location at a predetermined time. Emergency transport is, for example, the work of quickly transporting luggage to a specific location in accordance with instructions given by the robot management device 30 at a time other than the predetermined time. In this case, too, the work during emergency operation requires the robot 40 to move quickly, and is work that has a higher need to allow ride-sharing compared to work during normal operation.

[0034] If the type of robot 40 is a reception robot, the work content during normal operation includes guiding visitors, etc., and the work content during emergency operation includes guiding VIPs, etc. Guiding visitors is, for example, the work of guiding visitors to a predetermined conference room, etc. Guiding VIPs is, for example, the work of quickly guiding an unexpectedly visiting VIP to a special reception room in accordance with instructions given from the robot management device 30. In this case, too, the work during emergency operation requires the robot 40 to quickly escort the VIP to the special reception room, and is a work that more strongly requires allowing carpooling than work during normal operation.

[0035] The processing unit 46 comprehensively controls the operation of the robot 40. For example, the processing unit 46 has at least one processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), memories such as a ROM and a RAM, and peripheral circuits thereof. The processing unit 46 may be an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like. The processing unit 46 executes processing based on a program stored in the storage unit 45.

[0036] The processing unit 46 has a first acquisition unit 461, a second acquisition unit 462, and a control unit 463. Each of these units is a functional module realized by the CPU of the processing unit 46 executing a program in the storage unit 45. Each of these units may be implemented in the robot 40 as a dedicated processing circuit.

[0037] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the ride-sharing control process by the robot 40. The operation in this flowchart is executed mainly by the processing unit 46 in cooperation with each element of the robot 40, based on a program stored in advance in the storage unit 45.

[0038] 4 is executed, the robot 40 transmits a car call signal to call the car of the elevator 20 to the elevator control device 10 via the robot management device 30. The car call signal includes a robot ID, which is identification information of the robot 40, as well as information such as the destination floor and boarding floor of the robot 40.

[0039] When the elevator control device 10 receives the car call signal, it identifies the robot 40 based on the robot ID, selects the optimal elevator car 20 based on the destination floor or the boarding floor, and directs the selected car to the boarding floor of the robot 40. The elevator control device 10 may obtain information on the floor where the robot 40 is currently located from the robot management device 30 that manages the movement of the robot 40, and identify the boarding floor of the robot 40 based on that information.

[0040] The elevator control device 10 transmits an expected arrival signal, indicating that the elevator car of the elevator 20 is scheduled to arrive at the boarding floor of the robot 40, to the robot 40 via the robot management device 30. The expected arrival signal includes the robot ID, identification information (car ID) of the car that the robot 40 should board, etc. The robot 40 moves to the boarding position of the car corresponding to the car ID included in the received expected arrival signal.

[0041] First, the first acquisition unit 461 acquires an operation status indicating the current work content of the robot 40 (step S11). Every time the robot 40 is instructed to perform a work by the robot management device 30, the robot 40 stores the operation status indicating the instructed work content in the storage unit 45, and the first acquisition unit 461 acquires the operation status by reading it from the storage unit 45. The first acquisition unit 461 may transmit a request signal requesting the transmission of the operation status indicating the current work content to the robot management device 30 via the communication unit 41, and acquire the operation status by receiving it from the robot management device 30. Note that the first acquisition unit 461 may also acquire the operation status indicating the work content by reading it out from the storage unit 45 in advance, regardless of an instruction from the robot management device 30.

[0042] Next, the second acquisition unit 462 acquires a presence status indicating whether or not a person is present in the car of the elevator 20 that the user is scheduled to board (step S12). The second acquisition unit 462 transmits a request signal requesting transmission of the presence status of the person in the car to the robot management device 30 via the communication unit 41. The request signal includes the car ID of the car specified in the expected arrival signal. The elevator control device 10 detects the presence or absence status of a person in the car, the number of people, the size of the passenger space, etc., using known object detection technology, pattern matching, etc., on an image captured by a camera installed in the car specified in the request signal. The elevator control device 10 transmits a presence status signal indicating the presence or absence of the detected person in the car to the robot 40 via the robot management device 30. The second acquisition unit 462 acquires the presence or absence status by receiving the presence or absence status signal from the elevator control device 10 via the communication unit 41 and the robot management device 30. The second acquisition unit 462 may acquire the presence / absence status by capturing an image of the interior of the elevator car using the sensor 42 of the robot 40 when the elevator door 20 opens, and detecting the presence of a person based on the captured image of the interior of the elevator car and sensor information such as LiDAR. Furthermore, when detecting the size of the passenger space of the elevator car, the elevator control device 10 can determine whether the passenger space for the robot 40 is equal to or larger than a predetermined area by calculating the occupied area per person based on the image from the camera and subtracting the occupied area for the number of people from the floor area of ​​the elevator car. If there is enough space for the robot 40 to board the elevator car and the passenger space for the robot 40 is equal to or larger than the predetermined area, the elevator control device 10 allows the robot 40 to board, but prohibits the robot 40 from boarding if the passenger space for the robot 40 is smaller than the predetermined area.

[0043] Next, the control unit 463 determines whether the presence / absence status acquired by the second acquisition unit 462 indicates that a person is present in the car that the user is to board (step S13). If the presence / absence status indicates that a person is not present in the car that the user is to board (step S13: NO), the control unit 463 determines that there is no possibility of sharing a ride with a person in the car, and decides to allow the robot 40 to board the car regardless of the operation status (step S14), thereby ending the series of steps. In this case, when the car of the elevator 20 arrives at the boarding floor where the robot 40 is waiting, the control unit 463 drives the tire Tr by the drive unit 43 to move the robot 40 into the car of the elevator 20.

[0044] At this time, since there is no person in the elevator that the robot 40 is to board, the control unit 463 makes an announcement via the output unit 44 such as "This elevator is currently only for robots. Please do not board after the robot," to prevent people from cutting in line to board. Note that if there is no person waiting at the waiting location but the sensor 42 detects that there is a person within a range a predetermined distance away from the waiting location of the elevator that the robot 40 is to board, the control unit 463 may make an announcement via the output unit 44 such as "This elevator is currently only for robots. It is not available to the general public," to alert the surrounding area so that the robot 40 can board the elevator by itself.

[0045] On the other hand, if the presence status indicates that a person is present in the elevator car that the person is to board (step S13: YES), the control unit 463 determines whether the work content indicated in the operation status acquired by the first acquisition unit 461 is work during normal operation or work during emergency operation (step S15). The control unit 463 refers to the operation status table 451 and determines whether the work content indicated in the operation status is work during normal operation or work during emergency operation.

[0046] If the work content indicated in the operation status is work for emergency operation (step S15: NO), the control unit 463 decides to allow the robot 40 to board the car, i.e., to share a ride with a person in the car (step S14), and ends the series of steps. In this case, when the elevator control device 10 causes the car of the elevator 20 to arrive at the boarding floor of the robot 40, it opens the elevator and car doors so that the robot 40 can board the car. When the car of the elevator 20 arrives at the boarding floor where the robot 40 is waiting, the control unit 463 drives the tire Tr by the drive unit 43 to move the robot 40 into the car of the elevator 20.

[0047] In this case, when the control unit 463 arrives at the waiting place, the control unit 463 makes an announcement via the output unit 44 such as "We will be boarding the next elevator due to an emergency," thereby informing those around of the intention to board the elevator car. The control unit 463 may also make an announcement about the destination floor. Furthermore, the control unit 463 may detect using the sensor 42 whether or not a person is present in the waiting place, and if it determines that no person is present, the control unit 463 may omit the announcement when boarding the elevator car. Alternatively, if the control unit 463 detects using the sensor 42 that a person is waiting in a specific location within the waiting place, the control unit 463 may make an announcement via the output unit 44 to offer the waiting place to the robot 40.

[0048] On the other hand, if the work content indicated in the operational status is work during normal operation (step S15: YES), the control unit 463 decides to restrict the robot 40 from getting into the car, i.e., from sharing a ride with a person in the car (step S16), and ends the series of steps. In this case, when the car of the elevator 20 arrives at the boarding floor where the robot 40 is waiting, the control unit 463 stops the robot 40 at the waiting location without moving it into the car of the elevator 20, and re-executes the ride-sharing control process after the car passes the boarding floor. At this time, the control unit 463 may detect whether or not a person is present in the waiting location using the sensor 42, and if it determines that a person is present, may make an announcement via the output unit 44, such as "We will see off this elevator and board the next elevator."

[0049] When the robot 40 gets into the car of the elevator 20, the control unit 463 transmits a boarding completion notification to the elevator control device 10 via the communication unit 41 and the robot management device 30. As a result, the elevator control device 10 closes the door of the car of the elevator 20 and moves the car to the destination floor.

[0050] The process of step S12 may be executed before the process of step S11. The process of step S11 and the process of step S12 may be executed simultaneously. One of the processes of steps S11 and S15 and the processes of steps S12 and S13 may be omitted.

[0051] In this way, the control unit 463 controls the sharing of rides between the robot 40 and a person based on the operating status of the robot 40 and the presence or absence of a person in the car of the elevator 20. This allows the robot 40 to appropriately control the sharing of rides between the robot 40 and a person, taking into consideration the status of both the robot 40 and the elevator 20.

[0052] In particular, when there is a person in the car, the control unit 463 restricts the robot 40 from getting into the car if the work content of the robot 40 is work during normal operation, and allows the robot 40 to get into the car if the work content of the robot 40 is work during emergency operation. This allows the robot 40 to avoid getting in the way of people riding in the car of the elevator 20 if the work being performed by the robot 40 is of low urgency, and to move to the site early to perform the work if the work being performed by the robot 40 is of high urgency.

[0053] As described above, the robot 40 determines whether to allow or restrict the robot 40 from sharing a ride with a person in the elevator car based on the operational status indicating the work content of the robot 40 and the presence or absence of a person in the elevator car of the elevator 20. This allows the robot 40 to appropriately control the robot 40 from sharing a ride with a person.

[0054] Furthermore, in normal operation when there is ample time for the robot 40 to travel to its destination floor, the robot 40 avoids passengers sharing the elevator car and boards the elevator 20 when there are no people in the car. The robot 40 can then travel safely by going directly to the destination floor. On the other hand, in emergency operation when the robot 40 needs to travel quickly to its destination floor due to an emergency, work schedule, or the like, the robot 40 allows passengers to share the elevator car with others, allowing it to arrive at its destination floor quickly.

[0055] It has been described that the robot 40 is restricted from getting into the car when the work content of the robot 40 is work during normal operation, but it is not limited to not getting into the car, and getting into the car may be permitted depending on the presence / absence status. That is, the control unit 463 may allow the robot 40 to get into the car when the presence / absence status indicates that the area of ​​the riding space for the robot 40 in the car is equal to or larger than a predetermined area (for example, the number of people in the car is less than a predetermined number). On the other hand, the control unit 463 may prohibit the robot 40 from getting into the car when the presence / absence status indicates that the area of ​​the riding space is less than a predetermined area (for example, the number of people in the car is equal to or larger than a predetermined number).

[0056] <Second embodiment> Next, a control system according to a second embodiment will be described. However, the control system according to the second embodiment has a basic configuration in common with the control system 1 according to the first embodiment. However, an operation status table 551 is stored in the storage unit 45 instead of the operation status table 451.

[0057] 5 is a diagram showing the data structure of the operation status table 551. Like the operation status table 451, the operation status table 551 is used to control whether or not to allow a person other than the robot 40 to ride with the robot 40.

[0058] The operation status table 551 stores the work content during normal operation and the work content during emergency operation in association with each other for each type (application) of the robot 40. The work content during normal operation includes non-emergency work and emergency work. The work content during emergency operation includes non-special work and special work.

[0059] If the type of robot 40 is a security robot, non-emergency work during normal operation includes patrol, inspection, etc., and emergency work during normal operation includes patrol (behind schedule), inspection (behind schedule), etc. Patrol (behind schedule) is work similar to patrol, but the start time has already passed. Inspection (behind schedule) is work similar to inspection, but the start time has already passed. In other words, emergency work during normal operation requires the robot 40 to move quickly because the schedule is behind schedule, and is work that has a higher need to allow ride-sharing compared to non-emergency work during normal operation.

[0060] In this case, non-special tasks during emergency operation include equipment abnormalities, etc., and special tasks during emergency operation include suspicious person detection, etc. Equipment abnormalities are tasks performed in response to abnormalities in the equipment. Suspicious person detection is tasks performed to detect suspicious people. In other words, special tasks during emergency operation are tasks that may pose a danger to people using the elevator 20, and are tasks in which people are not allowed to board the elevator car of the elevator 20 in which the robot 40 is riding. On the other hand, non-special tasks during emergency operation are tasks in which the robot 40 needs to move quickly, and are unlikely to pose a danger to people using the elevator 20, and are tasks in which people are allowed to board the elevator car of the elevator 20 in which the robot 40 is riding.

[0061] If the type of robot 40 is a cleaning robot, non-emergency work during normal operation includes regular cleaning, etc., and emergency work during normal operation includes regular cleaning (schedule behind), etc. Regular cleaning (schedule behind) is the same work as regular cleaning, but the start time has already passed. In other words, emergency work during normal operation is work in which the robot 40 needs to move quickly because the schedule is behind, and it is work in which there is a higher need to allow ride-sharing compared to non-emergency work during normal operation. Also, in this case, non-special work during emergency operation includes cleaning instructions, etc., and special work during emergency operation is not specified.

[0062] If the type of robot 40 is a transport robot, non-emergency work during normal operation includes after transport is completed, etc., and emergency work during normal operation includes during transport, etc. "After transport is completed" refers to work in which the robot 40 moves to return to its original position after transporting the load to the destination. "During transport" refers to work in which the robot 40 is transporting the load to the destination. In other words, emergency work during normal operation requires the robot 40 to move quickly, and is work in which there is a greater need to allow ride-sharing than non-emergency work during normal operation.

[0063] In this case, non-special work during emergency operation includes emergency transportation, etc., and special work during emergency operation includes emergency transportation of hazardous materials, etc. Emergency transportation of hazardous materials is work to quickly transport hazardous materials to a specific location in accordance with instructions from the elevator control device 10 or the robot management device 30.

[0064] In other words, special work during emergency operation requires urgent movement and may pose a risk to people using the elevator 20, and is work that does not allow people to get in the car of the elevator 20 that the robot 40 is riding in. On the other hand, non-special work during emergency operation requires the robot 40 to move quickly and is unlikely to pose a risk to people using the elevator 20, and is work that does allow people to get in the car of the elevator 20 that the robot 40 is riding in.

[0065] If the type of robot 40 is a reception robot, non-emergency tasks during normal operation include guiding visitors, etc., and emergency tasks during normal operation include guiding visitors (a meeting is approaching), etc. Guiding visitors (a meeting is approaching) is a task similar to guiding visitors, but it involves guiding visitors quickly so that they arrive in time for the meeting. In other words, emergency tasks during normal operation require the robot 40 to move quickly, and are tasks that require more carpooling than non-emergency tasks. In this case, non-special tasks during emergency operation include guiding VIPs, etc., and special tasks during emergency operation are not specified.

[0066] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the ride-sharing control process by the robot 40 in the second embodiment. The operation in this flowchart is executed mainly by the processing unit 46 in cooperation with each element of the robot 40 based on a program stored in advance in the storage unit 45.

[0067] In the second embodiment, the process performed before step S21 is executed and the process of steps S21 to S24 are similar to the process performed before step S11 is executed and the process of steps S11 to S14 in Fig. 4. However, in the second embodiment, the presence / absence status indicates not only whether or not a person is present in the car, but also the number of people present in the car.

[0068] In step S22, the elevator control device 10 detects the number of people in the car in addition to the presence or absence of a person in the car, and includes the detected number of people in the car in the presence / absence status signal. In the following, the description of the processing of steps S21 to S24 will be omitted, and only the processing from step S25 onwards will be described.

[0069] If the presence status indicates that a person is present in the intended car in step S23 (step S23: YES), the control unit 463 determines whether the work content indicated in the operation status acquired by the first acquisition unit 461 is work during normal operation or work during emergency operation (step S25). The control unit 463 refers to the operation status table 551 and determines whether the work content indicated in the operation status is work during normal operation or work during emergency operation.

[0070] If the work content indicated in the operational status is work during normal operation (step S25: YES), the control unit 463 determines whether the work content is emergency work due to a schedule delay or non-emergency work (step S26). The control unit 463 refers to the operational status table 551 to determine whether the work content is emergency work or non-emergency work.

[0071] If the work content indicated in the operation status is emergency work (step S26: YES), the control unit 463 determines to allow the robot 40 to board the car, i.e., to allow the robot 40 to share a ride with a person in the car (step S24), similar to the processing of step S14 (FIG. 4), and ends the series of steps. In this way, even if the work content is normal work, the control unit 463 allows the robot 40 to board the car depending on the delay status of the work schedule (indicating whether the work is emergency or non-emergency). In this case, when the robot 40 arrives at the waiting place, the control unit 463 may make an announcement via the output unit 44, such as "We will be boarding the next elevator due to an emergency," to notify those around it of its intention to board the car.

[0072] In this way, when the presence / absence status indicates that a person is present in the car, even if the work content indicated in the operation status is work for normal operation, if the work is work for an emergency, the control unit 463 allows the robot 40 to get into the car. This allows the robot 40 to move to the site early and perform the work when the work being performed requires urgency.

[0073] On the other hand, if the work content indicated in the operational status is non-urgent work (step S26: NO), the control unit 463 determines to restrict the robot 40 from getting into the elevator, i.e., from sharing the elevator with a person in the elevator, as in the process of step S16 (FIG. 4) (step S27), and ends the series of steps. At this time, the control unit 463 may detect using the sensor 42 whether or not a person is present in the waiting area, and if it determines that a person is present, may make an announcement via the output unit 44, such as "We will pass on this elevator and board the next elevator."

[0074] On the other hand, if the work content indicated in the operation status in step S25 is work during emergency operation (step S25: NO), the control unit 463 determines whether the presence / absence status indicates that there is a space for the robot 40 to ride in the car (step S28). If the number of people included in the presence / absence status signal is less than a predetermined threshold, or if the space for the robot 40 to ride is equal to or larger than a predetermined area, the control unit 463 determines that the presence / absence status indicates that there is a space for the robot 40 to ride in the car. On the other hand, if the number is equal to or larger than the threshold, or if the space for the robot 40 to ride is less than the predetermined area, the control unit 463 determines that the presence / absence status indicates that there is no space for the robot 40 to ride in the car.

[0075] If the presence status indicates that there is no space for the robot 40 in the car (step S28: NO), the control unit 463 determines to instruct the person in the car to get off the car (step S29). In this case, when the elevator 20 car arrives at the boarding floor where the robot 40 is waiting, the control unit 463 instructs the person in the car to get off and secures a boarding space by making an announcement via the output unit 44 instructing the person to get off, such as "We will rush to the abnormality floor. Please get off the elevator" or "Please make room for the robot 40 to board for emergency response." The control unit 463 may also make an announcement of the destination floor via the output unit 44 after the robot 40 gets on the car or while the robot 40 is on the car. The control unit 463 may also instruct the person in the car to get off by displaying an image instructing the person to get off the car on the output unit 44.

[0076] In this way, when the work content indicated in the operation status is work during emergency operation and there is no space in the car for the robot 40 to ride in, the control unit 463 can decide to instruct the person in the car to get off the car. As a result, in emergency operation, the robot 40 can get on the car by getting the person in the car off, and therefore can move to the site quickly and perform the work.

[0077] Next, if the boarding space is secured as a result of the instruction to disembark, the control unit 463 determines to allow the robot 40 to board the elevator car (step S30), similar to the processing of step S14 (FIG. 4), and ends the series of steps. Note that if the boarding space is not secured even after the instruction to disembark is given, the control unit 463 determines to restrict boarding. Furthermore, when the robot 40 arrives at the waiting location, the control unit 463 may make an announcement via the output unit 44 such as "We will board the next elevator due to an emergency," to notify those around it of its intention to board the elevator car.

[0078] On the other hand, in step S28, if the presence status indicates that there is a space for the robot 40 in the car (step S28: YES), the control unit 463 determines whether the work content indicated in the operation status is a special work or not (step S31). The control unit 463 refers to the operation status table 551 and determines whether the work content indicated in the operation status is a special work or not.

[0079] If the work content indicated in the operation status is not special work (step S31: NO), the control unit 463 determines to allow the robot 40 to board the elevator car, i.e., to allow the robot 40 to share the elevator car with a person (step S30), in the same manner as the processing in step S14 (FIG. 14), and ends the series of steps. At this time, when the control unit 463 arrives at the waiting place, it may make an announcement via the output unit 44 such as "We will be boarding this elevator for emergency response," to notify those around it of its intention to board the elevator car.

[0080] On the other hand, if the work content indicated in the operation status is special work (step S31: YES), the control unit 463 decides to instruct the person in the car to get off the car (step S29). In this way, if the work content indicated in the operation status is work during emergency operation and there is a person in the car, the control unit 463 instructs the person in the car to get off the car according to the work content. In other words, in the case of special work, the control unit 463 instructs the person in the car to get off the car even if there is space for the autonomous mobile robot to board. As a result, during emergency operation, if the work content is special work, the robot 40 causes the person in the car to get off, so that the robot 40 can quickly move to the site and perform the work without endangering the person in the car of the elevator 20. At this time, when the robot 40 arrives at the waiting location, the control unit 463 may make an announcement via the output unit 44 such as, "This elevator is currently being operated exclusively for robots as we are making an emergency move to the floor where the abnormality occurred. It is not available for general passengers," thereby alerting those around the robot 40 so that it can use the elevator car by itself.

[0081] Next, when the presence / absence status indicates that the elevator 20 car is unoccupied, the control unit 463 determines to allow the robot 40 to board the car (step S30), similar to the processing of step S14 (FIG. 4), and ends the series of steps. At this time, the control unit 463 may make an announcement via the output unit 44, such as "This is a robot-only operation. Please refrain from boarding after the robot," in order to prevent cutting in.

[0082] As described above, the robot 40 of the second embodiment can also appropriately control riding together with a person.

[0083] <Other embodiments> Although preferred embodiments have been described above, the embodiments are not limited to the above examples. For example, the locations of the robot 40 and the robot management device 30 in the control system 1 can be changed as appropriate. Furthermore, in order to provide services in the form of cloud computing, multiple servers may be distributed and placed on a network, with each server working together to share each process.

[0084] In the control system 1, all processing in the processing unit 46 of the robot 40 may be executed by the robot management device 30, and the robot management device 30 may control the above-mentioned ride-sharing by issuing instructions to the robot 40, or the robot 40 and the robot management device 30 may share the responsibilities of each process.

[0085] The control unit 463 may make each announcement in each step not only once but also multiple times in succession via the output unit 44.

[0086] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make various changes, substitutions, and alterations to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications may be implemented in any suitable combination within the scope of the present invention.

[0087] The autonomous mobile robot according to one embodiment of the present invention can contribute to solving social issues such as a declining labor force, long working hours, etc. Furthermore, the autonomous mobile robot according to one embodiment of the present invention can contribute to achieving Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote industrial and technological innovation." [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] 20 Elevator 40 Robot 461 First acquisition part 462 Second Acquisition Department 463 Control Unit

Claims

1. An autonomous mobile robot that can move between multiple floors using elevators, a first acquisition unit that acquires a current task content of the autonomous mobile robot; a second acquisition unit that acquires a presence status of a person in the elevator car; a control unit that controls a ride-sharing with a person based on the work content and the presence / absence status; An autonomous mobile robot comprising:

2. When the presence / absence status indicates that a person is present in the elevator car, the control unit restricts the autonomous mobile robot from getting into the elevator car if the work content is normal work, and allows the autonomous mobile robot to get into the elevator car if the work content is emergency work.

2. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 1.

3. The normal work is work performed based on a predetermined work schedule, When the presence / absence status indicates that a person is present in the elevator car, the control unit allows the autonomous mobile robot to get into the elevator car according to a delay status of the work schedule, even if the work content is normal work.

3. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2.

4. The control unit, during the normal operation, when the presence / absence status indicates that there is a riding space for the autonomous mobile robot in the car and the area of ​​the riding space for the autonomous mobile robot is equal to or larger than a predetermined area, allows the autonomous mobile robot to ride in the car, and when the area of ​​the riding space is less than the predetermined area, prohibits the autonomous mobile robot from riding in the car.

3. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2.

5. an output unit that notifies surrounding people of a predetermined message; When the work content is emergency work and the presence / absence status indicates that there is no space for the autonomous mobile robot to ride in the car, the control unit instructs the person in the car to get off the car via the output unit.

3. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2.

6. an output unit that notifies surrounding people of a predetermined message; When the work content is an emergency work that may pose a danger to a person and the presence / absence status indicates that a person is present in the elevator car, the control unit instructs the person in the elevator car to get off the elevator car via the output unit.

3. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 2.

7. A control system for controlling an autonomous mobile robot that can move between multiple floors using an elevator, a first acquisition unit that acquires a current task content of the autonomous mobile robot; a second acquisition unit that acquires a presence status of a person in the elevator car; a control unit that controls a passenger to ride in the elevator car with a person based on the work content and the presence / absence status; A control system comprising:

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