Information processing apparatus, method of controlling information processing apparatus, and program

Abstract

To enable, if a problem occurs to inhibit a task of a moving body, the problem to be resolved in a further suitable form.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises a moving-body information acquiring section 301 that acquires information about a moving body to be managed, a problem-information acquiring section 302 that, if there is an occurrence of a problem to become a hindrance to work execution of the moving body, acquires information about details of the problem, a personal-information acquiring section 303 that acquires attribute information of one or more persons to become a candidate for solving the problem, and a person selecting section 304 that selects a person who solves the problem out of the one or more persons, based on the information about the moving body acquired by the moving-body information acquiring section 301, the information about the details of the problem acquired by the problem-information acquiring section 302 and the attribute information of the one or more persons acquired by the personal-information acquiring section 303.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a control method for an information processing device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, there have been increasing opportunities to improve the efficiency of tasks such as transporting goods by using autonomously mobile robots (hereinafter also referred to as mobile objects) in environments similar to those in which humans work, such as factory production lines, shipping warehouses, and hospitals. Currently, many of the environments in which such robots are used are often environments suitable for human workers. Furthermore, since many mobile robots (mobile objects) have difficulty responding flexibly like humans, situations can arise in which it becomes difficult for the mobile object to execute its task. To address this issue, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that solves the problem by requesting remote operation from a human in a remote location when a mobile object encounters an exceptional event while executing a task. Patent Document 2 also discloses a technology that solves the problem by calling a security guard in a security room when a mobile object becomes inoperable. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-126658 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-342496 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] On the other hand, with the technologies disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when a problem occurs that prevents a mobile object from executing a task, it may be difficult to resolve the problem, or even if it can be resolved, it may take a long time.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to make it possible to solve a problem that interferes with the tasks of a mobile body in a more suitable manner when such a problem occurs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device of the present invention is characterized by having a mobile object information acquisition means for acquiring information about a mobile object to be managed, a problem information acquisition means for acquiring information about the content of a problem when a problem occurs that hinders the mobile object from performing work, a person information acquisition means for acquiring attribute information of one or more people who are candidates for solving the problem, and a person selection means for selecting a person to solve the problem from the one or more people based on the information about the mobile object acquired by the mobile object information acquisition means, the information about the content of the problem acquired by the problem information acquisition means, and the attribute information of the one or more people acquired by the person information acquisition means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, when a problem occurs that interferes with the task of a mobile body, the problem can be solved in a more suitable manner. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a situation in which an information processing device is applied. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an information processing device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an information processing device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an information processing device. [Figure 8]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the content of a notification sent to a problem solving person. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the content of a notification sent to a problem solving person. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by an information processing device. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] An example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device 100 applied to realizing a technology according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The functional configurations and processes of each embodiment, which will be described in detail later, may be realized by a single device or by multiple devices working together. When multiple devices work together, the functions of a series of components described in each embodiment may be distributed among the multiple devices, or the processing load of at least some of the components may be distributed among the multiple devices. When multiple devices work together, the multiple devices may be connected via a network such as a local area network (LAN) so that they can communicate with each other.

[0011] The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 is a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the information processing device 100. The ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 is a storage area that stores programs and parameters that do not require modification. The RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 is a storage area that temporarily stores programs, data, etc. supplied from external devices, etc. The external storage device 104 is a storage area that stores various data and programs, and may be realized by, for example, a hard disk, a memory card, etc. The external storage device 104 may be fixed to the information processing device 100, or may be configured to be detachable from the information processing device 100. For example, the external storage device 104 may be an optical disk such as a flexible disk (FD) or a compact disk (CD), a magnetic or optical card, an IC card, a memory card, etc. The input interface 105 is an interface for connecting an input device 109 such as a pointing device or a keyboard to the information processing device 100. The network interface 106 is an interface for connecting the information processing device 100 to a network such as the Internet. The output interface 107 is an interface for connecting an output device 110 such as a monitor that outputs data stored in the information processing device 100 or data supplied to the information processing device 100 as an image. The components of the information processing device 100 described above are connected via a system bus 108 so as to be able to send and receive data to and from each other.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to provide a recording medium on which is recorded software program code that realizes the functions of the embodiments described below to a system or device. The object can also be achieved by having the system or device read and execute the program code stored on the recording medium. In this case, the program code read from the recording medium itself realizes the functions of the embodiments described below, and the recording medium on which the program code is stored constitutes the present invention. Storage media for supplying the program code include, for example, flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, etc. Other storage media that can be used include CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, DVDs, etc. Furthermore, the program code may not only be executed directly by the computer, but may also be processed by an operating system (OS) running on the computer. Furthermore, the program code read from the storage medium may be processed by a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer.

[0013] First Embodiment A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. First, an overview of an information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a scene to which the information processing device according to this embodiment is applied. In the example shown in Fig. 2, a moving object 200, an obstacle 201, and a problem-solving person 202 are shown.

[0014] The example shown in Fig. 2 shows a situation in which a mobile object 200 is performing a task that requires it to move in the direction of the arrow in the figure. At this time, an obstacle 201 exists on the path of the mobile object 200, causing a problem in which the mobile object 200 cannot continue to perform the task. In such a situation, it may be possible to solve the problem by, for example, selecting a person who is near the location where the problem has occurred and who has the skills to solve the problem. As exemplified above, when a problem occurs that makes it impossible for a mobile body to perform its task, the information processing device of this embodiment proposes a method for resolving the problem that has occurred to the mobile body by selecting a person to solve the problem based on information such as the distance from the location where the problem occurred and the skills possessed. The information processing device according to this embodiment may be built into the mobile object 200. In this case, the information processing device may manage the mobile object 200 in which it is built, and when detecting the occurrence of a problem in the mobile object 200, select a person who can solve the problem. As another example, the information processing device may be realized as an external device capable of communicating with the mobile object 200 via wireless communication or the like. In this case, the information processing device may manage not only one mobile object 200 but also multiple mobile objects 200.

[0015] An example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The information processing device 300 includes a mobile object information acquisition unit 301, a question information acquisition unit 302, a person information acquisition unit 303, and a person selection unit 304. The mobile entity information acquisition unit 301 acquires various information related to the mobile entity to be managed. The problem information acquisition unit 302 acquires information about a problem that has occurred in a mobile object to be managed. As a specific example, the problem information acquisition unit 302 may acquire information about the type of problem that has occurred in the mobile object to be managed and the location where the problem has occurred. The person information acquisition unit 303 acquires information (person attribute information) about one or more people who are candidates for solving a problem occurring in the mobile object to be managed. As a specific example, the person information acquisition unit 303 may acquire information about people who exist in the environment in which the mobile object to be managed is operating. The person selection unit 304 selects a person who can solve the problem from one or more people about whom information has been acquired by the person information acquisition unit 303. Specifically, the person selection unit 304 selects a person who can solve the problem that has occurred on the mobile object, based on the attribute information of the person acquired by the person information acquisition unit 303, information about the problem acquired by the problem information acquisition unit 302, and information about the mobile object by the mobile object information acquisition unit 301.

[0016] An example of processing by the information processing device 300 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In S401, the mobile object information acquisition unit 301 acquires information about a mobile object to be managed. For example, the mobile object information acquisition unit 301 acquires information such as location information of the mobile object to be managed, tasks being executed by the mobile object, and the importance of the tasks. For example, the target mobile object may manage information about itself using a database or the like, and extract and transmit the information from the database in response to a request from the information processing device 300. Furthermore, the location information of the mobile object may be acquired using a positioning system such as a global positioning system (GPS), or may be acquired using a technology such as self-location estimation.

[0017] In S402, the problem information acquisition unit 302 identifies the type of problem occurring in the mobile object to be managed and the location where the problem occurred, based on the information about the mobile object acquired in S401. Examples of the types of problems to be identified include a door on the route being closed, luggage blocking the route, luggage being shifted while being carried by a mobile body, a mobile body running off its wheels, etc. Furthermore, the types of each of these problems can be identified by using the results of detection of various conditions using various sensors, information obtained from a central processing unit that manages various conditions within the environment in which the mobile body is operating, etc. As a specific example, by using a laser sensor or the like installed on a moving body, it is possible to operate the moving body on its route, and if an obstacle blocking the route is detected, it is possible to determine that a problem has occurred in which luggage is blocking the route. In addition, by obtaining information on the opening and closing of doors on the route to the destination of the mobile body from a central management device that manages information on the opening and closing of doors within the environment in which the mobile body is operating, it is possible to determine whether there is a problem with doors on the route being closed. Furthermore, by applying image recognition technology to images captured by an imaging device installed on a mobile object, it is possible to analyze information about the surroundings of the mobile object. Such analysis can also detect problems such as the collapse of cargo. It is also possible to monitor changes in the position of a moving object based on self-location estimation technology using an imaging device, a GPS sensor, and an acceleration sensor installed on the moving object. This makes it possible to determine that a wheel has run off the moving object, for example, when the position of the moving object does not change even when the wheels of the moving object are driven. The location where the problem occurred can be identified, for example, by using the detection result of an obstacle or the like by a laser sensor installed on the mobile body or the estimation result of the mobile body's own position. As a specific example, the relative position of an obstacle, a closed door, or the like from the mobile body is measured by a laser sensor or the like, and then the relative position is compared with the own position included in the mobile body information acquired in S401, thereby identifying the location where the problem occurred (absolute position). Furthermore, if the cargo being carried by the mobile body collapses or the mobile body's wheels come off, the own position included in the mobile body information acquired in S401 can be identified as the location where the problem occurred.

[0018] In S403, the person information acquisition unit 303 repeatedly executes a series of processes indicated by the loop symbols in S403 and S406 by sequentially acquiring attribute information (hereinafter also referred to as person information) for each of the series of people to be managed. Examples of the acquired person information include contact information, possessed skills, currently performed tasks, priority of the currently performed tasks, and current location. For example, information managed using a database or the like as the person list shown in Table 1 below or the task list shown in Table 2 is used as the person information for the series of people to be managed.

[0019] [Table 1]

[0020] An example of a method for acquiring person information will be described below, focusing on the case where information managed as the person list and task list is used. In this case, for example, one line of information (information for one person) is acquired from the person list shown in Table 1, and task information is acquired from the task list shown in Table 2 using the information of the ongoing task ID as a key, and then these pieces of information are integrated. The ID column of the person list shown in Table 1 indicates the person information listed in each row, and therefore an ID for identifying the person corresponding to the person information. The Contacts column indicates contact information for the person corresponding to the person information listed in each row. The Possessed Skills column indicates the skills possessed by the person corresponding to the person information listed in each row (in other words, the problem-solving ability of the target person). Note that the skills listed in the Possessed Skills column may be appropriately limited in consideration of the use case of the system. As a specific example, general skills such as opening doors and traveling to a destination are generally possessed, so they may be excluded from being explicitly listed in the Possessed Skills column. The In Progress Task ID column indicates the ID of the task currently being performed by the person corresponding to the person information listed in each row. Tasks corresponding to the task ID are managed in the task list shown in Table 2. The Current Location column indicates the coordinates of the current location of the person corresponding to the person information listed in each row. Furthermore, the ID column of the task list shown in Table 2 indicates the ID of the task corresponding to the task information listed in each row. The priority column indicates the priority of the task corresponding to the task information listed in each row. In this embodiment, the higher the priority value, the higher the priority of the task is defined as the task that should be given higher priority. The task name column indicates the name of the task corresponding to the task information listed in each row. The work location column indicates the location where the task is performed. In the person list shown in Table 1, person information is managed for five people, but this is merely an example and does not limit the number of people to be managed. In other words, a larger number of people may be managed, or a smaller number of people may be managed. In addition, in the task list shown in Table 2, task information is managed for four tasks, but this is merely an example and does not limit the number of tasks to be managed. In other words, a larger number of tasks may be managed, or a smaller number of tasks may be managed.

[0021] In S404, the person selection unit 304 selects a person who will solve the problem identified in S402. Note that the processing of S404 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. Then, the person information acquisition unit 303 determines whether the series of processes indicated by the loop symbols of S403 and S405 have been performed for all people to be managed, and if it determines that the series of processes have been performed for all people, it terminates the series of processes.

[0022] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, an example of the process related to the selection of a person to solve the problem, shown as the process of S404 in FIG. 4, will be described. In S501, the person selection unit 304 identifies the skills required to solve the problem according to the type of problem identified in S402 of Fig. 4. To identify the skills required to solve each problem, for example, information managed using a database or the like as a problem list shown in Table 3 below is used.

[0023] [Table 2]

[0024] The ID column in Table 3 indicates the ID for identifying each set of problems to be managed. The Required Skills column indicates the skills required to solve the problems corresponding to the information in each row. In the example problem list shown in Table 3, information is managed for five problems, but this is merely an example and does not limit the number of problems to be managed. In other words, a larger number of problems may be managed, or a smaller number of problems may be managed.

[0025] In S502, the person selection unit 304 calculates an appropriateness score that indicates how appropriate the person indicated by the personal information is to solve the target problem, based on the personal information acquired in S403 of Fig. 4 and the required skill information acquired in S501. This appropriateness score can be calculated, for example, by weighting each of a series of parameters included in the personal information and then adding the weighted series of parameters. In this embodiment, the appropriateness score is calculated based on the calculation formula shown below as (Formula 1).

[0026]

number

[0027] In the above (Equation 1), dt denotes a positive weighting coefficient for the preset task priority. Tx denotes the priority of the task being performed by the target person (the person indicated by the person information). The task priority is the information listed in the priority column of the task list shown in Table 2 above, and is acquired in S403 of FIG. 4. ds denotes a positive weighting coefficient for the presence or absence of a preset skill. Sx denotes whether the target person has the skill required to solve the target problem, and is expressed as a value of 0 or 1. Specifically, if the skill required for the solution acquired in S601 is included in the possessed skills of the person information acquired in S403 of FIG. 4, the value of Sx is set to 1; otherwise, the value is set to 0. dp denotes a negative weighting coefficient for the distance between the problem occurrence location and the target person, which is set in advance. In this embodiment, a negative value is set for dp so that the closer the distance between the problem occurrence location and the target person is, the higher the score. Px denotes the distance between the problem occurrence location and the target person. The distance between the problem occurrence location and the person is, for example, the straight-line distance between the problem occurrence location identified in S402 of Figure 4 and the current location of the person indicated in the person information acquired in S403. Note that Px may be the distance between the path traveled by the target person to perform the task and the problem occurrence location. By applying such control, it is possible to control so that a higher appropriateness score is calculated for a person who passes near the problem occurrence location while traveling to perform the task. Therefore, for example, it is possible to make a person who passes near the problem occurrence location while traveling to perform the task take a detour so that the person can solve the target problem.

[0028] In S503, the person selection unit 304 determines a problem-solving person from the series of people to be managed based on the appropriateness score calculated in S502. Specifically, the person selection unit 304 associates the appropriateness score calculated in S502 with the person information to be processed and stores it during the series of processing loops indicated by the loop symbols of S403 and S405 in Fig. 4. Then, at the time of executing the processing of S503, the person selection unit 304 may determine the person indicated by the person information stored in association with the highest appropriateness score as the problem-solving person.

[0029] 4, an example has been described in which the mobile object information acquisition unit 301 acquires information on the self-location of a target mobile object, the task being executed, and the importance of the task, but the information to be acquired is not limited thereto. Specifically, it is sufficient that at least the self-location information of the target mobile object is acquired, and information other than the information exemplified above may be acquired, or only the self-location information of the mobile object may be acquired.

[0030] 4, the problems to be detected are a door on the route being closed, luggage blocking the route, a collapse of luggage being carried by a moving body, and a wheel being removed from the moving body, but the problems to be detected are not limited to these. As a specific example, problems other than the problems exemplified above may be set as the detection targets, or some of the examples shown above may be set as the detection targets.

[0031] In addition, in this embodiment, an example in which the problem information acquisition unit 302 detects an obstacle using a laser sensor installed in the mobile object at S402 in FIG. 4 has been described. However, the method is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of detecting an obstacle blocking the path of the mobile object. As a specific example, the problem information acquisition unit 302 may detect an obstacle on the path of the target mobile object by acquiring information from a surveillance camera installed in the environment in which the mobile object is operating and comparing it with map information of the environment. As another example, an imaging device may be installed in the mobile object, and the type of problem occurring in the mobile object may be identified by using an image corresponding to the imaging results of the imaging device capturing the surroundings of the mobile object. In this case, a model trained based on machine learning technology may be applied to identify the problem occurring in the target mobile object based on an input image.

[0032] 4, an example has been described in which the person information acquisition unit 303 acquires contact information, possessed skills, currently performed task, priority of the currently performed task, and current location as person information, but the information to be acquired is not limited thereto. Specifically, it is sufficient that at least the information on the contact information and possessed skills is acquired, and information other than the information exemplified above may be acquired, or part of the information exemplified above may be acquired.

[0033] In addition, in this embodiment, in S402 of Fig. 4, examples of cases where a door on the route is closed, luggage is blocking the route, luggage carried by the moving body has collapsed, and the moving body has run off the tracks have been described, but the problems to be identified are not limited to these. Specifically, problems other than the problems exemplified above may be identified, or some of the problems exemplified above may be identified.

[0034] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which the person information acquisition unit 303 acquires person information from a database created in advance. On the other hand, by providing each moving object with a sensor that measures its current location and an interface that accepts input of task information, person information may be acquired in real time. Furthermore, information may be collected in real time by using collected information on people in the environment and devices carried by each person. By applying the above configuration, for example, it is expected that the database management costs can be made more efficient.

[0035] In this embodiment, an example in which a problem-solving person is selected based on the appropriateness score in S503 of FIG. 5 has been described. Alternatively, before selecting a problem-solving person, it may be determined whether the problem is likely to be solved if the problem is solved. If the problem is likely to be solved if the problem is solved, the mobile object may wait until the problem is solved on the spot without selecting a problem-solving person. In this case, for example, it may be determined whether a person will pass through the problem occurrence location identified by the problem information acquisition unit 302, and based on the result, it may be determined whether the problem is likely to be solved if the problem is solved. The determination of whether a person will pass through the problem occurrence location can be realized, for example, based on the problem occurrence location and information on the current location and currently-performing task of the target person included in the person information acquired by the person information acquisition unit 303. In this case, if the problem occurrence location is on the route between the target person's current location and the work location of the currently-performing task (in other words, the person's movement route), it can be determined that the target person will solve the problem when they pass through the problem occurrence location. That is, in such a case, it is possible to determine that the problem will be resolved by waiting.

[0036] Furthermore, it is determined whether the mobile object itself can solve the problem that has occurred, and if it can solve the problem itself, the mobile object may be allowed to solve the problem itself without selecting a problem solver in the process of S503 in Fig. 5. An example of a method for determining whether the mobile object itself can solve the problem will be described below. First, the information processing device determines whether the type of problem identified corresponds to a route problem (blocked by luggage, door closed) or a problem occurring in the moving object itself (cargo collapse, wheels coming off). If the identified type of problem is a route problem, the information processing device may search for an alternative route for the mobile body to reach the destination, and if the alternative route exists, determine that the mobile body can solve the problem by itself. On the other hand, if the alternative route does not exist, the information processing device may determine that it is difficult for the mobile body to solve the problem by itself. Furthermore, if the identified type of problem is a problem that has occurred in the mobile body itself, the information processing device additionally acquires the specifications of the mobile body and determines whether the mobile body itself can solve the target problem (such as cargo collapse or wheel derailment) using functions defined in the specifications. If the set of functions in the specifications does not include a function that enables the mobile body to solve the problem by itself, the information processing device may determine that it is difficult for the mobile body to solve the problem by itself. Furthermore, if the set of functions in the specifications includes a function that enables the mobile body to solve the problem by itself, the information processing device causes the mobile body to solve the problem using that function. Then, if the mobile body's attempt to solve the problem by itself fails, the information processing device may determine that it is difficult for the mobile body to solve the problem by itself. By applying the above-mentioned controls, it becomes possible to identify the person responsible for resolving any problems that arise and reduce the frequency of notifications to that person, which is expected to result in more efficient work.

[0037] In addition, in this embodiment, an example has been described in which a problem-causing person is selected once when a problem occurs in a moving object, but a problem-causing person may be selected multiple times. For example, if the problem is not solved within a certain period of time after a problem-causing person is selected, a problem-solving person may be selected again. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which a user has to wait for a selected problem-solving person to solve the problem, and is expected to have the effect of enabling the problem to be solved more quickly.

[0038] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example of calculating the appropriateness score using information such as the priority of the task being performed by the person, whether or not the person has skills, and the distance between the problem location and the person has been described. However, the method of calculating the appropriateness score is not limited thereto. As a specific example, the appropriateness score may be calculated taking into account the number of times each person to be managed has solved a problem in the past. In this case, the person information acquisition unit 303 may acquire, as the person information, information on the number of times the target person has solved a problem in the past. As another example, the appropriateness score may be calculated taking into account the relevance between a task being performed by a mobile object and a task being performed by the person. In this case, the person information acquisition unit 303 may acquire, as the person information, information on the task being performed by the target person. Then, the person selection unit 304 may calculate the relevance between the task being performed by the target mobile object and the task being performed by the target person. By applying such control, it is possible to select a person who is more appropriate for solving an occurring problem as a problem-solving person.

[0039] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the method of calculating the appropriateness score has been described as a method of adding up the results of weighting each parameter. However, the calculation method of the score applied as the appropriateness score is not limited thereto. As a specific example, one of the parameters may be selected, and the value of the selected parameter may be applied as the appropriateness score. As another example, multiple parameters may be compared, and the number of superiority or inferiority may be applied as the appropriateness score. As another example, a simple sum of the parameters may be applied as the appropriateness score. This makes it possible to efficiently calculate the appropriateness score.

[0040] Although the present embodiment has been described with reference to an example in which one problem solver is selected in S503 of FIG. 5 , multiple problem solvers may be selected. In this case, for example, when the process of S503 is executed, the target persons may be sorted in descending order of appropriateness score, and a predetermined number of persons may be selected as problem solvers in descending order. The number of problem solvers to be selected may also be changed depending on the priority of the task being executed by the mobile object. As a specific example, control may be applied such that the lower the task priority, the fewer the number of problem solvers to be selected, and the higher the task priority, the more problem solvers to be selected. In this case, the mobile object information acquisition unit 301 may acquire, as information about the mobile object, information about the priority of the task being executed by the target mobile object. Applying such control is expected to improve the likelihood of solving the problem compared to when only one problem solver is selected.

[0041] <Second embodiment> A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the first embodiment described above, an example in which a problem-solving person is selected based on an appropriateness score has been described. In contrast, the present embodiment differs from the information processing device according to the first embodiment in that it includes a notification unit 601 in addition to the configuration of the information processing device according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3. With this configuration, the information processing device according to the present embodiment attempts to solve a problem that has occurred in a moving object by sending a notification regarding a request to solve the problem to a person selected by the person selection unit 304. Note that the present embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment described above, and detailed descriptions of parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0042] An example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. As described above, the information processing device according to this embodiment has a notification unit 601 in addition to the configuration of the information processing device 300 according to the first embodiment described with reference to Fig. 3. The notification unit 601 transmits a notification to the person selected by the person selection unit 304 based on the person information (for example, contact information) acquired by the person information acquisition unit 303.

[0043] Next, an example of processing by the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The series of processing shown in Fig. 7 differs from the series of processing by the information processing device according to the first embodiment described with reference to Fig. 4 in that processing of S701 is added. In S701, the notification unit 601 transmits a notification to the problem solver selected in S404, requesting the problem solver to solve the problem that has occurred in the mobile object. The content of the notification to be transmitted may include, for example, information for identifying the mobile object in which the problem has occurred, information on the type of problem and the location of the problem acquired by the problem information acquisition unit 302, the importance of the task acquired in S401, and a message requesting the problem solution. The notification may be transmitted, for example, as an e-mail. In this case, the notification unit 601 transmits the e-mail to the contact information included in the personal information acquired by the personal information acquisition unit 303.

[0044] An example of the contents of the notification sent to the problem solving person by the notification unit 601 will be described with reference to FIG. The title field of the email text shown in Figure 8 contains text indicating that the email is a request for problem resolution, as the title to be given to the email to be sent. The body field of the email text contains the body of the email to be sent. Specifically, the body contains the name of mobile unit 001 as information for identifying the mobile unit in which the problem occurred. The body also contains information on the type of problem, the location where the problem occurred, and the level of importance. By sending a notification requesting the resolution of the above problem to the person selected by the person selection unit 304, it becomes possible to prompt the person to resolve the problem that has occurred in the moving object.

[0045] In this embodiment, an example in which a notification is sent using email has been described. However, various methods other than email can be applied to sending notifications. As a specific example, a telephone number may be managed as contact information in the personal information acquired by the personal information acquisition unit 303, and the problem-solving person may be notified by telephone. In this case, for example, a mechanically synthesized voice may be used to notify the problem-solving person of information for identifying the mobile object in which the problem occurred, information about the problem that occurred, etc. Furthermore, by linking with an application installed on a communication device such as a smartphone owned by the person to be managed, the application may be used to send a notification (e.g., a push-type pop-up notification). In this way, the application may be used to provide a notification (e.g., a push-type pop-up notification). By applying various notification methods in this way, the convenience of the system can be expected to be improved.

[0046] Furthermore, although the present embodiment has been described as an example in which a notification is sent once, the notification may be sent multiple times. As a specific example, if the problem is not resolved within a certain period of time after the notification was sent, the notification may be sent again to the target problem solver. By applying such control, the problem solver can be prompted to solve the problem again, thereby enabling the problem to be resolved more quickly.

[0047] In addition, if the problem is solved after the notification is sent, the problem solving person may be notified that the problem has been solved. For example, Figure 9 shows an example of the content of the notification when the notification that the problem has been solved is sent by email. The title field of the email text shown in Figure 9 contains text indicating that the problem has been resolved, which will be used as the title of the email to be sent. The body field of the email text contains the body of the email to be sent. Specifically, the body contains the name of mobile unit 001 as information for identifying the mobile unit in which the problem occurred. The body also contains information such as the type of problem, the location where the problem occurred, and the level of importance. Although the above describes an example of notification by email, various methods other than email can be used to send notifications, just as with requesting a problem solution. Specific examples include voice notification via telephone, or push-type pop-up notification via an application installed on a device such as a smartphone, to notify the problem solver that the problem has been solved. By applying the above-described control, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a problem has been solved but another problem-solving person who was not involved in solving the problem takes action to solve the problem, and it is expected that this will have the effect of improving work efficiency.

[0048] <Third embodiment> A third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the first embodiment described above, an example in which a problem-solving person is selected based on an appropriateness score was described. In contrast, the present embodiment differs from the information processing device according to the first embodiment in that, in addition to the configuration of the information processing device according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3, it includes a task information correction unit 1001. With this configuration, the information processing device according to the present embodiment corrects the task information of the problem-solving person selected by the person selection unit 304, thereby urging the problem-solving person to quickly solve a problem occurring in the target moving object. Note that the present embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment described above, and detailed descriptions of parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0049] An example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. As described above, the information processing device according to this embodiment has a task information correction unit 1001 in addition to the configuration of the information processing device 300 according to the first embodiment described with reference to Fig. 3. The task information correcting unit 1001 corrects the task information for the problem solving person selected by the person selecting unit 304 .

[0050] Next, an example of processing by the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. The series of processing shown in Fig. 11 differs from the series of processing by the information processing device according to the first embodiment described with reference to Fig. 4 in that processing of S1101 is added. In S1101, the task information correction unit 1001 identifies a task that incidentally solves the problem identified in S402 from the task information of the problem-solving person identified in S404, and corrects the task information based on the identification result. Here, an example of a method for identifying the task to be solved incidentally will be described below. The person selection unit 304 acquires a list of tasks to be performed by the selected person, and identifies from among them the task that requires passing through the problem occurrence location, the information of which was acquired in S401, as a task to incidentally solve the target problem. The determination of whether or not a task requires passing through the problem occurrence location is performed, for example, as described below. Specifically, the task information correction unit 1001 extracts information on the current location of the person selected in S404 from the person information acquired in S403. If the location where the problem identified in S402 occurred is on the route from the current location of the extracted person to the work location indicated by the task information acquired in S403, the task information correction unit 1001 determines that the task requires passing through the location where the problem occurred. Next, the task information correcting unit 1001 corrects the information written in the priority column of the target task in the task list database shown in Table 2. As a result, the task information of the problem-solving person selected by the person selection unit 304 is corrected, so that tasks with a higher priority are executed with higher priority, and as a result, the problem-solving person can be encouraged to quickly solve problems that occur in the mobile object.

[0051] In this embodiment, an example of increasing the priority of a task that incidentally solves a problem has been described, but a task that incidentally solves the problem may be created by changing the route used in a specific task to include the location where a problem occurred in the mobile object. In this case, it is recommended to add information about the route used in the target task to the task list database shown in Table 2. This makes it possible to use the method described in this embodiment even when there is no task that incidentally solves the problem. As another example, information about the task for solving the problem identified in S402 may be added to the task list database shown in Table 2, and the priority may be set high to prompt the problem solver to execute the task for solving the problem early. This makes it possible to use the method described in this embodiment even when there is no additional task for solving the problem.

[0052] <Fourth embodiment> A fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below. In the first embodiment described above, an example in which a problem-solving person is selected based on an appropriateness score was described. In contrast, the present embodiment differs from the information processing device according to the first embodiment in that it includes a reward determination unit 1201 in addition to the configuration of the information processing device according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 3. With this configuration, the information processing device according to the present embodiment determines a reward to be given to a problem-solving person selected by the person selection unit 304 when the problem is solved, thereby improving the motivation of the problem-solving person to solve the problem. Note that the present embodiment will be described focusing on differences from the first embodiment described above, and detailed descriptions of parts that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0053] An example of the functional configuration of the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. As described above, the information processing device according to this embodiment has a reward determination unit 1201 in addition to the configuration of the information processing device 300 according to the first embodiment described with reference to Fig. 3. The reward determination unit 1201 determines a reward to be given to the problem solving person selected by the person selection unit 304. The reward to be given to the problem solving person is determined based on the appropriateness score calculated by the person selection unit 304, for example. In this way, when a problem is solved by a problem-solving person selected by the person selection unit 304, a reward to be given to the problem-solving person is determined, which is expected to have the effect of increasing the motivation of the problem-solving person to solve the problem.

[0054] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which a reward is determined based on the appropriateness score calculated by the person selection unit 304, but a reward may also be determined based on the importance of a task being executed by a mobile object when a problem occurs in the mobile object. By applying such control, the value of the reward when a problem occurring in a mobile object executing a more important task is resolved can be increased, and it is expected that the motivation to resolve problems occurring in mobile objects whose currently executing tasks are particularly important can be improved. As another example, a control may be applied in which a preset fixed reward is given, or a configuration may be applied in which a control is applied in which the reward determination result is sent to a central management device that manages the reward for each person, so that the problem-solving person receives the reward via the central management device.

[0055] <Other embodiments> Although the exemplary embodiments have been described above in detail, the present invention can be embodied as, for example, a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a recording medium (storage medium), etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system made up of multiple devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, an imaging device, a web application, etc.), or may be applied to an apparatus made up of a single device. Needless to say, the object of the present invention can be achieved by the following: A recording medium (or storage medium) on which program code (computer program) of software that realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments is recorded is supplied to a system or device. The storage medium is, of course, a computer-readable storage medium. The computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or device then reads and executes the program code stored on the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments, and the recording medium on which the program code is recorded constitutes the present invention.

[0056] The disclosure of this embodiment also includes the following configurations, methods, and programs. (Configuration 1) An information processing device characterized by having a mobile object information acquisition means for acquiring information about a mobile object to be managed, a problem information acquisition means for acquiring information about the content of a problem when a problem occurs that hinders the mobile object from performing work, a person information acquisition means for acquiring attribute information of one or more people who are candidates for solving the problem, and a person selection means for selecting a person to solve the problem from the one or more people based on the information about the mobile object acquired by the mobile object information acquisition means, the information about the content of the problem acquired by the problem information acquisition means, and the attribute information of the one or more people acquired by the person information acquisition means. (Configuration 2) The information processing device according to configuration 1, wherein the person selection means selects a person who will solve the problem based on the problem-solving ability of the person to be selected. (Configuration 3) The information processing device described in Configuration 1, characterized in that the person selection means selects a person to solve the problem based on at least one of the distance between the current location of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred, and the distance between the movement path of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred. (Configuration 4) The information processing device according to configuration 1, wherein the person selection means selects a person who will solve the problem based on the importance of a task to be performed by the person to be selected. (Configuration 5) The information processing device described in Configuration 1, characterized in that the person selection means selects a person to solve the problem based on two or more of the problem-solving ability of the person to be selected, the distance between the current location of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred, and the distance between the movement path of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred. (Configuration 6) An information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that it has a notification means for notifying the person selected by the person selection means in accordance with information regarding the content of the question acquired by the question information acquisition means. (Configuration 7) The information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, further comprising a modifying means for modifying information on tasks to be performed by the person selected by the person selecting means. (Configuration 8) An information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, characterized in that it has a reward determination means for determining a reward to be given to a person selected by the person selection means when the person solves the problem. (Method 1) A control method for an information processing device, comprising: a mobile object information acquisition step for acquiring information about a mobile object to be managed; a problem information acquisition step for acquiring information about the content of a problem when a problem that hinders the mobile object from performing work occurs; a person information acquisition step for acquiring attribute information of one or more people who are candidates for solving the problem; and a person selection step for selecting a person to solve the problem from the one or more people based on the information about the mobile object acquired in the mobile object information acquisition step, the information about the content of the problem acquired in the problem information acquisition step, and the attribute information of the one or more people acquired in the person information acquisition step. (Program 1) A program for causing a computer to function as an information processing device, characterized by having a mobile object information acquisition means for acquiring information about a mobile object to be managed, a problem information acquisition means for acquiring information about the content of a problem when a problem occurs that hinders the mobile object from performing work, a person information acquisition means for acquiring attribute information of one or more people who are candidates for solving the problem, and a person selection means for selecting a person to solve the problem from the one or more people based on the information about the mobile object acquired by the mobile object information acquisition means, the information about the content of the problem acquired by the problem information acquisition means, and the attribute information of the one or more people acquired by the person information acquisition means. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 200 Mobile 202 Problem solving person 300 Information processing device 301 Mobile Information Acquisition Unit 302 Problem information acquisition part 303 Personal Information Acquisition Department 304 Person Selection Department

Claims

1. a mobile object information acquisition means for acquiring information about a mobile object to be managed; a problem information acquisition means for acquiring information about a problem that hinders the mobile body from performing a task when the problem occurs; a person information acquisition means for acquiring attribute information of one or more people who are candidates for solving the problem; a person selection means for selecting a person to solve the problem from one or more people based on information about the moving object acquired by the moving object information acquisition means, information about the content of the problem acquired by the problem information acquisition means, and attribute information about the one or more people acquired by the person information acquisition means; An information processing device comprising:

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said person selection means selects a person who will solve the problem based on the problem-solving ability of the person to be selected.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the person selection means selects a person to solve the problem based on at least one of the distance between the current location of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred, and the distance between the movement path of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred.

4. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said person selection means selects a person to solve said problem based on the importance of a task to be performed by said person to be selected.

5. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the person selection means selects a person to solve the problem based on two or more of the problem-solving ability of the person to be selected, the distance between the current location of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred, and the distance between the movement path of the person to be selected and the location where the problem occurred.

6. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the person selected by said person selection unit in accordance with information relating to the content of said question acquired by said question information acquisition unit.

7. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a modifying unit for modifying information about a task to be performed by the person selected by said person selecting unit.

8. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a reward determination means for determining a reward to be given to a person selected by said person selection means when said person solves said problem.

9. A control method for an information processing device, comprising: a mobile object information acquisition step of acquiring information about a mobile object to be managed; a problem information acquisition step of acquiring information about a content of a problem when the problem occurs that hinders the mobile body from performing a task; a person information acquisition step of acquiring attribute information of one or more people who are candidates for solving the problem; a person selection step of selecting a person to solve the problem from the one or more people based on information about the moving object acquired in the moving object information acquisition step, information about the content of the problem acquired in the problem information acquisition step, and attribute information about the one or more people acquired in the person information acquisition step; 10. A method for controlling an information processing device, comprising:

10. Computer, a mobile object information acquisition means for acquiring information about a mobile object to be managed; a problem information acquisition means for acquiring information about a problem that hinders the mobile body from performing a task when the problem occurs; a person information acquisition means for acquiring attribute information of one or more people who are candidates for solving the problem; a person selection means for selecting a person to solve the problem from one or more people based on information about the moving object acquired by the moving object information acquisition means, information about the content of the problem acquired by the problem information acquisition means, and attribute information about the one or more people acquired by the person information acquisition means; A program for causing an information processing device to function, comprising:

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