Moving body controller and moving body control method

Abstract

To provide a moving body controller capable of mitigating a passenger's discomfort against a moving body.SOLUTION: A moving body controller in accordance with the present disclosure includes a designation unit 2 that designates a personal space 12 of a passenger 11 on the basis of the position of the passenger 11, and a control unit 3 that controls a position and direction at and in which a moving body 4 halts on the basis of the personal space 12 of the passenger 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a mobile object control device and a mobile object control method for controlling a mobile object that rides in an elevator with a person. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, techniques have been developed for controlling a moving object that moves between different floors in a facility using an elevator.

[0003] For example, a technology has been disclosed that detects the condition inside an elevator car, determines a target stopping position for a moving object in a location where there are no people (hereinafter referred to as "passengers"), and calculates the moving path of the moving object to the target stopping position (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-125198 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Although Patent Document 1 discloses that the moving object moves along the moving path to the target stopping position, it does not mention the behavior of the moving object after stopping at the target stopping position. Therefore, if the moving object stops at the target stopping position with the front facing the passenger, the passenger may feel uncomfortable with the moving object.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and aims to provide a mobile body control device that can reduce discomfort felt by passengers on a mobile body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the mobile body control device according to the present disclosure includes a setting unit that sets the personal space of a passenger based on the passenger's position, and a control unit that controls the position and direction at which the mobile body stops based on the passenger's personal space. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce discomfort felt by passengers on a moving vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object control device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object control system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile object control device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a personal space of a passenger according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] 2 is a diagram for explaining a personal space of a passenger and a personal space of a moving body according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a personal space of a passenger according to the first modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile object control device according to the second modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile object control device according to the third modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a mobile object control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a mobile object control device according to the first embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <First Embodiment> 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object control device 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG.

[0011] The setting unit 2 sets the personal space of the passenger based on the position of the passenger. The control unit 3 controls the position and direction at which the moving object stops based on the personal space of the passenger.

[0012] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile object control system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile object control system includes a mobile object 4, a mobile object management system 5, an elevator management system 6, an elevator 7, and a sensor 8.

[0013] The moving body control device 1 shown in Fig. 1 is provided on a moving body 4. The moving body 4 moves and stops autonomously, and rotates as necessary.

[0014] Sensors 8 are installed inside the elevator 7 car and at the landing. The sensors 8 include a surveillance camera that monitors the inside of the car and a camera installed at the landing of the elevator 7. The elevator management system 6 manages the operation of the elevator 7 based on the detection results of the sensors 8. The elevator management system 6 also transmits the detection results of the sensors 8 to the mobile body management system 5. The mobile body management system 5 transmits the detection results of the sensors 8 received from the elevator management system 6 to the mobile body control device 1 provided in the mobile body 4.

[0015] Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile object control device 1 according to embodiment 1. Note that the operation in Fig. 3 may start when the car of the elevator 7 arrives at the floor where the mobile object 4 is waiting.

[0016] In step S11, the setting unit 2 acquires sensor information including the positions of passengers present in the car of the elevator 7. At this time, the setting unit 2 may acquire sensor information detected by a sensor 8 installed in the car of the elevator 7, or may acquire sensor information detected by a sensor 9 (see FIG. 4) installed in front of (in front of) the moving object 4. Like the sensor 8, the sensor 9 detects the positions of passengers present in the car of the elevator 7 and at the landing.

[0017] Then, the setting unit 2 sets the personal space of the passenger based on the sensor information including the position of the passenger. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, when a passenger 11 is present in the car 10, the setting unit 2 sets the entire circumference centered on the position of the passenger 11 as the personal space 12. Information regarding the personal space 12 (the distance from the passenger's position) may be stored in advance by the setting unit 2.

[0018] In step S12, the control unit 3 controls the movement of the moving object 4 into the car of the elevator 7. At this time, the control unit 3 controls the position and direction at which the moving object 4 stops based on the passenger's personal space. Here, the position at which the moving object 4 stops refers to a position that does not interfere with the passenger's personal space. The direction in which the moving object 4 stops refers to a direction in which the front of the moving object 4 does not face the passenger (including the passenger's personal space).

[0019] In the example of Fig. 4, the position where the moving object 4 stops does not interfere with the personal space 12 of the passenger 11. The direction in which the moving object 4 stops is not facing the passenger 11 (including the personal space 12).

[0020] When a moving object 4 and a passenger 11 are riding in the car 10, the passenger 11 anthropomorphizes the moving object 4 and feels as if there is a personal space in front of the moving object 4. The example in FIG. 5 shows a case where the personal space 13 of the moving object 4 is taken into consideration. In FIG. 5, the moving object 4 stops at a position where the personal space 13 of the moving object 4 does not interfere with the personal space 12 of the passenger 11. In addition, the moving object 4 stops facing away from the passenger 11 (including the personal space 12).

[0021] The personal space 13 of the moving object 4 may be set according to the shape of the moving object 4. For example, if the moving object 4 is rectangular in plan view, a predetermined distance from each of the four sides may be set as the personal space 13. Furthermore, if the moving object 4 has protrusions or the like, a three-dimensional personal space 13 may be set according to the shape of each part of the moving object 4 in the height direction. Information regarding the personal space 13 of the moving object 4 may be stored in advance by the control unit 3.

[0022] As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the moving object 4 is moved into the car of the elevator 7, the stopping position and stopping direction of the moving object 4 are controlled based on the passenger's personal space. This makes it possible to reduce the discomfort the passenger feels towards the moving object 4. In particular, since the distance between the moving object 4 and the passenger is short inside the car of the elevator 7, the stress and fear the passenger feels towards the moving object 4 can be reduced by controlling the stopping position and stopping direction of the moving object 4 in consideration of the passenger's personal space. Furthermore, because the passenger's personal space is taken into consideration, the accuracy of controlling the stopping position and stopping direction of the moving object 4 can be improved.

[0023] <Variation 1> The setting unit 2 may set the personal space of a passenger based not only on the position of the passenger but also on the direction the passenger is facing. In this case, the setting unit 2 acquires sensor information including the position of the passenger in the elevator car 7 and the direction the passenger is facing. Sensors 8 installed in the elevator car 7 and at the landing and sensors 9 installed on the moving body 4 detect not only the position of the passenger but also the direction the passenger is facing.

[0024] For example, as shown in Fig. 6, when a passenger 11 is present in the car 10, the setting unit 2 sets a personal space 12 that has a wide area in the direction in which the passenger 11 is facing. In Fig. 6, the position at which the moving object 4 stops does not interfere with the personal space 12 of the passenger 11. The direction in which the moving object 4 stops does not face the passenger 11 (including the personal space 12).

[0025] As described above, according to the first modification, the personal space of a passenger is set taking into consideration not only the position of the passenger but also the direction the passenger is facing. This improves the accuracy of setting the personal space of the passenger. Furthermore, since the personal space of the passenger can be made smaller depending on the situation, the degree of freedom in controlling the position and direction in which the moving object 4 stops can be increased.

[0026] <Variation 2> The control unit 3 may control the rotation direction of the moving object 4 based on the personal space of the passenger.

[0027] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile object control device 1 according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 1. Note that steps S21 and S22 in Fig. 7 are similar to steps S11 and S12 in Fig. 3, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Steps S23 and S24 will be described below.

[0028] After the moving object 4 is moved into the car 10 of the elevator 7 (after step S22), in step S23, the control unit 3 determines, based on the sensor information (passenger position), whether the distance between the moving object 4 and the passenger is equal to or greater than a predetermined safe distance. Here, the distance between the moving object 4 and the passenger refers to the distance between the outside of the moving object 4's occupied area and the outside of the passenger's occupied area. The moving object 4's occupied area can be calculated based on the orientation of the moving object 4 when it stops and the size of the moving object 4 itself. The passenger's occupied area is an area with an occupied area. Note that if a passenger brings an object into the car, an occupied area including the standard size of the object may be set as the passenger's occupied area. The safe distance refers to the distance at which the moving object 4 will not come into contact with the passenger when rotating in the car. If the distance is equal to or greater than the safe distance, the process proceeds to step S24. On the other hand, if the distance is not equal to or greater than the safe distance, the process repeats step S23.

[0029] In step S24, the control unit 3 controls the rotation of the moving object 4. The moving object 4 rotates according to the instruction of the control unit 3. If the moving object 4 has sensors only on the front (front) side, it is necessary to rotate the moving object 4 from the direction of boarding to the direction of disembarking in order to move the moving object 4 forward to allow passengers to disembark. By rotating the moving object 4 inside the car, it becomes possible to move the moving object 4 forward to allow passengers to disembark.

[0030] For example, the control unit 3 may rotate the moving object 4 so as not to interfere with the personal space of the passenger. In this case, the control unit 3 may rotate the moving object 4 so as not to face the passenger. This makes it possible to reduce the discomfort felt by the passenger when rotating the moving object 4. Note that the control unit 3 may also take into account the personal space of the moving object 4. When taking into account the personal space of the moving object 4, the control unit 3 rotates the moving object 4 so that the personal space of the moving object 4 does not interfere with the personal space of the passenger.

[0031] The control unit 3 may control the rotation direction taking into consideration the undercarriage of the moving object 4. In the moving object 4, slippage of the wheels during rotation may cause a deviation of the rotation axis. In such a case, the control unit 3 may rotate the moving object 4 in a direction that minimizes slippage and does not interfere with the personal space of passengers.

[0032] There are moving bodies 4 that can make a pivot turn and moving bodies 4 that cannot make a pivot turn. For example, if a moving body 4 that cannot make a pivot turn gets into the elevator along the wall inside the car, the moving body 4 cannot rotate toward the wall. In this case, the control unit 3 rotates the moving body 4 in the direction opposite to the wall even if there is a passenger in that direction. At this time, it is desirable for the control unit 3 to rotate the moving body 4 so as not to interfere with the passenger's personal space, but the moving body 4 may be rotated even if it interferes with the passenger's personal space as long as a safe distance is secured.

[0033] The processes of steps S23 and S24 may be performed while the car of the elevator 7 is moving, or may be performed when the car of the elevator 7 arrives at the destination floor.

[0034] As described above, according to the second modification, after the moving body 4 is moved into the car 10 of the elevator 7, the moving body 4 can be rotated at an appropriate timing.

[0035] <Variation 3> The control unit 3 may generate at least one of a route for boarding the moving object 4 and a route for disembarking the moving object 4 based on the personal space of the passenger.

[0036] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the mobile object control device 1 according to Modification 3 of Embodiment 1. Note that steps S31, S34, and S35 in Fig. 8 are similar to steps S21, S23, and S24 in Fig. 7, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. Steps S32, S33, and S36 will be described below.

[0037] In step S32, the control unit 3 generates a route for the moving object 4 to board based on the passenger's personal space. Specifically, the control unit 3 generates a route that allows the moving object 4 to move to a stopping position in the car without interfering with the passenger's personal space. Here, the stopping position of the moving object 4 in the car corresponds to the stopping position of the moving object 4 in the next step S33, and is a position that does not interfere with the passenger's personal space.

[0038] In step S33, the control unit 3 controls the moving object 4 to move into the car of the elevator 7 according to the boarding route generated in step S32. At this time, the control unit 3 also controls the position and direction at which the moving object 4 stops, similar to step S12.

[0039] In step S36, the control unit 3 generates a route for the moving object 4 when disembarking based on the passenger's personal space. Specifically, the control unit 3 generates a route that allows the moving object 4 to move out of the car without interfering with the passenger's personal space. The control unit 3 then moves the moving object 4 out of the car according to the disembarking route. Note that the processing of step S36 may be performed while the car of the elevator 7 is moving, or may be performed when the car of the elevator 7 arrives at the destination floor.

[0040] Although FIG. 8 shows a case where both a route for boarding (step S32) and a route for disembarking (step S36) are generated, it is also possible to generate either a route for boarding or a route for disembarking.

[0041] As described above, according to Modification 3, not only is the stopping position and stopping direction of the moving object 4 controlled taking into consideration the personal space of the passenger, but at least one of the boarding route and the disembarking route is generated taking into consideration the personal space of the passenger. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the discomfort felt by passengers with respect to the moving object 4 not only when the moving object 4 is stopped but also when the moving object 4 is moving.

[0042] <Variation 4> In the first embodiment and the first to third modifications, the control unit 3 executes control (movement, stopping, rotation, etc.) inside the car of the elevator 7, but the present invention is not limited to this. The control unit 3 may execute control at the elevator 7 landing. In this case, the control unit 3 controls the stopping position and stopping direction of the moving object 4 at the elevator 7 landing, taking into consideration the personal space of passengers. This provides the same effect as in the first embodiment.

[0043] <Embodiment 2> In the first embodiment and the first to fourth modifications, a case has been described in which a mobile object 4 equipped with a mobile object control device 1 moves and stops autonomously. In the second embodiment, a case in which a mobile object management system 5 is equipped with a mobile object control device 1 will be described.

[0044] In the mobile object control device 1 provided in the mobile object management system 5, the setting unit 2 acquires sensor information including the position of a passenger from the elevator management system 6, and sets the personal space of the passenger based on the passenger's position. The control unit 3 instructs the mobile object 4 on the position and direction in which the mobile object 4 should stop based on the passenger's personal space.

[0045] According to the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained even when the mobile body control device 1 is provided in the mobile body management system 5. Furthermore, the calculation load on the mobile body 4 can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the mobile body 4 is provided with the mobile body control device 1. Furthermore, by configuring the mobile body management system 5 to be provided with the mobile body control device 1, it is possible to collectively manage multiple passengers and multiple mobile bodies 4. Note that although the above describes a case in which the first embodiment is applied, modifications 1 to 4 may also be applied.

[0046] <Hardware configuration> Each function of the setting unit 2 and the control unit 3 in the mobile object control device 1 is realized by a processing circuit. That is, the mobile object control device 1 includes a processing circuit for setting a personal space of a passenger based on the passenger's position, and for controlling the position and direction in which the mobile object 4 stops based on the passenger's personal space. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, or may be a processor (also referred to as a CPU, central processing unit, processing device, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in memory.

[0047] When the processing circuit is dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 20 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof, as shown in Fig. 9. The functions of the setting unit 2 and the control unit 3 may be realized by separate processing circuits 20, or all of the functions may be realized by a single processing circuit 20.

[0048] When the processing circuit 20 is the processor 30 shown in FIG. 10 , the functions of the setting unit 2 and the control unit 3 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 31. The processor 30 realizes each function by reading and executing the program recorded in the memory 31. That is, the mobile object control device 1 includes the memory 31 for storing a program that ultimately executes the steps of setting a passenger's personal space based on the passenger's position and controlling the stopping position and stopping direction of the mobile object 4 based on the passenger's personal space. It can also be said that these programs cause a computer to execute the procedures or methods of the setting unit 2 and the control unit 3. Here, memory may be, for example, non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or any storage medium that will be used in the future.

[0049] It should be noted that some of the functions of the setting unit 2 and the control unit 3 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and other functions may be realized by software or firmware.

[0050] Thus, the processing circuitry can implement each of the above-described functions through hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0051] Within the scope of the present disclosure, the embodiments can be freely combined, modified, or omitted as appropriate.

[0052] <Additional Notes> Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0053] (Appendix 1) a setting unit that sets a personal space of the passenger based on the position of the passenger; a control unit that controls a stopping position and a stopping direction of the moving body based on the personal space of the passenger; A mobile object control device comprising:

[0054] (Appendix 2) 2. The mobile body control device according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets a personal space of the passenger based on a position of the passenger and a direction in which the passenger is facing.

[0055] (Appendix 3) 3. The moving body control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a rotation direction of the moving body based on a personal space of the passenger.

[0056] (Appendix 4) The mobile body control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3, wherein the control unit generates at least one of a route when boarding the mobile body and a route when disembarking the mobile body based on the personal space of the passenger.

[0057] (Appendix 5) 5. The mobile object control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit executes the control in accordance with an instruction from a mobile object management system that manages the mobile object.

[0058] (Appendix 6) 6. The mobile object control device according to any one of appendices 1 to 5, wherein the control unit executes the control inside an elevator car or at a landing of the elevator.

[0059] (Appendix 7) setting a personal space for the passenger based on the passenger's position; A mobile object control method for controlling a position and a direction in which the mobile object stops based on the personal space of the passenger. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Mobile object control device, 2 Setting unit, 3 Control unit, 4 Mobile object, 5 Mobile object management system, 6 Elevator management system, 7 Elevator, 8 Sensor, 9 Sensor, 10 Cage, 11 Passenger, 12 Personal space, 13 Personal space, 20 Processing circuit, 30 Processor, 31 Memory.

Claims

1. a setting unit that sets a personal space of the passenger based on the position of the passenger; a control unit that controls a stopping position and a stopping direction of the moving body based on the personal space of the passenger; A mobile object control device comprising:

2. The mobile body control device according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit sets the personal space of the passenger based on a position of the passenger and a direction in which the passenger is facing.

3. The mobile body control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls a rotation direction of the mobile body based on a personal space of the passenger.

4. The mobile body control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit generates at least one of a route when boarding the mobile body and a route when disembarking the mobile body based on a personal space of the passenger.

5. The mobile body control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit executes the control in accordance with an instruction from a mobile body management system that manages the mobile body.

6. The mobile body control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit executes the control in an elevator car or at a landing of the elevator.

7. setting a personal space for the passenger based on the passenger's position; A mobile object control method for controlling a position and a direction in which the mobile object stops based on the personal space of the passenger.

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