Robot

Abstract

To improve versatility of a robot.SOLUTION: A robot according to an embodiment includes a drone, and a robot body having a landing part on which the drone can land and depart. The robot body is formed in a shape imitating a quadruped animal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

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

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

[0004] However, because the conventional technology requires a drone to take off from a vehicle, a relatively large space is required for the vehicle to park or drive, and its use is mainly limited to outdoors. Therefore, the conventional technology can be difficult to apply to various uses, such as tracking suspicious objects both indoors and outdoors, and there is room for improvement in terms of improving versatility.

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

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot including a drone and a robot body having a landing area on which the drone can land, the robot body being shaped like a quadrupedal animal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the embodiment, the robot can be used for various purposes, such as tracking suspicious objects both indoors and outdoors, thereby improving the versatility of the robot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a robot system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the head of the robot body according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a control device for a robot according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram illustrating an overview of a management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the driving switching process according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a computer hardware configuration that functions as a robot or a management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0010] A robot system 1 including a robot 2 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the robot system 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 1 and Figs. 2 and 3, which will be described later, are all schematic diagrams.

[0011] The robot system 1 includes a robot 2, a long-range drone 3, and a management device 4. The robot 2, the long-range drone 3, and the management device 4 are connected via a network N. For example, a plurality of robots 2 and a plurality of long-range drones 3 may be provided.

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

[0013] Next, the robot 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the robot 2 according to the embodiment, and is also a side view of the robot 2 as seen from the side.

[0014] The robot 2 includes a robot body 10, a short-range drone 11, a detection unit 12, and a control device 13. The robot 2 is capable of autonomous travel, and when a suspicious object is detected, it tracks the suspicious object. The suspicious object may be, for example, a person behaving suspiciously or the perpetrator of a crime. Furthermore, the suspicious object is not limited to a person, but may also be a vehicle carrying a person behaving suspiciously. In this way, since the robot 2 tracks a suspicious object, it can also be said to be a tracking robot or a security robot. Furthermore, a robot system 1 including such a robot 2 can also be said to be a tracking system or a security system.

[0015] The robot main body 10 is formed in a shape that resembles a quadrupedal animal. Specifically, the robot main body 10 is a dog-shaped robot formed in a shape that resembles a dog. The robot main body 10 comprises a torso 10a, legs 10b, and a head 10c. The torso 10a, legs 10b, and head 10c correspond to the torso, legs, and head of a dog, respectively.

[0016] The body 10a is formed, for example, in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. A back surface 10a1, which corresponds to a dog's back, is formed at the upper part of the body 10a. The back surface 10a1 is formed, for example, in a flat shape, but is not limited to this. A part or all of the back surface 10a1 functions as a takeoff and landing area 14 from which the short-range drone 11 can take off and land.

[0017] The legs 10b and the head 10c are movably attached to the body 10a. The robot body 10 is provided with a driving mechanism such as a motor for moving each part such as the legs 10b and the head 10c.

[0018] Specifically, there are four legs 10b. More specifically, one leg 10b is attached to each of the left and right ends of the front end 10a2 of the body 10a, and one leg 10b is attached to each of the left and right ends of the rear end 10a3 of the body 10a. By moving these four legs 10b, the robot body 10 can run, in other words, walk on all four legs.

[0019] The robot body 10 also includes rollers 15. The rollers 15 are provided on the legs 10b. Specifically, the rollers 15 are provided on the lower ends of the legs 10b. One roller 15 is provided for each leg 10b. For example, one roller 15 is provided for each leg 10b. Note that there may be more than one roller 15 for one leg 10b.

[0020] The rollers 15 can rotate relative to the legs 10b. For example, the rollers 15 rotate when rotation generated by a motor is transmitted to them. The rotation of the rollers 15 enables the robot body 10 to move.

[0021] The rotation speed of each roller 15 can be controlled independently. For example, the rotation speed of each roller 15 can be controlled to be the same. Furthermore, the rotation speed of at least some of the rollers 15 can be controlled to be different from the rotation speed of the other rollers 15. For example, by making the rotation speed of the left roller 15 slower than the rotation speed of the right roller 15, the robot body 10 can turn left.

[0022] The rotation direction of each roller 15 can be controlled individually. The robot body 10 can be configured so that the steering angle of the legs 10b or rollers 15 can be changed, and the robot body 10 can be turned by changing the steering angle.

[0023] The roller 15 may have a speed reduction mechanism such as a gear. The leg 10b is provided with a locking mechanism that can lock the roller 15 so that it does not rotate. For example, the locking mechanism locks the rotation axis of the roller 15.

[0024] The locking mechanism, for example, locks the roller 15 so that it does not rotate relative to the leg 10b by engaging a claw with a gear provided on the rotation shaft of the roller 15. When the engagement between the gear and the claw is released, the roller 15 can rotate relative to the leg 10b. Note that the above-described locking mechanism is an example and is not limited to this.

[0025] The robot body 10 can run by a first running method or a second running method. The first running method is a method of running by moving the legs 10b (in other words, a method of walking on all fours by moving the legs 10b). The second running method is a method of running by rotating the rollers 15.

[0026] In the first travel, the rollers 15 are locked by the locking mechanism so as not to rotate relative to the legs 10b, and in the second travel, the rollers 15 are released from the locking mechanism.

[0027] The running speed in the second running is faster than the running speed in the first running. That is, the moving speed of the robot body 10 by the rollers 15 is faster than the running speed of the robot body 10 by the movement of the legs 10b.

[0028] In addition, in the robot main body 10, motors are provided as joints connecting the various parts at locations where the various parts are movably connected, for example, at locations corresponding to the joints of a dog. The various parts are moved by the motors, thereby realizing various movements of the robot main body 10. Furthermore, the vibrations of the robot main body 10 can be absorbed by the motors.

[0029] Furthermore, detection sensors such as gyroscopes that detect the movement of each part are provided at the locations where each part is movably connected, so that the vibrations and movements of each part can be detected by the detection sensors.

[0030] As a result, the robot control unit 37 (see Figure 4, described later) can control each motor according to the detection results from detection sensors such as a gyroscope and various information (described later) detected by the detection unit 12, for example, to control the weight shift of the robot main body 10 and adjust the balance of the robot main body 10.

[0031] Next, the head 10c will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the head 10c of the robot body 10 according to the embodiment.

[0032] 2 and 3, head 10c includes head body 10c1 and neck 10c2. Head body 10c1 is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape (see FIG. 3). Head body 10c1 has detection unit 12 provided therein, in other words, detection unit 12 is built in.

[0033] The detection unit 12 will now be described. The detection unit 12 detects the situation around the robot main body 10. The detection unit 12 includes, for example, a device capable of detecting the surrounding situation, such as a high-sensitivity camera capable of 360-degree sensing, a LiDAR (light detection and ranging), a thermal camera, or a radar. The detection unit 12 may include a sensor capable of detecting the surrounding situation, such as vision recognition, minute sounds, ultrasonic waves, vibrations, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, or electromagnetic waves. A plurality of detection units 12 may be provided. The detection unit 12 may be, for example, a plurality of types of sensors.

[0034] The detection unit 12 also includes a positioning device. The positioning device is, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) that receives radio waves from navigation satellites orbiting in the sky to determine position and time. The positioning device detects the position of the robot main body 10. Information on the detected position of the robot main body 10 is transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N.

[0035] Continuing with the description of the head 10c, the side surface (circumferential surface) 10c3 of the head main body 10c1 is formed of a transparent material. More specifically, if the detection unit 12 inside the head main body 10c1 includes, for example, a camera, the side surface 10c3 is formed of a transparent material that allows the camera to capture images of the outside (surroundings) of the head main body 10c1. The transparent material may be, but is not limited to, a resin such as plastic, glass, or the like. The color of the material is, for example, black, as indicated by the dots in FIG. 3, but is not limited to this and may be any other color.

[0036] In this way, the detection unit 12 according to this embodiment is covered by a transparent member in the head body 10c1. As a result, if the detection unit 12 includes, for example, a camera capable of 360-degree sensing, the camera can reliably capture images of the 360-degree periphery of the robot body 10 through the transparent member (side surface (circumferential surface) 10c3).

[0037] The neck portion 10c2 couples (connects) the head main body 10c1 and the body portion 10a. Specifically, one end of the neck portion 10c2 is connected to the upper part of the front end 10a2 of the body portion 10a, while the other end is connected to the underside 10c4 of the head main body 10c1. The neck portion 10c2 is configured to extend obliquely upward and forward from the body portion 10a in a side view, from one end connected to the body portion 10a to the other end connected to the head main body 10c1. Because the neck portion 10c2 and the head main body 10c1 are configured as described above, the head 10c is attached to the body portion 10a so as to protrude obliquely upward and forward in a side view.

[0038] In this way, by attaching the head 10c so that it protrudes diagonally forward and upward from the torso 10a, the detection unit 12 possessed by the head 10c is able to detect the situation around the robot body 10 further forward than, for example, when the head 10c is attached directly above the torso 10a.

[0039] The shapes of the body 10a, legs 10b, and head 10c shown in FIG. 2 are merely examples and are not limiting.

[0040] As described above, the robot main body 10 has the takeoff and landing section 14 from which the short-range drone 11 can take off and land. The takeoff and landing section 14 is provided on the back surface 10a1 of the body section 10a. This takeoff and landing section 14 can also be said to be a base section for the short-range drone 11. The takeoff and landing section 14 is equipped with a charging device that charges the battery of the short-range drone 11. The takeoff and landing section 14 may also be equipped with a replacement battery for the short-range drone 11.

[0041] The short-range drone 11 is an example of a drone and also an example of a moving object. The short-range drone 11 is a multicopter equipped with multiple (for example, four) rotary propellers, and performs unmanned autonomous flight. The short-range drone 11 is also powered by a battery.

[0042] The short-range drone 11 includes a camera 20 and a tracking mark 21. The tracking mark 21 is emitted from the short-range drone 11. The short-range drone 11 includes a launcher that launches the tracking mark 21.

[0043] For example, when the tracking mark 21 is projected at a suspicious object, it adheres to the suspicious object. For example, the tracking mark 21 is provided with a magnet. For example, when the suspicious object is a vehicle, the tracking mark 21 adheres to the suspicious object by magnetic force. The tracking mark 21 may be adhesive.

[0044] The tracking mark 21 has, for example, a positioning device. The positioning device is, for example, a GNSS. The positioning device also includes a communication module that transmits its own detected position information. The position information of the tracking mark 21 detected by the positioning device is transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N. The position information of the tracking mark 21 detected by the positioning device is transmitted to the control device 13 via the network N. When the tracking mark 21 is attached to a suspicious object, the position of the suspicious object is detected based on the position information transmitted from the positioning device.

[0045] The tracking mark 21 may also be a ball containing fluorescent paint. The ball containing fluorescent paint explodes when it hits a suspicious object, and the fluorescent paint adheres to the suspicious object. The short-range drone 11 may be equipped with multiple types of tracking marks 21.

[0046] The short-range drone 11 includes a communication module for performing wireless communication via the network N. The short-range drone 11 also includes various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an optical sensor.

[0047] The short-range drone 11 also has a positioning device 22 for measuring its own position. The positioning device 22 is, for example, a GNSS. The position information of the short-range drone 11 detected by the positioning device 22 may be transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N. The position information of the short-range drone 11 detected by the positioning device 22 may be transmitted to the control device 13 via the network N. The short-range drone 11 also has a computer (for example, a microcomputer) that executes a flight control function, an attitude control function for controlling the attitude, and the like.

[0048] The short-range drone 11 acquires information about the first flight path from the control device 13 via the communication module. The information about the first flight path includes position information (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the first flight path. The first flight path is a flight path for tracking a suspicious target.

[0049] The short-range drone 11 transmits images captured by the camera 20 to the management device 4 via the communication module. The short-range drone 11 transmits images captured by the camera 20 to the control device 13 via the communication module. The short-range drone 11 acquires information regarding the emission signal of the tracking mark 21 from the control device 13 via the communication module.

[0050] When a suspicious object is detected, the short-range drone 11 takes off from the takeoff and landing unit 14 of the robot main body 10. The short-range drone 11 acquires information about a first flight path and flies along the first flight path to track the suspicious object. The short-range drone 11 performs image processing based on images captured by the camera 20 and flies along the first flight path while avoiding obstacles. When a signal to launch a tracking mark 21 is acquired, the short-range drone 11 launches the tracking mark 21. The short-range drone 11 launches the tracking mark 21 toward the suspicious object.

[0051] The control device 13 is provided, for example, in the torso 10a of the robot main body 10, but is not limited thereto and may be provided in another position such as the head 10c. As shown in Fig. 4, the control device 13 includes a communication unit 30, a storage unit 31, and a control unit 32. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of the control device 13 of the robot 2 according to the embodiment.

[0052] The communication unit 30 is wirelessly connected to the network N. The communication unit 30 transmits and receives information to and from the management device 4 via the network N. The communication unit 30 transmits various pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 to the management device 4. The communication unit 30 receives images captured by the camera 20 of the short-range drone 11. The communication unit 30 receives position information of the tracking mark 21 from the positioning device of the tracking mark 21.

[0053] The storage unit 31 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an optical disk, etc. The storage unit 31 stores various programs and various data.

[0054] The control unit 32 is a controller and includes, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM, input / output ports, etc., and various other circuits. The control unit 32 may also be configured with hardware such as an integrated circuit, for example, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 32 includes a suspicious object detection unit 35, a drone control unit 36, and a robot control unit 37.

[0055] The suspicious object detection unit 35 detects a suspicious object. The suspicious object detection unit 35 detects a suspicious object based on various information detected by the detection unit 12. For example, the suspicious object detection unit 35 performs predetermined image processing on an image captured by a high-sensitivity camera provided on the robot 2 to detect a suspicious object. For example, the suspicious object detection unit 35 may detect a suspicious object based on the detection result of an infrared sensor. The suspicious object detection unit 35 may detect a suspicious object using a suspicious object detection model in AI (Artificial Intelligence).

[0056] The drone control unit 36 ​​controls the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a first flight path for the short-range drone 11. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a first flight path for tracking a detected suspicious object. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets the first flight path based on the current position information of the robot 2 and the position information where the suspicious object was detected. For example, the drone control unit 36 ​​sets the first flight path based on the current position information of the robot 2, the direction in which the suspicious object was detected relative to the robot 2, and the distance from the robot 2 to the suspicious object.

[0057] The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a second flight path for the long-range drone 3. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets a second flight path for tracking a detected suspicious object. The drone control unit 36 ​​sets the second flight path based on the position information of the station where the long-range drone 3 is waiting and the position information of the tracking mark 21. The drone control unit 36 ​​may set the second flight path based on the position information of the long-range drone 3 and the position information of the tracking mark 21.

[0058] The drone control unit 36 ​​may set the first flight path and the second flight path based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject. The predicted escape route is generated, for example, by an escape route prediction model. The escape route prediction model predicts the escape route of the suspicious subject based on the position information of the robot 2 at the time the suspicious subject is detected, the position information of the tracking mark 21, map information, traffic information, etc. The escape route prediction model includes the position information of the tracking mark 21, for example, historical information about the position of the tracking mark 21.

[0059] For example, the escape route prediction model is a text generation model (so-called AI chat engine), and may be interpreted as an algorithm and calculation for automatic text-based dialogue processing. The text generation model is described, for example, in JP 2018-081444 A and chatGPT (Internet Search<URL: https: / / openai.com / blog / chatgpt> ) and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted. Such a sentence generation model is configured using a large language model (LLM).

[0060] For example, the drone control unit 36 ​​generates a sentence such as "A suspicious person is fleeing from east to west at the intersection of ABC Town DD. What escape route do you think they might have taken?" using a language generation model based on the position information of the tracking mark 21. The generated sentence is then input into an escape route prediction model, which generates a sentence such as "The suspicious person is likely heading towards EF in ABC Town." In this case, the drone control unit 36 ​​sets a first flight route and a second flight route toward "EF in ABC Town."

[0061] By setting the first flight path and the second flight path based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject, the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3 can get to the destination of the suspicious subject in advance. The predicted escape route may be set by the management device 4.

[0062] The set first flight path is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. Upon receiving the first flight path, the short-range drone 11 takes off from the takeoff and landing section 14, flies along the first flight path, and tracks the suspicious object.

[0063] The set second flight path is transmitted to the long-range drone 3. Upon receiving the second flight path, the long-range drone 3 takes off from the waiting station, flies along the second flight path, and tracks the suspicious object.

[0064] The drone control unit 36 ​​generates a launch signal for the tracking mark 21 of the short-range drone 11. For example, the drone control unit 36 ​​calculates the distance to the suspicious target from an image captured by the camera 20 of the short-range drone 11. Then, if the distance to the suspicious target is equal to or less than a predetermined distance, the drone control unit 36 ​​generates a launch signal for launching the tracking mark 21 toward the suspicious target. The generated launch signal is transmitted to the short-range drone 11. As a result, the tracking mark 21 is launched toward the suspicious target.

[0065] The robot control unit 37 sets a travel route for the robot body 10. The travel route includes a preset warning route. The robot control unit 37 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously along the travel route. The robot control unit 37 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously in accordance with the situation detected by the detection unit 12. The robot control unit 37 causes the robot body 10 to travel autonomously by controlling the drive of the legs 10b and rollers 15 of the robot body 10. The robot control unit 37 controls the drive of the legs 10b and rollers 15 of the robot body 10 based on various information detected by the detection unit 12, for example, so that the robot body 10 travels while avoiding obstacles.

[0066] Furthermore, for example, when a suspicious object is detected, the robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object. The robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object, for example, based on the position information of the robot main body 10 and the position information where the suspicious object was detected. For example, the robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object based on the current position information of the robot main body 10, the direction in which the suspicious object was detected relative to the robot main body 10, and the distance from the robot main body 10 to the suspicious object.

[0067] In addition, after the short-range drone 11 takes off, the robot control unit 37 sets a travel route to track the suspicious object based on the position information of the robot body 10 and the position information of the tracking mark 21.

[0068] When a suspicious subject is detected, the robot control unit 37 may set a travel route to track the suspicious subject based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject. By setting the travel route of the robot body 10 based on the predicted escape route of the suspicious subject, the robot body 10 can get to the destination of the suspicious subject in advance.

[0069] The robot control unit 37 switches the running method of the robot body 10. The robot control unit 37 switches the running method of the robot body 10 between a first running method using movement of the legs 10b and a second running method using rotation of the rollers 15.

[0070] For example, when no suspicious object is detected, the robot control unit 37 sets the running method of the robot body 10 to the first running. In other words, the robot control unit 37 sets the running method of the robot body 10 to the first running, in which the legs 10b are moved to walk on all fours. When making the robot body 10 run in the first running mode, the robot control unit 37 locks the rollers 15 with a locking mechanism to prevent them from rotating.

[0071] When it is necessary to make the robot body 10 travel at a speed faster than the first travel, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot body 10 to the second travel. For example, when a suspicious object is detected and the suspicious object is to be tracked, the robot control unit 37 sets the travel method of the robot body 10 to the second travel.

[0072] When the robot body 10 is caused to travel in the second travel, the robot control unit 37 stops the movement of the leg 10b. For example, the robot control unit 37 sets the leg 10b to a predetermined position. The predetermined position is a position set in advance, where the robot body 10 assumes a posture suitable for travel during the second travel by rotation of the rollers 15. For example, the predetermined position is a position where the center of gravity of the robot body 10 is at a height less than half the total length of the robot 2. For example, the predetermined position is a position where all or part of the torso 10a is moved downward. More specifically, the predetermined position is a position where the entire torso 10a is moved downward so that the dog-shaped robot body 10 assumes a prone position, or a position where the rear end 10a3 of the torso 10a is moved downward so that the dog-shaped robot body 10 assumes a crouching position. The robot control unit 37 also releases the locking mechanism and rotates the rollers 15.

[0073] Even when tracking of a suspicious object is started, the robot control unit 37 sets the running method of the robot body 10 to the first running mode when, for example, the robot body 10 goes up and down stairs, overcomes a step, etc. In other words, when the robot body 10 goes up and down stairs, the robot control unit 37 sets the running method of the robot body 10 to the first running mode in which the legs 10b are moved and the robot body 10 walks on all fours.

[0074] Here, an example has been described in which the running mode of the robot body 10 is switched between the first running mode and the second running mode depending on whether a suspicious object is detected, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the robot body 10 may mainly run in the second running mode, and run in the first running mode when ascending or descending stairs or climbing over steps. The conditions for switching the running mode of the robot may be configurable.

[0075] Returning to Figure 1, the long-range drone 3 is an example of a moving object. The long-range drone 3 is, for example, a multicopter equipped with multiple rotor propellers, similar to the short-range drone 11, and performs unmanned autonomous flight. The short-range drone 11 is also powered by a battery.

[0076] The long-range drone 3 has a longer flight distance than the short-range drone 11. The flight distance is the distance that can be flown on a single charge. The long-range drone 3 waits at a preset station. For example, the long-range drone 3 is equipped with a large battery to have a longer flight distance than the short-range drone 11. For example, the long-range drone 3 is larger than the short-range drone 11. The long-range drone 3 may be, for example, an airplane-type drone.

[0077] The long-range drone 3 is equipped with a camera, similar to the short-range drone 11. Unlike the short-range drone 11, the long-range drone 3 is not equipped with a tracking mark. Note that the long-range drone 3 may be equipped with a tracking mark, similar to the short-range drone 11.

[0078] The long-range drone 3 includes a communication module for wireless communication via the network N. The long-range drone 3 also includes various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and an optical sensor.

[0079] The long-range drone 3 also has a positioning device 39 (see FIG. 1) for measuring its own position. The positioning device 39 is, for example, a GNSS. The position information of the long-range drone 3 detected by the positioning device 39 may be transmitted to the management device 4 via the network N. The position information of the long-range drone 3 detected by the positioning device 39 may be transmitted to the control device 13 via the network N. The long-range drone 3 also has a computer (for example, a microcomputer) that executes a flight control function, an attitude control function for controlling its attitude, and the like.

[0080] The long-range drone 3 acquires information about the second flight route from the control device 13 via the communication module. The information about the second flight route includes position information (for example, latitude, longitude, and altitude) of the second flight route.

[0081] The long-range drone 3 may fly so as to take over the tracking of the suspicious target by the short-range drone 11. The long-range drone 3 may track the suspicious target simultaneously with the short-range drone 11.

[0082] The long-range drone 3 transmits images taken by the camera to the management device 4 via the communication module. The long-range drone 3 transmits images taken by the camera to the control device 13 via the communication module.

[0083] When a suspicious object is detected, the long-range drone 3 takes off from the waiting station. The long-range drone 3 acquires information about the second flight path and flies along the second flight path to track the suspicious object. The long-range drone 3 performs image processing based on the images captured by the camera and flies along the second flight path while avoiding obstacles.

[0084] The ability to track a suspicious target can be improved by tracking the suspicious target using the short-range drone 11 and the long-range drone 3. For example, indoors, tracking can be performed using the short-range drone 11, which is smaller than the long-range drone 3, and if the suspicious target escapes outdoors, tracking can be performed using the long-range drone 3.

[0085] The management device 4 is, for example, a server device. The management device 4 may be a cloud server. As shown in Fig. 5, the management device 4 includes a communication unit 40, a storage unit 41, and a control unit 42. Fig. 5 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of the management device 4 according to the embodiment.

[0086] The management device 4 collects various information detected by the detection unit 12 of the robot 2 from the robot 2 that detected the suspicious object. The management device 4 also collects various information detected by the detection unit 12 from a robot 2 different from the robot 2 that detected the suspicious object. The management device 4 also collects position information of each long-range drone 3 from multiple long-range drones 3.

[0087] The management device 4 may generate information regarding the travel path of the robot 2. The management device 4 may also generate information regarding the first flight path of the short-range drone 11. The management device 4 may also generate information regarding the second flight path of the long-range drone 3.

[0088] The communication unit 40 is connected to the network N by wire or wirelessly. The communication unit 40 transmits and receives information to and from the control device 13 of the robot 2, the short-range drone 11, and the long-range drone 3 via the network N.

[0089] The communication unit 40 receives various information detected by the detection unit 12 from the control device 13 of the robot 2. The communication unit 40 receives images captured by the camera 20 from the short-range drone 11. The communication unit 40 receives position information from the short-range drone 11, the tracking mark 21, and the long-range drone 3. The communication unit 40 receives images captured by the camera from the long-range drone 3.

[0090] The storage unit 41 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory element such as RAM or flash memory, or a storage device such as an HDD, SSD, or optical disk. Various programs and various data are stored in the storage unit 41. For example, the storage unit 41 stores various pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 of each robot 2.

[0091] The control unit 42 is a controller and includes, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU, ROM, RAM, input / output ports, etc., and various circuits. The control unit 42 may also be configured with hardware such as an integrated circuit, for example, an ASIC, an FPGA, etc.

[0092] The control unit 42 may generate information regarding the travel route of the robot body 10. For example, the control unit 42 generates information regarding the travel route of the robot body 10 using a sentence generation model (a so-called AI chat engine). As described above, the sentence generation model may be interpreted as an algorithm and calculation for automatic dialogue processing using text.

[0093] The control unit 42 generates a question about the suspicious object from various pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 of the robot 2. First, the control unit 42 generates a question using, for example, a language generation model.

[0094] For example, if movement is detected by the infrared sensor of Robot 2, the following question will be generated: "The infrared sensor detected this movement. Is this movement a suspicious person? From a criminal's perspective, what action would they take next?"

[0095] When such a question is input into the sentence generation model, the control unit 42 generates a sentence such as, "There is a high possibility that this person is a suspicious person. If he senses the presence of a person, he will take action to run away." The generated sentence is transmitted to the robot 2 as information regarding the travel route, and the robot 2 sets a travel route so as to approach the person presumed to be a suspicious person at a low speed.

[0096] Also, for example, when a sound is detected by a sensor of robot 2 that detects minute sounds, a question such as "I can hear a beep from 2 meters away. What sound is this?" is generated.

[0097] When such a question is input into the sentence generation model, the control unit 42 generates a sentence such as, for example, "An alarm is sounding." The generated sentence is sent to the robot 2 as information regarding the travel route, and the robot 2 recognizes the object as suspicious, and sets a travel route to approach the suspicious object via, for example, the shortest route.

[0098] The control unit 42 may similarly generate information about the travel route of the robot 2 based on other information detected by the detection unit 12 of the robot 2. The control unit 42 may generate information about the travel route of the robot 2 based on information obtained by a high-sensitivity camera capable of 360-degree sensing, a LiDAR, a thermal camera, a radar, or the like. The control unit 42 may generate information about the travel route of the robot 2 based on information obtained by sensors such as vision recognition, ultrasonic waves, vibrations, ultraviolet rays, and electromagnetic waves.

[0099] Similarly, information regarding the travel route of the robot 2 may be generated based on a plurality of pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 of the robot 2. The control unit 42 may set the travel route of the robot 2.

[0100] By generating information about the travel path of the robot 2 using the document generation model, the robot 2 can, for example, accurately determine a suspicious object and can move the robot 2 closer to the suspicious object without the suspicious object noticing. Therefore, for example, the robot 2 can improve the hit rate of the tracking mark 21 emitted from the short-range drone 11. In this way, by generating information about the travel path of the robot 2 using the document generation model, the tracking ability of the robot 2 or the like to track the suspicious object can be improved.

[0101] The control unit 42 may also generate information about at least one of the first flight path of the short-range drone 11 and the second flight path of the long-range drone 3. For example, the control unit 42 generates information about the first flight path using a sentence generation model.

[0102] For example, if the robot 2 detects a suspicious object, the suspicious object is a car, and the license plate number of the suspicious object is detected as "AA-BB," the control unit 42 uses the language generation model to create the sentence "Take a picture of the car with the license plate number AA-BB." The control unit 42 then inputs the generated sentence into a sentence generation model to generate information about the first flight path. For example, the control unit 42 generates a flight program for the short-range drone 11 that captures a picture of the car with the license plate number "AA-BB" using the camera of the short-range drone 11 and tracks the car with the license plate number "AA-BB." The control unit 42 then generates the generated flight program as information about the first flight path. The generated information about the first flight path is transmitted to the short-range drone 11, causing the short-range drone 11 to fly so as to track the car with the license plate number "AA-BB." The image captured by the camera of the short-range drone 11 is transmitted to the management device 4.

[0103] For example, by generating information regarding the first flight path of the short-range drone 11 using a document generation model, the ability of the short-range drone 11 to track suspicious objects can be improved.

[0104] The generation of information about the travel route of the robot 2 using the sentence generation model may be executed by the robot 2.

[0105] Next, the traveling switching process according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the traveling switching process according to the embodiment. The traveling switching process is executed by the control device 13 of the robot 2.

[0106] The control unit 32 acquires various pieces of information detected by the detection unit 12 (S100). The control unit 32 determines whether or not a suspicious object has been detected based on the acquired various pieces of information (S101). For example, the control unit 32 detects a suspicious object by performing predetermined image processing on an image captured by a high-sensitivity camera.

[0107] If no suspicious object is detected (S101: No), the control unit 32 sets the running method of the robot main body 10 to the first running method (S102). Specifically, the control unit 32 sets the running method of the dog-shaped robot main body 10 to the first running method in which the legs 10b are moved and the robot main body 10 walks on all fours.

[0108] When a suspicious object is detected (S101: Yes), the control unit 32 sets the running method of the robot body 10 to the second running (S103). More specifically, the control unit 32 sets the running method of the dog-shaped robot body 10 to the second running using the rotation of the rollers 15.

[0109] As described above, the robot 2 according to the embodiment includes a short-range drone (an example of a drone) 11 and a robot main body 10 having a takeoff and landing section 14 from which the short-range drone 11 can take off and land. The robot main body 10 is formed in a shape that resembles a quadrupedal animal.

[0110] In this way, since the robot main body 10 is formed in a shape that resembles a quadrupedal animal, it is possible to reduce the space required compared to, for example, a vehicle from which a drone takes off and lands, as in the prior art. In other words, it is possible to miniaturize the robot 2 including the robot main body 10. Therefore, the robot 2 according to the embodiment can be used for various purposes, such as tracking a suspicious object both indoors and outdoors, and as a result, the versatility of the robot 2 can be improved.

[0111] Furthermore, by forming the robot body 10 in a shape that resembles a four-legged animal, it is possible to make it less likely to instill fear or intimidation in people around it, for example, when the robot body 10 is traveling along a security route.

[0112] The robot body 10 also includes a trunk 10a including a back surface 10a1. The takeoff and landing section 14 is provided on the back surface 10a1 of the trunk 10a.

[0113] This makes it possible for the short-range drone 11 to take off and land from the takeoff and landing area 14 easily and quickly.

[0114] The robot body 10 also includes a trunk 10a and a head 10c. The head 10c has a detector 12 that detects the situation around the robot body 10, and is attached to the trunk 10a so as to protrude diagonally upward and forward in a side view.

[0115] This allows the detection unit 12 of the head 10c to detect the situation around the robot body 10 further forward than when the head 10c is attached directly above the body 10a, for example.

[0116] Furthermore, the detection unit 12 is covered with a transparent member. This allows, for example, if the detection unit 12 includes a camera, the camera to reliably capture images of the surroundings of the robot main body 10 through the transparent member.

[0117] The robot body 10 also includes a trunk 10a, legs 10b attached to the trunk 10a, and rollers attached to the legs 10b for moving the robot body 10. This allows the control unit 32 to switch between a first traveling mode using the movement of the legs 10b and a second traveling mode using the rotation of the rollers 15. Therefore, for example, the robot 2 can track a suspicious object while switching between the traveling modes, thereby improving the tracking ability of the suspicious object.

[0118] The four-legged animal is a dog. That is, the robot main body 10 is formed in a shape that resembles a dog. Therefore, when the robot main body 10 is traveling, for example, along a security route, it is possible to make it even less likely to instill fear or intimidation in people around it.

[0119] In the above embodiment, the robot main body 10 is formed in a shape that resembles a quadrupedal animal, and the quadrupedal animal is a dog, but the invention is not limited to this. The quadrupedal animal may be, for example, a cat, a horse, a lion, a crocodile, a frog, or any other type of animal.

[0120] 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of a computer hardware configuration that functions as the robot 2 or the management device 4. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to the present embodiment, or can cause the computer 1200 to perform operations associated with the device according to the present embodiment or one or more "parts," and / or can cause the computer 1200 to perform a process according to the present embodiment or steps of the process. Such a program can be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to perform specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0121] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, a RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communications interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, or the like. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, or the like. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0122] The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and the RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires image data generated by the CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in the RAM 1214 or into the graphics controller itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on the display device 1218.

[0123] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0124] The ROM 1230 stores therein a boot program or the like that is executed by the computer 1200 upon activation, and / or programs that depend on the hardware of the computer 1200. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via a USB port, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, etc.

[0125] The programs are provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or an IC card. The programs are read from the computer-readable storage medium, installed in the storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. Information processing described in these programs is read by the computer 1200, and causes cooperation between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing operations or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0126] For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing based on the processing described in the communication program. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in the RAM 1214, the storage device 1224, a DVD-ROM, or a recording medium such as an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes reception data received from the network to a reception buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

[0127] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may cause all or a necessary portion of a file or database stored in an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), an IC card, etc. to be read into the RAM 1214, and may perform various types of processing on the data on the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to the external recording medium.

[0128] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and may undergo information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on data read from the RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgment, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information search / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the instruction sequences of the programs, and write the results back to the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also search for information in a file, database, etc. on the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, are stored on the recording medium, the CPU 1212 may search for an entry whose attribute value of the first attribute matches a specified condition from among the multiple entries, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0129] The above-described programs or software modules may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near the computer 1200. A recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can also be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the programs to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0130] The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the present embodiments may represent stages of a process in which an operation is performed or "parts" of an apparatus responsible for performing the operation. Particular stages and "parts" may be implemented by dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor provided with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuitry may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, including integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuitry may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), including AND, OR, XOR, NAND, NOR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0131] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions that are executed by an appropriate device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture, including instructions that can be executed to create means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0132] The computer readable instructions may include either assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or source or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, JAVA®, C++, etc., and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages.

[0133] Computer-readable instructions may be provided locally or over a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN), the Internet, etc. to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or programmable circuitry, such that the processor or programmable circuitry executes the computer-readable instructions to generate means for performing the operations specified in the flowcharts or block diagrams. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, etc.

[0134] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0135] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0136] 1. Robot System 2. Robot 3 Long-Range Drone 4 Management device 10 Robot body 10a Torso 10a1 Back 10b Legs 10c head 11 Short-Range Drone 12 Detector 13 Control device 14 Departure and Arrival Area 15 Roller

Claims

1. Drones and a robot body having a takeoff and landing section on which the drone can take off and land; Equipped with The robot body includes: Formed in the shape of a quadrupedal animal, robot.

2. The robot body includes: A torso portion including a back surface, The departure and arrival section includes: Provided on the back surface of the torso portion, The robot of claim 1 .

3. The robot body includes: A body portion and a head portion having a detection portion for detecting the situation around the robot body and attached to the body portion so as to protrude obliquely upward and forward in a side view; The robot of claim 1 , comprising:

4. The detection unit Covered by a transparent member, The robot according to claim 3.

5. The robot body includes: A body portion and legs attached to the body; a roller provided on the leg portion for moving the robot body; The robot of claim 1 , comprising:

6. The quadrupedal animal is a dog. The robot of claim 1 .

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