System, information management method, and information management program

Abstract

To improve the efficiency of the aggregation of object information and to utilize the dimension information of an object in an object carrying system.SOLUTION: A system includes a transport robot having a function of measuring a dimension of an object to be transported, and an information management apparatus connected to the transport robot via a network, wherein the information management apparatus includes an acquisition task instruction unit configured to instruct the transport robot to execute an acquisition task of the object, a dimension information acquisition unit configured to acquire dimension information of the object obtained by the transport robot acquiring the object based on the acquisition task, and an information management unit configured to manage information related to the object including the dimension information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot, particularly to a mobile manipulator or the like. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, mobile robots (e.g., mobile manipulators) that perform tasks such as transporting objects have been utilized in warehouses, etc. This type of robot may be provided with various functions, and for example, the robot disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a function of measuring the dimensions of the object being transported. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-093278 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, previously, dimensional information acquired by robots has only been used to control the robot's manipulation of objects, and no consideration has been given to how to handle dimensional information in a transport system that includes a robot.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned technical background, and its purpose is to improve the efficiency of collecting object information and utilize object dimensional information in an object transport system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above-mentioned technical problems can be solved by a system, an information management method, an information management program, or the like having the following configuration.

[0007] In other words, the system of the present invention is a system consisting of a transport robot equipped with the function of measuring the dimensions of an object to be transported, and an information management device connected to the transport robot via a network, and the information management device is equipped with an acquisition task command unit that commands the transport robot to execute an object acquisition task, a dimension information acquisition unit that acquires dimensional information of the object obtained by the transport robot acquiring the object based on the acquisition task, and an information management unit that manages information regarding the object including the dimensional information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, in an object transport system, it is possible to improve the efficiency of collecting object information and utilize object dimensional information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a warehouse in which an object transport system is installed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a network configuration diagram of the object transport system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the mobile manipulator. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the object manipulation unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the WCS server. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the mobile manipulator. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the object transport system. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a detailed flowchart of the execution process of the item picking task. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a side view of the mobile manipulator immediately after it has grasped an object. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of how a distance D1 to the front of an object is measured using a distance sensor. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing how an object is placed in an object container so that the open end of the object container coincides with the front face of the object. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing how the height H of an object is calculated using a distance sensor. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing how the depth D of an object is calculated using the storage section distance sensor. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a first modified example of depth calculation. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a second modified example of depth calculation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] (1. First embodiment) As a first embodiment, an example will be described in which the present invention is applied to a mobile robot, i.e., a mobile manipulator 100, used in an object transportation system 900 installed in a warehouse 600. Note that the facilities to which the object transportation system is applied are not limited to warehouses, but include any facilities where similar functions are required.

[0012] (1.1 Configuration) 1 is a plan view of a warehouse 600 in which an object transportation system 900 is arranged. Inside the warehouse 600, there are a plurality of mobile manipulators 100 and a plurality of shelves. The shelves include storage shelves 630 arranged parallel to one another and used to store objects, and replenishment shelves 650 on which objects are temporarily placed to replenish the storage shelves 630. As will be described later, the mobile manipulator 100 acquires (picks) an object from this replenishment shelf 650, transports it to one of the storage shelves 630, and places (drops) the object thereon, thereby storing the object.

[0013] 2 is a network configuration diagram of an object transportation system 900. As is clear from the diagram, a plurality of mobile manipulators 100, a WCS (warehouse control system) server 700, and a WMS (warehouse management system) server 800 are connected to each other via a network so that they can communicate with each other. The network may be the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or the like.

[0014] 3 is an external perspective view showing the overall configuration of the mobile manipulator 100 according to this embodiment. A coordinate system consisting of three mutually orthogonal axes (x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis) is displayed in the lower right of the figure, and hereinafter, the positive direction of the x-axis may be referred to as the forward direction, the negative direction as the backward direction, the positive direction of the y-axis as the rightward direction, the negative direction as the leftward direction, the positive direction of the z-axis as the upward direction, and the negative direction as the downward direction.

[0015] As is clear from the figure, the mobile manipulator 100 comprises a main body 10 having an overall shape of a roughly rectangular parallelepiped with long sides in the vertical direction, an articulated robot arm 30 attached to the top end (or top surface) of the main body 10, and an object manipulation unit 50 attached to the tip of the articulated robot arm 30. The left and right side surfaces of the main body 10 are parallel to the x-axis (xz plane), and the front and back surfaces are parallel to the y-axis (yz plane). In this embodiment, the articulated robot arm 30 and the object manipulation unit 50 are referred to separately, but they may also be referred to collectively, for example, simply as an articulated robot arm or an operating device.

[0016] As is clear from the figure, in this embodiment, the articulated robot arm unit 30 is disposed on the center line of the left-right width of the main body unit 10.

[0017] This configuration provides a good left-right weight balance for the mobile manipulator 100. Furthermore, the left-right width of the mobile manipulator 100 can be made smaller than when the articulated robot arm unit 30 is attached to the side.

[0018] On the front surface of the main body 10, object storage sections 15 (15-1, 15-2, ... 15-7 from the top) each having seven rectangular parallelepiped spaces for storing objects are aligned vertically with their openings facing forward. Each space in the object storage section 15 is large enough to store at least one object. In addition, a storage section distance sensor 151, which will be described later, is provided at the deepest position of the object storage section 15.

[0019] Although an ultrasonic sensor is used as the storage section distance sensor 151 in this embodiment, other sensors capable of measuring distance may also be used.

[0020] With this configuration, the object storage unit 15 has multiple storage spaces, so multiple objects can be transported simultaneously. In addition, the spaces for storing objects are arranged vertically, so the width of the mobile manipulator 100 can be reduced. This allows it to move through narrow passages, etc.

[0021] The articulated robot arm unit 30 is attached above (vertically above) the object storage unit 15.

[0022] According to this configuration, the articulated robot arm unit 30 can be used to access the object storage unit 15 from above.

[0023] A LiDAR device 13 is installed on the top surface of the main body 10 via an upside-down U-shaped rod-like support member 12 at a position higher than the main body 10 and in a manner that allows detection from a position higher than surrounding shelves, etc. The LiDAR device 13 is, for example, a LiDAR unit, etc., and can detect the distance, position, shape, etc. of an object.

[0024] With this configuration, sensing can be performed from a high position using the LiDAR device 13. This makes it possible to estimate the self-position even when various obstacles exist in the surroundings.

[0025] The bottom surface of the main body 10 is provided with a moving mechanism 20 consisting of two differential wheels (W1, W2) that are controlled and driven independently on the left and right sides. In addition, passive wheels W' that rotate passively are arranged at the four corners of the bottom surface.

[0026] With this configuration, a low-cost moving mechanism can be realized by utilizing the differential two wheels.

[0027] In this embodiment, the articulated robot arm unit 30 has five rotationally driven joints (J1 to J5). One end (or base end) of a rod-shaped first link 31 is rotatably and swingably connected to the upper end (or top surface) of the main body unit 10 via the first joint (J1). In this case, the rotation center axis of the first joint (J1) is perpendicular to the floor surface, and the rotation center axis of the second joint (J2) is a horizontal axis (or pitch axis) extending in the left-right direction.

[0028] One end (or base end) of the rod-shaped second link 32 is swingably connected to the other end (or tip) of the first link 31 via a third joint (J3). At this time, the rotation center axis of the third joint (J3) is a horizontal axis (or pitch axis) extending in the left-right direction.

[0029] One end (base end) of the third link 33, which is shorter and bent than the first link 31 and the second link 32, is swingably connected to the other end (or tip) of the second link 32 via a fourth joint (J4). At this time, the rotation center axis of the fourth joint (J4) is a horizontal axis (or pitch axis) extending in the left-right direction.

[0030] With this configuration, the hand position of the third link 33 can be freely positioned, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in the positioning of the object manipulation unit 50.

[0031] The object manipulator 50 is rotatably attached via a fifth joint (J5) to the tip of the third link 33. The rotation center axis of the fifth joint (J5) is parallel to the normal to the top surface of the object manipulator 50, and in the example shown in the figure, is parallel to the vertical axis.

[0032] In this embodiment, the object manipulator 50 has two drive joints (J6 to J7).

[0033] Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the exterior of object manipulator 50. In this embodiment, object manipulator 50 comprises a roughly U-shaped base body 51 that is laid on its side in the figure. A slide member 52 is slidably attached to one side of the bottom surface of base body 51 via a first linear joint (JL1) (or sixth joint (J6)). An end effector 53 is attached to the top surface of slide member 52.

[0034] In this embodiment, the end effector 53 is a gripper equipped with left and right claws (55L, 55R) and left and right drive units (551L, 551R) that linearly move the claws in the opening and closing directions. These drive units (551L, 551R) are interlocked and form a second linear joint (JL2) (or seventh joint (J7)). The left and right claws (55L, 55R) are equipped with sensors (not shown) that detect contact or force.

[0035] A first camera 56 is provided on the upper part of the base body 51 and is oriented in an axial direction parallel to the first linear axis (JL1). The first camera 56 has, for example, a function as an RGB camera and a function as a ToF (Time of Flight) camera. This first camera 56 can be used to recognize markers, objects, and the space (gaps) surrounding the objects.

[0036] Distance sensors 553 (553L, 553R) oriented in an axial direction parallel to the first linear axis (JL1) are provided at the bases of the left and right claws (55L, 55R) of the end effector 53. In this embodiment, the distance sensors 553 are LiDAR sensors.

[0037] Although a LiDAR sensor is used in this embodiment, other sensors may be used as long as they are capable of measuring distance.

[0038] A second camera 57 is provided directly above the distance sensor 553 and oriented in an axial direction parallel to the first linear axis (JL1). The second camera 57 is, for example, a monochrome camera, and captures an image of an identifier such as a barcode attached to an object. Based on this captured image, for example, an identification or recognition process of the object or its contents is performed. Note that the second camera 57 may have a higher resolution and a narrower angle of view than the first camera 56.

[0039] It should be noted that the sensors attached to object manipulation unit 50 are not limited to these sensors (first camera 56, second camera 57, distance sensor 553). Therefore, various other known sensors may also be employed.

[0040] 5 is a functional block diagram of the WCS server 700. As is clear from the diagram, the WCS server 700 includes a control unit 701, a storage unit 702, a communication unit 703, a display output unit 705, an audio output unit 706, and an input unit 708, which are connected to each other via a bus.

[0041] The control unit 701 is a calculation device such as a CPU, and executes various processes described below according to programs read from the storage unit 702. The storage unit 702 is a storage device such as a ROM, RAM, flash memory, or hard disk, and stores programs and various data executed by the control unit 701. The communication unit 703 is a wired or wireless communication unit that exchanges information with external devices and provides data to the control unit 701 or the storage unit 702.

[0042] The display output unit 705 outputs images to a connected display (not shown) or the like in accordance with the output of the control unit 701. The audio output unit 706 outputs audio to a connected speaker (not shown) or the like in accordance with the output of the control unit 701. The input unit 708 provides input signals from input devices (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, or button to the control unit 701 or the storage unit 702.

[0043] In addition, since the WMS server 800 has approximately the same hardware configuration as the WCS server 700, namely, a configuration including a control unit 801, a memory unit 802, a communication unit 803, a display output unit 805, an audio output unit 806, and an input unit 808, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0044] 6 is a functional block diagram of the mobile manipulator 100. As is clear from the diagram, the mobile manipulator 100 includes a control unit 101, a memory unit 102, a communication unit 103, a LiDAR device 13, a movement mechanism unit 20, an articulated robot arm unit 30, and an object manipulation unit 50, which are connected to each other via a bus.

[0045] The control unit 101 is a computing device such as a CPU, and executes various processes described below according to programs read from the storage unit 102. The storage unit 102 is a storage device such as a ROM, RAM, or flash memory, and stores programs and various data. The communication unit 103 is a communication unit for wireless communication, and transmits and receives information to and from external devices. The LiDAR device 13 is a sensor unit that acquires the distance, position, shape, etc. of the environment. The acquired information is stored in the storage unit 102, etc., and used by the control unit 101.

[0046] The articulated robot arm unit 30 is provided with an arm drive unit including an actuator used to drive the joints, and an arm sensor that acquires the state of the articulated robot arm unit 30, such as the joint angles.

[0047] The moving mechanism unit 20 is a trackless moving mechanism that does not require rails or the like, and is equipped with a wheel drive unit, which is a drive circuit for driving the drive wheels (W1, W2), and wheel sensors that detect the rotational state of the drive wheels (W1, W2). Information detected via the sensors is stored in the memory unit 102 or used by the control unit 101.

[0048] The object manipulator 50 is equipped with a claw driver to drive the joint (JL2) associated with the interlocking left and right claws (55L, 55R). It also has a linear axis driver as a drive circuit to drive the first linear joint (JL1). Additionally, the object manipulator 50 is equipped with a sensor to detect force or contact acting on the claws 55.

[0049] In addition, the object manipulation unit 50 is equipped with various sensors, namely, a first camera 56, a second camera 57, and a distance sensor 553, and information obtained through the sensors is stored in the memory unit 102 or used by the control unit 101.

[0050] The above configuration is an example, and various additions, changes, deletions, etc. may be made to the configuration. It may be modified to have the following configuration.

[0051] (1.2 Operation) 7 is a flowchart relating to the operation of the object transport system 900, more specifically, a flowchart relating to the operation of the mobile manipulator 100 to acquire (pick) an object from the replenishment shelf 650, transport it to the storage shelf 630, and place (drop) it thereon. As is clear from the figure, the object transport system 900 includes the mobile manipulator 100, the WCS server 700, and the WMS server 800, which operate in conjunction with one another.

[0052] When the process starts, the WCS server 700 generates a task (object pick task) to acquire a specific object from the replenishment shelf 650, and performs a process of transmitting the generated task to the mobile manipulator 100 (S11).

[0053] Upon receiving the object pick task, the mobile manipulator 100 performs processing to execute the contents of the object pick task (S12).

[0054] 8 is a detailed flowchart of the execution process of the item pick task. As is clear from the figure, when the process starts, the control unit 101 performs a process of moving the mobile manipulator 100 to the vicinity of a target object on the replenishment shelf 650 (S121). After this movement, the control unit 101 performs an object recognition process (S122). More specifically, the control unit 101 controls the articulated robot arm unit 30 to have the first camera 56 or the second camera 57 face the object and perform a recognition process regarding the position and orientation of the object. At the same time, the control unit 101 may also perform a process of recognizing an identifier attached to the object using the second camera 57 to obtain the object's identification information (for example, product identification information (product ID), JAN code).

[0055] Thereafter, the control unit 101 controls the articulated robot arm unit 30 and / or the object manipulating unit 50 to perform a process of gripping the object (S123). More specifically, the control unit 101 controls the articulated robot arm unit 30 and / or the object manipulating unit 50 so that the object is positioned in the center of the left and right claws (55L, 55R) of the gripper (end effector 53), and then performs a process of closing the left and right claws (55L, 55R) to sandwich and grip the object.

[0056] After the object gripping process, the control unit 101 performs a process of calculating the width W of the gripped object (S124). That is, the control unit 101 performs a process of storing the opening and closing amount of the gripper as the width W of the object in the storage unit 102.

[0057] 9 is a side view of the mobile manipulator 100 immediately after holding an object. As is clear from the figure, the width W of the object is measured by gripping the object with the gripper.

[0058] With this configuration, the width W of the object can be detected by utilizing the opening and closing of the gripper.

[0059] Returning to FIG. 8, after measuring the width W of the object, the control unit 101 controls the articulated robot arm unit 30 to change the posture of the object so that it faces directly in front of one of the object storage units 15 (S125).

[0060] After the posture change, the control unit 101 performs a process of calculating a relative distance D1 from the base of the gripper (distance sensor 553) to the surface (front) of the object facing the gripper (S126). More specifically, in this embodiment, the distance sensor 553 is a LiDAR sensor, and calculates the distance D1 to the object from point cloud data acquired by the LiDAR sensor.

[0061] 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of measuring the distance D1 to the front of an object using the distance sensor 553. As is clear from the figure, point cloud data is obtained based on the distance sensor 553, which is a LiDAR sensor, and the relative distance D1 from the base of the gripper (distance sensor 553) to the surface (or front) of the object facing the gripper is calculated from the point cloud data.

[0062] With this configuration, as will be described later, even an object of unknown dimensions can be placed so that its front surface is aligned with the open end surface of object storage section 15.

[0063] Although the present embodiment uses a LiDAR sensor to detect the front (or front face) of an object, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Therefore, for example, the front face of an object may be detected using the first camera 56, i.e., a ToF (Time of Flight) camera. With such a configuration, the position of the front face of an object can be detected at the recognition processing stage before the object is grasped.

[0064] 8, after calculating distance D1, control unit 101 controls articulated robot arm unit 30 and object manipulation unit 50 to slide slide member 52, open the gripper, and place the object on the bottom surface of object storage unit 15, thereby storing the object (S127). At this time, control unit 101 positions the object storage unit 15 so that the open end and the surface (or front) of the object that faces the mobile manipulator coincide with each other, based on the relative distance from the base of the gripper (distance sensor 553) to the surface (front) of the object that faces the gripper.

[0065] By placing the object with its front surface aligned with the open end surface of object storage section 15 in this way, as will be described later, it is only necessary to detect the rear surface position of the object when calculating the depth of the object, making the calculation easier.

[0066] 11 is a schematic diagram showing how an object is placed in object storage unit 15 so that the opening edge of object storage unit 15 and the front face of the object coincide with each other. Note that, in this figure, the left and right claws 55 are omitted for ease of visualization. In the example shown in this figure, object 90 is placed in object storage unit 15 so that the front face of object 90 (the left face in this figure) substantially coincides with the opening edge of object storage unit 15.

[0067] 8, after the process of storing the object in object storage unit 15, control unit 101 pulls back slide member 52 so that the entire object is within the point cloud acquisition range of distance sensor 553, and performs a process of calculating height H of the object based on the detection result of distance sensor 553 (S128). More specifically, distance sensor 553, which is a LiDAR sensor, performs sensing so that the entire surface of the object from the bottom edge to the top edge is within the point cloud acquisition range, and analyzes the detection data to calculate height H of the object.

[0068] 12 is a schematic diagram showing how the height H of the object 90 is calculated using the distance sensor 553. As is clear from the figure, the point cloud acquisition range of the distance sensor 553, which is a LiDAR sensor, includes the bottom edge to the top edge of one surface of the object 90. By analyzing the detection results of this sensor, the height H of the object 90 can be calculated.

[0069] In this way, by facing the gripping device to the object and using the LiDAR sensor, accurate height measurements can be made.

[0070] In this embodiment, the distance sensor 553 (LiDAR sensor) is used to detect both the front position of an object and the height of the object, resulting in a simple configuration, but separate sensors may be used.

[0071] Returning to Fig. 8, after the process of calculating the height H of the object, the control unit 101 performs a process of calculating the depth D of the object based on the detection result of the storage unit distance sensor 151, which is a distance sensor arranged at the back of the object storage unit 15 (S131). More specifically, the storage unit distance sensor 151, which in this embodiment is an ultrasonic sensor, measures the distance from the deepest position of the storage unit to the back surface of the object. The depth D of the object is calculated by subtracting the measurement result from the overall depth length of the object storage unit 15.

[0072] With this configuration, robust detection can be performed using ultrasonic waves.

[0073] 13 is a schematic diagram showing how the depth D of object 90 is calculated using storage unit distance sensor 151. As is clear from the figure, storage unit distance sensor 151, which is placed at the deepest position of object storage unit 15, is configured to be able to measure distance d2 from the deepest position of object storage unit 15 to the back surface of object 90. The depth D of object 90 can be calculated by subtracting this distance d2 from the overall length of object storage unit 15 in the depth direction.

[0074] Returning to FIG. 8, after the depth calculation process, the control unit 101 performs a process of storing the values ​​of the width W, height H, and depth D of the object in the storage unit 102 as dimensional information of the object (S132).

[0075] After this storage process, the control unit 101 checks whether there are any other assigned tasks (picking tasks) (S133), and if there are still assigned tasks (YES in S133), it executes the series of processes (S121 to S133) again. On the other hand, if all tasks have been completed (NO in S133), the process ends.

[0076] With this configuration, the dimensions of an object, i.e., the width W, depth D, and height H of the object, can be determined using a robot that grasps and stores an object using a grasping device attached to a highly flexible operating mechanism such as an articulated robot arm.

[0077] Furthermore, with this configuration, it is possible to simultaneously pick up an object and obtain its dimensions, thereby improving the efficiency of the work.

[0078] Returning to FIG. 7, after the object pick task, the mobile manipulator 100 performs a process of transmitting the acquired information about the object to the WCS server 700 (S15). This information includes dimensional information about the three sides of the object (width W, height H, and depth D). Note that this information may further include object identification information (for example, product identification information (product ID), JAN code), etc., obtained by, for example, recognizing and reading a code attached to the object using the second camera 57.

[0079] With this configuration, as will be described later, in addition to the dimensional information of the object, it is possible to manage the object's identification information (e.g., product identification information such as product ID and JAN code), thereby enabling centralized management of information about the object.

[0080] When receiving the information about the object, the WCS server 700 performs a process to determine the placement location of the object on the storage shelf 630 (S16). At this time, the WCS server 700 may determine the placement on the storage shelf 630 based on dimensional information about the object. For example, the placement location on the storage shelf 630 may be determined so as to improve volumetric efficiency, or the placement location may be determined so as to stack the objects.

[0081] According to this configuration, the storage location of the object can be determined based on the dimensional information, thereby realizing efficient storage that takes into account the volumetric efficiency of the storage location.

[0082] Furthermore, with this configuration, multi-tier stacking can be performed without performing object recognition using dimensional information.

[0083] After determining the placement location of the object on the storage shelf 630, a task (object drop task) for placing the object at the placement location is generated and transmitted to the mobile manipulator 100 (S17).

[0084] When generating an object drop task, the dimensional information of the object may be used to control the operation of the mobile manipulator 100, for example, to determine the target operation position of the mobile manipulator 100 or the amount of operation of the placement mechanism.

[0085] With this configuration, it is possible to expect an improvement in the accuracy of the object dropping task.

[0086] Upon receiving the object drop task, the mobile manipulator 100 performs processing to execute the object drop task (S18). Specifically, the control unit 101 controls the movement mechanism unit 20 to move the mobile manipulator 100 to the vicinity of the target storage position. Thereafter, the control unit 101 controls the articulated robot arm unit 30 and the object manipulation unit 50 to perform processing to place the object at the target storage position.

[0087] After executing this object drop task, the control unit 101 performs a process of transmitting information including a task completion signal to the WCS server 700 (S19). The WCS server 700 stores the completion of the object drop task and also performs a process of transmitting the latest status of the warehouse 600, that is, information about the objects on the storage shelves 630 and replenishment shelves 650 (for example, object identification information (product identification information (product ID), JAN code, etc.)) and information about their placement) to the WMS server 800 (S21).

[0088] Upon receiving the information, the WMS server 800 updates the corresponding management information based on the information (S22), thereby completing the process.

[0089] According to this configuration, information about stored objects can be managed in a warehouse management system (WMS) server 800 that manages the entire warehouse 600.

[0090] According to the above configuration, by issuing an object manipulation task (for example, an object picking task) to the mobile manipulator 100, the dimensional information of the object to be manipulated can be collected and managed in the server. This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of collecting object information and utilize the dimensional information of the object in the object transport system 900.

[0091] (2. Modifications) The present invention can be implemented in various modifications.

[0092] In the above-described embodiment, the object is aligned with the open end of the object storage section, and the depth of the object is calculated by measuring the distance from the back surface, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

[0093] 14 is an explanatory diagram of a first modified example related to depth calculation. In the example of the figure, the object is not aligned with either its front surface (the surface facing the gripper) or its back surface, but is appropriately placed in object storage unit 15. In the example of the figure, the front position of the object may be measured using distance sensor 553, which is a LiDAR sensor, and the back position of the object may be measured using storage unit distance sensor 151, which is an ultrasonic sensor, and the depth D of the object may be calculated based on these positions.

[0094] With this configuration, even if an object is placed in the object storage section 15 in an arbitrary manner, the depth D of the object can be detected by detecting the positions of the front and back surfaces of the object.

[0095] 15 is an explanatory diagram of a second modified example related to depth calculation. In the example shown in the figure, an object is placed with its back surface abutting the deepest position of the object storage section. In this case, an area sensor 153 for contact or pressure detection is provided at the deepest position of the object storage section to detect whether the object is at the deepest position. This area sensor 153 makes it possible to accurately detect via the sensor that the object is at the deepest position.

[0096] With this configuration, it is not necessary to align the front surfaces, and the depth of the object can be calculated simply by placing the object at the deepest position in the depth direction.

[0097] In the above-described embodiment, the dimensional information is used for determining the storage position and for the object dropping task, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. Therefore, for example, the dimensional information may be used for the task of acquiring (or picking) an object from the storage shelf 630. In this case, the dimensional information may be used, for example, for controlling the operation of the mobile manipulator 100 (for example, for calculating the operation target position of the mobile manipulator 100 and the operation amount of the acquisition mechanism).

[0098] With this configuration, it is possible to expect an improvement in the accuracy of the object pick task.

[0099] The object pick task may also be configured to be able to pick up objects stacked in multiple layers using dimensional information.

[0100] With this configuration, it is possible to handle multi-tier stacking without using dimensional information to recognize objects.

[0101] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments. Furthermore, the above embodiments can be combined as appropriate within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Industrial Applicability]

[0102] The present invention can be used in industries that manufacture robots and the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 10 Main body 20 Transition Mechanism 30 Articulated robot arm 50 Object operation section 100 Mobile Manipulator

Claims

1. A system comprising a transport robot having a function of measuring the dimensions of an object to be transported, and an information management device connected to the transport robot via a network, The information management device an acquisition task command unit that commands the transfer robot to execute an object acquisition task; a dimension information acquisition unit that acquires dimension information of the object obtained by the transfer robot acquiring the object based on the acquisition task; an information management unit that manages information about the object including the dimensional information; A system with.

2. The information management device further a storage location management unit that manages storage locations of objects; a storage position determination unit that determines a storage position of the object based on the dimension information; The system of claim 1 further comprising:

3. The information management device further The system according to claim 2 , further comprising a placement task command unit that commands the transport robot to execute a placement task for placing the object in the determined storage position.

4. the object further comprising an identifier; the transport robot further acquires identification information of the object by recognizing the identifier; The information management device further an identification information acquisition unit that acquires the identification information of the object; The system according to claim 3 , wherein the information management unit manages information about the object, including the dimension information and the identification information.

5. The information management device further The system of claim 4 , further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits the dimensions, storage location and identification information of the object to a warehouse management system after the placement task has been completed.

6. a placement task command unit that commands the transport robot to execute a placement task for placing the object; The system of claim 1 , wherein the transfer robot performs the placement task using dimensional information of the object for controlling the transfer robot.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the placing task further includes placing one object on another object.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the acquisition task is a task of acquiring an object in a replenishment area.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transport robot performs the acquisition task using dimensional information of the object for controlling the transport robot.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the acquisition task further comprises acquiring an object placed on an object.

11. The transport robot is an object storage unit having a space for storing an object; an object manipulation unit that acquires an object and stores it in the object storage unit, or that removes and places the stored object; The system according to claim 1 , wherein the dimensional information is measured by acquiring an object with the object manipulation unit and storing it in the object storage unit.

12. an acquisition task command step of commanding a transfer robot having a function of measuring the dimensions of the object to be transferred to execute an object acquisition task; a dimension information acquisition step of acquiring dimension information of the object obtained by the transfer robot acquiring the object based on the acquisition task; an information management step of managing information about the object including the dimensional information; An information management method comprising:

13. an acquisition task command step of commanding a transfer robot having a function of measuring the dimensions of the object to be transferred to execute an object acquisition task; a dimension information acquisition step of acquiring dimension information of the object obtained by the transfer robot acquiring the object based on the acquisition task; an information management step of managing information about the object including the dimensional information; Information management program with.

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