Mobile robot control system, measurement device, inclination determination device, inclination determination method, and program

Abstract

To provide a mobile robot control system, a measurement device, an inclination determination device, an inclination determination method, and a program capable of appropriately detecting an inclination of a floor surface.SOLUTION: An aspect of the present invention is a mobile robot control system including a mobile robot including a robot main body and a traveling device attached to the robot main body and configured to travel on a floor surface, and an inclination determination device configured to determine an inclination of the floor surface, wherein the inclination determination device determines the inclination of the floor surface based on a measurement result of the measurement device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobile robot control system, a measurement device, a tilt determination device, a tilt determination method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, there are mobile robots that autonomously navigate to a destination using an environmental shape map of a building or that navigate to create an environmental shape map itself. Some buildings have sloped floor areas, but conventional mobile robots cannot recognize sloped floor areas. Therefore, when a mobile robot travels across floors via a sloped floor area, it may not be able to switch the environmental shape map to that of the appropriate floor even after it has finished ascending or descending the sloped floor area.

[0003] Autonomous mobile robots usually combine SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) technology as a means of estimating their own position with odometry technology to correct their position. Odometry technology estimates the current position of a mobile robot from the number of rotations and turning direction of one or more wheels equipped on the mobile robot.

[0004] In SLAM technology, a mobile robot equipped with a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) acquires information about the shape of the surrounding environment using light ray information from the ToF sensor. Next, a map of the surroundings of the mobile robot is gradually generated, allowing the mobile robot to simultaneously estimate its own position and generate a map. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-056984 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] For example, if a mobile robot attempts to travel on an inclined surface such as a sloped floor area, the light emitted by the LiDAR will be reflected by the floor surface of the sloped floor area. As a result, the light will not return to the mobile robot, or even if the reflected light is accidentally received by the LiDAR, the resulting map may be indistinguishable from other horizontal surfaces on the map. Therefore, SLAM technology cannot recognize sloped floor areas and therefore cannot be applied to sloped floor areas. Furthermore, odometry technology estimates the mobile robot's self-position using information on the wheel rotation speed and turning direction, so like SLAM technology, it cannot detect sloped floor areas.

[0007] Furthermore, the maps that robots generally use are environmental shape maps that are based on flat-surface movement, and in order to have information on multiple floors, they often have a map for each floor, which means that the map must be switched each time the robot moves from one floor to another.However, it is difficult to identify the robot's position by matching it with the map on sloped floor areas while moving through the floors, and SLAM technology using non-contact sensors such as LiDAR has difficulty detecting sloped floor areas because its purpose is to match with map information.

[0008] For these reasons, a mobile robot cannot determine its current location, i.e., which floor of a building it is on, and therefore cannot update the environmental shape map it possesses with that of the appropriate floor when it crosses floor levels. Also, because it takes time to process the decision to switch maps and to eliminate the effects of noise, it is desirable to detect areas where the floor surface is inclined, such as sloped floor areas, before the robot itself tilts.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile robot control system, a measuring device, a slope determination device, a slope determination method, and a program that can appropriately detect the slope of a floor surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a mobile robot control system comprising a mobile robot having a running device attached to a robot body and running on a floor surface, and the robot body, and an inclination determination device that determines the inclination of the floor surface, wherein the inclination determination device determines the inclination of the floor surface based on the measurement results of the measurement device.

[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is a mobile robot control system comprising a mobile robot having a running device attached to a robot body and running on a floor surface, and the robot body, and an inclination determination device that determines the inclination of the floor surface, wherein the inclination determination device is a measuring device included in the mobile robot control system that determines the inclination of the floor surface based on the measurement results of the measuring device.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention is an inclination determination device that includes an acquisition unit that acquires a voltage signal related to a voltage measured by a measuring device, and a determination unit that determines the inclination of the floor surface based on the acquired voltage signal.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is a slope determination method in which a computer of a slope determination device acquires a voltage signal related to a voltage measured by a measuring device, determines the slope of the floor surface based on the acquired voltage signal, generates a control signal for controlling the mobile robot based on map information related to a traveling area of ​​the mobile robot that has been determined in advance and the slope of the floor surface, and transmits the control signal to the robot body.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer of an inclination determination device to acquire a voltage signal related to a voltage measured by a measuring device, determine the inclination of the floor surface based on the acquired voltage signal, generate a control signal for controlling the mobile robot based on map information related to the traveling area of ​​the mobile robot that has been determined in advance and the inclination of the floor surface, and transmit the control signal to the robot body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the mobile robot control system, measurement device, inclination determination device, inclination determination method, and program of the present invention, the inclination of a floor surface can be detected appropriately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile robot control system 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a structural configuration of a mobile robot 10. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the server device 100. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the server device 100. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the server device 100. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the mobile robot 10 descending a slope floor area. [Figure 8] 1 is a graph showing the change in voltage as the mobile robot 10 descends a sloped floor area. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the mobile robot 10 climbs a slope floor area. [Figure 10] 1 is a graph showing the change in voltage when the mobile robot 10 climbs a sloped floor area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, a mobile robot control system, a measurement device, a tilt determination device, a tilt determination method, and a program according to embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a mobile robot control system 1 according to an embodiment. The mobile robot control system 1 of the embodiment includes, for example, a mobile robot 10 and a server device 100. The server device 100 controls the movement of the mobile robot 10. The server device 100 includes an inclination determination device. The mobile robot 10 and the server device 100 each include a transmitter / receiver unit that transmits and receives signals to and from each other.

[0019] The mobile robot 10 includes, for example, a robot main body 20, a running device 30, a measuring device 40, a piezoelectric element 50, and a LiDAR 60. The robot main body 20 includes, for example, a robot-side transceiver 71, a control circuit 80, and a motor 73. The mobile robot 10 and the server device 100 can communicate bidirectionally via a network NW.

[0020] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the mobile robot 10. The mobile robot 10 includes a robot main body 20. The robot main body 20 includes a body section 21 made of, for example, metal or resin, and the body section 21 houses a robot-side transceiver section 71, a control circuit 80, and a motor 73.

[0021] A running device 30, a measuring device 40, and a LiDAR 60 are attached to the lower end of the trunk 21 of the robot body 20. The running device 30 is attached to the robot body 20 and runs on the floor. The running device 30 includes, for example, wheels driven by a motor 73. The running device 30 has, for example, a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. In the following description, the wheels located at the front of the traveling direction of the mobile robot 10 are referred to as the front wheels, and the wheels located at the rear are referred to as the rear wheels. Therefore, in the following description, the wheels will be referred to differently between the front wheels and the rear wheels depending on the traveling direction of the mobile robot 10.

[0022] The measuring device 40 is fixed to a specific point set further forward in the traveling direction (movement direction) of the mobile robot 10 than the running device 30. One measuring device 40 is fixed to the robot body 20. Two or more measuring devices 40 may be fixed to the robot body 20. In this case, the two or more measuring devices 40 may be arranged side by side in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the mobile robot 10.

[0023] By providing multiple measuring devices 40, it is possible to detect the angle of entry into a sloped floor area, so that entry into each floor area can be suitably detected even when the mobile robot 10 enters a flat floor area or a sloped floor area at an angle. Alternatively, the odometry information (wheel turning direction) may be corrected based on the entry angle so that the mobile robot 10 can travel the shortest distance on the sloped floor area.

[0024] The specific point is set on the front side of the running device 30, but it may also be set on the rear side of the running device 30, or if multiple specific points are set, they may be set on only the front side, only the rear side, or both the front and rear sides. The measuring device 40 has a structure that expands and contracts according to the distance between the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 and the floor surface.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the measuring device 40. The measuring device 40 includes, for example, a rod-shaped telescopic member 41. The telescopic member 41 has a simple double-sheathed double structure, and includes a hollow outer tube 42 and a hollow inner tube 43 inserted into the outer tube 42. A wheel 44 is rotatably attached to the lower end of the outer tube 42. The telescopic member 41 is arranged, for example, facing vertically when the mobile robot 10 is placed on a flat surface. The telescopic member 41 may also be arranged facing an inclined direction when the mobile robot 10 is placed on a flat surface. The telescopic member 41 is an example of a measuring member.

[0026] The telescopic member 41 is fixed in position relative to a specific point on the robot body 20. The wheels 44 are connected to the robot body 20 via the telescopic member 41. The inner cylinder 43 is fixed to the robot body 20. The inner cylinder 43 is an example of a first member. The outer cylinder 42 moves relative to the inner cylinder 43. The outer cylinder 42 is an example of a second member. It is sufficient that one of the outer cylinder 42 and the inner cylinder 43 is the first member, and the other of the outer cylinder 42 and the inner cylinder 43 is the second member.

[0027] A spring 45 passes through the hollow portions of the outer cylinder 42 and the inner cylinder 43. The lower end of the spring 45 is connected to the wheel 44, and the upper end of the spring 45 is connected to the piezoelectric element 50. The spring 45 applies a biasing force between the outer cylinder 42 and the inner cylinder 43. The expansion and contraction member 41 and the spring 45 are an example of a movement amount adjustment mechanism.

[0028] When the distance between the mobile robot 10 and the floor area F (flat floor area FF or slope floor area SF) decreases, the inner cylinder 43 enters the hollow part of the outer cylinder 42, causing the measuring device 40 to contract overall. When the distance between the mobile robot 10 and the floor area F increases, the inner cylinder 43 moves out of the hollow part of the outer cylinder 42 due to the biasing force of the spring 45, causing the measuring device 40 to expand overall. As the outer cylinder 42 moves relative to the inner cylinder 43, the wheels 44 move while contacting the floor area F. The expandable member 41 and spring 45 press the wheels 44 against the floor area F, causing them to come into contact with it, as the outer cylinder 42 moves relative to the inner cylinder 43.

[0029] When force is applied to the piezoelectric element 50, a piezoelectric effect occurs, generating a voltage due to electric polarization. The piezoelectric element 50 outputs electricity with a voltage corresponding to the biasing force of the spring 45. For example, when the biasing force applied by the spring 45 is large, the piezoelectric element 50 outputs electricity with a high voltage, and as the biasing force applied by the spring 45 becomes smaller, the piezoelectric element 50 outputs electricity with a low voltage. The voltage of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 is measured by the control circuit 80.

[0030] The biasing force of the spring 45 varies according to the amount of movement of the outer tube 42 due to relative movement with respect to the inner tube 43. The biasing force of the spring 45 is made smaller as the separation distance of the outer tube 42 from the inner tube 43 increases. The piezoelectric element 50 outputs a voltage according to the biasing force of the spring 45, in other words, a voltage according to the separation distance of the outer tube 42 from the inner tube 43. The separation distance of the outer tube 42 from the inner tube 43 may be, for example, the distance between any points defined on the inner tube 43 and the outer tube 42. The spring 45 is an example of a biasing member.

[0031] The LiDAR 60 is attached to the bottom surface of the robot main body 20. The LiDAR 60 includes, for example, an irradiation unit that irradiates laser light and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the irradiated light. The LiDAR 60 generates an environmental shape signal related to the irradiated light irradiated by the irradiation unit and the reflected light received by the light receiving unit, and outputs the signal to the collection circuit 82 in the control circuit 80. The LiDAR 60 is an example of an environmental information measurement sensor that measures the environmental shape around the traveling area.

[0032] The robot main body 20 is provided with, for example, a robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71, a memory 72, a motor 73, and a control circuit 80. The robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 includes a communication interface such as a network interface card (NIC). The robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 communicates with the server device 100 via, for example, ultra wide band (UWB), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, or near field communication (NFC). The robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 transmits various signals generated by the control circuit 80 to the server device 100, and receives various signals transmitted by the server device 100 and provides them to the control circuit 80. The robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 is an example of a transmitting / receiving unit of the mobile robot 10.

[0033] The memory 72 stores various information, such as a hierarchical map of a building in which the mobile robot 10 travels. The hierarchical map includes map information for each of multiple floors. The hierarchical map includes map information regarding multiple floors in the travel area in which the mobile robot 10 travels and the sloped floor areas connecting each floor. Each floor is formed as a flat floor area. The sloped floor area is an example of an inclined area. The map information is map information regarding the travel area of ​​the mobile robot 10 that has been obtained in advance. Which floor of the hierarchical maps stored in the memory 72 to switch to and use may be determined by an instruction from the server device 100, or new hierarchical map information may be sent to the memory 72 from the server device 100 via the network NW when the robot moves to a different floor.

[0034] The memory 72 is configured by a storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory element, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), an optical disk, a flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a random access read / write memory (RAM), or a read-only memory (ROM), or any combination of these storage media. The memory 72 may be, for example, a non-volatile memory. The memory 72 may also be a drive device externally attached to the mobile robot 10.

[0035] The motor 73 is a motor for operating the traveling device 30. The motor 73 is connected to the traveling device 30 and the control circuit 80. The motor 73 operates based on a traveling control signal output by the control circuit 80, and by operating the motor 73, the mobile robot 10 is moved while controlling the direction and speed of movement.

[0036] The control circuit 80 includes, for example, a driving control circuit 81, a collection circuit 82, and a voltage measurement circuit 83. The control circuit 80 is realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Part or all of the control circuit 80 may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

[0037] The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (which may also be a storage device or memory with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0038] The traveling control circuit 81 identifies map information for the floor on which the mobile robot 10 will travel based on a designation signal sent by the server device 100. The traveling control circuit 81 reads the identified map information from the memory 72, and based on the read map information and a traveling control signal sent by the server device 100, activates the motor 73 to control the movement of the mobile robot 10 by the traveling device 30.

[0039] The collection circuit 82 collects the environment shape signals acquired and output by the LiDAR 60. The collection circuit 82 outputs the collected environment shape signals to the robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71. For example, the collection circuit 82 outputs the collected environment shape signals to the robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 at regular intervals. The robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 transmits the output environment shape signals to the server device 100 at regular intervals.

[0040] The voltage measurement circuit 83 includes a voltmeter 84 and measures the voltage of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50. The voltage measurement circuit 83 generates a voltage signal related to the voltage output by the piezoelectric element 50 measured by the voltmeter 84, and outputs the voltage signal to the robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71. The robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 transmits the output voltage signal to the server device 100.

[0041] The server device 100 includes, for example, a server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110, an input device 120, a display 130, a storage device 140, and a control unit 150, and the control unit 150 includes an inclination determination unit 160 and an environmental information processing unit 170. The inclination determination unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 161, a determination unit 162, a selection unit 163, and the determination unit 162.

[0042] The server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110 includes a communication interface such as a NIC. The server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110 communicates with the mobile robot 10 via, for example, UWB, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi, NFC, etc. The server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110 transmits various signals generated by the control unit 150 to the mobile robot 10, and receives various signals transmitted by the mobile robot 10 and outputs them to the control unit 150. The server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110 is an example of a transmitting / receiving unit of the server device 100.

[0043] The input device 120 is a device that can be operated by an operator or the like to input data. The input device 120 is realized by, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a trackball, a switch, a button, a joystick, a camera, an infrared sensor, a microphone, etc. When the input device 120 is a touch panel, the touch panel serves as both the input device 120 and the display 130.

[0044] In this specification, the input device 120 is not limited to devices equipped with physical operating parts such as a mouse, keyboard, etc. For example, an example of the input device 120 also includes an electrical signal processing circuit that receives an electrical signal corresponding to an input operation from an external input device provided separately from the device and outputs this electrical signal to a control circuit.

[0045] The display 130 is a device that displays various types of information. The display 130 is realized by, for example, a liquid crystal display, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display, etc. The display 130 may be a desktop type or a tablet type.

[0046] The storage device 140 is configured by a storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory device such as a HDD, optical disk, flash memory, EEPROM, RAM, or ROM, or any combination of these storage media. The storage device 140 may be, for example, a nonvolatile memory. The storage device 140 may also be a drive device externally attached to the server device 100.

[0047] The acquisition unit 161 in the tilt determination unit 160 acquires a voltage signal related to the voltage measured by the voltmeter 84. For example, the server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110 receives a voltage signal transmitted by the robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71. The server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110 outputs the received voltage signal to the tilt determination unit 160, whereby the acquisition unit 161 acquires the voltage signal.

[0048] The determination unit 162 determines the inclination of the floor surface on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling based on the voltage signal acquired by the acquisition unit 161. The determination unit 162 determines the inclination of the floor surface from the voltage generated based on the distance between the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 and the floor surface. The server device 100 determines the inclination of the floor surface based on the measurement results of the measurement device 40.

[0049] The length of the extendable member 41 corresponds to a voltage value based on the voltage signal; for example, the shorter the extendable length of the extendable member 41, the larger the voltage value. The determination unit 162 determines the inclination of the floor surface based on the magnitude of the voltage value, instead of the length of the extendable member 41. The relationship between the voltage value and the extendable length of the extendable member varies depending on, for example, the configuration of the voltage measurement circuit 83; for example, the shorter the extendable length of the extendable member, the larger the voltage value. In this embodiment, the voltage measurement circuit 83 is designed so that the length of the extendable member 41 when the mobile robot 10 is traveling on a flat floor area (hereinafter referred to as the reference length) is the reference (the voltage value of the voltmeter 84 = 0).

[0050] The determination unit 162 calculates the movement history of the mobile robot 10 in the slope floor area based on the inclination of the floor surface determined by the determination unit 162. The determination unit 162 determines whether or not the mobile robot 10 has passed through the slope floor area based on the calculated movement history of the mobile robot 10 in the slope floor area.

[0051] The determination unit 162 determines whether the floor area on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling is a flat floor area or a slope floor area based on the movement history of the mobile robot 10, and stores the determination result in the storage device 140. For slope floor areas, the determination unit 162 determines whether the slope floor area is a downward slope floor area or an upward slope floor area, and stores the determination result in the storage device 140. When the mobile robot 10 moves between a flat floor area and a slope floor area, the determination unit 162 switches the floor area on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling and stores the result in the storage device 140. A slope floor area is an example of a measurement area. An upward slope floor area is an example of an upward slope area. A downward slope floor area is an example of a downward slope area.

[0052] The selection unit 163 selects, as reference map information, map information of a floor on which the mobile robot 10 travels from among a hierarchical map including map information of multiple floors in a travel area in which the mobile robot 10 travels and sloped floor areas connecting the flat floor areas of each floor. The selection unit 163 generates a designation signal that designates the selected reference map information. The selection unit 163 transmits the generated designation signal to the mobile robot 10 via the server-side transceiver unit 110.

[0053] The selection unit 163 switches the layer of map information used for the reference map information when the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 has passed through a slope floor area. When switching the layer of map information, the selection unit 163 generates a switching signal that instructs switching of the layer. The selection unit 163 transmits the generated switching information to the mobile robot 10 via the server-side transmission / reception unit 110.

[0054] The environment information processing unit 170 acquires the environment shape information transmitted by the robot-side transmitting / receiving unit 71 of the mobile robot 10 and received by the server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110. The environment information processing unit 170 performs processing according to the acquired environment shape information, such as checking the travel area of ​​the mobile robot 10 and generating a map of the area around the mobile robot 10.

[0055] Some or all of the functions of the server device 100 may be provided in a control circuit in the robot main body 20. For example, the functions of the selection unit 163 and the determination unit 162 may be provided in the control circuit 80. In this case, the hierarchical map may be provided in the memory 72 of the robot main body 20.

[0056] Next, a description will be given of the processing in the server device 100. Figures 4 to 6 are flowcharts showing an example of the processing in the server device 100. The server device 100 performs different processing depending on the floor area on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling, which is stored in the storage device 140 by the determination unit 162.

[0057] First, the processing of the server device 100 when the mobile robot 10 is traveling on a flat floor area will be described with reference to Fig. 4. First, the server device 100, in the acquisition unit 161, acquires voltage information transmitted by the robot-side transceiver unit 71 of the mobile robot 10 and received by the server-side transceiver unit 110 (step S101).

[0058] Next, the determination unit 162 determines whether the voltage value indicated by the voltage information is less than 0 (negative) (step S103). A predetermined buffer value may be set when determining whether the voltage value is less than 0 (negative) or whether the voltage value, which will be described later, is greater than 0 (positive).

[0059] If the determination unit 162 determines that the voltage value is less than 0, the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 has entered a downward slope floor area (step S105). In other words, the determination unit 162 determines that the position where the voltage value indicated by the voltage information becomes negative from 0 is the end point of the upper level flat floor area FFU and the start point of the downward slope floor area SF. Next, the environment information processing unit 170 transmits an interruption signal to the mobile robot 10 via the server-side transceiver unit 110 to interrupt the process related to the generation of an environment shape signal by the LiDAR 60 (step S107). The mobile robot 10, having received the interruption signal, interrupts the process related to the generation of an environment shape signal by the LiDAR 60. The environment information processing unit 170 then shifts the subsequent process to the process for traveling on a downward slope floor area shown in FIG. 5 (step S109). In this way, the server device 100 ends the process shown in FIG. 4.

[0060] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that the voltage value indicated by the voltage information is not less than 0 (negative), the determination unit 162 determines whether the voltage value indicated by the voltage information is greater than 0 (positive) or not (step S111). If the determination unit 162 determines that the voltage value indicated by the voltage information is greater than 0 (positive), the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 has entered an upward slope floor area (step S113). In other words, the determination unit 162 determines that the position where the voltage value indicated by the voltage information becomes positive from 0 is the end point of the lower flat floor area FFL and the start point of the upward slope floor area SF.

[0061] Next, the environmental information processing unit 170 transmits an interruption signal to the mobile robot 10 (step S115). The environmental information processing unit 170 shifts the subsequent processing to processing for traveling on an upward slope floor area shown in Fig. 6 (step S117). In this way, the server device 100 ends the processing shown in Fig. 4. On the other hand, if the determination unit 162 determines in step S111 that the voltage value indicated by the voltage information is not greater than 0 (positive), the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 continues traveling on a flat floor area (step S119), and the server device 100 ends the processing shown in Fig. 4 as is.

[0062] Next, the processing of the server device 100 when the mobile robot 10 is traveling on the downward slope floor area in step S109 of Fig. 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. First, the server device 100 causes the acquisition unit 161 to acquire voltage information received by the server-side transceiver unit 110 (step S201).

[0063] Next, the determination unit 162 determines whether the voltage value indicated by the voltage information exceeds 0 (step S203). If the determination unit 162 determines that the voltage value exceeds 0, the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 is entering a flat floor area (is in the middle of entering a flat floor area) (step S205).

[0064] Next, the acquisition unit 161 acquires the voltage information received by the server-side transmission / reception unit 110 (step S207). The determination unit 162 determines whether the voltage value based on the voltage information acquired in step S207 is 0 (step S209). If it is determined that the voltage value is not 0, the determination unit 162 returns the process to step S205 and repeats the same process.

[0065] On the other hand, if the determination unit 162 determines in step S209 that the voltage value is 0, the determination unit 162 determines that the floor area on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling has transitioned to a flat floor area (step S211). In other words, the determination unit 162 determines that the position where the voltage value indicated by the voltage information becomes negative from 0 is the end point of the downward slope floor area SF and the start point of the lower flat floor area FFL. Because the floor area on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling is a flat floor area, the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 has passed through the slope floor area.

[0066] When the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 has passed through the slope floor area, the selection unit 163 switches the hierarchy of the map information used for the reference map information to a lower hierarchy (step S213). When switching the hierarchy of the map information, the selection unit 163 generates a switching signal that instructs the hierarchy switching. The selection unit 163 transmits the generated switching information to the mobile robot 10 via the server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110.

[0067] Next, the environment information processing unit 170 generates resumption information for resuming the interrupted process related to generation of an environment shape signal by the LiDAR 60 (step S215), and transmits the generated resumption information to the mobile robot 10 via the server-side transmitting / receiving unit 110. In this way, the server device 100 ends the process shown in FIG.

[0068] On the other hand, if the determination unit 162 determines in step S203 that the voltage value indicated by the voltage information does not exceed 0, the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 continues traveling on the downward slope floor area (step S217). In this case, the determination unit 162 returns the process to step S201, and the server device 100 continues traveling on the downward slope area until the voltage value indicated by the voltage information exceeds 0.

[0069] Next, the processing of the server device 100 when the mobile robot 10 is traveling on the upward slope floor area in step S117 of Fig. 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. First, the server device 100 causes the acquisition unit 161 to acquire voltage information received by the server-side transceiver unit 110 (step S301).

[0070] Next, the determination unit 162 determines whether the voltage value indicated by the voltage information is less than 0 (step S303). If the determination unit 162 determines that the voltage value is less than 0, the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 is entering a flat floor area (is in the middle of entering a flat floor area) (step S305).

[0071] Next, the acquisition unit 161 acquires the voltage information received by the server-side transmission / reception unit 110 (step S307). The determination unit 162 determines whether the voltage value based on the voltage information acquired in step S307 is 0 (step S309). If it is determined that the voltage value is not 0, the determination unit 162 returns the process to step S305 and repeats the same process.

[0072] On the other hand, if the determination unit 162 determines in step S309 that the voltage value is less than 0, the determination unit 162 determines that the floor area on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling has transitioned to a flat floor area (step S311). In other words, the determination unit 162 determines that the position where the voltage indicated by the voltage information changes from negative to 0 is the end point of the upward slope floor area SF and the start point of the upper flat floor area FFU. Because the floor area on which the mobile robot 10 is traveling is a flat floor area, the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 has passed through the slope floor area.

[0073] When the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 has passed through the slope floor area, the selection unit 163 switches the layer of the map information used for the reference map information to an upper layer (step S313). The selection unit 163 generates a switching signal for switching the layer to an upper layer and transmits it to the mobile robot 10 via the server-side transceiver unit 110.

[0074] Next, the environment information processing unit 170 generates resumption information for resuming the interrupted process related to generation of an environment shape signal by the LiDAR 60 (step S315), and transmits the generated resumption information to the mobile robot 10 via the server-side transceiver unit 110. In this way, the server device 100 ends the process shown in FIG.

[0075] On the other hand, if the determination unit 162 determines in step S303 that the voltage value indicated by the voltage information is not less than 0, the determination unit 162 determines that the mobile robot 10 continues traveling on the upward slope floor area (step S317). In this case, the determination unit 162 returns the process to step S301, and the server device 100 continues traveling on the upward slope area until the voltage value indicated by the voltage information becomes less than 0.

[0076] Next, the operation of the mobile robot 10 when passing through a sloped floor area will be described. Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the mobile robot 10 descending a sloped floor area. Fig. 8 is a graph showing the change in the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 when the mobile robot 10 descends a sloped floor area.

[0077] For example, the mobile robot 10 travels in the upper flat floor area FFU as shown in Figure 7(A). When the mobile robot 10 travels in the upper flat floor area FFU, the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 and the upper flat floor area FFU are approximately parallel. At this time, the length of the expandable member 41 becomes the reference length, and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 becomes 0. Let us assume that the mobile robot 10 continues traveling in this manner until it reaches a position just before the slope floor area SF at time T11 shown in Figure 8.

[0078] 7(B), when the measuring device 40 mounted on the mobile robot 10 approaches the downward slope floor area SF, the length of the expandable member 41 gradually increases as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the slope floor area SF. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F increases, the expandable member 41 extends from its reference length, the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 (see FIG. 3) decreases, and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 gradually decreases. After time T11, the floor surface of the mobile robot 10 is no longer parallel to the floor area F, so measurement by the LiDAR 60 is interrupted.

[0079] The distance measured by the measuring device 40 after time T12 when the front wheels of the mobile robot 10 approach the downward slope floor area SF gradually decreases as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the lower flat floor area FFL. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F decreases, the expandable member 41 contracts, and the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 increases. As a result, the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 gradually increases.

[0080] 7(C), after time T13 when the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 and the slope floor area SF become approximately parallel, the expandable member 41 reaches its reference length and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 becomes 0. After that, until time T14 when the measuring device 40 approaches the lower flat floor area FFL, the length of the expandable member 41 remains constant and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 becomes 0.

[0081] 7(D), when the measuring device 40 approaches the lower flat floor area FFL, the length of the expandable member 41 gradually shortens as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the lower flat floor area FFL. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F shortens, the expandable member 41 contracts, the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 increases, and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 gradually increases.

[0082] 7(E), the distance measured by the measuring device 40 after time T15 when the front wheels of the mobile robot 10 approach the lower flat floor area FFL gradually increases as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the lower flat floor area FFL. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F increases, the expandable member 41 expands, and the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 increases. As a result, the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 gradually decreases.

[0083] Then, as shown in Figure 7(F), when the entire traveling device 30 of the mobile robot 10 moves to the lower flat floor area FFL, the expandable member 41 returns to its reference length at time T16 in Figure 8. At this time, the electrical voltage value output by the piezoelectric element 50 becomes 0. Thereafter, the mobile robot 10 travels in the lower flat floor area FFL. After time T16, the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 returns to being parallel to the floor area F (lower flat floor area FFL), and measurement by the LiDAR 60 resumes.

[0084] Next, the operation of the mobile robot 10 when climbing a sloped floor area will be described. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the mobile robot 10 climbing a sloped floor area. Fig. 10 is a graph showing the change in the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 when the mobile robot 10 climbs a sloped floor area.

[0085] For example, the mobile robot 10 travels in the lower flat floor area FFL as shown in Figure 9(A). When the mobile robot 10 is traveling in the lower flat floor area FFL, the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 and the upper flat floor area FFU are approximately parallel, the length of the expandable member 41 is the reference length, and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 is 0. Let us assume that the mobile robot 10 continues traveling in this state until it reaches a position just before the slope floor area SF at time T21 shown in Figure 10.

[0086] 9(B), when the measuring device 40 mounted on the mobile robot 10 approaches the upward slope floor area SF, the length of the expandable member 41 gradually shortens as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the slope floor area SF. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F shortens, the expandable member 41 contracts from its reference length, increasing the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 and gradually increasing the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50. After time T21, the floor surface of the mobile robot 10 is no longer parallel to the floor area F, so measurement by the LiDAR 60 is interrupted.

[0087] The distance measured by the measuring device 40 after time T22 when the front wheels of the mobile robot 10 approach the uphill slope floor area SF gradually increases as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the upper flat floor area FFU. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F increases, the expandable member 41 expands and the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 decreases. As a result, the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 gradually decreases.

[0088] 9(C), after time T33 when the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 and the slope floor area SF become approximately parallel, the expandable member 41 reaches its reference length and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 becomes 0. After that, until time T24 when the measuring device 40 approaches the upper flat floor area FFU, the length of the expandable member 41 remains constant and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 becomes 0.

[0089] 9(D), when the measuring device 40 approaches the upper flat floor area FFU, the length of the expandable member 41 gradually increases as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the upper flat floor area FFU. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F increases, the expandable member 41 contracts, the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 decreases, and the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 gradually decreases.

[0090] 9(E), the distance measured by the measuring device 40 after time T16 when the front wheels of the mobile robot 10 approach the upper flat floor area FFU gradually decreases as the mobile robot 10 moves toward the upper flat floor area FFU. As the distance from the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 to the floor area F decreases, the expandable member 41 expands, and the pressure on the piezoelectric element 50 decreases. As a result, the voltage value of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element 50 gradually increases.

[0091] Then, as shown in Figure 9(F), when the entire traveling device 30 of the mobile robot 10 moves to the upper flat floor area FFU, the expandable member 41 returns to its reference length at time T26 in Figure 10. At this time, the electrical voltage value output by the piezoelectric element 50 becomes 0. Thereafter, the mobile robot 10 travels in the upper flat floor area FFU. After time T26, the bottom surface of the mobile robot 10 returns to being parallel to the floor area F (lower flat floor area FFL), and measurement by the LiDAR 60 resumes.

[0092] In the mobile robot control system 1 of the embodiment, the server device 100 detects the inclination of the floor surface based on the distance between the robot body 20 and the floor surface measured by the measuring device 40. Therefore, the inclination of the floor surface can be detected appropriately. Furthermore, the expandable member 41 of the measuring device 40 has a simple structure including an outer tube 42 and an inner tube 43, and therefore can be easily manufactured and retrofitted. Furthermore, because of the simple configuration in which the spring 45 and the piezoelectric element 50 are incorporated inside the expandable member 41 and the wheel 44 is provided at the tip of the measuring device 40, the number of production steps can be reduced compared to when the inclination of the robot body 20 is determined using, for example, an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).

[0093] Furthermore, compared to a technique that uses an IMU to detect the tilt of the robot main body 20, the tilt (pitch) detection performance can be improved. For example, while the tilt measurement resolution of a technique that uses an IMU is only on the order of millimeters, the use of the measuring device 40 of the embodiment makes it possible to detect tilt on the order of sub-millimeters. Therefore, the start and end points of a sloped floor area (the start and end points of a flat floor area) can be detected with high sensitivity. Furthermore, detection can be performed with higher reproducibility compared to a technique that uses an IMU.

[0094] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the mobile robot control system 1, when the mobile robot 10 is traveling on a flat floor area, the LiDAR 60 detects environmental shape information, and when the mobile robot 10 is moving (up or down) on a sloping floor area, the detection of environmental shape information by the LiDAR 60 is interrupted, thereby enabling the generation of a more accurate environmental shape map.

[0095] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to the above, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, an example configured with the server device 100 has been described, but one aspect of the present invention may be realized by a plurality of devices including other devices that can realize part of the server device 100. Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the server device 100 may be built into the mobile robot 10. Conversely, some of the functions of the mobile robot 10 may be moved to the server device 100.

[0096] The program running on the server device 100 according to one aspect of the present invention may be a program that controls one or more processors, such as a CPU, so as to implement the functions described in the above-described embodiments and modifications of the present invention (a program that causes a computer to function). The term "computer" as used herein also includes quantum computers. Information handled by each of these devices may be temporarily stored in RAM during processing, and then stored in various storage devices, such as flash memory or HDD, and may be read, modified, or written by the CPU or the like as needed.

[0097] A part or all of the server device 100 in the above-described embodiment and modifications may be realized by a computer having one or more processors. In this case, the control functions may be realized by recording a program for realizing the control functions on a computer-readable recording medium, and reading and executing the program recorded on the recording medium into a computer system.

[0098] The term "computer system" as used herein refers to a computer system built into the server device 100, and includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Additionally, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system.

[0099] Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" may include a medium that dynamically stores a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, or a medium that stores a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory within a computer system that serves as a server or client in such a case. The program may also be one that realizes part of the above-mentioned functions, or one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already stored in the computer system.

[0100] A part or all of the server device 100 in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be realized as an LSI, which is typically an integrated circuit, or as a chipset. Each functional block of the server device 100 in each of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be individually formed into a chip, or may be partially or entirely integrated into a chip. The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized using a dedicated circuit and / or a general-purpose processor. If an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology, it is also possible to use an integrated circuit based on that technology.

[0101] While the embodiments and modifications have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings as one aspect of the present invention, the specific configuration is not limited to the embodiments and modifications, and design changes within the scope of the present invention are also included. Furthermore, various modifications of one aspect of the present invention are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, configurations in which elements described in the above embodiments and modifications are substituted with elements that achieve the same effect are also included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1. Mobile robot control system 10 Mobile Robot 20 Robot body 21 Torso 30 Running gear 40 Measuring Equipment 41 Elastic member 42 outer cylinder 43 Inner cylinder 44 wheels 45 spring 50 Piezoelectric element 71 Robot side transmitter / receiver 72 memory 73 Motor 80 Control circuit 81 Driving control circuit 82 Acquisition Circuit 83 Voltage measurement circuit 84 Voltmeter 100 Server device 110 Server side transmission / reception unit 120 Input Device 130 Display 140 Storage device 150 control section 160 Inclination determination section 161 Acquisition Department 162 Judgment section 163 Selection Section 170 Environmental Information Processing Department F Floor area FF flat floor area FFL Lower Plane Floor Area FFU Upper flat floor area NW Network SF Slope Floor Area

Claims

1. a mobile robot including a traveling device attached to a robot body and adapted to travel on a floor surface, and the robot body; a slope determination device for determining the slope of the floor surface, the inclination determination device determines the inclination of the floor surface based on a measurement result of the distance between a specific point on the robot body and the floor surface. Mobile robot control system.

2. The robot control system according to claim 1 , wherein the distance between the specific point and the floor surface is measured. Measuring equipment.

3. The robot is fixed to the specific point set forward or rearward of the running device in the direction of movement of the mobile robot. The measurement device according to claim 2 .

4. a movement amount adjustment mechanism whose position is fixed relatively to the specific point; and a wheel connected to the robot body via the movement amount adjustment mechanism. The measurement device according to claim 3 .

5. The movement amount adjustment mechanism includes a first member whose position is fixed to the robot body; a second member that moves relative to the first member and to which the wheel is attached, a piezoelectric element that outputs electricity according to a distance of the second member that is moved relative to the first member; a measuring member that measures the voltage of the electricity output by the piezoelectric element, The measuring device according to claim 4.

6. the movement amount adjustment mechanism includes a biasing member that applies a biasing force between the first member and the second member; The measurement device according to claim 5 .

7. the movement amount adjustment mechanism includes a double structure including an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder inserted into the outer cylinder, one of the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder is the first member, the other of the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder is the second member; The measurement device according to claim 5 .

8. the movement amount adjustment mechanism causes the traveling wheel to contact a floor surface while the second member moves relative to the first member; The measurement device according to claim 7.

9. an acquisition unit that acquires a voltage signal related to a voltage measured by the measurement device according to claim 5; a determination unit that determines the inclination of the floor surface based on the acquired voltage signal. Tilt determination device.

10. the determination unit determines that the measurement area is an upwardly inclined area when a change in voltage value based on the voltage signal when the mobile robot enters a measurement area in which the mobile robot travels to determine the inclination of the floor surface is either positive or negative, and when a change in voltage value based on the voltage signal when the mobile robot leaves the measurement area is the other of positive and negative; The tilt determination device according to claim 9 .

11. the determination unit determines that the measurement area is a downwardly sloping area when a change in voltage value based on the voltage signal when the mobile robot enters a measurement area in which the mobile robot travels to determine the inclination of the floor surface is either positive or negative, and when a change in voltage value based on the voltage signal when the mobile robot leaves the measurement area is either positive or negative. The tilt determination device according to claim 10.

12. The tilt determination device according to claim 9 is included in a server device separate from the mobile robot, the server device and the mobile robot each include a transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals to and from the server device and the mobile robot; The mobile robot control system of claim 1 .

13. The tilt determination device includes: a determination unit for determining the inclination of the floor surface; a selection unit that selects map information of a floor on which the mobile robot travels as reference map information from a hierarchical map that includes map information of a plurality of floors in a travel area on which the mobile robot travels and sloped areas connecting each floor, and the determination unit calculates a movement history of the mobile robot based on the determined slope of the floor, and determines whether the mobile robot has passed through the sloped area based on the calculated movement history, the selection unit switches a layer of map information to be used for the reference map information when the mobile robot passes through the slope area. The mobile robot control system of claim 1 .

14. the mobile robot further includes an environmental information measurement sensor that measures an environmental shape around the travel area; When the mobile robot passes through the slope area while the environmental information measuring sensor is performing measurement, the measurement by the environmental information measuring sensor is interrupted; restarting measurement by the environmental information measuring sensor after the mobile robot has passed through the slope area; 14. The mobile robot control system of claim 13.

15. The computer of the tilt determination device according to claim 9 acquiring a voltage signal relating to the voltage measured by the measurement device according to claim 5; determining an inclination of the floor surface based on the acquired voltage signal; generating a control signal for controlling the mobile robot based on map information relating to a travel area of ​​the mobile robot and an inclination of the floor surface that have been obtained in advance; transmitting the control signal to the robot body; Slope determination method.

16. The computer of the tilt determination device according to claim 9 is acquiring a voltage signal relating to the voltage measured by the measurement device according to claim 5; determining an inclination of the floor surface based on the acquired voltage signal; generating a control signal for controlling the mobile robot based on map information relating to a travel area of ​​the mobile robot and an inclination of the floor surface that have been obtained in advance; transmitting the control signal to the robot body; program.

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