Robot dispatching apparatus and robot dispatching system

Abstract

To provide a robot dispatch device and a robot dispatch system capable of making a robot travel to a place where a person in need of rescue is present on a suitable travel route in a building.SOLUTION: The reception unit 111 receives a signal indicating a request for a rescue (a rescue request) from the terminal 80 carried by the rescue requester 5. When a rescue request is received, the processing unit 114 performs a process of determining a travel route of the robot 40 from the position of the robot 40 to the position of the terminal 80 on the basis of the layout information 116 of the building 2 and information on a travelable area that is an area in which the robot 40 can travel in the building 2 and that is defined on the basis of a travel authority granted to the robot 40. The transmission unit 113 transmits, to the robot 40, a command (travel command) to travel on the determined travel route.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot dispatching device and a robot dispatching system that dispatch a robot equipped with a rescue device to a person in need of rescue within a building. [Background technology]

[0002] In buildings such as commercial facilities or office buildings, a person may need first aid, such as an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). In this case, someone nearby will assist the person in need of first aid. The caregiver must immediately secure the first aid equipment installed in the building. However, if the person providing the care does not frequently visit the building, they may waste time because they may not immediately know where the equipment is installed.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2021-64292 (Patent Document 1) discloses a rescue support server device that provides rescue equipment to a user in the event that the user requires rescue. When the rescue support server device receives a rescue request from the user's mobile terminal device, a nearby rescue robot immediately rushes to the user's location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-64292 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the rescue support server device described in Patent Document 1 was not designed to accommodate a robot moving within a building such as an office building, and did not allow the robot to travel along an appropriate route to the location of a person in need of rescue, taking into consideration the areas within the building that the robot can move through or the doors of the building that the robot can pass through.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a robot dispatching device and a robot dispatching system that can cause a robot to travel along an appropriate route within a building to the location of a person in need of assistance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The robot dispatching device according to the present disclosure is a device that dispatches a robot equipped with a rescue device to a person in need of rescue within a building. The robot dispatching device includes a receiving unit, a processing unit, and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit receives a signal requesting rescue from a terminal carried by the person in need of rescue. Upon receiving the signal, the processing unit performs processing to determine a travel route for the robot from the robot's current location to the terminal's current location based on building layout information and information on a travelable area within the building that the robot is allowed to travel in, which is defined based on the travel authority granted to the robot. The transmitting unit transmits a command to the robot to travel along the determined travel route.

[0008] A robot dispatch system according to the present disclosure includes a robot dispatching device and a robot. The terminal includes a sensor for detecting an abnormality in the person requiring assistance. When the sensor detects an abnormality in the person requiring assistance, a signal is transmitted from the terminal to the robot dispatching device. When the robot receives a command, it travels along a travel path from the robot's position to the terminal's position.

[0009] In this way, when a signal requesting rescue is received, the robot's travel route is determined based on the building layout information and information on the areas within the building where the robot can travel, so that the robot can avoid areas where it cannot travel and travel along an optimal route within the building to the location of the person in need of rescue. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present disclosure, a robot can be made to travel along an appropriate travel route within a building to the location of a person in need of assistance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot dispatching system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a robot dispatch system. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a robot dispatch system, etc. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a travel path of a robot. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart of a process executed by a robot dispatch system or the like. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a robot dispatching system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a travel path of a robot. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart of a process executed by a robot dispatch system or the like. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. The names and functions of these components are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0013] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot dispatch system 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the robot dispatch system 1 is installed in a building 2. In this embodiment, the building 2 is an office building. The building 2 may also be a commercial building, a hospital, a factory, etc.

[0014] Employees of the company that occupies Building 2 work in Building 2. Building 2 has multiple areas, such as rooms and hallways. The rooms and hallways are separated by walls 62, and in order to enter the rooms from the hallway, door 63 must be opened. The opening and closing of door 63 is controlled by an access control system 90 installed in Building 2.

[0015] When an employee enters the room where he or she works, he or she holds the IC card he or she possesses over an unlocking device 99 (for example, a contactless card reader). The entry / exit management system 90 acquires the information of the IC card from the unlocking device 99, and controls the door 63 to open if the owner of the IC card is authorized to enter the room.

[0016] Similarly, the robot 40 also communicates with the entry / exit control system 90 via the unlocking device 99, and if it is determined that the robot 40 has the authority to enter the room, the door 63 is opened, thereby allowing the robot 40 to pass through the room.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, suppose that an employee 5 working in a building 2 suddenly loses consciousness and collapses (hereinafter, the employee 5 will also be referred to as a "person in need of assistance 5"). At that time, an employee 6 who is nearby notices that the person in need of assistance 5 has collapsed. In a building where the robot dispatch system 1 according to this embodiment is not installed, the employee 6 must act as a caregiver and immediately secure a rescue device such as an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) installed in the building 2.

[0018] However, if the employee 6 is unfamiliar with the building 2, he or she may not immediately know where the rescue device is installed, which may result in wasting time. For this reason, in this embodiment, the robot dispatch system 1 is configured as described below.

[0019] The robot dispatch system 1 includes a robot dispatching device 100 and a robot 40. The robot dispatching device 100 is a device that dispatches the robot 40 equipped with a rescue device 47 (such as an AED) to a person in need of rescue 5 in a building 2. The robot dispatching device 100 includes a server 10 and a plurality of wireless communication devices (communication devices) 72.

[0020] The robot 40 is an autonomous mobile robot that moves autonomously within the building 2, and patrols the building 2 to perform security duties, etc. The robot 40 may be any robot that moves autonomously within the building 2, may be a robot that guides people within the building 2, may be a robot that carries luggage within the building 2, or may be a dedicated robot that carries a rescue device 47. The server 10 is configured to be able to communicate with the robot 40, the entry / exit management system 90, and the terminal 80.

[0021] Each employee (employees 5, 6, etc.) has a terminal 80. Dedicated software that enables communication with the server 10 is installed on the terminal 80. The dedicated software is always running on the terminal 80.

[0022] The terminal 80 is, for example, a smartphone capable of making and receiving calls. The terminal 80 may also be a smartwatch worn by the employee. The terminal 80 is equipped with a sensor 83 (see FIG. 2) that can detect abnormalities in the employee, such as a fall by the employee.

[0023] When the sensor 83 of the terminal 80 carried by the person in need of assistance 5 detects an abnormality, the dedicated software executes a process to send a request for assistance to the server 10. When the server 10 receives the request for assistance, it sends a command to the robot 40 to drive to the location of the person in need of assistance 5 (the location of the terminal 80). The robot 40 is equipped with an AED or other rescue device 47 (FIG. 2). When the robot 40 arrives, the employee 6, who is the assistant, can take the rescue device 47 out of the robot 40 and provide rescue to the person in need of assistance 5.

[0024] A plurality of wireless communication devices 72 are installed on the ceilings 61 of each room, corridor, etc. in the building 2. These wireless communication devices 72 communicate with the wireless communication device 42 provided in the robot 40 and the wireless communication device 82 (see FIG. 2) provided in the terminal 80, and can identify the current positions of the terminal 80 and the robot 40.

[0025] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the robot dispatching system 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the robot dispatching device 100 includes a processor 11, a memory 12, a storage device 14, a communication IF (Interface) 15, and a plurality of wireless communication devices 42. Of these, the server 10 includes the processor 11, the memory 12, the storage device 14, and the communication IF 15. These devices exchange various types of data via a communication path 16.

[0026] The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The memory 12 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage device 14 is, for example, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The processor 11 loads a program stored in the storage device 14 or the ROM into the RAM and executes it. The program describes the processing to be executed by the server 10.

[0027] The communication IF 15 is an input / output device for exchanging data with the robot 40, the entry / exit management system 90, and the terminal 80. The memory device 14 is a storage device for storing various information. The memory device 14 stores robot travel information 115, layout information 116, etc., which will be described later.

[0028] The robot dispatching device 100 (server 10) is capable of outputting commands and the like to the robot 40, and is also capable of acquiring various information such as position information of the robot 40, position information of the terminal 80, and the like.

[0029] The robot 40 includes a control unit 41, a wireless communication device 42, a camera 43, a storage device 44, a rescue device 47, a battery 48, and a drive unit 49. These devices exchange various data via a communication path 46.

[0030] The control unit 41 controls the entire robot 40. Although not shown in the figure, the control unit 41 has a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and a communication IF as its main components. The CPU loads a program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executes it. The program stored in the ROM describes the processing to be executed by the robot 40. Note that the processing is not limited to being performed by software, and can also be performed by dedicated hardware (electronic circuits).

[0031] The wireless communication device 42 outputs a signal for detecting the position of the robot 40 using a communication method that complies with, for example, the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy; "Bluetooth" is a registered trademark) communication standard. Instead of the BLE communication standard, a communication method that complies with the UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication standard may be used. The wireless communication device 42 also transmits a signal indicating an ID for identifying the robot 40 to the server 10 using a communication method that complies with, for example, a wireless communication standard such as LTE (Long Term Evolution).

[0032] The camera 43 captures an image of the surroundings of the robot 40 and outputs the captured image to the control unit 41. Instead of the camera 43, a laser range finder or the like may be provided that measures the distance between the robot 40 and an object present around the robot 40.

[0033] The drive unit 49 generates a drive force for moving the robot 40. The drive unit 49 includes, for example, wheels for moving the robot 40 and a motor for driving the wheels. The drive unit 49 can be operated by receiving a supply of power from the battery 48.

[0034] The control unit 41 controls the driving unit 49 so that the robot 40 moves autonomously based on the captured image from the camera 43. The battery 48 supplies power for operating the driving unit 49 and other devices of the robot 40. The storage device 44 temporarily stores various information used by the robot 40.

[0035] The multiple wireless communication devices 72 are installed at an appropriate distance from each other on the ceiling 61, and receive signals transmitted from the robot 40 using a communication method that complies with the same communication standard as the wireless communication device 42 of the robot 40, and detect the reception strength of the signals. The position of the robot 40 within the building 2 can be detected from the reception strength of each wireless communication device 72. The wireless communication devices 72 output the reception strength of the signals received from the robot 40 to the server 10. The wireless communication devices 72 may be installed on a wall.

[0036] The terminal 80 includes a control unit 81, a wireless communication device 82, a sensor 83, and a display unit (not shown) that displays various information. Like the robot 40, the control unit 81 also includes a CPU, RAM, ROM, and a communication IF. The wireless communication device 82 also has the same functions as the wireless communication device 42 included in the robot 40. The wireless communication device 82 is capable of communicating with each wireless communication device 72. The position of the terminal 80 is identified by communication between the wireless communication device 82 and each wireless communication device 72 in a manner similar to that of the wireless communication device 42. The terminal 80 may also be configured to include a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and identify the position of the terminal 80 based on information received from a GPS satellite.

[0037] The sensor 83 is a known sensor that detects a fall of the person carrying the terminal 80. The sensor 83 is composed of sensors such as an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor, and may determine that a fall (abnormality) has occurred based on the detection of acceleration, angular velocity, etc. that are equal to or greater than a specified value. The terminal 80 may also be a smart watch that measures the heart rate of the person wearing the smart watch and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the heart rate. The terminal 80 determines whether an abnormality has occurred based on the detection result of the sensor 83 (for example, whether a fall has occurred, whether an abnormality has occurred in the heart rate, etc.).

[0038] Like the server 10, the entry / exit control system 90 also includes a processor 91, a memory 92, a storage device 94, and a communication IF 95. The entry / exit control system 90 is installed in the building 2. The entry / exit control system 90 is a system that manages entry and exit to multiple rooms installed in the building 2.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 1, an unlocking device 99 is provided near the door 63 in front of each room, and the door 63 is opened when the entry / exit management system 90 determines that the person carrying the IC card or the robot 40 has the authority to enter the room. The unlocking device 99 acquires ID information and the like from the IC card or the robot 40 in a contactless manner. The management and control of the robot 40 may be performed by the server 10, or all of the functions performed by the server 10 may be provided by the robot 40.

[0040] 3 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the robot dispatching system 1, etc. The robot dispatching device 100 includes a receiving unit 111 that receives information transmitted from the terminal 80, a receiving unit 112 that receives information transmitted from the robot 40, a transmitting unit 113 that transmits information to the robot 40, a processing unit 114 that performs processes such as determining the travel route of the robot 40, and a receiving unit 117 that receives information from the entry / exit management system 90.

[0041] The robot dispatch system 1 stores robot travel information 115 including information such as the current position of the robot 40 and layout information 116 within the building 2 in the storage device 14.

[0042] The terminal 80 includes a transmitting unit 181 that transmits information to the robot dispatching device 100, and an abnormality detecting unit 182 that detects an abnormality in the person in need of rescue 5. The terminal 80 stores location information 183 that indicates the current location of the terminal 80.

[0043] As described above, the robot 40 is equipped with a rescue device 47. A travel ID 146 is stored in the storage device 44 of the robot 40. The travel ID 146 is an ID that identifies the robot 40, and travel authority is set for each travel ID 146. A travelable area is set for the robot 40. The travelable area is an area defined based on the travel authority granted to the robot 40, and is an area within the building 2 in which the robot 40 is allowed to travel.

[0044] Travel authority information 196 is recorded in the storage device 94 of the entry / exit management system 90. Travel authority corresponding to the travel ID 146 is recorded in the travel authority information 196. When the robot 40 comes in front of a door 63 provided at the entrance of the travelable area, the entry / exit management system 90 controls the door 63 to open.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the travel path of robot 40. Here, the "travel path" refers to the path that robot 40 travels from the position of robot 40 to the position of terminal 80. FIG. 4 shows a part of building 2. As shown in FIG. 4, a room X1 is provided in the center, and a corridor is provided surrounding room X1. Between room X1 and the corridor, there is provided a door 63 for entering and exiting wall 62 and room X1, and an unlocking device 99 for opening door 63.

[0046] Assume that robot 40 is currently in the hallway in front of door 63, and that person in need of assistance 5 has fallen in the hallway in front of door 63 on the opposite side of room X1. In this case, a rescue request is automatically sent from terminal 80 carried by person in need of assistance 5 to robot dispatching device 100, and robot 40 travels to the location of person in need of assistance 5 in accordance with a travel command from robot dispatching device 100 based on the rescue request.

[0047] In this case, possible travel routes for robot 40 are travel route R1 and travel route R2. Travel route R1 is a route in which door 63 is opened by unlocking device 99, robot 40 enters room X1, and then exits out the opposite door 63 into the hallway. Travel route R2 is a route in which robot 40 travels down the hallway without entering room X1. Travel route R1 is shorter in distance than travel route R2.

[0048] In this example, the travel ID 146 of the robot 40 is "R0001." The travel authority information 196 stored in the storage device 94 of the entry / exit management system 90 records the "travel authority," "travelable area," etc. corresponding to each travel ID.

[0049] In the travel authority information 196, it is recorded that the travel authority of travel ID "R0001" is "normal authority A" and the travelable area is "corridor, room X3, X4, etc." The travel authority of travel ID "R0002" is "normal authority A" and the travelable area is "corridor, room X3, X4, etc." The travel authority of travel ID "R0003" is "normal authority B" and the travelable area is "corridor, room X4, etc."

[0050] In other words, the travelable area of ​​normal authority A corresponding to the travel ID "R0001" of robot 40 is "corridors, rooms X3, X4, etc.", so room X1 is not included in the travelable area of ​​robot 40 with travel ID "R0001." Because robot 40 cannot travel through room X1, travel route R1 cannot be selected as the travel route, and travel route R2 is determined as the travel route.

[0051] The following description will be made using a flowchart. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the processing executed by the robot dispatch system 1, etc. Hereinafter, "step" may also be simply referred to as "S."

[0052] The processing performed by the robot dispatch system 1, etc. includes terminal-side processing performed by the terminal 80, robot-dispatching device-side processing performed by the robot dispatching device 100, robot-side processing performed by the robot 40, and entry / exit management system-side processing performed by the entry / exit management system 90.

[0053] When an employee 5 carrying the terminal 80 falls, the abnormality detection unit 182 detects an abnormality in the employee (person requiring rescue) 5 based on detection information from the sensor 83. In the terminal-side processing, when the abnormality detection unit 182 of the terminal 80 detects an abnormality in the person requiring rescue 5 (S101), the transmission unit 181 of the terminal 80 transmits a signal (rescue request) to the robot dispatch device 100 requesting rescue (S102).

[0054] In the processing on the robot dispatching device side, the receiving unit 111 of the robot dispatching device 100 receives a signal requesting rescue (rescue request) from the terminal 80 carried by the rescue recipient 5, and identifies the location of the terminal 80 based on the detection information of the wireless communication device 72 (S201). Note that information on the current location of the terminal 80 may be stored in the terminal 80 as location information 183, and the location information 183 may be transmitted together with the rescue request in S102.

[0055] In the robot-side processing, the robot 40 transmits travel information (S301). The travel information is various information held by the robot 40, including the travel ID 146. The receiving unit 112 of the robot dispatching device 100 receives the travel information from the robot 40 and identifies the position of the robot 40 based on the detection information of the wireless communication device 72 (S202). The received travel information, including the position information of the robot 40, is stored as robot travel information 115.

[0056] The transmitter 113 of the robot dispatching device 100 transmits the traveling ID 146 of the robot 40 to the entry / exit management system 90 (S203). In the processing on the entry / exit management system side, when the entry / exit management system 90 receives the traveling ID 146 of the robot 40 from the robot dispatching device 100 (S401), it acquires the traveling authority corresponding to the traveling ID 146 of the robot 40 and the traveling area defined based on the traveling authority (S402). The entry / exit management system 90 transmits the traveling authority and the traveling area corresponding to the traveling ID 146 of the robot 40 to the robot dispatching device 100 (S403).

[0057] The receiving unit 117 of the robot dispatching device 100 acquires, from the entry / exit management system 90, the driving authority corresponding to the driving ID 146 of the robot 40 and the driving area defined based on the driving authority (S204). The processing unit 114 of the robot dispatching device 100 determines a driving route for the robot 40 based on the layout information 116 of the building 2 and the driving area (S205). In other words, when the processing unit 114 receives a rescue request (signal), it performs processing to determine a driving route based on the layout information 116 of the building 2 and the information on the driving area received from the entry / exit management system 90. The driving route is a route within the driving area that has the shortest driving distance.

[0058] For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the robot dispatching device 100 transmits "R0001" as a travel ID to the entry / exit management system 90. The entry / exit management system 90 transmits normal authority A as a travel authority and information on "corridor, rooms X3, X4, etc." as a travelable area to the robot dispatching device 100. As shown in Fig. 4, the robot dispatching device 100 compares the travelable area with the layout information 116 (layout information inside the building 2 as shown in Fig. 4), excludes non-travelable travel route R1, and determines travel route R2 as the shortest travel route.

[0059] The transmitting unit 113 of the robot dispatching device 100 transmits a command (running command) to the robot 40 to run along the determined running route. When the robot 40 receives the running command (S302), the robot 40 runs along the running route from the position of the robot 40 to the position of the terminal 80 (S304).

[0060] As described above, the robot dispatching device 100 is a device that dispatches a robot 40 equipped with a rescue device 47 to a rescue recipient 5 who needs rescue within a building 2. The robot dispatching device 100 includes receiving units 111, 112, and 117, a processing unit 114, and a transmitting unit 113. The receiving unit 111 receives a signal requesting rescue (rescue request) from the terminal 80 carried by the rescue recipient 5. When the processing unit 114 receives the rescue request, it performs processing to determine a travel route for the robot 40 from the current position of the robot 40 to the current position of the terminal 80 based on layout information 116 of the building 2 and information on a travelable area within the building 2 that is defined based on the travel authority granted to the robot 40. The transmitting unit 113 transmits a command (travel command) to the robot 40 to travel along the determined travel route.

[0061] The robot dispatch system 1 includes a robot dispatch device 100 and a robot 40. The terminal 80 includes a sensor 83 that detects an abnormality in the person requiring medical assistance 5. When the sensor 83 detects an abnormality in the person requiring medical assistance 5, a medical assistance request is transmitted from the terminal 80 to the robot dispatch device 100. When the robot 40 receives a travel command, it travels along a travel route from the position of the robot 40 to the position of the terminal 80.

[0062] In this embodiment, an abnormality detection function such as a fall detection function installed in a terminal 80 such as a smartphone or smartwatch, and a control system for an autonomous driving robot (robot 40) patrolling within the building 2 are used, and when an abnormality is detected in the terminal 80, control is performed to move the robot 40 equipped with an AED (first aid device) to the location of the person in need of assistance 5. In this way, when a signal requesting assistance is received, the travel route of the robot 40 is determined based on the layout information 116 of the building 2 and information on the area within the building 2 within which the robot 40 can travel, so that the robot 40 can travel to the location of the person in need of assistance 5 along an optimal travel route within the building, avoiding areas where the robot 40 cannot travel.

[0063] The travel route is a route that is within the travelable area and has the shortest travel distance. This allows the robot 40 to travel to the location of the person in need of assistance 5 along a travel route that is travelable within the building 2 and has the shortest travel distance.

[0064] The building 2 is provided with an entry / exit management system 90. When the robot 40 approaches a door 63 provided at the entrance of a travelable area, the entry / exit management system controls the door 63 to open. The receiving unit 117 receives information about the travelable area defined based on the travel authority from the entry / exit management system 90. When the processing unit 114 receives a signal, it performs processing to generate a travel route based on the layout information 116 and the information about the travelable area received from the entry / exit management system 90. As a result, based on the information from the entry / exit management system 90, it is possible to select an appropriate travel route from within the area that the robot 40 can enter, and cause the robot 40 to travel to the location of the person in need of assistance 5.

[0065] [Second embodiment] 6 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a robot dispatch system 1 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the robot dispatch system 1 is configured so that, when a rescue request is received, the driving authority granted to the robot 40 can be rewritten from normal authority to emergency authority. Below, differences from the first embodiment will be described, and explanations of the same parts as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0066] The functional configuration of the robot dispatch system 1 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6 differs from the functional configuration of the robot dispatch system 1 according to the first embodiment (FIG. 3) in that, when a rescue request is received, a request to change the driving authority from normal authority A to emergency authority is sent to the entry / exit management system 90.

[0067] 7 is a diagram illustrating the travel route of the robot 40. When the entry / exit management system 90 receives a rescue request, it rewrites the information in the travel authority information 196. For example, the travel authority of the travel ID "R0001" was "normal authority A" and the travelable area was "corridor, rooms X3, X4, etc." These are rewritten to "emergency authority" as the travel authority and "all areas" as the travelable area.

[0068] Here, the driving authority includes normal authority A and the like that is granted to the robot 40 under normal circumstances, and emergency authority that is granted to the robot 40 in an emergency. When normal authority A is granted, the robot 40 can drive within a first driveable area (corridor, rooms X3, X4, etc.), and when emergency authority is granted, the robot 40 can drive within a second driveable area (all areas) that is larger than the first driveable area.

[0069] When emergency authority is granted, the robot 40 is allowed to travel in the living room X1. Therefore, the travel route R1, which has a shorter travel distance than the travel route R2, is determined as the travel route.

[0070] 8 is a flowchart of the processing executed by the robot dispatching system 1, etc. In this flowchart, the terminal-side processing and the robot-side processing are the same, so their explanations are omitted. Also, in the robot dispatching device-side processing, the processing of S501, S502, and S506 is the same as the processing of S201, S202, and S206, respectively, so their explanations are omitted.

[0071] After identifying the positions of the terminal 80 and the robot 40 (S501, S502), the robot dispatching device 100 transmits the traveling ID 146 of the robot 40 and a request to change to emergency authority to the entry / exit management system 90 (S503). In other words, when the transmitting unit 113 of the robot dispatching device 100 receives a rescue request, it transmits a request to the entry / exit management system 90 to change the traveling authority from normal authority A to emergency authority.

[0072] In the entry / exit control system side processing, when the entry / exit control system 90 receives from the robot dispatching device 100 a request to change the robot 40's travel ID 146 and emergency authority (S601), it changes the travel authority corresponding to the travel ID 146 to emergency authority (S602). In the above example, the travel authority for the travel ID "R0001" is rewritten to "emergency authority" and the travelable area is rewritten to "all areas."

[0073] The entry / exit management system 90 acquires the travelable area of ​​the emergency authority of the robot 40 (S603), and transmits the travelable area of ​​the emergency authority of the robot 40 to the robot dispatching device 100 (S604). The receiving unit 117 of the robot dispatching device 100 acquires the travelable area of ​​the emergency authority of the robot 40 from the entry / exit management system 90 (S204). In the above example, the travelable area is "all areas."

[0074] The processing unit 114 of the robot dispatching device 100 determines a travel route that is within the travelable area of ​​the emergency authority of the robot 40 and has the shortest travel distance (S505). That is, when a rescue request is received, the processing unit 114 determines, as the travel route, a route that is within the second travelable area (entire area) that is larger than the first travelable area (corridor, rooms X3, X4, etc.) and has the shortest travel distance. In the above example, the travel route that is within the travelable area of ​​the emergency authority and has the shortest travel distance is "travel route R1."

[0075] The transmitting unit 113 of the robot dispatching device 100 transmits a command (travel command) to the robot 40 to travel along the determined travel route (S505), and the robot 40 travels along the determined travel route.

[0076] As described above, the driving authority includes normal authority A granted to the robot 40 under normal circumstances and emergency authority granted to the robot 40 in an emergency. When normal authority A is granted, the robot 40 can travel within a first travelable area (such as the hallway or rooms X3 and X4). When emergency authority is granted, the robot 40 can travel within a second travelable area (the entire area) that is larger than the first travelable area. When a rescue request (signal) is received, the transmitter 113 transmits a request to the entry / exit management system 90 to change the driving authority from normal authority A to emergency authority. When a rescue request is received, the processor 114 determines, as the driving route, a route within the second travelable area that has the shortest travel distance. In this way, when a rescue request is received, emergency authority is granted to expand the travelable area of ​​the robot 40, and the robot 40 is caused to travel along the shortest route within this expanded travelable area. This allows the robot 40 to travel along a more optimal route within the building to the location of the person in need of rescue 5.

[0077] [Note] The above-described embodiment is a specific example of the following additional notes.

[0078] (Appendix 1) A robot dispatching device that dispatches a robot equipped with a rescue device to a person in need of rescue in a building, a receiving unit that receives a signal requesting rescue from a terminal carried by the rescue requester; a processing unit that, when receiving the signal, performs processing to determine a travel route of the robot from the position of the robot to the position of the terminal based on layout information of the building and information on a travelable area within the building that is defined based on travel authority granted to the robot; a transmitter that transmits to the robot a command to travel along the determined travel path.

[0079] (Appendix 2) 2. The robot dispatching device according to claim 1, wherein the travel route is a route within the travelable area that has the shortest travel distance.

[0080] (Appendix 3) The building is provided with an access control system, the entry / exit management system controls the robot to open a door provided at an entrance of the travelable area when the robot arrives in front of the door; The receiving unit receives information about the travelable area defined based on the travel authority from the access control system, The robot dispatching device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the processing unit receives the signal, the processing unit performs processing to generate the driving path based on the layout information and the information on the drivable area received from the entry / exit management system.

[0081] (Appendix 4) the driving authority includes a first authority granted to the robot in normal times and a second authority granted to the robot in an emergency; When the first authority is granted, the robot is allowed to travel within a first travelable area, and when the second authority is granted, the robot is allowed to travel within a second travelable area that is larger than the first travelable area; When the transmission unit receives the signal, the transmission unit transmits a request to the access control system to change the driving authority from the first authority to the second authority, 4. The robot dispatching device according to claim 3, wherein, when the processing unit receives the signal, it determines, as the travel route, a route that is within the second travelable area and has the shortest travel distance.

[0082] (Appendix 5) The robot dispatching device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The robot, the terminal includes a sensor that detects an abnormality in the person requiring assistance, When the sensor detects an abnormality in the person requiring rescue, the signal is transmitted from the terminal to the robot dispatching device; The robot dispatch system, wherein the robot travels along the travel path from the position of the robot to the position of the terminal when the command is received.

[0083] The embodiments disclosed herein are merely examples and are not limited to the above. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1 robot dispatch system, 2 building, 5 employee (person requiring rescue), 6 employee, 10 server device, 11, 91 processor, 12, 92 memory, 14, 94 storage device, 15, 95 communication IF, 16, 46, 96 communication path, 40 robot, 42, 72, 82 wireless communication device, 41, 81 control unit, 43 camera, 44 storage device, 47 rescue device, 48 battery, 49 drive unit, 61 ceiling, 80 terminal, 83 sensor, 90 entry / exit management system, 100 robot dispatch device, 111 receiving unit, 112 receiving unit, 113 transmitting unit, 114 processing unit, 115 robot driving information, 116 layout information, 117 receiving unit, 146 driving ID, 181 transmitting unit, 182 abnormality detection unit, 183 location information, 196 driving authority information.

Claims

1. A robot dispatching device that dispatches a robot equipped with a rescue device to a person in need of rescue in a building, a receiving unit that receives a signal requesting rescue from a terminal carried by the rescue requester; a processing unit that, when receiving the signal, performs processing to determine a travel route of the robot from the position of the robot to the position of the terminal based on layout information of the building and information on a travelable area within the building that is defined based on travel authority granted to the robot; a transmitter that transmits to the robot a command to travel along the determined travel path.

2. The robot dispatching device according to claim 1 , wherein the travel route is a route within the travelable area that has the shortest travel distance.

3. The building is provided with an access control system, the entry / exit management system controls the robot to open a door provided at an entrance of the travelable area when the robot arrives in front of the door; The receiving unit receives information about the travelable area defined based on the travel authority from the access control system, 2. The robot dispatching device according to claim 1, wherein, when the processing unit receives the signal, the processing unit performs processing to generate the travel path based on the layout information and the information on the drivable area received from the entry / exit management system.

4. the driving authority includes a first authority granted to the robot in normal times and a second authority granted to the robot in an emergency; When the first authority is granted, the robot is allowed to travel within a first travelable area, and when the second authority is granted, the robot is allowed to travel within a second travelable area that is larger than the first travelable area; When the transmission unit receives the signal, the transmission unit transmits a request to the access control system to change the driving authority from the first authority to the second authority, The robot dispatching device according to claim 3 , wherein, when the processing unit receives the signal, the processing unit determines, as the travel route, a route that is within the second travelable area and has the shortest travel distance.

5. The robot dispatching device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The robot, the terminal includes a sensor that detects an abnormality in the person requiring assistance, When the sensor detects an abnormality in the person requiring rescue, the signal is transmitted from the terminal to the robot dispatching device; The robot dispatch system, wherein the robot travels along the travel path from the position of the robot to the position of the terminal when the command is received.

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