Robot control system and robot control method

Abstract

To accurately detect a communication abnormality occurring in a robot or a control device and resolve the communication abnormality. [Solution] The robot control system includes multiple robots (R), a control device (10) that manages the operation of the multiple robots (R) via wireless communication, and a wireless communication access point (20). Each of the multiple robots (R) is equipped with an AP unit (3) that functions as an access point (20). The robot control system is equipped with a communication anomaly detection unit (5, 15) that detects a communication anomaly that occurs in the multiple robots (R) or the control device (10), and an AP control unit (6, 16) that activates the AP unit (3) of a robot (R) located near the robot (R) or control device (10) in which the communication anomaly has been detected.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot control system that controls the operation of multiple robots. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a robot control system that controls the operation of multiple robots using wireless communication. For example, Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a technology in which, when a server device, which is a control device, detects a decrease in the radio wave strength of wireless communication with a robot, it activates an access point function (relay function) of another robot, thereby expanding the range of movement of the robot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-33121 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology of giving a robot an access point function, as in Patent Document 1, is thought to be effective in resolving communication abnormalities because it can make communication paths redundant. However, communication abnormalities such as reduced communication speed due to network congestion can occur even when radio wave strength is strong, so the method of activating the robot's access point function when radio wave strength decreases, as in Patent Document 1, cannot resolve such communication abnormalities.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a robot control system that can accurately detect communication abnormalities that occur in a robot or control device and resolve the communication abnormalities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The robot control system according to the present disclosure is a robot control system including a plurality of robots, a control device that manages the operation of the plurality of robots using wireless communication, and a wireless communication access point, wherein each of the plurality of robots is equipped with an AP unit that has the function of an access point, and the robot control system is equipped with a communication anomaly detection unit that detects communication anomalies that occur in the plurality of robots or the control device, and an AP control unit that activates the AP unit of a robot located near the robot or control device in which a communication anomaly has been detected. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the robot control system of the present disclosure, a communication abnormality occurring in the robot or control device can be accurately detected and the communication abnormality can be resolved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a robot control system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the positional relationship between a control device, a robot, and an access point. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the robot control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the robot control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the robot control system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a control device in the robot control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of a robot in the robot control system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an image diagram of the interrelationship between a control device and a robot in a robot control system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the robot control system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the robot control system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the robot control system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing the operations of a control device and a robot in a robot control system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing the operations of a control device and a robot in a robot control system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control device. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <First Embodiment> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system according to the first embodiment. The robot control system according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of robots R, a control device 10 that controls the operation of the plurality of robots R using wireless communication, and a wireless communication access point 20. Fig. 1 shows robots R1, R2, R3, ... as the robots R. The robots R may be used for any purpose, and may be, for example, a transport robot that transports goods.

[0010] The control device 10 controls the operations of the robots R by using wireless communication, thereby managing the operation of each robot R. The control device 10 is configured, for example, by a server or the like that is capable of wireless communication with the robots R.

[0011] The access point 20 is a base station through which the control device 10 and the robot R access a wireless communication network. Wireless communication between the control device 10 and the robot R is performed via the access point 20. The connection between the control device 10 and the access point 20 may be wired or wireless. The connection between the access point 20 and the robot R is wireless.

[0012] The robot R includes a communication unit 1, a robot control unit 2, and an AP (access point) unit 3.

[0013] The communication unit 1 is a communication means for the robot R to perform wireless communication with the control device 10. The communication unit 1 has a function of searching for access points 20 present around the robot R and connecting to the detected access points 20. The process of searching for the access points 20 performed by the communication unit 1 may be the same as the AP search process of a general Wi-Fi device.

[0014] The robot control unit 2 controls the operation of the robot R in accordance with the telegrams transmitted from the control device 10. The function of the robot control unit 2 enables the control device 10 to remotely control the robot control unit 2.

[0015] The AP unit 3 has the function of the access point 20. Normally, the AP unit 3 is disabled, but is enabled as necessary. When the AP unit 3 is enabled, the robot R can function as the access point 20.

[0016] The control device 10 includes a communication unit 11 , a location information acquisition unit 12 , a map data storage unit 13 , an operation control unit 14 , a communication error detection unit 15 , and an AP control unit 16 .

[0017] The communication unit 11 is a communication means for the control device 10 to perform wireless communication with the robot R. The communication unit 11 has a function of searching for access points 20 present around the control device 10 and connecting to the detected access point 20. The process of searching for an access point 20 performed by the communication unit 11 may be the same as the AP search process of a general Wi-Fi device.

[0018] The position information acquisition unit 12 acquires the position information of each robot R through communication with the robot R.

[0019] The map data storage unit 13 is a storage medium that stores map data of locations where the robot R operates (for example, facilities such as factories, hospitals, shopping malls, etc.).

[0020] The operation control unit 14 controls the operation of the robot R based on the position information of each robot R acquired by the position information acquisition unit 12 and the map data stored in the map data storage unit 13. For example, the operation control unit 14 plans a route that passes through a preset starting point, intermediate points, and destination of the robot R, generates control information for causing the robot R to travel along that route, and transmits a message of the control information to the robot R via the communication unit 11.

[0021] The technology disclosed herein relates to a communication method between the control device 10 and the robot R, and the operation and movement of the robot R may be performed in a general manner. Therefore, detailed descriptions of the position information acquisition unit 12 of the control device 10 and the robot control unit 2 of the robot R will be omitted.

[0022] The communication error detection unit 15 has a function of detecting a communication error that has occurred in the robot R. In the first embodiment, the communication error detection unit 15 transmits a response request (for example, a "ping" command) to each robot R, and determines whether or not a communication error has occurred in each robot R based on the response time of each robot R to the response request (i.e., the time difference between the time the response request is sent and the time the response is received). Specifically, the communication error detection unit 15 determines that a communication error (a decrease in communication speed) has occurred in a robot R whose response time to the response request exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0023] When the communication abnormality detection unit 15 detects a communication abnormality in the robot R, the AP control unit 16 activates the AP unit 3 of another robot R located near the robot R where the communication abnormality was detected. Specifically, the AP control unit 16 searches for another robot R located near the robot R where the communication abnormality was detected, based on the position information of each robot R acquired by the position information acquisition unit 12, and transmits a message to the detected robot R to activate the AP unit 3. The AP control unit 16 may notify the other robots R of information about the robot R whose AP unit 3 has been activated.

[0024] If there are no other robots R near the robot R for which a communication abnormality has been detected, the operation control unit 14 may move any robot R near the robot R for which a communication abnormality has been detected, and then the AP control unit 16 may enable the AP unit 3 of the moved robot R.

[0025] The communication unit 1 of the robot R in which a communication abnormality has been detected can change the communication path with the control device 10 by connecting to the activated AP unit 3 of another robot R, thereby resolving the communication abnormality. As a result, the wireless communication between the control device 10 and the robot R becomes stable, and the stability of the robot R's operation improves.

[0026] The operation of the robot control system according to the first embodiment will be described using a specific example. For example, assume that there are five robots R, robots R1 to R5, managed by the control device 10, and that the relative positions of the control device 10, access point 20, and robots R1 to R5 at a certain time are as shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2, solid arrows indicate wired lines, and dotted arrows indicate wireless lines.

[0027] The communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10 transmits a response request message to each of the robots R1 to R5 at regular intervals (for example, every 5 seconds), and measures the response time of the robots R1 to R5.

[0028] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, assume that a communication error occurs between robot R2 and access point 20. In this case, the response time of robot R2 exceeds a predetermined threshold (including the case where robot R2's response does not arrive), and communication error detection unit 15 determines that a communication error has occurred in robot R2. Then, based on the latest position information of robots R1 to R5 acquired by position information acquisition unit 12, communication error detection unit 15 searches for other robots located near robot R2 for which no communication error has been detected. In the example of FIG. 3, robot R3 located near robot R2 is detected. Then, AP control unit 16 transmits a message to detected robot R3 instructing it to activate AP unit 3. In response, AP unit 3 of robot R3 is activated as shown in FIG. 4.

[0029] On the other hand, if the communication unit 1 of robot R2 does not receive a response request from the control device 10 for a certain period of time or longer, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the control device 10 and begins searching for an access point 20. At this time, the AP unit 3 of the activated robot R3 is detected as the access point 20, and the communication unit 1 of robot R2 connects to the AP unit 3 of robot R3. As a result, robot R2 can communicate with the control device 10 via the AP unit 3 of robot R3 as shown in Figure 5, and the communication abnormality that occurred in Figure 3 is resolved.

[0030] As described above, according to the robot control system of the first embodiment, even if a malfunction occurs in an existing access point 20 and a communication malfunction occurs between the control device 10 and the robot R, the communication malfunction can be resolved by using the AP unit 3 of another robot R instead of the malfunctioning access point 20, and the operation of the robot R can be continued. Furthermore, because the presence or absence of a communication malfunction is determined based on the response time of the robot R, it is possible to accurately detect communication malfunctions that do not depend on radio wave strength, such as a decrease in communication speed due to network congestion.

[0031] 6 is a flowchart showing the operation relating to communication of the control device 10 according to embodiment 1. The operation relating to communication of the control device 10 will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0032] When the control device 10 starts the operation of the robot R, the communication abnormality detection unit 15 transmits a response request message to each robot R (step S101) and measures the response time of each robot R (step S102). In addition, the position information acquisition unit 12 acquires the position information of each robot R (step S103).

[0033] The communication error detection unit 15 determines whether or not there is a communication error with each robot R based on the response time of each robot R measured in step S102 (step S104). At this time, if there is no robot R for which a communication error has been detected (NO in step S105), the process returns to step S101.

[0034] If there is a robot R in which a communication abnormality has been detected (YES in step S105), the communication abnormality detection unit 15 searches for other robots R located near the robot R in which the communication abnormality has been detected, based on the position information of each robot R acquired in step S103 (step S106). Then, the communication abnormality detection unit 15 transmits a message to activate the AP unit 3 to the other robots R detected in step S106 (step S107). As a result, the AP unit 3 of the other robots R located near the robot R in which the communication abnormality has been detected begins to function as an access point 20.

[0035] 7 is a flowchart showing the operation relating to communication of the robot R according to embodiment 1. The operation relating to communication of the robot R will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0036] When the control device 10 starts to control the robot R, the communication unit 1 of the robot R resets the timer and starts counting time (step S201), and waits for a response request to be received from the control device 10 (step S202). When the communication unit 1 receives the response request from the control device 10 (YES in step S202), it transmits a response to the response request to the control device 10 (step S203).

[0037] If the communication unit 1 does not receive a response request (NO in step S202), it checks whether the count time of the timer has exceeded a certain time (step S204). If the count time is equal to or less than the certain time (NO in step S204), the process returns to step S202, and the communication unit 1 continues to wait for a response request. However, if the count time exceeds the certain time without receiving a response request (YES in step S204), the communication unit 1 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the control device 10, searches for an access point 20, and connects to the detected access point 20 (step S205). At this time, if another robot R with an enabled AP unit 3 is nearby, the AP unit 3 of the other robot R is detected as the access point 20 in step S205, and the communication unit 1 connects to the AP unit 3 of the other robot R to continue communication with the control device 10.

[0038] <Embodiment 2> Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of a robot control system according to embodiment 2. The configuration of the robot control system according to embodiment 2 differs from the configuration of Fig. 1 in that the control device 10 is provided with a state information storage unit 17, and each robot R is provided with a communication error detection unit 5, an AP control unit 6, and a state information storage unit 7.

[0039] In the second embodiment, the communication anomaly detection unit 15 of the control device 10 transmits status information of its own device (i.e., the control device 10) to another device (i.e., the robot R). The status information includes the identifier (ID) of the own device, its location, a sequence number, and information on the transmission time. The sequence number of the status information is a serial number assigned to each piece of status information transmitted from the own device. In this embodiment, the status information includes information on the location of the own device, but the information on the location of the own device may be notified to the other device by a message separate from the status information.

[0040] Like the communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10, the communication error detection unit 5 of the robot R also transmits status information of its own device (i.e., the robot R) to another device (i.e., the control device 10). The status information transmitted by the robot R also includes information on its own device's ID, its own device's position, its sequence number, and the transmission time.

[0041] The communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10 receives status information transmitted from another device (i.e., the robot R), adds information about the time of reception to the received status information, and stores the information in the status information storage unit 17. The status information storage unit 17 is a storage medium that stores the status information received by the control device 10 (including the added information about the time of reception).

[0042] Furthermore, communication error detection unit 15 determines whether a communication error has occurred in another device based on the time difference between the reception time and transmission time of status information received from the other device and whether or not the sequence number in the status information is missing. Specifically, communication error detection unit 15 determines that a communication error has occurred in the other device that transmitted the status information when the time difference between the reception time and transmission time of the status information exceeds a predetermined threshold value or when the sequence number in the status information and the sequence number in the status information received immediately before are not consecutive.

[0043] Like the communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10, the communication error detection unit 5 of the robot R also receives status information transmitted from other devices (i.e., the control device 10 and other robots R), adds information on the time of reception to the received status information, and stores the information in the status information storage unit 7. The status information storage unit 7 is a storage medium that stores the status information received by the robot R (including the added information on the time of reception).

[0044] In addition, the communication abnormality detection unit 5 determines whether a communication abnormality has occurred in the other device based on the time difference between the reception time and transmission time of the status information received from the other device, and whether or not there is a missing sequence number in the status information.

[0045] When a communication error occurs in the own device, the own device cannot communicate normally with any other devices, and therefore, from the view point of the own device, it appears that a communication error has occurred in all other devices. Therefore, when it is determined that a communication error has occurred in all other devices, the communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10 and the communication error detection unit 5 of the robot R determine that the communication error has occurred in the own device, not in the other devices.

[0046] As described above, in the robot control system according to the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, the control device 10 and each of the plurality of robots R (robots R1 to R5 in Fig. 9) monitor the communication status with each other and determine whether or not there is a communication abnormality, so that it is possible to detect a communication abnormality with high accuracy. Furthermore, the determination of whether or not there is a communication abnormality is made based on the time difference between the reception time and transmission time of status information received from another device and whether or not there is a missing sequence number in the status information, so that it is possible to accurately detect communication abnormalities that do not depend on radio wave strength, such as a decrease in communication speed due to network congestion.

[0047] Furthermore, the robot control system according to the second embodiment can detect not only a communication abnormality occurring in the robot R but also a communication abnormality occurring in the control device 10. For example, as shown in FIG. 10 , when a communication abnormality occurs between the control device 10 and the access point 20, the time difference between the transmission time and reception time of the status information received from the control device 10 in the robots R1 to R5 exceeds a predetermined threshold (including the case where the status information is not received from the control device 10), or a missing sequence number occurs in the status information received from the control device 10. Therefore, the communication abnormality detection units 5 of the robots R1 to R5 determine that a communication abnormality has occurred in the control device 10. In this case, the communication abnormality detection units 5 of the robots R1 to R5 search for a robot located near the control device 10 for which no communication abnormality has been detected, based on the location information of the control device 10 and the location information of the robots R1 to R5 included in the status information. In the example of FIG. 10 , the robot R1 located near the control device 10 is detected. Then, the AP control units 6 of the robots R1 to R5 transmit to the detected robot R1 a message instructing it to activate its AP unit 3. In response, the AP unit 3 of the robot R1 is activated as shown in FIG.

[0048] Meanwhile, in the control device 10, if the time difference between the transmission time and reception time of the status information received from the robots R1 to R5 exceeds a predetermined threshold (including cases where status information is not received from the robots R1 to R5), or if there is a gap in the sequence number of the status information transmitted from the robots R1 to R5, the communication error detection unit 15 determines that a communication error has occurred in all of the robots R1 to R5. In this case, the communication error detection unit 15 determines that a communication error has occurred in the control device 10, and the communication unit 11 searches for the access point 20. At this time, the AP unit 3 of the activated robot R1 is detected as the access point 20, and the communication unit 11 connects to the AP unit 3 of the robot R1. As a result, the control device 10 can communicate with the robots R1 to R5 via the AP unit 3 of the robot R1 as shown in FIG. 12, and the communication error that occurred in FIG. 10 is resolved.

[0049] As explained using FIG. 9, in the robot control system according to the second embodiment, the control device 10 and each of the multiple robots R monitor the communication status with each other and determine whether or not there is a communication abnormality. Therefore, the operation of the control device 10 to detect a communication abnormality with another device (robot R) is basically the same as the operation of the robot R to detect a communication abnormality with another device (control device 10 and other robot R). Therefore, in the second embodiment, the operation related to communication of the control device 10 and the operation related to communication of the robot R can both be represented by the flowchart of FIG.

[0050] First, the communication-related operation of the control device 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0051] When the control device 10 starts the operation of the robot R, the communication unit 11 of the control device 10 resets the timer and starts counting time (step S301), and the communication error detection unit 15 transmits status information including the ID of the control device 10, its position, sequence number, and transmission time to the other device (robot R) (step S302).The communication unit 11 then waits to receive status information from the other device (robot R) (step S303).

[0052] If the communication unit 11 does not receive status information from the other device (robot R) (NO in step S303), it checks whether the count time of the timer has exceeded a certain time (step S310). If the count time is equal to or less than the certain time (NO in step S310), the process returns to step S303, and the communication unit 11 continues to wait for status information. However, if the count time exceeds the certain time without receiving status information (YES in step S310), the communication unit 11 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with the other device (robot R), searches for an access point 20, and connects to the detected access point 20 (step S311). At this time, if a robot R with an enabled AP unit 3 is nearby, the AP unit 3 of the robot R is detected as the access point 20 in step S311, and the communication unit 11 connects to the AP unit 3 of the robot R.

[0053] When the communication unit 11 receives status information from another device (robot R) (YES in step S303), the communication error detection unit 15 adds information about the time of reception to the received status information and stores it in the status information storage unit 17 (step S304). Then, the communication error detection unit 15 determines whether a communication error has occurred in the other device (robot R) based on the time difference between the reception time and transmission time of the status information received from the other device and whether or not the sequence number is missing in the status information (step S305). At this time, if there is no other device (robot R) in which a communication error has been detected (NO in step S306), the process returns to step S301.

[0054] If there is another device (robot R) in which a communication abnormality has been detected (YES in step S306), the communication abnormality detection unit 15 checks whether a communication abnormality has been detected with all of the other devices (robot R) (step S307). If a communication abnormality has been detected with all of the other devices (robot R) (YES in step S307), the communication abnormality detection unit 15 determines that a communication abnormality has occurred in its own device (control device 10), and proceeds to step S311.

[0055] If a communication abnormality has not been detected with all other devices (robot R) (NO in step S307), the communication abnormality detection unit 15 searches for a robot R for which a communication abnormality has not been detected and which is located near the other device (robot R) for which a communication abnormality has been detected, based on the location information of the other device (robot R) included in the status information (step S308). Then, the AP control unit 16 transmits a message to activate the AP unit 3 to the robot R detected in step S308 (step S309). As a result, the AP units 3 of the other robots R located near the robot R for which a communication abnormality has been detected begin to function as access points 20.

[0056] Next, the operation of the robot R regarding communication will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0057] When the control device 10 starts to control the robot R, the communication unit 1 of the robot R resets the timer and starts counting time (step S301), and the communication error detection unit 5 transmits status information including the ID of the own device (robot R), its position, sequence number, and transmission time information to the other devices (the control device 10 and other robots R) (step S302).Then, the communication unit 1 waits to receive status information from the other devices (the control device 10 and other robots R) (step S303).

[0058] If the communication unit 1 does not receive status information from other devices (the control device 10 and other robots R) (NO in step S303), it checks whether the count time of the timer has exceeded a certain time (step S310). If the count time is equal to or less than the certain time (NO in step S310), the process returns to step S303, and the communication unit 1 continues to wait for status information. However, if the count time exceeds the certain time without receiving status information (YES in step S310), the communication unit 1 determines that an abnormality has occurred in communication with other devices (the control device 10 and other robots R), searches for an access point 20, and connects to the detected access point 20 (step S311). At this time, if a robot R with an enabled AP unit 3 is nearby, the AP unit 3 of the robot R is detected as the access point 20 in step S311, and the communication unit 1 connects to the AP unit 3 of the robot R.

[0059] When the communication unit 1 receives status information from other devices (the control unit 10 and other robots R) (YES in step S303), the communication error detection unit 5 adds information about the time of reception to the received status information and stores it in the status information storage unit 7 (step S304). Then, the communication error detection unit 5 determines whether a communication error has occurred in the other devices (the control unit 10 and other robots R) based on the time difference between the reception time and the transmission time of the status information received from the other devices and whether or not there is a missing sequence number in the status information (step S305). At this time, if there are no other devices (the control unit 10 and other robots R) in which a communication error has been detected (NO in step S306), the process returns to step S301.

[0060] If a communication abnormality is detected in any other device (control device 10 and other robot R) (YES in step S306), the communication abnormality detection unit 5 checks whether a communication abnormality has been detected with all other devices (control device 10 and other robot R) (step S307). If a communication abnormality is detected with all other devices (control device 10 and other robot R) (YES in step S307), the communication abnormality detection unit 5 determines that a communication abnormality has occurred in its own device (robot R), and proceeds to step S311.

[0061] If a communication abnormality has not been detected with all other devices (the control device 10 and other robots R) (NO in step S307), the communication abnormality detection unit 5 searches for other robots R that are located near the other devices (the control device 10 and other robots R) in which a communication abnormality has been detected and for which no communication abnormality has been detected, based on the location information of the other devices (the control device 10 and other robots R) included in the status information (step S308). Then, the AP control unit 6 transmits a message to activate the AP unit 3 to the other robots R detected in step S308 (step S309). As a result, the AP units 3 of the other robots R located near the robot R in which a communication abnormality has been detected begin to function as access points 20.

[0062] 11 and 12 show an example in which the communication path is switched to resolve a communication abnormality in the control device 10, but, for example, a backup control device may be prepared, and when a communication abnormality in the control device 10 is detected, the backup control device may take over control of the robot R. Alternatively, some or all of the robots R may be equipped with control units having the functions of the control device 10, and when a communication abnormality occurs in the control device 10, the control unit of any one of the robots R may be activated, and that control unit may take over control of the robot R.

[0063] <Third Embodiment> The configuration of the robot control system according to embodiment 3 is the same as that of embodiment 2 (FIG. 8). The operation of the robot control system according to embodiment 3 is also basically the same as that of embodiment 2, but the method of detecting a communication abnormality by the communication abnormality detection unit 15 of the control device 10 and the communication abnormality detection unit 5 of the robot R is different from that of embodiment 2.

[0064] In the third embodiment, the communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10 and the communication error detection unit 5 of the robot R compare the status information stored in the status information storage unit 7 or 17 of their own device with the status information stored in the status information storage unit 7 or 17 of the other devices, and determine whether a communication error has occurred in the other devices based on the comparison result. Specifically, the communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10 and the communication error detection unit 5 of the robot R determine that a communication error has occurred in the other devices when the content of the status information stored in the status information storage unit 7 or 17 of the other devices is significantly different from the content of the status information stored in the status information storage unit 7 or 17 of their own device. However, when it is determined that communication error has occurred in all the other devices, the communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10 and the communication error detection unit 5 of the robot R determine that the communication error has occurred in their own device, not in the other devices.

[0065] In the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, the control device 10 and each of the plurality of robots R monitor the communication status with each other and determine whether or not there is a communication abnormality, so that communication abnormalities can be detected with high accuracy. Furthermore, by comparing the status information stored in the own device with the status information stored in other devices, missing or tampered messages can be detected, which is expected to have the effect of strengthening the security of the robot control system.

[0066] The operations related to communication between the control device 10 and the robot R in the robot control system according to the third embodiment can be represented by the flowchart of Fig. 14. The flowchart of Fig. 14 is similar to the flowchart of Fig. 13, except that step S305 for determining whether or not there is a communication abnormality with another device is replaced with step S400.

[0067] In step S400, the communication error detection unit 15 of the control device 10 or the communication error detection unit 5 of the robot R compares the status information stored in the status information memory unit 7 or 17 of its own device with the status information stored in the status information memory unit 7 or 17 of the other device, and determines whether a communication error has occurred in the other device based on the comparison result.

[0068] The other steps are the same as those in FIG. 13, and therefore the explanation will be omitted.

[0069] <Hardware configuration example> 15 and 16 are diagrams showing examples of the hardware configuration of the control device 10. The functions of the components of the control device 10 shown in FIG. 1 are realized by, for example, a processing circuit 50 shown in FIG. 15. That is, the control device 10 includes a processing circuit 50 for detecting a communication abnormality that has occurred in a plurality of robots R or the control device 10, and for activating the AP unit 3 of a robot R in which a communication abnormality has been detected or a robot R located near the control device 10. The processing circuit 50 may be dedicated hardware, or may be configured using a processor (also called a central processing unit (CPU), processing device, arithmetic device, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) that executes a program stored in a memory.

[0070] When the processing circuitry 50 is dedicated hardware, the processing circuitry 50 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Each function of the components of the control device 10 may be realized by a separate processing circuit, or these functions may be collectively realized by a single processing circuit.

[0071] FIG. 16 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the control device 10 when the processing circuit 50 is configured using a processor 51 that executes a program. In this case, the functions of the components of the control device 10 are realized by software, etc. (software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware). The software, etc. is written as a program and stored in memory 52. ​​The processor 51 realizes the functions of each unit by reading and executing the program stored in memory 52. ​​That is, the control device 10 includes memory 52 for storing a program that, when executed by the processor 51, results in the execution of a process for detecting a communication abnormality occurring in multiple robots R or the control device 10 and a process for enabling the AP unit 3 of a robot R in which a communication abnormality has been detected or a robot R located near the control device 10. In other words, this program can be said to cause a computer to execute the procedures and methods of operation of the components of the control device 10.

[0072] Here, the memory 52 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), magnetic disk, flexible disk, optical disk, compact disk, mini disk, DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and its drive device, or any other storage medium that will be used in the future.

[0073] Furthermore, in the second and third embodiments, each robot R also executes a process of detecting a communication abnormality that has occurred in multiple robots R or the control device 10, and a process of activating the AP unit 3 of the robot R that is located near the robot R in which the communication abnormality has been detected or the control device 10. Therefore, a part of each robot R (the part corresponding to the communication abnormality detection unit 5 and the AP control unit 6) can also be realized by the hardware configuration shown in FIG. 15 or FIG. 16.

[0074] The above describes a configuration in which the functions of the components of the control device 10 are realized either by hardware or software, etc. However, this is not limited to this, and the control device 10 may be configured such that some of the components are realized by dedicated hardware and other components are realized by software, etc. For example, it is possible to realize the functions of some of the components by the processing circuit 50 as dedicated hardware, and to realize the functions of other components by the processing circuit 50 as the processor 51 reading and executing a program stored in the memory 52.

[0075] As described above, the control device 10 can realize the above-mentioned functions by hardware, software, or a combination of these.

[0076] It is possible to freely combine the embodiments, and to modify or omit the embodiments as appropriate.

[0077] <Additional Notes> Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0078] (Appendix 1) A robot control system including a plurality of robots, a control device that manages the operation of the plurality of robots using wireless communication, and an access point for the wireless communication, Each of the plurality of robots includes an AP unit having a function of the access point, The robot control system includes: a communication abnormality detection unit that detects a communication abnormality occurring in the plurality of robots or the control device; an AP control unit that enables the AP unit of the robot in which the communication abnormality has been detected or the robot located near the control device; Equipped with Robot control system.

[0079] (Appendix 2) The communication abnormality detection unit and the AP control unit are provided in the control device. 10. The robot control system of claim 1.

[0080] (Appendix 3) the communication abnormality detection unit of the control device transmits a response request to each of the robots, and determines whether or not the communication abnormality has occurred in each of the robots based on a response time of each of the robots to the response request; 1. A robot control system as described in Appendix 2.

[0081] (Appendix 4) each of the plurality of robots searches for the access point when a state in which the response request is not received continues for a certain period of time; 10. The robot control system of claim 3.

[0082] (Appendix 5) The communication abnormality detection unit and the AP control unit are provided in the control device and each of the plurality of robots. 10. The robot control system of claim 1.

[0083] (Appendix 6) the communication anomaly detection unit of the control device and each of the plurality of robots transmits status information including information on the ID, sequence number, and transmission time of its own device to another device among the control device and the plurality of robots, which is a device other than its own device, and receives the status information transmitted from the other device, and determines whether or not the communication anomaly has occurred in the other device based on the difference between the transmission time of the status information received from the other device and the reception time of the status information and whether or not the sequence number is missing in the status information; 6. The robot control system of claim 5.

[0084] (Appendix 7) the communication anomaly detection units of the control device and the plurality of robots transmit status information including information on their own device's ID, sequence number, and transmission time to other devices among the control device and the plurality of robots that are devices other than the own device, and receive the status information transmitted from the other devices; the control device and each of the plurality of robots includes a status information storage unit that stores the status information received from the other device together with information on a time of reception; the communication abnormality detection units of the control device and the plurality of robots compare the status information stored in the status information storage unit of the control device with the status information stored in the status information storage unit of the other device, and determine whether or not the communication abnormality has occurred in the other device based on the comparison result; 6. The robot control system of claim 5.

[0085] (Appendix 8) When it is determined that the communication abnormality has occurred in all of the other devices, the communication abnormality detection units of the control device and the plurality of robots determine that the communication abnormality has occurred in the own device and not in the other devices. 10. The robot control system of claim 6 or 7.

[0086] (Appendix 9) the control device and each of the plurality of robots perform a search for the access point when a state in which the control device and each of the plurality of robots does not receive the status information from the other device continues for a certain period of time; 9. A robot control system according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

[0087] (Appendix 10) A robot control method in a robot control system including a plurality of robots, a control device that manages the operation of the plurality of robots using wireless communication, and an access point for the wireless communication, comprising: Each of the plurality of robots includes an AP unit having a function of the access point, a communication abnormality detection unit of the robot control system detects a communication abnormality occurring in the plurality of robots or the control device; an AP control unit of the robot control system enables the AP unit of the robot in which the communication abnormality has been detected or the robot located near the control device; Robot control methods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0088] R robot, 1 communication unit, 2 robot control unit, 3 AP unit, 5,15 communication abnormality detection unit, 6,16 AP control unit, 7,17 status information storage unit, 10 control device, 11 communication unit, 12 location information acquisition unit, 13 map data storage unit, 14 operation control unit, 20 access point, 50 processing circuit, 51 processor, 52 memory.

Claims

1. A robot control system including a plurality of robots, a control device that manages the operation of the plurality of robots using wireless communication, and an access point for the wireless communication, each of the plurality of robots includes an AP unit having a function of the access point; The robot control system includes: a communication abnormality detection unit that detects a communication abnormality occurring in the plurality of robots or the control device; an AP control unit that enables the AP unit of the robot in which the communication abnormality has been detected or the robot located near the control device; Equipped with Robot control system.

2. The communication abnormality detection unit and the AP control unit are provided in the control device. The robot control system according to claim 1 .

3. the communication abnormality detection unit of the control device transmits a response request to each of the robots, and determines whether or not the communication abnormality has occurred in each of the robots based on a response time of each of the robots to the response request; The robot control system according to claim 2 .

4. each of the plurality of robots searches for the access point when a state in which the response request is not received continues for a certain period of time; The robot control system according to claim 3 .

5. the communication abnormality detection unit and the AP control unit are provided in the control device and each of the plurality of robots; The robot control system according to claim 1 .

6. the communication anomaly detection unit of the control device and each of the plurality of robots transmits status information including information on the ID, sequence number, and transmission time of its own device to another device among the control device and the plurality of robots, which is a device other than its own device, and receives the status information transmitted from the other device, and determines whether or not the communication anomaly has occurred in the other device based on the difference between the transmission time of the status information received from the other device and the reception time of the status information and whether or not the sequence number is missing in the status information; The robot control system according to claim 5 .

7. the communication anomaly detection units of the control device and the plurality of robots transmit status information including information on their own device's ID, sequence number, and transmission time to other devices among the control device and the plurality of robots that are devices other than the own device, and receive the status information transmitted from the other devices; the control device and each of the plurality of robots includes a status information storage unit that stores the status information received from the other device together with information on a time of reception; the communication abnormality detection units of the control device and the plurality of robots compare the status information stored in the status information storage unit of the control device with the status information stored in the status information storage unit of the other device, and determine whether or not the communication abnormality has occurred in the other device based on the comparison result; The robot control system according to claim 5 .

8. When it is determined that the communication abnormality has occurred in all of the other devices, the communication abnormality detection units of the control device and the plurality of robots determine that the communication abnormality has occurred in the own device and not in the other devices.

8. The robot control system according to claim 6 or 7.

9. the control device and each of the plurality of robots perform a search for the access point when a state in which the control device and each of the plurality of robots does not receive the status information from the other device continues for a certain period of time; 8. The robot control system according to claim 6 or 7.

10. A robot control method in a robot control system including a plurality of robots, a control device that manages the operation of the plurality of robots using wireless communication, and an access point for the wireless communication, comprising: each of the plurality of robots includes an AP unit having a function of the access point; a communication abnormality detection unit of the robot control system detects a communication abnormality occurring in the plurality of robots or the control device; an AP control unit of the robot control system enabling the AP unit of the robot in which the communication abnormality has been detected or the robot located near the control device; Robot control methods.

Images