Traveling device, projection control method, and program

Abstract

During driving, the system projects images onto the road surface, and when the user places or retrieves luggage, it projects images onto areas other than the road surface to assist the user. [Solution] The traveling device 100 comprises a projection unit 150, a traveling unit 130, and a control unit 110. The control unit 110 controls the traveling unit 130 to travel to a predetermined location, and until it arrives at the predetermined location, the projection unit 150 projects in a first direction. Once it arrives at the predetermined location, the projection unit 150 projects in a second direction different from the first direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a traveling device, a projection control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Various traveling devices that autonomously travel have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle traveling support device that projects light onto a traveling road surface with a projector in order for a vehicle to travel efficiently.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The vehicle traveling support device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a projector and projects light of a color tone corresponding to the type of monitoring area (an area where the automatic transport device stops or switches to low-speed travel when a person in the surroundings enters) onto the traveling road surface according to the type of the monitoring area. As a result, people in the surroundings can clearly identify and recognize these areas, and it supports the efficient travel of the automatically traveling automatic transport device without stopping. However, in the conventional technology as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the utilization of such a projector is limited to while the automatic transport device is traveling, and there is room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a traveling device, a projection control method, and a program that can assist a user by performing projection onto a traveling road surface during travel and performing projection onto an area other than the traveling road surface when the user places or picks up luggage.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, one aspect of the traveling device according to the present invention is: A traveling device comprising a projection unit, a traveling unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit controls the traveling unit to travel to a predetermined location, and while traveling to the predetermined location, the projection unit projects in a first direction, and upon arrival at the predetermined location, the projection unit projects in a second direction different from the first direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the system can assist the user by projecting onto the road surface while the vehicle is in motion, and projecting onto areas other than the road surface when the user places or picks up luggage. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This block diagram shows an example of the configuration of an internal mail delivery system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a traction device. [Figure 3] This is an external view showing an example of a running gear. [Figure 4] This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of a train management system and employee terminals. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a luggage information registration screen. [Figure 6] This diagram shows how the running gear projects onto the road surface ahead. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a projected image used to alert people in the surrounding area. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a projected image that notifies the user to turn right at the upcoming intersection. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a projected image that notifies the user to turn left at the upcoming intersection. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a projected image that notifies the user to proceed straight ahead at the upcoming intersection. [Figure 11] This diagram shows how the running gear is projected onto the floor on the left side. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing an example of a projection image for notifying the sender that they have arrived for collection. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing how the traveling device projects onto the loading platform. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing an example of a projection image for notifying the user of the location to place documents when collecting documents. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing how a traveling device with a load on the loading platform projects onto the floor surface on the right side. [Figure 16] This is a diagram showing an example of a projection image for notifying that the load has been transported. [Figure 17] This is a diagram showing an example of a projection image for notifying the user of the location where the package is placed. [Figure 18] This is an example of a flowchart of the operation management process. [Figure 19] This is an example of a floor map of an office. [Figure 20] This is an example of a flowchart of the conveyance process.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] The traveling device and the like according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIG. 1, the in-house mail delivery system 1000 according to the embodiment includes one or more traveling devices 100, an operation management device 200, and one or more employee terminals 300, which are connected by a network (either wired or wireless). The traveling device 100 is an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) / AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) that collects and distributes in-house mail within the office. The operation management device 200 is a computer that receives a delivery request for in-house mail from the employee terminal 300 and gives instructions for collection and delivery to the traveling device 100. The employee terminal 300 is a smartphone, tablet, or PC (Personal Computer) used by an employee to request the delivery of in-house mail.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 2, the traveling device 100 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a traveling unit 130, a detection unit 140, a projection unit 150, a movable unit 160, a communication unit 170, and a loading unit 180 as functional components. The control unit 110 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 110 executes processes for realizing various functions of the traveling device 100 and conveyance processes described later according to programs stored in the storage unit 120. Note that the control unit 110 supports multi-thread processing and can execute a plurality of processes in parallel. The storage unit 120 stores programs executed by the control unit 110 and necessary data. The storage unit 120 may include a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc., but is not limited thereto. Information on the floor map of the office where the traveling device 100 travels (map information) is stored in the storage unit 120 in advance, and the control unit 110 can travel to any location in the office based on this map information. However, the traveling device 100 does not necessarily have to store map information. The traveling device 100 that does not store map information may acquire map information from the operation management device 200 that stores map information, or may travel based on instructions from the operation management device 200 (such as straight-ahead, turning, etc.).

[0011] The traveling unit 130 includes four wheels 131 (wheels) and a drive motor. As shown in FIG. 3, of the four wheels 131, two are arranged in front of the traveling device 100 as front wheels, and the remaining two are arranged behind the traveling device 100 as rear wheels. As the wheels 131, for example, omnidirectional wheels, mecanum wheels, etc. may be used. The traveling device 100 travels when the control unit 110 controls the drive motor to rotate the wheels 131. Also, the traveling device 100 turns (turns right or left) when the control unit 110 changes the rotation speeds of the left and right wheels 131. The detection unit 140 includes an obstacle sensor 141 and a camera 142. The obstacle sensor 141 is provided on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the traveling device 100, as partially shown in Figure 3, and is used to detect surrounding obstacles and avoid collisions while the traveling device 100 is moving. The camera 142 is installed to photograph the projection target of the projection unit 150, as shown in Figure 3. Note that the camera 142 is not an essential component, and the traveling device 100 does not need to be equipped with a camera 142 if it is not necessary to photograph the projection target of the projection unit 150.

[0012] The projection unit 150 is a projector. While the vehicle 100 is traveling toward its destination, the projection unit 150 projects information to alert people in the surrounding area onto the road surface in front of the vehicle 100. When the vehicle 100 arrives at its destination, the projection unit 150 projects information to notify people at the destination onto the floor or cargo bed. As shown in Figure 3, the movable part 160 is an electric pan / tilt head that pans (rotates horizontally) and tilts (rotates vertically) the projection unit 150 and the camera 142. The communication unit 170 is a network interface compatible with wireless LAN (Local Area Network), etc. The communication unit 170 is used for the running device 100 to communicate data with the operation management device 200, etc. As shown in Figure 3, the loading section 180 is equipped with a loading platform 181 and loads the goods 400 to be delivered.

[0013] The functional configuration of the running gear 100 has been described above. Next, the functional configurations of the operation management device 200 and the employee terminal 300 will be described. As shown in Figure 4, the operation management device 200 comprises a control unit 210, a storage unit 220, a display unit 230, an operation input unit 240, and a communication unit 250, while the employee terminal 300 comprises a control unit 310, a storage unit 320, a display unit 330, an operation input unit 340, and a communication unit 350.

[0014] The control unit 210 and the control unit 310 are each composed of a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 210 executes the operation management process described later by running a program stored in the memory unit 220. The control unit 310 executes the process of requesting internal mail by running a program stored in the memory unit 320. The control unit 210 supports multithreading and can execute multiple processes in parallel. The memory units 220 and 320 store programs executed by the control units 210 and 310, respectively, and necessary data. The memory units 220 and 320 may include, but are not limited to, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, etc. In addition, the memory unit 220 has pre-stored information on the office floor map (map information), which is referenced for selecting the vehicle 100 to be used for delivery and for issuing driving instructions to the vehicle 100.

[0015] The display units 230 and 330 are equipped with displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) displays, respectively. The display units 230 and 330 display the display screens and operation screens of the operation management device 200 and employee terminals 300, respectively. The operation input units 240 and 340 are user interfaces such as keyboards, mice, and touch panels, and accept user input. If the operation input units 240 and 340 are equipped with touch panels, they may be integrated with the displays of the display units 230 and 330. Communication units 250 and 350 are network interfaces compatible with wireless LAN (Local Area Network) and wired LAN, etc. Communication unit 250 is used for data communication between the operation management device 200 and the running device 100 and employee terminals 300, etc. Communication unit 350 is used for data communication between the employee terminals 300 and the operation management device 200, etc.

[0016] The functional configuration of the operation management device 200 and the employee terminal 300 has been explained above. A user (employee) who wishes to request delivery via internal mail registers information about the request to transport goods, documents, etc. (internal mail request information) using the internal mail user interface displayed on the display unit 330 on the employee terminal 300, for example as shown in Figure 5. The package information registration screen shown in Figure 5 shows an example of registering information about the person sending the package via internal mail (sender information), information about the package to be sent (package information), and information about the destination (recipient information), but this screen is just one example. Internal mail request information registered in the internal mail user interface is transmitted from the employee terminal 300 to the operation management device 200. The operation management device 200 then issues instructions to the vehicle 100 for collection and delivery through the operation management process described later. The vehicle 100, having received instructions from the operation management device 200, then collects and delivers the packages according to those instructions.

[0017] In this process, the traveling device 100 performs various projections with the projection unit 150 depending on the situation. First, while the traveling device 100 is heading to a designated location (collection location or delivery location) after receiving instructions for collection or delivery, the control unit 110 controls the projection target of the projection unit 150 using the movable unit 160, as shown in Figure 6, so that it is projected onto the road surface 600 in front of the traveling device 100 (projection target in the first direction). The control unit 110 then projects a warning to the surroundings onto the road surface 600 using the projection unit 150, for example, as shown in Figure 7. Furthermore, if there is a fork in the road such as an intersection ahead, a little before it (depending on the travel speed, for example, a little before arriving at the fork (for example, 2 seconds)), a projection is made to notify the surroundings whether to turn right, left, or go straight at the fork, as shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, to warn them.

[0018] Then, when the traveling device 100 arrives at the collection point, as shown in Figure 11, the control unit 110 uses the movable part 160 to control the projection destination of the projection unit 150 so that it is projected onto the floor surface 601 on the side of the traveling device 100 (on the side of the internal mail sender 501) (a projection destination in a second direction different from the first direction). The control unit 110 then uses the projection unit 150 to project a display onto the floor surface 601 for the internal mail sender 501, for example as shown in Figure 12, indicating the destination, type of package, type of delivery, etc. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 13, the control unit 110 uses the movable unit 160 to control the projection destination of the projection unit 150 so that it is the loading platform 181 of the traveling device 100 (a projection destination in a second direction different from the first direction). Then, the control unit 110 uses the projection unit 150 to project an indication onto the loading platform 181 for the sender 501 who requested the internal mail, for example as shown in Figure 14, confirming the type of package and indicating the area where the package should be placed. In the example shown in Figure 14, it is confirmed that the type of package is documents, and an instruction is projected to place the package in an area slightly forward of the center of the loading platform 181.

[0019] When the control unit 110 of the traveling device 100 recognizes with the camera 142 that a package has been placed in the designated area, it notifies the operation management device 200 that the collection is complete. The operation management device 200 then transmits the delivery destination information to the traveling device 100. Upon receiving the delivery destination information, the control unit 110 of the traveling device 100 controls the projection destination of the projection unit 150 using the movable unit 160, as shown in Figure 6, so that it projects onto the road surface 600 in front of the traveling device 100 (the projection destination in the first direction), and until it arrives at the delivery location, it projects warnings to the surroundings according to the conditions of the travel route.

[0020] Then, when the traveling device 100 arrives at the delivery location, as shown in Figure 15, the control unit 110 uses the movable unit 160 to control the projection destination of the projection unit 150 so that it is projected onto the floor surface 602 on the side of the traveling device 100 (on the side of the internal mail recipient 502) (a projection destination in a second direction different from the first direction). The control unit 110 then uses the projection unit 150 to project an indication onto the floor surface 602 for the internal mail recipient 502, for example as shown in Figure 16, showing the sender, type of package, type of delivery, etc. Subsequently, as shown in Figure 13, the control unit 110 uses the movable unit 160 to control the projection target of the projection unit 150 so that it is the loading platform 181 of the traveling device 100 (a projection target in a second direction different from the first direction). Then, the control unit 110 uses the projection unit 150 to project an indication onto the loading platform 181, for example as shown in Figure 17, for the recipient of the internal mail 502, confirming the type of package and indicating which area of ​​the loading platform the package should be picked up from. In the example shown in Figure 17, the projection confirms that the type of package is a parcel and instructs the recipient to pick up the package located in the central area of ​​the loading platform 181. The projection shown in Figure 17 is an image of a circular spotlight shining on the package. The color of the package may be recognized by the camera 142, and the color of the circular spotlight projected by the projection unit 150 may be changed accordingly.

[0021] As can be seen from the above explanation, the traveling device 100 can notify the surroundings of appropriate information by changing the projection target of the projection unit 150 depending on the situation (e.g., while traveling, while stopped at a collection point or delivery point). Next, the operation management process, which is the process of the operation management device 200 that enables the running device 100 to perform such in-house delivery, will be explained with reference to Figure 18. The operation management process starts when the power to the operation management device 200 is turned on.

[0022] First, the control unit 210 of the operation management device 200 determines whether or not it has received internal mail request information from the employee terminal 300 (step S101). Internal mail request information is information entered on the employee terminal 300 from, for example, the package information registration screen shown in Figure 5, and includes sender information, package information, and recipient information. If internal mail request information has not been received (step S101; No), the process returns to step S101. If internal mail request information has been received (step S101; Yes), the control unit 210 selects the vehicle 100 to be used for this delivery based on the received internal mail request information (step S102). For example, the control unit 210 selects the vehicle 100 that is closest to the sender's seat, i.e., the package collection location. However, this selection method is arbitrary, and the control unit 210 may simply randomly select one vehicle from among the vehicles 100 that are not currently performing deliveries. The operation management device 200 has pre-stored information (map information) of the office floor map, such as that shown in Figure 19, and knows the location of each employee's desk 511 and chair 512. The operation management device 200 also periodically receives information on the current location of each vehicle 100 from the vehicle 100. Therefore, the control unit 210 can acquire information on the collection location (location of the collection location, direction of the sender from that location, etc.) based on the sender information and map information in the internal mail request information.

[0023] The control unit 210 then transmits collection information to the selected traveling device 100 (step S103). Collection information includes collection location information and cargo information, and is generated by the control unit 210 based on internal delivery request information and map information. Upon receiving the collection information, the traveling device 100 travels to the collection location through the transport process described later, and after receiving the cargo from the sender, transmits information (collection completion information) to the operation management device 200 notifying that the collection has been completed.

[0024] The control unit 210 then determines whether or not it has received collection completion information (step S104). If it has not received collection completion information (step S104; No), it returns to step S104. If it has received collection completion information (step S104; Yes), the control unit 210 transmits delivery destination information to the travel device 100 (step S105). Delivery destination information includes delivery location information (location of the delivery location, direction to the recipient from that location, etc.) and package information, and is information generated by the control unit 210 based on the internal delivery request information and map information. Upon receiving the delivery destination information, the travel device 100 travels to the delivery location through the transport process described later, and when it receives the package from the recipient, it transmits information notifying the completion of delivery (delivery completion information) to the operation management device 200. In step S105, the control unit 210 may further transmit package information and estimated arrival time information (pre-delivery notification information) to the recipient's employee terminal 300. By sending pre-delivery notification information, recipients can know in advance that a package addressed to them is about to be delivered.

[0025] The control unit 210 then determines whether or not it has received delivery completion information (step S106). If delivery completion information has not been received (step S106; No), the process returns to step S106. If delivery completion information has been received (step S106; Yes), the process returns to step S101 to receive the next internal mail request information. This concludes the explanation of the operation management process.

[0026] Next, the transport process, which is performed in parallel with the operation management process performed in the operation management device 200, will be explained with reference to Figure 20. The transport process starts when the transport device 100 is started. First, the control unit 110 determines whether or not it has received collection information from the operation management device 200 (step S201). If it has not received collection information (step S201; No), it returns to step S201. If it has received collection information (step S201; Yes), the control unit 110 controls the driving unit 130 to travel to the collection location included in the collection information (step S202). Then, as described above, until it arrives at the collection location, the control unit 110 uses the projection unit 150 to project a display onto the road surface ahead (the projection destination for the first direction) that warns the surroundings and notifies the direction of travel, as shown in Figures 7 to 10.

[0027] Then, when the traveling device 100 arrives at the collection point, the control unit 110 stops traveling (step S203). At this time, based on the information on the office floor map (map information), the traveling device 100 stops near the seat of the transmitter 501 as shown in Figure 11, and projects collection information (sender's name, package information (destination, type of package, delivery conditions), etc.) onto the floor surface 601 on the side of the traveling device 100 on the transmitter 501 side, as shown in Figure 12. In other words, if the place of arrival is a collection point, the control unit 110 decides to project collection information. Also, at a predetermined timing, the control unit 110 changes the projection destination of the projection unit 150 to the cargo bed 181 as shown in Figure 13, and projects a display on the cargo bed 181 notifying the type of package and its location as shown in Figure 14. Here, the predetermined timing may be the time after a predetermined period of time (for example, 5 seconds) has elapsed since the lateral projection as shown in Figure 12, or it may be the time when some kind of feedback is received from the transmitter 501 (e.g., the transmitter 501 holds their hand over the camera 142, the transmitter 501 presses a predetermined switch on the traveling device 100, or the transmitter 501 notifies that the traveling device 100 has arrived via their employee terminal 300).

[0028] In step S203, after stopping near the transmitter 501's seat based on the map information, the direction of the floor surface 601 to be projected may be determined based on the same map information. For example, the projection direction may be changed to project onto the floor surface 601 in the direction where it is determined that a wider floor surface 601 exists based on the map information.

[0029] The control unit 110 then determines whether or not the collection has been completed (step S204). The method for determining whether or not the process is complete is arbitrary, but for example, the control unit 110 may take a picture of the cargo bed 181 with the camera 142 and determine that the collection is complete when the cargo is placed on it. Alternatively, the sender 501 may notify the operation management device 200 that the collection is complete using the employee terminal 300, in which case the notification from the employee terminal 300 will serve as the collection completion information transmitted in step S205, and the processing in steps S204 and S205 may be omitted. If collection is not yet complete (Step S204; No), return to Step S204. If collection is complete (Step S204; Yes), the control unit 110 transmits collection completion information to the operation management device 200 to notify it that collection has been completed (Step S205).

[0030] The control unit 110 then determines whether or not it has received delivery destination information (step S206). If it has not received delivery destination information (step S206; No), it returns to step S206. If it has received delivery destination information (step S206; Yes), the control unit 110 controls the driving unit 130 to drive to the delivery location included in the delivery destination information (step S207). Then, as described above, until it arrives at the delivery location, the control unit 110 uses the projection unit 150 to project a display onto the road surface ahead (the projection destination for the first direction) that warns the surroundings and notifies the direction of travel, as shown in Figures 7 to 10.

[0031] Then, when the traveling device 100 arrives at the delivery location, the control unit 110 stops traveling (step S208). At this time, based on the map information, the traveling device 100 stops near the seat of the recipient 502 as shown in Figure 15, and projects delivery information (recipient's name, package information (sender, package type, delivery conditions), etc.) onto the floor surface 602 on the side of the traveling device 100 facing the recipient 502, as shown in Figure 16. In other words, if the place of arrival is the delivery location, the control unit 110 decides to project delivery information. Also, at a predetermined timing, the control unit 110 changes the projection destination of the projection unit 150 to the cargo bed 181 as shown in Figure 13, and projects a display on the cargo bed 181 notifying the type of package and its location, as shown in Figure 17. Here, the predetermined timing may be the time after a predetermined period of time (for example, 5 seconds) has elapsed since the lateral projection as shown in Figure 16, or it may be the time when some kind of feedback is received from the receiver 502 (e.g., the receiver 502 holds their hand over the camera 142, the receiver 502 presses a predetermined switch on the travel device 100, or the receiver 502 notifies the employee terminal 300 that the travel device 100 has arrived).

[0032] The control unit 110 then determines whether or not the delivery has been completed (step S209). The method for determining whether or not the delivery has been completed is arbitrary, but for example, the control unit 110 may take a picture of the cargo bed 181 with the camera 142 and determine that the delivery has been completed if the cargo is gone. Alternatively, the recipient 502 may notify the operation management device 200 that the delivery has been completed using the employee terminal 300, in which case the notification from the employee terminal 300 will serve as the delivery completion information sent in step S210, and the processing in steps S209 and S210 may be omitted. If delivery is not complete (step S209; No), return to step S209. If delivery is complete (step S209; Yes), the control unit 110 transmits delivery completion information to the operation management device 200 to notify it that delivery is complete (step S210), and returns to step S201.

[0033] The above describes the transport process. The traveling device 100 can assist the user by performing the transport process, projecting onto the road surface in front of it while traveling, and projecting to a location other than the front (side or rear) when the user places or picks up luggage. Furthermore, while traveling, the traveling device 100 can alert those around it by projecting information on the road surface that notifies the state of travel (while traveling) and its changes (turning, going straight, etc.). In addition, when the user places or picks up luggage, it can notify the user of information related to the luggage (type of luggage, place of luggage, etc.) by projecting this information onto the cargo bed 181 or the floor surface to the side of the traveling device 100, thereby assisting the user. Moreover, since the traveling device 100 is equipped with a movable part 160 for changing the projection direction of the projection unit 150, it can project to multiple projection targets such as the road surface in front, the floor surface to the side, and the cargo bed 181 without the need for multiple projection units 150 (only one projection unit 150 is needed). Furthermore, upon arriving at the user's location (pickup location or delivery location), the system can determine whether the location is a pickup location or a delivery location to project (pickup information or delivery information).

[0034] As mentioned above, at the collection and delivery locations, the information is projected sequentially as a second projection target: first, an announcement regarding stopping (information about the cargo) is displayed on the side floor, and then the location of the cargo is projected onto the cargo bed. This allows for a more user-friendly display.

[0035] In the above-described transport process, the warning information shown in Figure 7 and the turning information shown in Figures 8 to 10 were introduced as examples of information that the traveling device 100 projects onto the road surface in front of it while it is traveling. However, these are merely examples. For example, if an office consists of multiple floors, the traveling device 100 may need to ride an elevator to get to the collection point or delivery point. When the traveling device 100 is about to board the elevator, it may stop before the elevator and project information such as "Waiting for elevator" onto the road surface. When the elevator arrives, the traveling device 100 may project information such as "Proceeding straight ahead to board the elevator. Please be careful" onto the road surface. Furthermore, while the traveling device 100 is riding in the elevator, information such as "Getting off on the 3rd floor" may be projected onto the elevator floor. Finally, when the elevator arrives at the destination floor, the traveling device 100 may project information such as "Getting off. Turning left afterwards. Please be careful" onto the road surface.

[0036] Furthermore, prior to projection by the projection unit 150, the control unit 110 may photograph the projection surface with the camera 142, and if normal projection is not possible (for example, if there is an object obstructing the projection between the projection unit 150 and the projection surface, or if the projection surface is not flat), it may control the movable unit 160 to search for a projection surface that is more likely to allow for normal projection. For example, if the control unit 110 checks the image taken by the camera 142 and determines that projection onto the floor is difficult, such as in a crowded elevator (where there is no space on the elevator floor to project), it may project the information onto a wall in a direction where there are no obstructing objects.

[0037] Furthermore, while the delivery conditions were set to "Normal" in the package information registration screen shown in Figure 5, other delivery conditions such as "Important" and "Urgent" are also possible. How these delivery conditions are used is at the discretion of the driver, but for example, the information projected onto the road surface ahead while driving could include the delivery conditions, such as "AVG driving, Important delivery in progress, Watch out for sudden appearances!". Furthermore, the "Special Notes" information on the luggage information registration screen shown in Figure 5 may also be included in the information projected by the control unit 110 (regardless of whether the vehicle is in motion or stopped).

[0038] Furthermore, although the above embodiment was described as an example applied to the in-house delivery system 1000, this system can be applied to any delivery purpose, not limited to in-house delivery, as long as the purpose is to deliver goods.

[0039] Furthermore, the traveling device 100 does not necessarily have to be an AGV / AMR; it could be a computer such as a PC (Personal Computer) that controls the AGV / AMR. For example, in the above embodiment, it was described that the program for transport processing and the like executed by the control unit 110 is pre-stored in the storage unit 120. However, the program may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), MO (Magneto-Optical disc), memory card, or USB memory and distributed, and a computer capable of executing the above-mentioned processing may be configured by loading and installing the program into the computer.

[0040] Furthermore, the program can be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program could be posted and distributed on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network. This program could then be launched and executed under the control of the operating system (OS), just like any other application program, to perform the aforementioned processes. Furthermore, the control unit 110 may consist of any single processor, such as a single processor, multi-processor, or multi-core processor, or it may be configured by combining any of these processors with processing circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0041] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and the present invention includes the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 100...Traveling device, 110...Control unit, 120...Storage unit, 130...Traveling unit, 140...Detection unit, 150...Projection unit, 160...Movable unit, 170...Communication unit, 180...Loading unit

Claims

1. A traveling device comprising a projection unit, a traveling unit, and a control unit, The control unit, The aforementioned travel unit is controlled to travel to a predetermined location. Until arriving at the predetermined location, the projection unit will project in the first direction. Upon arriving at the predetermined location, the projection unit performs projection in a second direction different from the first direction. Running gear.

2. The control unit, Until arriving at the predetermined location, the projection in the first direction is made onto the road surface in front of the traveling device. The traveling device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, Until arriving at the aforementioned designated location, information notifying the state of the journey and any changes thereto will be projected. The traveling device according to claim 2.

4. It also has a cargo bed for carrying luggage, The projection destination in the second direction includes the cargo bed. The traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The control unit, Upon arriving at the predetermined location, the projection is made onto the floor surface to the side of the traveling device or onto the cargo bed as the projection target in the second direction. The traveling device according to claim 4.

6. The projection section further comprises a movable part for changing the projection direction, The control unit, Upon arriving at the predetermined location, the movable part is controlled to switch the projection direction in the projection unit to the floor surface on the side of the traveling device or the cargo bed. The traveling device according to claim 5.

7. The control unit, Upon arriving at the predetermined location, the projection unit determines the information to be projected based on the predetermined location. The traveling device according to claim 1.

8. The control unit, Upon arrival at the aforementioned designated location, information regarding the cargo is projected onto the cargo bed. The traveling device according to claim 4.

9. The control unit acquires map information including the predetermined location, Upon arriving at the predetermined location, the second direction is determined based on the map information. The traveling device according to claim 1.

10. The control unit, The drive unit is controlled to move to the designated location. Until arriving at the predetermined location, the projection unit will project in the first direction. Upon arriving at the predetermined location, the projection unit performs projection in a second direction different from the first direction. Projection control method.

11. In the control unit, The drive unit is controlled to move to the designated location. Until arriving at the predetermined location, the projection unit will project in the first direction. Upon arriving at the predetermined location, the projection unit performs projection in a second direction different from the first direction. A program that executes a process.

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