Mobile object control system and mobile object control method

Abstract

The mobile device can reliably detect the glass wall. [Solution] One aspect of the present disclosure is a mobile body control system comprising: a mobile body device that emits pulsed light, performs processing to detect an obstacle based on the reflected light of the emitted pulsed light, and moves based on the detection result; a drive device that drives a device to switch the state of the transparent wall between a state in which the transparent wall is detected by the mobile body device and a state in which the transparent wall is not detected by the mobile body device; and a control device that controls the drive device to drive the device based on the movement state of the mobile body device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a movement control system and a movement control method.

Background Art

[0002] When an autonomous mobile robot for performing various services is made to autonomously travel indoors and outdoors, a technique called SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is known. SLAM is a technique for generating a map by measuring the shape representing the environment around the mobile robot using a LRF (Laser Range Finder) provided in the mobile robot, and at the same time estimating the self-position of the mobile robot on the map.

[0003] As technologies related to this type of mobile robot, those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below are known. The autonomous mobile body described in Patent Document 1 includes a LRF that acquires environmental information indicating the position and shape of an object existing in the movement area. The autonomous mobile body moves while recognizing its own position based on the environmental information acquired by the LRF using a movement map related to the movement area. Since the movement map includes information indicating the light reflectance attribute of the object, the accuracy of self-position estimation of the autonomous mobile body is improved even when an optically transparent material such as glass exists in the movement area.

[0004] The autonomous mobile body described in Patent Document 2 controls its movement based on an environmental map including position information of an obstacle in the movement area of the autonomous mobile body and information as to whether or not the obstacle is an obstacle that can be distance-measured by a beam, and the self-position already detected on the movement trajectory. The autonomous mobile body described in Patent Document 2 recognizes its own position with respect to the glass wall by recording whether or not it is a glass wall in the environmental map.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-223757 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5826795 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), a Time of Flight (ToF) type Laser Range Finder (LRF), measures the distance to an object by multiplying the flight time of emitted near-infrared light by the speed of light and dividing the result by 2 (the round trip time).

[0007] If the object is a transparent wall, such as a glass wall, the near-infrared light emitted by the LiDAR on the mobile robot will pass through the transparent wall and will not return to the LiDAR. In this case, the mobile robot will not be able to measure the distance to surrounding objects, and therefore will not be able to accurately estimate its own position, potentially leading to a collision with the transparent wall.

[0008] The following technologies can be considered for enabling a mobile robot to autonomously move and recognize glass walls, but there are challenges. Patent Document 1 describes recording the reflectivity of various objects in advance on an environmental shape map carried by a mobile robot, and Patent Document 2 describes recording whether or not an object is a glass wall on the environmental map. However, there is a disadvantage in that it is time-consuming to embed information about glass walls into the environmental map in advance.

[0009] Another technique for mobile robots to detect glass walls involves using a polarization camera to detect S-polarization, which utilizes the phenomenon of light being polarized after being reflected from the surface of the glass wall. However, this technique has the disadvantage that polarization cameras are very expensive.

[0010] Furthermore, there is a method that utilizes the property of glass walls not to transmit far-infrared light (wavelengths of 10 μm or more) (high reflectivity), but this method has disadvantages such as the low resolution of far-infrared cameras, the possibility of interference with near-infrared light from LiDAR, the possibility of raising the temperature of the irradiated object due to the irradiation of far-infrared light, and the high cost of far-infrared cameras.

[0011] Furthermore, there is a method that detects light rays (visible light) specularly reflected from a glass wall, but the detection range (specular reflection range) is very narrow, around -10° to 10°, which has the disadvantage of requiring the mobile robot to patrol the same location repeatedly for a long period of time.

[0012] Furthermore, there is a method of detecting glass walls using ultrasonic sensors, but while ultrasonic sensors can recognize the presence of glass walls, they have the disadvantage of lacking the precision to narrow down the area where the glass wall begins and ends.

[0013] Furthermore, it is conceivable to attach RFID tags to objects such as glass walls, and when a mobile robot detects the RFID, it can draw opaque walls on a map created by SLAM. However, there are disadvantages, such as the aesthetics being compromised because the RFID tags are attached to the objects, and the short radio communication range between the RFID tags and the RFID readers installed on the mobile robots.

[0014] This disclosure has been made in view of these circumstances and aims to provide a mobile device control system and a mobile device control method that can reliably detect a glass wall using a mobile device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0015] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of this disclosure is a mobile body control system comprising: a mobile body device that emits pulsed light, performs processing for detecting an obstacle based on the reflected light of the emitted pulsed light, and moves based on the detection result; a drive device that drives a device to switch the state of a transparent wall between a state in which the mobile body device detects the transparent wall and a state in which the mobile body device does not detect the transparent wall; and a control device that controls the drive device to drive the device based on the movement state of the mobile body device.

[0016] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for controlling a mobile device, comprising the steps of: a mobile device emitting pulsed light, processing for detecting an obstacle based on the reflected light of the emitted pulsed light, and moving based on the detection result; a control device controlling the device to drive a device based on the movement state of the mobile device; and a drive device driving the device to switch from a state in which the mobile device does not detect a transparent wall to a state in which the mobile device detects a transparent wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to one aspect of the present invention, a glass wall can be reliably detected by a mobile device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a schematic example of a mobile control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a mobile control system according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of what happens when the mobile device in the embodiment passes the starting line. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of what happens when the mobile device in the embodiment passes the end line. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing another configuration of the mobile control system in the embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a block diagram showing another configuration of the movement control system in the embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing a modified example of the movement control system in the embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure of the movement control system in the embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, a movement control system, a movement control method, and a movement control program to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] (Configuration of Movement Control System 1) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the outline of the movement control system 1 according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the movement control system 1 according to the embodiment. The movement control system 1 includes, for example, a mobile device 100, a server system 200, and a transparent wall 300. The mobile device 100, the server system 200, and the transparent wall 300 have a communication interface (not shown) such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) or a wireless communication module, and can exchange various kinds of information via a communication network NW. The communication network NW may include, for example, a general-purpose network such as the Internet, and a private network such as local 5G or WiFi (registered trademark).

[0021] The mobile device control system 1 is an information processing system that, for example, autonomously moves a mobile device 100 and controls the movement of the mobile device 100 using a server system 200. The mobile device 100 emits pulsed light, performs processing to detect obstacles based on the reflected light of the emitted pulsed light, and moves based on the detection result. The mobile device 100 is a robotic device that realizes various services, such as moving inside a building where a transparent wall 300 exists to acquire various information inside the building and transmitting the acquired information to the server system 200, or moving inside the building and performing predetermined actions when predetermined conditions are met.

[0022] The transparent wall 300 is a wall that partitions the space inside a building using a transparent material such as glass. The transparent wall 300 has a liquid crystal dimming film 302 attached to it at a height corresponding to the scan range of the distance measuring unit 102 in the mobile device 100. The scan range of the distance measuring unit 102 is, for example, a two-dimensional range centered on the position of the distance measuring unit 102 at a height of several centimeters to several tens of centimeters.

[0023] The liquid crystal dimming film 302 is a device containing liquid crystal and polymer materials. The light transmittance of the liquid crystal dimming film 302 changes in response to a control signal output from the drive device 304. When a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal dimming film 302, the liquid crystals are uniformly aligned, and since the refractive indices of the liquid crystal and polymer match, it becomes transparent and transmits light. When no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal, the liquid crystals are unevenly aligned, and it becomes opaque and scatters light. The liquid crystal dimming film 302 may be opaque when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal and transparent when no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal. The transparent state of the liquid crystal dimming film 302 corresponds to a state in which the transparent wall 300 is not detected by the mobile device 100. The opaque state of the liquid crystal dimming film 302 corresponds to a state in which the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100. As a result, the liquid crystal dimming film 302 functions as a device that switches the state of the transparent wall 300 between a state in which the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100 and a state in which the transparent wall 300 is not detected by the mobile device 100.

[0024] The liquid crystal dimming film 302 has a structure in which a liquid crystal material is sandwiched between two plastic films on which an ITO transparent conductive film is formed. Depending on the type of liquid crystal material, there are PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal), PNLC (Polymer Network Liquid Crystal), SPD (Suspended Particle Device), NCAP (Nematic Curvilinear Aligned Phase), etc., but the liquid crystal dimming film 302 in this embodiment may be of any of these types. While ITO transparent conductive films are known to have excellent near-infrared absorption capabilities, the absorption rate of LiDAR wavelengths at 905 nm in typical ITO transparent conductive films is small, around 13%. Therefore, the liquid crystal dimming film 302 absorbs only a portion of the 905 nm wavelength. As a result, the liquid crystal dimming film 302 reflects light emitted from the mobile device 100, allowing the mobile device 100 to detect the reflected light.

[0025] It is known that the total sunlight reflectance of the liquid crystal dimming film 302, from ultraviolet to near-infrared, is about 20%. In the embodiment, the liquid crystal dimming film 302 preferably has a diffuse reflectance of 10% or more at a wavelength of 905 nm, more preferably 15% or more, and most preferably 20% or more. Generally, LiDAR does not receive the entire amount of light reflected from an object, but only a small portion of the light diffusely reflected by the object. Therefore, the liquid crystal dimming film 302 reflects the light emitted from the mobile device 100, allowing the mobile device 100 to detect the reflected light. The device is not limited to the liquid crystal dimming film 302, but can be any device that changes the state of at least a part of the transparent wall 300 so that the distance can be measured by the distance measuring unit 102, and may also be a mechanical light reflector.

[0026] The liquid crystal dimming film 302 is driven by a drive device 304. The drive device 304 is an electronic device that controls the voltage for driving the liquid crystal dimming film 302 according to the control device 202. The drive device 304 drives the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to switch the state of the transparent wall 300 between a state in which the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100 and a state in which the transparent wall 300 is not detected by the mobile device 100.

[0027] The control device 202 is, for example, a computer provided in the server system 200. The control device 202 controls the drive device 304 to drive the liquid crystal dimming film 302 based on the movement state of the mobile device 100.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the mobile device 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a light-emitting unit 112 and a light-receiving unit 114 included in the distance measuring unit 102, a control unit 116, and a drive unit 118. The communication unit 110 communicates with the server system 200 via the communication network NW. The light-emitting unit 112 and the light-receiving unit 114 are LRFs, for example, ToF type sensors such as LiDAR. The light-emitting unit 112 includes, for example, a light-emitting element that emits near-infrared light. The light-emitting unit 112 emits a predetermined number of pulsed light at predetermined intervals. The light-receiving unit 114 is, for example, a photodiode or a single-photon aeranche diode (SPAD). The light-receiving unit 114 receives the reflected light of the pulsed light emitted by the light-emitting unit 112 and generates an electrical signal.

[0029] The distance measuring unit 102 detects the intensity of an electrical signal based on the reflected light received by the light receiving unit 114. Based on the intensity of the electrical signal, the distance measuring unit 102 measures the distance between the mobile device 100 and the obstacle. This allows the mobile device 100 to detect obstacles present in the target area.

[0030] The control unit 116 estimates the self-position of the mobile device 100. The control unit 116 also creates a two-dimensional environmental map using a method called two-dimensional SLAM, which measures the distance from its own position to obstacles. Specifically, the control unit 116 creates a two-dimensional environmental map by connecting point clouds that exist at measured distances from the self-position estimated while the mobile device 100 is moving. At this time, the control unit 116 creates the two-dimensional environmental map by connecting the point clouds using a method called ICP (Iterative Closest Point). In this embodiment, the two-dimensional environmental map refers to a map of the environment sliced ​​parallel to the floor surface at the height of the distance measuring unit 102 (LiDAR) equipped on the mobile device 100.

[0031] The control unit 116 may move the mobile device 100 according to the route information. The route information is information indicating the route of the mobile device 100. The route information is created by the server system 200 and transmitted to the mobile device 100.

[0032] The drive unit 118 generates a driving force to move the mobile device 100 according to the control of the control unit 116.

[0033] The communication unit 110 receives predetermined information from the server system 200. This predetermined information is for driving the liquid crystal dimming film 302 so that the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100. The predetermined information is set in accordance with the position of the mobile device 100 in the target area (two-dimensional environmental map) in which it moves. When the mobile device 100 passes the position corresponding to the predetermined information, it outputs a detection signal to the server system 200. The control unit 116 moves the mobile device 100 while referring to the two-dimensional environmental map and detects the predetermined information when its estimated self-position passes the position corresponding to the predetermined information. Based on the detection result of the predetermined information, the control unit 116 transmits a detection signal from the communication unit 110 to the server system 200.

[0034] The server system 200 is an information processing system that includes one or more server devices that communicate with the mobile device 100 and process requests received from the mobile device 100. The server system 200 includes, for example, a dimming unit (referred to as dimming unit 202) corresponding to the control device 202 described above, a communication unit 204, a storage unit 206, a route generation unit 208, and an information processing unit 210. The dimming unit 202, the communication unit 204, the storage unit 206, the route generation unit 208, and the information processing unit 210 are functional units realized by a computer, such as one or more server devices, executing a program.

[0035] The communication unit 204 receives its own position and a two-dimensional environmental map from the mobile device 100. The communication unit 204 transmits predetermined information corresponding to the location included in the two-dimensional environmental map stored in the storage unit 206 to the mobile device 100. The communication unit 204 obtains information from the terminal device 400 indicating the location where the predetermined information will be set.

[0036] The terminal device 400 is an information processing device operated by the mobile device 100 or the administrator of the target area. The terminal device 400 receives information, for example, specifying a location in the target area where the mobile device 100 should detect the transparent wall 300. The terminal device 400 transmits information indicating the location where predetermined information should be set from the terminal device 400 to the server system 200 according to the received information.

[0037] The storage unit 206 stores two-dimensional environmental map information, three-dimensional environmental map information, and predetermined information. The two-dimensional environmental map information includes, for example, information indicating the two-dimensional coordinates and the presence or absence of obstacles in the target area. The predetermined information is information indicating the position where the mobile device 100 outputs a detection signal. The three-dimensional environmental map information includes, for example, information indicating the three-dimensional coordinates and the presence or absence of obstacles in the target area. The two-dimensional environmental map information is generated by the mobile device 100 as described above.

[0038] The route generation unit 208 generates a route for the mobile device 100. The route generation unit 208 generates a route for the mobile device 100 based on the location of the mobile device 100, the destination, and two-dimensional environmental map information. The route information indicating the route generated by the route generation unit 208 is transmitted to the mobile device 100.

[0039] In response to receiving a detection signal from the mobile device 100, the dimming unit 202 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 304 to make the liquid crystal dimming film 302 opaque. At this time, the dimming unit 202 refers to the position information of the mobile device 100 at the time the detection signal was output and outputs a control signal to the drive unit 304 that drives the liquid crystal dimming film 302 at the position corresponding to the position information of the mobile device 100.

[0040] The information processing unit 210 includes, for example, a map creation unit 220 and a map update unit 222. The map creation unit 220 draws a two-dimensional environmental map based on distance information indicating the distance between the mobile device 100 and various walls such as the transparent wall 300, calculated by the distance measurement unit 102, and the position information of the mobile device 100. The map update unit 222 updates the two-dimensional environmental map by embedding predetermined information received from the terminal device 400 at designated locations.

[0041] In this embodiment, the mobile control system 1 has a server system 200 that embeds predetermined information into a two-dimensional environmental map. However, the control unit 116 of the mobile device 100 may acquire information from the terminal device 400 indicating the location where the predetermined information is to be set, and embed that predetermined information into the two-dimensional environmental map.

[0042] Figure 3 shows an example of what the mobile device 100 looks like when it passes the start line in the embodiment, and Figure 4 shows an example of what the mobile device 100 looks like when it passes the end line in the embodiment. The predetermined information may be either first information for driving the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to switch to a state in which the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100, or second information for driving the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to switch to a state in which the transparent wall 300 is not detected by the mobile device 100. The first information is embedded at a first position near the transparent wall 300. The first position is a position that the mobile device 100 passes through when it approaches the transparent wall 300. The first position corresponds to the starting line A. The second information is embedded at a second position near the transparent wall 300. The second position is a position that the mobile device 100 passes through when it moves away from the transparent wall 300 after it has approached it. The second position corresponds to the ending line B.

[0043] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a start line A and an end line B are set on the two-dimensional environmental map. Start line A is position information for switching the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to an opaque state when the mobile device 100 passes over it. End line B is position information for switching the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to a transparent state when the mobile device 100 passes over it.

[0044] The starting line A is, for example, a line extending from the boundary between the transparent wall 300 and the concrete wall 310A adjacent to one end of the transparent wall 300 into the corridor. The ending line B is, for example, a line extending from the boundary between the transparent wall 300 and the concrete wall 310B adjacent to the other end of the transparent wall 300 into the corridor. The terminal device 400 displays map information of the target area on a display device, and the positions indicating the starting line and the ending line are specified on the map of the target area. The terminal device 400 transmits the received position information indicating the starting line and the position information indicating the ending line to the server system 200. The map update unit 222 updates the two-dimensional environmental map by embedding predetermined information at the locations in the two-dimensional environmental map corresponding to the location information indicating the start line, and at the locations in the two-dimensional environmental map corresponding to the location information indicating the end line.

[0045] When the mobile device 100 is moving while referring to a two-dimensional environmental map and route information, if it passes a position where the starting line A on the two-dimensional environmental map is set, it detects predetermined information from the two-dimensional environmental map and transmits a detection signal to the server system 200. When the server system 200 receives the detection signal, the dimming unit 202 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 304 to switch the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to an opaque state, as shown in Figure 3. The drive unit 304 controls the liquid crystal dimming film 302 according to the control signal, thereby switching the state of the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to an opaque state. As a result, the mobile device 100 can receive the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 112 with the light-receiving unit 114, recognize the transparent wall 300 as an obstacle, and perform the creation of a two-dimensional environmental map and estimation of its own position.

[0046] When the mobile device 100 is moving while referring to a two-dimensional environmental map and route information, if it passes a position where the termination line B on the two-dimensional environmental map is set, it detects predetermined information from the two-dimensional environmental map and transmits a detection signal to the server system 200. When the server system 200 receives the detection signal, the dimming unit 202 outputs a control signal to the drive unit 304 that switches the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to a transparent state. The drive unit 304 controls the liquid crystal dimming film 302 according to the control signal, thereby switching the state of the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to a transparent state as shown in Figure 4.

[0047] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the liquid crystal dimming film 302 is attached in a strip shape to the lower part of the transparent wall 300, but is not limited to this, and may be attached to the entire surface of the transparent wall 300. Considering the cost of the liquid crystal dimming film 302, it is preferable to attach the strip-shaped liquid crystal dimming film 302 at the same height as the height at which the distance measuring unit 102 (LiDAR) is installed.

[0048] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the mobile body control system 1 in the embodiment. In the server system 200A of this embodiment, the two-dimensional environment map created by SLAM may be an occupied grid map. The map creation unit 220 creates an occupied grid map by embedding information based on the detection results into each of the multiple occupied grids that divide the target area. The storage unit 206A stores the occupied grid map created by the map creation unit 220, in which predetermined information is embedded into the occupied grids included in the map. The mobile device 100 transmits a detection signal to the dimming unit 202 (control device) when the mobile device 100 reaches a position corresponding to an occupied grid containing predetermined information among the multiple occupied grids included in the occupied grid map stored in the storage unit 206A. When the dimming unit 202 receives a detection signal from the mobile device 100, it sends a command to the drive device 304 to drive the liquid crystal dimming film 302 so that the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100.

[0049] The information embedded in each occupied grid based on the detection result is an 8-bit pixel value (luminance) set for each occupied grid. The pixel value is, for example, a luminance value from 00000000 (binary) to 11111111 (binary). For example, an occupied grid with an obstacle is set to a pixel value of 00000000 (binary) = 0 (decimal) (black), and an occupied grid without an obstacle is set to 11111111 (binary) = 255 (decimal) (white).

[0050] Furthermore, for occupied grids where the transparent wall 300 exists, a value representing a geofence is set as predetermined information. The value representing a geofence is a value other than 00000000 (binary) and 11111111 (binary). For example, the occupied grid corresponding to the position of start line A is set to a pixel value of 00001111 (binary) = 15 (decimal), and the occupied grid corresponding to the position of end line B is set to a pixel value of 00111111 (binary) = 63 (decimal).

[0051] When the mobile device 100 passes through the occupied grid corresponding to the start line A, it reads 00001111 (binary) = 15 (decimal) from the occupied grid map and transmits it to the server system 200. This causes the control device 202 to transmit a control signal to the drive device 304 to switch the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to an opaque state. When the mobile device 100 passes through the occupied grid corresponding to the end line B, it reads 00111111 (binary) = 63 (decimal) from the occupied grid map and transmits it to the server system 200. This causes the control device 202 to transmit a control signal to the drive device 304 to switch the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to a transparent state. In this embodiment, values ​​other than 00000000 (binary) and 11111111 (binary) were used as predetermined information, but the invention is not limited to these values, and 00000000 (binary) and 11111111 (binary) may also be used as predetermined values.

[0052] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing another configuration of the mobile body control system 1 in the embodiment. In the server system 200A of this embodiment, the two-dimensional environment map is a two-dimensional environment map obtained by extracting information on the detection height of the mobile device 100 from a three-dimensional environment map of the target area, and may be a two-dimensional environment map with predetermined information set. The three-dimensional environment map is three-dimensional VR environment map data such as data showing objects in the target area used in virtual reality (VR) as point clouds or polygon meshes, CAD data, or BIM data, and the two-dimensional environment map may be a two-dimensional VR environment map obtained by slicing the three-dimensional VR environment map parallel to the floor plane and viewing it from directly above. The aforementioned data showing objects as point clouds or polygon meshes is created by measuring the shape of the environment with an LRF, RGB-D camera, stereo camera, or light field camera, etc.

[0053] Such a two-dimensional VR environment map is stored in the memory unit 206B. The map update unit 222B creates a two-dimensional VR environment map by extracting information on the detected height of the mobile device 100 from the three-dimensional VR environment map stored in the memory unit 206B. The map update unit 222B updates the two-dimensional environment map by superimposing the created two-dimensional VR environment map onto the two-dimensional environment map generated by SLAM, and embedding position information indicating the start line and position information indicating the end line transmitted from the terminal device 400, and then stores it in the memory unit 206B.

[0054] The mobile device 100 transmits a detection signal to the dimming unit 202 (control device) when it detects predetermined information set on the two-dimensional environmental map based on its position. When the dimming unit 202 (control device) receives the detection signal, it transmits a command to the drive device 304 to drive the liquid crystal dimming film 302 so that the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100.

[0055] The two-dimensional VR environment map may include information for setting areas, such as geofences. As described above, when the mobile device 100 is moving from the starting line A to the ending line B, the mobile device 100 transmits a signal to switch the liquid crystal dimming film 302 from transparent to opaque when it passes the geofence at the starting line A. Subsequently, the mobile device 100 sets a geofence at the ending line B, and when it passes the ending line B, it transmits a detection signal to the drive device 304 to return the liquid crystal dimming film 302 from opaque to transparent.

[0056] Geofencing is set up using a 3D game engine such as Unity or Unreal. 3D game engines are equipped with various engines that simulate collisions, gravity, friction, etc., simulating a physical environment identical to that of the real world. For example, terminal device 400 uses a collision (Collider) engine to set up a geofencing in a target area. Mobile device 100 moves while referring to data where a 2D VR environment map with the geofencing is superimposed on a 2D environment map. When mobile device 100 enters a location where a geofencing is set, it "collides" with the geofencing. In response, mobile device 100 sends an electrical signal (event) to server system 200.

[0057] Figure 7 shows a modified example of the mobile body control system 1 in the embodiment. In addition to the start line A and end line B set above, the mobile control system 1 may also set a start line A' and an end line B'. A start line A' corresponds to a geofence with different information than start line A, and an end line B' corresponds to a geofence with different information than end line B. This ensures that a detection signal is reliably output from the mobile device 100 near the area between the transparent wall 300 and the concrete wall 310A using start line A and start line A'. Similarly, a detection signal can be reliably output from the mobile device 100 near the area between the transparent wall 300 and the concrete wall 310B using end line B and end line B'.

[0058] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing procedure of the mobile body control system 1 in the embodiment. When the mobile device 100 is moving through the target area according to the route information (step S100), and the mobile device 100 is not transmitting a detection signal (step S102), it estimates its own position and creates a two-dimensional environmental map (a map generated by SLAM) (step S104). When the mobile device 100 detects that its estimated own position has passed a position where predetermined information (start line) is embedded, it outputs a detection signal to the server system 200 (step S106). When the server system 200 receives the detection signal (step S108), the dimming unit 202 transmits a control signal to the drive unit 304, and the drive unit 304 receives the control signal (step S110). The drive unit 304 drives the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to make it opaque (step S112).

[0059] The mobile device 100 moves while estimating its own position and updates the two-dimensional environmental map based on the distance to the location of the transparent wall 300 when it detects that the liquid crystal dimming film 302 has become opaque (step S114). When the mobile device 100 detects that its estimated self-position has passed a location where predetermined information (end line) is embedded, it outputs a detection signal to the server system 200 (step S116). When the server system 200 receives the detection signal (step S118), the dimming unit 202 transmits a control signal to the drive unit 304, and the drive unit 304 receives the control signal (step S120). The drive unit 304 drives the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to become transparent (step S122). The mobile device 100 moves while estimating its own position and updates the two-dimensional environmental map (step S124).

[0060] As described above, the mobile body control system 1 of the embodiment enables the realization of a mobile body control system comprising: a mobile body device 100 that emits pulsed light, performs processing to detect obstacles based on the reflected light of the emitted pulsed light, and moves based on the detection result; a drive device 304 that drives a liquid crystal dimming film 302 to switch the state of the transparent wall 300 between a state in which the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile body device 100 and a state in which the transparent wall 300 is not detected by the mobile body device 100; and a control device 202 that controls the drive device 304 to drive the liquid crystal dimming film 302 based on the movement state of the mobile body device 100. With this mobile body control system 1, the mobile body device 100 can reliably detect the glass wall.

[0061] Furthermore, according to the mobile object control system 1 of this embodiment, it is only necessary to embed predetermined information in the location on the two-dimensional environmental map where the transparent wall 300 is to be made opaque, thus avoiding the need to set information in all areas of the two-dimensional environmental map and significantly reducing the amount of work involved. In addition, according to the mobile object control system 1, it is only necessary to attach the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to the detection height of the distance measuring unit 102, such as the lower part of the transparent wall 300, so it is less conspicuous and less likely to significantly impair the design.

[0062] Furthermore, in the mobile device control system 1 of this embodiment, the liquid crystal dimming film 302 is a dimming film whose light transmittance changes according to a control signal output from the drive device 304. According to the mobile device control system 1, by controlling the transmittance of the dimming film, the mobile device 100 can be easily and reliably made to detect the glass wall.

[0063] Furthermore, according to the mobile control system 1 of this embodiment, the system includes a map creation unit (220, 222A) that creates an occupied grid map in which information based on detection results is embedded in each of the multiple occupied grids that divide the target area, and a storage unit 206A that stores an occupied grid map in which predetermined information is embedded in the occupied grids included in the occupied grid map created by the map creation unit 220. The mobile device 100 transmits a detection signal to the control device 202 when its position reaches a position corresponding to an occupied grid in which predetermined information is embedded among the multiple occupied grids included in the occupied grid map stored in the storage unit 206. When the control device 202 receives the detection signal, it can transmit a command to the drive unit 304 to drive the liquid crystal dimming film 302 so that the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100. According to this mobile control system 1, the mobile device 100 can be made to detect predetermined information using a map generated by SLAM created as the mobile device 100 moves.

[0064] Furthermore, according to the mobile control system 1 of this embodiment, a storage unit 206B stores a two-dimensional environmental map in which information on the detection height of the mobile device 100 has been extracted from a three-dimensional environmental map of the target area, and which stores a two-dimensional environmental map in which predetermined information has been set. The mobile device 100 transmits a detection signal to the dimming unit 202 when it detects the predetermined information set in the two-dimensional environmental map, and when the dimming unit 202 receives the detection signal, it can transmit a command to the drive unit 304 to drive the liquid crystal dimming film 302 so that the transparent wall 300 is detected by the mobile device 100. With this mobile control system 1, for example, predetermined information can be embedded in a two-dimensional VR map created using a three-dimensional VR map and used together with a map created by SLAM.

[0065] Furthermore, in the mobile control system 1 of this embodiment, the predetermined information is information for driving the liquid crystal dimming film 302 so that the transparent wall 300 can be detected by the mobile device 100. As a result, when the mobile device 100 detects the predetermined information, the transparent wall 300 can be made opaque so that it can be detected by the mobile device 100.

[0066] Furthermore, in the mobile control system 1 of the embodiment, the predetermined information is either first information for driving the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to switch to a state in which the mobile device 100 detects the transparent wall 300, or second information for driving the liquid crystal dimming film 302 to switch to a state in which the mobile device 100 does not detect the transparent wall 300. The first information is embedded at a first position near the transparent wall 300, and the second information is embedded at a second position near the transparent wall 300. As a result, the mobile control system 1 allows the mobile device 100 to detect the transparent wall 300 when it approaches it, by causing the mobile device 100 to detect the transparent wall 300 in accordance with the path it moves along, and to prevent the transparent wall 300 from being detected when the mobile device 100 moves away from it.

[0067] The functions of the mobile device and server system in the above-described embodiment may be implemented using a computer. In this case, the functions may be implemented by recording a program for implementing these functions on a computer-readable recording medium, loading the program recorded on this recording medium into the computer system, and executing it. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as the OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. In addition, "computer-readable recording medium" may include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside the computer system that acts as a server or client in such cases. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program may be for implementing a part of the functions described above, or it may be a program that can implement the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or it may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0068] Although various embodiments and variations have been described, these are merely examples and are not limited to them. For example, one embodiment or variation, or a part of one embodiment or variation, may be combined with one or more other embodiments or variations to realize one aspect of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0069] 1. Mobile Control System 100 Mobile device 102 Distance measuring unit 110 Communications Department 112 Light-emitting part 114 Light receiving part 116 Control Unit 118 Drive Unit 200, 200A Server System 202 Dimming Unit (Control Device) 204 Communications Department 206 Memory section 208 Route generation unit 210 Information Processing Unit 220 Mapmaking Department 222 Map Update Department 300 transparent wall 302 LCD Dimming Film 304 Drive unit 310A, 310B Concrete Wall 400 terminal devices

Claims

1. A mobile device that emits pulsed light, processes the reflected light of the emitted pulsed light to detect obstacles, and moves based on the detection result, A drive device that drives the device to switch the state of the transparent wall between a state in which the transparent wall is detected by the mobile device and a state in which the transparent wall is not detected by the mobile device, A control device that controls the drive device to drive the device based on the movement state of the mobile device, A mobile control system equipped with the following features.

2. The mobile body control system according to claim 1, wherein the device is a dimmable film whose light transmittance changes in response to a control signal output from the drive unit.

3. A map creation unit creates an occupied grid map by embedding information based on the detection results into each occupied grid among multiple occupied grids that divide the target area, The system includes a storage unit that stores an occupied grid map in which predetermined information is embedded in the occupied grids included in the occupied grid map created by the map creation unit, The mobile device transmits a detection signal to the control device when the mobile device reaches a position corresponding to an occupied grid containing predetermined information among a plurality of occupied grids included in the occupied grid map stored in the storage unit. When the control device receives the detection signal, it transmits a command to the drive device to drive the device so that the transparent wall is detected by the mobile device. The mobile control system according to claim 1.

4. A storage unit that stores a two-dimensional environmental map obtained by extracting information on the detection height of the mobile device from a three-dimensional environmental map of the target area, and which stores a two-dimensional environmental map with predetermined information set, The mobile device transmits a detection signal to the control device at the timing when the mobile device's position detects the predetermined information set in the two-dimensional environmental map. When the control device receives the detection signal, it transmits a command to the drive device to drive the device so that the transparent wall is detected by the mobile device. The mobile control system according to claim 1.

5. The mobile body control system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the predetermined information is information for driving the device such that the mobile body device detects a transparent wall.

6. The predetermined information is either first information for driving the device to switch to a state in which the transparent wall is detected by the mobile device, or second information for driving the device to switch to a state in which the transparent wall is not detected by the mobile device. The first information is embedded at a first position near the transparent wall. The second piece of information is embedded in a second location near the transparent wall. The mobile control system according to claim 3 or 4.

7. The mobile device emits pulsed light, performs processing to detect obstacles based on the reflected light of the emitted pulsed light, and moves based on the detection result. The control device controls the device to drive based on the movement state of the mobile device, The driving device drives the device to switch from a state in which the transparent wall is not detected by the moving device to a state in which the transparent wall is detected by the moving device, A method for controlling a mobile object, including the above.

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