Cleaning system, control device, cleaning robot management method and program

Abstract

To easily provide operating instructions for multiple cleaning robots. [Solution] The cleaning system comprises a plurality of cleaning robots and a control device. The control device includes a first display control unit that displays a display target selection screen containing a list of a plurality of cleaning robots on the operation terminal, a second display control unit that displays an instruction input screen on the operation terminal for inputting instructions to the selected cleaning robot which is the cleaning robot selected on the display target selection screen, and a control unit that wirelessly transmits control signals to the selected cleaning robot to perform actions based on the instructions input on the instruction input screen by the operation terminal. Cleaning system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning system, a control device, a cleaning robot management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, cleaning robots that autonomously travel and clean the floor have become widespread. When cleaning a large area such as a building, multiple cleaning robots may be used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to operate a cleaning robot, it is necessary to operate the operation panel or controller of the cleaning robot. However, when it is desired to use a plurality of cleaning robots, it is cumbersome to perform control using each of the operation panels or controllers of the respective cleaning robots.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a technique capable of easily giving operation instructions to a plurality of cleaning robots.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention adopts the following aspects. (1) One aspect of the present invention is a cleaning system having a plurality of cleaning robots and a control device for controlling the cleaning robots, wherein the control device comprises a first display control unit that causes an operation terminal to display a display target selection screen including a list of the plurality of cleaning robots, a second display control unit that causes the operation terminal to display an instruction input screen for inputting instructions to the selected cleaning robot which is the cleaning robot selected on the display target selection screen, and a control unit that wirelessly transmits a control signal to the selected cleaning robot to perform an action based on the instructions input on the instruction input screen by the operation terminal. According to this embodiment, it is possible to easily issue operating instructions to multiple cleaning robots.

[0007] (2) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (1) above, each of the multiple cleaning robots belongs to one of the multiple control groups, and the cleaning system includes an instruction screen providing unit provided for each control group that transmits data of the instruction input screen for inputting instructions to the cleaning robots included in the control group to the second display control unit, and a group-specific control unit provided for each control group that wirelessly transmits control signals to the selected cleaning robots included in the control group to perform actions based on the instructions entered on the instruction input screen, the second display control unit displays the data of the instruction input screen received from the instruction screen providing unit corresponding to the control group to which the selected cleaning robots belong on the operation terminal, and the control unit transmits the instructions entered on the instruction input screen by the operation terminal to the group-specific control unit corresponding to the control group to which the selected cleaning robots belong. According to this embodiment, multiple cleaning robots, each controlled by a group, can be easily controlled using a single control terminal.

[0008] (3) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (1) above, the cleaning robot includes a cleaning control unit that controls the cleaning robot to move and clean the area to be cleaned according to the received control signal, and a notification unit that notifies the cleaning robot of cleaned area information indicating the area where cleaning has been completed under the control of the cleaning control unit, and the control device includes a report output unit that outputs report data including cleaned area display data which overlays the area indicated by the cleaned area information notified by the cleaning robot onto a map including the area to be cleaned. According to this embodiment, the areas cleaned by each cleaning robot can be clearly displayed.

[0009] (4) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (3) above, each of the plurality of cleaning robots belongs to one of a plurality of control groups, and the cleaning system has a group-specific report creation unit provided for each control group that creates the report data for the cleaning robots included in the control group, and the report output unit obtains and outputs the report data from the group-specific report creation unit corresponding to the control group to which the cleaning robot to be reported belongs. According to this embodiment, the cleaned areas of each cleaning robot created for each group can be presented together.

[0010] (5) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (1) above, when the control unit receives cleaned area information indicating a cleaned area from one cleaning robot that moves randomly within the area to be cleaned, it instructs the other cleaning robot to clean the uncleaned area excluding the area indicated by the cleaned area information from the area to be cleaned. This embodiment enables efficient cleaning using multiple cleaning robots.

[0011] (6) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (1) above, when the control unit receives cleaned area information indicating a cleaned area from one cleaning robot that is moving and cleaning within the area to be cleaned, it selects another cleaning robot to instruct to clean the uncleaned area excluding the area indicated by the cleaned area information from the area to be cleaned, based on one or both of the characteristics and status of each of the multiple cleaning robots, and instructs the selected other cleaning robot to clean the uncleaned area excluding the area indicated by the cleaned area information from the area to be cleaned. According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to appropriately select a cleaning robot capable of efficiently cleaning the uncleaned areas of a previously performed cleaning robot and have it perform the cleaning.

[0012] (7) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (1) above, the control unit determines the cleaning conditions, including the cleaning robot to clean the area, the number of cleaning robots, or the cleaning speed, based on the cleaning level of the area to be cleaned, and instructs the cleaning robot to perform cleaning according to the determined cleaning conditions. According to this configuration, areas that require thorough cleaning can be cleaned more effectively.

[0013] (8) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (1) above, the cleaning level of the area to be cleaned is determined based on the time of cleaning, the number of users of the area to be cleaned, the purpose of use of the area to be cleaned, the time the area to be cleaned was used, and the time until the area to be cleaned is used again. According to this embodiment, it is possible to appropriately determine whether to thoroughly clean the area to be cleaned.

[0014] (9) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (1) above, the control device further comprises a state receiving unit that receives state information of each of the plurality of cleaning robots, and the control unit, when the state information of one of the cleaning robots indicates that it is cleaning the area to be cleaned, selects another cleaning robot that can clean based on the state information, instructs the selected other cleaning robot to clean at least a portion of the uncleaned area of ​​the area to be cleaned, and instructs one of the cleaning robots to remove the area from the area to be cleaned that has been instructed to be cleaned by the selected other cleaning robot. According to this embodiment, if one cleaning robot has not finished cleaning, other cleaning robots can share the task of cleaning the uncleaned areas.

[0015] (10) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (9) above, the control unit determines that cleaning is not possible if the status information indicates an error, indicates a charge amount below a predetermined level, indicates that the distance from the area to be cleaned is greater than a predetermined level, or indicates that the remaining amount in the dust collection bag is below a predetermined level. According to this embodiment, if a cleaning robot has not finished cleaning, another cleaning robot capable of sharing the cleaning of the uncleaned areas can be appropriately selected based on the status of that cleaning robot.

[0016] (11) In the cleaning system according to the embodiment of (9) above, the control unit selects a cleaning robot from among a plurality of cleaning robots capable of cleaning based on the status information, and instructs it to clean an uncleaned area based on the characteristics of each of the plurality of cleaning robots. According to this embodiment, if a cleaning robot has not finished cleaning, another cleaning robot capable of sharing the cleaning of the uncleaned areas can be appropriately selected based on the characteristics of that cleaning robot.

[0017] (12) In the cleaning system according to the aspect of (11) above, the control unit performs a process of instructing two or more cleaning robots to be instructed among the plurality of cleaning robots to clean the cleaning target area, a process of receiving information on the cleaned area from each of the selected cleaning robots to be instructed, and a process of dividing the uncleaned area obtained by removing the cleaned area from the cleaning target area according to the characteristics of the cleaning robots to be instructed, and instructing each of the divided uncleaned areas to the cleaning robots to be instructed. According to this aspect, it is possible to divide the uncleaned area among a plurality of cleaning robots that are cleaning the same cleaning target area according to the characteristics of each of those cleaning robots, and cause them to perform efficient cleaning.

[0018] (13) One aspect of the present invention is a control device including a first display control unit that causes an operation terminal to display a display target selection screen including a list of a plurality of cleaning robots, a second display control unit that causes the operation terminal to display an instruction input screen for inputting an instruction for a selected cleaning robot that is the cleaning robot selected on the display target selection screen, and a control unit that wirelessly transmits a control signal for causing the selected cleaning robot to perform an operation based on the instruction input to the instruction input screen by the operation terminal. According to this aspect, it is possible to easily give operation instructions to a plurality of cleaning robots.

[0019] (14) One aspect of the present invention is a cleaning robot management method having a first display step of causing an operation terminal to display a display target selection screen including a list of a plurality of cleaning robots, a second display step of causing the operation terminal to display an instruction input screen for inputting an instruction for a selected cleaning robot that is the cleaning robot selected on the display target selection screen, and a control step of wirelessly transmitting a control signal for causing the selected cleaning robot to perform an operation based on the instruction input to the instruction input screen by the operation terminal. According to this aspect, it is possible to easily give operation instructions to a plurality of cleaning robots.

[0020] (15) One aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to function as the control device described in (13). According to this aspect, operation instructions for a plurality of cleaning robots can be easily given.

Advantages of the Invention

[0021] The present invention makes it possible to easily give operation instructions for a plurality of cleaning robots.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the system configuration of a cleaning system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the operation terminal according to the same embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the cleaning robot according to the same embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of robot management information according to the same embodiment. [Figure 6] It is a diagram for explaining the cleaning control of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning control of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of cleaning areas with different cleaning levels according to the same embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning control of the control device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 10] It is a diagram for explaining the cleaning control of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning control of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining the cleaning control of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 13]This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning control of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 14] This flowchart illustrates the process for generating a cleaning report for the control device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of the display of the operation screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of the display of the operation screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of the display of the operation screen according to the same embodiment. [Figure 18] This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 19] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 20] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 21] This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 22] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 23] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 24] This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 25] This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 26] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 27] This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 28] This is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the robot control device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 29] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 30] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 31]This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 32] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 33] This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 34] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 35] This is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system according to the same embodiment. [Figure 36] This figure shows a schematic example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device according to the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments for implementing the cleaning system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In all the drawings used to describe the embodiments, components having the same function will be given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations will be omitted.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the system configuration of a cleaning system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The cleaning system 1 includes a control device 2, an operating terminal 3, and a plurality of cleaning robots 4. The control device 2, the operating terminal 3, and the cleaning robots 4 are communicated together via a network 7. The network 7 may be configured using a private network such as a local area network (LAN), or it may be configured using a public network such as the Internet. The network 7 may also be configured by combining multiple networks. The control device 2 and the operating terminal 3 are connected to the network 7 by wire or wireless. The cleaning robots 4 are connected to the network 7 wirelessly. The cleaning robots 4 clean the floors of large buildings such as office buildings, gymnasiums, and accommodation facilities. A charger 5 for the cleaning robots 4 is installed in the waiting area for the cleaning robots 4 within the building.

[0025] Network 7 may also be connected to a reservation system 81 for meeting rooms and other facilities within the building, and a security system 82 that manages entry and exit to the building. The security system 82 collects information identifying the person who passes through the gate and the time of passage from gates installed at the entrances and exits of the building and each room within the building.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the control device 2. The control device 2 is configured using information processing equipment such as a personal computer or a server device. The control device 2 includes a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 23.

[0027] The communication unit 21 is a communication device. The communication unit 21 may be configured, for example, as a network interface. The communication unit 21 communicates data with other devices via the network 7 in accordance with the control of the control unit 23. The communication unit 21 may be a wireless communication device or a wired communication device.

[0028] The storage unit 22 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 22 stores data used by the control unit 23. The storage unit 22 stores map information, robot management information, and cleaning reports.

[0029] Map information is data that shows a map of the building's interior. For example, map data is data that adds information about the areas to be cleaned to a floor plan of the building. The areas to be cleaned can be rooms (offices, conference rooms, etc.), entrances, etc., but can be set arbitrarily. Map information may also include information about the location of each cleaning robot 4's waiting area.

[0030] The robot management information includes device information, instruction information, telemetry data, and notification information for the cleaning robot 4. Device information indicates the current status of each cleaning robot 4 and features related to its cleaning functions and capabilities. Instruction information indicates information about instructions given to the cleaning robot 4. Telemetry data indicates data obtained from the cleaning robot 4's sensors and internal status information of the cleaning robot 4. Internal status information indicates the cleaning robot 4's battery level, error status, and task progress. Notification information indicates notifications of task start and end sent from the cleaning robot 4.

[0031] The cleaning report is data that reports the results of cleaning performed using the cleaning robot 4. The cleaning report includes information on the areas that the cleaning robot 4 actually cleaned out of the areas to be cleaned as instructed, the start date and time of cleaning, the end date and time of cleaning, and image data of the areas to be cleaned. Image data is taken at least once at predetermined intervals from the start to the end of cleaning, but at least image data at the end of cleaning is included.

[0032] The control unit 23 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory. The control unit 23 functions as a first display control unit 231, a second display control unit 232, a robot control unit 233, a status receiving unit 234, and a report output unit 235, through the execution of a program by the processor. Note that all or part of the functions of the control unit 23 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor storage devices (e.g., SSDs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor storage devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0033] The first display control unit 231 displays a display target selection screen on the operation terminal 3. The display target selection screen includes a list of multiple cleaning robots 4. The cleaning robot 4 selected on the display target selection screen is referred to as the selected cleaning robot. The second display control unit 232 displays an instruction input screen on the operation terminal 3. The instruction input screen is a screen for inputting instructions for the selected cleaning robot.

[0034] The robot control unit 233 wirelessly transmits control signals via the network 7 to the cleaning robot 4 to perform actions based on instructions entered on the instruction input screen. The control signals include commands, command sets, and pattern instructions to be sent to the cleaning robot 4. Commands may include command parameters. For example, if the command is a cleaning start instruction, the command parameters indicate the location of the area to be cleaned, the starting location of cleaning within the area, the cleaning speed, the number of cleaning repetitions, and the cleaning end timing. The cleaning end timing can be the cleaning end time, the elapsed time from the start of cleaning, or the end of the number of cleaning repetitions. Pattern instructions indicate the cleaning pattern to be instructed to the cleaning robot 4. The cleaning pattern indicates how to move and clean the area to be cleaned. For example, there are random cleaning, where the robot moves randomly across the entire area to be cleaned; straight-line cleaning, where the robot moves back and forth in a straight line across the entire area to be cleaned; and cleaning, where the robot moves along a cleaning route predetermined by the user.

[0035] The status receiving unit 234 updates robot management information based on status information and notification information received from each of the multiple cleaning robots 4. The status information includes device status information indicating the status of the cleaning robot 4 and telemetry data of the cleaning robot 4. If the cleaning robot 4 is cleaning, the status information includes information on the areas cleaned since the cleaning robot 4 entered the cleaning status. The telemetry data includes internal status information indicating the status of the cleaning robot 4's internal functions, and sensor data such as image data and location information acquired by the cleaning robot 4's sensors. The notification information is a notification that informs of the start or end of a task, etc.

[0036] The report output unit 235 creates a cleaning report based on robot management information, writes it to the storage unit 22, and outputs it externally. For example, the report output unit 235 displays the created cleaning report on the operation terminal 3 and sends it to a destination pre-registered in the storage unit 22. Also, for example, the report output unit 235 receives a request to read a cleaning report from an external device, reads the requested cleaning report from the storage unit 22, and sends it back.

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the operating terminal 3. The operating terminal 3 is configured using information devices such as a tablet, smartphone, personal computer, or dedicated device. The operating terminal 3 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, an input unit 34, a display unit 35, and an audio output unit 36.

[0038] The communication unit 31 is a communication device. The communication unit 31 may be configured, for example, as a network interface. The communication unit 31 communicates data with other devices via the network 7 in accordance with the control of the control unit 33. The communication unit 31 may be a wireless communication device or a wired communication device.

[0039] The storage unit 32 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 32 stores data used by the control unit 33. The storage unit 32 stores data necessary when the control unit 33 performs processing.

[0040] The control unit 33 is composed of a processor such as a CPU and memory (main memory). The control unit 33 functions when the processor executes a program. Note that all or part of the functions of the control unit 33 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor memory devices (e.g., SSDs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor memory devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0041] The control unit 33 may, for example, execute an application installed on its own device (operation terminal 3). A specific example of such an application is an application provided to the operation terminal 3 as a dedicated application for the cleaning system 1. Another specific example of such an application is a web browser application. Such an application may be pre-installed on the operation terminal 3, or it may be downloaded each time the operation screen display process is executed. For example, if it is implemented as a web browser application, the operation terminal 3 may download and execute the application from a device specified by the control device 2 (for example, the control device 2 itself or another server) in response to the operation terminal 3 connecting to the control device 2, which acts as a web server. The control unit 33 operates according to the program of the application being executed.

[0042] The control unit 33 controls the operation terminal 3 according to user operations and information received from the control device 2. For example, the control unit 33 transmits information entered by the user through the operation of the input unit 34 to the control device 2 using the communication unit 31. For example, the control unit 33 displays screen data transmitted from the control device 2 on the display unit 35. Alternatively, when the control unit 33 receives information transmitted from the control device 2 via the network 7 to the communication unit 31, it generates screen data based on the received information and displays the screen data on the display unit 35. Such screen data includes images and characters that represent the information transmitted from the control device 2. When the control unit 33 receives information transmitted from the control device 2 via the network 7 to the communication unit 31, it may also generate audio data based on the received information and output the audio data from the audio output unit 36.

[0043] The control unit 33 may execute a management application that controls multiple cleaning robots 4 via an API (Application Programming Interface). Alternatively, if each cleaning robot 4 is connected by a single control application (one cleaning robot per terminal), the control unit 33 may execute the application for each of those cleaning robots 4. In this case, the control unit 33 may execute a simplified higher-level control application that collectively operates the applications for each cleaning robot 4.

[0044] The input unit 34 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), buttons, or touch panel. The input unit 34 is operated by the user when inputting user instructions to the operation terminal 3. The input unit 34 may also be an interface for connecting the input device to the operation terminal 3. In this case, the input unit 34 inputs the input signal generated in the input device in response to the user's input to the operation terminal 3. The input unit 34 may also be configured using a microphone and a speech recognition device. In this case, the input unit 34 acquires the acoustic signal generated by the user's speech, performs speech recognition on the words spoken by the user, and inputs the recognized string information to the operation terminal 3. The speech recognition processing may be performed by the control unit 33. The input unit 34 may be configured in any way that allows user instructions to be input to the operation terminal 3.

[0045] The display unit 35 displays information. The display unit 35 may be an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display. The display unit 35 may also be an interface for connecting the image display device to the operation terminal 3. In this case, the display unit 35 generates a video signal for displaying image data and outputs the video signal to the image display device connected to it. The display unit 35 may be configured as a touch panel integrated with the input unit 34.

[0046] The audio output unit 36 ​​may be a device that outputs sound, such as a speaker. The audio output unit 36 ​​may also be an interface for connecting an audio output device, such as a speaker or headphones, to the operation terminal 3. In this case, the audio output unit 36 ​​generates an audio signal for playing audio data and outputs the audio signal to the audio output device connected to it.

[0047] The control device 2 and the operating terminal 3 may be an integrated device. In this case, the control device 2 includes an input unit 34, a display unit 35, and an audio output unit 36, and the storage unit 22 and control unit 23 of the control device 2 also function as the storage unit 32 and control unit 33 of the operating terminal 3, respectively.

[0048] Figure 4 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of the functional configuration of the cleaning robot 4. The cleaning robot 4 comprises a power supply unit 40, a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, a control unit 43, an input unit 44, a display unit 45, an audio output unit 46, a sensor unit 47, a drive unit 48, and a vacuum cleaner unit 49.

[0049] The power supply unit 40 is a battery. The power supply unit 40 stores power supplied from the charger 5 and supplies the stored power to each unit. The communication unit 41 is a communication device that performs wireless communication. The communication unit 41 communicates data with other devices via the network 7 in accordance with the control unit 43. The storage unit 42 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 42 stores data used by the control unit 43. For example, the storage unit 42 stores received commands, the date and time the commands were received, and the start and end dates and times of task execution based on the commands.

[0050] The control unit 43 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and memory. The control unit 43 functions as a cleaning control unit 431 and a notification unit 432 when the processor executes a program. All or part of the functions of the control unit 43 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor storage devices (e.g., SSDs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor storage devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line. The cleaning control unit 431 controls each part in response to commands received from the control device 2. The notification unit 432 notifies the control device 2 of status information, including at least some of the device status information, internal status information, and sensor data acquired by the sensor unit 47, at predetermined timings as needed. The notification unit 432 also notifies the control device 2 of notification information at the start and end of an instructed task.

[0051] The input unit 44 is configured using existing input devices such as buttons and touch panels. The input unit 44 is operated by the user when inputting user instructions to the cleaning robot 4. The input unit 44 may also be configured using a microphone and a voice recognition device. In this case, the input unit 44 acquires an acoustic signal generated by the user's speech, performs voice recognition on the words spoken by the user, and inputs the recognized string information to the cleaning robot 4. The voice recognition processing may be performed by the control unit 43. The input unit 44 can be configured in any way that allows user instructions to be input to the cleaning robot 4. The display unit 45 displays information. The display unit 45 may be an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The audio output unit 46 is a device that outputs sound, such as a speaker. For example, the input unit 44, display unit 45, and audio output unit 46 may be arranged on the operation panel of the cleaning robot 4.

[0052] The sensor unit 47 includes various sensors. For example, the sensor unit 47 includes a sensor for detecting obstacles, a camera as an optical sensor for capturing image data and video data of the surroundings of the cleaning robot 4, and a position sensor such as GPS (Global Positioning System) for acquiring the current position and direction of the cleaning robot 4. The drive unit 48 consists of wheels for moving on the floor and a motor for driving the wheels. The vacuum cleaner unit 49 sucks up dust from the floor and collects it in a dust collection bag.

[0053] Figure 5 shows an example of robot management information stored in the memory unit 22 of the control device 2. The robot management information includes device information, instruction information, telemetry data, and notification information. The device information includes information such as device ID, group, device status, and characteristics. The device ID is identification information that uniquely identifies the cleaning robot 4. The group indicates the group to which the cleaning robot 4 belongs. Note that the robot monitoring information does not necessarily have to include group information. The device status information indicates the current state of the cleaning robot 4. For example, it may be cleaning, moving to the area to be cleaned, cleaning completed, moving to the waiting area, charging, etc., but other states are also possible. If the device status is cleaning, the device status information may also include information on the cleaned area. The characteristic information indicates the characteristics related to the cleaning function and capabilities of the cleaning robot 4. Since the characteristics are determined by the model of the cleaning robot 4, information on the model of the cleaning robot 4 may be used instead of the characteristic information.

[0054] Instruction information, telemetry data, and notification information are stored as log data. Instruction information indicates the instructions given to the cleaning robot 4. The instruction information includes the date and time of the instruction and the content of the instruction. The date and time of the instruction indicates the date and time when the cleaning robot 4 was instructed to perform an action. The content of the instruction may be the command sent to the cleaning robot 4.

[0055] Telemetry data shows the time and sensor data and internal status information acquired at that time. Sensor data shows data detected by the sensor unit 47 of the cleaning robot 4. Sensor data includes location information indicating the position of the cleaning robot 4 and image data captured by the cleaning robot 4. Internal status information shows the battery level of the cleaning robot 4, error status, task progress, and available capacity of the dust collection bag.

[0056] Notification information includes cleaning start notifications and cleaning end notifications received from the cleaning robot 4. The cleaning start notification includes information such as the cleaning disclosure time, the area to be cleaned, cleaning conditions, and telemetry data time. The cleaning end notification includes information such as the cleaning disclosure time, cleaning end time, the area to be cleaned, the area that has been cleaned, cleaning conditions, and telemetry data time. The cleaning conditions indicate the speed, cleaning pattern, and number of cleaning repetitions instructed by the cleaning command. The telemetry data time indicates the time set in the telemetry data transmitted attached to the cleaning end notification. The telemetry data time is used as information to identify the telemetry data.

[0057] Next, we will explain the cleaning control using multiple cleaning robots 4 by the cleaning system 1. The following sections will describe cleaning control A to cleaning control D.

[0058] (Cleaning Control A) In cleaning control A, the cleaning system 1 controls the cleaning robot 4 to clean the area to be cleaned, and then another cleaning robot 4 cleans any uncleaned areas within that area. Of the multiple cleaning robots 4, the cleaning robot 4 that cleans the area to be cleaned first is designated as cleaning robot 4-1, and the cleaning robot 4 that cleans the area after cleaning robot 4-1 is designated as cleaning robot 4-2.

[0059] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the overview of cleaning control A. Based on cleaning instructions from the control device 2, the cleaning robot 4-1 cleans within the area to be cleaned R11, for example, by moving randomly. When the cleaning robot 4-1 finishes or interrupts cleaning the area to be cleaned R11, it transmits information about the cleaned area R12 within the area to be cleaned R11 to the control device 2 and moves to a waiting area or the next area to be cleaned. For example, the cleaning robot 4-1 may interrupt if the dust collection bag becomes empty below a predetermined level, the battery level becomes below a predetermined level, or some error occurs. The control device 2 instructs another cleaning robot 4-2 to clean the uncleaned area R13, which is the area to be cleaned R11 excluding the cleaned area R12.

[0060] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of cleaning control A of the cleaning system 1. The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 instructs the cleaning robot 4-1 to move to the cleaning target area R11 based on the instructions input to the operation terminal 3 (step S11). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-1 controls the drive unit 48 to move to the cleaning target area R11 using data on its own position and surrounding obstacles acquired by the sensor unit 47 (step S12). While moving, the notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-1 transmits status information, including device status information during movement to the cleaning target area, to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received status information. That is, the status receiving unit 234 adds telemetry data obtained from the status information to the robot management information and rewrites the device status information included in the device information of the robot management information with the device status information indicated by the status information. When the cleaning robot 4-1 moves to the area to be cleaned R11, the notification unit 432 sends a movement completion notification to the control device 2 (step S13).

[0061] The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 sends a command to the cleaning robot 4-1 instructing it to clean the area to be cleaned R11, for example, by moving randomly (step S14). The command includes command parameters indicating the location of the area to be cleaned R11 and a cleaning pattern indicating randomness. When the notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4-1 receives the command, it sends a cleaning start notification to the control device 2 (step S15). The notification unit 432 may also send status information attached to the cleaning start notification. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the received cleaning start notification and status information. That is, the status receiving unit 234 adds the cleaning start notification to the notification information of the robot management information and adds the telemetry data obtained from the status information to the robot management information. Furthermore, the status receiving unit 234 rewrites the device status information included in the device information of the robot management information based on the device status information indicated by the status information. The device status information indicates that cleaning is in progress.

[0062] The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-1 controls the drive unit 48 and the vacuum cleaner unit 49 to move randomly within the cleaning target area R11 and clean, using data on its own position and surrounding obstacles acquired by the sensor unit 47, in accordance with commands received from the control device 2 (step S16). Alternatively, the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 may send commands such as move straight, rotate, or stop to the cleaning robot 4-1, and the cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-1 may clean the cleaning target area R11 while moving according to the received commands. During cleaning, the notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-1 transmits status information, including device status information during cleaning, to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received status information.

[0063] The control device 2 may also send a cleaning instruction in step S14 to the cleaning robot 4-1 instead of a movement instruction in step S11. If the cleaning robot 4-1 determines that it is not located in the cleaning target area R11 set in the command parameters of the cleaning instruction command, it performs the processing in step S12 to move to the cleaning target area R11, and after moving, starts the operations from step S15 onwards. Alternatively, the cleaning robot 4-1 may perform the processing in step S13 before step S15 and send a movement completion notification to the control device 2. Similarly, in the following processes, the control device 2 may send a cleaning instruction instead of sending movement instructions and cleaning instructions to the cleaning robot 4.

[0064] When the cleaning robot 4-1 finishes cleaning according to the received command, the notification unit 422 adds status information, which includes image data of the area to be cleaned R11, to the cleaning completion notification, which includes information of the cleaned area R12, and sends it to the control device 2 (step S17). Alternatively, if the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 determines that the cleaning completion conditions for the area to be cleaned R11 are met, it may send a command to the cleaning robot 4-1 to instruct it to finish cleaning, and the cleaning robot 4-1 may finish cleaning according to the received command and send a cleaning completion notification to the control device 2. The cleaning completion conditions are, for example, that the cleaning completion time has arrived, a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of cleaning, or that a predetermined number of cleaning repetitions have been performed.

[0065] The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the cleaning completion notification and status information received from the cleaning robot 4-1. Specifically, the status receiving unit 234 adds the cleaning completion notification to the notification information of the robot management information and adds the telemetry data obtained from the status information to the robot management information. Furthermore, the status receiving unit 234 rewrites the device status information included in the device information of the robot management information based on the device status information indicated by the status information. The device status information indicates the completion of cleaning.

[0066] The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 sends a command to the cleaning robot 4-1 to move to the waiting area (step S18). The cleaning robot 4-1 moves to the instructed waiting area (step S19). While moving, the notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-1 transmits status information, including device status information during movement to the waiting area, to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received status information. Upon arrival at the waiting area, the power supply unit 40 of the cleaning robot 4-1 starts charging from the charger 5. The notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-1 transmits status information, including device status information during charging, to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received status information.

[0067] The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 calculates the uncleaned area R13 by subtracting the cleaned area R12 from the area to be cleaned R11, based on the cleaned area information set in the received cleaning completion notification. The robot control unit 233 selects another cleaning robot 4 to clean the uncleaned area R13 if the uncleaned area R13 is larger than a predetermined area, or if it is a predetermined proportion of the area to be cleaned R11 (step S20). The robot control unit 233 selects the cleaning robot 4 based on one or more selection conditions from device status information, internal status information, and features. For example, the selection conditions can be one or more of the following: the features are large or small, the current position is within a predetermined distance from the area to be cleaned R11, the device status information is moving to a standby location or charging, the device status information is not cleaning or moving to the area to be cleaned, the internal status information is not an error, the remaining amount of dust in the dust collection bag indicated by the internal status information is above a predetermined level, the battery charge amount indicated by the internal status information is above a predetermined level, etc. The robot control unit 233 may change the selection conditions based on the size and location of the uncleaned area R13. For example, if a large uncleaned area R13 remains, the condition may be set to be large, or the thresholds for the remaining capacity of the dust collection bag and the battery charge level may be increased. Conversely, if the uncleaned area R13 is small, the condition may be set to be small, or the thresholds for the remaining capacity of the dust collection bag and the battery charge level may be decreased.

[0068] The robot control unit 233 instructs the cleaning robot 4-2, selected in step S20, to move to the area to be cleaned R11 (step S21). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-2 controls the drive unit 48 to move to the area to be cleaned R11, using data on its own position and surrounding obstacles acquired by the sensor unit 47 (step S22). During movement, the notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-2 transmits status information, including device status information during movement to the area to be cleaned, to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-2 based on the received status information. When the cleaning robot 4-2 moves to the area to be cleaned R11, the notification unit 432 transmits a movement completion notification to the control device 2 (step S23).

[0069] The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 sends a command to the cleaning robot 4-2 instructing it to clean the uncleaned areas R13 within the area to be cleaned R11 (step S24). At this time, the robot control unit 233 of the cleaning robot 4-2 may also send a command instructing it to prioritize cleaning areas within the area to be cleaned R11 where there are many uncleaned areas R13 remaining. Alternatively, the robot control unit 233 may send a command to clean while moving randomly within the area to be cleaned R11. When the notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4-2 receives the command, it sends a cleaning start notification to the control device 2 (step S25). The notification unit 432 may also send status information attached to the cleaning start notification. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-2 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the received cleaning start notification and status information.

[0070] The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-2 controls the drive unit 48 and the vacuum cleaner unit 49 to clean the uncleaned area R13 within the area to be cleaned R11 according to a command received from the control device 2 (step S26). During cleaning, the notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-2 transmits status information, including device status information during cleaning, to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-2 based on the received status information.

[0071] When the cleaning robot 4-2 finishes cleaning according to the received command, the notification unit 422 sends a cleaning completion notification, which contains information about the cleaned areas cleaned by the device, to the control device 2, along with status information containing image data of the area to be cleaned R11 (step S27). Alternatively, the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 may send a command to the cleaning robot 4-2 to finish cleaning if it determines that the cleaning completion conditions have been met. The cleaning robot 4-2 finishes cleaning according to the received command and sends a cleaning completion notification to the control device 2. The cleaning completion conditions include, for example, the cleaning completion time has arrived, a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the start of cleaning, a predetermined number of cleaning repetitions have been performed, or a predetermined percentage or more of the uncleaned area R13 has been cleaned.

[0072] The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-2 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the cleaning completion notification and status information received from the cleaning robot 4-2. The robot control unit 233 sends a command to the cleaning robot 4-2 to move to the waiting location (step S28). The cleaning robot 4-2 moves to the instructed waiting location (step S29). While moving, the notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-2 transmits status information including device status information during movement to the waiting location to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-2 based on the received status information. Upon arrival at the waiting location, the power supply unit 40 of the cleaning robot 4-2 starts charging from the charger 5. The notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-2 transmits status information including device status information during charging to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-2 based on the received status information.

[0073] When multiple cleaning robots clean a single area, conventional methods often resulted in inefficiency due to the lack of coordination between the robots, leading to wasted effort and uneven cleaning of the same areas. The cleaning control described above allows the control device 2 to monitor the areas cleaned by the randomly cleaning robot 4-1. After robot 4-1 finishes cleaning, the control device 2 can pinpoint and transmit information about uncleaned areas to robot 4-2, enabling robot 4-2 to clean those areas. Therefore, efficient cleaning using multiple cleaning robots 4 is possible, reducing the time required to complete the cleaning.

[0074] (Cleaning Control B) In cleaning control B, the cleaning system 1 determines cleaning conditions such as the cleaning robots 4 to clean the area, the number of cleaning robots 4, the cleaning speed, and the number of cleaning repetitions, based on the cleaning level of the area to be cleaned, and instructs the cleaning robots 4 to perform cleaning according to the determined cleaning conditions.

[0075] Figure 8 shows an example of cleaning areas with different cleaning levels. The building includes the entrance R21, the visitor conference room R22, the office R23, and the internal meeting room R24. The entrance R21 and the visitor conference room R22 are cleaned with a "high" level of cleaning because they receive intensive cleaning, the office R23 is cleaned at a "normal" level of cleaning, and the internal meeting room R24 is cleaned at a "low" level of cleaning because it is only lightly cleaned.

[0076] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the cleaning control process according to the cleaning level by the control device 2. The control device 2 receives a cleaning instruction from the operation terminal 3 (step S31). The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 obtains the area to be cleaned and the cleaning start time from the received cleaning instruction. The cleaning start time may be the current time or a time later than the current time. The robot control unit 233 obtains information about the area to be cleaned and determines the cleaning level based on the obtained information (step S32).

[0077] Specifically, the robot control unit 233 determines the cleaning level based on the cleaning start time, the number of users in the cleaning target area, the usage purpose of the cleaning target area, the time the cleaning target area has been used, the free time until the cleaning target area is next used, and the like.

[0078] For example, when the date and time of cleaning is Friday night, when the usage purpose of the cleaning target area is for visitors such as an entrance or a meeting room for visitors, when the usage purpose of the cleaning target area is for use by a predetermined official such as an executive meeting room or an office, when the elapsed time or usage time from the previous cleaning to the cleaning start time is a predetermined time T1 or more, when the time from the cleaning start time until the cleaning target area is next used is a predetermined time T2 or more, etc., it is determined that the cleaning level is high.

[0079] Also, for example, when the date and time of cleaning is Monday night, when the usage purpose of the cleaning target area is not for visitors or officials, when the elapsed time or usage time from the previous cleaning to the cleaning start time is a predetermined time T1 or less, when the free time until the cleaning target area is next used from the cleaning start time is a predetermined time T2 or less, etc., it is determined that the cleaning level is normal. Also, for example, when the elapsed time or usage time from the previous cleaning to the cleaning start time is a predetermined time T3 (<T1) or less, when the free time until the cleaning target area is next used from the cleaning start time is a predetermined time T4 (<T2) or less, etc., it is determined that the cleaning level is low.

[0080] Information on the purpose of use of the area to be cleaned may be obtained, for example, from the security system 82, or may be stored in the storage unit 22 in advance. The elapsed time from the last cleaning to the start of cleaning can be obtained from the instruction information of the robot management information or the cleaning completion notification. If the area to be cleaned is a conference room, the usage time from the last cleaning to the start of cleaning and the time when the area to be cleaned will be used next can be obtained from the conference room reservation information stored in the reservation system 81. Alternatively, the usage time from the last cleaning to the start of cleaning and the statistical time when the area to be cleaned will be used next can also be obtained from the gate passage record information of the area to be cleaned stored in the security system 82. It is also possible to obtain the usage time and number of users of the area to be cleaned using sensors within the building. Alternatively, the time when the last person passed through the gate can be set as the start of cleaning, and the time until the gate opens the next day can be set as the free time.

[0081] The robot control unit 233 determines the selection conditions for the cleaning robots 4, such as the number and type of cleaning robots 4 to be used, and the cleaning conditions when cleaning the area to be cleaned, according to the determined cleaning level (step S33). For example, if the cleaning level is high, the robot control unit 233 selects large cleaning robots 4 and a number of cleaning robots 4 of N1 (N1 is an integer greater than or equal to 2) or more. Also, if the cleaning level is high, the robot control unit 233 sets the cleaning conditions to be cleaning while moving at a slow speed V1 and repeating the cleaning M1 (M1 is an integer greater than or equal to 2) times or more. Also, if the cleaning level is normal, the robot control unit 233 selects medium to small cleaning robots 4 and a number of cleaning robots 4 of N2 (N2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 or equal to N1). Also, if the cleaning level is normal, the robot control unit 233 sets the cleaning conditions to be cleaning while moving at a normal speed V2 (≧V1) and repeating the cleaning M2 (M2 is an integer greater than or equal to 1 or equal to M1) times. Furthermore, when the cleaning level is low, the robot control unit 233 selects a small cleaning robot 4 and the number of cleaning robots 4 N3 (where N3 is an integer between 1 and N2) as selection conditions. Also, when the cleaning level is low, the robot control unit 233 sets the cleaning conditions to cleaning while moving at a fast speed V3 (≧V2) and repeating the cleaning M3 (where M3 is an integer between 1 and M2) times.

[0082] The robot control unit 233 selects an available cleaning robot 4 based on the selection conditions determined in step S33 (step S34). The robot control unit 233 may also add the following to its selection conditions: the cleaning start time is the current time or within a predetermined time from the current time; the current position is within a predetermined distance from the area to be cleaned; the device status information is cleaning completed, moving to a waiting area, or charging; the device status information is neither cleaning nor moving to the cleaning area; the internal status information is not an error; the remaining amount of dust in the dust collection bag indicated by the internal status information is above a predetermined level; the battery charge level indicated by the internal status information is above a predetermined level.

[0083] The robot control unit 233 instructs one or more cleaning robots 4 selected in step S34 to move to the area to be cleaned and clean the area according to the cleaning conditions determined in step S33 (step S35).

[0084] Furthermore, the robot control unit 233 may determine the cleaning frequency according to the cleaning level. For example, it may be determined that a high cleaning level is cleaned once an hour, a normal cleaning level is cleaned once a day, and a low cleaning level is cleaned once a week. The robot control unit 233 instructs the cleaning robot 4 to clean the area to be cleaned according to the determined frequency. At this time, the robot control unit 233 may also instruct the cleaning robot 4, which was selected according to the selection conditions determined above, to clean according to the cleaning conditions determined above.

[0085] Conventional cleaning robots 4 clean all areas uniformly, making it impossible to adjust the level of cleaning based on human intuition, such as "cleaner" or "doesn't need to be that clean." The cleaning control described above determines the cleaning level of the area to be cleaned and then instructs the cleaning robots 4 to perform cleaning with the appropriate number of robots and cleaning conditions according to the determined cleaning level. Therefore, it becomes possible to manage cleaning in areas that require thorough cleaning, such as areas that tend to get dirty because people gather there, or areas that are frequently used by outsiders and need to be kept particularly clean.

[0086] (Cleaning Control C) In cleaning control C, if a cleaning robot 4 has not finished cleaning its assigned area, it will share the cleaning duties with other cleaning robots 4 that are also capable of cleaning, ensuring that the uncleaned areas do not overlap.

[0087] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating cleaning control C. Three cleaning robots 4 are designated as cleaning robots 4-1 to 4-3. Cleaning robot 4-1 cleans the area to be cleaned R31, cleaning robot 4-2 cleans the area to be cleaned R32, and cleaning robot 4-3 cleans the area to be cleaned R33. Each cleaning robot 4 periodically notifies the control device 2 of its status. The control device 2 receives status information from cleaning robot 4-1 indicating that cleaning has been completed. Furthermore, when the control device 2 receives status information from cleaning robot 4-2 indicating that cleaning is in progress in the area to be cleaned R32, it assigns at least a portion of the uncleaned area R34 within the area to be cleaned R32, area R35, to cleaning robot 4-1 and instructs it to clean. The control device 2 then instructs cleaning robot 4-2 to remove area R35, which cleaning robot 4-1 has been instructed to clean, from the area to be cleaned R32. For example, the control device 2 instructs the cleaning robot 4-2 to change the area to be cleaned from area R32 to area R36, which is obtained by removing area R35. Alternatively, the control device 2 may instruct the cleaning robot 4-2 to use area R37, which is obtained by removing area R35 (assigned to cleaning robot 4-1) from the uncleaned area R34 of area R32, as the new area to be cleaned.

[0088] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of cleaning control C of cleaning system 1. The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 instructs cleaning robot 4-1 to clean area R31 (step S41), cleaning robot 4-2 to clean area R32 (step S42), and cleaning robot 4-3 to clean area R33 (step S43). At this time, the robot control unit 233 may instruct cleaning robots 4-1 to 4-3 to clean the area from a location appropriate to their respective characteristics. For example, if the robot is small, it may be instructed to clean area R31 from a location close to a wall or a location where it can move a short distance in a straight line. If the robot is large, it may be instructed to clean area R31 from a location with few obstacles.

[0089] The notification unit 432 of each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 sends a cleaning start notification to the control device 2 (steps S44, S45, and S46). Cleaning robot 4-1 starts cleaning the designated cleaning target area R31 (step S47), cleaning robot 4-2 starts cleaning the designated cleaning target area R32 (step S48), and cleaning robot 4-3 starts cleaning the designated cleaning target area R33 (step S49). Cleaning robots 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 periodically send status information to the control device 2. Each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 adds information about areas that have been cleaned in its own cleaning target area to the status information that has been set to indicate that cleaning is in progress, and sends it to the control device 2 (steps S50, S51, and S52).

[0090] The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information for each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the status information received from each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3. Specifically, the status receiving unit 234 updates the device status information included in the device information of the robot management information based on the device status information set in the status information. If a cleaned area is set in the status information, the status receiving unit 234 adds the cleaned area to the updated device status information of the robot management information. The status receiving unit 234 adds the telemetry data obtained from the status information to the robot management information. The status receiving unit 234 outputs the status information to the robot control unit 233.

[0091] When cleaning robot 4-1 finishes cleaning area R31, it notifies the control device 2 of a cleaning completion notification, which includes status information containing image data of area R31 (step S53). The cleaning completion notification includes information on the cleaned area. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received cleaning completion notification. That is, the status receiving unit 234 adds the cleaning completion notification to the notification information of the robot management information and adds the telemetry data obtained from the status information set in the cleaning completion notification to the robot management information. Meanwhile, cleaning robots 4-2 and 4-3, similar to steps S51 and S52, add information on the cleaned area in their respective cleaning target areas to the status information which includes device status information indicating that they are cleaning, and transmit it to the control device 2 (steps S54 and S55). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of each cleaning robot 4-2 and 4-3 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the status information received from each cleaning robot 4-2 and 4-3.

[0092] The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 receives a cleaning completion notification from cleaning robot 4-1 and decides which cleaning area of ​​cleaning robots 4-2 or 4-3 to share the cleaning responsibility for (step S56). For example, the robot control unit 233 compares the uncleaned area obtained by subtracting the cleaned area from the cleaning area R32 of cleaning robot 4-2 with the uncleaned area obtained by subtracting the cleaned area from the cleaning area R33 of cleaning robot 4-3, and selects the cleaning area R32, which has a larger uncleaned area. Alternatively, the robot control unit 233 may select the cleaning area closest to the current position of cleaning robot 4-1. Here, let's assume that the robot control unit 233 has decided to share the cleaning responsibility for the cleaning area of ​​cleaning robot 4-2.

[0093] The robot control unit 233 instructs the cleaning robot 4-1 to move to the area to be cleaned R32 (step S57). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-1 controls the drive unit 48 to move to the area to be cleaned R32, using data on its own position and surrounding obstacles acquired by the sensor unit 47 (step S58). While moving, the notification unit 422 of the cleaning robot 4-1 transmits status information, including device status information while moving to the area to be cleaned, to the control device 2, and the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received status information. When the cleaning robot 4-1 has moved to the area to be cleaned R32, the notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4-1 transmits a movement completion notification to the control device 2 (step S59).

[0094] The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 assigns a portion of the uncleaned area R34, which is the area R34 remaining after removing the already cleaned area from the area to be cleaned R32, to the cleaning robot 4-1 (step S60). The robot control unit 233 instructs the cleaning robot 4-1 to clean area R35 (step S61). The notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4-1 sends a cleaning start notification to the control device 2 (step S62). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-1 controls the drive unit 48 and the vacuum cleaner unit 49 to clean area R35 according to the instructions received from the control device 2 (step S63).

[0095] Meanwhile, the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 transmits a cleaning area change instruction to the cleaning robot 4-2 to change the area to be cleaned R32 to area R36, which is the area to be cleaned R32 excluding area R35, or to area R37, which is the uncleaned area R34 excluding area R35 (step S64). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-2 controls the drive unit 48 and the vacuum cleaner unit 49 to clean the uncleaned area R37 according to the instruction received from the control device 2 (step S65).

[0096] Each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 transmits status information to the control device 2, which contains device status information indicating that it is cleaning. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information for each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 based on the status information received from each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3. When cleaning robot 4-1 finishes cleaning the area R35 to be cleaned, it notifies the control device 2 of the completion of cleaning (step S66). When cleaning robot 4-2 finishes cleaning the area R37, it notifies the control device 2 of the completion of cleaning (step S67). When cleaning robot 4-3 finishes cleaning the area R33 to be cleaned, it notifies the control device 2 of the completion of cleaning (step S68). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information for each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the completion of cleaning notifications received from each cleaning robot 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3.

[0097] Furthermore, if the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 receives status information indicating that cleaning is in progress from the cleaning robot 4, it may select another cleaning robot 4 to share the cleaning of the uncleaned area of ​​that cleaning robot 4. For example, if the status information of cleaning robot 4-2 received in step S51 indicates that cleaning is in progress, the robot control unit 233 selects a cleaning robot 4 that can clean from one or more other cleaning robots 4. The robot control unit 233 determines that cleaning robot 4 is not capable of cleaning if the status information of the cleaning robot 4 indicates that cleaning is in progress or moving to the area to be cleaned, if the internal status information indicates an error, if the charge level is below a predetermined level, if the distance from the area to be cleaned is greater than a predetermined level, or if the remaining amount in the dust collection bag is below a predetermined level.

[0098] Furthermore, the robot control unit 233 may select a cleaning robot 4 from among one or more cleaning robots 4 based on status information and selection conditions based on internal status information. For example, the selection conditions can be one or more of the following: the current position is within a predetermined distance from the cleaning target area R31; the device status information is cleaning completed, moving to a waiting area, or charging; the device status information is neither cleaning nor moving to the cleaning area; the internal status information is not an error; the remaining amount in the dust collection bag indicated by the internal status information is above a predetermined level; the battery charge level indicated by the internal status information is above a predetermined level.

[0099] Furthermore, the robot control unit 233 may change the selection criteria based on the size and shape of the uncleaned area R34. For example, if a large uncleaned area R34 remains, the selection criterion may be set to be large, and the thresholds for the remaining capacity of the dust collection bag and the battery charge level may be increased. Also, if the uncleaned area is small, has a complex shape, or is an area near a wall, the selection criterion may be set to be small. As described above, the cleaning robot 4-2 cleans the area that suits its own characteristics first in the initially assigned cleaning target area R32. For example, if it is small, it will clean areas near walls first, leaving as large an area as possible. In this case, the robot control unit 233 selects a large cleaning robot 4 based on the uncleaned area. For example, if cleaning robot 4-1 is selected, the cleaning system 1 performs the processing from step S57 onwards in Figure 11.

[0100] Previously, multiple cleaning robots were individually instructed to perform cleaning tasks, resulting in inefficiency as each robot only performed the tasks it was instructed to do. With the above cleaning control, multiple cleaning robots 4 can clean a building, and if, when one robot finishes cleaning its assigned area, another robot 4 has not yet finished cleaning that area, it can be instructed to clean that uncleaned area. It is also possible to divide the uncleaned areas among the robots so that they do not interfere with each other. Furthermore, each cleaning robot 4 can utilize its own characteristics to clean each area.

[0101] (Cleaning Control D) In ​​cleaning control D, the control device 2 instructs two or more cleaning robots 4 to clean the same area to be cleaned. The control device 2 receives information on the cleaned areas from each of the cleaning robots 4 that it has instructed to clean. The control device 2 divides the uncleaned area, which is the area to be cleaned excluding the cleaned areas, according to the characteristics of the cleaning robots 4, and instructs the cleaning robots 4 to clean each of the divided uncleaned areas.

[0102] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the cleaning control D of the cleaning system 1. The control device 2 instructs cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 to clean the area to be cleaned R40. However, cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 are instructed to start cleaning at different locations. Cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 each periodically transmit status information containing information about the areas that have been cleaned to the control device 2. The control device 2 divides the uncleaned area from the area to be cleaned R40, excluding the area R41 cleaned by cleaning robot 4-1 and the area R42 cleaned by cleaning robot 4-2, into areas R43 to R45 based on the characteristics of cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2. For example, the control device 2 assigns the smaller cleaning robot 4-1 to areas with many obstacles such as desks and chairs, or areas near walls. The control device 2 also assigns the larger cleaning robot 4-2 to a wide area with few obstacles. The control device 2 instructs cleaning robot 4-1 to designate R43 and the area R44 near the wall as new areas to be cleaned, and instructs cleaning robot 4-2 to designate area R45 as a new area to be cleaned.

[0103] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of cleaning control D of cleaning system 1. The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 instructs cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 to start cleaning the area R40 to be cleaned (steps S71 and S72). At this time, the robot control unit 233 instructs cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 to start cleaning the area R40 from different starting positions, according to the characteristics of each robot. The notification units 432 of cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 each send a cleaning start notification to the control device 2 (steps S73 and S74).

[0104] The cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 begin cleaning the designated cleaning area R40 (steps S75 and S76). The cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2 add information about the areas they have already cleaned within their respective cleaning areas to the status information that indicates they are cleaning (steps S77 and S78) and transmit it to the control device 2. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information for each cleaning robot 4-1 and 4-2 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the status information received from each cleaning robot 4-1 and 4-2. The status receiving unit 234 outputs the status information to the robot control unit 233.

[0105] The robot control unit 233 calculates the uncleaned area from the area to be cleaned R40, excluding the cleaned area R41 indicated by the status information of cleaning robot 4-1 and the cleaned area R42 indicated by the status information of cleaning robot 4-2. The robot control unit 233 divides the uncleaned area into multiple areas based on the characteristics of cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2. The robot control unit 233 assigns the area with many obstacles R43 and the area near the wall R44 to the small cleaning robot 4-1, and assigns the large area with few obstacles R45 to the large cleaning robot 4-2 (step S79).

[0106] The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 transmits a cleaning area change instruction to the cleaning robot 4-1 to change the cleaning target area R40 to areas R43 and R44 (step S80). The robot control unit 233 also transmits a cleaning area change instruction to the cleaning robot 4-2 to change the cleaning target area R40 to area R45 (step S81). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-1 controls the drive unit 48 and the vacuum cleaner unit 49 to clean areas R43 and R44 according to the instruction received from the control device 2 (step S82). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4-2 controls the drive unit 48 and the vacuum cleaner unit 49 to clean area R45 according to the instruction received from the control device 2 (step S83).

[0107] When cleaning robot 4-1 finishes cleaning areas R43 and R44, it notifies the control device 2 of a cleaning completion notification that includes image data of the area to be cleaned R40, or status information including image data of areas R41, R43, and R44 (step S84). When cleaning robot 4-2 finishes cleaning area R45, it notifies the control device 2 of a cleaning completion notification that includes image data of the area to be cleaned R40, or status information including image data of areas R42 and R45 (step S85). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information for each cleaning robot 4-1 and 4-2 stored in the storage unit 22 based on the cleaning completion notifications received from cleaning robots 4-1 and 4-2, respectively.

[0108] Conventionally, when multiple cleaning robots clean the same area, each robot cleans according to its own cleaning route, resulting in inefficiency as it would clean areas already cleaned by other robots. In the above cleaning control system, information on the areas cleaned by each cleaning robot 4 is transmitted to the control device 2, and the control device 2 instructs each cleaning robot 4 to clean in a way that avoids overlapping cleaning of the same area, based on the received information. Therefore, it is possible to perform cleaning efficiently using multiple cleaning robots 4.

[0109] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the cleaning report creation process by the control device 2. The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 receives cleaning report input information entered by the operator into the input unit 34 from the operation terminal 3 (step S91). The cleaning report input information includes information to be set in the cleaning report. For example, the cleaning report input information includes information such as the cleaning date and time, the cleaning company name, and the person who performed the cleaning. The report output unit 235 extracts information to identify the report to be created from the cleaning report input information. The control device 2 may also receive information to identify the report to be created that the operator has entered into the input unit 34. The information to identify the report to be created can include the cleaning date and time, the area to be cleaned, and the device ID.

[0110] The report output unit 235 identifies the cleaning completion notification based on the information to be created, and reads the identified cleaning completion notification and the telemetry data identified by the time of the telemetry data of the cleaning completion notification (step S92). The report output unit 235 reads the cleaned area from the cleaning completion notification and generates cleaned area display data that overlays the cleaned area on the map data of the building or the area to be cleaned (step S93). The report output unit 235 reads the information to be used in the cleaning report from the read cleaning completion notification and telemetry data and the device information associated with the cleaning completion notification. For example, the report output unit 235 reads the cleaning start time and cleaning end time from the cleaning completion notification, the device ID and group from the device information, and image data of the area to be cleaned from the telemetry data. The report output unit 235 creates a cleaning report by embedding the read information, the cleaned area display data, and the received cleaning report input information into a predetermined format and writes it to the storage unit 22 (step S94).

[0111] The report output unit 235 sends the created cleaning report to the operation terminal 3 (step S95). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received cleaning report on the display unit 35. The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 also sends the cleaning report to the reporting address that has been previously stored in the storage unit 22. The report output unit 235 may also receive the reporting address entered by the operator from the operation terminal 3.

[0112] The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 may generate a screenshot of the cleaning report displayed on the display unit 35 and create a cleaning report document by pasting the generated screenshot into a predetermined document format.

[0113] The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 may receive a request from the operation terminal 3 or other computer device, read the cleaning report stored in the storage unit 22, send it back to the requester, and display it.

[0114] Next, an example of an operation screen displayed on the display unit 35 of the operation terminal 3 will be described. Figure 15 shows an example of the management portal screen G10. The management portal screen G10 includes a cleaning button G11 that instructs the user to transition to a screen for giving cleaning instructions, and a report button G12 that instructs the user to transition to a cleaning report creation screen.

[0115] Figure 16 shows an example of the display of the display target selection screen G20. When the cleaning button G11 is tapped on the management portal screen G10, the operation terminal 3 displays the display target selection screen G20 on the display unit 35. The display target selection screen G20 displays a list of cleaning robots 4. The display target selection screen G20 displays an image G21 of the appearance of each cleaning robot 4, but identification information such as the serial number and name may be displayed around the image G21. In addition, a brief description of each cleaning robot 4 may be displayed. When the operator selects one of the images G21, the operation terminal 3 displays the instruction input screen G30 for the cleaning robot 4 represented by the selected image G21 on the display unit 35.

[0116] The instruction input screen G30 is, for example, a screen provided in an application for operating cleaning robots implemented on the operation terminal 3. In this case, for example, the control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 switches between the instruction input screens G30 of each cleaning robot 4 using tabs and displays them on the display unit 35. Alternatively, the instruction input screen G30 may be a screen provided by the robot operation system of the selected cleaning robot 4 or the group to which the selected cleaning robot 4 belongs. In this case, the operation terminal 3 obtains the instruction input screen G30 of the cleaning robot 4 selected on the display target selection screen G20 from the robot operation system of the selected cleaning robot 4 or the group to which the selected cleaning robot 4 belongs, and displays it in a separate window from the display target selection screen G20. Furthermore, the control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 may switch between the instruction input screens G30 of each cleaning robot 4 and display them on the display unit 35 using physical buttons provided on the operation terminal 3.

[0117] The instruction input screen G30 has a cleaning instruction button G31. For example, when the operator taps the cleaning instruction button G31, the operation terminal 3 displays the cleaning instruction screen G40 on the display unit 35. The cleaning instruction screen G40 includes displays such as a map of the facility, the location of the cleaning robot 4, device status, and internal status such as charging status. By selecting an area on the map displayed on the display unit 35, it is possible to specify the area to be cleaned.

[0118] Figure 17 shows an example of the display of the cleaning report creation screen G50. When the report button G12 is tapped on the management portal screen G10 shown in Figure 15, the operation terminal 3 displays the cleaning report creation screen G50 on the display unit 35. The cleaning report creation screen G50 displays input fields for entering the contents of each item used as cleaning report input information. When the operator enters the contents of the input fields using the input unit 34 of the operation terminal 3, the operation terminal 3 sends the cleaning report input information with the entered contents set to the control device 2. The control device 2 creates a cleaning report using the process shown in Figure 14 and sends it back to the operation terminal 3. The operation terminal 3 displays the returned cleaning report on the display unit 35. The cleaning report includes cleaned area display data G51, which displays the cleaned area overlaid on the map data of the area to be cleaned.

[0119] Next, we will describe an example of the connection configuration and operation of the control device 2, operating terminal 3, and cleaning robot 4 in the cleaning system 1.

[0120] Figure 18 shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system 1 when the cleaning robots 4 are remotely controlled (mirrored) using a web application or a dedicated application. The control device 2 is a cloud device on the network 7. The control device 2 communicates with the operation terminal 3 and each cleaning robot 4 via the network 7. Here, the cleaning robots 4 are the same model, but they may be different models. The three cleaning robots 4 are referred to as cleaning robots 4-1 to 4-3. The operation terminal 3 displays the operation screen via a web application or a dedicated application.

[0121] Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when operating the cleaning robot 4 in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 18. When the first display control unit 231 of the control device 2 receives access from the operation terminal 3, it transmits the screen data of the management portal screen G10 to the operation terminal 3 (step S101). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received screen data on the display unit 35 (step S102). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 notifies the control device 2 that the operator has selected the cleaning button G11 using the input unit 34 (step S103).

[0122] The first display control unit 231 of the control device 2 transmits screen data of the display target selection screen G20, which includes a list of multiple cleaning robots 4, to the operation terminal 3 (step S104). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received screen data on the display unit 35 (step S105). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 notifies the control device 2 of the information of the selected cleaning robot, which is the cleaning robot 4 selected by the operator using the input unit 34 (step S106). Here, the selected cleaning robot is assumed to be cleaning robot 4-1.

[0123] The second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 transmits screen data from operation screens such as the instruction input screen G30 and the cleaning instruction screen G40 of the cleaning robot 4-1 to the operation terminal 3 (step S107). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received screen data on the display unit 35 (step S108). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 transmits the operation content performed by the operator on the operation screen to the control device 2 (step S109). The operation content is the display of the next operation screen or an instruction to the cleaning robot 4-1.

[0124] If the operation content is an instruction to transition to the next operation screen (for example, the cleaning instruction screen G40), the second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 repeats the processing of steps S107 to S109 described above. If the operation content is an instruction for the cleaning robot 4-1, the second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 outputs the operation content to the robot control unit 233. An example of an instruction is a cleaning start instruction that includes the area to be cleaned and the cleaning start timing. The robot control unit 233 generates a command to operate the cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received operation content (step S110). For example, the robot control unit 233 generates a command to clean the area to be cleaned at the cleaning start timing. The command may include command parameters such as speed and number of repetitions determined by the robot control unit 233. The command parameters may also be generated from information included in the operator's operation content. The robot control unit 233 adds the instruction information with the generated command set to the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4-1 and sends the command to the cleaning robot 4-1 (step S111). The communication unit 41 of the cleaning robot 4-1 receives commands transmitted wirelessly and outputs them to the control unit 43. The cleaning control unit 431 controls each part according to the received commands (step S112).

[0125] When a dedicated application is used on the operation terminal 3, the control unit 33 may implement the functions of the first display control unit 231 and the second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 by executing the program of the dedicated application stored in the storage unit 32. In this case, the cleaning system 1 does not execute step S101, and in step S102, the control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the screen data of the management portal screen G10 provided by the dedicated application on the display unit 35. If the operator selects the cleaning button G11 using the input unit 34, the cleaning system 1 does not perform the processes in steps S103 to S104, and in step S105, the control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the screen data of the display target selection screen G20 provided by the dedicated application on the display unit 35. Similarly, the cleaning system 1 does not perform the processes in steps S106 to S107, and in step S108, the control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the screen data of the instruction input screen G30 and the cleaning instruction screen G40 provided by the dedicated application on the display unit 35.

[0126] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when collecting status information and when creating a cleaning report in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 18. The following description will focus on the case where each cleaning robot 4 transmits status information, but the cleaning system 1 operates similarly when each cleaning robot 4 transmits notifications such as cleaning start notifications and cleaning completion notifications.

[0127] The notification unit 432 of cleaning robot 4-1 generates status information as needed at predetermined intervals, such as periodically, and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 to the control device 2 (step S151). The status information includes, for example, the device ID of cleaning robot 4-1, device status information, telemetry data, and time. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 receives status information from each cleaning robot 4-1 and updates the robot management information of cleaning robot 4-1 based on the received status information (step S152). Similarly, cleaning robot 4-2 generates status information as needed and transmits it to the control device 2 (step S153). The control device 2 updates the robot management information of cleaning robot 4-2 based on the status information from cleaning robot 4-2 (step S154). Similarly, cleaning robot 4-3 generates status information as needed and transmits it to the control device 2 (step S155). The control device 2 updates the robot management information of cleaning robot 4-3 based on the status information from cleaning robot 4-3 (step S156).

[0128] When the first display control unit 231 of the control device 2 receives access from the operation terminal 3, it transmits the screen data of the management portal screen G10 to the operation terminal 3 (step S161). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received screen data on the display unit 35 (step S162). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 notifies the control device 2 that the operator has selected the report button G12 using the input unit 34 (step S163).

[0129] The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 transmits the screen data of the cleaning report creation screen G50 to the operation terminal 3 (step S164). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received screen data on the display unit 35 (step S165). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 transmits the cleaning report input information entered by the operator on the cleaning report creation screen G50 via the input unit 34 to the control device 2 (step S166).

[0130] The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 creates a cleaning report using the cleaning completion notification, telemetry data, and device information identified by the cleaning report input information, and writes it to the storage unit 22 (step S167). The report output unit 235 transmits the created cleaning report to the operation terminal 3 (step S168). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received cleaning report on the display unit 35 (step S169).

[0131] Figure 21 shows another example of the configuration of the cleaning system 1 when the cleaning robot 4 is remotely controlled (mirrored) by an operating terminal 3 using a web application or a dedicated application. The control device 2 is a cloud device on the network 7. Each group of cleaning robots 4 is connected to the network 7 via a wireless device 71. The cleaning robot 4 of group A is referred to as cleaning robot 4a, the cleaning robot 4 of group B as cleaning robot 4b, and the cleaning robot 4 of group C as cleaning robot 4c.

[0132] Figure 22 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when operating the cleaning robot 4 in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 21. In Figure 22, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 19, and their explanations are omitted.

[0133] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as steps S101 to S110 in Figure 19. However, the selected cleaning robot is assumed to be cleaning robot 4a. Therefore, in step S107, the second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 transmits screen data of the operation screen of cleaning robot 4a to the operation terminal 3. Also, in step S110, the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 generates a command to operate cleaning robot 4a based on the operation content received from the operation terminal 3, and adds instruction information with the generated command set to the robot management information of cleaning robot 4a. The robot control unit 233 transmits a command addressed to cleaning robot 4a (step S201), and the wireless device 71 relays the command transmitted from the control device 2 to cleaning robot 4a wirelessly (step S202). The communication unit 41 of cleaning robot 4a outputs the command received wirelessly from the wireless device 71 to the control unit 43. The cleaning control unit 431 controls each part according to the received command (step S112).

[0134] Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when collecting status information and when creating a cleaning report in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 21. In Figure 23, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 20, and their explanations are omitted. In the following, we will explain the case when each cleaning robot 4 transmits status information, but the cleaning system 1 operates similarly when each cleaning robot 4 transmits notifications such as cleaning start notifications and cleaning completion notifications.

[0135] The notification unit 432 of cleaning robot 4a generates status information as needed, for example, at predetermined intervals, and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 to the control device 2 (step S251). The wireless device 71 transmits the status information received wirelessly from cleaning robot 4a to the control device 2 (step S252). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of cleaning robot 4a based on the status information from cleaning robot 4a (step S253). Similarly, the notification unit 432 of cleaning robot 4b generates status information as needed and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 to the control device 2 (step S254). The wireless device 71 transmits the status information received wirelessly from cleaning robot 4b to the control device 2 (step S255). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of cleaning robot 4b based on the status information from cleaning robot 4b (step S256). Similarly, the notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4c generates status information as needed and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 to the control device 2 (step S257). The wireless device 71 transmits the status information received wirelessly from the cleaning robot 4c to the control device 2 (step S258). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4c based on the status information from the cleaning robot 4c (step S259).

[0136] The operation of steps S161 to S169 of cleaning system 1 when creating a cleaning report is the same as the operation shown in Figure 20.

[0137] Figure 24 shows an example of the connection configuration of cleaning system 1 when using Wi-Fi Direct. The control device 2 is a cloud device on network 7. The wireless device 72 is connected to network 7. The operating terminal 3 and the cleaning robot 4 communicate wirelessly with the wireless device 72 via Wi-Fi Direct. The cleaning system 1 shown in Figure 24 operates similarly to Figures 19 and 20, or Figures 22 and 23, except that the operating terminal 3 and the cleaning robot 4 communicate with the control device 2 on network 7 via the wireless device 72.

[0138] Figure 25 shows the configuration of the cleaning system 1 when the control device 2 and the cleaning robot 4 are linked via API. The operating terminal 3 and cleaning robots 4a, 4b, and 4c are connected to the control device 2 in the cloud on the network 7.

[0139] Figure 26 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when operating the cleaning robot 4 in the configuration example shown in Figure 25. In Figure 26, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 19, and their explanations are omitted.

[0140] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as in steps S101 to S106 in Figure 19. However, the selected cleaning robot is assumed to be cleaning robot 4a. The second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 requests an operation screen from the cleaning robot 4a (step S301). The control unit 43 of the cleaning robot 4a sends screen data of the operation screen to be displayed on the display unit 45 back to the control device 2 (step S302).

[0141] The second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 transmits the screen data of the operation screen received in step S302 to the operation terminal 3 (step S107). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received screen data on the display unit 35 (step S108). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 transmits the operation content performed by the operator on the operation screen to the control device 2 (step S109). If the operation content is an instruction to transition to the next operation screen, the second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 repeats the processing of steps S301 to S109 above. If the operation content is various instructions for the cleaning robot 4a, the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 acquires instruction information for the cleaning robot 4a based on the received operation content (step S303). An example of an operation instruction is a cleaning start instruction that includes the cleaning target area and cleaning start timing. The robot control unit 233 adds the acquired instruction information to the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a (step S304). The robot control unit 233 transmits the received operation details to the cleaning robot 4a (step S305).

[0142] The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4a converts the received operation content into a command for the cleaning robot 4a (step S306). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4a performs cleaning and other operations according to the generated command (step S112).

[0143] In the connection configuration example shown in Figure 25, the operation when collecting status information and when creating a cleaning report is the same as the operation shown in Figure 20. However, in steps S151, S153, and S155, the cleaning robots 4a, 4b, and 4c transmit status information. Also, in steps S152, S154, and S156, the status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of each cleaning robot 4a, 4b, and 4c based on the status information received from each cleaning robot 4a, 4b, and 4c. The operation of the cleaning system 1 when a notification is sent from each cleaning robot 4 is the same as the operation of the cleaning system 1 when collecting status information.

[0144] Figure 27 shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system 1 when the control device 2 controls the cleaning robots 4 via individual robot control devices 6 for each cleaning robot. The control device 2 and each robot control device 6 communicate using authentication and encryption with authentication information. The control device 2 and each robot control device 6 also send and receive data using an API, and specify the destination using connection information such as an endpoint URL (Universal Resource Locator) and port number. Each individual robot control device 6 for a cleaning robot can be considered as a group-specific robot control device composed of one cleaning robot 4.

[0145] Control device 2 and each robot control device 6 are cloud devices on network 7. The robot control device 6 is connected to the operation terminal 67 via network 7. The robot control device 6 and operation terminal 67 of cleaning robot 4a of group A are referred to as robot control device 6a and operation terminal 67a, respectively; the robot control device 6 and operation terminal 67 of cleaning robot 4b of group B are referred to as robot control device 6b and operation terminal 67b, respectively; and the robot control device 6 and operation terminal 67 of cleaning robot 4c of group C are referred to as robot control device 6c and operation terminal 67c, respectively. The cleaning system of group A is composed of cleaning robot 4a, robot control device 6a and operation terminal 67a; the cleaning system of group B is composed of cleaning robot 4b, robot control device 6b and operation terminal 67b; and the cleaning system of group C is composed of cleaning robot 4c, robot control device 6c and operation terminal 67c. The robot control device 6x (x=a,b,c) has the function of providing an operation screen for the cleaning robot 4x to the operation terminal 67x and the control device 2, and the function of sending commands to the cleaning robot 4x according to the operations on the operation screen.

[0146] Figure 28 shows the configuration of the robot control device 6. The robot control device 6 comprises a communication unit 61, a storage unit 62, and a control unit 63. The communication unit 61 and the storage unit 62 have the same configuration as the communication unit 21 and the storage unit 22 of the control device 2, respectively. However, the device information of the robot management information stored in the storage unit 62 does not necessarily have to include group information or characteristic information.

[0147] The control unit 63 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and memory. The control unit 63 functions as a display control unit 631, an instruction screen provision unit 632, a robot control unit 633, a status receiving unit 634, and a report creation unit 635, when the processor executes a program. Note that all or part of the functions of the control unit 63 may be implemented using hardware such as an ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include, for example, portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor storage devices (e.g., SSDs), as well as storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor storage devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via a telecommunications line.

[0148] The display control unit 631 displays screen data of the instruction input screen for inputting instructions to the cleaning robot 4 on the operation terminal 67. The instruction screen provision unit 632 provides the screen data of the instruction input screen to the control device 2. The robot control unit 633 receives instruction information entered on the instruction input screen displayed on the operation terminal 67, or on the instruction input screen displayed by the control device 2 on the operation terminal 3, and sends a command to the cleaning robot 4 to perform an action based on the received instruction information. The status receiving unit 634 receives status information and notification information from the cleaning robot 4 and updates the robot management information stored in the storage unit 22 based on the received status information and notification information. The report creation unit 635 generates a cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4 and provides it to the control device 2.

[0149] Figure 29 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when operating the cleaning robot 4 in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 27. In Figure 29, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 26, and their explanations are omitted.

[0150] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as steps S101 to S106 in Figure 19. However, the selected cleaning robot is assumed to be cleaning robot 4a. The second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 requests an operation screen from the robot control device 6a of the cleaning robot 4a (step S501). The instruction screen provision unit 632 of the robot control device 6a sends screen data of the operation screen of the robot control device 6a back to the control device 2 (step S502).

[0151] The second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 transmits the screen data of the operation screen received in step S502 to the operation terminal 3 (step S107). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the received screen data on the display unit 35 (step S108). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 transmits the operation content performed by the operator on the operation screen to the control device 2 (step S109). If the operation content is an instruction to transition to the next operation screen, the second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 repeats the processing of steps S501 to S109 above. If the operation content is various instructions for the cleaning robot 4a, the robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 acquires instruction information based on the received operation content (step S303). The robot control unit 233 adds the acquired instruction information to the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a (step S304). The robot control unit 233 transmits the received operation content to the robot control device 6a (step S503).

[0152] The robot control unit 633 of the robot control device 6a converts the received operation content into a command for the cleaning robot 4a (step S504). The robot control unit 633 transmits the converted command to the cleaning robot 4a (step S505). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4a performs cleaning and other operations according to the received command (step S112).

[0153] In Figure 29, the control device 2 acquires the operation screen displayed on the individual operation terminal 67 of each cleaning robot, but it may also acquire the operation screen displayed on the operation panel of the cleaning robot 4. In this case, it is not necessary to have an operation terminal 67 for operating the cleaning robot 4. Figure 30 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when acquiring the operation screen from the cleaning robot 4 in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 27. In Figure 30, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 29, and their explanations are omitted.

[0154] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as steps S101 to S106 in Figure 29. However, the selected cleaning robot is assumed to be cleaning robot 4b. The second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 requests an operation screen from the robot control device 6b of the cleaning robot 4b (step S511). The instruction screen providing unit 632 of the robot control device 6b transmits the operation screen request to the cleaning robot 4b (step S512). The control unit 43 of the cleaning robot 4b transmits the screen data of the operation screen to the robot control device 6b (step S513). The instruction screen providing unit 632 of the robot control device 6b transmits the screen data of the operation screen received from the cleaning robot 4b to the control device 2 (step S514).

[0155] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as steps S107 to S303 in Figure 29. The robot control unit 233 of the control device 2 adds the instruction information acquired in step S303 to the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4b (step S515). The robot control unit 233 transmits the received operation content to the robot control device 6b (step S516). The robot control unit 633 of the robot control device 6b converts the received operation content into a command for the cleaning robot 4b and adds the instruction information with the converted command set to the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4b (step S517). The robot control unit 633 transmits the converted command to the cleaning robot 4b (step S518). The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4b performs cleaning and other operations according to the received command (step S519).

[0156] The cleaning system 1 may perform the following processing instead of the processing in steps S517 to S518. That is, the robot control unit 633 of the robot control device 6 acquires instruction information based on the received operation content. The robot control unit 633 adds the acquired instruction information to the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4b. The robot control unit 633 transmits the received operation content to the cleaning robot 4b. The cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4b converts the received operation content into a command for the cleaning robot 4a.

[0157] Figure 31 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when collecting status information in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 27. The cleaning system 1 operates similarly when each cleaning robot 4 sends notifications such as cleaning start notifications and cleaning completion notifications.

[0158] The notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4a generates status information as needed and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 (step S551). The status receiving unit 634 of the robot control device 6a updates the robot management information stored in the storage unit 62 based on the status information received from the cleaning robot 4a (step S552). The status receiving unit 634 converts the status information received from the cleaning robot 4a into the API data format and transmits it to the control device 2 (step S553). The status receiving unit 634 may also generate status information by extracting some information from the status information received in step S551, or it may add necessary information to the received status information and transmit it to the control device 2. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a based on the status information received from the robot control device 6a (step S554).

[0159] Similarly, the notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4b generates status information as needed and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 (step S555). The status receiving unit 634 of the robot control device 6b updates the robot management information stored in the storage unit 62 based on the status information received from the cleaning robot 4b (step S556). The status receiving unit 634 converts the status information received from the cleaning robot 4b into the API data format and transmits it to the control device 2 (step S557). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4b based on the status information received from the robot control device 6b (step S558).

[0160] Similarly, the notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4c generates status information as needed and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 (step S559). The status receiving unit 634 of the robot control device 6c updates the robot management information stored in the memory unit 62 based on the status information received from the cleaning robot 4c (step S560). The status receiving unit 634 converts the status information received from the cleaning robot 4c into the API data format and transmits it to the control device 2 (step S561). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4c based on the status information received from the robot control device 6c (step S562).

[0161] Figure 32 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of cleaning system 1 when creating a cleaning report in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 27. In Figure 32, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 20, and their explanations are omitted.

[0162] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as steps S161 to S165 in Figure 20. The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 identifies robot management information based on the cleaning report input information and the information to be created. The report output unit 235 reads the device ID from each of the one or more identified robot management information. If the device ID of cleaning robot 4a is read, the report output unit 235 performs the following steps S581 to S583; if the device ID of cleaning robot 4b is read, it performs the following steps S584 to S586; and if the device ID of cleaning robot 4c is read, it performs the following steps S587 to S589.

[0163] The report output unit 235 sends a cleaning report request to the robot control device 6a of the cleaning robot 4a, which contains cleaning report input information and information to identify the target of creation (step S581). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6a identifies the cleaning completion notification and telemetry data stored in the storage unit 62 based on the cleaning report input information and the information to identify the target of creation, and uses the identified cleaning completion notification and telemetry data to create a cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4a (step S582). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6a writes the created cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4a to the storage unit 62 and sends it to the control device 2 (step S583).

[0164] The report output unit 235 sends a cleaning report request to the robot control device 6b of the cleaning robot 4b, which contains cleaning report input information and information to identify the target of creation (step S584). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6b identifies the cleaning completion notification and telemetry data stored in the storage unit 62 based on the cleaning report input information and the information to identify the target of creation, and creates a cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4b using the identified cleaning completion notification and telemetry data (step S585). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6b writes the created cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4b to the storage unit 62 and sends it to the control device 2 (step S586).

[0165] The report output unit 235 sends a cleaning report request to the robot control device 6c of the cleaning robot 4c, which contains cleaning report input information and information to identify the target of creation (step S587). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6c identifies the cleaning completion notification and telemetry data stored in the storage unit 62 based on the cleaning report input information and the information to identify the target of creation, and creates a cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4c using the identified cleaning completion notification and telemetry data (step S588). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6c writes the created cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4c to the storage unit 62 and sends it to the control device 2 (step S589).

[0166] The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 creates a cleaning report by embedding the cleaning reports of cleaning robot 4a, cleaning robot 4b, and cleaning robot 4c received from the robot control devices 6a, 6b, and 6c, respectively, along with the cleaning report input information and information obtained from robot management information identified by the cleaning report input information and creation target identification information, into a predetermined format, for example (step S590). The report output unit 235 writes the created cleaning report to the storage unit 22 and transmits the created cleaning report to the operation terminal 3 (step S167). The control unit 33 of the operation terminal 3 displays the transmitted cleaning report on the display unit 35 (step S168).

[0167] Figure 33 shows an example of the connection configuration of the cleaning system 1 when the control device 2 controls the cleaning robots 4 via the robot control devices 6 for each group. The control device 2 and each robot control device 6a, 6c are cloud devices on the network 7. Group A includes multiple cleaning robots 4a, and Group C includes one cleaning robot 4c. The two cleaning robots 4a are referred to as cleaning robot 4a-1 and 4a-2.

[0168] In the connection configuration example shown in Figure 33, the operation of the cleaning system 1 when operating the cleaning robot 4 is the same as the process shown in Figure 29, except for the following points. That is, if the selected cleaning robot is cleaning robot 4a-1, in step S501, the second display control unit 232 of the control device 2 requests an operation screen from the robot control device 6a of the cleaning robot 4a-1. In step S502, the instruction screen provision unit 632 of the robot control device 6a sends screen data of the operation screen of the cleaning robot 4a-1 back to the control device 2. If the operation content is various instructions for the cleaning robot 4a-1, in step S304, the robot control unit 233 adds the acquired instruction information to the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a-1. Also, in step S505, the robot control unit 633 of the robot control device 6a sends the converted command to the cleaning robot 4a-1. In step S112, the cleaning control unit 431 of the cleaning robot 4a-1 performs cleaning and other operations according to the generated command.

[0169] Figure 34 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the cleaning system 1 when collecting status information in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 33. The cleaning system 1 operates similarly when each cleaning robot 4 sends notifications such as cleaning start notifications and cleaning completion notifications. In Figure 34, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 31, and their explanations are omitted.

[0170] The notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4a-1 generates status information as needed and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 (step S611). The status receiving unit 634 of the robot control device 6a updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a-1 stored in the storage unit 62 based on the status information received from the cleaning robot 4a-1 (step S612). The status receiving unit 634 converts the status information received from the cleaning robot 4a-1 into the API data format and transmits it to the control device 2 (step S613). In step S611, the status receiving unit 634 may extract some information from the status information received, or add necessary information to the received status information, to generate the status information to be transmitted to the control device 2. The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a-1 based on the status information received from the robot control device 6a (step S614).

[0171] The notification unit 432 of the cleaning robot 4a-2 generates status information as needed and transmits it wirelessly from the communication unit 41 (step S615). The status receiving unit 634 of the robot control device 6a updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a-2 stored in the storage unit 62 based on the status information received from the cleaning robot 4a-2 (step S616). The status receiving unit 634 converts the status information received from the cleaning robot 4a-2 into the API data format and transmits it to the control device 2 (step S617). The status receiving unit 234 of the control device 2 updates the robot management information of the cleaning robot 4a-2 based on the status information received from the robot control device 6a (step S618).

[0172] The processing when the cleaning robot 4c transmits status information is the same as the processing in steps S559 to S562 in Figure 30.

[0173] Figure 35 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of cleaning system 1 when creating a cleaning report in the connection configuration example shown in Figure 33. In Figure 35, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those shown in Figure 32, and their explanations are omitted.

[0174] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as steps S161 to S165 in Figure 20. The report output unit 235 of the control device 2 identifies robot management information based on the cleaning report input information and the information to be created. The report output unit 235 reads the device ID from each of the one or more identified robot management information. If the device ID of cleaning robot 4a-1 is read, the report output unit 235 performs the following processing steps S651 to S653; if the device ID of cleaning robot 4a-2 is read, it performs the following processing steps S654 to S656; and if the device ID of cleaning robot 4c is read, it performs the same processing as steps S587 to S589 in Figure 32.

[0175] The report output unit 235 sends a cleaning report request to the robot control device 6a of the cleaning robot 4a-1, which contains cleaning report input information and information to identify the target of the report to be created (step S651). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6a identifies the cleaning completion notification and telemetry data of the cleaning robot 4a-1 stored in the storage unit 62 based on the cleaning report input information and the information to identify the target of the report to be created, and creates a cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4a-1 using the identified cleaning completion notification and telemetry data (step S652). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6a writes the created cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4a-1 to the storage unit 62 and sends it to the control device 2 (step S653).

[0176] The report output unit 235 sends a cleaning report request to the robot control device 6a of the cleaning robot 4a-2, which contains cleaning report input information and information to identify the target of the report to be created (step S654). The report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6a identifies the cleaning completion notification and telemetry data of the cleaning robot 4a-2 stored in the storage unit 62 based on the cleaning report input information and the information to identify the target of the report to be created, and creates a cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4a-2 using the identified cleaning completion notification and telemetry data (step S655). After writing the created cleaning report for the cleaning robot 4a-2 to the storage unit 62, the report creation unit 635 of the robot control device 6a sends it to the control device 2 (step S656).

[0177] The cleaning system 1 performs the same processing as steps S590 to S168 in Figure 32. In step S590, the report output unit 235 of the control device 2 creates a cleaning report by embedding the cleaning reports of cleaning robot 4a-1 and cleaning robot 4a-2 received from the robot control device 6a, the cleaning report of cleaning robot 4c received from the robot control device 6c, the cleaning report input information, and the robot management information identified by the cleaning report input information and the creation target identification information into a predetermined format, for example.

[0178] Figure 36 is a schematic diagram of an example hardware configuration of an information processing device 90 applied to this embodiment. The information processing device 90 comprises a processor 91, main memory 92, communication interface 93, auxiliary storage device 94, input / output interface 95, and internal bus 96. The processor 91, main memory 92, communication interface 93, auxiliary storage device 94, and input / output interface 95 are connected to each other via the internal bus 96 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The information processing device 90 may be applied to, for example, a control device 2, an operation terminal 3, and a robot control device 6. In this case, for example, the communication unit 21, communication unit 31, and communication unit 61 may be configured using the communication interface 93. For example, the storage unit 22, storage unit 32, and storage unit 62 may be configured using the auxiliary storage device 94. Also, the control unit 23, control unit 33, and control unit 63 may be configured using the processor 91 and main memory 92.

[0179] (modified version) The control device 2 may be implemented using multiple information processing devices. In this case, the implementation of each functional unit of the control device 2 in each information processing device can be arbitrary. Furthermore, one functional unit of the control device 2 may be realized by multiple information processing devices. For example, in the control device 2, the storage unit 22 and the control unit 23 may be implemented in different information processing devices. For example, the storage unit 22 of the control device 2 may be distributed and implemented in multiple information processing devices.

[0180] The robot control device 6 may be implemented using multiple information processing devices. In this case, the implementation of each functional unit of the robot control device 6 in each information processing device can be arbitrary. Furthermore, one functional unit of the robot control device 6 may be realized by multiple information processing devices. For example, in the robot control device 6, the storage unit 62 and the control unit 63 may be implemented in different information processing devices. For example, the storage unit 62 of the robot control device 6 may be distributed and implemented in multiple information processing devices.

[0181] Traditionally, even when using multiple cleaning robots within the same building, operators had to go to the control panel of each robot to issue cleaning instructions. This was cumbersome and placed a heavy burden on the workers. In this embodiment, a centralized control panel for multiple cleaning robots is displayed on a tablet device, and operation instructions are entered by switching between the operation instruction input screens of each cleaning robot 4. This makes it possible to manage multiple cleaning robots without the operator having to move to each robot, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0182] Furthermore, conventionally, when multiple cleaning robots 4 were used for cleaning, for example, one for private areas and one for common areas, it was necessary to manage each cleaning robot 4, and compiling the cleaning history for the entire floor was time-consuming. In this embodiment, the cleaning history of each cleaning robot 4 is displayed on the map of the operation terminal 3 and sent to the administrator as a work report via email or other means. In addition, the cleaning history of multiple cleaning robots is stored in the control device 2 and can be output at any time. Therefore, centralized management of cleaning locations becomes possible.

[0183] As described above, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to easily give operating instructions to multiple cleaning robots.

[0184] As described above, the cleaning system comprises a plurality of cleaning robots and a control device that controls these cleaning robots. The control device includes a first display control unit, a second display control unit, and a control unit. The control unit corresponds, for example, to the robot control unit 233 in the embodiment. The first display control unit causes the operation terminal to display a display target selection screen that includes a list of a plurality of cleaning robots. The second display control unit causes the operation terminal to display an instruction input screen for inputting instructions to the selected cleaning robot, which is the cleaning robot selected on the display target selection screen. The control unit wirelessly transmits a control signal to the selected cleaning robot to perform an action based on the instructions entered on the instruction input screen by the operation terminal.

[0185] Each of the multiple cleaning robots may belong to one of the multiple control groups. In this case, the cleaning system has an instruction screen provider and a group-specific control unit provided for each control group. The instruction screen provider corresponds, for example, to the instruction screen provider 632 and cleaning robot 4 in the embodiment, and the group-specific control unit corresponds, for example, to the robot control unit 633 in the embodiment. The instruction screen provider transmits data of an instruction input screen for inputting instructions to the cleaning robot included in the corresponding control group to the second display control unit. The group-specific control unit wirelessly transmits control signals to the selected cleaning robots included in the corresponding control group to perform actions based on the instructions entered on the instruction input screen. The second display control unit displays the instruction input screen data received from the instruction screen provider corresponding to the control group to which the selected cleaning robot belongs on the operation terminal. The control unit transmits the instructions entered on the instruction input screen by the operation terminal to the group-specific control unit corresponding to the control group to which the selected cleaning robot belongs.

[0186] The cleaning robot may have a cleaning control unit and a notification unit. The cleaning control unit controls the robot to move and clean the area to be cleaned according to the control signals it receives. The notification unit notifies the robot of cleaned areas, indicating the areas that have been cleaned by the control unit. The control device includes a report output unit that outputs report data including cleaned area display data, which overlays the areas indicated by the cleaned area information notified by the cleaning robot onto a map that includes the area to be cleaned.

[0187] Each of the multiple cleaning robots may belong to one of the multiple control groups. In this case, the cleaning system may have a group-specific report generation unit for each control group. The group-specific report generation unit corresponds to, for example, the report generation unit 635 in the embodiment. The group-specific report generation unit creates report data for the cleaning robots included in the corresponding control group. The group-specific report generation unit corresponds to, for example, the report generation unit in the embodiment. The report output unit obtains and outputs report data from the group-specific report generation unit corresponding to the control group to which the cleaning robot to be reported belongs.

[0188] The control unit may, upon receiving cleaned area information from one cleaning robot that is cleaning while moving randomly within the area to be cleaned, instruct another cleaning robot to clean the uncleaned area excluding the area indicated by the cleaned area information from the area to be cleaned.

[0189] When the control unit receives cleaned area information from one cleaning robot that is cleaning while moving within the area to be cleaned, it may select other cleaning robots to clean the uncleaned areas excluding the areas indicated by the cleaned area information, based on one or both of the characteristics and status of each of the multiple cleaning robots, and instruct the selected other cleaning robots to clean the uncleaned areas excluding the areas indicated by the cleaned area information.

[0190] The control unit may determine cleaning conditions, including the cleaning robots to clean the area, the number of cleaning robots, or the cleaning speed, based on the cleaning level of the area to be cleaned, and instruct the cleaning robots to perform cleaning according to the determined cleaning conditions. For example, the cleaning level of the area to be cleaned is determined based on the time of cleaning, the number of people using the area, the purpose of using the area, the time the area was used, and the time until the area is used again.

[0191] The control device may further include a status receiving unit that receives status information of each of the multiple cleaning robots. When the status information of one cleaning robot indicates that it is cleaning the area to be cleaned, the control device selects other cleaning robots that are capable of cleaning based on the status information, instructs the selected other cleaning robots to clean at least a portion of the uncleaned area of ​​the area to be cleaned, and instructs the one cleaning robot to remove the area that the selected other cleaning robots have been instructed to clean from the area to be cleaned.

[0192] The control unit may determine that cleaning is not possible if the status information indicates an error, if the charge level is below a predetermined level, if the distance from the area to be cleaned is greater than a predetermined level, or if the remaining amount in the dust collection bag is below a predetermined level.

[0193] The control unit may select a cleaning robot from among multiple cleaning robots capable of cleaning based on status information, and instruct it to clean the uncleaned area based on the characteristics of each of the multiple cleaning robots.

[0194] The control unit may perform the following processes: instruct two or more of the multiple cleaning robots to clean the area to be cleaned; receive information on the cleaned areas from each of the selected cleaning robots to be cleaned; and divide the uncleaned area, which is the area to be cleaned excluding the cleaned areas, according to the characteristics of the cleaning robots to be cleaned, and instruct the cleaning robots to clean each of the divided uncleaned areas.

[0195] Although embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0196] 1. Cleaning System 2 Control device 3. Operating terminal 4, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4a, 4a-1, 4a-2, 4b, 4c Cleaning robots 5 charger 6, 6a, 6b, 6c Robot control devices 7 Network 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control Unit 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 34 Input section 35 Display section 36 Audio output section 40 Power supply section 41 Communications Department 42 Storage section 43 Control Unit 44 Input section 45 Display section 46 Audio output section 47 Sensor section 48 Drive unit 49 Vacuum Cleaner Section 61 Communications Department 62 Memory section 63 Control Unit 67, 67a, 67b, 67c Operating terminals 71, 72 Radio equipment 90 Information Processing Equipment 91 Processors 92 Main memory 93 Communication Interface 94 Auxiliary storage device 95 Input / Output Interfaces 96 Internal bus 231 First Display Control Unit 232 Second Display Control Unit 233 Robot Control Unit 234 Status receiving unit 235 Report Output Section 431 Cleaning Control Unit 432 Notification Department 631 Display Control Unit 632 Instruction screen provider 633 Robot Control Unit 634 Status receiving unit 635 Report Creation Department

Claims

1. A cleaning system comprising a plurality of cleaning robots and a control device for controlling the cleaning robots, The control device is A first display control unit that displays a display target selection screen, which includes a list of multiple cleaning robots, on an operating terminal, A second display control unit that displays an instruction input screen on the operation terminal for inputting instructions for the selected cleaning robot, which is the cleaning robot selected in the display target selection screen, The system includes a control unit that wirelessly transmits control signals to the selected cleaning robot to cause it to perform actions based on instructions entered on the instruction input screen via the operation terminal, Cleaning system.

2. Each of the aforementioned cleaning robots belongs to one of several control groups, The cleaning system is An instruction screen providing unit is provided for each control group and transmits the data of the instruction input screen for inputting instructions to the cleaning robot included in the control group to the second display control unit, Each control group is provided with a group-specific control unit that wirelessly transmits control signals to the selected cleaning robots included in the control group to cause them to perform actions based on instructions entered on the instruction input screen. The second display control unit displays the data from the instruction input screen received from the instruction screen providing unit corresponding to the control group to which the selected cleaning robot belongs on the operation terminal. The control unit transmits the instructions entered on the instruction input screen via the operation terminal to the group-specific control unit corresponding to the control group to which the selective cleaning robot belongs. The cleaning system according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned cleaning robot, A cleaning control unit that controls the system to perform cleaning while moving to the area to be cleaned according to the received control signal, The system includes a notification unit that notifies the user of cleaned area information indicating an area where cleaning has been completed by the control of the cleaning control unit, The control device is The system includes a report output unit that outputs report data including cleaned area display data, which overlays the area indicated by the cleaned area information notified by the cleaning robot onto a map that includes the area to be cleaned. The cleaning system according to claim 1.

4. Each of the aforementioned cleaning robots belongs to one of several control groups, The cleaning system is Each control group is provided with a group-specific report creation unit that creates the report data for the cleaning robots included in the control group, The report output unit acquires and outputs the report data from the group-specific report creation unit corresponding to the control group to which the cleaning robot to be reported belongs. The cleaning system according to claim 3.

5. When the control unit receives cleaned area information from one cleaning robot that is cleaning while moving randomly within the area to be cleaned, it instructs another cleaning robot to clean the uncleaned area, excluding the area indicated by the cleaned area information from the area to be cleaned. The cleaning system according to claim 1.

6. When the control unit receives cleaned area information from one cleaning robot that is cleaning while moving within the area to be cleaned, it selects another cleaning robot to clean the uncleaned area excluding the area indicated by the cleaned area information, based on one or both of the characteristics and status of each of the multiple cleaning robots, and instructs the selected other cleaning robot to clean the uncleaned area excluding the area indicated by the cleaned area information. The cleaning system according to claim 1.

7. The control unit determines cleaning conditions, including the cleaning robot to clean the area, the number of cleaning robots, or the cleaning speed, based on the cleaning level of the area to be cleaned, and instructs the cleaning robot to perform cleaning according to the determined cleaning conditions. The cleaning system according to claim 1.

8. The cleaning level of the area to be cleaned is determined based on the time of cleaning, the number of users of the area to be cleaned, the purpose of use of the area to be cleaned, the duration of use of the area to be cleaned, and the time until the area to be cleaned is used again. The cleaning system according to claim 7.

9. The control device further includes a status receiving unit that receives status information of each of the multiple cleaning robots, The control unit, when the status information of one of the cleaning robots indicates that it is cleaning the area to be cleaned, selects another cleaning robot capable of cleaning based on the status information, instructs the selected other cleaning robot to clean at least a portion of the uncleaned area of ​​the area to be cleaned, and instructs one of the cleaning robots to remove the area from the area to be cleaned that the selected other cleaning robot has been instructed to clean. The cleaning system according to claim 1.

10. The control unit determines that cleaning is not possible if the status information indicates an error, if the charge level is below a predetermined level, if the distance from the area to be cleaned is greater than a predetermined level, or if the remaining amount in the dust collection bag is below a predetermined level. The cleaning system according to claim 9.

11. The control unit selects a cleaning robot from among the multiple cleaning robots capable of cleaning based on the status information, and instructs it to clean the uncleaned area based on the characteristics of each of the multiple cleaning robots. The cleaning system according to claim 9.

12. The control unit performs the following processes: instructing two or more of the multiple cleaning robots to clean the area to be cleaned; receiving information on the cleaned area from each of the selected cleaning robots that are to be cleaned; and dividing the uncleaned area, which is the area to be cleaned excluding the cleaned area, according to the characteristics of the cleaning robots that are to be cleaned, and instructing each of the divided uncleaned areas to be cleaned. The cleaning system according to claim 11.

13. A first display control unit that displays a display target selection screen containing a list of multiple cleaning robots on the operating terminal, A second display control unit that displays an instruction input screen on the operation terminal for inputting instructions for the selected cleaning robot, which is the cleaning robot selected in the display target selection screen, A control unit wirelessly transmits control signals to the aforementioned selective cleaning robot to cause it to perform actions based on instructions entered on the instruction input screen via the operation terminal, A control device equipped with the following features.

14. A first display step involves displaying a screen on the operating terminal that includes a list of multiple cleaning robots for display selection, A second display step involves displaying an instruction input screen on the operating terminal for inputting instructions for the selected cleaning robot, which is the cleaning robot selected in the display target selection screen. A control step of wirelessly transmitting a control signal to the selected cleaning robot to cause it to perform an action based on an instruction entered on the instruction input screen via the operation terminal, A cleaning robot management method having the following features.

15. Computers A program that functions as the control device described in claim 13.

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