Mobility Operation Management System

Abstract

To provide a mobility operation management device that enables effective operation management of mobility services. [Solution] In a mobility operation management device that manages the operation of multiple mobilitys DR1 to DR7 by wireless communication between those mobilitys and base station BS, the device has communication strength data indicating the communication strength between mobilitys for each location AR#x$y, and between mobilitys and base stations. Based on this data, it determines whether the communication between a mobility and a base station is good or bad, and when it is determined that the communication between that mobility and the base station is not good (DR4, DR5, DR6, DR7), it relays the communication to another mobility (DR3, DR1) based on that data.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mobility operation management apparatus that manages the operation of mobility via wireless communication. [Background Art]

[0002] Regarding apparatuses that manage mobility (moving objects) via wireless communication, there exists a technology described in the following patent document. In this technology, an intermediation server determines whether a facility is capable of communicating with mobility, and only the communicable facility is configured to control whether the mobility can pass through. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Literature 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-17478 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] As is the case with the technology according to the above patent document, when managing the operation of mobility via wireless communication, effective management is premised on good wireless communication conditions. The present invention has been made from such a viewpoint, and an object of the invention is to provide a mobility operation management apparatus that can satisfactorily perform mobility operation management. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the mobility operation management apparatus of the present invention: is a mobility operation management apparatus that manages the operation of a plurality of mobilities through wireless communication between the mobilities and a base station, The system has communication strength data indicating the communication strength between mobility devices at each location, and between mobility devices and base stations. Based on this data, it determines whether the communication between a mobility device and a base station is good or bad, and if it is determined that the communication between that mobility device and the base station is not good, it is configured to relay the communication to another mobility device based on that data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] Wireless communication between a mobility device and a base station may not be successful due to factors such as the distance between them and the presence of radio interference. However, with the mobility operation management device of the present invention, wireless communication between the mobility device and the base station can be relayed by another mobility device, thereby ensuring good wireless communication between the mobility device and the base station. As a result, the mobility operation management device of the present invention enables effective operation management of mobility devices. (Aspects of the Invention)

[0007] The "mobility" subject to operation management by the mobility operation management device of the present invention (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the "management device") broadly includes various types of moving objects. For example, it may be a vehicle traveling on a road, or it may be something like a flying drone. Mobility may be autonomous (a concept that includes "autonomous driving"), remotely controlled, or driven by a person.

[0008] In terms of operation management by this management device, it is desirable that the device constantly monitors the current location of each of the multiple mobility devices. Furthermore, the device may issue various instructions, such as work instructions like "Go to such-and-such a place," route instructions like "Move along such-and-such a route," operation instructions like "Move at such-and-such a speed," and restriction instructions like "Do not pass through such-and-such a place." In addition, the device may be configured to perform work assignment processing, such as "Assign which work to which mobility device."

[0009] "Communication strength" is a concept related to communication quality or the smoothness of communication. For example, it may be shown in stages, like the antenna indicator on a mobile phone. For example, when the communication strength falls below a set threshold, it can be determined that wireless communication cannot be performed properly. As explained earlier, communication strength varies depending on the distance between the two communicating entities and the presence of radio wave obstacles between them. Therefore, it is desirable that "communication strength data" specifically shows the communication strength between one location and another location, for each location. Furthermore, in places where radio waves may be congested, such as crowded areas, communication strength changes depending on the time of day (time of day). For this reason, it is desirable that the communication strength data shows communication strength based on the time of day, or in other words, data showing communication strength for each time period.

[0010] If we call one mobility "target mobility" and another mobility that relays communication between the target mobility and the base station "relay mobility," then the relay mobility can be selected based on communication strength data, for example, from mobility located in a location where good communication is possible with both the target mobility and the base station. If no suitable mobility exists, then, for example, one of the mobilitys can be moved to a location where good communication is possible with both the target mobility and the base station. Conversely, the movement path of the target mobility can be determined so that one of the mobilitys becomes the relay mobility. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This figure shows the region to which the robot operation management device, which is a mobility operation management device of the embodiment, is applied, and the delivery robot, which is the mobility subject to operation management by the robot operation management device. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the quality of wireless communication between a delivery robot and a base station. [Figure 3] This is a communication strength data stored in the mobility operation management device, and a work order table in which the work orders to be performed by the mobility are arranged. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the functional configuration of a robot operation management system. [Figure 5] This is a robot operation table showing the operating status of multiple delivery robots. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart of a communication relay decision processing program that is executed to perform processing related to wireless communication relay. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, a mobility operation management device, which is an embodiment of the present invention, will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as an embodiment for carrying out the present invention. In addition to the embodiments described below, the present invention can be carried out in various forms by making various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, starting with the embodiments described in the section [Embodiments of the Invention] above. [Examples]

[0013] [A] Overview of Mobility Operation Management The mobility operation management performed by the mobility operation management device in this embodiment is applied in a typical city, as shown in Figure 1(a). In a city, there are several intersecting pathways P that vehicles can use, and multiple mobility devices subject to operation management travel along these pathways P. The mobility devices subject to operation management are delivery robots (goods transport robots, hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "robots") DRs, as shown in Figure 1(b), which can be considered relatively small vehicles. Therefore, the mobility operation management device in this embodiment is a robot operation management device (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "management device"). Although not shown in the figure, general vehicles also travel along the pathways P, and sidewalks are laid on both sides. The robot DRs autonomously travel along these sidewalks.

[0014] A base station BS is installed in the city. Said base station BS is provided with the above management device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "management device MD") together with a communication device CD. The management device MD performs wireless communication with each of a plurality of robots DR via the communication device CD, and performs operation management of the plurality of robots DR. Although details will be described later, the management device MD transmits work (job) orders to each robot DR, and grasps the current state (current position, traveling direction, traveling speed, etc.) of each robot DR moment by moment.

[0015] A standby area WA for robots DR is provided beside the base station BS, and robots DR that are not in operation stand by in this standby area WA. Incidentally, the robot DR is an electric vehicle, and charging of the robot DR is also performed in this standby area WA.

[0016] [B]Configuration of Delivery Robot The robot DR shown in Fig. 1(b) is a small vehicle having a pair of left and right front wheels 10f and a pair of left and right rear wheels 10r, and travels on a sidewalk at a relatively slow speed as described above. Incidentally, the pair of front wheels 10f are configured as driving wheels and steering wheels. As described above, the robot DR travels autonomously and includes a controller 12 for the autonomous traveling.

[0017] As described above, the robot DR includes a communicator 14 for communicating with the base station BS and another robot DR other than itself, and also includes sensing devices such as a GPS, a LiDAR, and a camera for specifying its own position required for autonomous traveling. The communicator and the sensing devices are installed on the ceiling as a sensing unit 16 together with a GPS antenna 18.

[0018] The present robot DR is provided with a loading platform (loading shelf) 20 for conveying articles. Articles are loaded onto this loading platform 20 and conveyed. The loading and unloading of articles onto and from the loading platform is performed by a person. A display 22 is disposed on the front surface of the robot DR, and various types of information, such as, for example, information indicating that an article is being conveyed, are displayed on the display 22. Detailed descriptions of the specific configuration of the robot DR and detailed control for autonomous traveling will be omitted, since they are general configurations and controls.

[0019] [C] Quality of wireless communication and relaying by robots As described above, the management device MD performs operation management of the robot DR by performing wireless communication. Therefore, it is necessary for the base station BS and the robot DR to perform favorable wireless communication. To explain in detail with reference to FIG. 2, a plurality of areas (places) AR each having a predetermined area are set in a grid pattern in a city. Each area AR is addressed as #‥$‥ according to vertical and horizontal coordinates. In the figure, seven robots DR1 to DR7 are illustrated, and the areas AR where these robots are respectively located are AR#15$12, AR#11$16, AR#13$19, AR#17$17, AR#18$13, AR#18$23, and AR#12$24. On the other hand, the area AR where the base station BS is located is AR#11$12.

[0020] The communication strength L between areas AR is set in five levels from L1 to L5, where L1 indicates communication disabled, L2 indicates low communication strength, and the communication strength increases as the level increases to L3, L4, and L5. L3, L4, and L5 are defined as strengths at which communication is favorable. The communication strength L depends on distance, and the communication strength L decreases as the distance increases. When only the communication distance is considered, the range of L3 or higher centered on the base station BS is the range inside the strength threshold line CE in the figure. Therefore, the robots DR6 and DR7 cannot perform favorable wireless communication with the base station BS.

[0021] On the other hand, robots DR1 to DR5 are located within the range inside the intensity threshold CE, and considering only the communication distance, wireless communication with the base station BS should be possible. However, if, for example, a robot DR is located in an area that is in the shadow of a communication obstacle CO such as a large building (e.g., AR#16$17, AR#17$16, AR#17$17, etc.), the communication strength L will be low. Specifically, since robot DR4 is located in area AR#17$17, the communication strength L will be below L3. Also, area AR#18$13, where robot DR5 is located, can become crowded at certain times of the day, and interference can occur in that area AR due to many people using smartphones, etc. When such a situation occurs, wireless communication with the base station BS will also become poor. In other words, the communication strength L in that area AR will change depending on the time of day.

[0022] As will be explained in more detail later, in this embodiment, a robot DR located in area AR where wireless communication with base station BS is poor is relayed by another robot DR between the robot DR and base station BS. Specifically, for example, as shown in Figure 2, robot DR3 relays the wireless communication between robots DR4, DR6, and DR7 and base station BS, and robot DR1 relays the wireless communication between robot DR5 and base station BS.

[0023] [D] Communication strength data In light of the above, the management device MD has communication strength data as shown in tabular form in Figure 3(a). As shown in the figure, the communication strength data shows the communication strength L for each time period in the two areas AR (Area 1, Area 2) that communicate. In other words, the communication strength data is time-dependent communication strength L data for all areas AR. Furthermore, the communication strength data shows not only the communication strength L of communication between the base station BS and the robot DR, but also the communication strength L of communication between robot DRs. According to this data, for example, the communication strength L between Area AR#15$08 and Area #22$03 is low regardless of the time, and the communication strength L between Area AR#24$31 and Area #07$18 is somewhat high in the 7:00-8:00 time period, but becomes low after 8:00.

[0024] Communication strength data is created based on the communication history of robot DRs. More specifically, each robot DR communicates with all other robot DRs and base stations BS at set intervals (e.g., every few minutes). The communication strength L of the communication is stored as communication history data, associated with the area AR where the robot was located at the time of communication, the area AR where the other robot DR or base station BS was located, and the time of the communication. When a robot DR is waiting in the standby area WA, it transmits the communication history data it has stored up to that point to the management device MD. As will be explained in more detail later, the management device MD knows the location of each robot DR at any given moment and updates the communication strength data based on that location and the communication history data.

[0025] [E] Functions of the robot operation management system The management device MD, which is a mobility operation management device in this embodiment, has a functional configuration as shown in the block diagram in Figure 4. Incidentally, the management device MD executes a predetermined program, and each functional unit shown in the block in the figure is a functional unit realized by the execution of that program. As shown in the figure, the management device MD has a work order table storage unit 30 for storing work order tables, a robot operation table storage unit 32 for storing robot operation tables, and a communication strength data storage unit 34 for storing the aforementioned communication strength data. In addition, the management device MD has a robot status recognition unit 40, a work order reception unit 42, a work order assignment unit 44, an operation plan creation unit 46, a communication strength update unit 48, and an operation instruction unit 50 as functional units that perform various processes for robot operation management. These functional units are connected to the bus 60. Furthermore, the operation instruction unit 50 has a communication relay decision unit 52. The various functions of the management device MD in relation to these functional units will be described below.

[0026] i) Work order table The work order table is a table as shown in Figure 3(b). In this table, work orders are arranged, each with its own number. Each work order contains data regarding the name and quantity of the item to be transported by the robot DR, the location where the item will be received (a specific location within a specific area AR) and the time of receipt, and the location and time of delivery of the item. When the work order is assigned to a robot DR, the robot number (R.No.) of that robot DR is attached to it. The work orders are obtained externally by the management device MD.

[0027] ii) Robot operation table The robot operation table is as shown in Figure 5. This table shows, for each robot, which area AR it travels through over time, i.e., at each time interval. In the figure, area AR is abbreviated as "#x$y". The arrow "→" indicates that the robot is remaining in area AR due to receiving or delivering goods, etc.

[0028] iii) Communication strength data Since the communication strength data was explained earlier, we will omit the explanation here.

[0029] iv) Robot status awareness function The robot status awareness unit 40 grasps the current status of each robot DR, that is, its current location, whether it is moving or stopped, the direction of movement if it is moving, and the reason for stopping if it is stopped (receiving goods, delivering goods, simply waiting, etc.). As explained earlier, this status awareness is performed moment by moment, that is, based on information transmitted from each robot DR at a set time interval (for example, every few tens of seconds to a few minutes). As will be explained in more detail later, if the wireless communication between the base station BS and the robot DR is not good, information for status awareness will be sent from another robot DR that relays the communication. The robot status awareness unit 40 grasps the current status of each robot DR and modifies and updates the contents of the robot operation table based on the status it has grasped.

[0030] v) Work order acceptance function The work order receiving unit 42 receives work orders from external sources. When a work order is received, the work order table is updated based on the received work order.

[0031] vi) Work Order Assignment Function When the work order assignment unit 44 receives a work order, it refers to the robot operation table above to determine which robot DR should execute the work order. Specifically, for example, it is determined that the robot DR is located in area AR closest to the item receiving location and is not assigned any other work during the time period in which the work is to be performed. Once a robot DR is determined, the robot number (R.No.) of that robot DR is associated with the work order in the work order table above.

[0032] vii) Operation plan creation function The operation plan creation unit 46 updates the robot operation table based on the received work order and the robot DR assigned to that work order. In other words, it determines which robot DR will travel to the goods receiving location by what route and by what time, and which route and time and location the received goods will be delivered to, and updates the robot operation table based on that determination. Simply put, it adds the work order to the robot operation table as the operation plan for the robot DR assigned to it.

[0033] viii) Communication strength update function As explained earlier, the communication performance data described above is received from the robot DR that has started waiting in the waiting area WA. The communication strength update unit 48 updates the communication strength data based on that communication performance data. Specifically, based on the time when the robot DR made the communication and the person it communicated with, the unit refers to the robot operation data to identify the respective areas AR of the robot DR and the person it communicated with at that time, and updates the communication strength L of the communication between those areas AR at that time.

[0034] ix) Operation instruction function The operation instruction unit 50, while referring to the robot operation table described above, transmits operation instructions based on the work order to the robot DR assigned to that work order via wireless communication. Specifically, it transmits instructions not only regarding the receipt and delivery of goods, such as "Go to the receiving location in area AR in area AR in area AR, take which route, and by what time, and receive how many of item XX", but also instructions such as "Wait in area AR in area AR until what time", "Proceed to the waiting area WA", and "Change route".

[0035] x) Communication relay decision function The communication relay determination unit 52, a special functional unit of the operation instruction unit 50, identifies whether a robot DR will be able to communicate well with the base station BS at the present time and for a set time (e.g., 5 minutes) later, based on communication strength data and the robot operation table. This is done moment by moment, that is, at set time intervals (e.g., 30 seconds to 1 minute). In other words, it predicts that wireless communication will not be able to be performed well not only at the present time but also after a set time. More specifically, for example, the shaded area AR in Figure 5 is identified as an area AR where communication with the base station BS is not good during that time period, and it is identified that wireless communication between the robot DR located in that area AR and the base station BS is not good. Specifically, the robot DR R02 from 14:16 to 14:24 and the robot DR R05 from 14:04 to 14:10 are identified as having poor wireless communication with the base station BS during that time period.

[0036] Based on the above identification, the communication relay determination unit 52 determines a robot DR to relay communication between the robot DR and the base station BS, while referring to the communication strength data. Specifically, for example, for robot DR R05, it determines a robot DR located in area AR where wireless communication is good with both the robot DR and the base station BS (for example, robot DR R01) to be the relay robot. Also, for example, if, after a set time, no other robot DR is located in area AR where relaying is possible for robot DR R02, it determines to move a waiting robot DR (for example, robot DR R03) to an area AR where relaying is possible. Incidentally, the relay robot may be a robot DR that is moving for work, or a robot DR that is receiving and delivering goods.

[0037] Based on the above decision, the operation instruction unit 50 sends relay instructions to relay-capable robot DRs, such as "Relay robot Raa's wireless communication between HH:MM and HH:MM" or "Move to area AR#x$y, wait there, and relay robot Raa's wireless communication between HH:MM and HH:MM." At the same time, it sends relay instructions to robot DRs whose wireless communication with base station BS is poor or will become poor, such as "Have robot Rbb relay the wireless communication with base station BS between HH:MM and HH:MM." In accordance with these instructions, the wireless communication between base station BS and robot DRs will be relayed by other robot DRs.

[0038] [F] Flowchart of the process related to wireless relay The process related to wireless communication relay described above is carried out by the management device MD repeatedly executing the communication relay decision processing program, shown in the flowchart in Figure 6, for all robot DRs, sequentially changing the target robot, at the set time intervals described above. The following briefly describes the processing flow for one robot DR following that program.

[0039] In the process following the program described above, first, in step 1 (hereinafter abbreviated as "S1"; the same applies to the other steps), the target robot, which is the robot DR for this process, is identified. Next, in S2, it is determined whether the wireless communication between the target robot and the base station BS is good at the present time and from the present time until the above-mentioned set time (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "within the set time"). If the communication is good at any time within the set time, one execution of this program is completed. Note that if relay by another robot DR has been determined in a previous execution of this program, then in this determination, it is determined that the wireless communication is good within the set time.

[0040] In step S2 above, if it is determined that the wireless communication between the target robot and the base station BS is not good at any time within the set time, in step S3, it is determined whether or not another robot DR is located in area AR where the wireless communication can be relayed. If another robot DR is located in area AR where relaying is possible, in step S9, that robot DR is designated as the relay robot, and in step S8, the relay instruction described above is sent to that relay robot, and the relay instruction described above is sent to the target robot.

[0041] On the other hand, if in S3 it is determined that no other robot DRs are located in the area AR where wireless communication can be relayed, then in S4 it is determined whether there are other robot DRs that can go to the relayable area AR. If there are other robot DRs that can go to the relayable area AR, then in S6 the robot DR is designated as the relay robot, and in S7 a movement instruction to the relayable area AR is sent to that relay robot. Then, in S8 the relay instruction is sent to the relay robot, and the relay instruction is sent to the target robot.

[0042] In S4, if it is determined that there are no other robot DRs that can reach the relayable area AR, then in S5, an instruction is sent to the target robot to wait in the current area AR or an area AR where wireless communication with the base station BS is good, i.e., a standby instruction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] DR: Delivery robot [mobility] (DR1, DR2, DR3, ...) BS: Base station MD: Robot operation management device [mobility operation management device] CD: Communication device WA: Waiting area AR: Area (AR#x$y) L: Communication strength (L1~L5) CE: Strength threshold CO: Communication obstacle 10f: Front wheel 10r: Rear wheel 12: Controller 14: Communicator 16: Sensing unit 18: GPS antenna 20: Cargo bed 22: Display 30: Work order table storage unit 32: Robot operation table storage unit 34: Communication strength data storage unit 40: Robot status assessment unit 42: Work order reception unit 44: Work order assignment unit 46: Operation plan creation unit 48: Communication strength update unit 50: Operation instruction unit 52: Communication relay decision unit 60: Bus

Claims

1. A mobility operation management device that manages the operation of multiple mobility devices through wireless communication between those mobility devices and base stations, A mobility operation management device that has communication strength data indicating the communication strength between mobility devices at each location, and between mobility devices and base stations, and that determines the quality of communication between a certain mobility device and a base station based on this data, and when it is determined that the communication between that mobility device and the base station is not good, it is configured to relay that communication to another mobility device based on that data.

2. The mobility operation management device according to claim 1, wherein the communication strength data is data indicating the communication strength between one location and another location.

3. The mobility operation management device according to claim 1, wherein the communication strength data is data indicating communication strength based on time.

4. The mobility operation management device according to claim 1, wherein the mobility operation management device is configured to determine the current location of each of the plurality of mobility devices moment by moment via wireless communication.

5. The mobility operation management device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mobility devices is an autonomously driven vehicle.

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