Robot Stop Position Setting Device and Mobile Robot System

Abstract

To provide a robot stop position setting device which shortens a work time, in order to solve the problem that it takes time for work to adjust a position by using a robot actual machine so that a positional relation between a stop position of a stop reference object and a stop position of a robot is the same before and after a change when a position of a specific object is changed within the same site and when a site where a mobile robot system is used is changed if it is required to determine a stop position with reference to the specific object when the robot performs a task.SOLUTION: A robot stop position setting device for setting a stop position of a robot, has: a map storage part which stores map information; a stop position storage part which stores a robot stop position; a reference position output part which outputs a reference position for calculating the robot stop position; and a stop position calculation part which calculates the robot stop position on the basis of the reference position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a robot stop position setting device and a mobile robot system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, for the purpose of labor saving and automation of various on-site operations, the use of mobile robot systems that travel inside a work site without using a guide such as a magnetic tape has been progressing. In such a robot system, it is common to hold map information of the traveling environment in a non-volatile storage device in order to estimate the position of the robot during travel based on sensor information, or to define the stop position and travel route of the robot.

[0003] In such a robot system, when there is a large deviation between the map information stored in the system and the actual traveling environment, the robot may perform inappropriate operations. Therefore, various countermeasures have been taken conventionally.

[0004] As a first example, when the environmental shape changes, such as when the arrangement of objects in the traveling environment changes, the robot may not be able to correctly estimate its own position, and may not be able to travel along the previously set stop position or travel route. In response to this, methods have been proposed to continue self-position estimation by updating the map information according to the changed environmental shape, or to travel along the stop position and travel route set before the environmental change by changing the stop position and travel route stored in the mobile robot system.

[0005] As such a method, Patent Document 1 discloses "a system for controlling a service provided by a real-world interface system including a first observation unit that observes the surrounding physical environment, an operation unit that performs a physical operation or information processing based on the observation result of the first observation unit, definition data that defines the operation of the operation unit, and an operation instruction unit that controls the operation of the operation unit according to the definition data, the system comprising: a second observation unit that observes an observation target different from the first observation unit or observes the same observation target by different means; and an update unit that updates the definition data based on the difference between the case where the operation unit operates based on the observation result of the first observation unit and the case where the operation unit operates based on the observation result of the second observation unit."

[0006] As a second example, the arrangement of objects in the driving environment changes, and as a result, an obstacle is placed on the pre-set travel route of a robot, and the robot may collide with the obstacle or may not reach the intended stop position. In response to this, there is a technique of updating the map information and then re-planning the stop position and route so as not to interfere with the obstacle.

[0007] As such a technique, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration "including a map creation unit that creates an external map based on external information, and a behavior planning unit that generates a behavior plan for a robot device based on the external map, wherein the map creation unit creates the external map based on the map specification created by the behavior planning unit."

[0008] Thus, in the above prior art, even when the driving environment changes, for the purpose of having the robot drive as set in advance or modifying the settings so as not to interfere with obstacles, the map information, stop positions, and routes are automatically updated. However, since automatically updating the data stored in the mobile robot system may lead to results unintended by the user, there is also a configuration that assistively uses operations by the user. For example, there is a configuration that uses map information in which the user sets "an area where updates are permitted and an area where updates are not permitted" (see Patent Document 3), and a configuration that has "a yes / no instruction input unit for inputting a yes / no instruction from the operator regarding the above update location" (see Patent Document 4).

[0009] Thus, according to the prior art, even when the driving environment changes within the same site, it is possible to estimate the self-position, drive and stop as predetermined without being affected by the environmental change, and it is also possible to change the route and stop position so as not to collide with obstacles.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0010]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0011] However, the prior art has the following two problems.

[0012] First, for example, when a movable robot having a manipulator stops in front of a workbench and performs work using an article placed on the workbench, the robot needs to stop at a position where it can operate the article on the workbench. When the position of the workbench within the site is changed, the stop position of the robot also needs to be appropriately changed according to the workbench. However, in the prior art, only the avoidance of interference between the surrounding obstacles and the robot is considered, and the stop position is updated. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the workbench and the stop position of the robot is changed, and the robot cannot perform the work. That is, the first problem of the prior art is that when the robot stops based on a specific object in performing a task, if the position of the object within the same site is changed, an appropriate change in the stop position cannot be made accordingly.

[0013] Also, for example, when a robot system including a process in which a movable robot that transports luggage stops in front of a robot arm that picks up the luggage is transferred from a site with a development environment to another site with an operation environment, the arrangement of equipment including the robot arm within the environment is different before and after the transfer. Therefore, the information on the stop position and the path set in the development environment cannot be directly applied in the operation environment. It is necessary to appropriately change the stop position and the path according to the equipment arrangement in the operation environment, but a method for efficiently implementing such a change has not been disclosed. In other words, the second problem of the prior art is that when the robot stops based on a specific object in performing a task, if the site where the mobile robot system is used is changed, the information on the stop position and the path set in the site before the change cannot be appropriately changed and reused according to the site after the change.

[0014] Due to the above two problems, when the position of the object serving as the reference for the stop position (hereinafter referred to as the stop reference object) is changed, or when the entire system including the stop reference object is relocated to another site, it is necessary to reset the stop position according to the stop reference object in the same manner as the setting operation performed in advance before the change. When setting the stop position of the robot with respect to the stop reference object, the user will perform the following operations. First, manually operate the actual robot to move it near the stop reference object. Next, measure the positional relationship between the robot and the stop reference object using a tape measure or other measuring means. If the robot is not stopped at an appropriate position, manually operate the robot again to finely adjust the position of the robot. Then, after repeating the measurement and fine adjustment of the robot stop position until the position of the robot becomes appropriate, calculate the current position on the map using the self-position estimation function of the robot, and set the coordinates as the new stop position. The above operations require time because measurement and fine adjustment of the stop position are repeated. Also, when measuring the position with a tape measure or a ruler, it is necessary to bend down near the robot, which places a physical burden on the setting operator.

[0015] Against the backdrop of such problems becoming apparent, the usage scenarios of mobile robot systems have expanded from factories with fixed layouts within a site to medical sites and logistics warehouses where layout changes are frequent, and the need to quickly and easily start up the robot system at the usage site in a short period of time has been increasing. In the future, it is considered that shortening the working time required for stop position setting and reducing the work burden will become even more important.

[0016] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and by utilizing the results of the stop position setting performed before the environmental change, an object of the present invention is to provide a robot stop position setting device that can be implemented in a short time without actual machine operation or measurement work in the stop position setting after the environmental change.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0017] To solve the above problems, the robot stop position setting device of the present invention is a robot stop position setting device having a map storage unit that stores map information, a stop position storage unit that stores the robot stop position, a reference position output unit that outputs a reference position for calculating the robot stop position, and a stop position calculation unit that calculates the robot stop position based on the reference position.

Effects of the Invention

[0018] With the robot stop position setting device of the present invention, if the operation of setting the robot stop position based on the stop reference object is performed only once, even if the position of the stop reference object is changed or the mobile robot system is relocated to another site and the environmental map is updated, no actual machine operation is required to reset the stop position, and the time required for setting the robot stop position can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention and do not limit the present invention. For the sake of clarity of explanation, appropriate omissions and simplifications are made. The present invention can also be implemented with other various examples or examples in which some or all of each example are combined. Unless otherwise particularly limited, each component may be singular or plural. In the description of the embodiments described later, the description will focus on the differences from the previously described embodiments, and the description of overlapping parts will be omitted as appropriate.

Embodiment

[0021] First, the mobile robot system 1 according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of the mobile robot system 1 according to Embodiment 1. As shown here, the mobile robot system 1 of the present embodiment includes a setting device 2, a controller 3, a control device 4, and a robot 5, and controls the movement of the robot 5 so as to stop at a predetermined robot stop position P with respect to a stop reference object Ob. Although not shown, the setting device 2, the controller 3, the control device 4, and the robot 5 are connected by wireless or the like so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0023] The stop reference object Ob is, for example, a workbench on which an object to be manipulated by the robot 5 is placed. Note that the stop reference object Ob may also be a device that is the object of manipulation by the robot 5. The stop reference object Ob may also be a conveyor on which a load transported by the robot 5 is placed. Further, the stop reference object Ob may be a movable object such as a cart, a device with casters, or a movable conveyor, but it is necessary to be placed at a predetermined position in the environment when creating the environmental map described later.

[0024] The user checks the state of the mobile robot system 1 using the setting device 2. Here, the state includes, for example, the remaining battery level of the robot 5, error messages generated in the elements constituting the mobile robot system 1, the mode of the mobile robot system, the current setting contents, and the like.

[0025] Also, the user makes various settings via the setting device 2 so that the mobile robot system 1 performs an operation that matches the intention. Here, the settings include, for example, the stop position of the robot 5, the travel route, the map information to be used, and the contents of the tasks performed by the robot 5 at each stop position.

[0026] The setting device 2 is, for example, a personal computer and has a user interface 21 and an arithmetic unit 22. In FIG. 1, the user interface 21 composed of a display, a keyboard, a mouse, etc. is illustrated. However, a touch panel type display user interface 21 may be used so that the user can set the mobile robot system by an intuitive touch operation. The arithmetic unit 22 is composed of an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory) unit such as a semiconductor memory, a storage unit such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a communication unit, etc. Note that the arithmetic unit 22 may use a processing device such as a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) instead of the CPU, or may be realized as a part of the control device 4. Further, the setting device 2 may be composed of a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet. In this case, the effect that the user can set the mobile robot system at an arbitrary position can be obtained.

[0027] The controller 3 is a device having, for example, either or both of a joystick and a button. As an example of the operation method, for example, the robot 5 travels in the direction in which the joystick is tilted, and the traveling speed of the robot 5 can be adjusted according to the amount by which the joystick is tilted. Note that the setting device 2 may have part or all of the functions of the controller 3. For example, there may be a configuration in which the robot 5 travels in the direction in which the user drags the touch panel which is the user interface 21 of the setting device 2. Conversely, the controller 3 may have part or all of the functions of the setting device 2, and it is possible to configure to switch setting items or input setting values using the buttons of the controller 3.

[0028] The control device 4 is a device that controls the robot 5 while communicating with the setting device 2 and the controller 3. Specifically, it is a computer equipped with functional units (arithmetic unit, RAM unit, storage unit, communication unit) similar to the arithmetic device 22 described above. In FIG. 1, the control device 4 mounted on the robot 5 is illustrated, but the control device 4 may be installed outside the robot 5.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the robot 5 has a sensor 51 that measures the surrounding driving environment, a moving mechanism 52 for moving, and a manipulator 53.

[0030] The sensor 51 is composed of, for example, distance sensors capable of measuring the distance between the sensor 51 and surrounding objects in a plurality of directions. The surrounding objects include the stop reference object Ob. This sensor 51 is an optical sensor, LiDAR, etc. For example, if it is an optical sensor, it irradiates a laser beam on an obstacle to measure the distance to the obstacle and measures the reflection intensity, thereby being able to detect the environment around the robot 5.

[0031] The moving mechanism 52 is composed of, for example, one or more drive wheels. The moving mechanism 52 may be composed of two drive wheels and differentially drive the left and right wheels. The moving mechanism 52 may be configured using omnidirectional wheels such as mecanum wheels or omni wheels.

[0032] The manipulator 53 can perform operations involving gripping and manipulation (operations such as gripping, pick-and-place, pushing in, pulling in, etc.) at different positions. By using the robot 5 equipped with the manipulator 53, the entire system can be realized at a lower cost compared to the case where a manipulator fixed at each work position is prepared.

[0033] Fig. 3 shows an example of information exchange between the devices that make up the mobile robot system 1. First, the setting device 2 outputs the setting I1 input by the user to the control device 4. Next, the controller 3 outputs the operation amount I4 of the controller 3 by the user to the control device 4. Further, the robot 5 outputs the measurement result I5 of the sensor 51 and the state I9 of the robot 5 to the control device 4. The control device 4 generates the setting I8 using some or all of the setting I1, the operation amount I4, the measurement result I5, and the state I9, and outputs it to the robot 5.

[0034] When the robot 5 is running, the control device 4 outputs the control amount I6 determined using some or all of the setting I1, the operation amount I4, the measurement result I5, and the state I9 to the moving mechanism 52 for control. Also, when the robot 5 performs manipulation, the control device 4 outputs the control amount I7 determined using some or all of the setting I1, the operation amount I4, the measurement result I5, and the state I9 to the manipulator 53 for control.

[0035] The control device 4 generates the measurement result I3 using some or all of the measurement result I5, and generates the state I2 using some or all of the state I9. The setting device 2 presents some or all of the state I2 and the measurement result I3 to the user. Note that the measurement result I3 includes the current position of the robot 5 on the map M.

[0036] The setting I1 output from the setting device 2 to the control device 4 is composed of the data D1 regarding the mode of the mobile robot system 1, the data D2 specifying the operation method of the moving mechanism 52 of the robot 5, and the data D3 specifying the operation method of the manipulator 53 of the robot 5.

[0037] The data D1 related to the mode has, for example, a table-type data structure, and stores string data indicating the current control method of the robot 5 in the item "Drive Mode". When manually operating the robot 5, if the mode name "MANUAL" is stored in the item "Drive Mode" and sent to the control device 4, the control device 4 makes a mode transition to receive the operation amount I4 from the controller 3, and determines the control amount I6 of the robot 5 according to the operation amount I4.

[0038] When the robot 5 operates by automatic control, if the mode name "AUTO" is stored in the item "Drive Mode" and sent to the control device 4, the control device 4 makes a mode transition not to receive the operation amount I4 from the controller 3, and automatically drives the robot 5 based on the data D2 specifying the operation method of the preset movement mechanism 52. Also, when reaching the destination set by the data D2, next, the control amount I7 is determined based on the data D3 specifying the operation method of the preset manipulator 53 of the robot 5, and the manipulator 53 is automatically controlled.

[0039] The data D2 specifying the operation method of the movement mechanism 52 is composed of, for example, a map M of the traveling environment of the robot 5, a robot stop position P defined on the map M, and a path L expressed as a sequence of positions defined on the map M for the trajectory that the robot 5 passes through when moving from the current position to the robot stop position P.

[0040] Map M is a grid map represented by, for example, two-dimensional matrix data. In each element of the matrix data, the probability of the presence of an obstacle at that position is stored as a decimal number between 0 and 1. Map M is created by measuring the driving environment with a sensor 51 or the like mounted on the robot 5. For the grid where an obstacle is observed, the probability of the presence of the obstacle is set high as an obstacle area. Also, for the grid where no obstacle is observed, the probability of the presence of the obstacle is set low. Note that the value of each element of the matrix data constituting the grid map may be determined by the number of point clouds of the obstacle observed by the sensor 51, or when the sensor 51 outputs the reflection intensity, it may be determined according to the magnitude of the reflection intensity.

[0041] The positions in the current position, the robot stop position P, and the sequence of positions constituting the path L included in the above measurement result I3 are, for example, data represented by (x, y, θ), which is a set of coordinates (x, y) [m] in the coordinate system defined in map M and the angle θ [deg] between the front of the robot 5 and the X-axis of map M.

[0042] <Procedure for setting the robot stop position P1 before the environmental change> Next, using the flowchart of FIG. 4, the operation procedure when the user sets the robot stop position P1 before the environmental change will be described.

[0043] First, in step S11, the user creates map M1 while manually operating the robot 5 using the controller 3. Map M1 is a map sequentially created by using the output of the sensor 51 when the robot 5 moves within the site before the environmental change. Therefore, it is desirable for the user to manually operate the robot 5 so that the robot 5 moves all over the site to create the map M1 of the entire site. However, when the movement range of the robot 5 is restricted, etc., the map M1 may be created only within the working area of the robot 5. Note that the actual creator of map M1 may be the control device 4 or the arithmetic device 22.

[0044] Next, in step S12, the user saves the created map M1 in the storage unit of the setting device 2.

[0045] In step S13, the user sets the saved map M1 as the map for setting the stop position.

[0046] Next, in step S14, the user manually operates the robot 5 using the controller 3 and moves the robot 5 to the actual position where the user wants to set the stop position. Then, the user operates the setting device 2 and registers the current position on the map M1 as the robot stop position P1.

[0047] <Procedure for setting the robot stop position P2 after environmental change> Next, using the flowchart of FIG. 5, when the arrangement of objects in the environment is changed within the same site or the mobile robot system 1 is relocated to a different site, the operation procedure for the user to set the robot stop position P2 after environmental change by utilizing the robot stop position P1 registered on the map M1 in FIG. 4 will be described.

[0048] First, in step S21, the user creates a map M2 while manually operating the robot 5 using the controller 3. The map M2 is a map sequentially created by utilizing the output of the sensor 51 when the robot 5 moves within the site after environmental change (for example, after relocation of the stop reference object Ob). Therefore, the user manually operates the robot 5 so that the robot 5 moves at least around the location where the environmental change has occurred.

[0049] Next, in step S22, the user saves the created map M2 in the storage unit of the setting device 2.

[0050] In step S23, the user operates the setting device 2 to read out the map M1 and the map M2.

[0051] In step S24, the user operates the setting device 2 to read out the robot stop position P1 set on the map M1.

[0052] In step S25, the user operates the setting device 2 to select an area R1 including the stop reference object Ob from the map M1. The details of this process will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

[0053] In step S26, the setting device 2 automatically calculates the robot stop position P2 on the map M2. The details of the method for calculating the robot stop position P2 will be described later.

[0054] Finally, in step S27, the user operates the setting device 2 to save the robot stop position P2 on the map M2 in the setting device 2 as a new stop position replacing the robot stop position P1.

[0055] According to the operation procedure of FIG. 5 described above, after step S22 of creating the map, since the operation of the robot 5 is not required, a new robot stop position can be easily set in a short time.

[0056] <Specific method for setting the robot stop position P2 after environmental change> FIG. 6 shows an example of a specific method for setting the robot stop position P2 by the setting device 2. Note that FIG. 6 corresponds to the processes from step S23 to step S27 of FIG. 5.

[0057] As shown here, the setting device 2 of the present embodiment includes a map area selection unit 21a, a map storage unit 22a, a stop position storage unit 22b, a reference position output unit 22c, and a stop position calculation unit 22d as a configuration for setting the robot stop position P. The entity of the map area selection unit 21a is the user interface 21, and the entities of the map storage unit 22a, the stop position storage unit 22b, the reference position output unit 22c, and the stop position calculation unit 22d are the arithmetic unit 22. The functions of each unit will be described sequentially below.

[0058] The map storage unit 22a is a functional unit that stores the map information (maps M1 and M2) created in steps S11 and S21, and provides the map information to the map area selection unit 21a and the reference position output unit 22c.

[0059] The stop position memory unit 22b is a functional unit that stores the robot stop position P1 on the map M1 registered in step S15, and provides information on the robot stop position P1 to the map area selection unit 21a and the stop position calculation unit 22d.

[0060] The map area selection unit 21a is a functional unit that identifies the area R1 including the stop reference object Ob within the detection range selected by the user from the map M1, and outputs it to the reference position output unit 22c and the stop position calculation unit 22d. Here, the area mentioned refers to, for example, the data obtained by cutting out a part of the map data, and the data having the X coordinate, Y coordinate of the start point of the range of the cut-out map data, the width W of the range, the height H of the range, and the rotation angle θ of the range.

[0061] After the map area selection unit 21a displays the map M1 and the stop position P1 on the screen, for example, it designates the area including the stop reference object Ob by dragging the mouse. The method of selecting the area including the stop reference object Ob may be an operation of filling the screen, or an operation of clicking a part of the area including the stop reference object Ob. When the area R1 is selected by clicking, some image processing such as segmentation is performed on the map information to automatically extract the objects in the connection relationship with the clicked position.

[0062] The reference position output unit 22c is a functional unit that detects the area R2 having the same shape as the area R1 from the map M2, and outputs the position of the area R2 as the reference position to the stop position calculation unit 22d.

[0063] The stop position calculation unit 22d uses the positional relationship between the robot stop position P1 and the area R1 on the map M1, and the position of the area R2 on the map M2, to calculate the robot stop position P2 on the map M2 such that the positional relationship of the robot stop position P2 with respect to the area R2 on the map M2 is equal to that of the robot stop position P1 with respect to the area R1 on the map M1.

[0064] FIG. 7 is an example of an operation screen displayed on the display of the user interface 21 when the user selects, in step S25, the area R1 including the stop reference object Ob from within the map M1. In this way, by arranging the maps M1 and M2 side by side and simultaneously displaying them on the display, it becomes easier for the user to grasp the differences before and after the environmental change, and thus the stop reference object Ob in each map can be easily identified.

[0065] With the robot stop position setting device of the present embodiment described above, if the operation of setting the stop position of the robot based on the stop reference object is performed only once, even if the position of the stop reference object is changed or the mobile robot system is relocated to another site and the environmental map is updated, the actual machine operation for re-setting the stop position becomes unnecessary, and the time required for the operation of setting the robot stop position can be reduced.

Embodiment

[0066] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for setting the robot stop position P2 after the environmental change in Embodiment 2. In this embodiment, step S25a is added between steps S25 and S26 of Embodiment 1. In this step S25a, for the stop reference object Ob in the map M2 as well, the user designates the detection range in the same manner as in step S25.

[0067] FIG. 9 is an example of an operation screen in step S25a of Embodiment 2. The detection range is set, for example, by dragging the mouse or performing an operation of filling in a range. Thereafter, steps S26 and S27 are performed in the same manner as in Embodiment 1.

[0068] In Embodiment 2, due to the process of step S25a, in addition to the configuration of Embodiment 1, it has a detection range selection unit 21b. The entity of the detection range selection unit 21b is the user interface 21. The reference position output unit 22c of Embodiment 2 receives the detection range as an input from the detection range selection unit, and detects the area R2 including the stop reference object Ob from within the detection range. In this way, by enabling the user to limit the detection range also for the map M2, false detection of the stop reference object Ob in the map M2 can be reduced.

Example

[0069] Figure 10 is a flowchart for setting the robot stop position P2 after environmental change in Example 3. In this example, step S26 in Example 1 is replaced with steps S26a and S26b. In step S26a, a plurality of candidates for the robot stop position P2 on the map M2 are automatically calculated. Therefore, in step S26b, the user selects an appropriate robot stop position P2 from the created candidates.

[0070] Figure 11 is an example of an operation screen in step S26b of Example 3. In this example, since four candidates for the robot stop position P2 are displayed on the map M2, the user only needs to specify the most appropriate position from the candidates as the robot stop position P2. Thereby, for example, even when the stop reference object Ob has a point-symmetrical shape and the stop position is not uniquely determined, it is possible to set the stop position desired by the user.

[0071] Therefore, in the stop position setting device of Example 3, the reference position output unit 22c outputs a plurality of reference positions for the detected area R2, the stop position calculation unit 22d outputs a plurality of candidates for the robot stop position P2 on the map M2 using the plurality of reference positions, the stop position candidate selection unit 21c receives the result selected by the user from among the plurality of stop position candidates, and the stop position calculation unit 22d outputs the selection result of the user received by the stop position candidate selection unit 21c as the robot stop position P2 on the map M2, which is realized.

Example

[0072] Figure 12 is a flowchart for setting the robot stop position P2 after environmental change in Example 4. In this example, step S25 in Example 1 is omitted. That is, the robot stop position P2 is automatically derived by step S26 without the intervention of the user's operation. Thereby, the number of operations by the user is small, and it is possible to set the stop position in a shorter time.

[0073] FIG. 13 shows an example of an operation screen in step S26 of Example 4. As described above, in this example, the process corresponding to step S25 of Example 1 is omitted, but an operation screen as shown in FIG. 13 is prepared for the purpose of providing information to the user.

[0074] In FIG. 13, among the differences between map M1 and map M2, portions of the same shape are detected as regions R1 and R2 and are emphasized in the map. As a method of cooperative expression, for example, image processing of dilation processing is performed on the region. As a method of emphasizing expression, for example, it may be highlighted in a different color, or a figure such as a bounding box of the region or an arrow indicating the region may be drawn.

[0075] FIG. 14 shows an example of a method for deriving a stop position in the setting device 2 of Example 4. The stop position setting device of this Example 4 is realized by having a map storage unit 22a that stores map information of map M1 and map M2, a stop position storage unit 22b that stores the robot stop position P1 in map M1, a reference position output unit 22c that receives inputs of map M1 and map M2, detects regions R1 in map M1 and region R2 in map M2, and outputs the positions of regions R1 and R2 as first and second reference positions respectively, and a stop position calculation unit 22d that calculates the robot stop position P2 in map M2 using the robot stop position P1, the first reference position, and the second reference position.

[0076] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the reference position output unit 22c. As shown here, in the reference position output unit 22c, map M1 and map M2 are input to a difference calculator 22c1 to calculate the difference between the matrices representing the maps, and a difference map M3 is derived. Since the difference map M3 has positive pixels and negative pixels, an identical shape detector 22c2 that derives a shape common to the group of figures composed of positive pixels and the group of pixel figures composed of negative pixels can be realized by an appropriate segmentation and matching algorithm. Thereby, regions R1 and R2 can be derived from maps M1 and M2.

[0077] Therefore, using the automatically derived regions R1 and R2, the same processing as in Example 1 can be continued.

Example

[0078] FIG. 16 is an example of an operation screen of the stop position setting device of Example 5. In addition to any of Examples 1 to 4, Example 5 has a function of being able to confirm whether interference with the surrounding environment occurs when the robot 5 stops at the stop position P2.

[0079] In order to realize the interference confirmation function, Example 5 has an interference confirmation unit 22e that determines whether interference occurs between the robot 5 and the surrounding environment, using the stop position P2 of the robot 5 in the map M2 output by the stop position calculation unit 22d and the map M2 as inputs. When interference is confirmed by the interference confirmation unit 22e, the color of the interference part on the operation screen of the stop position setting device is changed, or a mark indicating interference is displayed (see FIG. 16).

[0080] If the robot 5 is actually moved to the stop position and then the stop position is set as in the prior art, safety is ensured that the robot 5 does not interfere with the surrounding environment even when it stops at that position. However, in the cases of Examples 1 to 4, safety was not ensured. Example 5 solves this problem.

Example

[0081] Example 6 further improves the stop position setting device of Example 5 and has a function of proposing the position of the stop reference object Ob where interference does not occur when interference between the robot 5 and the surrounding environment is confirmed.

[0082] In order to realize the above functions, in this embodiment, when the interference confirmation unit 22e detects an interference between the robot 5 and the surrounding environment, there is an alternative position proposal unit 22f that presents a relocation position alternative of the stop reference object Ob in the map M2 where no interference occurs. This alternative position proposal unit 22f can be realized by generating a translation and rotation transformation matrix, repeatedly performing a trial of simultaneously transforming and moving the region R2 and the stop position P2 in the map M2, and terminating the search and outputting the position when the position of the stop reference object Ob where no interference occurs is found. When generating the transformation matrix in this trial, by searching while gradually changing the translation displacement and the rotation amount from small values to large values, a position that is as close as possible to the initial stop position P2 can be proposed.

[0083] Embodiment 6 has the effect that when the mobile robot system 1 cannot realize a task in the current state, by showing a specific alternative to the user, an efficient system startup becomes possible.

Embodiment

[0084] In Embodiments 1 to 6, the stop reference object Ob was detected on the map M2 after the environmental change, and the stop position P2 was derived based on the detection result. However, generally, the resolution of the grids of the maps M1 and M2 is not necessarily high, so the detection result of the region R2 on the map M2 has a certain error. Embodiment 7 provides a solution to this problem.

[0085] The stop position setting device of Example 7 is an improvement over the stop position setting device of any of Examples 1 to 6, and includes a stop reference object recognition unit 22g that recognizes the relative position of the stop reference object Ob from the robot 5 in the real space, a stop reference object recognition result storage unit 22h that stores the recognition result of the stop reference object recognition unit 22g, and a stop position correction unit 22i that corrects the stop position of the robot 5 in the map M2. The stop position correction unit 22i corrects the stop position P2 of the robot 5 in the map M2 based on the first recognition result in which the stop reference object recognition unit 22g recognizes the relative position of the stop reference object Ob from the stop position P1 of the robot 5 in the map M1 in the real space corresponding to the map M1, and the second recognition result in which the stop reference object recognition unit 22g recognizes the relative position of the stop reference object Ob from the stop position P2 of the robot 5 in the map M2 in the real space corresponding to the map M2.

[0086] The correction amount of the stop position P2 can be calculated as follows. Assume that the first recognition result and the second recognition result are represented by 4×4 three-dimensional transformation matrices T1 and T2, and the coordinate transformation from the base link of the robot to the camera is Tc. If the coordinate transformation from the stop position P2 before correction to the stop position P2' after correction is T, then the coordinate transformation from the stop position P2 to Ob can be expressed as Tc×T2 or T×Tc×T1. Therefore, the following equation holds: T×Tc×T1 = Tc×T2. Thus, the three-dimensional transformation matrix T for correcting the stop position P2 is calculated by the following equation: T = Tc×T2×T1 -1 ×Tc -1 . However, T1 -1 and Tc -1 represent the inverse matrices of T1 and Tc in order.

Example

[0087] Example 8 is an improvement over the stop position setting device of any of Examples 1 to 7, and includes a path calculation unit 22j that derives a path for the robot 5 to move from the movement start position of the robot 5 in the map M2 to the stop position, with the map M2, the stop position P2, and the movement start position of the robot 5 in the map M2 as inputs.

[0088] The route calculation unit 22j derives a route L that does not interfere with obstacles on the map M2 using a search method such as Dijkstra's algorithm.

[0089] According to Example 8, the user can derive the route of the robot 5 without manually editing the route, and can easily set the operation of the robot 5 in a short time.

Example

[0090] Example 9 further improves the mobile robot system 1 according to any one of Examples 1 to 8. It calculates the difference between the measurement result I5 of the surrounding environment by the sensor 51 of the robot 5 and the map M1. When the calculated difference is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, it determines that there has been a large environmental change, and requests the user to create the map M2 and output the stop position P2 of the robot 5 on the map M2.

[0091] As a method for calculating the difference, for example, a difference map M4 is created within the range measurable by the sensor 51, and the difference between each grid observed in the difference map M4 and the grid of the map M1 is calculated and summed up. Alternatively, when the sensor 51 is a sensor that irradiates a plurality of laser beams, the number of obstacles detected by each laser beam that do not correspond to the obstacles in the map M1 can also be used as the difference.

[0092] In the mobile robot system 1 of Example 9, there is an effect of preventing the robot from malfunctioning during travel due to a large deviation between the map M1 set by the user and the real space.

Example

[0093] In Examples 1 to 9, the reference position output unit 22c has detected from the map M2 a shape identical to the region R1 of the map M1. However, since the maps M1 and M2 are maps obtained by observing the surrounding environment by the sensor 51 while the robot 5 is traveling, if a part of the stop reference object Ob is hidden behind an obstacle, there is an occlusion problem in that the stop reference object Ob in the map M1 and the stop reference object Ob in the map M2 appear to have somewhat different shapes. In this case, when a shape somewhat different from the region R1 exists in the map M2, it is necessary to determine whether it is the stop reference object Ob that appears to have a different shape due to occlusion or an object having a shape different from the stop reference object Ob. Example 10 provides a solution to such a problem.

[0094] In Example 10, for each grid of the maps M1 and M2 stored in the map storage unit 22a, not only the probability of the presence of an obstacle but also information on whether the presence or absence of the obstacle has been confirmed is given. For example, a grid for which the presence or absence of an obstacle has been confirmed is given the label "KNOWN", and a grid for which the confirmation has not yet been made is given the label "UNKNOWN". This label can be given based on the measurement results of the sensor 51 at the time of map creation. Specifically, all grids are set to "UNKNOWN" at the initial stage of map creation, and when an obstacle is detected at a certain position, there is a method of updating to "KNOWN" the grids where the obstacle exists and the grids located between the robot and the obstacle.

[0095] In the tenth embodiment, template matching is utilized as a method for the reference position output unit 22c to detect the region R1 from the map M2, and the method for calculating the degree of coincidence between the region R1 and the map M2 has been improved. First, images R1' and M2' with the same resolution as the number of grids of the region R1 and the map M2 are created. Then, the pixel values of the images R1' and M2' corresponding to the grids that are "UNKNOWN" are set to 0 (zero). Next, for each grid of the region R1 and the map M2, grids with an obstacle presence probability equal to or higher than the threshold are regarded as having obstacles, and the pixel values of the corresponding images R1' and M2' are set to positive values. Further, for each grid of the region R1 and the map M2, grids with an obstacle presence probability less than the threshold are regarded as having no obstacles, and the pixel values of the corresponding images R1' and M2' are set to negative values. Let the pixel value at the coordinate (i, j) of the image M2' be M2'(i, j), and the pixel value at the coordinate (k, l) on the image R1' be the function R1'(k, l). Then, the degree of coincidence P(i, j) at the position (i, j) on M2' is calculated, for example, by the following formula.

[0096] [Number]

[0097] Here, W(i, j, k, l) is a function for calculating the weight based on the pixel values of R1' and M2', and the value of W(i, j, k, l) is equal to or greater than zero.

[0098] In this way, by setting different pixel values for the regions not observed due to occlusion and the regions confirmed to have no obstacles based on the observation results and calculating the degree of coincidence, the degree of coincidence does not decrease in regions that appear to have different shapes due to occlusion, and the degree of coincidence decreases in regions where an object with a shape different from the stop reference object Ob is observed. As a result, the effect of improving the robustness of the template matching against occlusion can be obtained. [Explanation of Signs]

[0099] 1: Mobile robot system, 2: Setting device, 21: User interface, 21a: Map area selection unit, 21b: Detection range selection unit, 21c: Stop position candidate selection unit, 22: Arithmetic unit, 22a: Map memory unit, 22b: Stop position memory unit, 22c: Reference position output unit, 22c1: Difference calculator, 22c2: Same shape detector, 22d: Stop position calculation unit, 22e: Interference confirmation unit, 22f: Alternative position proposal unit, 22g: Stop reference object recognition unit, 22h: Stop reference object recognition result memory unit, 22i: Stop position correction unit, 22j: 3: Controller, 4: Control device, 5: Robot, 51: Sensor, 52: Moving mechanism, 53: Manipulator, Ob: Stop reference object

Claims

1. A robot stop position setting device having a map storage unit that stores map information, a stop position storage unit that stores the robot stop position, a reference position output unit that outputs a reference position for calculating the robot stop position, a stop position calculation unit that calculates the robot stop position based on the reference position, wherein the robot stop position setting device further has a map area selection unit, the map storage unit stores a first map and a second map, the stop position storage unit stores the robot stop position in the first map, the map area selection unit outputs a first area including a stop reference object selected by the user from the first map, the reference position output unit detects a second area having the same shape as the first area from the second map and outputs the position of the second area as the reference position, the stop position calculation unit calculates the robot stop position in the second map using the robot stop position in the first map, the position of the first area, and the reference position in the second map.

2. In the robot stop position setting device according to Claim 1, the reference position output unit detects the second area from within a detection range specified by the user in the second map.

3. In the robot stop position setting device according to Claim 1 or 2, the device further has a stop position candidate selection unit, the reference position output unit detects a plurality of the second areas and outputs a plurality of the reference positions, the stop position calculation unit outputs a plurality of candidates for the robot stop position in the second map using the plurality of reference positions, the stop position candidate selection unit receives a result selected by the user from among the plurality of candidates, and the stop position calculation unit outputs the result received by the stop position candidate selection unit as the robot stop position in the second map.

4. A robot stop position setting device having a map storage unit that stores map information, a stop position storage unit that stores the robot stop position, a reference position output unit that outputs a reference position for calculating the robot stop position, a stop position calculation unit that calculates the robot stop position based on the reference position, wherein the map storage unit stores a first map and a second map, ​ ​ ​ ​ The stop position memory unit stores the robot stop position in the first map. The reference position output unit outputs the position of the stop reference object detected from the first map as the first reference position, and outputs the position of the stop reference object detected from the second map as the second reference position. The stop position calculation unit calculates the robot stop position in the second map using the robot stop position in the first map, the first reference position, and the second reference position in the second map. A robot stop position setting device characterized by this.

5. In the robot stop position setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, Furthermore, it has an interference confirmation unit. The interference confirmation unit determines whether interference between the robot and the surrounding environment occurs based on the robot stop position in the second map output by the stop position calculation unit and the second map. A robot stop position setting device characterized by this.

6. In the robot stop position setting device according to claim 5, Furthermore, it has an alternative position proposal unit. When the interference confirmation unit detects interference between the robot and the surrounding environment, the alternative position proposal unit presents a relocation position alternative plan of the stop reference object in the second map. A robot stop position setting device characterized by this.

7. In the robot stop position setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, Furthermore, it has a stop reference object recognition unit, a stop reference object recognition result memory unit, and a stop position correction unit. The stop reference object recognition unit recognizes the relative position of the stop reference object from the robot in the real space. The stop reference object recognition result memory unit stores the recognition result of the stop reference object recognition unit. The stop position correction unit is based on the result of the stop reference object recognition unit recognizing the relative position of the stop reference object from the robot stop position in the first map in the first real space corresponding to the first map, and the result of the stop reference object recognition unit recognizing the relative position of the stop reference object from the robot stop position in the second map in the second real space corresponding to the second map, and the stop position of the robot in the second map, and corrects the robot stop position in the second map. A robot stop position setting device characterized by this.

8. In the robot stop position setting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, Furthermore, it has a route calculation unit, The route calculation unit takes as input the second map, the robot stop position on the second map, and the robot movement start position on the second map, and derives a route for the robot to move from the robot movement start position to the stop position on the second map. A robot stop position setting device characterized by this.

9. The robot stop position setting device according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, A robot having a sensor for measuring the surrounding environment of the real space, A mobile robot system comprising: The robot stop position setting device calculates the difference between the measurement result of the surrounding environment by the sensor and the first map, and when the difference is equal to or greater than a preset threshold value, creates the second map and outputs the robot stop position on the second map. A mobile robot system characterized by requesting the user.

10. In the robot stop position setting device according to Claim 1, The first map and the second map are grid maps represented by two-dimensional matrix data, A robot stop position setting device characterized in that the probability of the presence of an obstacle is set for each grid of the first map and the second map.

11. In the robot stop position setting device according to Claim 1, The first map and the second map are grid maps represented by two-dimensional matrix data, A robot stop position setting device characterized in that information indicating whether or not the presence or absence of an obstacle has been confirmed is given to each grid of the first map and the second map.

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