Travel Map Creation Device

Abstract

To provide a travel map creation device that is able to appropriately set a travel prohibition area on a travel map of an autonomous travel type robot.SOLUTION: A travel map creation device 100 includes: an accepting unit 150 that accepts a user's instruction; and a travel map creation unit 134 that creates a travel map including a travel prohibition area of an autonomous travel type robot 300. The accepting unit 150 accepts an enlargement instruction to enlarge the travel prohibition area in accordance with the number of operations performed two or more times in succession during a predetermined time. When the enlargement instruction is accepted by the accepting unit 150, the travel map creation unit 134 enlarges the travel prohibition area to a size multiplied by a predetermined number corresponding to the number of the operations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a travel map creation device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a robot that creates a map of a travel route and the surrounding environment during a demonstration under user control and autonomously travels the travel route after the demonstration (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] However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, information such as the shape of the travel area and obstacles existing in the travel area may not be appropriately reflected in the map, so it is difficult to appropriately set a travel prohibited area that prohibits the robot from traveling on the travel map.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a travel map creation device that can appropriately set a travel prohibited area on a travel map for an autonomous driving robot.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, a travel map creation device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a reception unit that receives a user's instruction, and a travel map creation unit that creates a travel map including a travel prohibited area for prohibiting the travel of an autonomous driving robot. The reception unit receives an expansion instruction for expanding the travel prohibited area according to the number of operations by being operated two or more times continuously within a predetermined time. When the expansion instruction is received by the reception unit, the travel map creation unit expands the travel prohibited area to a size obtained by multiplying a predetermined number corresponding to the number of operations.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the travel map creation device of the present disclosure, a travel prohibited area can be appropriately set in a travel map for an autonomous driving robot.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the travel map creation device and the like according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below shows a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangements and connection forms of the components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0010] Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] Also, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily drawn precisely. In each figure, the same reference numerals are given to substantially the same configurations, and redundant descriptions may be omitted or simplified.

[0012] In the following embodiments, expressions using "substantially", such as substantially triangular, are used. For example, a substantially triangular shape not only means a completely triangular shape, but also means a shape that is substantially triangular, that is, for example, it also includes a triangular shape with rounded corners. The same applies to other expressions using "substantially".

[0013] In the following embodiments, there are cases where the top view of an autonomous mobile robot traveling on the floor surface of a predetermined area is described as viewed from the vertically upper side, and the bottom view is described as viewed from the vertically lower side.

[0014] (Embodiment) [Travel control system for autonomous mobile robot] [1. Overview] First, an overview of the travel control system for the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the overview of the travel control system for the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment.

[0015] The travel control system for an autonomous mobile robot is a system for controlling the travel of an autonomous mobile robot that autonomously travels in a predetermined area. For example, the system sets a travel prohibited area that prohibits the travel of the autonomous mobile robot in a predetermined area, creates a travel map including information (for example, position, shape, size) regarding the set travel prohibited area, and creates a travel plan for the autonomous mobile robot based on the created travel map. Thereby, the autonomous mobile robot 300 can autonomously travel in a predetermined area safely and appropriately.

[0016] The predetermined area is, for example, a floor surrounded by walls in a building. The building may be, for example, a facility such as a hotel, commercial facility, office building, hospital, nursing facility, art museum, or library, or may be a condominium such as an apartment.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the travel control system of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment includes, for example, a travel map creation device 100, a user terminal device 200, and an autonomous mobile robot 300.

[0018] In the example of FIG. 1, the travel map creation device 100 is placed on the cart 190 and travels within the floor when the user pushes the cart 190, but it is not limited to this. For example, the travel map creation device 100 may include wheels and a drive unit including a motor for rotating the wheels in the main body 101, and may travel within the floor by an operation such as a remote control. Further, for example, the travel map creation device 100 may further include a handle in the main body 101. In this case, the user may operate the handle to travel the travel map creation device 100.

[0019] The travel map creation device 100 is equipped with a position sensor such as LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), for example, and acquires the positional relationship of surrounding objects with respect to itself while traveling on the floor. The travel map creation device 100 acquires a map indicating a predetermined area (so-called floor map) and calculates its own position on the map based on the positional relationship. The travel map creation device 100 sets the start position as its own position when receiving an instruction to start setting a prohibited area for travel, and sets the end position as its own position when receiving an instruction to end setting the prohibited area for travel, and calculates the movement path of its own position from the start instruction to the end instruction. Then, a prohibited area for travel is set based on the calculated movement path of its own position. Then, the travel map creation device 100 creates a travel map in which one or more prohibited areas for travel are set for a predetermined area.

[0020] The user terminal device 200 presents, for example, the presentation information generated by the travel map creation device 100, accepts an instruction input by the user, and outputs the instruction to the travel map creation device 100. The user may, for example, check the presentation information presented on the user terminal device 200 and input an instruction when the travel map creation device 100 is creating a travel map. For example, the user may input an instruction to change the setting of a travel prohibited area, such as an instruction to modify a movement route or an instruction to expand a travel prohibited area. Further, the user may, for example, check the travel map (also referred to as being displayed) presented on the user terminal device 200 after the travel map creation device 100 has created a travel map, and input an instruction such as an instruction to modify a movement route or an instruction to expand a travel prohibited area to the user terminal device 200.

[0021] The autonomous mobile robot 300 creates a travel plan based on, for example, the travel map created by the travel map creation device 100, and autonomously travels on the floor according to the created travel plan.

[0022] As described above, in the travel control system of the autonomous mobile robot 300, the travel prohibited area can be appropriately set based on the movement route of the self-position of the travel map creation device 100. Therefore, in the travel control system of the autonomous mobile robot 300, the travel plan of the autonomous mobile robot 300 can be created based on the travel map in which the travel prohibited area is appropriately set, so that the travel of the autonomous mobile robot can be appropriately controlled.

[0023] [2. Configuration] Subsequently, the configuration of the travel control system of the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the travel control system of the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment.

[0024] The travel control system 400 according to the embodiment includes a travel map creation device 100, a user terminal device 200, and an autonomous mobile robot 300. Each configuration will be described below.

[0025] [Travel Map Creation Device] First, the travel map creation device 100 will be described. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the travel map creation device 100 according to the embodiment as viewed from an obliquely upper side.

[0026] The travel map creation device 100 is a device that creates a travel map for an autonomous driving robot that autonomously travels in a predetermined area. More specifically, the travel map creation device 100 travels in a predetermined area by a user's operation, and based on user instructions such as an instruction to start and an instruction to end setting a prohibited area for travel, sets a prohibited area for travel for the predetermined area, and creates a travel map including the prohibited area for travel.

[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the travel map creation device 100 is, for example, placed on a cart 190 and travels in a predetermined area by a user's operation. Here, the user pushes the cart 190 to move the travel map creation device 100. On the cart 190, for example, a stand 192 for placing the user terminal device 200 on the handle 191 may be attached, or the presentation unit 160 of the travel map creation device 100 may be installed. The presentation unit 160 is, for example, a display panel. Details of the presentation unit 160 will be described later.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 2, the travel map creation device 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a position sensor 120, a control unit 130, a storage unit 140, a reception unit 150, and a presentation unit 160. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described.

[0029] [Communication Unit] The communication unit 110 is a communication module (also referred to as a communication circuit) for the travel map creation device 100 to communicate with the user terminal device 200 and the autonomous driving robot 300 via a wide area communication network 10 such as the Internet. The communication performed by the communication unit 110 may be wireless communication or wired communication. The communication standard used for communication is not particularly limited either.

[0030] [Position Sensor] The position sensor 120 detects objects around itself and obtains the positional relationship of the objects with respect to itself. For example, the position sensor 120 is disposed at the center of the upper surface of the main body 101, and obtains a positional relationship including the distance and direction between the travel map creation device 100 and an object such as a wall existing around the travel map creation device 100. The position sensor 120 may be, for example, a LIDAR that emits light and detects a positional relationship (e.g., the position of an object and the distance from itself to the object) based on the light reflected by an obstacle and returned, or a laser rangefinder. Among them, the position sensor 120 may be a LIDAR. The position sensor 120 may perform two-dimensional measurement or three-dimensional measurement of a predetermined area around the travel map creation device 100 by having a one-axis or two-axis light scanning axis.

[0031] Note that the travel map creation device 100 may include other types of sensors in addition to the position sensor 120. For example, the travel map creation device 100 may further include a floor sensor, an encoder, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a contact sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a distance measurement sensor, or a camera.

[0032] [Control Unit] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 130 performs various calculations based on the sensor information obtained by sensing the environment around the travel map creation device 100 by the position sensor 120 and the user instruction received by the reception unit 150. Specifically, the control unit 130 is realized by a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit. Also, the control unit 130 may be realized by a combination of two or more of a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit. For example, the control unit 130 includes a map acquisition unit 131, a self-position calculation unit 132, a presentation information generation unit 133, and a travel map creation unit 134.

[0033] The map acquisition unit 131 acquires a map indicating a predetermined area. The map is, for example, a so-called floor map. The map acquisition unit 131 acquires the map by, for example, reading out the map stored in the storage unit 140. Also, for example, the map acquisition unit 131 may acquire the map output by the user terminal device 200 through communication.

[0034] The self-position calculation unit 132 acquires, for example, the map acquired by the map acquisition unit 131 and the positional relationship of an object with respect to the travel map creation device 100 (that is, sensor information) acquired by the position sensor 120, and based on the acquired map and sensor information, calculates the self-position of the travel map creation device 100 on the floor map.

[0035] The presentation information generation unit 133 generates presentation information to be presented to the user. For example, the presentation information generation unit 133 generates presentation information including the movement route of the self-position from when the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 until the end instruction is received.

[0036] For example, the presentation information generation unit 133 may generate, as the presentation information, a diagram showing the movement route of the self-position, the walls existing around the movement route, and the positional relationship of objects other than the walls (also referred to as obstacles). The presentation information generation unit 133 may further present the stop position and the rotation position of the self-position (that is, the travel map creation device 100) from the start position to the end position of the setting of the travel prohibited area, or may present candidates for the travel prohibited area.

[0037] The travel map creation unit 134 creates a travel map including a travel prohibited area that prohibits the travel of the autonomous mobile robot 300 based on the user's instruction. For example, the travel map creation unit 134 sets a travel prohibited area for a predetermined area based on the movement route of the self-position when the self moves from the start position where the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 to the end position where the end instruction is received, and uses this as the travel map.

[0038] The travel map creation unit 134 outputs the created travel map to the user terminal device 200 and the autonomous mobile robot 300 via the communication unit 110.

[0039] [Storage unit] The storage unit 140 is a storage device that stores a map indicating a predetermined area (so-called floor map) and sensor information acquired by sensors such as the position sensor 120. Furthermore, the storage unit 140 may store a travel map created by the travel map creation unit 134. The storage unit 140 also stores a computer program or the like that the control unit 130 executes to perform the above-described arithmetic processing. The storage unit 140 is realized by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or a flash memory or the like.

[0040] [Reception unit] The reception unit 150 receives a user's instruction. The user's instruction is, for example, a start instruction to start setting a travel prohibited area, an end instruction to end setting a travel prohibited area, a correction instruction to correct a movement route, and an enlargement instruction to enlarge the size of a travel prohibited area.

[0041] The reception unit 150 may be realized by, for example, a touch panel, a display panel, a hardware button, or a microphone. The touch panel may be, for example, a capacitive touch panel or a resistive film touch panel. The display panel has an image display function and a function of receiving a manual input from the user, and receives an input operation to a numeric keypad image or the like displayed on a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. The microphone receives a voice input from the user.

[0042] Further, for example, the reception unit 150 may receive, as start and end instructions, that the travel map creation device 100 and a predetermined object approach each other for a predetermined time. The predetermined object is, for example, a wall. The predetermined time may be set as appropriate, but may be, for example, 5 seconds. When the above instructions are received after the elapse of the predetermined time, the user may be notified, for example, by sound or light. For example, the reception unit 150 may receive the above operations as start and end instructions by receiving the determination result determined by the control unit 130 that the above operations have been performed.

[0043] Here, although an example in which the reception unit 150 is a component of the travel map creation device 100 is shown, the reception unit 150 may be integrated with at least one of the other components of the travel control system 400. For example, the reception unit 150 may be incorporated into the user terminal device 200 or may be incorporated into a remote controller (not shown).

[0044] The presentation unit 160 presents the presentation information generated by the presentation information generation unit 133. The presentation unit 160 may be realized, for example, by a display panel, or may be realized by a display panel and a speaker. The display panel is, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The speaker outputs sound or voice.

[0045] [2-2. User Terminal Device] Next, the user terminal device 200 will be described. The user terminal device 200 is, for example, a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal owned by the user, but may be a stationary information terminal such as a personal computer. Also, the user terminal device 200 may be a dedicated terminal of the travel control system 400. The user terminal device 200 includes a communication unit 210, a reception unit 220, a control unit 230, a storage unit 240, and a presentation unit 250. Each configuration will be described below.

[0046] [Communication Unit] The communication unit 210 is a communication circuit for the user terminal device 200 to communicate with the travel map creation device 100 and the autonomous driving robot 300 via a wide - area communication network 10 such as the Internet. The communication unit 210 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication. The communication standard of the communication performed by the communication unit 210 is not particularly limited.

[0047] [Reception unit] The reception unit 220 receives the user's instructions. More specifically, the reception unit 220 receives an input operation performed to transmit the user's instructions to the travel map creation device 100. The reception unit 220 may be realized by, for example, a touch panel, a display panel, a hardware button, or a microphone. Note that, since specific examples of the touch panel, the display panel, and the microphone are the same as those described above, the description here is omitted.

[0048] Here, an example is shown where the reception unit 220 is a component of the user terminal device 200, but the reception unit 220 may be integrated with at least one of the other components of the travel control system 400. For example, the reception unit 220 may be incorporated into the travel map creation device 100 or may be incorporated into a remote controller (not shown).

[0049] [Control unit] The control unit 230 performs display control of images on the reception unit 220 and voice recognition processing of voices input by the user. The control unit 230 may be realized by, for example, a microcomputer or may be realized by a processor.

[0050] [Storage unit] The storage unit 240 is a storage device in which a dedicated application program for the control unit 230 to execute is stored. The storage unit 240 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0051] [Presentation unit] The presentation unit 250 presents the presentation information generated by the presentation information generation unit 133 of the travel map creation device 100. The presentation unit 250 may be realized by, for example, a display panel, or may be realized by a display panel and a speaker. The display panel is, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The speaker outputs sound or voice.

[0052] [2-3. Autonomous Mobile Robot] Subsequently, the autonomous mobile robot 300 will be described. The autonomous mobile robot 300 is a robot that travels autonomously. More specifically, the autonomous mobile robot 300 acquires a travel map created by the travel map creation device 100 and autonomously travels in a predetermined area corresponding to the travel map. The autonomous mobile robot 300 is not particularly limited as long as it is a robot that travels autonomously, and may be, for example, a transport robot that transports luggage or the like or a vacuum cleaner. Hereinafter, an example in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 is a vacuum cleaner will be described.

[0053] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment as viewed from the side. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment as viewed from the front. FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the appearance of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment as viewed from the back.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the autonomous mobile robot 300 includes, for example, a housing 301, two side brushes 361, a main brush 362, two wheels 351, and a position sensor 320.

[0055] The housing 301 houses each component included in the autonomous mobile robot 300. In the present embodiment, the housing 301 is substantially circular in a top view. Note that the shape of the housing 301 in a top view is not particularly limited. The shape of the housing 301 in a top view may be, for example, substantially rectangular, substantially triangular, or substantially polygonal. The housing 301 has a suction port 363 on the bottom surface.

[0056] The side brush 361 is a brush for cleaning the floor surface and is provided on the lower surface of the housing 301. In the present embodiment, the autonomous mobile robot 300 includes two side brushes 361. The number of side brushes 361 provided in the autonomous mobile robot 300 may be one, or may be three or more, and is not particularly limited.

[0057] The main brush 362 is a brush that is disposed in the suction port 363 which is an opening provided on the lower surface of the housing 301, and that scrapes up the dust on the floor surface into the suction port 363.

[0058] The two wheels 351 are wheels for causing the autonomous mobile robot 300 to travel.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the autonomous mobile robot 300 includes, for example, a housing 301, a position sensor 320, a drive unit 350 disposed in the housing 301 and enabling the housing 301 to move, and a cleaning unit 360 for cleaning the floor surface. Details of the drive unit 350 and the cleaning unit 360 will be described later.

[0060] [Position Sensor] The position sensor 320 is a sensor that detects an object around the housing 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 and acquires the positional relationship of the object with respect to the housing 301. The position sensor 320 may be, for example, a LIDAR that emits light and detects the positional relationship (for example, the position of the object and the distance from itself to the object) based on the light reflected by an obstacle, or a laser range finder. Among these, the position sensor 320 may be a LIDAR.

[0061] Subsequently, the functional configuration of the autonomous mobile robot 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0062] The autonomous mobile robot 300 includes a communication unit 310, a position sensor 320, a control unit 330, a storage unit 340, a drive unit 350, and a cleaning unit 360. Since the position sensor 320 has been described above, the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0063] [Communication Unit] The communication unit 310 is a communication circuit for the autonomous driving robot 300 to communicate with the travel map creation device 100 and the user terminal device 200 via a wide area communication network 10 such as the Internet. The communication unit 310 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication. The communication standard of the communication performed by the communication unit 310 is not particularly limited.

[0064] [Control Unit] The control unit 330 performs various calculations based on the sensor information obtained by sensing the environment around the autonomous driving robot 300 by the position sensor 320 and the travel map. Specifically, the control unit 330 is realized by a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit. Further, the control unit 330 may be realized by a combination of two or more of a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit. For example, the control unit 330 includes a travel map acquisition unit 331, a self-position calculation unit 332, a travel plan creation unit 333, a drive control unit 334, and a cleaning control unit 335.

[0065] The travel map acquisition unit 331 acquires the travel map created by the travel map creation device 100. The travel map acquisition unit 331 may acquire the travel map by reading the travel map stored in the storage unit 340, or may acquire the travel map output by the travel map creation device 100 through communication.

[0066] The self-position calculation unit 332 calculates the self-position, which is the position of the housing 301 of the autonomous driving robot 300 on the travel map, based on, for example, the travel map acquired by the travel map acquisition unit 331 and the positional relationship of the surrounding objects with respect to the housing 301 of the autonomous driving robot 300 (that is, the sensor information) acquired by the position sensor 320.

[0067] The travel plan creation unit 333 creates a travel plan based on the travel map and its own position. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 6, when the autonomous mobile robot 300 is a vacuum cleaner, the travel plan creation unit 333 may further create a cleaning plan. The cleaning plan includes, for example, when there are a plurality of cleaning areas (for example, rooms or sections) that the autonomous mobile robot 300 should clean, the cleaning order for cleaning these areas, the travel route and cleaning mode in each area, and the like. The cleaning mode is, for example, a combination of the travel speed of the autonomous mobile robot 300, the suction intensity for sucking dust on the floor, and the rotation speed of the brush.

[0068] The drive control unit 334 controls the drive unit 350 based on the travel plan. More specifically, the drive control unit 334 performs information processing for controlling the operation of the drive unit 350. For example, in addition to the travel plan, the drive control unit 334 derives control conditions for the drive unit 350 based on information such as the travel map and its own position, and generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the drive unit 350 based on the control conditions. The drive control unit 334 outputs the generated control signal to the drive unit 350. Note that the details of deriving the control conditions for the drive unit 350 are the same as those of conventional autonomous mobile robots, so the description is omitted.

[0069] The cleaning control unit 335 controls the cleaning unit 360 based on the cleaning plan. More specifically, the cleaning control unit 335 performs information processing for controlling the operation of the cleaning unit 360. For example, in addition to the cleaning plan, the cleaning control unit 335 derives control conditions for the cleaning unit 360 based on information such as the travel map and its own position, and generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the cleaning unit 360 based on the control conditions. The cleaning control unit 335 outputs the generated control signal to the cleaning unit 360. Note that the details of deriving the control conditions for the cleaning unit 360 are the same as those of conventional autonomous vacuum cleaners, so the description is omitted.

[0070] [Storage unit] The memory unit 340 is a storage device that stores a map for traveling, sensor information sensed by the position sensor 320 (for example, the positional relationship of surrounding objects with respect to the housing 301), and a computer program executed by the control unit 330, etc. The memory unit 340 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory or the like.

[0071] [Drive Unit] The drive unit 350 is arranged on the housing 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 and enables the housing 301 to travel (also referred to as movable). The drive unit 350 includes, for example, a pair of drive units (not shown). The drive units are respectively arranged one on each of the left and right sides with respect to the center in the width direction in a plan view of the autonomous mobile robot 300. Note that the number of drive units is not limited to two, and may be one or three or more.

[0072] For example, the drive unit has wheels 351 (see FIGS. 4 to 6) that travel on the floor surface, a traveling motor (not shown) that applies torque to the wheels 351, and a housing (not shown) that houses the traveling motor, etc. Each wheel 351 of the pair of drive units is housed in a recess (not shown) formed on the lower surface of the housing 301 and is attached so as to be rotatable with respect to the housing 301. Also, the autonomous mobile robot 300 may be a two-wheel counterbalanced type equipped with casters (not shown) as auxiliary wheels. In this case, the drive unit 350 can freely move the autonomous mobile robot 300 such as forward, backward, left rotation, and right rotation by independently controlling the rotation of each wheel 351 of the pair of drive units. When the autonomous mobile robot 300 rotates left or right while moving forward or backward, it turns left or right when moving forward or backward. On the other hand, when the autonomous mobile robot 300 rotates left or right without moving forward or backward, it turns on the spot. Thus, the drive unit 350 moves or turns the housing 301 by independently controlling the operations of the pair of drive units. The drive unit 350 operates a traveling motor etc. based on an instruction from the drive control unit 334 to move the autonomous mobile robot 300.

[0073] Cleaning Unit The cleaning unit 360 is arranged on the housing 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 and performs at least one cleaning operation of wiping, sweeping, and sucking dust on the floor surface around the housing 301. For example, the cleaning unit 360 sucks dust and other garbage existing on the floor surface from the suction port 363 (see FIG. 6). The suction port 363 is provided at the bottom of the housing 301 so that dust and other garbage existing on the floor surface can be sucked into the housing 301. Although not shown, the cleaning unit 360 includes a brush drive motor that rotates the side brush 361 and the main brush 362, a suction motor that sucks garbage from the suction port 363, a power transmission unit that transmits power to these motors, and a garbage storage unit that stores the sucked garbage. The cleaning unit 360 operates the brush drive motor and the suction motor based on the control signal output from the cleaning control unit 335. The side brush 361 sweeps the garbage on the floor surface around the housing 301 and guides the garbage to the suction port 363 and the main brush 362. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the autonomous mobile robot 300 includes two side brushes 361. Each side brush 361 is arranged on the side part in front (that is, the advancing direction) of the bottom surface of the housing 301. The rotation direction of the side brush 361 is a direction in which the garbage can be scraped and collected from the front of the housing 301 toward the suction port 363. Note that the number of side brushes 361 is not limited to two, and may be one, or three or more. The number of side brushes 361 may be arbitrarily selected by the user. Further, each side brush 361 may have a detachable structure.

[0074] [3. Operations] Subsequently, the operations of the traveling control system 400 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0075] [First Example] First, a first example of the operation of the travel control system 400 of the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment will be described. In the first example, an example in which the travel control system 400 includes a travel map creation device 100 and an autonomous mobile robot 300 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a first example of the operation of the travel control system 400 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment. Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to FIGS. 2 and 7.

[0076] Although not shown, the travel map creation device 100 starts traveling by a user's operation. When the traveling starts, the travel control system 400 performs, for example, the following operations. Note that the travel map creation device 100 may travel by being operated by a user to turn a steering wheel, or may travel by an operation such as a joystick or a remote control.

[0077] The position sensor 120 of the travel map creation device 100 detects an object around itself and acquires a first positional relationship that is the positional relationship of the object with respect to itself (step S11). The position sensor 120 is, for example, a LIDAR. The LIDAR measures the distance to an object such as a wall at a predetermined angular interval and acquires data indicating the positions of the measured measurement points.

[0078] Subsequently, the map acquisition unit 131 acquires a map indicating a predetermined area (step S12). The predetermined area is an area in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 autonomously travels. The map acquisition unit 131 may acquire the map by reading the map stored in the storage unit 140, or may acquire the map output from the user terminal device 200 by communication. Note that steps S11 and S12 may be executed in the reverse order.

[0079] Subsequently, the self-position calculation unit 132 of the travel map creation device 100 calculates a self-position (hereinafter, also referred to as a first self-position) that is the position of the travel map creation device 100 on the map based on the first positional relationship acquired in step S11 (step S13).

[0080] Subsequently, the reception unit 150 of the travel map creation device 100 receives a start instruction to start setting a travel prohibited area and an end instruction to end setting the travel prohibited area (step S14).

[0081] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the reception unit 150 is a push-type button, the reception unit 150 receives a start instruction when the push-type button is pressed, and receives an end instruction when the pressing of the push-type button is released. In this case, the reception unit 150 receives an execution instruction to execute setting of the travel prohibited area while the push-type button is being continuously pressed.

[0082] Also, for example, the process of step S14 may be performed by the reception unit 220 of the user terminal device 200. When the reception unit 220 receives a user's instruction, it outputs the instruction to the travel map creation device 100 by communication.

[0083] Subsequently, the travel map creation unit 134 of the travel map creation device 100 creates a travel map including a travel prohibited area that prohibits the travel of the autonomous driving type robot 300 based on the user's instruction received by the reception unit 150 in step S14 (step S15). More specifically, the travel map creation unit 134 sets a travel prohibited area for a predetermined area based on the movement route of the first self-position when it moves from the start position where the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 to the end position where the end instruction is received, and uses this as the travel map. For example, the travel map creation unit 134 may set the area surrounded by the movement route of the first self-position as the travel prohibited area. Also, for example, the travel map creation device 100 may set the area surrounded by the movement route of the first self-position and the objects around itself that are close to the start position and the end position of the movement route as the travel prohibited area. Also, for example, the travel map creation unit 134 may add a line segment connecting the start position and the object close to the start position, and a line segment connecting the end position and the object close to the end position among the objects around itself to the movement route of the first self-position.

[0084] Subsequently, the travel map acquisition unit 331 of the autonomous driving robot 300 acquires a travel map created by the travel map creation unit 134 of the travel map creation device 100 in step S15 (not shown).

[0085] Subsequently, the position sensor 320 of the autonomous driving robot 300 detects objects around itself and acquires a second positional relationship that is the positional relationship of the objects with respect to itself (step S16).

[0086] Subsequently, based on the second positional relationship acquired by the position sensor 320 in step S16, the self-position (hereinafter also referred to as the second self-position) of the autonomous driving robot 300 on the travel map is calculated (step S17).

[0087] Subsequently, the travel plan creation unit 333 of the autonomous driving robot 300 creates a travel plan based on the travel map and the second self-position (step S18).

[0088] Subsequently, the drive control unit 334 of the autonomous driving robot 300 controls a drive unit 350 that is arranged in the housing 301 and enables the housing 301 to move, based on the travel plan (not shown).

[0089] In this way, the travel control system 400 creates a travel map with the travel prohibited area appropriately set, and creates a travel plan based on the created travel map, so that the travel of the autonomous driving robot 300 can be appropriately controlled.

[0090] In the first example, an example in which the travel control system 400 includes the travel map creation device 100 and the autonomous driving robot 300 as separate bodies has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the travel control system 400 may include an autonomous driving robot 300 (referred to as an integrated robot) having the function of the travel map creation device 100. Such an integrated robot travels, for example, according to a user's operation when creating a travel map, and autonomously travels according to a travel plan when traveling based on the travel map.

[0091] In addition, for example, an integrated robot may include a notification unit (not shown) that notifies people around it that the setting operation of the travel prohibited area is being performed. The notification unit may notify, for example, by sound or voice, may notify by emitting light, or may notify by a combination of these.

[0092] In this way, by notifying people around that the setting operation of the travel prohibited area is in progress, in the travel control system 400, the setting work of the travel prohibited area can be smoothly performed.

[0093] [Modification Example of the First Example] In the first example, the example where the reception unit 150 receives a start instruction by pressing a push-type button and receives an end instruction by releasing the pressing of the push-type button in step S14 has been described. However, the start instruction and the end instruction may be received by triggering the operation of the travel map creation device 100.

[0094] For example, the reception unit 150 may receive the approach of the travel map creation device 100 and a predetermined object to face each other for a predetermined time as a start instruction and an end instruction. For example, the reception unit 150 may receive the determination result determined that the above operation has been performed by the control unit 130, and receive the above operation as a start instruction and an end instruction.

[0095] In addition, as described in the section of "2. Configuration", the predetermined object may be, for example, a wall, or may be an object to be set as the travel prohibited area. The target object is, for example, a pillar, a trash can, a flower pot, a fire extinguisher, a signboard, an umbrella stand, an accordion curtain, a pedestal, a door, furniture, or an electrical appliance, etc. The predetermined time may be set as appropriate, but may be, for example, 5 seconds.

[0096] Furthermore, in the modification example of the first example, when the above instruction is received after the elapse of the predetermined time, the user may be notified by, for example, sound or light.

[0097] As described above, in the modification of the first example, since the setting of the travel prohibition area can be performed by using a predetermined operation as a trigger, the reception unit 150 can receive more types of instructions with a smaller hardware configuration.

[0098] [Second Example] Subsequently, a second example of the operation of the travel control system 400 of the autonomous driving robot 300 according to the embodiment will be described. In the first example, the operation example when the user's instruction is the start instruction and the end instruction for setting the travel prohibition area was described. In the second example, the operation example when the user's instruction is the expansion instruction for expanding the size of the travel prohibition area will be described. The reception unit 150 is, for example, a push-type button. In the second example, the description will focus on the points different from the first example and the modification of the first example, and the description of the same processing will be omitted or simplified.

[0099] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a second example of the operation of the travel control system 400 of the autonomous driving robot 300 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 8, only the processing different from the first example shown in FIG. 7 is shown.

[0100] Following step S13 in FIG. 7, the reception unit 150 receives a user's instruction (not shown). At this time, the control unit 130 of the travel map creation device 100 determines whether the instruction received by the reception unit 150 is a start instruction or an expansion instruction (step S21). The expansion instruction is an instruction to expand the travel prohibition area according to the number of times the push-type button is pressed when the push-type button is continuously pressed two or more times within a predetermined time.

[0101] When the control unit 130 determines that the instruction received by the reception unit 150 is a start instruction (Yes in step S21), it causes the travel map creation unit 134 to perform the process of step S15 in FIG. 7. On the other hand, when the control unit 130 determines that the instruction received by the reception unit 150 is an enlargement instruction (No in step S21), it causes the travel map creation unit 134 to enlarge the travel prohibited area to a size obtained by multiplying the size corresponding to the number of presses by a predetermined number. Then, the travel map creation unit 134 creates a travel map including the enlarged travel prohibited area (step S22). The travel map created in step S22 is output to the autonomous driving robot 300 (not shown), and the autonomous driving robot 300 performs the process of step S16 in FIG. 7.

[0102] For example, in step S22, the travel map creation unit 134 may set the size of the travel prohibited area derived based on the movement path of the first self-position to a size obtained by multiplying the number of times the push-type button is pressed (that is, the number of presses), or may set it to a size obtained by multiplying the number corresponding to the number of presses. The number corresponding to the number of presses is set in advance. For example, when the push-type button is pressed twice, the size of the travel prohibited area is enlarged by 1.5 times. In this case, the travel prohibited area is enlarged in a similar shape, for example.

[0103] Also, in step S22, for example, the travel map creation unit 134 may calculate the position at a distance obtained by multiplying the distance from the self-position to the target object by the number of presses as the enlarged self-position, and set the travel prohibited area based on the movement path of the enlarged self-position.

[0104] As described above, in the second example, when an enlargement instruction is received instead of an instruction to start setting the travel prohibited area, the size of the travel prohibited area can be enlarged according to the enlargement instruction, so that a travel prohibited area of a desired size can be easily set.

[0105] [Third Example] Next, a third example of the operation of the travel control system 400 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment will be described. In the third example, unlike the first example, the modified example of the first example, and the second example, presentation information is generated and presented to the user. In the third example, the description will focus on the differences from the first example, the modified example of the first example, and the second example, and descriptions of similar processes will be omitted or simplified.

[0106] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a third example of the operation of the travel control system 400 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment. In FIG. 9, only the processes different from the first example shown in FIG. 7 are shown.

[0107] Following step S13 in FIG. 7, the presentation information generation unit 133 generates presentation information (step S31). For example, the presentation information generation unit 133 generates presentation information including the movement path of the first self-position from when the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 until the end instruction is received.

[0108] Hereinafter, the presentation information will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing presentation information P1 which is a first example of the presentation information. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing presentation information P2 which is a second example of the presentation information. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing presentation information P3 which is a third example of the presentation information. In the description of each figure, descriptions of similar configurations will be omitted.

[0109] For example, the presentation information generation unit 133 generates presentation information P1 (see FIG. 10). The presentation information P1 includes a wall 11, a target object 12 which is a target for setting a travel prohibited area, a circle indicating the first self-position of the travel map creation device 100, a line segment indicating the movement path of the first self-position, and an arrow indicating the movement direction of the first self-position. Further, the presentation information P1 may include a line segment (dotted line in the figure) connecting the start position S and an object (here, the wall 11) close to the start position S among the objects around the travel map creation device 100, and a line segment (dotted line in the figure) connecting the end position F and an object (here, the wall 11) close to the end position F.

[0110] Further, for example, the presentation information generation unit 133 may generate presentation information P2 (see FIG. 11). In addition to the wall 21, the target object 22, the circle indicating the first self-position, the line segment indicating the movement path of the first self-position, and the arrow indicating the movement direction of the first self-position, the presentation information P2 includes an arrow indicating the orientation of the travel map creation device 100 at the start position S and the end position F (here, the travel map creation device 100 is facing the direction of the wall 21).

[0111] Further, for example, the presentation information generation unit 133 may generate presentation information P3. The presentation information P3 includes the movement path of the first self-position when the travel map creation device 100 is moved so as to draw an arc with respect to the target object 32. Even when the movement path of the first self-position draws an arc with respect to the target object 32 in this way, the presentation information P3 may include, as illustrated in FIG. 10, a line segment (dotted line in FIG. 10) connecting the start position S and an object (here, the wall 31) close to the start position S, and a line segment (dotted line in FIG. 10) connecting the end position F and an object (here, the wall 31) close to the end position F. Further, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the presentation information P3 may include an arrow indicating the orientation of the travel map creation device 100 at the start position S and the end position F (here, the travel map creation device 100 is facing the direction of the wall 31).

[0112] Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9, the presentation unit 160 presents the presentation information generated in step S31 (step S32). At this time, the presentation information may be presented to the presentation unit 250 of the user terminal device 200 as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12.

[0113] Subsequently, the reception unit 150 receives a user's instruction (step S33). The reception unit 150 receives, for example, an instruction to determine the movement path of the first self-position or an instruction to correct the movement path of the first self-position. Note that the reception unit 220 of the user terminal device 200 may receive the above instruction and output it to the travel map creation device 100 by communication.

[0114] Subsequently, the control unit 130 of the travel map creation device 100 determines whether the reception unit 150 has received an instruction to correct the movement route of the first self-position (step S34). When the control unit 130 determines that the reception unit 150 has received an instruction to correct the movement route of the first self-position (Yes in step S34), the control unit 130 causes the travel map creation unit 134 to correct the movement route according to the correction instruction (step S35). Then, the travel map creation unit 134 sets a travel prohibited area based on the corrected movement route and creates a travel map including the set travel prohibited area (step S36). For example, the correction of the movement route may be to select at least one of the start position S, the end position F, and the first self-position 〇 between the start position S and the end position F shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 and move the position.

[0115] On the other hand, when the travel map creation unit 134 determines that the reception unit 150 has not received an instruction to correct the movement route of the first self-position, that is, when it determines that an instruction to confirm the movement route has been received (No in step S34), the travel map creation unit 134 sets a travel prohibited area based on the movement route of the first self-position and creates a travel map including the set travel prohibited area (step S37). The travel prohibited area may be set in consideration of the width W of the main body 101 (see FIG. 10). For example, the boundary line indicating the travel prohibited area may be set on the target object 12 side by a distance of 1 / 2 of the width W of the main body 101 from the first self-position.

[0116] The travel map created in steps S36 and S37 is output to the autonomous driving robot 300 (not shown), and the autonomous driving robot 300 performs the process of step S16 in FIG. 7.

[0117] As described above, in the third example, since the user can input an instruction after confirming the presentation information including the movement route, the travel prohibited area can be set more appropriately.

[0118] [Modification example of the third example] In the third example, an example was described in which presentation information was presented and an instruction for determining and modifying a travel route was received. In a modification of the third example, an example will be described in which a modification (here, an enlargement instruction) of a prohibited travel area set by the travel map creation unit 134 is received.

[0119] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of inputting an enlargement instruction for a prohibited travel area. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of inputting an enlargement instruction for a prohibited travel area.

[0120] For example, as shown in FIG. 13, presentation information P4 is presented on the presentation unit 250 of the user terminal device 200. The presentation information P4 includes, in addition to the wall 41 and the target object 42, a prohibited travel area R1 set by the travel map creation unit 134. The reception unit 220 is composed of a touch panel and a display unit. For example, the user touches a corner of the prohibited travel area R1 set for the target object 42 and performs an operation of stretching it in the direction of the arrow, thereby inputting an enlargement instruction for setting a prohibited travel area R1' obtained by enlarging the prohibited travel area R1 to a desired size. When the reception unit 220 receives an instruction by the user's input operation, it outputs the instruction to the travel map creation device 100 by communication.

[0121] Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, presentation information P5 is presented on the presentation unit 250. The presentation information P5 includes, in addition to the wall 51 and the target object 52, a prohibited travel area R2 created by the travel map creation unit 134. For example, the user touches a part of the prohibited travel area R2 set for the target object 52 and performs an operation of stretching it in the direction of the arrow, thereby inputting an enlargement instruction for setting a prohibited travel area R2' obtained by enlarging the prohibited travel area R2 to a desired size. When the reception unit 220 receives an instruction by the user's input operation, it outputs the instruction to the travel map creation device 100 by communication.

[0122] Note that the reception unit 220 may receive not only an enlargement instruction but also a reduction instruction. As a result, the travel prohibited area once set can be changed to a desired size, so that a more appropriate travel prohibited area can be set.

[0123] [4. Effects, etc.] The travel map creation device 100 is a travel map creation device that creates a travel map for the autonomous driving type robot 300 that autonomously travels in a predetermined area, and includes a position sensor 120 that detects objects around itself and acquires the positional relationship of the objects with respect to itself, a map acquisition unit 131 that acquires a map indicating a predetermined area, a self-position calculation unit 132 that calculates its own position on the map based on the positional relationship, a reception unit 150 that receives a user's instruction, and a travel map creation unit 134 that creates a travel map including a travel prohibited area for prohibiting the travel of the autonomous driving type robot 300 based on the instruction. The reception unit 150 receives a start instruction for starting the setting of the travel prohibited area and an end instruction for ending the setting of the travel prohibited area. The travel map creation unit 134 sets a travel prohibited area for the predetermined area based on the movement path of its own position when it moves from the start position where the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 to the end position where the end instruction is received, and uses the map with the travel prohibited area set as the travel map.

[0124] As a result, the travel map creation device 100 can set a travel prohibited area based on the movement path when it is moved by the user's operation, so that a travel prohibited area corresponding to a predetermined area can be set. Therefore, the travel map creation device 100 can appropriately set a travel prohibited area in the travel map.

[0125] In the travel map creation device 100, the travel map creation unit 134 sets the area surrounded by the movement path of its own position as the travel prohibited area.

[0126] As a result, the travel map creation device 100 can easily set a travel prohibited area.

[0127] In the travel map creation device 100, the travel map creation unit 134 sets, as a prohibited travel area, an area surrounded by a travel route and objects that are close to the start position and the end position of the travel route among the objects.

[0128] Thereby, the travel map creation device 100 can easily set the prohibited travel area.

[0129] In the travel map creation device 100, the travel map creation unit 134 adds, to the travel route of its own position, a line segment connecting the start position and an object close to the start position among the objects, and a line segment connecting the end position and an object close to the end position among the objects.

[0130] Thereby, the travel map creation device 100 can easily set the prohibited travel area.

[0131] In the travel map creation device 100, the reception unit 150 receives, as a start instruction and an end instruction, that the travel map creation device 100 and a predetermined object are close to each other and face each other for a predetermined time.

[0132] Thereby, since the travel map creation device 100 can set the prohibited travel area using a predetermined operation as a trigger, it can receive more types of instructions with less hardware.

[0133] In the travel map creation device 100, the object is a wall.

[0134] Thereby, the travel map creation device 100 can generate presentation information in which the detection results of the two sensors are more easily visible to the user by detecting a wall ahead.

[0135] In the travel map creation device 100, the reception unit 150 is a push-type button. When the button is pressed, a start instruction is received, and when the pressing of the button is released, an end instruction is received. The travel map creation unit 134 sets a prohibited travel area based on the travel route of its own position from when the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 until the end instruction is received.

[0136] As a result, the travel map creation device 100 can receive an instruction to start and an instruction to end the setting of a travel prohibited area with a single push-type button.

[0137] In the travel map creation device 100, the reception unit 150 further receives an expansion instruction to expand the travel prohibited area according to the number of times the button is pressed when the button is pressed two or more times continuously within a predetermined time instead of the start instruction, and the travel map creation unit 134 expands the travel prohibited area to a size obtained by multiplying a predetermined number corresponding to the number of times the button is pressed when the expansion instruction is received by the reception unit 150.

[0138] As a result, the travel map creation device 100 can easily expand the size of the travel prohibited area.

[0139] In the travel map creation device 100, the reception unit 150 further receives a correction instruction to correct the movement route, and the travel map creation unit 134 corrects the movement route based on the correction instruction and sets a travel prohibited area based on the corrected movement route when the correction instruction is received by the reception unit 150.

[0140] As a result, the travel map creation device 100 can appropriately correct the movement route of its own position, so that the travel prohibited area can be set more appropriately on the travel map.

[0141] The travel map creation device 100 further includes a presentation information generation unit 133 that generates presentation information for presenting to the user, and a presentation unit 160 that presents the presentation information. The presentation information generation unit 133 generates presentation information including the movement route of its own position from when the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 until the end instruction is received.

[0142] As a result, the travel map creation device 100 can generate presentation information including a travel route and present the presentation information to the user. Therefore, the user can, for example, give necessary instructions to the travel map creation device 100 after checking the travel route included in the presentation information.

[0143] The user terminal device 200 includes a presentation unit 250 that presents the presentation information generated by the travel map creation device 100, and a reception unit 220 that receives the user's instructions.

[0144] As a result, the user terminal device 200 can present the presentation information to the user and receive the user's instructions.

[0145] The autonomous driving robot 300 is an autonomous driving robot that autonomously travels in a predetermined area, and includes a housing 301, a driving unit 350 disposed in the housing 301 and enabling the housing 301 to move, a travel map acquisition unit 331 that acquires a travel map from any one of the above travel map creation devices 100, a position sensor 320 that detects an object around the housing 301 and acquires the positional relationship of the object with respect to the housing 301, a self-position calculation unit 332 that calculates the self-position, which is the position of the housing 301 on the acquired travel map, a travel plan creation unit 333 that creates a travel plan based on the travel map and the self-position, and a drive control unit 334 that controls the driving unit 350 based on the travel plan.

[0146] As a result, the autonomous driving robot 300 can create a travel plan based on a travel map in which a travel prohibited area is appropriately set, and thus can travel safely and appropriately.

[0147] The autonomous driving robot 300 further includes a cleaning unit 360 that cleans the floor by performing at least one of the operations of sweeping, wiping, and sucking dust, and a cleaning control unit 335 that controls the cleaning unit 360. The travel plan creation unit 333 further creates a cleaning plan, and the cleaning control unit 335 controls the cleaning unit 360 based on the cleaning plan.

[0148] As a result, the autonomous mobile robot 300 can perform cleaning safely and appropriately.

[0149] The travel control system 400 is a travel control system for controlling the travel of the autonomous mobile robot 300 that autonomously travels in a predetermined area, and includes a position sensor (for example, position sensor 120) that detects objects around itself and acquires the positional relationship of the objects with respect to itself, a map acquisition unit 131 that acquires a map indicating the predetermined area, a first self-position calculation unit (for example, self-position calculation unit 132) that calculates a first self-position indicating the self-position on the map based on the positional relationship, a reception unit (for example, reception unit 150) that receives a user's instruction, and a travel map creation unit 134 that creates a travel map for the autonomous mobile robot 300 including a travel prohibited area that prohibits the travel of the autonomous mobile robot 300 based on the instruction. The travel map creation unit 134 calculates a second self-position indicating the self-position on the travel map based on the positional relationship, and a travel plan creation unit 333 that creates a travel plan based on the travel map and the second self-position. The reception unit 150 receives a start instruction to start setting the travel prohibited area and an end instruction to end setting the travel prohibited area. The travel map creation unit 134 sets a travel prohibited area for the predetermined area based on the movement path of the first self-position when the self moves from the start position where the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 to the end position where the end instruction is received, and uses this as the travel map.

[0150] As a result, the travel control system 400 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 can appropriately set a travel prohibited area in the travel map of the autonomous mobile robot 300, so that the autonomous mobile robot 300 can travel safely and appropriately.

[0151] The travel control system 400 further includes a presentation information generation unit 133 that generates presentation information for presenting to the user, and a presentation unit (for example, presentation unit 160) that presents the presentation information. The presentation information generation unit 133 generates presentation information including the movement path of the self-position from when the start instruction is received by the reception unit 150 until the end instruction is received. The reception unit 150 further receives a modification instruction for modifying the movement path. When the modification instruction is received by the reception unit 150, the travel map creation unit 134 modifies the movement path based on the modification instruction, and sets a travel prohibited area based on the modified movement path.

[0152] Thereby, since the travel control system 400 of the autonomous travel robot 300 can modify the movement path of the self-position, the travel prohibited area can be set more appropriately on the travel map of the autonomous travel robot 300, so that the autonomous travel robot 300 can travel safely and appropriately.

[0153] The travel control method of the autonomous travel robot 300 is a travel control method for controlling the travel of the autonomous travel robot 300 that autonomously travels in a predetermined area. It detects the objects around itself, obtains a first positional relationship that is the positional relationship of the objects with respect to itself, obtains a map showing the predetermined area, calculates a first self-position indicating its own position on the map based on the first positional relationship, receives a start instruction to start setting a travel prohibited area that prohibits the travel of the autonomous travel robot and an end instruction to end the setting of the travel prohibited area, and based on the movement path of the first self-position when the self moves from the start position where the start instruction is received to the end position where the end instruction is received, creates a travel map by setting a travel prohibited area for the predetermined area, detects the objects around itself, obtains a second positional relationship that is the positional relationship of the objects with respect to itself, calculates a second self-position indicating its own position on the travel map based on the second positional relationship, and creates a travel plan based on the travel map and the second self-position.

[0154] As a result, the travel control method of the autonomous mobile robot 300 can appropriately set a prohibited area on the map for the travel of the autonomous mobile robot 300, so that the autonomous mobile robot 300 can travel safely and appropriately.

[0155] The travel control method further generates presentation information including the movement path of the self-position from when a start instruction is received until an end instruction is received, presents the presentation information, receives a modification instruction to modify the movement path, and when the modification instruction is received, modifies the movement path based on the modification instruction, and sets a prohibited area based on the modified movement path.

[0156] As a result, the travel control method of the autonomous mobile robot 300 can modify the movement path of the self-position, so that a prohibited area can be set more appropriately on the map for the travel of the autonomous mobile robot 300, and thus the autonomous mobile robot 300 can travel safely and appropriately.

[0157] Note that when the present disclosure is implemented by a system, it may be implemented by a plurality of devices or as a single device. Also, when the system is implemented by a plurality of devices, the components included in the travel map creation device 100, the user terminal device 200, and the autonomous mobile robot 300 described in the above embodiments may be distributed among the plurality of devices in any manner.

[0158] (Other Embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments.

[0159] For example, in the embodiment, the travel control system 400 is implemented by a plurality of devices, but the components included in the travel control system 400 may be distributed among the plurality of devices in any manner. Also, for example, a server device communicable with the travel control system 400 may include a plurality of components including the control units 130 and 330.

[0160] For example, the communication method between devices in the above-described embodiment is not particularly limited. Also, in the communication between devices, a relay device (not shown) may be interposed.

[0161] Also, in the above-described embodiment, a different processing unit may execute the processing executed by a specific processing unit. Also, the order of a plurality of processes may be changed, or a plurality of processes may be executed in parallel.

[0162] Also, in the above-described embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

[0163] Also, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or an integrated circuit). These circuits may constitute one circuit as a whole, or may be separate circuits respectively. Also, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0164] Also, the overall or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized by a system, a device, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. Also, it may be realized by any combination of a system, a device, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0165] For example, the present disclosure may be implemented as a driving control method executed by a computer such as the driving control system 400, or may be implemented as a program for causing a computer to execute such a driving control method. Further, the present disclosure may be implemented as a program for operating a general-purpose computer as the user terminal device 200 of the above embodiment. The present disclosure may be implemented as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which these programs are recorded.

[0166] In addition, forms obtained by applying various modifications conceivable by those skilled in the art to each embodiment, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions in each embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure are also included in the present disclosure.

Industrial Applicability

[0167] The present disclosure is widely applicable to robots that autonomously travel.

Description of Signs

[0168] 10 Wide area communication network 11, 21, 31, 41, 51 Wall 12, 22, 32, 42, 52 Target object 100 Travel map creation device 101 Main body 110, 210, 310 Communication unit 120, 320 Position sensor 130, 230, 330 Control unit 131 Map acquisition unit 132, 332 Self-position calculation unit 133 Presentation information generation unit 134 Travel map creation unit 140, 240, 340 Storage unit 150, 220 Reception unit 160, 250 Presentation unit 190 Cart 191 Steering wheel 192 Stand 200 User terminal device 300 Autonomous Mobile Robot 301 Housing 331 Travel Map Acquisition Unit 333 Travel Plan Generation Unit 334 Drive Control Unit 335 Cleaning Control Unit 350 Drive Unit 351 Wheel 360 Cleaning Unit 361 Side Brush 362 Main Brush 363 Suction Port 400 Travel Control System

Claims

【Claim 1】 a reception unit that receives a user's instruction; and a travel map creation unit that creates a travel map including a travel prohibited area for prohibiting the travel of the autonomous mobile robot, wherein the reception unit receives an expansion instruction for expanding the travel prohibited area according to the number of operations by being operated two or more times continuously within a predetermined time; and the travel map creation unit expands the travel prohibited area to a size obtained by multiplying the number of operations when the expansion instruction is received by the reception unit. A travel map creation device.

Images