Control System and Control Method

Abstract

To improve QOL (Quality of Life) of office workers while solving the shortage of workers.SOLUTION: A control system 1 includes a robot 30 that autonomously travels, a server device 10 which controls operation of the robot 30, and a terminal 20 that issues a request to cause the robot 30 to provide a service to a user. The robot 30 includes an autonomous travel unit which travels in a building based on map information of floors of the building, and a producing unit which produces an aroma. The server device 10 includes: a robot control unit which causes, on receipt of a request from the terminal 20 to provide a service to the user, the robot 30 to travel and execute providing the service to the user; and a setting unit which sets an aroma according to the situation of the user and causes the robot 30 to produce the set aroma when providing the service to the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] In order to cope with a shortage of manpower, a system for transporting articles using an autonomously traveling transport robot has been developed.

[0003] Furthermore, in recent years, a delivery robot system that directly delivers articles to the actual location of an office worker has been proposed. The delivery robot has functions such as avoiding collisions with people and avoiding obstacles. In addition, the delivery robot can move to a designated floor and directly deliver articles to an office worker by cooperating with an elevator or a security door. The delivery robot is expected to be used not only for article delivery but also for various purposes such as leading, guiding, and cleaning.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, an improvement in the QOL (Quality of Life) of office workers is desired.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a control system and a control method for an autonomously traveling robot that can improve the QOL (Quality of Life) of office workers in addition to eliminating unexpected shortages of manpower.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a control system of the present invention is a control system including an autonomous robot, a server device that controls the operation of the robot, and a terminal that requests the robot to provide a service to a user. The robot includes an autonomous travel unit that travels inside the building based on map information of each floor of the building, and a generation unit that generates a fragrance. When the server device receives a request for providing a service to the user from the terminal, the server device includes a robot control unit that causes the robot to travel and execute the service to the user, and a setting unit that sets a fragrance according to the situation of the user and causes the robot to generate the set fragrance when providing the service to the user. The setting unit adjusts the fragrance to be set when providing the next service to the user based on an evaluation of the user with respect to the fragrance generated by the generation unit.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, in addition to eliminating unexpected manual work, it is possible to improve the QOL (Quality of Life) of office workers.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 27

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the control system and control method according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the control system and control method according to the present application are not limited by this embodiment.

[0011] [Embodiment 1] In the following Embodiment 1, the processing flow of the control system and control method according to Embodiment 1 will be described in order, and finally the effects of Embodiment 1 will be described.

[0012] The control system according to Embodiment 1 aims to improve the Quality of Life (QOL) of office workers by having a robot moving within an office provide a scent according to the user's situation when providing services to the user.

[0013] Hereinafter, as Embodiment 1, a system for controlling a robot that delivers an item (for example, food and drink) ordered from a user and provides the item to the user will be described as an example. Note that the robot may be a robot that delivers items to the user, a robot that guides the user, or a robot that patrols.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a control system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the control system 1 includes a robot 30 that autonomously travels, a server device 10 that controls the operation of the robot 30, and a terminal 20 that requests the robot 30 to provide a service to a user (for example, delivery of an article ordered by the user) via an ordering application.

[0015] The robot 30 delivers an article ordered by a user via the terminal 20 to the user by autonomously traveling. The robot 30 includes a sensor unit 30A-1 for detecting an obstacle ahead, a sensor unit 30A-2 for detecting an obstacle on the side, drawer-type boxes 30B-1 and 30B-2 that open and close automatically, a touch panel 30C for operations such as receipt confirmation and settlement processing of articles, a mouth part 30D that outputs a fragrance, and a display 30E that displays and outputs an image.

[0016] When the boxes 30B-1 and 30B-2 approach, for example, the user who placed the order, they automatically perform an opening operation (arrow Y1) so that the articles ordered by the user can be taken out. At this time, the robot 30 generates a fragrance according to the situation of the user and outputs the generated fragrance from the mouth part 30D (arrow Y2).

[0017] The terminal 20 is a smart device such as a smartphone or a tablet, and is a portable terminal device that can communicate with an arbitrary server device 10 via a wireless communication network. The terminal 20 places an order for an article according to a user's operation on the ordering application, and requests a service for the robot 30 to deliver the ordered article to the user. The terminal 20 is equipped with a scheduler and stores the user's schedule. The terminal 20 may have a function of specifying its current position using a positioning system such as GPS (Global Positioning System). Note that the terminal 20 may be an information processing device such as a notebook PC.

[0018] When the server device 10 receives a request for service provision to a user from the terminal 20, it causes the robot 30 to travel and execute service provision to the user. When the server device 10 receives an order and delivery request for an item from the terminal 20, it moves the robot 30 carrying the ordered item to the location where the user of the terminal 20 is located and causes the ordered item to be provided to the user. Then, when providing a service to the user (when providing an item), the server device 10 causes the robot 30 to generate a scent according to the user's situation and output it from the mouth part 30D.

[0019] [Server device] Next, the server device 10 will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 10 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the server device 10 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0020] The communication unit 11 controls communication regarding various information. For example, the communication unit 11 controls communication with the terminal 20. When the communication unit 11 receives an order and delivery of an item from the terminal 20, it transmits control information to the robot 30 to move to the location where the user of the terminal 20 is located and cause the ordered item to be provided to the user. Then, when providing an item to the user, the communication unit 11 transmits control information to the robot 30 to generate a scent according to the user's situation and output it from the mouth part 30D. The communication unit 11 receives information for receipt confirmation of items, payment processing, etc. from the robot 30.

[0021] The storage unit 12 stores data and programs necessary for various processes by the control unit 13. For example, the storage unit 12 is a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 12 includes map information 121, user information 122, a schedule storage unit 123, history information 124, pattern information 125, an image group 126, and a scent setting model 127.

[0022] The map information 121 is pre-acquired information, including the map of each floor of the building, the seat positions of each user, the movement routes of the robot 30 to each user's seat position, the stop positions of the robot 30 corresponding to each user's seat position, and the like.

[0023] The user information 122 includes various information of users registered as service users. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the user information 122 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the user information 122 has a user ID, attribute information, and seat information as items. For example, a user with a user ID of "U1" belongs to the "First Department" and has a seat at "No. 7, Area G, 3rd Floor". The seat positions described in each seat information, together with the stop positions corresponding to the seat positions, are already registered in the map information 121.

[0024] The schedule storage unit 123 stores the schedules of users acquired from the terminal 20 and the schedules of users registered via emails of users describing schedules, destinations, etc. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the schedules stored in the schedule storage unit 123 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the schedule storage unit 123 stores the content of the schedule (for example, a meeting) together with the date and time, location, and content for each user ID of each user.

[0025] The history information 124 includes the history of scents provided to each user, the user's evaluation of the scent, and the facial expression analysis result of the user at the time of scent provision. The facial expression analysis result of the user at the time of scent provision is the analysis result by the image analysis unit 134 (described later).

[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the history information 124 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the history information 124 has a user ID, date and time, scent type, intensity, evaluation, and facial expression analysis result as items.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, for the fragrance "F-1" provided to user "U1" at "June 30 (Thu) 12:50" with a strength of "weak", user "U1" evaluated it as "good", and the result of the facial expression analysis of user "U1" was also recorded as "good" in the history. Also, for the fragrance "F-2" provided to user "U1" at "July 8 (Fri) 12:00" with a strength of "medium", the result of the facial expression analysis of user "U1" was recorded as "not good" in the history.

[0028] Pattern information 125 is information indicating the fragrance provision pattern. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the pattern information 125 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 6, in the pattern information 125, it is divided into the case where the delivery destination of the article is a conference room and the case where it is an individual's seat, and further, according to the content of the meeting or the like, the type of fragrance to be provided is associated. For example, the pattern information 125 has items of pattern, content, and fragrance. In the case of a meeting pattern and the content of the meeting being an employee interview, a relaxing type of fragrance is associated. Also, in the case of an individual pattern and during work, a refreshing type of fragrance is associated.

[0029] The image group 126 is a group of images of the user during service provision captured by the robot 30. The image group 126 is, for example, an image in which the user's face part is captured and is used for facial expression analysis by the image analysis unit 134.

[0030] The fragrance setting model 127 is a model that learns the relationship between the user's schedule, the facial expression of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and / or the user's evaluation of the fragrance generated by the robot 30 and the fragrance. The fragrance setting model 127 may be provided for each user, for example. When the fragrance setting model 127 receives, for example, the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, the pattern information 125, and / or the facial expression analysis result of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 as input, it outputs the type and strength of the fragrance to be provided to the user.

[0031] The control unit 13 has an internal memory for storing programs that define various processing procedures and the required data, and executes various processes based on these. Here, the control unit 13 is an integrated circuit such as an electronic circuit like a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or MPU (Micro Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 13 includes a reception unit 131, a robot control unit 132, an article provision control unit 133, an image analysis unit 134 (analysis unit), a fragrance setting unit 135 (setting unit), and an evaluation reception unit 136.

[0032] The reception unit 131 receives requests for service provision to the user from the terminal 20. For example, the reception unit 131 receives an order for an article and a delivery request for that article from the terminal 20.

[0033] In response to receiving a request for service provision to the user, the robot control unit 132 and the article provision control unit 133 cause the robot 30 to travel and execute service provision to the user.

[0034] The robot control unit 132 moves the robot 30 carrying the ordered article to the location where the user of the terminal 20 is located according to the movement route of the map information 121 and stops it at a stop position corresponding to the user's position. Note that the robot control unit 132 refers to the schedule of the user who placed the order in the schedule storage unit 123 and, if the user is in a meeting, moves the robot 30 to the meeting room registered as the meeting place.

[0035] Then, the article provision control unit 133 moves the article ordered by the user from the article storage to box 30B-1 or box 30B-2 in the robot 30, and by causing the automatic opening operation of box 30B-1 or box 30B-2 when the robot 30 stops, enables the article to be taken out.

[0036] The image analysis unit 134 analyzes the user's expression based on an image in which the user's face captured by the robot 30 is reflected. The image analysis unit 134 analyzes, for example, the user's expression when providing the scent. The image analysis unit 134 may perform analyses such as "good", "bad", "no change", as well as joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, positive, negative, and neutral.

[0037] The scent setting unit 135 sets a scent according to the user's situation, and causes the set scent to be generated when providing a service to the user for the robot 30. The scent setting unit 135 transmits a scent generation instruction including the set scent and its intensity to the robot 30.

[0038] For example, the scent setting unit 135 refers to the history information 124 and sets the type and intensity of the scent that the user of the order source evaluated as "good". At this time, the scent setting unit 135 refers to the provision date and time of the history information 124 and sets the scent evaluated as "good" in the time zone closest to the order time. For example, when the order time is a break time, the scent setting unit 135 sets the scent that the user of the order source evaluated as "good" during the break time among the history information 124. When the order time is business hours, the scent setting unit 135 sets the scent that the user of the order source evaluated as "good" during business hours among the history information 124.

[0039] Also, the scent setting unit 135 refers to the schedule storage unit 123 and sets a scent based on the schedule of the user of the order source. For example, when the user of the order source is at their seat for a break, referring to FIG. 6, a relaxing type of scent is set for this user. Also, when the user of the order source is in a meeting room for a meeting for planning discovery, a refreshing type of scent is set for the user in the meeting room.

[0040] In addition, the fragrance setting unit 135 sets the fragrance according to the user's expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134. For example, the fragrance setting unit 135 sets the type and intensity of the fragrance that was provided when it was analyzed as "good" among the user's expressions when the fragrance was provided previously and before that. Alternatively, the fragrance setting unit 135 may set the fragrance according to the user's expression when the item is provided. For example, if the user's expression when the item is provided is "angry", the fragrance setting unit 135 sets a relaxing type of fragrance.

[0041] In addition, the fragrance setting unit 135 may use the fragrance setting model 127 to set a fragrance according to the user's situation. The fragrance setting unit 135 inputs the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 into the fragrance setting model 127 to obtain the type and strength of the fragrance to be provided to the user.

[0042] The evaluation reception unit 136 adjusts the fragrance to be set when providing the next service to the user based on the user's evaluation of the fragrance generated by the fragrance generation unit 38 (described later) of the robot 30.

[0043] The user's evaluation is input to the robot 30, for example, by the user selecting any one of the icons "good", "ordinary", "bad" displayed on the touch panel of the robot 30. Also, the user's evaluation is input to the robot 30 when the microphone of the robot 30 receives an input of the user's speech such as "good", "ordinary", "bad", etc. Further, the user's evaluation is obtained based on the analysis result of the user's expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 based on the user's image captured by the robot 30 when providing a service to the user.

[0044] The evaluation reception unit 136 registers the user ID, date and time, fragrance type, intensity, evaluation, and expression analysis result in the history information 124. Alternatively, the evaluation reception unit 136 re-adjusts the parameters of the fragrance setting model 127 based on the user's evaluation and the user ID, date and time, fragrance type, intensity, and expression analysis result.

[0045] Further, the control unit 13 may analyze the voice information of the user received by the robot 30. For example, the control unit 13 analyzes whether the user's speech has a smaller voice volume, a worse fluency, or a speech speed slower than a predetermined value compared to the previous speech. And in this case, the scent setting unit 135 may set a relaxing scent. Further, the control unit 13 may perform emotional analysis of the user's voice. When the user is analyzed as being "angry" from the user's voice, the scent setting unit 135 may set a relaxing scent.

[0046] [Robot] Next, the robot 30 will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot 30 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, the robot 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, an input / output unit 34 (input unit, output unit), an imaging unit 35, a robot operation unit 36 (autonomous driving unit), an article providing unit 37, and a scent generating unit 38 (generating unit).

[0047] The communication unit 31 controls communication regarding various information. For example, the communication unit 31 controls the communication performed with the server device 10. The communication unit 31 receives a movement instruction from the server device 10 to the location where the ordering user is located, an instruction to provide the ordered article to the user, and a scent generation instruction. The communication unit 31 transmits an image captured by the imaging unit 35 (described later) and the user's evaluation of the scent input via a touch panel, a microphone, etc. to the server device 10.

[0048] The input / output unit 34 outputs various information and receives input from the user. The input / output unit 34 includes, for example, a liquid crystal screen, a touch panel, a speaker, a microphone, etc. The input / output unit 34 outputs an operation screen for receiving confirmation of receipt of an article, settlement processing, etc., and voice. Further, the input / output unit 34 outputs an operation screen and voice prompting the input of the user's evaluation of the scent, and receives the user's input regarding the scent by receiving an operation on the operation screen or by receiving the input of a statement of the user's evaluation of the scent.

[0049] The storage unit 32 stores data and programs necessary for various processes by the control unit 33. For example, the storage unit 32 is a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 32 has map information 321, an image 322, and evaluation information 323.

[0050] The map information 321 includes maps of each floor of the building, the seat positions of each user, the movement routes of the robot 30 to the seat positions of each user, the stop positions of the robot 30 corresponding to the seat positions of each user, and the like.

[0051] The image 322 is an image of the user at the time of service provision captured by the imaging unit 35 (described later). The evaluation information 323 is information including the user's evaluation of the scent.

[0052] The imaging unit 35 captures images. The imaging unit 35 has, for example, a camera function and a video function realized by an imaging element such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and captures still images and moving images. The imaging unit 35 captures an image of the user so that the user's face is captured.

[0053] The robot operation unit 36 is a mechanism unit that autonomously drives the robot 30. The robot operation unit 36 travels inside the building in cooperation with an elevator and a security door based on the control of the robot operation control unit 332. The robot operation unit 36 moves to the location where the user who placed the order is located while avoiding obstacles based on the obstacle detection results of the sensor units 30A-1 and 30A-2.

[0054] The article providing unit 37 is a mechanism unit that provides the articles ordered by the user to the user. Among the articles to be stored, the ordered articles are transferred to boxes 30B-1 and 30B-2. When the movement of the robot 30 to the location where the user who placed the order is located is completed, the automatic opening operation of boxes 30B-1 and 30B-2 is executed, enabling the user to take out the articles.

[0055] The fragrance generating unit 38 generates a fragrance. The fragrance generating unit 38 holds a plurality of types of fragrances, and according to the control of the fragrance generation control unit 334, opens the lid of the fragrance corresponding to the type of fragrance to be output, and outputs the fragrance from the mouth 30D. The fragrance generating unit 38 adjusts the strength of the output fragrance by adjusting the area for opening the lid of the fragrance.

[0056] The control unit 33 has an internal memory for storing programs and required data that define various processing procedures and the like, and executes various processes based on these. Here, the control unit 33 is an integrated circuit such as an electronic circuit like a CPU, an ASIC, or an FPGA. The control unit 33 includes an imaging control unit 331, a robot operation control unit 332, an article providing control unit 333, a fragrance generating control unit 334, and an evaluation receiving unit 335.

[0057] The imaging control unit 331 controls the imaging process of the imaging unit 35. When providing an article to the user, the imaging control unit 331 causes the imaging unit 35 to image the user so that the user's face is captured.

[0058] When the robot operation control unit 332 receives a movement instruction from the server device 10 to the location where the user who placed the order is located, it moves to the location where the user who placed the order is located according to the movement route in the map information 121 and stops at the stop position corresponding to the user's position.

[0059] When the article provision control unit 333 receives an instruction from the server device 10 to provide the ordered article to the user, it causes the article provision unit 37 to execute the provision of the ordered article to the user. The article provision control unit 333 moves the article ordered by the user from the article storage to box 30B-1 or box 30B-2. Then, when the robot 30 stops, the article provision control unit 333 makes the automatic opening operation of box 30B-1 or box 30B-2 be executed, making it possible to take out the article.

[0060] When the fragrance generation control unit 334 receives a fragrance generation instruction from the server device 10, it causes the fragrance generation unit 38 to generate a fragrance of the type and intensity indicated by the fragrance generation instruction when providing a service to the user. The fragrance generation control unit 334 causes the fragrance generation unit 38 to generate a fragrance of the type and intensity indicated by the fragrance generation instruction by instructing the type of the fragrance agent for opening the lid and instructing the area for opening the lid.

[0061] The evaluation reception unit 335 causes the input / output unit 34 to output an operation screen for prompting the input of the user's evaluation of the fragrance, and transmits the user's evaluation of the fragrance input via the operation of the operation screen to the server device 10. Further, the evaluation reception unit 335 may cause the input / output unit 34 to output a voice for prompting the input of the user's evaluation of the fragrance, convert the speech of the user's evaluation of the fragrance input via the microphone of the input / output unit 34 into text, and transmit it to the server device 10.

[0062] [Control Method] Next, the control process in the control system 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the control process according to the first embodiment.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 8, the server device 10 is requested by the terminal 20 to order and deliver an article (steps S1, S2). Further, the terminal 20 reads out the user's schedule (step S3) and transmits the read schedule to the server device 10 (step S4).

[0064] Server device 10 transmits a movement instruction to robot 30 that stores the ordered items to move to the location where the user placing the order is located in response to an item order and a delivery request from terminal 20 (steps S5, S6).

[0065] In response to the movement instruction from server device 10, robot 30 moves to the location where the user is located according to the movement route in map information 121 (step S7), and stops at a stop position corresponding to the user's position.

[0066] Robot 30 captures an image of the user so that the user's face is captured (step S8), and transmits the image to server device 10 (step S9).

[0067] Server device 10 analyzes the user's expression based on the image captured by robot 30 in which the user's face is captured (step S10).

[0068] Server device 10 reads the scent setting information (step S11). For example, server device 10 reads user information, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and pattern information 125.

[0069] Server device 10 sets a scent according to the user's situation based on the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's expression analysis result analyzed by image analysis unit 134 (step S12). Server device 10 inputs the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's expression analysis result analyzed by image analysis unit 134 into scent setting model 127 to obtain the type and intensity of the scent to be provided to the user. Alternatively, server device 10 may set the type and intensity of the scent to be provided to the user according to a predetermined setting rule with reference to the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's expression analysis result analyzed by image analysis unit 134.

[0070] The server device 10 transmits the set scent generation instruction to the robot 30 when providing a service to the user (step S13). When receiving the scent generation instruction from the server device 10, the robot 30 generates a scent of the type and intensity indicated by the scent generation instruction when providing a service to the user (step S14).

[0071] The server device 10 transmits an instruction to provide the ordered item to the user to the robot 30 (steps S15, S16), and causes the robot 30 to execute the provision of the ordered item (step S17). Note that steps S12 to S14 and steps S15 to S17 can be carried out in parallel.

[0072] The robot 30 captures an image of the user so that the user's face is captured (step S18), and transmits the image to the server device 10 (step S19).

[0073] The robot 30 receives an input of the user's evaluation of the scent (step S20), and transmits it to the server device 10 (step S21).

[0074] Based on the transmitted evaluation, the user ID, the date and time, the type of the scent, the intensity, and the facial expression analysis result, the server device 10 re-adjusts the parameters of the scent setting model 127 (step S22). Further, the server device 10 updates the history information 124 based on the transmitted evaluation.

[0075] [Effect of Embodiment 1] As described above, according to Embodiment 1, when the robot 30 moving within the office provides an item to the user, by providing a scent according to the situation of this user, it is possible to improve the QOL of office workers.

[0076] In Embodiment 1, since the server device 10 sets a scent according to the situation of the user based on the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the facial expression analysis result of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, it is possible to provide a scent suitable for the user.

[0077] In Embodiment 1, the server device 10 uses the fragrance setting model 127 that has learned the relationship between the user's schedule, the user's facial expressions analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and / or the user's evaluation of the fragrance and the fragrance, to set a fragrance according to the user's situation, and thus can provide a fragrance suitable for the user.

[0078] In Embodiment 1, the server device 10 can provide a fragrance more suitable for the user at the next provision by feeding back the user's evaluation of the fragrance generated by the robot 30.

[0079] [Embodiment 2] The control system according to Embodiment 2 aims to improve the QOL of office workers by having a robot moving within an office provide voice of music according to the user's situation when providing a service to the user. The control system according to Embodiment 2 has a terminal 20, a robot 230, and a server device 210, similar to the control system according to Embodiment 1.

[0080] FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device according to Embodiment 2. As shown in FIG. 9, the server device 210 according to Embodiment 2 has a control unit 213 instead of the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2.

[0081] The storage unit 12 has history information 2124, pattern information 2125, and a music setting model 2127.

[0082] The history information 2124 includes the history of music provided to each user, the user's evaluation of the music, and the result of the user's facial expression analysis when the music is provided. The result of the user's facial expression analysis when the music is provided is the result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134.

[0083] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the history information 2124 shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the history information 2124 has items such as user ID, date and time, music identification information, audio output intensity, evaluation, and facial expression analysis result. As shown in FIG. 10, for the music "M-1" provided to the user "U1" at "weak" intensity at "12:50 on June 30 (Thursday)", the evaluation is "good", and the facial expression analysis result of the user "U1" is also recorded as "good" in the history. Also, for the music "M-2" provided to the user "U1" at "medium" intensity at "12:00 on July 8 (Friday)", the facial expression analysis result of the user "U1" is recorded as "not good" in the history.

[0084] The pattern information 2125 is information indicating the music providing pattern. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the pattern information 2125 shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 11, in the pattern information 2125, it is divided into the case where the delivery destination of the item is a conference room and the case where it is an individual's seat, and further, according to the content of a meeting or the like, the type of music to be provided is associated. For example, the pattern information 2125 has items of pattern, content, and music. In the case of a meeting pattern and the content of the meeting being an employee interview, music belonging to healing music is associated. Also, in the case of an individual pattern and during a break, music belonging to healing music is associated.

[0085] The music setting model 2127 is a model that learns the relationship between the user's schedule, the user's facial expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and / or the user's evaluation of the music output by the robot 230 (described later) and the music. The music setting model 2127 may be provided for each user, for example. When the music setting model 2127 receives, for example, a user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, the pattern information 2125, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 as input, it outputs the type of music to be provided to the user and the strength of the audio output intensity.

[0086] The control unit 213 has the same functions as the control unit 13. Compared with the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 213 has a music setting unit 2135 (setting unit) and an evaluation receiving unit 2136 instead of the scent setting unit 135 and the evaluation receiving unit 136.

[0087] The music setting unit 2135 sets a music according to the user's situation, and causes the robot 230 to output the voice of the set music when providing service to the user. The music setting unit 2135 transmits a music output instruction including the set music and the output intensity of the voice of the music to the robot 230. The music setting unit 2135 may transmit, as the music output instruction, information indicating the identification information of the music to be output and its voice output intensity to the robot 230, or may transmit information indicating the voice information of the music to be output and its output intensity to the robot 230.

[0088] For example, the music setting unit 2135 refers to the history information 2124 and sets the music and the output intensity that the user of the order source evaluated as "good". At this time, the music setting unit 2135 refers to the provision date and time of the history information 2124, and sets the music evaluated as "good" in the time zone closest to the order time. For example, when the order time is a break time, the music setting unit 2135 sets the music that the user of the order source evaluated as "good" during the break time among the history information 2124. When the order time is business hours, the music setting unit 2135 sets the music that the user of the order source evaluated as "good" during business hours among the history information 2124.

[0089] In addition, the music setting unit 2135 refers to the schedule storage unit 123 and sets music based on the schedule of the user of the order source. For example, when the user of the order source is at his / her desk for personal business, referring to FIG. 11, healing music is set for this user. Also, when the user of the order source is in the meeting room for an employee interview, healing music is set for the users in the meeting room.

[0090] In addition, the music setting unit 2135 sets the output intensity of the music and its audio according to the user's expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134. For example, the music setting unit 2135 sets the music and the output intensity provided when it was analyzed as "good" among the user's expressions when the music was provided previously and before that. Alternatively, the music setting unit 2135 may set the music according to the user's expression at the time of article provision. For example, if the user's expression at the time of article provision is "angry", the music setting unit 2135 sets healing music.

[0091] In addition, the music setting unit 2135 may use the music setting model 2127 to set music according to the user's situation. The music setting unit 2135 inputs the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 into the music setting model 2127 to obtain the music and the output intensity to be provided to the user.

[0092] The evaluation reception unit 2136 adjusts the music to be set when providing the next service to the user based on the user's evaluation of the music output by the input / output unit 34 of the robot 230.

[0093] The user's evaluation is input to the robot 230, for example, by the user selecting any one of the icons of "good", "ordinary", and "bad" displayed on the touch panel of the robot 230. In addition, the user's evaluation is input to the robot 230 by the microphone of the robot 230 receiving the input of the user's speech such as "good", "ordinary", and "bad". In addition, the user's evaluation is obtained based on the analysis result of the user's expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 based on the image of the user captured by the robot 230 when providing the service to the user.

[0094] The evaluation reception unit 2136 registers the user ID, date and time, music, intensity, evaluation, and expression analysis result in the history information 2124. Alternatively, the evaluation reception unit 2136 re-adjusts the parameters of the music setting model 2127 based on the user's evaluation, the user ID, date and time, music type, intensity, and expression analysis result.

[0095] In addition, the control unit 213 may analyze the voice information of the user received by the robot 230. For example, the control unit 213 analyzes whether the user's speech has a lower voice volume, worse fluency, or a speech speed slower than a predetermined value compared to the previous speech. And in this case, the music setting unit 2135 may be configured to set healing music. In addition, the control unit 213 may perform emotional analysis of the user's voice. When the user is analyzed as being "angry" from the user's voice, the music setting unit 2135 may be configured to set healing music. When it is analyzed that the user is "angry" from the user's voice, the music setting unit 2135 may be configured to set healing music.

[0096] [Robot] Next, the robot 230 according to Embodiment 2 will be described. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot 230 according to Embodiment 2. As shown in FIG. 12, the robot 230 has a configuration in which the fragrance generating unit 38 is deleted compared to the robot 30 shown in FIG. 7. And the robot 230 has a control unit 233 instead of the control unit 33.

[0097] The storage unit 32 has music information 2324 including voice information of a plurality of music to be provided to the user. The music information 2324 is acquired in advance or transmitted from the server device 210 and registered by being classified into categories such as healing music and symphonies.

[0098] The control unit 233 has the same functions as the control unit 13. The control unit 233 has a music output control unit 2334.

[0099] When the music output control unit 2334 receives a music output instruction from the server device 210, it causes the input / output unit 34 to output the voice of the music instructed by the music output instruction at the instructed output intensity when providing a service to the user.

[0100] The evaluation reception unit 2335 causes the input / output unit 34 to output an operation screen for prompting the input of a user's evaluation of a music piece, and transmits the user's evaluation of the music piece, which is input via the operation of the operation screen, to the server device 210. Further, the evaluation reception unit 2335 may cause the input / output unit 34 to output a voice for prompting the input of a user's evaluation of a music piece, convert the speech of the user's evaluation of the music piece, which is input via the microphone of the input / output unit 34, into text, and transmit it to the server device 210.

[0101] [Control method] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the control process according to Embodiment 2. Steps S31 to S40 shown in FIG. 13 are the same processes as steps S1 to S10 shown in FIG. 8.

[0102] The server device 210 reads out the setting information for the music piece (step S41). For example, the server device 210 reads out user information, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and pattern information 2125.

[0103] The server device 210 sets a music piece according to the user's situation based on the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 (step S42). The server device 210 inputs the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 into the music piece setting model 2127 to obtain the music piece to be provided to the user and the output intensity of the voice. Alternatively, the server device 210 may refer to the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and set the music piece to be provided to the user and the output intensity of the voice according to a predetermined setting rule.

[0104] The server device 210 transmits the set music output instruction to the robot 230 when providing a service to the user (step S43). When receiving the music output instruction from the server device 210, the robot 230 outputs the voice of the music indicated in the music output instruction at the intensity indicated by the music output instruction when providing a service to the user (step S44).

[0105] Steps S45 to S49 shown in FIG. 13 are the same processing as steps S15 to S19 shown in FIG. 8.

[0106] The robot 230 receives an input of the user's evaluation of the music (step S50) and transmits it to the server device 210 (step S51).

[0107] Based on the transmitted user evaluation, user ID, date and time, music, voice output intensity, and facial expression analysis result, the server device 210 re-adjusts the parameters of the music setting model 2127 (step S52). Also, the server device 210 updates the history information 2124 based on the transmitted evaluation.

[0108] [Effect of Embodiment 2] As described above, according to Embodiment 2, when the robot 230 moving within the office provides an article to the user, by providing music according to the situation of this user, it is possible to improve the QOL of office workers.

[0109] In Embodiment 2, the server device 210 sets music according to the user's situation based on the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the facial expression analysis result of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, so that music suitable for the user can be provided.

[0110] In addition, in Embodiment 2, the server device 210 uses the music setting model 2127 that has learned the relationship between the user's schedule, the user's facial expressions analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and / or the user's evaluation of the music and the music, to set music according to the user's situation, and thus can provide music suitable for the user.

[0111] In addition, in Embodiment 2, the server device 210 can provide music that is even more suitable for the user at the next provision by feeding back the user's evaluation of the music output by the robot 230.

[0112] [Embodiment 3] The control system according to Embodiment 3 aims to improve the QOL of office workers by having a robot moving within the office provide an image according to the user's situation when providing a service to the user. The control system according to Embodiment 3 has a terminal 20, a robot 330, and a server device 310, similar to the control system according to Embodiment 1.

[0113] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device according to Embodiment 3. As shown in FIG. 14, the server device 310 according to Embodiment 3 has a control unit 313 instead of the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2.

[0114] The storage unit 12 has history information 3124, pattern information 3125, and an image setting model 3127.

[0115] The history information 3124 includes the history of images provided to each user, the user's evaluation of the images, and the result of the user's facial expression analysis at the time of image provision. The result of the user's facial expression analysis at the time of image provision is the analysis result by the image analysis unit 134.

[0116] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the history information 3124 shown in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 15, the history information 3124 includes user ID, date and time, identification information of the image, evaluation, facial expression so It has analysis results as items. As shown in FIG. 15, for the image "G-1" provided by the user "U1" at "6 / 30 (Thu) 12:50", the evaluation is "good", and the facial expression analysis result of the user "U1" is also recorded as "good" in the history. Also, for the image "G-2" provided to the user "U1" at "7 / 8 (Fri) 12:00", the facial expression analysis result of the user "U1" is recorded as "not good" in the history.

[0117] The pattern information 3125 is information indicating the image providing pattern. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the pattern information 3125 shown in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 16, in the pattern information 3125, it is divided into the case where the delivery destination of the article is a conference room and the case where it is an individual's seat, and further, according to the content of a meeting or the like, the type of the image to be provided is associated. For example, the pattern information 3125 has items of pattern, content, and image. In the case of a meeting pattern and the content of the meeting being an employee interview, an image showing "grassland" is associated. Also, in the case of an individual pattern and during a break, an image showing "dog" is associated.

[0118] The image setting model 3127 is a model that learns the relationship between the user's schedule, the user's facial expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and / or the user's evaluation of the image output by the robot 330 (described later) and the image. The image setting model 3127 may be provided for each user, for example. When the image setting model 3127 receives, for example, a user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, the pattern information 3125, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 as input, it outputs information indicating the image to be provided to the user.

[0119] The control unit 313 has the same functions as the control unit 13. Compared with the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 313 has an image setting unit 3135 (setting unit) and an evaluation reception unit 3136 instead of the fragrance setting unit 135 and the evaluation reception unit 136.

[0120] The image setting unit 3135 sets an image according to the user's situation, and causes the robot 330 to output the set image when providing services to the user. The image setting unit 3135 sends an image output instruction of the set image to the robot 330. The image setting unit 3135 may send the identification information of the image to be output and the information instructing the output to the robot 330 as the image output instruction, or may send the image information to be output and the information instructing the output to the robot 330.

[0121] For example, the image setting unit 3135 refers to the history information 3124 and sets an image that the user of the order source has evaluated as "good". At this time, the image setting unit 3135 refers to the provision date and time of the history information 3124, and sets an image that has been evaluated as "good" in the time zone closest to the order time. For example, if the order time is a break time, the image setting unit 3135 sets an image that the user of the order source has evaluated as "good" during the break time among the history information 3124. When the order time is business hours, the image setting unit 3135 sets an image that the user of the order source has evaluated as "good" during business hours among the history information 3124.

[0122] In addition, the image setting unit 3135 refers to the schedule storage unit 123 and sets an image based on the schedule of the user of the order source. For example, when the user of the order source is at their desk for personal business, referring to FIG. 16, an image showing a "lake" is set for this user. When the user of the order source is in a meeting room for an employee interview, referring to FIG. 16, an image showing a "grassland" is set for the user in the meeting room.

[0123] In addition, the image setting unit 3135 sets an image according to the expression of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134. For example, the image setting unit 3135 sets an image that was provided when the expression of the user was analyzed as "good" among the expressions of the user when the image was provided previously and before that. Or the image setting unit 3135 may set an image according to the expression of the user at the time of article provision. For example, if the expression of the user at the time of article provision is "angry", the image setting unit 3135 sets an image showing a "lake".

[0124] Further, the image setting unit 3135 may set an image according to the user's situation using the image setting model 3127. The image setting unit 3135 inputs the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the facial expression analysis result of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 into the image setting model 3127 to obtain an image to be provided to the user.

[0125] The evaluation reception unit 3136 adjusts the image to be set when providing the next service to the user based on the user's evaluation of the image output by the input / output unit 34 of the robot 330.

[0126] The user's evaluation is input to the robot 330, for example, when the user selects one of the icons of "good", "normal", and "bad" displayed on the touch panel of the robot 330. Also, the user's evaluation is input to the robot 330 when the microphone of the robot 330 receives the input of the user's speech such as "good", "normal", and "bad". Further, the user's evaluation is obtained based on the analysis result of the facial expression of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 based on the image of the user captured by the robot 330 when providing the service to the user.

[0127] The evaluation reception unit 3136 registers the user ID, date and time, image, evaluation, and facial expression analysis result in the history information 3124. Alternatively, the evaluation reception unit 3136 re-adjusts the parameters of the image setting model 3127 based on the user's evaluation, the user ID, date and time, image type, and facial expression analysis result.

[0128] Further, the control unit 313 may analyze the voice information of the user received by the robot 330. For example, the control unit 313 analyzes whether the user's speech has a smaller voice volume, worse fluency, or a speech speed slower than a predetermined value compared to the previous speech. And in this case, the image setting unit 3135 may set an image in which "dog" appears. Also, the control unit 313 may perform emotional analysis of the user's voice. When the user is analyzed as being "angry" from the user's voice, the image setting unit 3135 may set an image in which "lake" appears.

[0129] [Robot] Next, the robot 330 according to Embodiment 3 will be described. FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot 330 according to Embodiment 3. As shown in FIG. 17, the robot 330 has a configuration in which the fragrance generation unit 38 is deleted compared to the robot 30 shown in FIG. 7. And the robot 330 has a control unit 3331 instead of the control unit 33.

[0130] The storage unit 32 has an output image 3324 including a plurality of images to be provided to the user. Each image of the output image 3324 is acquired in advance or transmitted from the server device 310, and subjects such as "grassland", "mountain", "lake", "dog", etc. are labeled and registered.

[0131] The control unit 3331 has the same functions as the control unit 13. The control unit 3331 has an image output control unit 3334.

[0132] When receiving an image output instruction from the server device 310, the image output control unit 3334 causes the input / output unit 34 to output the image instructed by the image output instruction when providing a service to the user. The image output control unit 3334 outputs the image instructed by the image output instruction to, for example, the display 30E.

[0133] The evaluation reception unit 3335 causes the input / output unit 34 to output an operation screen for prompting the input of a user's evaluation of an image, and transmits the user's evaluation of the image, which is input via the operation of the operation screen, to the server device 310. Further, the evaluation reception unit 3335 may cause the input / output unit 34 to output a voice for prompting the input of a user's evaluation of an image, convert the speech of the user's evaluation of the image, which is input via the microphone of the input / output unit 34, into text, and transmit it to the server device 310.

[0134] [Control Method] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the control process according to Embodiment 3. Steps S61 to S70 shown in FIG. 18 are the same processes as Steps S1 to S10 shown in FIG. 8.

[0135] The server device 310 reads the setting information for the image (step S71). For example, the server device 310 reads user information, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and pattern information 3125.

[0136] The server device 310 sets an image according to the user's situation based on the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 (step S72). The server device 310 inputs the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 into the image setting model 3127 to obtain information indicating the image to be provided to the user. Alternatively, the server device 310 may set the image to be provided to the user according to a predetermined setting rule with reference to the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134.

[0137] The server device 310 transmits the set image output instruction to the robot 330 when providing a service to the user (step S73). When receiving the image output instruction from the server device 310, the robot 330 outputs the image instructed in the image output instruction when providing a service to the user (step S74).

[0138] Steps S75 to S79 shown in FIG. 18 are the same processes as steps S15 to S19 shown in FIG. 8.

[0139] The robot 330 receives the input of the user's evaluation of the image (step S80) and transmits it to the server device 310 (step S81).

[0140] Based on the transmitted user evaluation, user ID, date and time, image, and facial expression analysis result, the server device 310 re-adjusts the parameters of the image setting model 3127 (step S82). Also, the server device 310 updates the history information 3124 based on the transmitted evaluation.

[0141] [Effects of Embodiment 3] As described above, according to Embodiment 3, when the robot 330 moving within the office provides an article to the user, by providing an image according to the situation of this user, it is possible to improve the QOL of office workers.

[0142] In Embodiment 3, the server device 310 sets an image according to the user's situation based on the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, so that an image suitable for the user can be provided.

[0143] Also, in Embodiment 3, the server device 310 uses the image setting model 3127 that has learned the relationship between the user's schedule, the user's facial expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and / or the user's evaluation of the image and the image to set an image according to the user's situation, so that an image suitable for the user can be provided.

[0144] In Embodiment 3, the server device 310 can provide an image more suitable for the user at the next time of provision by feeding back the user's evaluation of the image output by the robot 330.

[0145] [Embodiment 4] The control system according to Embodiment 4 improves the QOL of office workers by providing scent, music voice, and / or images according to the user's situation when a robot moving within an office provides services to the user. The control system according to Embodiment 4 has a terminal 20, a robot 430, and a server device 410, similar to the control system according to Embodiment 1.

[0146] FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device according to Embodiment 4. As shown in FIG. 19, the server device 410 according to Embodiment 4 has a control unit 413 instead of the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2.

[0147] The storage unit 12 has history information 4124, pattern information 4125, and an output setting model 4127.

[0148] The history information 4124 includes the history of scent, music, and / or images provided to each user, the user's evaluation of the scent, music, and / or images, and the result of facial expression analysis of the user at the time of providing the scent, music, and / or images. The result of facial expression analysis of the user at the time of providing the scent, music, and / or images is the result of analysis by the image analysis unit 134.

[0149] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the history information 4124 shown in FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 20, the history information 4124 has user ID, date and time, scent type, music identification information, image identification information, evaluation, and facial expression analysis result as items.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 20, for the combination of scent "F-1", music "M-1", and image "G-1" provided to user "U1" at "6 / 30 (Thu) 12:50", the user "U1" evaluated it as "good", and the result of the facial expression analysis of user "U1" was also recorded as "good" in the history. Also, for the combination of scent "F-2", music "M-2", and image "G-2" provided to user "U1" at "7 / 8 (Fri) 12:00", the result of the facial expression analysis of user "U1" was recorded as "bad" in the history.

[0151] Pattern information 4125 is information indicating the provision pattern of scent, music, and / or image. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of the pattern information 4125 shown in FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 21, in the pattern information 4125, it is divided into the case where the delivery destination of the item is a conference room and the case where it is an individual's seat. Further, according to the content of the meeting or the like, the scent, music, and / or image to be provided are associated.

[0152] For example, the pattern information 4125 has items of pattern, content, scent, music, and image. In the case of a meeting pattern and the content of the meeting being an employee interview, a relaxing scent, music belonging to healing music, and an image showing "grassland" are associated. Also, in the case of an individual pattern and during work, a refreshing scent and an image showing "lake" are associated.

[0153] The output setting model 4127 is a model that learns the relationship between at least one of the user's schedule, the user's facial expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, the user's evaluation of the scent, music voice, and / or image output by the robot 430 (described later), and the scent, music, and / or image. The output setting model 4127 may be provided for each user, for example. When the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, the pattern information 4125, and / or the facial expression analysis result of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 are input to the output setting model 4127, it outputs the scent, music, and / or image to be provided to the user, or a combination thereof.

[0154] The control unit 413 has the same functions as the control unit 13. Compared with the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 413 has an output setting unit 4135 (setting unit) and an evaluation reception unit 4136 in place of the scent setting unit 135 and the evaluation reception unit 136.

[0155] The output setting unit 4135 sets scents, music, and / or images according to the user's situation, and causes the robot 430 to output the set scents, music voices, and / or images when providing services to the user. The output setting unit 4135 transmits an output instruction including the type of the set scent, music, and / or image, and the intensity of the scent, the output intensity of the music voice to the robot 430.

[0156] The output setting unit 4135 may transmit, as an output instruction, the type of the scent to be output, the intensity of the scent, the identification information of the music, the output intensity of its voice, and the identification information of the image, and the information for instructing the output to the robot 430. Further, the output setting unit 4135 may transmit the type of the scent to be output, the intensity of the scent, the voice information of the music to be output, the output intensity thereof, and the image information, and the information for instructing the output to the robot 430.

[0157] For example, the output setting unit 4135 refers to the history information 4124 and sets scents, music, and / or images that the user of the order source has evaluated as "good". At this time, the output setting unit 4135 refers to the provision date and time of the history information 4124, and sets scents, music, and / or images that have been evaluated as "good" in the time zone closest to the order time. For example, when the order time is a break time, the output setting unit 4135 sets scents, music, and / or images that the user of the order source has evaluated as "good" during the break time among the history information 4124. When the order time is business hours, the output setting unit 4135 sets scents, music, and / or images that the user of the order source has evaluated as "good" during business hours among the history information 4124.

[0158] In addition, the output setting unit 4135 refers to the schedule storage unit 123 and sets scents, music, and / or images based on the schedule of the user who placed the order. For example, when the user who placed the order is at their desk for personal work, referring to FIG. 21, for this user, a relaxing scent, healing music, and an image depicting a "lake" are set. Also, when the user who placed the order is in a meeting room for an employee interview, for the user in the meeting room, a relaxing scent, healing music, and an image depicting a "grassland" are set.

[0159] In addition, the output setting unit 4135 sets scents, music, and / or images according to the expression of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134. For example, the output setting unit 4135 sets the scents, music, and / or images provided when it was analyzed as "good" among the expressions of the user when scents, music, and / or images were provided previously and before that. Alternatively, the output setting unit 4135 may set scents, music, and / or images according to the expression of the user at the time of item provision. For example, if the expression of the user at the time of item provision is "angry", the output setting unit 4135 sets a relaxing scent, healing music, and an image depicting a "lake". to be set.

[0160] In addition, the output setting unit 4135 may use the output setting model 4127 to set scents, music, and / or images according to the situation of the user. The output setting unit 4135 inputs the user ID, the schedule of the user, the history information of the user, and / or the expression analysis result of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 into the output setting model 4127 to obtain the scents, music, and / or images to be provided to the user, and the output intensity of the voices of the scents and music.

[0161] The evaluation reception unit 4136 adjusts the scents, music, and / or images to be set when providing the next service to the user based on the evaluation of the user for the scents, music, and / or images output by the input / output unit 34 of the robot 430.

[0162] The user's evaluation is input to the robot 430, for example, by the user selecting one of the icons "Good", "Normal", or "Bad" displayed on the touch panel of the robot 430. Also, the user's evaluation is input to the robot 430 when the microphone of the robot 430 receives the input of the user's speech such as "Good", "Normal", or "Bad". Further, the user's evaluation is obtained based on the analysis result of the user's expression by the image analysis unit 134 based on the image of the user captured by the robot 430 when providing a service to the user.

[0163] The evaluation reception unit 4136 registers the user ID, date and time, type of fragrance, identification information of the music, identification information of the image, evaluation, and expression analysis result in the history information 4124. Alternatively, the evaluation reception unit 4136 re-adjusts the parameters of the output setting model 4127 based on the user's evaluation, the user ID, date and time, type of fragrance, and / or identification information of the image, and the expression analysis result.

[0164] Also, the control unit 413 may analyze the voice information of the user received by the robot 430. For example, the control unit 413 analyzes whether the user's speech is quieter in volume, has a poor fluency, or is slower than a predetermined speed compared to the previous speech. And in this case, the output setting unit 4135 may set a relaxing type of fragrance, healing music, and an image showing "dog". Also, the control unit 413 may perform emotional analysis of the user's voice. When the user is analyzed as being "angry" from the user's voice, the output setting unit 4135 may set a relaxing type of fragrance, healing music, and an image showing "lake".

[0165] [Robot] Next, the robot 430 according to Embodiment 4 will be described. FIG. 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the robot 430 according to Embodiment 4. As shown in FIG. 22, the robot 430 has a control unit 433 instead of the control unit 33 as compared with the robot 30 shown in FIG. 7. The storage unit 32 has music information 2324 and output images 3324.

[0166] The control unit 433 has the same functions as the control unit 13. The control unit 433 has a music output control unit 2334, an image output control unit 3334, and an evaluation reception unit 4335.

[0167] The evaluation reception unit 4335 causes the input / output unit 34 to output an operation screen for prompting the input of the user's evaluation of the scent generated by the scent generation unit 38, the sound of the music output by the input / output unit 34, and / or the image output by the input / output unit 34. Then, the evaluation reception unit 4335 transmits the user's evaluation of the scent generated by the scent generation unit 38, the sound of the music output by the input / output unit 34, and / or the image output by the input / output unit 34, which is input via the operation of the operation screen, to the server device 410.

[0168] In addition, the evaluation reception unit 4335 causes the input / output unit 34 to output a voice for prompting the input of the user's evaluation of the scent generated by the scent generation unit 38, the sound of the music output by the input / output unit 34, and / or the image output by the input / output unit 34. Then, the evaluation reception unit 4335 may convert the speech of the user's evaluation of the scent generated by the scent generation unit 38, the sound of the music output by the input / output unit 34, and / or the image output by the input / output unit 34, which is input via the microphone of the input / output unit 34, into text and transmit it to the server device 410.

[0169] [Control Method] FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the control process according to Embodiment 4. Steps S91 to S100 shown in FIG. 23 are the same processes as steps S1 to S10 shown in FIG. 8.

[0170] The server device 410 reads the setting information for the image (step S101). For example, the server device 410 reads user information, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and pattern information 4125.

[0171] Based on the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, the server device 410 sets the fragrance, music, and / or image according to the user's situation (step S102). The server device 410 inputs the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 into the output setting model 4127 to obtain information indicating the fragrance, music, and / or image to be provided to the user. Alternatively, the server device 410 may refer to the user ID, the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the user's facial expression analysis result analyzed by the image analysis unit 134 and set the fragrance, music, and / or image to be provided to the user according to a predetermined setting rule.

[0172] When providing services to the user, the server device 410 transmits the set output instruction to the robot 430 (step S103). When receiving the output instruction from the server device 410, the robot 430 outputs the fragrance, the voice of the music, and / or the image indicated in the output instruction when providing services to the user (step S104).

[0173] Steps S105 to S109 shown in FIG. 23 are the same processes as steps S15 to S19 shown in FIG. 8.

[0174] The robot 430 accepts the input of the user's evaluation of the fragrance, the voice of the music, and / or the image output by the robot 430 (step S110) and transmits it to the server device 410 (step S111).

[0175] The server device 410 re-adjusts the parameters of the output setting model 4127 based on the transmitted user evaluation, user ID, date and time, image, and facial expression analysis result (step S112). Further, the server device 410 updates the history information 4124 based on the transmitted evaluation.

[0176] [Effects of Embodiment 4] As described above, according to Embodiment 4, when the robot 430 moving within the office provides an item to the user, by providing a scent, music voice, and / or an image according to the situation of this user, it is possible to improve the QOL of office workers.

[0177] In Embodiment 4, the server device 410 determines the user's situation based on the user's schedule, the user's history information, and / or the facial expression analysis result of the user analyzed by the image analysis unit 134. In order to set a scent, music, and / or an image according to the situation, it is possible to provide a scent, music voice, and / or an image suitable for the user.

[0178] Also, in Embodiment 4, the server device 410 uses the output setting model 4127 that has learned the relationship between at least one of the user's schedule, the user's facial expression analyzed by the image analysis unit 134, and the user's evaluation of the scent, music voice, and / or image output by the robot 430, and the scent, music, and / or image, to set a scent, music, and / or image according to the user's situation, so that an image suitable for the user can be provided.

[0179] Also, in Embodiment 4, the server device 410 can provide a scent, music voice, and / or an image that is more suitable for the user at the next time of provision by feeding back the user's evaluation of the scent, music voice, and / or image output by the robot 430.

[0180] [Modification Example] By causing another server device to execute the movement control of robots 30, 230, 330, 430 and the output control of scents, music voices, and / or images by the robots 30, 230, 330, 430, it is possible to easily add scent, music voice, and / or image output functions and their controls. Hereinafter, the control of the robot 30 that generates scents will be described as an example.

[0181] FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration of the control system according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 24, the control system 1A includes a server device 10A that performs movement control of the robot 30 and a scent providing server device 10B that controls the generation of scents of the robot 30.

[0182] FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the scent providing server device 10B shown in FIG. 24. The scent providing server device 10B includes a communication unit 11B, a storage unit 12B, and a control unit 13B. The communication unit 11B, the storage unit 12B, and the control unit 13B have the same functions as the communication unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the control unit 13 shown in FIG. 2. The control unit 13B includes an image analysis unit 134, a scent setting unit 135, and an evaluation reception unit 136.

[0183] Further, compared with the server device 10 shown in FIG. 2, the server device 10A includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12 having map information 121 and user information 122, and a control unit 13 having a reception unit 131, a robot control unit 132, and an article providing control unit 133.

[0184] FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the control process according to the modification of Embodiment 1.

[0185] The server device 10A is requested to order and deliver an article from the terminal 20 (steps S121, S122). Further, the terminal 20 reads out the user's schedule (step S123) and transmits the read schedule to the server device 10A (step S124).

[0186] Server device 10A transmits a movement instruction to robot 30 that stores the ordered items to move to the location where the user placing the order is located in response to an item order and delivery request from terminal 20 (steps S125, S126). Steps S127 and S130 in FIG. 26 are the same processes as steps S7 and S8 in FIG. 8.

[0187] Server device 10A transmits a fragrance setting instruction to fragrance providing server device 10B to instruct the setting of the fragrance (steps S128, S129). Fragrance providing server device 10B receives the fragrance setting instruction, receives the image captured by robot 30 (step S131), and analyzes the user's expression (step S132). Fragrance providing server device 10B reads out the information for fragrance setting (step S133), sets a fragrance according to the user's situation (step S134), and transmits a fragrance generation instruction to robot 30, in the same manner as steps S11 to S13 shown in FIG. 8 (step S135).

[0188] Steps S136 to S140 shown in FIG. 26 are the same processes as steps S14 to S18 shown in FIG. 8. Robot 30 transmits the captured user image to fragrance providing server device 10B (step S141).

[0189] Robot 30 accepts the input of the user's evaluation of the fragrance (step S142) and transmits it to fragrance providing server device 10B (step S143). Fragrance providing server device 10B re-adjusts the parameters of fragrance setting model 127 based on the transmitted evaluation, the user ID, the date and time, the type of fragrance, the intensity, and the expression analysis result (step S144). Also, fragrance providing server device 10B updates history information 124 based on the transmitted evaluation.

[0190]

[0191] [System configuration, etc.] ​Moreover, each component of each illustrated device is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figures. That is, the specific form of the distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figures, and all or part of it can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various loads, usage situations, etc. Furthermore, each processing function performed by each device can be realized in whole or in any part by a CPU, a GPU, and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU and the GPU, or can be realized as hardware by wired logic.

[0192] Also, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being automatically performed can be manually performed, or all or part of the processes described as being manually performed can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, regarding the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings, they can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

[0193] [Program] Also, it is possible to create a program that describes the processes executed by the constituent devices of the control systems 1 and 1A described in the above embodiment in a computer-executable language. For example, it is possible to create a program that describes the processes executed by the constituent devices of the control systems 1 and 1A in the embodiment in a computer-executable language. In this case, by having a computer execute the program, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained. Furthermore, such a program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the same processes as in the above embodiment can be realized by having the computer read and execute the program recorded on this recording medium.

[0194] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a computer that executes a program. As illustrated in FIG. 27, computer 1000 has, for example, a memory 1010, a CPU 1020, a hard disk drive interface 1030, a disk drive interface 1040, a serial port interface 1050, a video adapter 1060, and a network interface 1070, and these components are connected by a bus 1080.

[0195] Memory 1010 includes, as illustrated in FIG. 27, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and a RAM 1012. ROM 1011 stores, for example, a boot program such as BIOS (Basic Input Output System). Hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to hard disk drive 1090 as illustrated in FIG. 27. Disk drive interface 1040 is connected to disk drive 1100. A removable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk is inserted into disk drive 1100. Serial port interface 1050 is connected to, for example, a mouse 1110 and a keyboard 1120. Video adapter 1060 is connected to, for example, a display 1130.

[0196] Here, as illustrated in FIG. 27, hard disk drive 1090 stores, for example, an OS 1091, an application program 1092, a program module 1093, and program data 1094. That is, the above program is stored, for example, in hard disk drive 1090 as a program module in which instructions to be executed by computer 1000 are described.

[0197] In addition, the various types of data described in the above embodiments are stored as program data in, for example, the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090. Then, the CPU 1020 reads out the program modules 1093 and program data 1094 stored in the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090 into the RAM 1012 as necessary and executes various processing procedures.

[0198] Note that the program modules 1093 and program data 1094 related to the program are not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1090, and may be stored in, for example, a removable storage medium and read out by the CPU 1020 via a disk drive or the like. Alternatively, the program modules 1093 and program data 1094 related to the program may be stored in another computer connected via a network (such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network)) and read out by the CPU 1020 via the network interface 1070.

[0199] The above embodiments and their modifications are included in the invention described in the claims and the scope equivalent thereto, in the same way as the technology disclosed in the present application.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0200] 1, 1A Control system 10, 10A, 210, 310, 410 Server device 10B Aroma providing server device 11, 11B, 31 Communication unit 12, 12B, 32 Storage unit 13, 13B, 33, 213, 233, 313, 3331, 413, 433 Control unit 20 Terminal 30, 230, 330, 430 Robot 34 Input / output unit 35 Imaging unit 36 Robot operation unit 37 Article providing unit 38 Aroma generating unit 121,321 Map Information 122 User Information 123 Schedule Memory Unit 124,2124,3124,4124 History Information 125,2125,3125,4125 Pattern Information 126 Image Group 127 Scent Setting Model 131 Reception Unit 132 Robot Control Unit 133 Article Provision Control Unit 134 Image Analysis Unit 135 Scent Setting Unit 136,335,2136,2335,3136,3335,4136,4335 Evaluation Reception Unit 322 Image 323 Evaluation Information 331 Imaging Control Unit 332 Robot Motion Control Unit 333 Article Provision Control Unit 334 Scent Generation Control Unit 2127 Music Setting Model 2135 Music Setting Unit 2324 Music Information 2334 Music Output Control Unit 3127 Image Setting Model 3135 Image Setting Unit 3324 Output Image 3334 Image Output Control Unit 4127 Output Setting Model 4135 Output Setting Unit

Claims

1. A control system having an autonomously moving robot, a server device that controls the operation of the robot, and a terminal that requests the robot to provide a service to a user, wherein the robot has an autonomous traveling unit that travels inside the building based on map information of each floor of the building, and a generating unit that generates a scent, and the server device has a robot control unit that, when receiving a request for providing a service from the terminal to the user, causes the robot to travel and execute the provision of the service to the user, and a setting unit that sets a scent according to the situation of the user and causes the set scent to be generated by the robot when providing a service to the user, and the setting unit refers to history information including the time when the scent was generated in the past, the type of the scent generated at the time of service provision, and the user's evaluation of the scent generated at the time of service provision, and sets the type of the scent that was generated when a service provision request was received in the past in the time zone closest to the time when the service provision request was received by the robot control unit and for which the user's evaluation was good, characterized in that it is a control system.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the scent based on the schedule of the user.

3. The robot further has an imaging unit that captures an image, and the server device further has an analysis unit that analyzes the expression of the user based on the image of the user captured by the robot when providing a service to the user, and the control system according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets the scent according to the expression of the user analyzed by the analysis unit.

4. The robot further has an imaging unit that captures an image, and the server device further has an analysis unit that analyzes the expression of the user based on the image of the user captured by the robot when providing a service to the user, and the setting unit uses a model that has learned the relationship between the schedule of the user, the expression of the user analyzed by the analysis unit, and / or the user's evaluation of the scent generated by the generating unit and the scent, to set a scent according to the situation of the user, characterized in that it is a control system according to claim 1.

5. A control method executed by a control system having a robot that autonomously travels, a server device that controls the operation of the robot, and a terminal that requests service provision to a user by the robot, comprising: a step in which the robot travels inside the building based on map information of each floor of the building; a step in which, when the server device receives a request for service provision to the user from the terminal, the server device causes the robot to travel and execute service provision to the user; a step in which the server device sets a scent according to the situation of the user and causes the robot to generate the set scent when providing service to the user; a step in which the robot generates the scent set in the generating step; including: In the step of generating the scent, referring to history information including the time when the scent was generated in the past, the type of scent generated at the time of service provision, and the user's evaluation of the scent generated at the time of service provision, and the scent generated when a service provision request was received in the past in the time zone closest to the time when the service provision request was received in the step of executing the service provision, and setting the type of scent for which the user's evaluation was good; A control method characterized by the above.

Images