Robot Collection System

Abstract

To enable effective collection work or proper collection management of collection objects by modifying a work schedule according to a condition of the collection objects on a field.SOLUTION: A robot collection system includes a work robot that autonomously travels on a field. The work robot collects collection objects on the field while autonomously travelling. The robot collection system includes: a management unit that manages a work schedule of the work robot. The management unit acquires information on a quantity of the collection objects on the field, and modifies an existing work schedule on the basis of the information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a robotic collection system. [Background technology]

[0002] A robot collection system is a system that travels autonomously on a field and automatically collects objects (collection targets) scattered on the field. One known example is a robotic ball picker that automatically collects balls hit at golf courses and driving ranges (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-151083 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional robot collection systems perform collection work according to a preset work schedule. Therefore, even when there are few items to be collected in the field, work must be performed according to the preset schedule, which poses a problem of inefficient collection work, considering factors such as battery consumption of the autonomously moving work robot. Conversely, even when there are many items to be collected in the field, work must be performed according to the preset schedule, which poses a problem of inefficient collection management of the items to be collected.

[0005] The present invention was proposed to address these problems. Specifically, the objective of the present invention is to carry out efficient collection work and appropriate collection management by changing the work schedule according to the condition of the collection objects in the field. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve such problems, the present invention has the following configuration. Equipped with a work robot that can move autonomously on the field, was abandoned The work robot autonomously travels and collects items in the field. and can be used for exposed concrete. a management unit that manages the work schedules of the work robots, the management unit managing the work of the work robots based on an existing work schedule in which a ratio of standby time to work time is defined and a work start time after the standby time has ended is defined, and changing the ongoing work time to standby time based on collected information acquired after work has started based on the existing work schedule if the collected information does not satisfy the conditions for continuing the work. and when it is determined that the available collection objects are in short supply, changing the existing work schedule so as to reduce the frequency of putting the work robot into a standby state. A robot collection system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] A robot collection system with these characteristics can perform efficient collection work and appropriate collection management by changing the work schedule of the work robot depending on the condition of the collection items present in the field. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement state of a robot collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the equipment configuration of a robot collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the system configuration of a robot collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a control unit of the robot collection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an existing work schedule in the robot collection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a management unit of the robot collection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a management unit of the robot collection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a management unit of the robot collection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a management unit of the robot collection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a processing flow of a management unit of the robot collection system according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings denote parts with the same functions, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the robot collection system 1 is installed on a field F and collects collection objects (e.g., balls) O scattered on the field F. The field F here is a work area where collection work for the collection objects is carried out. The surface of the field F may be any type, such as grass, artificial turf, ground, or carpet.

[0011] The robot collection system 1 includes a work robot 10 that travels autonomously on a field F. As the work robot 10 travels autonomously on the field, it picks up and collects collection objects O that are on its travel path. Here, as an example of an embodiment, the robot collection system 1 sets the work area of ​​the autonomously traveling work robot 10 as a virtual area based on position information, so that the system recognizes the field F as a virtual area based on the position information. The work area does not have to be a virtual area, and may be set using beacons, markers, or the like.

[0012] In the example shown in Figure 1, the entire field F is divided into multiple fields F1, F2, and F3, and a work robot 10 is deployed in each of the fields F1, F2, and F3. In the example shown, the field F is divided into multiple fields, but a single or multiple work robots 10 may be installed in one field F. Furthermore, the multiple work robots 10 may not only perform the task of collecting collection items O, but may also include a work robot that travels autonomously and performs other tasks (for example, maintenance work for the field F, such as mowing the lawn).

[0013] Around the field F (F1, F2, F3), waiting areas 20 are provided where the work robots 10 wait. As an example, these waiting areas 20 serve as charging stations where the batteries installed in the electric work robots 10 are charged. The waiting areas 20 also serve as discharge areas where the collection objects O collected inside the work robots 10 are discharged. Alternatively, the waiting areas 20 may be specific locations set by the manager of the work robots or the work robots themselves. In the example shown, the waiting areas 20 are located outside the field F, but the waiting areas 20 may also be located within the field F. In the example shown, each of the multiple waiting areas 20 is provided with a discharge area, and the discharge areas are connected by a transport path T for the collection objects O, which extends to the management facility M adjacent to the field F.

[0014] If the management facility M is, for example, a golf driving range, it is provided with a plurality of hitting stations where balls, which are collection objects O, are hit towards a field F, and is provided with a supply device that supplies the collection objects O collected in the transport flow path T to each hitting station. The management facility M is able to grasp the usage status of the collection objects O, for example, from the amount of collection objects O supplied to each hitting station and the amount of collection objects collected.

[0015] 2 shows an example of the equipment configuration of the robot collection device 1. The working robot 10 is equipped with a traveling unit 11 having wheels and the like for traveling on a field F, a working unit (picker) 12 that picks up and collects collection objects O on the field F, a storage unit (storage tank) 13 that stores the collection objects O collected by the working unit 12, a control unit (CPU) 10A that controls the operation of a traveling drive unit (motor) 11A that drives the traveling unit 11 and a work drive unit (motor) 12A that drives the working unit 12, and a battery 14 that serves as the power source for the working robot 10.

[0016] The running unit 11 is equipped with left and right running wheels, and by controlling the running drive unit 11A which drives each running wheel independently, the work robot 10 is able to move forward and backward, turn left and right, and steer in any direction.

[0017] The working unit 12 is equipped with a mechanism for picking up collection objects O on the field F and storing them in the storage unit 13, and one or both of the working unit 12 and the storage unit 13 is provided with a weighing unit 15 for weighing the amount of collection objects O collected. The weighing unit 15 may be a counter that counts the number of collection objects O picked up by the working unit 12, a weighing device that measures the number or weight of the collection objects O stored in the storage unit 13, or a load measuring device that measures the workload of the working unit 12. The information measured by the weighing unit 15 is input to the control unit 10A.

[0018] The work robot 10 also has a position detection unit 16 for autonomous driving. The position detection unit 16 may be, for example, a GNSS sensor that receives radio signals transmitted from satellites 100 in a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as GPS, or a receiving device that receives radio signals transmitted from beacons or the like placed in or around the field F. There may be multiple position detection units 16. The work robot 10 autonomously drives by inputting the position detected by the position detection unit 16 into the control unit 10A, which then controls the driving unit 11A so that the detected position coincides with the position of a set driving route, or so that the detected position is within a set area.

[0019] The work robot 10 is equipped with a communication unit 17 that sends and receives information to and from other devices as necessary. One of the devices with which the work robot 10 sends and receives information via the communication unit 17 is the management device 30 installed in the management facility M described above, and another device with other work robots 10 when multiple work robots 10 are deployed in the field F. When images of the field F are taken using a multicopter 200 or the like, information about the captured image is received by the communication unit 17. Information received by the communication unit 17 is input to the control unit 10A, and information output by the control unit 10A is transmitted to the other device by the communication unit 17. Note that if the control unit 10A of the work robot 10 performs control processing independently, the communication unit 17 can be omitted.

[0020] Furthermore, the work robot 10 is equipped with a camera 18 as needed. The camera 18 acquires images of the field F, and information about the images captured by the camera 18 is input to the control unit 10A. The images captured by the camera 18 make it possible to ascertain the scattering of the collection objects O on the field F, the surface condition of the field F, and the like.

[0021] The management device 30 provided in the management facility M is a computer deployed in the management facility M or a server connected to a network, and manages the usage status of the collection objects O at the management facility M. The usage status of the collection objects O can be managed by the total amount of collection objects O managed, the amount of collection objects O supplied to each batting station, and the amount of collected collection objects recovered.

[0022] The management device 30 is equipped with a communication unit 31 that transmits and receives information to and from the communication unit 17 of the work robot 10. When images of the field F are acquired using the multicopter 200, the communication unit 31 can receive the acquired image information. Furthermore, when a camera 32 is installed in the management facility M to acquire images of the field F, the acquired images are sent to the management device 30 directly or via the communication unit 31.

[0023] 3 shows an example of the system configuration of the robot collection system 1. As described above, the control unit 10A of the working robot 10 sends and receives information via the communication unit 17, and the control unit (CPU) 30A of the management device 30 sends and receives information via the communication unit 31. In addition, a control unit (CPU) 20A is also provided in the waiting area 20 as needed, and this control unit 20A also sends and receives information via the communication unit 21.

[0024] The control unit 10A of the work robot 10 and the control unit 30A of the management device 30 are communicatively connected via the communication unit 17 and the communication unit 31, the control unit 10A of the work robot 10 and the control unit 20A of the waiting area 20 are communicatively connected via the communication unit 17 and the communication unit 21, and the control unit 20A of the waiting area 20 and the control unit 30A of the management device 30 are communicatively connected via the communication unit 21 and the communication unit 31. The communication connections between the communication units 17, 21, and 31 may be direct connections or connections via a network. The communication connection method may be any method, such as wireless or wired.

[0025] Control units 10A, 20A, 30A each include a timekeeping unit 50, 51, 52 such as a real-time clock that keeps track of time and outputs the time, and also include memories 60, 61, 62 that store information and programs. Control units 10A, 20A, 30A are integrated to form a single control unit U through mutual information exchange, and the functions of one of control units 10A, 20A, 30A can be substituted by the other control units 10A, 20A, 30A.

[0026] The control unit 10A of the working robot 10 receives work instruction information (information such as the existing work schedule, work area, and travel route) from the setting input unit 19, information about the amount of collected collection objects O from the weighing unit 15, information about the current position of the working robot 10 from the position detection unit 16, image information of the field F from the camera 18, and information about the remaining battery charge from the battery 14. Then, based on this input information, the control unit 10A controls the travel drive unit 11A and the work drive unit 12A to cause the working robot 10 to perform work according to the input work instruction information.

[0027] A control unit 20A provided in the waiting area 20 receives charging progress information from a charging device 22 that charges the battery 14 of the working robot 10. The control unit 20A also receives information regarding the collected amount of collection objects O discharged at the discharge location of the waiting area 20 from a collection amount measurement unit 23 provided in the waiting area 20. The collection amount measurement unit 23 measures the number and weight of collection objects O discharged from the working robot 10 that has returned to the waiting area 20.

[0028] The control unit 30A of the management device 30 receives input of work instruction information (information on the existing work schedule, work area, travel route, etc.) and management facility M information (information on business hours, user, location of use, supply amount of collection objects O, management facility events and their times, etc.) from the setting input unit 34, and receives input of information on the amount of collection objects collected at the management facility M from the collection amount measurement unit 33 installed at the management facility M, and receives input of image information on the field F from the camera 32. The collection amount measurement unit 33 here measures the number and weight of the collection objects O collected at the management facility M through the transport flow path T.

[0029] 4, the control performed by the control unit U (10A, 20A, 30A) of the robot working system 1 comprises a travel operation control unit P1 that controls the autonomous travel of the travel unit 11 (travel drive unit 11A), a work operation control unit P2 that controls the operation of the working unit 12 (work drive unit 12A), and a management unit P3 that manages the work schedule of the working robot 10. The travel operation control unit P1, work operation control unit P2, and management unit P3 here are programs that control the operation of the CPU of the control unit U (10A, 20A, 30A).

[0030] An example of the control processing of the management unit P3 will be described in detail below. The basic processing of the management unit P3 acquires information regarding the amount of collection objects O on the field F, and modifies the existing work schedule based on this information. Information regarding the amount of collection objects O on the field F can be acquired by appropriately selecting and combining information from the aforementioned weighing unit 15, information from the collection amount measurement units 23, 33, management facility M information from the setting input unit 34, image information from the cameras 18, 32 and camera-equipped multicopter 200, position information from the position detection unit 16, time information measured by the timing units 50, 51, 52, information obtained from past collection work stored in memories 60, 61, 62, etc.

[0031] The basic processing of the management unit P3 is to increase the frequency with which the work robot 10 is put into standby mode (increase the standby time) when it determines that the efficiency of the collection work is low based on information about the amount of collection objects O on the field F. Conversely, when it determines that there is a shortage of usable collection objects O based on information about the amount of collection objects O on the field F, it decreases the frequency with which the work robot 10 is put into standby mode (increase the work time).

[0032] As shown in FIG. 5, the existing work schedule set and input into the control unit U (10A, 20A, 30A) is set, for example, for both business hours and non-business hours of one day (24 hours), with work and standby times set according to the specified times. In the example shown, work is set to continue for 2 to 3 hours, followed by a 1-hour charging period (standby time), and the entire field F (F1, F2, F3) is worked for a total of 6 hours, including the first and second work outside of business hours, and the third to fifth work during business hours are each set to work on parts of the area where collection items O are concentrated. In this example, the ratio of standby time to work time is 12 / 12.

[0033] A specific processing flow of management unit P3 will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 6, processing "starts" at the start of work time in the existing work schedule. Then, the work robot 10 is caused to travel and perform collection work (step S01), and collection information is acquired accordingly (step S02). The collection information here is, for example, the collected amount (number or weight) of collection objects O weighed by weighing unit 15, and this collection information is continuously weighed until the set condition is met (step S03: NO).

[0034] The conditions for this can be set by the user through the setting input units 19, 34 based on experience, or the control unit 10A of the work robot 10 or the control unit 30A of the management device 30 can automatically set the conditions based on past information stored in memories 60, 62.

[0035] One example of the aforementioned condition is "time." The amount of collected information is measured from the start of work until a set time has elapsed. Another example of the aforementioned condition is "route." The amount of collected information is measured from the start of work until work is completed along a set route. Another example of the aforementioned condition is "distance." The amount of collected information is measured from the start of work until work is completed within a set distance. Another example of the aforementioned condition is "area." The amount of collected information is measured from the start of work until work is completed within a set area.

[0036] If the above-mentioned condition is met (step S03: YES), the integrated value of the collected information acquired in the loop where step S03 is NO is compared with a threshold value (step S04), and it is determined whether or not to continue the work (step S05). That is, if the collected information exceeds the threshold value, the work continues (step S05: YES), but if the collected information does not exceed the threshold value, the work does not continue (step S05: NO), the work robot 10 is moved to the standby location 20 (step S06), and the existing work schedule is changed to include a standby time (step S07).

[0037] 6, the collection information may be set to "time" and the condition may be set to "amount of collection." In this case, the time required to collect the amount of collection set as the condition is measured as the collection information, and the time is compared with a threshold to determine whether to continue the work (step S05).

[0038] If the work is to be continued in step S05 (step S05: YES), steps S01 to S04 will be repeated (step S08: NO) until the work is completed (step S08: YES), and when a predetermined condition is met, a decision is made as to whether to continue the work.

[0039] According to this, the collection information is compared under constant conditions at all times within the work time set in the existing work schedule, and if it is determined that the amount of collection target items O in the field is small, the standby state is selected at that point, which enables efficient collection work and prevents the work robot 10 from running unnecessarily.

[0040] Next, an example of the processing flow shown in FIG. 7 will be described. In this example, a reference collection task is set in advance. The reference collection task is selected from tasks within a set time, tasks along a set route, tasks within a set distance, tasks within a set area, etc. In this example, the start of the work time in the existing work schedule is the "start" of the processing, the above-mentioned reference collection task is executed (step S10), and collection information (e.g., the amount collected by the weighing unit 15) is acquired until the reference collection task is completed (steps S11 and S12: NO).

[0041] When the reference collection work is completed (step S12: YES), the collected information is compared with a threshold value (step S13), as in the example shown in Fig. 6, and a decision is made as to whether or not to change the existing work schedule (step S14). If the existing work schedule is to be changed (step S14: YES), the robot 10 is moved to the standby location 20 (step S15), and the existing work schedule is changed to a standby time (step S16). If the existing work schedule is not to be changed (step S14: NO), work is carried out according to the existing schedule until completion (steps S17 and S18).

[0042] According to this, a reference collection task is performed before work is performed on the existing work schedule, and a decision is made at that stage as to whether or not to continue with the existing work schedule. Therefore, by appropriately setting the reference collection task, efficient collection work becomes possible, and deterioration of the field F due to unnecessary travel by the work robot 10 can be prevented.

[0043] The processing flow of the management unit P3 described above determines whether to change the existing work schedule after the work robot 10 has performed collection work, but the following example allows the work robot 10 to determine whether to change the existing work schedule before performing collection work.

[0044] In the example shown in Figure 8, processing is "started" before the start time of the work in the existing work schedule, and field information is acquired (step S20). The field information here may be an image of the field F taken by the camera 18 mounted on the work robot 10, an image of the field F taken by the camera 32 installed in the management facility M, an image of the field F taken by the camera mounted on the multicopter 200, or a satellite image of the field F. This field information can be converted into information regarding the amount of collection target items O on the field F by performing image processing, and based on this information, a decision is made as to whether or not to change the existing work schedule (step S21).

[0045] If it is determined that the existing work schedule should be changed, a schedule change is made, such as changing the work time to a waiting time (step S22), and if it is not determined that a change should be made, the existing work schedule is continued (step S23).

[0046] 9, processing is "started" before the work start time of the existing work schedule, and collection target management information is acquired (step S30). The collection target management information here is information generated by the management device 30 of the management facility M, and can be expressed, for example, as the ratio of the amount of collected collection targets O to the total amount of collection targets O managed by the management facility M. If this ratio is high, there are many collected collection targets O, so the amount of collection targets O on the field is inevitably small, and if this ratio is low, the amount of collection targets O on the field is inevitably large.

[0047] Based on this information, a decision is made as to whether or not to change the existing work schedule (step S31). If it is determined that the existing work schedule should be changed, a schedule change is implemented, such as changing work time to standby time (step S32). If it is not determined that a change is necessary, the existing work schedule is continued (step S33).

[0048] In the example shown in Figure 10, a decision is made as to whether to change the existing work schedule based on past collection information. When the work robot 10 collects collection objects O on the field F, the position information and time information of the collected collection objects O are stored in memory 60 of the control unit 10A, and as the work robot 10 continues to perform collection work, past collection information such as when and where the collection objects O scattered on the field were located is successively stored in memory 60.

[0049] The example shown in Fig. 10 can be applied when changing an existing work schedule for one day, as shown in Fig. 5, or when changing an existing work schedule for one week or one month, or when changing an existing work schedule set for each season of the year. In this case, before executing the existing work schedule to be changed, the process is "started" and past collected information is obtained (step S40).

[0050] Then, based on this information, a decision is made as to whether or not to change the existing work schedule (step S41). If it is determined that the existing work schedule should be changed, a schedule change is implemented, such as changing the ratio of waiting time to work time (step S42). If it is not determined that a change is necessary, the existing work schedule is continued (step S43).

[0051] More specifically, when targeting an existing work schedule for one day, past collection information for the same day of the week as today or past collection information for the same date as today is acquired, and information regarding the amount of collection target O on the field for today is predicted. Then, based on this prediction information, for example, if it is a day when it is predicted that the amount of collection target O on the field will be low, the schedule is changed to increase the ratio of standby time / work time in the existing work schedule (increase the frequency of standby), and conversely, if it is a day when it is predicted that the amount of collection target O on the field will be high, the schedule is changed to decrease the ratio of standby time / work time in the existing work schedule (increase the work time).

[0052] As described above, the robot collection system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention changes the work schedule of the work robot 10 according to the current or past state of the collection objects O present on the field F. This enables efficient collection work, such as reducing battery consumption of the work robot 10, when there are few collection objects on the field, and reduces unnecessary travel on the field, thereby suppressing damage to the field surface. When there are many collection objects on the field, collection work can be appropriately increased, enabling appropriate recovery management of the collection objects.

[0053] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in their purposes, configurations, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1: Robot collection system, 10: Work robot, 10A, 20A, 30A, U: Control unit, 11: Traveling unit, 11A: Traveling drive unit, 12: Working unit, 12A: Working drive unit, 13: Storage unit, 14: Battery, 15: Measuring unit, 16: Position detection unit, 17, 21, 31: Communication unit, 18, 32: Camera, 19, 34: Setting input unit, 20: Waiting area, 22: Charging device, 23, 33: Collection amount measuring unit, 30: Management device, 50, 51, 52: Timekeeping unit, 60, 61, 62: Memory, 100: Satellite, 200: Multicopter, P1: Traveling operation control unit, P2: Work operation control unit, P3: Management unit, F, F1, F2, F3: Field, O: Collection object, T: Transport channel, M: Management facility

Claims

1. A robot collection system comprising a work robot that travels autonomously on a field, and the work robot collects collection objects on an exposed concrete field while traveling autonomously, and makes the objects usable for the exposed concrete field, a management unit that manages a work schedule for the work robot; The management unit managing the work of the work robot based on an existing work schedule in which the ratio of standby time to work time is determined and the work start time after the end of the standby time is determined; If the collected information obtained after the start of work based on the existing work schedule does not satisfy the conditions for continuing the work, the system changes the ongoing work time to a standby time, and if it is determined that the available collection objects are in short supply, changes the existing work schedule so as to reduce the frequency of putting the work robot into a standby state. A robot collection system.

2. The collection information is the time from the start of work to the collection of the set collection amount. The robotic collection system of claim 1 .

3. The collected information is the amount of collected information when working on a set time, distance, route, or area from the start of work. The robotic collection system of claim 1 .

4. The management unit Modifying the schedule by changing the ratio of waiting time to working time based on advance information acquired before starting work based on the existing work schedule.

2. The robotic collection system of claim 1.

5. The prior information is a ratio of the amount of collected collection objects to the total amount of collection objects. The robotic collection system of claim 4.

6. The prior information is information predicted from collected information acquired in the past. The robotic collection system of claim 4.

7. The prior information is information obtained by photographing an image of a field. The robotic collection system of claim 4.

Images