Monitoring system, monitoring method and program

Abstract

To provide a monitoring system capable of moving a mobile body to a position suitable for checking the status of the facility, regardless of the specifications of map information of the mobile body, while eliminating the need to set the position information of the facility to be monitored for abnormalities in the mobile body. [Solution] The monitoring system includes a first memory unit that stores map information for the interior of a building, a mobile unit control unit that controls the movement of mobile units based on the map information stored in the first memory unit, a beacon terminal that is installed at a position corresponding to equipment and transmits a beacon signal including equipment identification information that can uniquely identify the equipment, a second memory unit that stores the equipment identification information of the equipment in association with the coordinate point of the nearest facility in the map information stored in the first memory unit, and a transmission unit that transmits the coordinate point of the nearest facility and the equipment identification information of the equipment stored in the second memory unit to the mobile unit control unit. The mobile unit control unit moves the mobile units based on the coordinate point of the nearest facility and the beacon signal including the equipment identification information of the equipment.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] A known monitoring system includes a mobile robot that patrols a facility to be monitored, a control device for the mobile robot installed in the facility to be monitored, and a remote monitoring center, where the control device is capable of communicating with the mobile robot and the monitoring center, and the mobile robot is equipped with a moving means, an imaging unit that takes images, a memory unit that stores a predetermined image monitoring position in the facility to be monitored, and a moving control unit that controls the moving means to move the mobile robot to the image monitoring position when it receives a facility security signal from the control device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-148795 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in a monitoring system such as that shown in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to input image monitoring position information into each robot in advance, which is time-consuming. Furthermore, different robot manufacturers, specifications, etc. may use different map information, such as different resolutions. Depending on the specifications of the map information, it may not be possible to properly and accurately display the image monitoring position. In such cases, it may be necessary to reset the image monitoring position according to the specifications of the map information, which may require additional time, or it may not be possible to properly and accurately move the robot to the image monitoring position.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve such problems, and its purpose is to provide a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a program that can eliminate the need to set facility location information for each mobile object, and that can reliably move a mobile object to a position suitable for checking the status of the facility, regardless of the map information specifications, even for mobile objects that use map information with various different specifications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A monitoring system according to the present disclosure is a monitoring system for monitoring the status of equipment within a building, the monitoring system including: a first storage unit that stores map information for the interior of the building; a mobile unit control unit that controls movement of a mobile unit that can move within the building based on the map information stored in the first storage unit; a beacon terminal that is installed at a position corresponding to the equipment and that transmits a beacon signal including equipment identification information that can uniquely identify the corresponding equipment; a second storage unit that stores the equipment identification information of the equipment in association with a coordinate point nearest to the equipment in the map information stored in the first storage unit; Anomaly detection equipment Regarding the above, the corresponding Anomaly detection The coordinates of the nearest facility and the Anomaly detection a transmitting unit that transmits the facility identification information of the facility to the mobile object control unit; a route determination unit that determines a route of the moving object to a coordinate point closest to the anomaly detection equipment based on the map information stored in the first storage unit; and The body , the above When the device moves along a moving route determined by a route determination unit and receives the beacon signal while moving along the moving route, the device compares the equipment identification information included in the beacon signal with the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment, and if the two match, the device moves according to the guidance of the beacon signal. do.

[0007] A monitoring method according to the present disclosure is a monitoring method for monitoring the status of equipment within a building, the monitoring method including: a first storage step for storing map information within the building; a second storage step for storing equipment identification information capable of uniquely identifying the equipment in association with a coordinate point nearest to the equipment in the map information stored in the first storage step; an information acquisition step for acquiring, for an abnormality detection equipment in which an abnormality has been detected, the coordinate point nearest to the abnormality detection equipment stored in the second storage step and the equipment identification information of the abnormality detection equipment; a route determination step for determining, based on the map information stored in the first storage step, a movement route for a mobile object capable of moving within the building to the coordinate point nearest to the anomaly detection equipment acquired in the information acquisition step; and a first mobile object control step for moving the mobile object along the movement route determined in the route determination step. The information is transmitted from a beacon terminal installed at a position corresponding to the facility, and includes the facility identification information of the facility corresponding to the beacon terminal. Beacon signal , during movement along the movement path When the beacon signal is received, the equipment identification information contained in the beacon signal is compared with the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment, and if the two match, a second mobile object control step is provided for moving the mobile object in accordance with the guidance of the beacon signal.

[0008] The program according to the present disclosure is for causing a computer in a monitoring system to execute the above-described monitoring method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The monitoring system, monitoring method, and program disclosed herein have the advantage of eliminating the need to set equipment location information for each mobile body, and also making it possible to reliably move a mobile body to a position suitable for checking the status of the equipment, regardless of the specifications of the map information, even for mobile bodies that use map information with various different specifications. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a monitoring system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of a modified example of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of a modified example of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration that realizes the functions of the main parts of the monitoring system according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Embodiments of a monitoring system, a monitoring method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are appropriately simplified or omitted. For convenience, the following description may express the positional relationship of each structure based on the illustrated state. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and any combination of the embodiments, any modification of any component of each embodiment, or any omission of any component of each embodiment are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0012] Embodiment 1 A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a monitoring system. Fig. 2 is a diagram explaining an example of the operation of the monitoring system. Figs. 3 and 4 are each a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the monitoring system. Figs. 5 and 6 are each a sequence diagram showing the operation of a modified example of the monitoring system. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration that realizes the functions of the main parts of the monitoring system.

[0013] The monitoring system according to the present disclosure is a system for monitoring the status of equipment within a building. As shown in Fig. 1, the monitoring system according to this embodiment includes a central monitoring system 110, a robot control unit 120, a robot 130, and a robot guidance unit 140. The central monitoring system 110 is a system that performs the central function of monitoring the status of monitored equipment 160 within a building 100.

[0014] The monitored equipment 160 is, for example, equipment such as an air conditioner, a power receiving and transforming equipment, or a water supply pump. An equipment ID is assigned in advance to each monitored equipment 160. Specifically, for example, a BACnet object ID can be used as the equipment ID. The equipment ID is an example of equipment identification information that can uniquely identify the monitored equipment 160.

[0015] 1, the central monitoring system 110 includes an equipment monitoring unit 111 and an equipment location information storage unit 112. The equipment monitoring unit 111 is communicably connected to each monitored equipment 160 via an equipment monitoring controller 150. The equipment monitoring controller 150 and the monitored equipment 160 communicate with each other via wire, for example. The equipment monitoring controller 150 detects an abnormality, such as a failure, of the monitored equipment 160 and reports it to the central monitoring system 110.

[0016] The notification signal from the equipment monitoring controller 150 includes the equipment ID of the monitored equipment 160 in which an abnormality has been detected. The equipment monitoring unit 111 monitors the state of the monitored equipment 160. More specifically, the equipment monitoring unit 111 monitors whether or not there has been a notification from the equipment monitoring controller 150 that an abnormality has been detected in the monitored equipment 160.

[0017] The equipment location information storage unit 112 stores in advance information relating to the location of each monitored equipment 160 within the building 100. In this case, for example, the equipment location information storage unit 112 stores the equipment ID, i.e., equipment identification information, of each monitored equipment 160 and the location information of the monitored equipment 160 in association with each other.

[0018] The robot 130 is a mobile object that can move within a building, i.e., the building 100. Note that the mobile object is not limited to the robot 130 that moves on the floor surface, but may also be, for example, a flying drone. The robot 130 is capable of communicating with the robot control unit 120. The robot control unit 120 is also capable of communicating with the central monitoring system 110. The robot control unit 120 is provided in, for example, a robot management server installed within the building 100.

[0019] The robot control unit 120 controls the operation of the robot 130 inside the building 100. The robot control unit 120 transmits a control signal to the robot 130. The robot 130 receives the control signal transmitted from the robot control unit 120 and operates in accordance with the received control signal. Note that the control of the robot 130 by the robot control unit 120 is mainly supervisory. The robot 130 can move autonomously under the control of the robot control unit 120.

[0020] The robot 130 includes a map storage unit 131, a route determination unit 132, an image acquisition unit 133, and a signal receiving unit 134. The map storage unit 131 stores in advance map information of the inside of the building 100 so that the robot 130 can patrol the inside of the building 100. The map storage unit 131 is an example of a first storage unit that stores map information of the inside of the building 100, which is a structure.

[0021] The control signal transmitted from the robot control unit 120 includes, for example, information specifying the destination of the robot 130. The route determination unit 132 determines a route along which the robot 130 will move to the destination specified by the control signal. The robot 130 then autonomously moves to the destination along the route determined by the route determination unit 132. The robot control unit 120 and the route determination unit 132 are an example of a mobile object control unit that controls the movement of the robot 130, which can move within the building 100, based on map information stored in a map storage unit 131, which is a first storage unit.

[0022] The image acquisition unit 133 is a camera that captures and acquires images of the surroundings of the robot 130. The images acquired by the image acquisition unit 133 may be still images or moving images. The signal receiving unit 134 is a unit that receives a beacon signal transmitted from the robot guiding unit 140, which is a beacon terminal described later.

[0023] The maintenance worker 1 carries a terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 is a portable information processing device such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a laptop PC. The terminal device 20 is capable of communicating with the robot 130. The terminal device 20 can display images acquired by an image acquisition unit 133 of the robot 130. The terminal device 20 and the robot 130 may communicate directly or via another device such as the robot control unit 120. When the terminal device 20 and the robot 130 communicate via the robot control unit 120, the robot 130 transmits images of the surroundings of the robot 130 acquired (photographed) by the image acquisition unit 133 to the robot control unit 120. The robot control unit 120 may include a storage unit that stores and accumulates images transmitted from the robot 130. The robot control unit 120 transmits images captured by the robot 130 to the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 displays the received images. The maintenance worker 1 can then check the images captured by the robot 130 on the terminal device 20.

[0024] The robot 130 may transmit an image captured by a camera, which is the image acquisition unit 133, to a designated destination. The terminal device 20 is an example of a destination designated in this manner. The designated destination is not limited to the terminal device 20 of the maintenance worker 1. For example, a terminal device installed in a monitor's room or the like in the building 100 may be designated as the destination, or a terminal device installed in a monitoring center or the like in a location different from the building 100 may be designated as the destination.

[0025] Furthermore, the image capturing by the image acquiring unit 133 (camera) of the robot 130 may be remotely controlled. In this case, for example, a remote control application may be installed in the terminal device 20 of the maintenance staff 1, a terminal device installed in a monitor's room or the like in the building 100, or a terminal device installed in a monitoring center or the like outside the building 100, and the image capturing operation by the image acquiring unit 133 (camera) of the robot 130 may be instructed from the application. Alternatively, the aforementioned robot management server may be accessed from the terminal device 20 of the maintenance staff 1, and the image capturing operation by the image acquiring unit 133 (camera) of the robot 130 may be instructed via the robot control unit 120 of the robot management server.

[0026] The robot guiding unit 140 is a beacon terminal that transmits a beacon signal. The robot guiding unit 140 is installed in a position within the building 100 corresponding to each monitored facility 160. The beacon signal contains the facility ID, i.e., facility identification information, described above. The facility identification information contained in the beacon signal transmitted by the robot guiding unit 140 identifies the monitored facility 160 corresponding to the robot guiding unit 140. The robot guiding unit 140 transmits a beacon signal so as to guide the robot 130 to the monitored facility 160 corresponding to the robot guiding unit 140.

[0027] The beacon signal transmitted by the robot guiding unit 140 may further include information regarding the relative position of the monitored facility 160 corresponding to the robot guiding unit 140 and the robot guiding unit 140. In this way, the beacon signal transmitted by the robot guiding unit 140 can more accurately guide the robot 130 to the monitored facility 160.

[0028] In the monitoring system according to this embodiment, the facility location information storage unit 112 stores the nearest coordinate point in the map information stored in the map storage unit 131 as the location information of the monitored facility 160. That is, the facility location information storage unit 112 is an example of a second storage unit that stores, for each monitored facility 160, the nearest coordinate point in the map information stored in the map storage unit 131, which is a first storage unit, and the facility identification information of the monitored facility 160 in association with each other.

[0029] The operation of the monitoring system configured as above when an abnormality is detected in the monitored equipment 160 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. First, as described above, for each monitored equipment 160, the nearest coordinate point in the map information stored in the map storage unit 131, which is the first storage unit, and the equipment identification information of the monitored equipment 160 are stored in advance in the equipment location information storage unit 112, which is the second storage unit, in association with each other (step S100).

[0030] When the equipment monitoring controller 150 detects an abnormality, such as a failure, in the monitored equipment 160, the equipment monitoring controller 150 notifies the central monitoring system 110 (step S101). When the equipment monitoring unit 111 of the central monitoring system 110 receives a report from the equipment monitoring controller 150 that an abnormality has been detected in the monitored equipment 160, the equipment monitoring unit 111 identifies the monitored equipment 160 in which the abnormality has been detected (hereinafter also referred to as "abnormality detection equipment") from the equipment ID included in the report. Next, the equipment monitoring unit 111 acquires location information of the abnormality detection equipment from the equipment location information storage unit 112. More specifically, the equipment monitoring unit 111 acquires the nearest coordinate point in the map information stored in the map storage unit 131, which is stored in the equipment location information storage unit 112 in association with the equipment identification information of the abnormality detection equipment.

[0031] The equipment monitoring unit 111 transmits the acquired coordinate point of the nearest equipment to the anomaly detection equipment and the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment to the robot control unit 120 (step S102). In this way, the equipment monitoring unit 111 functions as a transmission unit that transmits, for equipment in which an abnormality has been detected, the coordinate point of the nearest equipment stored in the equipment position information storage unit 112, which is the second storage unit, and the equipment identification information of the equipment to the robot control unit 120, which is the mobile object control unit.

[0032] The robot control unit 120 transmits the received coordinate point of the nearest anomaly detection equipment to the robot 130 (step S103). In addition, the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment received by the robot control unit 120 is stored in, for example, a storage unit (not shown) of the robot management server described above.

[0033] The path determination unit 132 of the robot 130 receives the coordinate point of the nearest location to the anomaly detection equipment transmitted from the robot control unit 120. Then, the path determination unit 132 compares the received coordinate point of the nearest location to the anomaly detection equipment with the map information stored in the map storage unit 131 of the robot 130 (step S104). Then, the path determination unit 132 determines a movement path to the received coordinate point of the nearest location to the anomaly detection equipment (step S105). The robot 130 moves toward the coordinate point of the nearest location to the anomaly detection equipment along the path determined by the path determination unit 132 (step S106).

[0034] During this movement, when the robot 130 enters a beacon signal receiving range of the robot guiding unit 140, the signal receiving unit 134 of the robot 130 receives the beacon signal transmitted from the robot guiding unit 140 (step S110). When the signal receiving unit 134 receives the beacon signal, it requests the robot control unit 120 to compare the equipment identification information of the beacon signal with the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment (step S111). The robot control unit 120 compares the equipment identification information of the beacon signal received by the signal receiving unit 134 of the robot 130 with the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment, and transmits the comparison result to the robot 130 (step S112). If the comparison result does not match, the robot 130 ignores the beacon signal and continues to move along the route determined by the route determination unit 132 toward the coordinate point nearest to the anomaly detection equipment.

[0035] On the other hand, when the robot 130 approaches the coordinate point nearest to the anomaly detection equipment, the robot 130 enters the reception range of the beacon signal of the robot guidance unit 140 corresponding to that anomaly detection equipment. The beacon signal transmitted from the robot guidance unit 140 corresponding to that anomaly detection equipment contains the equipment identification information of that anomaly detection equipment. Therefore, the equipment identification information of the beacon signal received by the signal receiving unit 134 matches the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment held by the robot control unit 120. In this case, the comparison result returned from the robot control unit 120 to the robot 130 in step S112 in response to the comparison request in step S111 is that the equipment identification information of the beacon signal matches the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment. If the comparison results match, the robot 130 moves according to the guidance of the beacon signal.

[0036] That is, the signal receiving unit 134 transfers relative position information included in the received beacon signal to the path determining unit 132 (step S113). The path determining unit 132 determines a path to a position where the robot 130 can photograph the anomaly detection equipment using the image acquiring unit 133 (camera) based on the relative position information. The robot 130 moves to a position where the robot 130 can photograph the anomaly detection equipment according to the determined path (step S114). When the robot 130 arrives at a position where the robot 130 can photograph the anomaly detection equipment, the path determining unit 132 notifies the image acquiring unit 133 of the robot 130 of this fact (step S115). Upon receiving this notification, the image acquiring unit 133 captures an image of the anomaly detection equipment (step S116). Then, the image acquiring unit 133 transmits the captured image to the terminal device 20 of the maintenance worker 1 (step S117).

[0037] In this way, the robot control unit 120 and the path determination unit 132, which are mobile unit control units, move the robot 130, which is a mobile unit, based on the coordinate point nearest to the anomaly detection equipment in the map information stored in the map storage unit 131 and the beacon signal including the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment. Here, if the manufacturer, specifications, etc. of the robot 130 are different, the specifications, such as the resolution, of the map information used by the robot 130 to patrol the building 100 may also differ. Depending on the specifications, such as the resolution, of the map information stored in the map storage unit 131 of the robot 130, for example, the resolution of the map information may be too coarse, making it impossible to properly and accurately represent the location of the monitored equipment 160, particularly a location suitable for photographing the monitored equipment 160, on the map information. In such a case, the map information stored in the map storage unit 131 of the robot 130 may not allow the robot 130 to move to a location suitable for checking the status of the monitored equipment 160.

[0038] According to the monitoring system of this embodiment, the robot 130 is moved based on the coordinate point nearest to the anomaly detection equipment in the map information stored in the map storage unit 131 and a beacon signal including equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment. This makes it possible to reliably move the robot 130 to a position suitable for checking the status of the monitored equipment 160, regardless of the specifications of the map information, even for robots 130 that use map information with various different specifications. Furthermore, by storing the location information of the monitored equipment 160 in the equipment location information storage unit 112 of the central monitoring system 110, it is possible to eliminate the need to manually input the location information of the monitored equipment 160 into each robot 130. Then, after checking images captured by the camera of the robot 130, the maintenance worker 1 can take action, such as remotely operating the robot 130 to investigate, rushing to the site, or contacting the equipment manager.

[0039] Furthermore, if the beacon signal transmitted by the beacon terminal (robot guiding unit 140) further includes information regarding the relative position between the beacon terminal (robot guiding unit 140) and the anomaly detection equipment corresponding to the beacon terminal (robot guiding unit 140), the mobile body control unit (robot control unit 120 and route determination unit 132) moves the mobile body (robot 130) based on the coordinate point nearest to the anomaly detection equipment in the map information stored in the map storage unit 131 and information regarding the relative position between the beacon terminal (robot guiding unit 140) and the anomaly detection equipment included in the beacon signal including the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment. In this way, the robot 130 can be more reliably moved to a position suitable for checking the status of the monitored equipment 160.

[0040] Next, a modified example of the monitoring system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. In this modified example, a mobile robot 130 uses an image acquisition unit 133 (camera) to capture images of other equipment within a preset distance from equipment in which an abnormality has been detected. Note that steps S201 to S205 in Figure 5 are similar to steps S101 to S105 in Figure 3. Also, steps S210, S211, and S213 to S216 in Figure 6 are similar to steps S110, S111, and S113 to S116 in Figure 4. Therefore, redundant descriptions of these steps will be omitted where appropriate.

[0041] 5, the equipment monitoring unit 111 performs the process of step S206. In step S206, the equipment monitoring unit 111 determines whether or not there is another monitored equipment 160 near the anomaly detection equipment. In this case, for example, when the other monitored equipment 160 is present within a preset distance from the anomaly detection equipment, the equipment monitoring unit 111 determines that there is another monitored equipment 160 near the anomaly detection equipment. Then, if it is determined in step S206 that there is another monitored equipment 160 near the anomaly detection equipment, the equipment monitoring unit 111 additionally transmits to the robot control unit 120 equipment identification information (equipment ID) of the other monitored equipment 160 near the anomaly detection equipment and the relative position of the other monitored equipment 160 with respect to the anomaly detection equipment (step S207).

[0042] Also, in step S212 of FIG. 6, the robot control unit 120 transmits to the robot 130 the equipment identification information (equipment ID) of the other monitored equipment 160 and the relative position of the other monitored equipment 160 with respect to the anomaly detection equipment, which were transmitted from the equipment monitoring unit 111 in step S207, along with the result of matching the equipment identification information of the beacon signal received by the signal receiving unit 134 of the robot 130 with the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment.

[0043] After capturing an image of the anomaly detection equipment in step S216, the image acquisition unit 133 captures images of other monitored equipment 160 located near the anomaly detection equipment (step S217). The orientation of the robot 130 for capturing images of the other monitored equipment 160 can be determined from the relative position of the other monitored equipment 160 with respect to the anomaly detection equipment. If necessary, the robot 130 may move to a position suitable for capturing images of the other monitored equipment 160. The image acquisition unit 133 transmits the captured images of the anomaly detection equipment and images of the other monitored equipment 160 located near the anomaly detection equipment to the terminal device 20 of the maintenance worker 1 (step S218). At this time, information regarding the positional relationship between the anomaly detection equipment and the other monitored equipment 160 may also be transmitted to the terminal device 20. By using this modification, capturing images of the other monitored equipment 160 located near the anomaly detection equipment can facilitate the investigation of the cause of the anomaly and prevent secondary damage.

[0044] In the configuration example described above, the map storage unit 131 and the path determination unit 132 are provided in the robot 130. However, the location where the map storage unit 131 and the path determination unit 132 are provided is not limited to the robot 130. One or both of the map storage unit 131 and the path determination unit 132 may be provided outside the robot 130, for example, in a robot management server in which the robot control unit 120 is provided, instead of in the robot 130.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing the respective functions of the equipment monitoring unit 111, the robot control unit 120, and the control circuit of the robot 130 in this embodiment. The respective functions of the equipment monitoring unit 111, the robot control unit 120, and the control circuit of the robot 130 are realized, for example, by a processing circuit. The processing circuit may include a processor 11 and a memory 12. The processing circuit may be dedicated hardware 13. A portion of the processing circuit may be formed as dedicated hardware 13, and the processing circuit may further include a processor 11 and a memory 12. In the example shown in the figure, a portion of the processing circuit is formed as dedicated hardware 13. Furthermore, in the example shown in the figure, the processing circuit further includes a processor 11 and a memory 12.

[0046] The processing circuit, part of which is at least one dedicated hardware 13, may be, for example, a single circuit, a multiple circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof. If the processing circuit comprises at least one processor 11 and at least one memory 12, the functionality of the control device 30 may be realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.

[0047] The software and firmware are written as programs and stored in memory 12. Processor 11 realizes the functions of each part by reading and executing the programs stored in memory 12. Processor 11 is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), central processing unit, processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. Examples of memory 12 include non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM, as well as magnetic disks, flexible disks, optical disks, compact disks, minidisks, and DVDs.

[0048] In this way, the processing circuits of the equipment monitoring unit 111, the robot control unit 120, and the control circuit of the robot 130 can realize each function of the control device 30 by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these. When the processing circuit of the control device 30 includes at least the processor 11 and the memory 12, the processor 11 executes a program stored in the memory 12 in the control device 30, and the hardware and software of the control device 30 work together to realize each function of the equipment monitoring unit 111, the robot control unit 120, and the control circuit of the robot 130.

[0049] The present disclosure also provides a monitoring method for monitoring the status of equipment within a building. The monitoring method includes a first storage step for storing map information about the building, a second storage step for storing equipment identification information that can uniquely identify the equipment in association with the coordinate point of the equipment's nearest neighbor in the map information stored in the first storage step, a first mobile object control step for controlling the movement of a mobile object that can move within the building based on the map information stored in the first storage step, and a second mobile object control step for moving the mobile object, for equipment in which an abnormality has been detected, based on the coordinate point of the equipment's nearest neighbor and a beacon signal including the equipment identification information of the equipment stored in the second storage step. The present disclosure also provides a program for causing a computer in a monitoring system to execute the monitoring method. The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable recording medium having such a program recorded thereon.

[0050] In the present disclosure, the embodiments, configuration examples, modifications, etc. may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Examples of various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices. (Appendix 1) A monitoring system for monitoring the status of equipment in a building, a first storage unit that stores map information of the inside of the building; a mobile object control unit that controls movement of a mobile object that can move within the building based on the map information stored in the first storage unit; a beacon terminal that is installed at a position corresponding to the facility and transmits a beacon signal including facility identification information that can uniquely identify the corresponding facility; a second storage unit that stores the facility identification information of the facility and the coordinate point nearest to the facility in the map information stored in the first storage unit in association with each other; a transmission unit that transmits, for the facility in which an abnormality has been detected, the coordinate point of the facility closest to the facility stored in the second storage unit and the facility identification information of the facility to the mobile object control unit; The mobile object control unit is a monitoring system that moves the mobile object based on the coordinate point nearest to the facility and the beacon signal including the facility identification information of the facility. (Appendix 2) The beacon signal transmitted by the beacon terminal further includes information regarding the relative position between the beacon terminal and the equipment corresponding to the beacon terminal; The monitoring system described in Appendix 1, wherein the mobile object control unit moves the mobile object based on the coordinate point nearest to the facility and information regarding the relative position between the beacon terminal and the facility contained in the beacon signal including the facility identification information of the facility. (Appendix 3) The moving body is Equipped with a camera that captures images of the surrounding area, 3. The surveillance system according to claim 1, wherein the image captured by the camera is transmitted to a specified destination. (Appendix 4) 4. The monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the camera of the moving object can be remotely controlled to take photographs. (Appendix 5) 5. The monitoring system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the mobile body uses the camera to photograph other equipment within a predetermined distance from the equipment in which an abnormality is detected. (Appendix 6) A monitoring method for monitoring the status of equipment in a building, comprising: a first storage step of storing map information inside the building; a second storage step of storing facility identification information that can uniquely identify the facility in association with a coordinate point nearest to the facility in the map information stored in the first storage step; a first moving object control step of controlling movement of a moving object that can move within the building based on the map information stored in the first storing step; a second mobile body control step of moving the mobile body based on the coordinate point of the nearest facility stored in the second storage step and a beacon signal including facility identification information capable of identifying the facility, for the facility in which an abnormality has been detected. (Appendix 7) A program for causing a computer in a monitoring system to execute the monitoring method described in Appendix 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 maintenance worker 11 processors 12 Memory 13 Dedicated Hardware 20 Terminal equipment 100 Building 110 Central Monitoring System 111 Equipment Monitoring Department 112 Equipment location information storage unit 120 Robot control unit 130 Robot 131 Map memory section 132 Route determination unit 133 Image acquisition unit 134 Signal receiving unit 140 Robot Guidance Department 150 Equipment monitoring controller 160 monitored equipment

Claims

1. A monitoring system for monitoring the status of equipment in a building, a first storage unit that stores map information about the inside of the building; a mobile object control unit that controls movement of a mobile object that can move within the building based on the map information stored in the first storage unit; a beacon terminal that is installed at a position corresponding to the facility and transmits a beacon signal including facility identification information that can uniquely identify the corresponding facility; a second storage unit that stores the facility identification information of the facility and a coordinate point nearest to the facility in the map information stored in the first storage unit in association with each other; a transmission unit that transmits, to the mobile object control unit, the coordinate point of the nearest anomaly detection equipment that is the equipment in which an abnormality has been detected and the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment that are stored in the second storage unit; a route determination unit that determines a movement route of the mobile object to a coordinate point closest to the anomaly detection equipment based on the map information stored in the first storage unit, The moving body is Moving along the movement route determined by the route determination unit, When the beacon signal is received while moving along the movement route, the monitoring system compares the equipment identification information contained in the beacon signal with the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment, and if the two match, moves in accordance with the guidance of the beacon signal.

2. The beacon signal transmitted by the beacon terminal further includes information regarding the relative position between the beacon terminal and the equipment corresponding to the beacon terminal; The mobile object control unit moves the mobile object based on the coordinate point nearest to the facility and information regarding the relative position between the beacon terminal and the facility included in the beacon signal including the facility identification information of the facility. The monitoring system described in claim 1.

3. The moving body is Equipped with a camera that captures images of the surrounding area, 3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the image captured by the camera is transmitted to a designated destination.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 3 , wherein the camera of the moving object can be remotely controlled to take pictures.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 3 , wherein the mobile object uses the camera to photograph other facilities within a predetermined distance from the facility in which an abnormality has been detected.

6. A monitoring method for monitoring the status of equipment in a building, comprising: a first storage step of storing map information inside the building; a second storage step of storing facility identification information that can uniquely identify the facility in association with a coordinate point nearest to the facility in the map information stored in the first storage step; an information acquisition step of acquiring, for an abnormality detection equipment that is the equipment in which an abnormality has been detected, the coordinate point nearest to the abnormality detection equipment stored in the second storage step and the equipment identification information of the abnormality detection equipment; a route determination step of determining a movement route of a mobile object capable of moving within the building to the coordinate point nearest to the anomaly detection equipment acquired in the information acquisition step, based on the map information stored in the first storage step; a first moving object control step of moving the moving object along the moving route determined in the route determination step; a second mobile object control step of, when receiving a beacon signal transmitted from a beacon terminal installed at a position corresponding to the equipment and including the equipment identification information of the equipment corresponding to the beacon terminal while moving on the movement route, comparing the equipment identification information included in the beacon signal with the equipment identification information of the anomaly detection equipment and, if the two match, moving the mobile object in accordance with guidance of the beacon signal.

7. A program for causing a computer in a monitoring system to execute the monitoring method according to claim 6.

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