Traveling map creation device and autonomous traveling robot

Abstract

To provide a traveling map creation device which can easily set a travel area in a map for traveling of autonomous travel type robots.SOLUTION: A traveling map creation device 100 comprises: a position sensor 102 for detecting objects around the self and acquiring the positional relations of the surrounding objects with the self; a floor map creation unit 121 for creating a floor map that indicates a prescribed floor, on the basis of the positional relations acquired by the position sensor 102; a self-position estimation unit 122 for estimating the self-position on the floor map on the basis of the positional relations acquired by the position sensor 102 and the floor map created by the floor map creation unit 121; a travel area setting unit 123 for setting a first rectangular region R1 defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position in a travel area A1 in which an autonomous travel type robot 300 travels, on the basis of the floor map and the self-position; and a traveling map creation unit 125 for creating a map for traveling that includes the travel area A1 set by the travel area setting unit 123.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a driving map creation device. and Autonomous driving robot To Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of recognizing repeating shapes on the driving route of an autonomous driving device as landmarks that separate driving areas, and setting the area surrounded by a pair of landmarks and a wall surface as the driving area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-145517 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 requires the user to place landmarks on the travel route of the autonomous mobile device in advance to demarcate the travel area, which is time-consuming.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a driving map creation device and the like that can easily set a driving area on a map for driving an autonomous driving robot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a driving map creation device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a driving map creation device that creates a driving map for an autonomously driving robot that drives autonomously within a specified floor, and includes: a position sensor that detects objects around the device and acquires the positional relationship of the objects relative to the device; a floor map creation unit that creates a floor map showing the specified floor based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor; a self-position estimation unit that estimates the device's own position on the floor map based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor and the floor map created by the floor map creation unit; a driving area setting unit that sets a first rectangular area defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position as a driving area in which the autonomously driving robot will drive, based on the floor map and the device's own position; and a driving map creation unit that creates a driving map that includes the driving area set by the driving area setting unit.

[0007] Furthermore, an autonomous driving robot according to one aspect of the present disclosure is an autonomous driving robot that autonomously drives within a specified floor, and includes a main body, a driving unit that is disposed on the main body and enables the main body to drive, a driving map acquisition unit that acquires the driving map created by the driving map creation device, a position sensor that detects objects around the main body and acquires the positional relationship of the object relative to the main body, a self-position estimation unit that estimates the self-position, which is the position of the main body on the driving map, based on the driving map and the positional relationship, a driving plan creation unit that creates a driving plan for the specified floor based on the driving map and the self-position, and a driving control unit that controls the driving unit based on the driving plan.

[0008] In addition, a driving map creation method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a driving map creation method for creating a driving map for an autonomously mobile robot that travels autonomously within a specified floor, and includes an acquisition step for detecting objects around the autonomously mobile robot and acquiring the positional relationship of the objects relative to the autonomously mobile robot; a floor map creation step for creating a floor map showing the specified floor based on the positional relationship acquired in the acquisition step; a self-position estimation step for estimating the autonomously mobile robot's position on the floor map based on the positional relationship acquired in the acquisition step and the floor map created in the floor map creation step; a driving area setting step for setting a first rectangular area defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position as a driving area in which the autonomously mobile robot will travel, based on the floor map and the autonomously mobile robot's position; and a driving map creation step for creating a driving map including the driving area set in the driving area setting step.

[0009] The present disclosure may be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the driving map creation method. It may also be realized as a non-transitory recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, on which the program is recorded and which can be read by a computer. The present disclosure may also be realized as information, data, or signals representing the program. These programs, information, data, and signals may be distributed via a communication network, such as the Internet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the travel map creation device and the like of the present disclosure, a travel area can be easily set on a map for travel of an autonomous travel robot. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of an autonomous mobile robot system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the navigation map creation device according to the embodiment, seen from diagonally above. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment as seen from the side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment as viewed from the front. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a bottom view showing the appearance of the autonomous mobile robot according to the embodiment as seen from the rear side. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a first example of the operation of the autonomous mobile robot system according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a process for setting a travel area. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a reception screen of the information terminal. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the traveling map creation device and the autonomous traveling robot. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the reception screen of the information terminal. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a second example of the operation of the autonomous mobile robot system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of a driving map creation device and the like according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each of the embodiments described below represents a preferred specific example of the present disclosure. Therefore, the numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component arrangements and connection forms, steps, step order, and the like shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components not recited in independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0013] The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0014] Furthermore, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily an exact illustration. In addition, in each drawing, substantially the same components are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations may be omitted or simplified.

[0015] Furthermore, in the following embodiments, expressions using the word "approximately" such as "approximately triangle" are used. For example, "approximately triangle" does not only mean a perfect triangle, but also means a substantially triangular shape, i.e., includes triangles with rounded corners, for example. The same applies to other expressions using "approximately".

[0016] In addition, in the following embodiments, an autonomous mobile robot traveling on the floor surface of a specified floor may be described as a top view when viewed from vertically above, and as a bottom view when viewed from vertically below.

[0017] (Embodiment) [Autonomous Driving Robot System] [1. Configuration] First, an overview of an autonomous mobile robot system according to an embodiment will be described below. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an autonomous mobile robot system according to an embodiment.

[0018] The autonomous mobile robot system 400 is a system that creates a driving map that sets out multiple driving areas in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 will drive, and the autonomous mobile robot 300 drives on a specified floor based on a driving plan generated based on the created driving map.

[0019] The predetermined floor is, for example, a floor surrounded by walls within a building. The building may be, for example, a facility such as a hotel, a commercial facility, an office building, a hospital, a nursing home, an art museum, or a library, or may be an apartment building or other collective housing complex.

[0020] 1, the autonomous mobile robot system 400 includes, for example, a mobile map creation device 100, an information terminal 200, and an autonomous mobile robot 300. Each component will be described below.

[0021] [1-1. Driving map creation device] First, the navigation map creation device 100 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the navigation map creation device 100 according to the embodiment, seen obliquely from above.

[0022] The traveling map creation device 100 is a device that creates a traveling map for the autonomous traveling robot 300 that travels autonomously on a predetermined floor. For example, the traveling map creation device 100 creates a traveling map while traveling on a predetermined floor in response to a user's operation. Specific operations will be described later.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the traveling map creation device 100 is placed on, for example, a dolly 190 and travels on a predetermined floor by user operation. Here, the user pushes the dolly 190 to cause the traveling map creation device 100 to travel. For example, a stand 192 for placing an information terminal 200 (see Fig. 2) on a handle 191 of the dolly 190 may be attached, or a presentation unit (not shown in Figs. 1 and 2) of the traveling map creation device 100 may be installed. The presentation unit may be a so-called display panel.

[0024] The function of the traveling map creation device 100 may be installed in the autonomous traveling robot 300, and the autonomous traveling robot 300 may be made to travel to create a traveling map.

[0025] 1, the driving map creation device 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a position sensor 102, a control unit 120, and a storage unit 130. Each component will be described below.

[0026] [Position sensor] The position sensor 102 detects objects around the traveling map creation device 100 and acquires the positional relationship of the objects relative to the traveling map creation device 100. For example, the position sensor 102 is disposed in the center of the top surface of the main body 101 and acquires the positional relationship, including the distance and direction, between the traveling map creation device 100 and objects, including walls, present around the traveling map creation device 100. The position sensor 102 may be, for example, a LIDAR or a laser range finder that emits light and detects the positional relationship based on light reflected by obstacles. The position sensor 102 may have one or two optical scanning axes to perform two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurement of a predetermined area around the traveling map creation device 100.

[0027] The traveling map creation device 100 may include other types of sensors in addition to the position sensor 102. For example, the traveling map creation device 100 may further include a camera, an obstacle sensor, a floor sensor, an encoder, an acceleration sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a contact sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a distance measurement sensor, etc.

[0028] [Communications Department] The communication unit 110 is a communication circuit that enables the traveling map creation device 100 to communicate with the information terminal 200 and the autonomous traveling robot 300 via the network 10. For example, the communication unit 110 may transmit a traveling map to the autonomous traveling robot 300. The communication unit 110 may include a communication circuit (communication module) for communicating via a wide area communication network and a communication circuit (communication module) for communicating via a local communication network. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard used for communication by the communication unit 110.

[0029] [Control Unit] The control unit 120 acquires sensor data, such as the positional relationship between the main body 101 and objects around the main body 101, obtained by sensing the environment around the main body 101 of the driving map creation device 100 using the position sensor 102, and performs various calculations. Specifically, the control unit 120 is realized by a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit. Alternatively, the control unit 120 may be realized by a combination of two or more of the processor, the microcomputer, or the dedicated circuit. For example, the control unit 120 includes a self-position estimation unit 122, a floor map creation unit 121, a driving area setting unit 123, a boundary indication unit 124, and a driving map creation unit 125.

[0030] The control unit 120 acquires the positional relationship between the main body 101 and objects around the main body 101 and the movement trajectory of the main body 101 (i.e., the traveling map creation device 100) acquired by the position sensor 102. If the traveling map creation device 100 includes other types of sensors in addition to the position sensor 102, the control unit 120 may further acquire sensor data acquired by the other types of sensors.

[0031] The floor map creation unit 121 creates a floor map showing a predetermined floor based on the relative positional relationship between the object acquired by the position sensor 102 and the position sensor 102. The floor map acquisition unit 132 may create a floor map showing a predetermined floor using a map creation technology such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping), or may acquire a floor map input from an external device (not shown) via the network 10. The floor map may also be stored in advance in the storage unit 130, in which case the floor map creation unit 121 may read and acquire the floor map from the storage unit 130.

[0032] The self-position estimation unit 122 estimates the self-position, which is the position of the traveling map creation device 100 on the floor map, using the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor 102 and the floor map. For example, the self-position estimation unit 122 estimates the self-position using SLAM technology.

[0033] Based on the floor map and the self-position, the travel area setting unit 123 sets a first rectangular area defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position as the travel area in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 travels. For example, the travel area setting unit 123 sets the first rectangular area by determining, as vertices of the first rectangular area, three first points on the movement trajectory of the self-position where the movement direction of the self-position rotates at a predetermined angle in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, when there are two second points that rotate at a predetermined angle in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction on the movement trajectory of the self-position, the traveling area setting unit 123 sets a traveling area including the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area by determining the two second points as vertices of the second rectangular area. Furthermore, for example, when there are two points that rotate at a predetermined angle in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction on the movement trajectory of the self-position between the two second points, the traveling area setting unit 123 sets the second rectangular area by determining two points as vertices of the second rectangular area in addition to the two second points.

[0035] Also, for example, the traveling area setting unit 123 does not include in the traveling area a third rectangular area whose short side length is shorter than a predetermined value.

[0036] Also, for example, when the driving area setting unit 123 receives an instruction to correct the setting of the boundary between the driving area output by the boundary indication unit 124 and the non-driving area in which the autonomous driving robot 300 does not drive, it corrects the driving area by correcting the boundary based on the instruction.

[0037] The boundary indication unit 124 outputs an instruction to the travel area setting unit 123 regarding the setting of the boundary between the travel area and a non-travel area where the autonomous mobile robot 300 does not travel. For example, the boundary indication unit 124 outputs an instruction to the travel area setting unit 123 to modify the boundary.

[0038] The driving map creation unit 125 creates a driving map that includes the driving area set by the driving area setting unit 123. Also, for example, the driving map creation unit 125 creates a driving map that includes the driving area corrected by the driving area setting unit 123. Note that the driving map creation unit 125 may further create a driving map that includes no-entry areas that prohibit the autonomous mobile robot 300 from entering. For example, the driving map creation unit 125 outputs the created driving map to the information terminal 200 and the autonomous mobile robot 300 via the communication unit 110.

[0039] [Storage] The storage unit 130 is a storage device that stores the floor map created by the floor map creation unit 121, the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor 102, and the driving map created by the driving map creation unit 125. The storage unit 130 also stores computer programs that the control unit 120 executes to perform the above-mentioned arithmetic processing. The storage unit 130 is realized by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or the like.

[0040] [Reception] The reception unit 140 receives input operations from the user. The reception unit 140 may be realized by, for example, a touch panel, a display panel, hardware buttons, or a microphone. The touch panel may be, for example, a capacitive touch panel or a resistive touch panel. The display panel has a function of displaying images and a function of receiving manual input from the user, and receives input operations to a numeric keypad image or the like displayed on a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. The microphone receives voice input from the user.

[0041] Here, an example is shown in which the reception unit 140 is a component of the traveling map creation device 100, but the reception unit 140 may be incorporated into the autonomous traveling robot 300, a remote controller (not shown), or an information terminal 200.

[0042] [1-2. Information terminal] Next, the information terminal 200 will be described. The information terminal 200 is, for example, a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or tablet terminal used by a user, but may also be a stationary information terminal such as a personal computer. The information terminal 200 may also be a dedicated terminal for the autonomous mobile robot system 400. The information terminal 200 includes a communication unit 210, a control unit 220, a presentation unit 230, a reception unit 240, and a storage unit 250. Each component will be described below.

[0043] [Communications Department] The communication unit 210 is a communication circuit that enables the information terminal 200 to communicate with the traveling map creation device 100 and the autonomous traveling robot 300 via the network 10. The communication unit 210 may include a communication circuit (in other words, a communication module) for communicating via a wide area communication network, and a communication circuit (in other words, a communication module) for communicating via a local communication network. The communication unit 210 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard for communication performed by the communication unit 210.

[0044] [Control Unit] The control unit 220 controls the display of images on the reception unit 240, and performs processing to identify instructions input by the user (for example, voice recognition processing in the case of voice input), etc. The control unit 220 may be realized by, for example, a microcomputer or a processor.

[0045] [Presentation part] The presentation unit 230 presents the presentation information and the driving map output by the driving map creation device 100 to the user. The presentation unit 230 may be realized, for example, by a display panel, or may be realized by a display panel and a speaker. The display panel is, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The speaker outputs sound or audio.

[0046] [Reception] The reception unit 240 receives instructions from the user. More specifically, the reception unit 240 receives input operations performed to transmit the user's instructions to the driving map creation device 100. The reception unit 240 may be realized by, for example, a touch panel, a display panel, hardware buttons, or a microphone. The touch panel may be, for example, a capacitive touch panel or a resistive touch panel. The display panel has a function of displaying images and a function of receiving manual input from the user, and receives input operations to a numeric keypad image or the like displayed on a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The microphone receives voice input from the user.

[0047] [Storage] The storage unit 250 is a storage device that stores dedicated application programs and the like to be executed by the control unit 220. The storage unit 250 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0048] [1-3. Autonomous Robot] Next, the autonomous mobile robot 300 will be described. The autonomous mobile robot 300 is a robot that travels autonomously. For example, the autonomous mobile robot 300 acquires a map for travel created by the mobile map creation device 100, and travels autonomously on a predetermined floor corresponding to the map for travel. The autonomous mobile robot 300 is not particularly limited as long as it is a robot that travels autonomously, but may be, for example, a transport robot that transports luggage, a surveillance robot that patrols, a disinfection robot that disinfects floors, or a cleaning robot. Below, an example will be described in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 is a cleaning robot.

[0049] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the appearance of autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment as seen from the side. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the appearance of autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment as seen from the front. Fig. 5 is a bottom view showing the appearance of autonomous mobile robot 300 according to the embodiment as seen from the back.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5 , the autonomous mobile robot 300 includes, for example, a main body 301 on which various components are mounted, a communication unit 310, a position sensor 320, an obstacle sensor 330, a control unit 340, a memory unit 350, a traveling unit 360, and a cleaning unit 370. The traveling unit 360 includes, for example, wheels 361 for moving the main body 301. The cleaning unit 370 includes, for example, side brushes 371 and a main brush 372 for cleaning up dirt present on a predetermined floor. The control unit 340 processes various types of information related to the operation of the autonomous mobile robot 300. The control unit 340 includes a traveling control unit 345 that controls the traveling unit 360 and a cleaning control unit 346 that controls the cleaning unit 370. The main body 301 is a housing that houses the traveling unit 360, the cleaning unit 370, the control unit 340, and the like.

[0051] [Running part] The running unit 360 causes the autonomous mobile robot 300 to run based on instructions from the running control unit 345. The running unit 360 has wheels 361 that run on the floor, a running motor (not shown) that applies torque to the wheels 361, and a housing (not shown) that houses the running motor. The autonomous mobile robot 300 may also be a two-wheeled robot with opposing wheels that are equipped with casters (not shown) as auxiliary wheels. In this case, the running unit 360 independently controls the rotation of each wheel 361 of the pair of running units, thereby allowing the autonomous mobile robot 300 to run freely in directions such as forward, backward, left, and right turns.

[0052] [Cleaning Department] Based on instructions from cleaning control unit 346, cleaning unit 370 sucks dust on the floor through suction port 373 (see FIG. 5) and collects the sucked dust inside main body 301. Cleaning unit 370 includes a brush rotation motor (not shown) that rotates side brushes 371 and main brush 372, a suction motor (not shown) that sucks dust through suction port 373, a power transmission unit (not shown) that transmits power to these motors, and a storage unit (not shown) that collects the sucked dust.

[0053] [Position sensor] The position sensor 320 is a sensor that detects objects around the main body 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 and acquires the positional relationship of the objects with respect to the main body 301. The position sensor 320 may be, for example, a LIDAR that emits light and detects the positional relationship (e.g., the distance and direction from itself to an object) based on the light reflected by an obstacle, or a laser range finder.

[0054] For example, position sensor 320 is disposed in the center of the top surface of main body 301, and acquires the positional relationship, including the distance and direction, between autonomous mobile robot 300 and objects, such as walls, that exist around autonomous mobile robot 300. Position sensor 320 may be, for example, a LIDAR or laser range finder that emits light and detects the positional relationship based on the light reflected by an obstacle. Position sensor 320 may have one or two optical scanning axes, thereby performing two-dimensional or three-dimensional measurement of a predetermined area around autonomous mobile robot 300.

[0055] [Obstacle sensor] The obstacle sensor 330 is a sensor that detects obstacles that may hinder travel, such as surrounding walls and furniture that exist in front of the main body 301 (specifically, in the direction of travel). In this embodiment, an ultrasonic sensor is used as the obstacle sensor 330. The obstacle sensor 330 has a transmitter 331 that is arranged in the center of the front side of the main body 301 and receivers 332 that are arranged on both sides of the transmitter 331. The receivers 332 receive ultrasonic waves that are transmitted from the transmitter 331 and reflected by the obstacle, thereby enabling the distance to the obstacle, the position of the obstacle, and the like to be detected. Note that an infrared sensor or the like may also be used as the obstacle sensor 330.

[0056] The autonomous mobile robot 300 may also be equipped with sensors other than those described above. For example, it may be equipped with floor sensors arranged at multiple locations on the bottom surface of the main body 301 to detect whether or not a floor surface is present. It may also be equipped with an encoder provided on the traveling unit 360 to detect the rotation angle of each of a pair of wheels 361 rotated by a traveling motor. It may also be equipped with an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration when the autonomous mobile robot 300 travels, and an angular velocity sensor that detects the angular velocity when the autonomous mobile robot 300 turns. It may also be equipped with a dust amount sensor that measures the amount of dust accumulated on the floor surface. It may also be equipped with a contact sensor that detects the displacement of a bumper (not shown) to detect a collision with an obstacle.

[0057] [Communications Department] The communication unit 310 is a communication circuit that enables the autonomous mobile robot 300 to communicate with the mobile map creation device 100 and the information terminal 200 via the network 10. The communication unit 310 may include a communication circuit (in other words, a communication module) for communicating via a wide area communication network, and a communication circuit (in other words, a communication module) for communicating via a local communication network. The communication unit 310 is, for example, a wireless communication circuit that performs wireless communication. There are no particular limitations on the communication standard used for communication by the communication unit 310.

[0058] [Control Unit] The control unit 340 performs various calculations based on a driving map and sensor information obtained by sensing the environment around the autonomous mobile robot 300 using the position sensor 320 and the obstacle sensor 330. Specifically, the control unit 340 is realized by a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit. The control unit 340 may also be realized by a combination of two or more of a processor, a microcomputer, or a dedicated circuit. For example, the control unit 340 includes a driving map acquisition unit 341, a self-position estimation unit 342, an obstacle information acquisition unit 343, a driving plan creation unit 344, a driving control unit 345, and a cleaning control unit 346.

[0059] The driving map acquisition unit 341 acquires a driving map created by the driving map creation device 100. For example, the driving map acquisition unit 341 may acquire the driving map by reading it out from the storage unit 350, or may acquire the driving map output by the driving map creation device 100 via communication.

[0060] The self-position estimation unit 342 calculates the self-position, which is the position of the main body 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 on the map for driving, based on, for example, the map for driving acquired by the map for driving acquisition unit 341 and the positional relationship of surrounding objects to the main body 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 measured by the position sensor 320.

[0061] The travel plan creation unit 344 creates a travel plan based on the travel map and the robot's own location. For example, if the autonomous mobile robot 300 is a cleaning robot, the travel plan creation unit 344 may further create a cleaning plan. The cleaning plan includes the cleaning order for cleaning multiple cleaning areas on a specified floor, the travel path and cleaning mode for each cleaning area, etc. The cleaning mode is, for example, a combination of the travel speed of the autonomous mobile robot 300, the suction strength for sucking up dirt on the floor surface, and the rotation speed of the brush.

[0062] When the autonomous mobile robot 300 is traveling according to the travel plan and an obstacle is detected by the obstacle sensor 330, the travel plan creation unit 344 may change the travel plan based on the position of the obstacle calculated by the obstacle information acquisition unit 343. At this time, the travel plan creation unit 344 may also change the cleaning plan.

[0063] The obstacle information acquisition unit 343 acquires information about the obstacle detected by the obstacle sensor 330 (e.g., the distance and position of the obstacle, etc.), and calculates the position of the obstacle on the floor map based on the acquired information and the self-position calculated by the self-position estimation unit 342.

[0064] The driving control unit 345 controls the driving unit 360 so that the autonomous mobile robot 300 drives according to a driving plan. More specifically, the driving control unit 345 performs information processing to control the operation of the driving unit 360 based on the driving plan. For example, the driving control unit 345 derives control conditions for the driving unit 360 based on information such as a driving map and the robot's own position in addition to the driving plan, and generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the driving unit 360 based on the control conditions. The driving control unit 345 outputs the generated control signal to the driving unit 360. Note that the details of deriving the control conditions for the driving unit 360, etc., are the same as those of conventional autonomous mobile robots, and therefore will not be described here.

[0065] The cleaning control unit 346 controls the cleaning unit 370 so that the autonomously traveling robot 300 cleans according to a cleaning plan. More specifically, the cleaning control unit 346 performs information processing to control the operation of the cleaning unit 370 based on the cleaning plan. For example, the cleaning control unit 346 derives control conditions for the cleaning unit 370 based on information such as a navigation map and the robot's own position in addition to the cleaning plan, and generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the cleaning unit 370 based on the control conditions. The cleaning control unit 346 outputs the generated control signal to the cleaning unit 370. Note that the details of deriving the control conditions for the cleaning unit 370, etc., are the same as those of conventional autonomously traveling cleaning robots, and therefore will not be described here.

[0066] [Storage] The storage unit 350 is a storage device that stores a driving map, sensor information sensed by the position sensor 320 and the obstacle sensor 330, and a computer program executed by the control unit 340. The storage unit 350 is realized by, for example, a semiconductor memory.

[0067] [2. Operation] Next, the operation of the autonomous mobile robot system 400 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0068] [First example] First, a first example of the operation of the autonomous mobile robot system 400 according to the embodiment will be described. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing the first example of the operation of the autonomous mobile robot system 400 according to the embodiment. The following description will be given with reference to Figs. 1 and 6.

[0069] Although not shown, the traveling map creation device 100 starts traveling in response to a user operation. When traveling begins, the autonomous traveling robot system 400 performs, for example, the following operations. Note that the traveling map creation device 100 may be traveled by the user operating a steering wheel, or by operating a joystick or a remote control.

[0070] Although not shown, when the receiving unit 240 of the information terminal 200 receives an instruction to start creating a driving map, the control unit 220 of the information terminal 200 outputs the instruction to the driving map creation device 100 via the communication unit 210.

[0071] Next, when the control unit 120 of the navigation map creation device 100 receives an instruction to start creating a navigation map output from the information terminal 200 (step S01), it causes each of the multiple sensors included in the navigation map creation device 100, including the position sensor 102, to start acquiring sensing data (step S02). More specifically, the control unit 120 of the navigation map creation device 100 outputs an instruction to start acquiring sensing data to each of the multiple sensors, including the position sensor 102.

[0072] Next, upon receiving the command to start acquiring sensing data, the position sensor 102 detects objects around itself, acquires the positional relationship of the surrounding objects with respect to itself (step S02), and outputs the acquired positional relationship to the control unit 120 (not shown). The control unit 120 acquires the positional relationship of the surrounding objects with respect to itself output from the position sensor 102 (not shown).

[0073] Next, the floor map creating unit 121 creates a floor map showing a predetermined floor based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor 102 in step S02 (step S04).

[0074] Next, the self-position estimation unit 122 estimates its own position, which is the position of the position sensor 102 (in other words, the traveling map creation device 100 equipped with the position sensor 102) on the floor map, based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor 102 in step S03 and the floor map created by the floor map creation unit 121 in step S04 (step S05). More specifically, the self-position estimation unit 122 estimates its own position, which is the position of the traveling map creation device 100 on the floor map, using the relative positional relationship between the object and the position sensor 102 acquired from the position sensor 102 and the floor map. Although not shown, the self-position estimation unit 122 attaches a timestamp to the calculated self-position and stores it in the storage unit 130.

[0075] The traveling map creation device 100 may repeat steps S03 to S05 while traveling. For example, the floor map creation unit 121 and the self-position estimation unit 122 may create a floor map while estimating the self-position by SLAM technology, and may successively update the self-position and floor map.

[0076] Next, the traveling area setting unit 123 sets a traveling area on the floor map in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 will travel (step S06). More specifically, the traveling area setting unit 123 sets a first rectangular area defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position as the traveling area of ​​the autonomous mobile robot 300 based on the floor map and the self-position. The specific traveling area setting process will be described later.

[0077] Next, the driving map creation unit 125 creates a driving map including the driving area set by the driving area setting unit 123 in step S06 (step S07).

[0078] [Example of driving area setting process] The travel area setting process will be described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the travel area setting process. Fig. 7(a) is a diagram showing an example of the movement trajectory of the self-position of the position sensor 102. Fig. 7(b) is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of rectangular areas defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position.

[0079] The driving area setting unit 123 sets, as the driving area, a plurality of rectangular areas defined by the movement trajectory of the self-location (dashed line in (a) of FIG. 7) based on the floor map and the self-location. Note that, as shown in (a) of FIG. 7, the movement trajectory of the self-location does not have to be closed into a single rectangular shape. For example, when the movement trajectory of the self-location has an outer shape that combines a plurality of rectangular shapes, the driving area setting unit 123 sets a driving area including a plurality of rectangular areas based on the movement trajectory. More specifically, for example, the driving area setting unit 123 sets the first rectangular area R1 by determining, as vertices of the first rectangular area R1, three first points that rotate by a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction of the movement of the self-location (counterclockwise in the example of (a) of FIG. 7). Point P1 is the starting point of the movement trajectory of the self-location. If the starting point P1 is the upper right vertex of the first rectangular area R1, the three first points are the upper left vertex, the lower left vertex, and the lower right vertex of the first rectangular area R1 shown in (b) of Figure 7.

[0080] Next, if there are two second points on the movement trajectory of the self-location that rotate at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in the other of clockwise and counterclockwise directions (clockwise in the example of FIG. 7A), the traveling area setting unit 123 sets a traveling area including the first rectangular area R1 and the second rectangular area R2 by determining the two second points as vertices of a second rectangular area R2. Point P2 indicates the first of the two second points on the movement trajectory of the self-location. Furthermore, if there are two points on the movement trajectory of the self-location that rotate at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in either clockwise or counterclockwise directions (counterclockwise in the example of FIG. 7A)) between the two second points P2 and P2', the traveling area setting unit 123 may set the second rectangular area R2 by determining the two points as vertices of the second rectangular area R2 in addition to the two second points P2 and P2'.

[0081] The traveling area setting unit 123 may determine, for example, the positions to which the main body 101 has moved outside the first rectangular area R1 (i.e., toward the second rectangular area R2) after rotating at a predetermined angle in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions at the second point P2' on the movement trajectory of its own position as the vertices of the second rectangular area R2. Furthermore, the traveling area setting unit 123 may determine, for example, the positions just before the outer edge of the main body 101 overlaps with the second point P2' when the main body 101 has rotated at a predetermined angle in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions at the second point P2' as the vertices of the second rectangular area R2.

[0082] Next, if there are two third points that follow the two second points P2 and P2' on the movement trajectory of the self-location and rotate at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions (clockwise in the example of FIG. 7(a)), the traveling area setting unit 123 may set the traveling area A1 including the first rectangular area R1, the second rectangular area R2, and the third rectangular area R3 by determining the two third points as vertices of the third rectangular area R3. Point P3 indicates the first of the two third points on the movement trajectory of the self-location. Furthermore, if there are two points between the two third points P3 and P3' on the movement trajectory of the self-position that rotate at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction (counterclockwise in the example of (a) of Figure 7), the driving area setting unit 123 may set the third rectangular area R3 by adding these two points to the two third points P3 and P3' and determining them as vertices of the third rectangular area R3.

[0083] The traveling area setting unit 123 may set, for example, a position where the main body 101 moves outward from the first rectangular area R1 (i.e., toward the third rectangular area R3) after rotating a predetermined angle in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions at the third point P3' on the movement trajectory of its own position as a vertex of the third rectangular area R3. The traveling area setting unit 123 may also set, for example, a position just before the outer edge of the main body 101 overlaps with the third point P3' when the main body 101 rotates a predetermined angle in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions at the third point P3' as a vertex of the third rectangular area R3. As described above, the traveling area setting unit 123 sets the traveling area A1, thereby setting boundaries L0, L1, and L2 between the traveling area A1 in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 travels and non-traveling areas N1, N2, and N3 in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 does not travel.

[0084] [Modification 1 of the first example] In the first example of operation, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), an example has been described in which the traveling map creation device 100 sets a traveling area A1 based on a movement trajectory traveled within a predetermined area. In Variation 1 of the first example of operation (hereinafter referred to as Variation 1), an example of operation will be described in which, when setting a traveling area, the traveling map creation device 100 receives an instruction to set the boundary of the traveling area.

[0085] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a reception screen of the information terminal 200. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the traveling map creation device 100 and the autonomous traveling robot 300. Fig. 9(a) is a diagram showing an example of traveling of the traveling map creation device 100, and Fig. 9(b) is a diagram showing an example of traveling of the autonomous traveling robot 300.

[0086] 8, the reception unit 240 of the information terminal 200 may be, for example, a touch panel, and may display an icon for instructing the navigation map creation device 100 on a driving direction, an icon for instructing the navigation map creation device 100 to stop driving, and an icon for instructing the navigation map creation device 100 whether to set a boundary. The information terminal 200 outputs the user's instruction received by the reception unit 240 (for example, an instruction not to set a boundary) to the navigation map creation device 100. The instruction may be given while the navigation map creation device 100 is operating (i.e., while driving in a predetermined area) or after the operation (i.e., after driving in a predetermined area).

[0087] In the first modification, an example will be described in which the traveling map creation device 100 receives the above instruction during operation. As a premise, the traveling area setting unit 123 does not include, in the traveling area, a rectangular area (hereinafter referred to as a recessed area) whose short side length is shorter than a predetermined value (for example, the radius of the main body 301 of the autonomous traveling robot 300 in a top view). Such a recessed area is, for example, an area located in a direction intersecting the moving direction of the self-location on the movement trajectory of the self-location, and whose positional relationship with an object (for example, a wall, partition, or pillar) that defines the outline of the area is acquired by the position sensor 102. However, for example, when the traveling map creation device 100 receives an instruction not to set the boundary L1 ((b) in FIG. 7) from the information terminal 200, the boundary instructing unit 124 outputs an instruction not to set the boundary L1 between the traveling area A1 and the recessed area (for example, the non-traveling area N1) to the traveling area setting unit 123. More specifically, for example, even if the movement trajectory of the self-position is not included in the recessed region, the boundary instruction unit 124 outputs an instruction to include the recessed region in the rectangular region defined by the movement trajectory.

[0088] For example, when the boundary setting OFF icon shown in FIG. 8 is selected while the traveling map creation device 100 is traveling or at the start of traveling, the receiving unit 240 of the information terminal 200 receives an instruction not to set a boundary, and outputs the received instruction to the traveling map creation device 100. The boundary setting unit 124 of the traveling map creation device 100 outputs the above instruction to the traveling area setting unit 123 based on the instruction. Upon receiving the above instruction, the traveling area setting unit 123 includes the recessed area (here, the non-traveling area N1) in the first rectangular area R1 (see FIG. 7(b)) defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position, for example, as shown in FIG. 9(a), even if the traveling map creation device 100 does not travel through (or enter) the recessed area. Based on the traveling map including the traveling area A1 set in this way, the autonomous traveling robot 300 also travels through the recessed area while traveling through the first rectangular area R1, for example, as shown in FIG. 9(b).

[0089] The recessed area is not limited to the above example. For example, the length of the short side of the recessed area may be equal to or less than the diameter of the main body 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 when viewed from above, or may be set appropriately depending on the application of the autonomous mobile robot 300.

[0090] [Modification 2 of the first example] In the first modification of the operation, an example of the operation when an instruction to set a boundary is received while the traveling map creation device 100 is operating (i.e., while traveling in a predetermined area) has been described. In the second modification of the first example of the operation (hereinafter referred to as modification 2), an example of the operation when an instruction to set a boundary is received after the traveling map creation device 100 has operated (i.e., after traveling in a predetermined area) will be described. In modification 2, the instruction to set a boundary is a so-called instruction to correct the set boundary. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the reception screen on the information terminal.

[0091] For example, when a driving map is created by the driving map creation unit 125, the control unit 120 of the driving map creation device 100 transmits the driving map to the information terminal 200. When the control unit 220 of the information terminal 200 acquires the driving map, it causes the presentation unit 230 to present the driving map, as shown in FIG.

[0092] At this time, for example, if the user taps an icon for boundary setting OFF displayed on the reception unit 240 (e.g., a touch panel) and then touches the boundary L1 on the driving map, the reception unit 240 receives a correction instruction to delete the boundary L1. Although not shown, when the boundary L1 on the driving map is touched, the display of the boundary L1 disappears, and the corrected area including the non-driving area N1 and the first rectangular area R1 is displayed. Next, when the user taps an OK icon, the reception of the instruction is confirmed. Next, the control unit 220 of the information terminal 200 outputs the instruction received by the reception unit 240 to the driving map creation device 100.

[0093] When the boundary indication unit 124 of the traveling map creation device 100 receives this instruction, it outputs an instruction to the traveling area setting unit 123 to delete the boundary L1 and modify the first rectangular area R1 to an area that includes the non-traveling area N1 and the first rectangular area R1. When the traveling area setting unit 123 receives this instruction from the boundary indication unit 124, it performs a modification to delete the boundary L1 based on the instruction, thereby modifying the first rectangular area R1 within the traveling area A1 to an area that includes the non-traveling area N1 and the first rectangular area R1. In this way, the traveling area setting unit 123 modifies the traveling area A1.

[0094] The driving map creation unit 125 creates a driving map (not shown) that includes the driving area A1 corrected by the driving area setting unit 123.

[0095] 10, when the driving area setting unit 123 receives a correction instruction to delete the boundary L1, it corrects the first rectangular area R1 to an area including the non-driving area N1 and the first rectangular area R1, but the boundary correction is not limited to this example. For example, based on the boundary correction instruction, the driving area setting unit 123 may correct the position of the boundary L2 by shifting it vertically on the driving map, or may set a boundary between adjacent rectangular areas within the driving area (for example, between the first rectangular area R1 and the second rectangular area R2) to change the second rectangular area R2 to a non-driving area.

[0096] [Second example] Next, a second example of the operation of the autonomous mobile robot system 400 in the embodiment will be described. In the first example, a process in which the mobile map creation device 100 creates a map for navigation based on instructions received by the information terminal 200 was described. In the second example, a process in which the autonomous mobile robot 300 cleans a predetermined floor while traveling based on the map for navigation created by the mobile map creation device 100 will be described.

[0097] 11 is a flowchart showing a second example of the operation of the autonomous mobile robot system 400 according to the embodiment. In the following description, the traveling area will be read as the cleaning area.

[0098] First, when the reception unit 240 of the information terminal 200 receives an instruction to start cleaning, the control unit 220 of the information terminal 200 outputs the instruction to the autonomous mobile robot 300 (not shown).

[0099] Next, when the control unit 340 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 receives an instruction to start cleaning (step S11), the driving map acquisition unit 341 acquires a driving map (step S12). For example, the driving map acquisition unit 341 may request a driving map for a specific floor from the driving map creation device 100 and acquire the map via the network 10, or may read a driving map stored in the storage unit 350.

[0100] Next, the control unit 340 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 outputs an instruction to start sensing to various sensors provided in the autonomous mobile robot 300, such as the position sensor 320 and the obstacle sensor 330, and acquires sensing data from these sensors (step S13).

[0101] Next, the self-position estimation unit 342 estimates the self-position of the main body 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 on the driving map based on the driving map acquired in step S12 and the positional relationship between the main body 301 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 and objects around it acquired by the position sensor 320 (step S14).

[0102] Next, based on the self-position estimated in step S14 and the travel map, the travel plan creation unit 344 searches for a cleaning area that is close to the self-position from among the multiple cleaning areas included in the travel map (step S15).

[0103] Next, the travel schedule creation unit 344 determines a start position (more specifically, a position where cleaning starts) within the cleaning area found in step S15 (step S16).

[0104] Next, the travel plan creation unit 344 creates a travel plan for the cleaning area (step S17). At this time, the travel plan creation unit 344 may determine the travel route within the cleaning area, as well as the travel speed and cleaning mode. The cleaning mode includes, for example, at least one of sweeping, wiping, and dust suction, and the cleaning intensity, such as the rotation speed of the brush or suction intensity.

[0105] Next, the travel schedule creation unit 344 determines the order of cleaning the cleaning areas (step S18). For example, the travel schedule creation unit 344 may determine the order of cleaning the cleaning areas by referring to history information, such as the frequency of cleaning of the cleaning area or the priority of the cleaning area, from a history information database (not shown) stored in the storage unit 350.

[0106] Next, the travel plan creation unit 344 determines whether travel plans for all cleaning areas included in the travel map have been completed (step S19), and if it determines that they have not been completed (No in step S19), it performs the process of step S16 for the other cleaning areas. Then, after completing the processes of steps S16 to S18 for the other cleaning areas, the travel plan creation unit 344 determines whether travel plans for all cleaning areas have been completed (step S19). Then, if the travel plan creation unit 344 determines that travel plans for all cleaning areas have been completed (Yes in step S19), it outputs the created travel plan and a control start instruction to the travel control unit 345 and the cleaning control unit 346 (not shown).

[0107] When travel control unit 345 and cleaning control unit 346 acquire the travel plan and a control start instruction from travel plan creation unit 344, they control travel unit 360 and cleaning unit 370 in accordance with the travel plan to perform cleaning (step S20).

[0108] The control unit 340 of the autonomous mobile robot 300 ends cleaning when all areas have been cleaned according to the travel plan.

[0109] [3. Effects, etc.] As described above, the traveling map creation device 100 is a traveling map creation device that creates a traveling map for the autonomous traveling robot 300 that travels autonomously within a specified floor, and is equipped with a position sensor 102 that detects objects around the device and acquires the positional relationship of the objects relative to the device, a floor map creation unit 121 that creates a floor map showing the specified floor based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor 102, a self-position estimation unit 122 that estimates the device's own position on the floor map based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor 102 and the floor map created by the floor map creation unit 121, a traveling area setting unit 123 that sets a first rectangular area R1 defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position as a traveling area in which the autonomous traveling robot 300 travels, based on the floor map and the device's own position, and a traveling map creation unit 125 that creates a traveling map including the traveling area set by the traveling area setting unit 123.

[0110] This allows the driving map creation device 100 to set the first rectangular area R1 defined by the movement trajectory of its own position as the driving area A1 of the autonomous driving robot 300, making it possible to easily set the driving area A1 on the map for driving the autonomous driving robot 300.

[0111] For example, in the traveling map creation device 100, the traveling area setting unit 123 may set the first rectangular area R1 by determining three first points on the traveling trajectory that rotate at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction (counterclockwise in (a) of Figure 7) as the vertices of the first rectangular area R1.

[0112] As a result, the traveling map creation device 100 determines the points where the vehicle turns in a predetermined direction at a predetermined angle as the vertices of the first rectangular area R1, and can easily set the first rectangular area R1 based on changes in the movement of the traveling map creation device 100 (the direction and angle of the turn).

[0113] For example, in the traveling map creation device 100, when there are two second points on the travel trajectory that rotate at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions (clockwise in (a) of Figure 7), the traveling area setting unit 123 may set a traveling area A1 that includes the first rectangular area R1 and the second rectangular area R2 by determining the two second points as vertices of the second rectangular area R2.

[0114] As a result, when there are two points where the vehicle turns at a specified angle in the opposite direction to the specified direction, the driving map creation device 100 determines these two points as the vertices of a second rectangular area R2 that is different from the first rectangular area R1, and therefore, multiple rectangular areas included in the driving area A1 can be easily set based on changes in the movement (turning direction and angle) of the driving map creation device 100.

[0115] For example, in the traveling map creation device 100, if there are two points on the movement trajectory between two second points P2, P2' (FIG. 7(a)) that rotate at a predetermined angle (e.g., 90°) in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 7(a)), the traveling area setting unit 123 may set the second rectangular area R2 by determining the two points as vertices of the second rectangular area R2 in addition to the two second points P2, P2'.

[0116] This allows the traveling map creation device 100 to determine the two vertices that form one side of the second rectangular area R2 that face the boundary between the second rectangular area R2 and the first rectangular area R1 based on changes in the movement (turning direction and angle) of the traveling map creation device 100, thereby enabling the second rectangular area R2 to be set more accurately.

[0117] For example, in the traveling map creation device 100, the traveling area setting unit 123 does not need to include in the traveling area a third rectangular area whose short side length is shorter than a predetermined value (for example, the radius of the main body 301 of the autonomous traveling robot 300 when viewed from above).

[0118] As a result, the traveling map creation device 100 does not include rectangular areas (so-called recessed areas) whose short side length is shorter than a predetermined value in the traveling area A1, allowing the autonomous traveling robot 300 to travel efficiently within the specified area.

[0119] For example, the driving map creation device 100 may further include a boundary indication unit 124 that outputs instructions to the driving area setting unit 123 regarding the setting of the boundary of the driving area A1, and when an instruction to correct the boundary is output by the boundary indication unit 124, the driving area setting unit 123 corrects the driving area A1 by correcting the boundary based on the instruction, and the driving map creation unit 125 may create a driving map that includes the driving area corrected by the driving area setting unit 123.

[0120] This allows the driving map creation device 100 to, for example, correct boundaries in accordance with the user's requests, thereby enabling area setting that is more in line with the user's requests.

[0121] Furthermore, the autonomous mobile robot 300 is an autonomous mobile robot that travels autonomously within a specified floor, and comprises a main body 301, a travel unit 360 that is arranged on the main body 301 and enables the main body 301 to travel, a travel map acquisition unit 341 that acquires a travel map created by any of the above-mentioned travel map creation devices 100, a position sensor 320 that detects objects around the main body 301 and acquires the positional relationship of the object relative to the main body 301, a self-position estimation unit 342 that estimates its own position, which is the position of the main body 301 on the travel map, based on the travel map and the positional relationship, a travel plan creation unit 344 that creates a travel plan for a specified floor based on the travel map and the self-position, and a travel control unit 345 that controls the travel unit based on the travel plan.

[0122] This allows the autonomous mobile robot system 400 to properly navigate the specified area, as the autonomous mobile robot 300 can create a driving plan based on a driving map with the driving area set.

[0123] For example, the autonomous mobile robot 300 may further include a cleaning unit 370 that cleans the floor surface by performing at least one of sweeping, wiping, and vacuuming dust, and a cleaning control unit 346 that controls the cleaning unit, and the travel plan creation unit 344 may further create a cleaning plan, and the cleaning control unit 346 may control the cleaning unit 370 based on the cleaning plan.

[0124] This allows the autonomous mobile robot 300 to create a cleaning plan in addition to a driving plan based on a driving map, so that the autonomous mobile robot 300 can clean while driving appropriately in a specified area.

[0125] In addition, the driving map creation method is a driving map creation method for creating a driving map for an autonomously mobile robot 300 that drives autonomously within a specified floor, and includes an acquisition step for detecting objects around the autonomously mobile robot and acquiring the positional relationship of the objects relative to the autonomously mobile robot, a floor map creation step for creating a floor map showing the specified floor based on the positional relationship acquired in the acquisition step, a self-position estimation step for estimating the autonomously mobile robot's own position on the floor map based on the positional relationship acquired in the acquisition step and the floor map created in the floor map creation step, a driving area setting step for setting a first rectangular area R1 defined by the movement trajectory of the autonomously mobile robot's own position as the driving area in which the autonomously mobile robot 300 drives, based on the floor map and the autonomously mobile robot's own position, and a driving map creation step for creating a driving map including the driving area A1 set in the driving area setting step.

[0126] As a result, according to the driving map creation method, the first rectangular area R1 defined by the movement trajectory of the self-position can be set as the driving area A1 of the autonomous driving robot 300, so that the driving area A1 can be easily set on the map for driving the autonomous driving robot 300.

[0127] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the autonomous mobile robot system 400 includes the mobile map creation device 100, the information terminal 200, and the autonomous mobile robot 300. However, the autonomous mobile robot system 400 may include the information terminal 200 and an autonomous mobile robot equipped with a mobile map creation function, or may include the autonomous mobile robot 300 and an information terminal equipped with a mobile map creation function.

[0128] For example, an autonomous mobile robot equipped with a driving map creation function can create a driving map for a specific floor and a driving plan in parallel. Furthermore, since the autonomous mobile robot does not need to obtain a driving map via the network 10, it is less susceptible to communication failures and can perform processing more smoothly than when information is obtained via communication.

[0129] For example, an information terminal equipped with a driving map creation function allows a user to carry a portable computer device, such as a tablet terminal equipped with LiDAR SLAM, around a predetermined area and create and modify a driving map in parallel. This eliminates the need for the user to place the driving map creation device 100 on a dolly 190 and move it around a predetermined floor, improving convenience.

[0130] Also, for example, in the embodiment, the navigational map creation device 100 includes the position sensor 102, but it does not have to include the position sensor 102. For example, the navigational map creation device 100 may be an information processing device that includes components other than the position sensor 102. In this case, a sensor including the position sensor 102 may be placed on a cart 190 and moved across a predetermined floor, and data acquired by the sensor may be output to the information processing device.

[0131] For example, in the embodiment, an example has been described in which the navigation map generated by the navigation map creation device 100 is transmitted to the autonomous navigation robot 300 via the network 10, but this is not limiting. For example, the navigation map creation device 100 may transmit the navigation map to the information terminal 200 via the network 10, and the information terminal 200 may transmit the acquired navigation map to the autonomous navigation robot 300 via the network 10. Note that the network 10 is a wide-area communication network such as the Internet, but may also be a local communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0132] Furthermore, for example, the autonomous mobile robot 300 may acquire the map for travel via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or the like in which the map for travel created by the map creation device for travel 100 is stored.

[0133] For example, in the embodiment, an example has been described in which the traveling map creation device 100 and the autonomous traveling robot 300 are separate entities, but the traveling map creation device 100 may also be realized as a single device incorporated into the autonomous traveling robot 300.

[0134] For example, in the embodiment, autonomous mobile robot system 400 is implemented by multiple devices, but it may also be implemented as a single device. Furthermore, when the system is implemented by multiple devices, the components of autonomous mobile robot system 400 may be distributed among the multiple devices in any manner. Furthermore, for example, a server device capable of communicating with autonomous mobile robot system 400 may include multiple components included in control units 120, 220, and 340.

[0135] For example, the communication method between the devices in the above-described embodiment is not particularly limited, and a relay device (not shown) may be used in the communication between the devices.

[0136] In the above-described embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be performed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processing operations may be changed, or multiple processing operations may be performed in parallel.

[0137] In the above-described embodiments, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for that component, or by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0138] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

[0139] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present disclosure may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0140] For example, the present disclosure may be realized as a navigation control method executed by a computer such as the autonomous navigation robot system 400, or as a program for causing a computer to execute such a navigation map creation method. Furthermore, the present disclosure may be realized as a program for causing a general-purpose computer to operate as the navigation map creation device 100 of the above-described embodiment. The present disclosure may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

[0141] In addition, this disclosure also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art would think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the intent of this disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0142] The present disclosure is widely applicable to autonomously moving robots. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 10 Network 100 Traveling map creation device 101, 301 main body 102, 320 Position Sensor 110, 210, 310 Communications Department 120, 220, 340 control section 121 Floor Map Creation Department 122 Self-position estimation part 123 Driving area setting section 124 Boundary indicator 125 Driving Map Creation Unit 130, 250, 350 storage section 140, 240 Reception 190 carts 191 Handle 192 Stand 200 Information terminal 230 Presentation section 300 Autonomous Robot 330 Obstacle Sensor 331 Transmission Department 332 Receiving unit 341 Driving map acquisition unit 342 Self-position estimation part 343 Obstacle Information Acquisition Unit 344 Driving Plan Creation Department 345 Travel control unit 346 Cleaning control unit 360 Running part 361 wheels 370 Cleaning Department 371 Side Brush 372 Main Brush 373 Suction port 400 Autonomous Driving Robot System A1 Driving Area R1 1st rectangular area R2 2nd rectangular area R3 Third rectangular area N1, N2, N3 non-driving areas L0, L1, L2 boundaries P1, P2, P2', P3, P3' points

Claims

1. A travel map creation device that creates a travel map for an autonomous travel robot that travels autonomously within a predetermined floor, a position sensor that detects an object around the vehicle and acquires a positional relationship of the object with respect to the vehicle; a floor map creation unit that creates a floor map showing the predetermined floor based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor; a self-position estimation unit that estimates a self-position on the floor map based on the positional relationship acquired by the position sensor and the floor map created by the floor map creation unit; a travel area setting unit that sets a first rectangular area defined by a movement trajectory of the self-position as a travel area in which the autonomous mobile robot will travel, based on the floor map and the self-position; a driving map creation unit that creates a driving map including the driving area set by the driving area setting unit; Equipped with the traveling area setting unit sets the first rectangular area by determining, on the movement trajectory, three first points at which the movement direction of the self-position rotates at a predetermined angle in one of a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction, as vertices of the first rectangular area; Traveling map creation device.

2. the traveling area setting unit, when two second points that rotate at the predetermined angle in the other of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions are present on the movement trajectory, sets the traveling area including the first rectangular area and the second rectangular area by determining the two second points as vertices of a second rectangular area. The driving map generation device according to claim 1.

3. the traveling area setting unit, when there are two points on the movement trajectory that rotate at the predetermined angle in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction between the two second points, sets the second rectangular area by determining the two points as vertices of the second rectangular area in addition to the two second points; The driving map generation device according to claim 2.

4. the travel area setting unit does not include, in the travel area, a third rectangular area whose short side length is shorter than a predetermined value; The driving map creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The vehicle further includes a boundary instruction unit that outputs an instruction to the travel area setting unit regarding setting of the boundary of the travel area, when an instruction to modify the boundary is output by the boundary specifying unit, the traveling area setting unit modifies the boundary based on the instruction, thereby modifying the traveling area; the driving map creation unit creates the driving map including the driving area corrected by the driving area setting unit. The driving map creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. An autonomous robot that autonomously travels within a predetermined floor, The main body and a running unit disposed on the main body and allowing the main body to run; a driving map acquisition unit that acquires the driving map created by the driving map creation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a position sensor that detects an object around the main body and acquires a positional relationship of the object with respect to the main body; a self-position estimation unit that estimates a self-position, which is the position of the main body on the map for driving, based on the map for driving and the positional relationship; a driving plan creation unit that creates a driving plan for the predetermined floor based on the driving map and the vehicle's own location; a travel control unit that controls the travel unit based on the travel plan; Equipped with Autonomous driving robot.

7. Further, the vehicle is provided with the driving map creation device. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 6.

8. moreover, a cleaning unit that cleans the floor surface by performing at least one of sweeping, wiping, and dust suction; a cleaning control unit that controls the cleaning unit; Equipped with The travel plan creation unit further creates a cleaning plan, The cleaning control unit controls the cleaning unit based on the cleaning plan. The autonomous mobile robot according to claim 6 or 7.

Images