Maintenance work support device and maintenance work support method

Abstract

To appropriately assign an operator and a working robot to a maintenance work, while restricting a frequency of the maintenance work.SOLUTION: In a maintenance task support device (2), a judgement section (21) judges whether maintenance is necessary or not on the basis of input data that is at least either sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses a state of a maintenance object, or a maintenance implementation request for a maintenance object. A determination section (22) extracts, as dispatch candidates, a staff member who is associated with an area to which an attention maintenance object judged to be require maintenance belongs, from among staff members composed of operators and self-propelled working robots, and decides, if one or more working robots are included as dispatch candidates, one of the working robots as a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the attention maintenance object and decides, if the dispatch candidates are composed of the operators only, one of the operators as the dispatch staff member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a maintenance work support device for supporting maintenance work. [Background technology]

[0002] In facilities such as office buildings and commercial facilities, workers are generally dispatched to maintenance targets such as corridors, rooms, toilets, windows, stairs, and various equipment to perform maintenance work such as cleaning, replacement, inspection, and maintenance.

[0003] Regarding cleaning, for example, a technology has been disclosed that determines a cleaning staff member to be dispatched to a location where cleaning is requested (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-076718 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Recently, self-propelled work robots capable of performing maintenance work have appeared, but the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration work allocation when there are dispatchable workers and work robots.

[0006] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to appropriately allocate workers and work robots to maintenance work while reducing the frequency of maintenance work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a maintenance work support device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the condition of a maintenance object and a request to perform maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data, and a determination unit that determines dispatch staff to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among staff consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots, each of which is associated with one or more tasks that they can perform and one or more areas to which they can be dispatched, and the determination unit extracts the staff that are associated with the tasks required for maintenance of the target maintenance object and the area to which the target maintenance object belongs as dispatch candidates, and if the dispatch candidates include one or more work robots, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff, and if the dispatch candidates are only workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff.

[0008] Furthermore, a maintenance work support device according to yet another aspect of the present invention includes a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request to perform maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines staff to be dispatched to the target maintenance object that has been determined to require maintenance from among staff members that are workers and self-propelled work robots; and a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information that indicates the flow of people at a location where the maintenance object is located, wherein each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that they can handle and one or more areas that they can be dispatched to, and the determination unit extracts, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs are associated, and if the dispatch candidates include the work robots and the workers, when the degree of people flowing around the noted maintenance object exceeds a predetermined threshold, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member, and when the degree of people flowing around the noted maintenance object is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member, and if the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member, and if the dispatch candidates are only the work robots, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member.

[0009] Furthermore, a maintenance work support device according to yet another aspect of the present invention includes a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request to perform maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines staff to be dispatched from staff consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance; a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff; and a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information that indicates the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in an area within which the staff can move, each of the staff being associated with one or more tasks that they can handle and one or more areas to which they can be dispatched. The determination unit further determines the urgency of maintenance for the maintenance object based on the input data. The determination unit determines the degree of urgency, and extracts the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs are associated as dispatch candidates. If the dispatch candidates include the work robots and the workers, when the urgency of maintenance of the noted maintenance object is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member. When the urgency exceeds the predetermined threshold, priority is given to the staff member who will take the shortest time to travel, which is calculated based on the distance to travel from the current position to the noted maintenance object and the people flow information at the predetermined point on the route of travel, in order to determine the staff member as the dispatch staff member. If the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member. If the dispatch candidates are only the work robots, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member.

[0010] A maintenance work support device according to another aspect of the present invention includes a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request to perform maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines staff to be dispatched from staff consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots to the target maintenance object that has been determined to require maintenance; and a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff, and each of the staff has one or more tasks that they can handle and one or more areas to which they can be dispatched. are associated with each other, and the determination unit extracts, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and to whom the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs is associated, and determines the dispatch candidate with the shorter required time to move from the current location to the noted maintenance object as the dispatch staff member, and the required time of the work robot is calculated based on the movement speed of the work robot determined for each type of work robot and the distance moved from the current location of the work robot to the noted maintenance object, and the required time of the worker is calculated based on the distance moved from the current location of the worker to the noted maintenance object.

[0011] Furthermore, a maintenance work support device according to yet another aspect of the present invention includes a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request to perform maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines staff to be dispatched from staff consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance; a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff; and a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information that indicates the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in an area within which the staff can move, and each of the staff has one or more tasks that they can handle and one or more dispatchable personnel. is associated with a plurality of areas, and the determination unit extracts, as dispatch candidates, the staff to which the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and to which the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs is associated, and when the dispatch candidates include the work robot and the worker, if the shortest time of the distance traveled from the current position of the work robot included in the dispatch candidates to the noted maintenance object and the time required for the travel, calculated based on the people flow information at the specified point on the route of travel, exceeds a specified threshold, the determination unit determines one of the workers included in the dispatch candidates to be the dispatch staff, and if the shortest time is equal to or less than the specified threshold, the determination unit determines the work robot that travels in the shortest time to be the dispatch staff. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately allocate workers and work robots to maintenance work while reducing the frequency of maintenance work. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of a maintenance work support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in the maintenance work support system. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing, in tabular form, an example of a maintenance table stored in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing, in tabular form, an example of a staff table stored in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in a maintenance work support system according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in a maintenance work support system according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in a maintenance work support system according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in a maintenance work support system according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 14]FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in a maintenance work support system according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in a maintenance work support system according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device in a maintenance work support system according to still another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a maintenance work support process in the maintenance work support device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. For the sake of convenience, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those in the embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] (Maintenance work support system) 1 is a block diagram showing an overview of a maintenance work support system according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support system 1 of this embodiment supports maintenance work in various facilities PL, such as office buildings, factories, and commercial facilities. The maintenance work includes various maintenance methods according to the various maintenance targets MO in the facility, such as cleaning floors, toilets, stairs, handrails, etc., collecting trash from trash cans, changing toilet paper, wiping windows, mowing the lawn, tidying rooms, and inspecting and maintaining various pieces of equipment.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the maintenance work support system 1 includes a maintenance work support device 2, a sensor 3, an implementation request terminal 5 (information terminal), and a staff terminal 6. The maintenance work support device 2 determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance target MO based on various data acquired from the maintenance target MO via the sensor 3 and the implementation request terminal 5. Hereinafter, the maintenance target MO determined to require the maintenance may be referred to as a "maintenance target MOI."

[0018] Next, the maintenance work support device 2 determines a dispatched staff member to be dispatched to the attention maintenance object MOI from among the staff members made up of workers and self-propelled work robots 6b. Then, the maintenance work support device 2 instructs the staff terminal 6 of the dispatched staff member, among the staff terminals 6 made up of the worker terminal 6a and the work robot 6b, to perform maintenance work at the attention maintenance object MOI. As a result, the dispatched staff member moves to the attention maintenance object MOI and performs maintenance work.

[0019] The maintenance work support device 2 is communicably connected to the sensor 3 and the implementation request terminal 5 via a communication network (not shown) such as the Internet. The maintenance work support device 2 is communicably connected to the staff terminal 6 via a communication network (not shown) such as the Internet.

[0020] It is desirable that the staff terminal 6 detects its current location using a satellite positioning system such as a Global Positioning System (GPS), an indoor positioning system such as an Indoor Positioning System (IPS), or the like, and transmits data indicating the current location to the maintenance work support device 2. It is also desirable that the worker terminal 6a acquires the status of maintenance work by the worker through operation by the worker, and transmits the status to the maintenance work support device 2. It is also desirable that the work robot 6b periodically transmits the status of maintenance work to the maintenance work support device 2. The work robot 6b may be a vacuum robot, a scrubber robot, a toilet cleaning robot, a stair cleaning robot, a window cleaning robot, a lawn mowing robot, or the like, depending on the type of maintenance.

[0021] The sensor 3 senses the condition of the maintenance target MO. Typical examples of the sensor 3 include a dust sensor, a water ingress sensor, and an odor sensor. The sensor 3 transmits sensor data obtained by the above sensing to the maintenance work support device 2. The sensor 3 may be a sensor provided on the work robot 6b, or may be a sensor installed near the maintenance target MO. The sensor 3 may also be a camera, in which case the sensor data may be image data obtained by photographing the condition of the maintenance target MO with the camera.

[0022] Furthermore, the sensor 3 includes a people flow sensor that detects the flow of people at the location where the maintenance object MO is located and a people count sensor that counts the number of people. Note that instead of the people flow sensor or people count sensor, a camera may be provided, and the maintenance work support device 2 may process images from the camera to detect the flow of people or the number of people.

[0023] Inspection result data obtained by inspecting the degree of contamination of the MO to be maintained may be transmitted to the maintenance work support device 2. The above inspection may be a wipe inspection. The above wipe inspection may be an ATP wipe inspection in which the amount of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is quantified.

[0024] The swab test may be a test that quantifies the amount of at least one of ATP, ADP (adenosine diphosphate), and AMP (adenosine monophosphate), or the total amount of at least two of them. The swab test may be a test that quantifies the number of microorganisms. The swab test may be a test that counts the number of microparticles in the space of the MO to be maintained using a particle counter. The swab test may be performed by a person or by a work robot 6b.

[0025] The execution request terminal 5 accepts an operation requesting maintenance of the maintenance target MO. Upon accepting the operation, the execution request terminal 5 transmits a request to execute maintenance on the maintenance target MO to the maintenance work support device 2. The execution request terminal 5 may be a fixed terminal installed near the maintenance target MO, or may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. In the case of a mobile terminal, the execution request terminal 5 may accept the operation by reading an information code (e.g., a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark)) installed near the maintenance target MO. Alternatively, the execution request terminal 5 may accept the operation by a dedicated application executed on the execution request terminal 5. Alternatively, the execution request terminal 5 may accept the details of the maintenance (cleaning, garbage collection, etc.) from a user and transmit the details of the maintenance to the maintenance work support device 2.

[0026] Hereinafter, the sensor data and the maintenance execution request will be collectively referred to as "input data."

[0027] (Maintenance work support device) 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance work support device 2. As shown in FIG.

[0028] The control unit 10 comprehensively controls the operation of various components of the maintenance work support device 2, and is configured by, for example, a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. The operation of the various components is controlled by causing the computer to execute a control program. The control unit 10 will be described in detail later.

[0029] The memory unit 11 records information and is composed of a memory device such as a hard disk, flash memory, etc. The communication unit 12 transmits and receives information to and from the sensor 3, the implementation request terminal 5, and the staff terminal 6 via a communication network (not shown). The communication unit 12 is equipped with a communication device such as a transmission / reception circuit.

[0030] In this embodiment, the control unit 10 includes a data acquisition unit 20, a determination unit 21, and a decision unit 22. The storage unit 11 stores a maintenance table 30 and a staff table 31.

[0031] (Maintenance table) Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the maintenance table 30 in tabular form. As shown in Fig. 3, the maintenance table 30 includes, for each sensor 3, the identification information (ID) of the sensor 3, the name of the sensor 3, an area AR including a maintenance target MO that is the detection target of the sensor 3, the maintenance target MO, the type of necessity of maintenance obtained by the sensor 3, the conditions for performing the maintenance, and the work required for the maintenance, as maintenance data. Note that the maintenance target MO may include information on the area AR.

[0032] The maintenance necessity level indicates the degree to which maintenance is necessary. The necessity level may be expressed, for example, on a scale of 1 to 100. In this case, 0 may be assigned to cases where no maintenance is necessary, and 100 may be assigned to cases where maintenance is absolutely necessary. The maintenance necessity level includes the degree of dust accumulation on floors, stairs, etc., the degree of dirtiness of floors, toilets, stairs, handrails, etc., the degree of garbage accumulation in trash cans, the degree of toilet paper reduction (remaining amount), the degree of liquid hand soap reduction (remaining amount), etc.

[0033] For example, the accumulation degree and the dirtiness degree may be obtained based on a comparison between a current image and a past image taken by a camera, which is the sensor 3. The accumulation degree and the dirtiness degree may also be obtained based on sensor data from a dust sensor installed in the work robot 6b that performs the cleaning work. For example, the dust accumulation degree may be obtained based on sensor data from a level sensor, which is the sensor 3 installed in the trash can (a trash can sensor in the example of FIG. 3). The toilet paper reduction degree may also be obtained based on sensor data from a level sensor, which is the sensor 3 installed in the toilet paper (a toilet sensor in the example of FIG. 3). The hand-washing liquid soap reduction degree may also be obtained based on sensor data from a level sensor, which is the sensor 3 installed in the liquid soap container.

[0034] The maintenance implementation conditions are the conditions for the degree of necessity for performing the maintenance. For example, in the example of Figure 3, if the dust accumulation level from sensor A is 90% or more, cleaning maintenance will be performed at the entrance where sensor A is located.

[0035] Furthermore, the maintenance table 30 includes, for each fixed terminal for an implementation request, the ID of the fixed terminal, the name of the fixed terminal, the area AR including the maintenance target MO where the fixed terminal is located, the maintenance target MO, the type of necessity, the conditions for carrying out the maintenance, and the work required for the maintenance. Furthermore, the maintenance table 30 includes, for each information code for an implementation request, the ID of the information code, the name of the information code, the area AR including the maintenance target MO where the information code is located, the maintenance target MO, the type of necessity, the conditions for carrying out the maintenance, and the work required for the maintenance.

[0036] 3, work robot A uses a dust sensor to obtain the dirtiness of the floor surface before work robot A starts cleaning, and the dirtiness when work robot A is only moving without cleaning. If the dirtiness is equal to or greater than a threshold value (80%), maintenance work support device 2 determines that the floor in area AR including the position of work robot A needs to be cleaned.

[0037] Furthermore, work robot B uses a dust sensor to obtain the degree of dirtiness of the floor surface immediately after work robot B has cleaned it. If the degree of dirtiness is equal to or greater than a threshold value (30%), the maintenance work support device 2 determines that the cleaning by work robot B was insufficient and that the floor in area AR including the position of work robot B needs to be cleaned. At this time, the maintenance work support device 2 may instruct work robot B to clean again, or may instruct a work robot with greater cleaning capabilities than work robot B to clean.

[0038] In the case of the implementation request, the type of necessity is the number of implementation requests per day. For example, the number of users of a conference room is relatively small and easy to identify. Therefore, implementation requests from conference rooms have a relatively high reliability. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 3, for implementation request A whose area AR is conference room 1, the maintenance implementation condition is set to one or more implementation requests per day. Therefore, when the maintenance work support device 2 receives implementation request A from conference room 1, it determines that maintenance needs to be performed.

[0039] On the other hand, toilet users are numerous and difficult to identify. For this reason, the reliability of implementation requests from toilets is relatively low. Therefore, in the example of FIG. 3, for implementation request B whose area AR is toilet A, the maintenance implementation condition is set to three or more implementation requests per day. Therefore, when the maintenance work support device 2 receives implementation request B from toilet A three times in one day, it determines that maintenance is necessary.

[0040] (Staff table) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the staff table 31 in tabular form. As shown in FIG. 4, the staff table 31 includes, for each staff member, the staff member's ID, name, dispatchable area, target that can be handled, and work that can be handled as staff data. The dispatchable area is one or more areas AR to which the staff member can be dispatched. The target that can be handled is one or more maintenance target MO that the staff member can handle. The work that can be handled is one or more maintenance work that the staff member can handle.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4, the dispatchable area, target, and tasks of a work robot 6b, such as a vacuum robot or a scrubber robot, are restricted. For example, because it is difficult for the work robot 6b to move between floors, the dispatchable area is often limited to the floor on which the work robot 6b is located. Furthermore, a scrubber robot can be used on hard floors such as hardwood floors and tiles, but has difficulty with soft floors such as carpet and tatami mats. Furthermore, the dispatchable area of ​​a toilet cleaning robot is limited to toilets. On the other hand, workers often do not have such restrictions, but the dispatchable area and tasks that they can perform may be restricted depending on their level of expertise, ability, gender, etc.

[0042] (Data acquisition section) The data acquisition unit 20 acquires input data, which is at least one of sensor data from the sensor 3 and a maintenance execution request from the execution request terminal 5. The data acquisition unit 20 sends the input data to the determination unit 21. The sensor data includes the ID of the sensor 3 and the degree of necessity of maintenance obtained by the sensor 3. The execution request includes the ID of the fixed terminal or the ID of the identification code.

[0043] (Judgment Department) The determination unit 21 refers to the maintenance table 30 stored in the storage unit 11 and determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance target MO based on the input data from the data acquisition unit 20. The determination unit 21 sends the determination result to the decision unit 22.

[0044] Specifically, the determination unit 21 refers to the maintenance table 30 and extracts maintenance data corresponding to the ID included in the input data from the data acquisition unit 20. Next, the determination unit 21 determines that the maintenance is required if the degree of necessity of the maintenance in the maintenance data satisfies the maintenance implementation conditions in the maintenance data.

[0045] (Decision section) The determination unit 22 determines, from among staff members made up of workers and work robots, a dispatched staff member to be dispatched to the attention maintenance object MOI determined to require maintenance by the determination unit 21. The determination unit 22 instructs the staff terminal 6 of the dispatched staff member via the communication unit 12 to perform maintenance work at the attention maintenance object MOI.

[0046] In this embodiment, the determination unit 22 first refers to the maintenance table 30 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract the area to which the attention maintenance target MOI belongs and the work required for maintenance of the attention maintenance target MOI. Next, the determination unit 22 refers to the staff table 31 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract, as dispatch candidates, staff who include the above work as work that they can handle and who include the above area as an area that they can dispatch.

[0047] Next, the determination unit 22 refers to the staff table 31, and if the dispatch candidates include one or more work robots 6b, determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatch staff. On the other hand, if the dispatch candidates include only workers, the determination unit 22 determines one of the workers as the dispatch staff.

[0048] According to the above configuration, temporary staff are dispatched only to the target maintenance targets MOI determined to require maintenance. This prevents inefficient maintenance work, such as insufficient or excessive maintenance, and optimizes the frequency of maintenance work. Furthermore, according to the above configuration, if the dispatch candidate includes a work robot 6b, even if the dispatch candidate also includes a worker, one of the work robots 6b is selected as the dispatch staff, and the worker is not dispatched. This reduces the frequency of worker dispatch, and ultimately reduces the number of workers required for maintenance work.

[0049] (Maintenance work support processing) 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, first, the data acquisition unit 20 acquires input data which is at least one of sensor data from the sensor 3 and a maintenance execution request from the execution request terminal 5 (S10).

[0050] Next, the determination unit 21 refers to the maintenance table 30 in the storage unit 11 and extracts maintenance data corresponding to the ID included in the input data (S11). Next, the determination unit 21 determines that the maintenance is required if the degree of necessity of the maintenance in the maintenance data satisfies the maintenance implementation conditions in the maintenance data (S12).

[0051] Next, the determination unit 22 refers to the maintenance table 30 in the storage unit 11 and extracts the area to which the noted maintenance target MOI determined to require maintenance belongs and the work required for the maintenance of the noted maintenance target MOI (S13). Next, the determination unit 22 refers to the staff table 31 in the storage unit 11 and extracts, as dispatch candidates, staff who include the above work as work that they can handle and who include the above area as an area that they can dispatch (S14).

[0052] Next, the determination unit 22 determines whether the dispatch candidates include one or more work robots 6b (S15). If the dispatch candidates include one or more work robots 6b (YES in S15), the determination unit 22 determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatch staff (S16). Then, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the dispatch candidates are only workers (NO in S15), the determination unit 22 determines one of the workers who are the dispatch candidates as the dispatch staff (S17). Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0053] In step S18, the decision unit 22 instructs the staff terminal 6 of the dispatched staff member to perform maintenance work at the noted maintenance target MOI, and then ends the maintenance work support process.

[0054] (Variation 1-1) The data acquisition unit 20 (people flow information acquisition unit) may further acquire people flow information indicating the flow of people at the location where the maintenance target MO is located. The people flow information may be any information that can grasp the degree of congestion at the location, such as the occupancy rate of toilets, the number of users, etc.

[0055] Furthermore, attributes of suitable work robots 6b may be determined in advance for each level of people flow. In this case, when the dispatch candidates include multiple types of work robots 6b, the determiner 22 may determine, as the dispatch staff, a work robot 6b having attributes determined according to the level of people flow in the target maintenance object MOI.

[0056] In the example of FIG. 4, the vacuum robot is a work robot 6b that has a vacuum function as an attribute, and the scrubber robot is a work robot 6b that has a scrubber function as an attribute. Furthermore, the vacuum robot and the scrubber robot are capable of cleaning floors. The maintenance required for the target maintenance object MOI is cleaning the entrance floor. In this case, the determining unit 22 includes the vacuum robot and the scrubber robot in the dispatch candidates.

[0057] While scrubber robots have a higher cleaning effect than vacuum robots, they tend to leave water residue on the floor, which can make the floor slippery after cleaning. For this reason, cleaning with scrubber robots in areas with high foot traffic is not recommended.

[0058] Therefore, the determination unit 22 refers to the people flow information from the data acquisition unit 20, and when the degree of people flow in the target maintenance MOI is higher than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 22 determines a vacuum robot as the dispatched staff member. On the other hand, when the degree of people flow in the target maintenance MOI is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 22 determines a scrubber robot as the dispatched staff member.

[0059] (Variation 1-2) If the judgment unit 21 further judges the degree of necessity of maintenance for the maintenance object MOI based on the input data, and the attributes of a suitable work robot 6b are predetermined for each degree of necessity, the determination unit 22 may determine, as the dispatch staff, a work robot 6b having attributes determined according to the degree of necessity for the attention maintenance object MOI, if the dispatch candidates include multiple types of work robots 6b.

[0060] For example, if the degree of necessity for the attention maintenance target MOI from the judgment unit 21 is higher than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 22 determines a scrubber robot as the dispatched staff member. On the other hand, if the degree of necessity for the attention maintenance target MOI is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 22 determines a vacuum robot as the dispatched staff member.

[0061] [Embodiment 2] Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0062] Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance work support device 2 in the maintenance work support system 1 according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment differs from the maintenance work support device 2 shown in Fig. 2 in that the control unit 10 further includes a position acquisition unit 23 and that the control unit 10 includes a determination unit 24 instead of the determination unit 22, but the other configurations are the same.

[0063] The position acquisition unit 23 acquires the current position of each staff member from the staff terminal 6 via the communication unit 12. The position acquisition unit 23 sends the acquired current position of each staff member to the determination unit 24. The determination unit 24 differs from the determination unit 22 shown in Fig. 2 in that, when determining a staff member to be dispatched, the determination unit 24 gives priority to a dispatch candidate who has a shorter distance to travel from the current position to the target maintenance object MOI, but other operations are similar.

[0064] According to the above configuration, it is possible to quickly dispatch a dispatched staff member to the MOI that is the target of attention for maintenance.

[0065] Fig. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. The maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 7 differs from the maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 5 in that steps S20 and S21 are provided instead of steps S16 and S17, but the other processes are similar.

[0066] In step S20, similar to step S16, if one or more work robots 6b are included in the dispatch candidates (YES in S15), the determination unit 24 determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatch staff. At this time, the determination unit 24 gives priority to the dispatch candidate that has the shortest distance to travel from the current position to the target maintenance object MOI. Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0067] In step S21, similar to step S17, if the dispatch candidates are only workers (NO in S15), the determination unit 24 determines one of the workers who are the dispatch candidates as the dispatch staff. At this time, the determination unit 24 gives priority to the dispatch candidate who has a shorter moving distance from the current position to the noted maintenance target MOI. Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0068] (Variation 2-1) The determination unit 24 may determine the dispatch candidate who travels the shortest distance from the current location to the noted maintenance object MOI as the dispatch staff member.

[0069] (Variation 2-2) If the dispatch candidates include multiple work robots 6b, the determination unit 24 may calculate the time required for the multiple work robots 6b to move from their current positions to the target maintenance object MOI, and may prioritize the work robot 6b with the shorter required time when determining it as the dispatch staff member.

[0070] Furthermore, when the data acquisition unit 20 (people flow information acquisition unit) acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of the specified points included in the area AR in which the work robot 6b can move, the determination unit 24 may calculate the required time based on the movement speed of the work robot 6b determined for each type of work robot 6b, the distance traveled from the current position of the work robot 6b to the target maintenance object MOI, and the people flow information at the specified points on the route along which the work robot 6b moves.

[0071] For example, when the pedestrian flow is low (0-40%), the required time may be the normal required time calculated from the moving speed and the distance. When the pedestrian flow is normal (41-70%), the required time may be twice the normal required time. When the pedestrian flow is high (71-100%), the required time may be three times the normal required time.

[0072] [Embodiment 3] Yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0073] Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance work support device 2 in the maintenance work support system 1 according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment differs from the maintenance work support device 2 shown in Fig. 2 in that the control unit 10 further includes a work status acquisition unit 25 and that the control unit 10 includes a determination unit 26 instead of the determination unit 22, but the other configurations are the same.

[0074] The work status acquisition unit 25 acquires the current work status of each of the staff members from the staff terminal 6 via the communication unit 12. The work status acquisition unit 25 sends the acquired work status of each staff member to the determination unit 26. The determination unit 26 differs from the determination unit 22 shown in Fig. 2 in that when extracting the dispatch candidates, the determination unit 26 excludes the staff members who are currently working from the dispatch candidates, but the other operations are the same.

[0075] According to the above configuration, a staff member who is not currently performing work among the dispatch candidates can be determined as the dispatch staff member, so that a staff member can be quickly dispatched to the attention maintenance target MOI.

[0076] Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. The maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 9 differs from the maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 5 in that step S22 is provided instead of step S14, but the other processes are similar.

[0077] In step S22, similar to step S14, the determination unit 26 refers to the staff table 31 in the storage unit 11 and extracts, as dispatch candidates, staff members who include the above work as work they can handle and who include the above area as an area they can dispatch to. At this time, the determination unit 26 excludes the above staff members who are currently working from the dispatch candidates.

[0078] (Variation 3-1) When all of the dispatch candidates are currently working, the determination unit 26 may prioritize the staff member who is expected to arrive at the target maintenance object MOI earlier after completing the ongoing work and determine them as the dispatch staff member. Details of this process will be described in the next embodiment.

[0079] [Embodiment 4] Yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0080] Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a maintenance work support device 2 in the maintenance work support system 1 according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment differs from the maintenance work support device 2 shown in Fig. 2 in that the storage unit 11 further stores a work plan DB (database) 33, the control unit 10 further includes a schedule acquisition unit 27, and the control unit 10 includes a determination unit 28 instead of the determination unit 22, but the other configurations are the same.

[0081] The work plan DB 33 includes a work plan for maintenance of each MO to be maintained. The work plan includes, for example, the staff and time period scheduled for the work.

[0082] The schedule acquisition unit 27 acquires the work schedule of each of the staff members by referring to the work plan DB 33 in the storage unit 11. The schedule acquisition unit sends the acquired work schedule of each staff member to the determination unit .

[0083] The determination unit 28 differs from the determination unit 22 shown in Figure 2 in that it identifies the staff members who can move to the target maintenance MOI and complete the maintenance work within the free time period in the work schedule, calculates the estimated completion time for each of the staff members, and gives priority to the staff members with earlier estimated completion times when extracting them as the dispatch candidates; other operations are similar.

[0084] According to the above configuration, staff can be quickly dispatched to the MOI that is the target of attention for maintenance.

[0085] Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. The maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 11 differs from the maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 5 in that step S23 is provided instead of step S14, but the other processes are similar.

[0086] In step S23, similarly to step S14, the determination unit 28 refers to the staff table 31 in the storage unit 11 and extracts, as dispatch candidates, staff members who include the above work as work that they can handle and who include the above area as an area that they can dispatch to. At this time, the determination unit 28 prioritizes staff members with earlier expected completion times who can move to the noted maintenance target MOI and complete the maintenance work within the free time period in the work schedule of each staff member acquired by the schedule acquisition unit 27 from the work plan DB 33 in the storage unit 11.

[0087] [Embodiment 5] Yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0088] Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance work support device 2 in the maintenance work support system 1 according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment is different from the maintenance work support device 2 shown in Fig. 6 in that the control unit 10 includes a determination unit 40 instead of the determination unit 24, but the other configurations are the same.

[0089] The determination unit 40 determines, from among staff members made up of workers and work robots, a dispatched staff member to be dispatched to the attention maintenance object MOI determined to require maintenance by the determination unit 21. The determination unit 40 instructs the staff terminal 6 of the dispatched staff member via the communication unit 12 to perform maintenance work at the attention maintenance object MOI.

[0090] In this embodiment, the determination unit 40 first refers to the maintenance table 30 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract the area to which the attention maintenance target MOI belongs and the work required for maintenance of the attention maintenance target MOI. Next, the determination unit 40 refers to the staff table 31 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract, as dispatch candidates, staff who include the above work as work that they can handle and who include the above area as an area that they can dispatch.

[0091] Next, the determination unit 40 calculates the time required for each staff member to travel from their current location to the target maintenance object MOI based on the current location of each staff member obtained from the location acquisition unit 23, and prioritizes the candidate with the shortest required time when determining them as the dispatched staff member. The required time for the work robot 6b is calculated based on the movement speed of the work robot 6b, which is determined for each type of work robot 6b, and the distance traveled from the current location of the work robot 6b to the target maintenance object MOI. Meanwhile, the required time for the worker is calculated based on the distance traveled from the worker's current location to the target maintenance object MOI.

[0092] For example, when maintenance work needs to be performed urgently on a MOI that is the target of attention for maintenance, it is generally preferable to dispatch staff who can arrive at the MOI that is the target of attention for maintenance as quickly as possible.

[0093] According to the above configuration, the dispatched staff member is selected based on the shortest time required to travel from the current location to the target maintenance object MOI. Furthermore, the travel time required for the work robot 6b is calculated taking into account the travel speed of each type of work robot 6b, so the difference in travel time required between work robots 6b is appropriately taken into account.

[0094] Therefore, with the above configuration, for example, when maintenance work needs to be carried out urgently on the target maintenance object MOI, it is possible to appropriately dispatch a worker or work robot 6b that can arrive at the target maintenance object in the shortest time.

[0095] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. The maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 13 differs from the maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 7 in the process between step S14 and step S18, but the other processes are similar.

[0096] 13, after step S14, the selection unit 40 selects one of the extracted dispatch candidates (S30) and determines whether the selected dispatch candidate is the work robot 6b (S31). If the dispatch candidate is the work robot 6b (YES in S31), the selection unit 40 calculates the required time for the work robot 6b based on the movement speed of the work robot 6b, which is determined for each type of work robot 6b, and the distance traveled from the current position of the work robot 6b to the target maintenance object MOI (S32). Then, the process proceeds to step S34.

[0097] On the other hand, if the dispatch candidate is not the work robot 6b, that is, if the dispatch candidate is a worker (NO in S31), the determination unit 40 calculates the required time for the worker based on the distance traveled from the current position of the worker to the target maintenance object MOI (S33), and then proceeds to step S34.

[0098] In step S34, steps S30 to S33 are repeated until all of the above-mentioned dispatch candidates have been selected (NO in S34). When all of the above-mentioned dispatch candidates have been selected (YES in S34), the determination unit 40 determines the dispatch candidate with the shortest required time as the dispatch staff member (S35). Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0099] (Variation 5-1) When the data acquisition unit 20 (people flow information acquisition unit) acquires people flow information indicating the people flow at each of the specified points included in the area AR in which the staff can move, the required time for the work robot 6b and the required time for the worker calculated by the determination unit 40 may further be calculated based on the people flow information at the specified points on the route from the current position to the target maintenance object MOI.

[0100] [Embodiment 6] Yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0101] Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance work support device 2 in the maintenance work support system 1 according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment differs from the maintenance work support device 2 shown in Fig. 12 in that the control unit 10 further includes a people flow information acquisition unit 41 and the control unit 10 includes a determination unit 42 instead of the determination unit 40, but the other configurations are the same.

[0102] The people flow information acquisition unit 41 acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in the area AR in which staff can move from the people flow sensor, which is the sensor 3, via the communication unit 12. The people flow information acquisition unit 41 sends the acquired people flow information to the determination unit 42.

[0103] The determination unit 42 determines, from among staff members made up of workers and work robots, a dispatched staff member to be dispatched to the attention maintenance object MOI determined to require maintenance by the determination unit 21. The determination unit 42 instructs the staff terminal 6 of the dispatched staff member via the communication unit 12 to perform maintenance work at the attention maintenance object MOI.

[0104] In this embodiment, the determination unit 42 first refers to the maintenance table 30 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract the area to which the attention maintenance target MOI belongs and the work required for maintenance of the attention maintenance target MOI. Next, the determination unit 42 refers to the staff table 31 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract, as dispatch candidates, staff who include the above work as work that they can handle and who include the above area as an area that they can dispatch.

[0105] Next, when the dispatch candidates include a work robot 6b and a worker, the determination unit 42 calculates the time required for the work robot 6b included in the dispatch candidates to travel from the current position to the attention maintenance object MOI. At this time, the time required for the work robot 6b is calculated based on the distance to travel from the current position to the attention maintenance object MOI and the people flow information at the specified points on the route along which the work robot 6b will travel.

[0106] Next, if the shortest of the required times exceeds a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 42 determines one of the workers included in the dispatch candidates as the dispatch staff member. On the other hand, if the shortest of the required times is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 42 determines the work robot 6b that moves in the shortest time as the dispatch staff member.

[0107] For example, when maintenance work needs to be performed immediately on a maintenance target MOI, it is generally preferable to dispatch staff who can arrive at the maintenance target MOI as soon as possible.

[0108] According to the above configuration, the dispatched staff is selected from among a staff consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots 6b. If the shortest time required for the work robot 6b to travel from its current location to the target maintenance object exceeds a predetermined threshold, one of the workers is selected as the dispatched staff. If the shortest time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the work robot 6b that travels in the shortest time is selected as the dispatched staff. Here, self-propelled work robots 6b generally have a collision avoidance function that stops or detours when people approach to avoid collisions with people, and the greater the number of people on the route, the more the collision avoidance function is executed. According to the above configuration, the time required for the work robot 6b to travel to the target maintenance object MOI is calculated by taking into account the flow of people, so the time required for the work robot 6b to travel to the target maintenance object MOI is calculated with high accuracy.

[0109] Thus, with the above configuration, if the work robot 6b can move to the target maintenance object MOI within a predetermined threshold, the work robot 6b is dispatched, and if not, a worker is dispatched, so that the worker and the work robot 6b can be appropriately assigned to the maintenance work.

[0110] Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. The maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 15 differs from the maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 5 in the process between step S14 and step S18, but the other processes are similar.

[0111] 15, after step S14, the determination unit 42 determines whether the dispatch candidates include both the work robot 6b and a worker (S40). If the dispatch candidates include both the work robot 6b and a worker (YES in S40), the determination unit 42 calculates the time required for the work robot 6b included in the dispatch candidate to move from its current position to the target maintenance object MOI, based on the distance to move from its current position to the target maintenance object MOI and the people flow information at the specified point on the route along which the robot will move (S41).

[0112] Next, the determination unit 42 determines whether the shortest time among the required times exceeds a predetermined threshold (S42). If the shortest time exceeds the predetermined threshold (YES in S42), the determination unit 42 determines one of the workers included in the dispatch candidates as the dispatch staff (S43). Then, the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the shortest time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (NO in S42), the determination unit 42 determines the work robot 6b that moves in the shortest time as the dispatch staff (S44). Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0113] On the other hand, if the dispatch candidates include either the work robot 6b or a worker (NO in S40), the determination unit 42 determines the dispatch staff member based on a predetermined priority order, such as prioritizing the dispatch candidate who will take the shortest time, or the dispatch candidate who will travel the shortest distance from the current position to the target maintenance object MOI (S45).Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0114] [Embodiment 7] Yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0115] Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance work support device 2 in the maintenance work support system 1 according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment is different from the maintenance work support device 2 shown in Fig. 14 in that the control unit 10 includes a determination unit 43 and a determination unit 44 instead of the determination unit 21 and the determination unit 42, but the other configurations are the same.

[0116] The determination unit 43 differs from the determination unit 21 shown in FIG. 14 in that it further determines the urgency of maintenance for the maintenance target MO based on input data from the data acquisition unit 20, but otherwise operates in the same manner. For example, the urgency of maintenance may be set relatively high for a specific time period, such as the arrival time of work, or a time period including the arrival time of work and one hour before and after the arrival time. Furthermore, the urgency of maintenance may be set relatively high for specific areas, such as a conference room where a meeting with a customer is held, or a restroom. Furthermore, the urgency of maintenance requested by an implementation request may be set relatively high.

[0117] The determination unit 44 determines, from among the staff made up of workers and work robots, a dispatched staff member to be dispatched to the attention maintenance object MOI determined to require maintenance by the determination unit 43. The determination unit 44 instructs the staff terminal 6 of the dispatched staff member via the communication unit 12 to perform maintenance work at the attention maintenance object MOI.

[0118] In this embodiment, the determination unit 44 first refers to the maintenance table 30 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract the area to which the attention maintenance target MOI belongs and the work required for maintenance of the attention maintenance target MOI. Next, the determination unit 44 refers to the staff table 31 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract, as dispatch candidates, staff who include the above work as work that they can handle and who include the above area as an area that they can dispatch.

[0119] Next, if the dispatch candidates include both a work robot 6b and a worker, and the urgency of maintenance at the target maintenance object MOI from the determination unit 43 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 44 determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatch staff member. On the other hand, if the urgency exceeds the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 44 calculates the time required to travel from the current location to the target maintenance object MOI, and prioritizes the staff member with the shortest required time as the dispatch staff member. The required time is calculated based on the distance traveled from the current location to the target maintenance object MOI from the location acquisition unit 23 and the people flow information at the predetermined point on the route of travel from the people flow information acquisition unit 41.

[0120] On the other hand, if the dispatch candidates are only workers, the determination unit 44 determines one of those workers as the dispatch staff. Also, if the dispatch candidates are only work robots 6b, the determination unit 44 determines one of those work robots 6b as the dispatch staff. Examples of when the dispatch candidates are only work robots 6b include when the area to which the target maintenance object MOI belongs is an area where workers are prohibited from entering, or when the target maintenance object MOI is a women's restroom and only male workers are present.

[0121] When the urgency of maintenance at the attention maintenance target MIO exceeds a predetermined threshold (i.e., the urgency is high), it is generally required that the dispatched staff arrive at the attention maintenance target MOI as soon as possible. On the other hand, when the urgency of maintenance at the attention maintenance target MOI is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (i.e., the urgency is low), it is generally not necessary that the dispatched staff arrive at the attention maintenance target as soon as possible.

[0122] According to the above configuration, if the dispatch candidates include a work robot and a worker, when the urgency of the maintenance is below a predetermined threshold, one of the work robots is selected as the dispatch staff, but when the urgency of the maintenance exceeds the predetermined threshold, priority is given to the staff member who requires the shortest travel time. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately dispatch a worker or work robot depending on the urgency of the maintenance at the target maintenance object MOI.

[0123] Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. The maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 17 differs from the maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 15 in the process between step S14 and step S18, but the other processes are similar.

[0124] As shown in FIG. 17, after step S14, the decision unit 42 determines whether the dispatch candidates include either the work robot 6b or a worker, or both (S50). If the dispatch candidates include only the work robot 6b, the process proceeds to step S52. On the other hand, if the dispatch candidates include only a worker, the process proceeds to step S54. Then, if the dispatch candidates include both the work robot 6b and a worker, the decision unit 44 determines whether the urgency of maintenance for the noted maintenance target MOI is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (S51). If the urgency is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (YES in S51), the process proceeds to step S52. On the other hand, if the urgency exceeds the predetermined threshold (NO in S51), the process proceeds to step S53.

[0125] In step S52, the determination unit 44 determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatched staff member, and then proceeds to step S18.

[0126] In step S53, the determination unit 44 determines as dispatched staff members the staff members who take the shortest time to travel, calculated based on the distance to travel from the current location to the target maintenance object MOI and the people flow information at predetermined points on the travel route. Then, the process proceeds to step S18.

[0127] In step S54, the determination unit 44 determines one of the workers as the dispatched staff member, and then proceeds to step S18.

[0128] [Embodiment 8] Yet another embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS.

[0129] Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the maintenance work support device 2 in the maintenance work support system 1 according to this embodiment. The maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment differs from the maintenance work support device 2 shown in Fig. 14 in that the position acquisition unit 23 is omitted and the control unit 10 includes a determination unit 45 instead of the determination unit 42, but the other configurations are the same.

[0130] The determination unit 45 determines, from among the staff made up of workers and work robots, a dispatched staff member to be dispatched to the noted maintenance object MOI that has been determined to require maintenance by the determination unit 21. The determination unit 45 instructs the staff terminal 6 of the dispatched staff member via the communication unit 12 to perform maintenance work at the noted maintenance object MOI.

[0131] In this embodiment, the determination unit 45 first refers to the maintenance table 30 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract the area to which the attention maintenance target MOI belongs and the work required for maintenance of the attention maintenance target MOI. Next, the determination unit 45 refers to the staff table 31 stored in the storage unit 11 to extract, as dispatch candidates, staff who include the above work as work that they can handle and who include the above area as an area that they can dispatch.

[0132] Next, if the dispatch candidates include both work robots 6b and workers, and the degree of people flow in the target maintenance MOI from the people flow information acquisition unit 41 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the determination unit 45 determines one of the workers as the dispatch staff. On the other hand, if the degree of people flow is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the determination unit 45 determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatch staff.

[0133] On the other hand, if the dispatch candidates are all workers, the determination unit 45 determines one of the workers as the dispatch staff member. Also, if the dispatch candidates are all work robots 6b, the determination unit 45 determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatch staff member.

[0134] In addition, if there are multiple dispatch candidates that can be determined as dispatch staff, the determination unit 45 may determine the dispatch staff based on criteria described in other embodiments, such as the distance to travel from the current location to the target maintenance MOI and the time required for the travel.

[0135] The self-propelled work robot 6b generally has a collision avoidance function that stops or detours when a person approaches in order to avoid collision with the robot. Therefore, compared to workers, the efficiency of the work robot 6b's maintenance work at the target maintenance object MOI decreases the more people there are around the target maintenance object MOI.

[0136] According to the above configuration, if the dispatch candidates include both a work robot 6b and a worker, one of the workers is selected as the dispatch staff member when the level of people flowing through the target maintenance MOI exceeds a predetermined threshold. On the other hand, if the level of people flowing through the target maintenance MOI is equal to or lower than the predetermined threshold, one of the work robots 6b is selected as the dispatch staff member. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately dispatch a worker or a work robot 6b depending on the level of people flowing through the target maintenance MOI.

[0137] Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing the flow of the maintenance work support process (maintenance work support method) in the maintenance work support device 2 of this embodiment. The maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 19 differs from the maintenance work support process shown in Fig. 15 in the process between step S14 and step S18, but the other processes are similar.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 19, after step S14, the decision unit 42 determines whether the dispatch candidates include either the work robot 6b or a worker, or both (S60). If the dispatch candidates include only the work robot 6b, the process proceeds to step S62. On the other hand, if the dispatch candidates include only a worker, the process proceeds to step S63. Then, if the dispatch candidates include both the work robot 6b and a worker, the decision unit 44 determines whether the degree of people flow at the target maintenance object MOI is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (S61). If the degree of people flow is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold (YES in S61), the process proceeds to step S62. On the other hand, if the urgency level exceeds the predetermined threshold (NO in S61), the process proceeds to step S63.

[0139] In step S62, the determination unit 44 determines one of the work robots 6b as the dispatched staff member, and then proceeds to step S18. In step S63, the determination unit 44 determines one of the workers as the dispatched staff member, and then proceeds to step S18.

[0140] (Additional notes) Some of the processes executed by the maintenance work support device 2 may be executed by another information processing device (computer). In other words, the entity that executes each process described in each of the above embodiments can be changed as appropriate, and the maintenance work support system 1 according to the present invention can be realized with various system configurations. For example, each process shown in Figures 5, 7, etc. may be executed by sharing it among multiple information processing devices (computers).

[0141] [Software implementation example] The functions of the maintenance work support device 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "device") can be realized by a program that causes a computer to function as the device, and a program that causes a computer to function as each control block of the device (particularly each part included in the control unit 10).

[0142] In this case, the device includes a computer having at least one control device (e.g., a processor) and at least one storage device (e.g., a memory) as hardware for executing the program. The control device and storage device execute the program, thereby realizing the functions described in each of the above embodiments.

[0143] The program may be non-transitory and may be recorded on one or more computer-readable recording media. The recording media may or may not be included in the device. In the latter case, the program may be supplied to the device via any wired or wireless transmission medium.

[0144] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0145] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0146] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0147] 1 Maintenance work support system 2 Maintenance work support device 3 sensors 5. Implementation request terminal (information terminal) 6 Staff terminals 6a Worker terminal 6b Work robot 10 Control Unit 11 Storage section 12 Communications Department 20 Data Acquisition Section 21, 43 Judgment section 22, 24, 26, 28, 40, 42, 44, 45 Decision section 23 Position acquisition part 25 Work status acquisition unit 27 Schedule Acquisition Department 30 Maintenance Table 31 Staff Table 33 Work Plan DB 41 People flow information acquisition department

Claims

1. a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determination unit extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; If the dispatch candidate includes one or more of the work robots, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member. Maintenance work support device.

2. a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff members; The determination unit determines the dispatch candidate as the dispatch staff member by giving priority to the dispatch candidate who has a shorter distance to travel from the current location to the noted maintenance target. The maintenance work support device according to claim 1.

3. a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff members; When the dispatch candidate includes a plurality of work robots, the determination unit prioritizes a work robot that takes a shorter time to move from a current position to the target maintenance object among the plurality of work robots and determines the work robot as the dispatch staff member. The maintenance work support device according to claim 1.

4. a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in an area in which the work robot can move; The required time is a movement speed of the work robot determined for each type of the work robot; The distance traveled from the current position of the work robot to the target maintenance object, and Calculated based on the people flow information at the predetermined point on the route of movement. The maintenance work support device according to claim 3.

5. Further provided is a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at the point where the maintenance object is located, Suitable attributes of the working robot are determined in advance for each degree of people flow; When the dispatch candidates include multiple types of work robots, the determination unit determines, as the dispatch staff, a work robot having an attribute determined according to the degree of human flow at the target maintenance object. The maintenance work support device according to claim 1.

6. The maintenance required for the target maintenance object is cleaning of the floor, the dispatch candidates include the work robot having a vacuum function as an attribute and the work robot having a scrubber function as an attribute, The determination unit If the degree of human flow at the target maintenance object is higher than a predetermined threshold, the work robot having a vacuum function is determined to be the dispatched staff member; When the degree of human flow at the target maintenance object is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the work robot having a scrubber function is determined to be the dispatched staff member. The maintenance work support device according to claim 5.

7. The determination unit further determines the degree of necessity of maintenance for the maintenance target based on the input data, Suitable attributes of the work robot are determined in advance for each of the degrees of necessity; When the dispatch candidates include multiple types of work robots, the determination unit determines, as the dispatch staff, the work robot having an attribute determined according to the degree of necessity for the noted maintenance target. The maintenance work support device according to claim 1.

8. The maintenance required for the target maintenance object is cleaning of the floor, the dispatch candidates include the work robot having a vacuum function as an attribute and the work robot having a scrubber function as an attribute, The determination unit If the degree of necessity of the noted maintenance target is higher than a predetermined threshold, the work robot having a scrubber function is determined to be the dispatched staff member; If the degree of necessity for the noted maintenance target is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the work robot having a vacuum function is determined to be the dispatched staff member. The maintenance work support device according to claim 7.

9. A work status acquisition unit that acquires the current work status of each of the staff members is further provided, The determination unit excludes the staff members currently working from the dispatch candidates. The maintenance work support device according to claim 1.

10. A work status acquisition unit that acquires the current work status of each of the staff members is further provided, When all of the dispatch candidates are currently working, the determination unit prioritizes the staff member who is expected to arrive at the target maintenance object at an earlier time after completing the currently working work and determines the staff member as the dispatch staff member. The maintenance work support device according to claim 1.

11. A schedule acquisition unit that acquires the work schedule of each of the staff members is further provided, the determination unit prioritizes extracting, as the dispatch candidate, a staff member who is able to move to the target maintenance object and complete the maintenance work within the vacant time period in the work schedule and has an earlier expected completion time. The maintenance work support device according to claim 1.

12. a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at a point where the maintenance object is located, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determination unit extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; When the dispatch candidate includes the work robot and the worker, When the degree of the flow of people at the target maintenance object exceeds a predetermined threshold, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatched staff member; When the degree of human flow at the target maintenance object is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatched staff member; If the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the dispatch candidate is only the work robot, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member. Maintenance work support device.

13. a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff members; a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in the area in which the staff can move, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determination unit further determines the urgency of maintenance for the maintenance target based on the input data, The determination unit extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; If the dispatch candidate includes the work robot and the worker, When the urgency of maintenance for the target maintenance object is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatched staff member; When the urgency exceeds the predetermined threshold, the staff member who takes the shortest time to travel, which is calculated based on the distance to travel from the current location to the noted maintenance target and the people flow information at the predetermined point on the route to travel, is given priority in determining the staff member as the dispatched staff member; If the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the dispatch candidate is only the work robot, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member. Maintenance work support device.

14. a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff members; Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determination unit extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; The dispatch candidate who takes the shortest time to move from the current location to the target maintenance object is given priority and determined as the dispatch staff member; The required time of the working robot is a movement speed of the work robot determined for each type of the work robot; and the distance traveled from the current position of the work robot to the target maintenance object, The required time of the worker is calculated based on a distance to travel from the current location of the worker to the target maintenance object. Maintenance work support device.

15. A people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in the area in which the staff can move, The required time of the work robot and the required time of the worker are further calculated based on the people flow information at the predetermined points on the route from the current position to the target maintenance object. The maintenance work support device according to claim 14.

16. a determination unit that acquires input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of a maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determines whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination unit that determines a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a location acquisition unit that acquires the current location of each of the staff members; a people flow information acquisition unit that acquires people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in the area in which the staff can move, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determination unit extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; When the dispatch candidates include the work robot and the worker, If the shortest time of the distance traveled from the current position of the work robot included in the dispatch candidate to the target maintenance object and the required time for the travel, calculated based on the people flow information at the predetermined point on the route of the travel, exceeds a predetermined threshold, one of the workers included in the dispatch candidate is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the shortest time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the working robot that moves in the shortest time is determined to be the dispatched staff member. Maintenance work support device.

17. The state of the maintenance target is sensed by the sensor provided on the work robot. The maintenance work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. the implementation request is transmitted from an information terminal that has accepted an operation requesting maintenance of the maintenance target; The maintenance work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

19. The state of the maintenance object is sensed by the sensor installed near the maintenance object. The maintenance work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

20. the sensor is a camera; The sensor data is an image obtained by photographing the state of the maintenance target with the camera. The maintenance work support device according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

21. A maintenance work support method in a maintenance work support device, executed by one or more computers, comprising: a determination step of acquiring input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of the maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determining whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination step of determining a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among the staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determining step extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; If the dispatch candidate includes one or more of the work robots, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member. Maintenance work support method.

22. A maintenance work support method in a maintenance work support device, executed by one or more computers, comprising: a determination step of acquiring input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of the maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determining whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination step of determining a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among the staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a people flow information acquisition step of acquiring people flow information indicating the people flow at the point where the maintenance object is located, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determining step extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; When the dispatch candidate includes the work robot and the worker, When the degree of the flow of people at the target maintenance object exceeds a predetermined threshold, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatched staff member; When the degree of human flow at the target maintenance object is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatched staff member; If the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the dispatch candidate is only the work robot, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member. Maintenance work support method.

23. A maintenance work support method in a maintenance work support device, executed by one or more computers, comprising: a determination step of acquiring input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of the maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determining whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination step of determining a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among the staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a position acquisition step of acquiring a current position of each of the staff members; a people flow information acquisition step of acquiring people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in the area in which the staff can move, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determining step further includes determining a degree of urgency of maintenance for the maintenance target based on the input data; The determining step extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; If the dispatch candidate includes the work robot and the worker, When the urgency of maintenance for the target maintenance object is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatched staff member; When the urgency exceeds the predetermined threshold, the staff member who takes the shortest time to travel, which is calculated based on the distance to travel from the current location to the noted maintenance target and the people flow information at the predetermined point on the route to travel, is given priority in determining the staff member as the dispatched staff member; If the dispatch candidates are only the workers, one of the workers is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the dispatch candidate is only the work robot, one of the work robots is determined to be the dispatch staff member. Maintenance work support method.

24. A maintenance work support method in a maintenance work support device, executed by one or more computers, comprising: a determination step of acquiring input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of the maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determining whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination step of determining a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among the staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a location acquisition step of acquiring a current location of each of the staff members; Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determining step extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; The dispatch candidate who takes the shortest time to move from the current location to the target maintenance object is given priority and determined as the dispatch staff member; The required time of the working robot is a movement speed of the work robot determined for each type of the work robot; and the distance traveled from the current position of the work robot to the target maintenance object, The required time of the worker is calculated based on a distance to travel from the current location of the worker to the target maintenance object. Maintenance work support method.

25. A maintenance work support method in a maintenance work support device, executed by one or more computers, comprising: a determination step of acquiring input data that is at least one of sensor data obtained from a sensor that senses the state of the maintenance object and a request for performing maintenance on the maintenance object, and determining whether or not maintenance is required for the maintenance object based on the input data; a determination step of determining a dispatch staff member to be dispatched to the target maintenance object determined to require maintenance from among the staff members consisting of workers and self-propelled work robots; a position acquisition step of acquiring a current position of each of the staff members; a people flow information acquisition step of acquiring people flow information indicating the flow of people at each of predetermined points included in the area in which the staff can move, Each of the staff members is associated with one or more tasks that the staff member can handle and one or more areas that the staff member can be dispatched to; The determining step extracting, as dispatch candidates, the staff members to whom the work required for maintenance of the noted maintenance object is associated and the area to which the noted maintenance object belongs; When the dispatch candidates include the work robot and the worker, If the shortest time of the distance traveled from the current position of the work robot included in the dispatch candidate to the target maintenance object and the required time for the travel, calculated based on the people flow information at the predetermined point on the route of the travel, exceeds a predetermined threshold, one of the workers included in the dispatch candidate is determined to be the dispatch staff member; If the shortest time is equal to or less than the predetermined threshold, the working robot that moves in the shortest time is determined to be the dispatched staff member. Maintenance work support method.

Images