Robot, control method, and control program

Abstract

The control device 100 controls the projector 106. The control device 100 has a detection unit 140 that detects the distance to a person present in the projection direction, a calculation unit 130 that calculates the congestion degree in the projection direction using the distance, and a control unit 150 that controls the projector 106 to project content onto a projection area according to the congestion degree.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Projection devices such as projectors are known. Projection devices project information onto a floor, etc. For example, an image projection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 projects map information onto a floor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-149053 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if a projection device performs projection without taking into consideration a crowded situation, the projection area may be covered by a person, making it difficult for the user to see the information.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to improve visibility. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a robot, the robot including a projection device, The floor The control device includes a detection unit that detects a distance to a person in a space in front of the robot, a calculation unit that calculates a crowding level of the people using the distance, and a control unit that controls the projection device to project content onto a projection area having a size according to the crowding level. The projection device projects content onto a projection area having a size according to the crowding level. The above Projection onto the floor. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, visibility can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a robot according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing hardware possessed by the robot of the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of the robot of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing an example (part 1) of processing executed by the robot of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a first example of calculating a congestion degree according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second example of calculating a congestion degree according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a content management table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a specific example of control of the projector according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating examples of projection areas according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of calculation of a projection direction according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 6A to 6C are diagrams showing specific examples of projection areas according to the congestion degree in the first embodiment. [Figure 12] 13 is a flowchart showing a second example of the process executed by the robot according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a control system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the functions of a control device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiment is merely an example, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0010] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a robot according to a first embodiment. The robot 100 is a device that executes a control method. The robot 100 is also called a control device. The robot 100 has a projector. The robot 100 controls the projector. The projector may be a pan-tilt type, a so-called oscillating type (i.e., a type that can change the projection direction). The robot 100 may rotate the entire robot 100 to perform projection.

[0011] The robot 100 can guide the user to a destination. When guiding the user, the robot 100 projects information onto the floor. The user moves to the destination while visually checking the information projected onto the floor.

[0012] The robot 100 moves while in contact with the floor. The robot 100 may float like a drone. The robot 100 may move while floating.

[0013] Next, the hardware of the robot 100 will be described. 2 is a diagram showing hardware included in the robot of embodiment 1. The robot 100 is a computer. The robot 100 includes a processor 101, a volatile storage device 102, a non-volatile storage device 103, a communication IF (Interface) 104, a camera 105, a projector 106, an input IF 107, and a speaker 108.

[0014] The processor 101 controls the entire robot 100. For example, the processor 101 is a central processing unit (CPU) or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor 101 may be a multiprocessor. The robot 100 may also have a processing circuit.

[0015] The volatile storage device 102 is a main storage device of the robot 100. For example, the volatile storage device 102 is a random access memory (RAM). The non-volatile storage device 103 is an auxiliary storage device of the robot 100. For example, the non-volatile storage device 103 is a solid state drive (SSD).

[0016] The communication IF 104 communicates with other devices. The camera 105 can capture images of the surroundings of the robot 100. The projector 106 projects information. The projector 106 is also called a projection device. For example, the input IF 107 is a touch panel. The speaker 108 outputs sound.

[0017] The robot 100 may have sensors, a liquid crystal display (ie, a display device), and the like.

[0018] Next, the functions of the robot 100 will be described. 3 is a block diagram showing functions of the robot according to embodiment 1. The robot 100 has a storage unit 110, an acquisition unit 120, a calculation unit 130, a detection unit 140, and a control unit 150.

[0019] The storage unit 110 may be realized as a storage area secured in the volatile storage device 102 or the non-volatile storage device 103 . A part or all of the acquiring unit 120, the calculating unit 130, the detecting unit 140, and the control unit 150 may be realized by a processing circuit. Also, a part or all of the acquiring unit 120, the calculating unit 130, the detecting unit 140, and the control unit 150 may be realized as a module of a program executed by the processor 101. For example, the program executed by the processor 101 is also called a control program. For example, the control program is recorded on a recording medium.

[0020] The storage unit 110 stores various information. The functions of the acquisition unit 120, the calculation unit 130, the detection unit 140, and the control unit 150 will be described later.

[0021] Next, the process executed by the robot 100 will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example (part 1) of the process executed by the robot according to the first embodiment. (Step S11) The acquisition unit 120 acquires a guidance request from a user. For example, the acquisition unit 120 acquires a guidance request by a user's operation on a touch panel. The guidance request includes a destination.

[0022] (Step S12) The calculation unit 130 calculates a route based on map information, the current position of the robot 100, and the destination. The map information is stored in the storage unit 110. The robot 100 may also transmit the current position and the destination to a server, and the server may calculate the route. Then, the server transmits the route to the robot 100.

[0023] (Step S13) The detection unit 140 detects the distance to a person present in the projection direction. Specifically, the detection unit 140 detects the distance between the robot 100 and a person present in the projection direction. In particular, the detection unit 140 detects the distance using a conventional technique. For example, the detection unit 140 detects the distance using an infrared sensor. Also, for example, when the camera 105 is an RGB-D camera, the detection unit 140 detects the depth obtained from the image generated by the RGB-D camera as the distance. Also, for example, the detection unit 140 detects the distance using the image generated by the camera 105 and a trained model. In particular, when the detection unit 140 inputs the image to the trained model, the trained model outputs the distance.

[0024] (Step S14) The calculation unit 130 calculates the congestion degree in the projection direction using the distance. The calculation of the congestion degree will be described using a specific example.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example (part 1) of calculating the congestion degree in the first embodiment. Fig. 5 shows people 11, 12, and 13. Three distances are detected by executing step S13. The distance between the robot 100 and the person 11 is called the first distance. The distance between the robot 100 and the person 12 is called the second distance. The distance between the robot 100 and the person 13 is called the third distance.

[0026] The calculation unit 130 calculates the degree of congestion using formula (1). Note that the "first distance" which is the common numerator in formula (1) is the distance between the robot 100 and the person closest to the robot 100 among the people present in the projection direction, and is selected as a reference value.

[0027]

number

[0028] The calculation unit 130 may calculate the congestion degree by using the formula (2).

[0029]

number

[0030] The calculation unit 130 may also calculate the congestion degree as follows.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a second example of the congestion degree calculation according to the first embodiment. For example, scores are assigned at 0.5 m intervals with the robot 100 at the center. For example, 3 points are assigned between 0 and 0.5 m. Also, for example, 2 points are assigned between 0.5 and 1.0 m. The calculation unit 130 assigns scores according to distance. For example, the calculation unit 130 assigns 3 points to the first distance. The calculation unit 130 assigns 2 points to the second distance. The calculation unit 130 assigns 0 points to the third distance. The calculation unit 130 calculates the congestion degree based on the scores. For example, the calculation unit 130 adds up the scores to calculate the congestion degree (for example, 5=3+2+0).

[0032] The case where the congestion degree is expressed by a numerical value has been described. In any of the above calculation methods, when people in the projection direction are close to the robot 100 and many people are present in the projection direction, the congestion degree becomes a relatively high value. Note that the calculated congestion degree is not a value that simply represents the number of people. The congestion degree may be expressed by a degree (e.g., high, low). For example, after the numerical value is calculated, the calculation unit 130 converts the numerical value into a congestion degree expressed by a degree using a threshold value or a range.

[0033] (Step S15) The acquisition unit 120 acquires a content management table from the storage unit 110 or an external device. The external device is a device that exists outside the robot 100. For example, the external device is a cloud server. The external device is omitted from the illustration. An example of the content management table is shown below.

[0034] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a content management table according to the first embodiment. For example, the content management table 111 is stored in the storage unit 110. The content management table 111 is also called content management information. The content management table 111 shows a correspondence relationship between the congestion degree and the content indicating the projection details. In detail, the content management table 111 has items of the congestion degree, the projection format, the content type, and the content.

[0035] (Step S16) The acquisition unit 120 acquires content according to the congestion degree based on the content management table 111. Furthermore, when a guidance request has been received, the acquisition unit 120 uses the content management table 111 to acquire content for providing guidance. (Step S17) The control unit 150 controls the projector 106 so as to project the content onto a projection area according to the degree of congestion. The control of the projector 106 will be described using a specific example.

[0036] 8(A) to (C) are diagrams showing a specific example of projector control in the first embodiment. FIG. 8(A) shows a case where the congestion level is low. When the congestion level is low, the control unit 150 causes the projector 106 to execute wide-area projection. The projector 106 projects text, an image, or a video onto a large-sized projection area 20 in which the amount of information is not significantly limited. The projection area 20 may be circular.

[0037] 8B shows a case where the degree of congestion is medium. When the degree of congestion is medium, the control unit 150 causes the projector 106 to execute medium area projection. The projector 106 projects a short text as a telop onto the projection area 20 of a medium size, in which the amount of information is limited to a certain extent.

[0038] 8C shows a case where the degree of congestion is high. When the degree of congestion is high, the control unit 150 causes the projector 106 to execute narrow-area projection. The projector 106 projects a symbol or noun onto the small-sized projection area 20 in which the amount of information is significantly limited.

[0039] Furthermore, the control unit 150 may control the projector 106 so that the background of the projection area 20 changes. The control unit 150 may control the projector 106 so that the frame of the projection area 20 flashes.

[0040] After the projection, the robot 100 starts providing guidance based on the route. When providing guidance, the control unit 150 controls the robot 100 so that the robot 100 moves in parallel with the user to provide guidance to the destination. A specific example of the projection area 20 when the robot 100 moves in parallel with the user is shown below.

[0041] 9(A) to 9(C) are diagrams showing examples of the projection area in the first embodiment. FIG. 9 shows a user 30. The user 30 is a person to be guided. FIG. 9(A) shows a case where the robot 100 is present on the right side of the user 30 when the user 30 is moving in the forward direction, and the robot 100 moves in parallel with the user 30 or slightly ahead of the user 30. The projection area 20 is also inclined.

[0042] FIG. 9B shows a case in which the robot 100 is present on the left side of the user 30 when the direction of travel is the front, and the robot 100 moves parallel to the user 30 or slightly ahead of the user 30.

[0043] FIG. 9C shows a case where the robot 100 is present on the right side of the user 30 when the traveling direction is the front, and the robot 100 moves parallel to the user 30 or slightly ahead of the user 30. The control unit 150 also controls the projector 106 so that the content of the projection area 20 is projected in the front direction of the user in order to make the content easier for the user to read. As a result, the projector 106 projects the content of the projection area 20 in the front direction of the user facing the traveling direction. The robot 100 does not guide the user 30 by positioning it in front of the user 30 (in front of the traveling direction), but keeps to the right or left side of the user 30 and projects the content in the front direction of the user 30 from an oblique side. The reason for this is to avoid blocking the forward field of view of the user 30 being guided, and to avoid a collision with the user 30 due to a sudden stop of the robot 100, etc.

[0044] Next, calculation of the projection direction of the projector 106 will be specifically described. 10 is a diagram showing an example of calculation of the projection direction according to embodiment 1. In order to calculate the projection direction angle α, the control unit 150 calculates each value using the following formulas (3) to (6).

[0045]

number

[0046]

number

[0047]

number

[0048]

number

[0049] When x and y are substituted into equation (6), tan α is expressed by equation (7).

[0050]

number

[0051] The projection direction angle α is expressed by equation (8).

[0052]

number

[0053] In this manner, the projection direction angle α is calculated. The control unit 150 controls the projector 106 so that the projector 106 projects at the angle α. This enables the projector 106 to project the content as shown in FIG.

[0054] Next, a specific example will be given in which the robots 100 move in parallel and the content is projected onto the projection area 20 according to the degree of congestion. 11(A) to (C) are diagrams showing specific examples of projection areas according to the congestion degree in the first embodiment. FIG. 11(A) shows a case where the congestion degree is low. FIG. 11(B) shows a case where the congestion degree is medium. FIG. 11(C) shows a case where the congestion degree is high. FIG. 11(A) to (C) show a case where the robot 100 moves in parallel with the user.

[0055] By moving in parallel with the user, the robot 100 can comfortably view the content projected in the front direction. Therefore, the robot 100 can improve the visibility of the user. In addition, by moving in parallel with the user, the robot 100 can avoid collisions between the robot 100 and the user.

[0056] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example (part 2) of the process executed by the robot according to embodiment 1. Fig. 12 shows the process after the robot 100 starts guidance. (Step S21) The control unit 150 determines whether or not the robot 100 has arrived at the destination. If the condition is met, the process ends. If the condition is not met, the process proceeds to step S22. In step S21, the control unit 150 may also determine whether or not a request to stop the guidance has been accepted.

[0057] (Step S22) The detection unit 140 detects the distance between the robot 100 and a person present in the projection direction. (Step S23) The calculation unit 130 calculates the congestion degree in the projection direction by using the distance. (Step S24) The control unit 150 determines whether or not the congestion degree has changed. If the congestion degree has changed, the process proceeds to step S25. If the congestion degree has not changed, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0058] (Step S25) The acquisition unit 120 acquires content according to the changed congestion degree, based on the content management table 111. Note that the changed congestion degree is the congestion degree calculated in step S23. (Step S26) The control unit 150 controls the projector 106 to project the content onto a projection area according to the changed congestion degree. Then, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0059] In this way, the robot 100 periodically calculates the congestion degree. Then, when the congestion degree changes, the robot 100 changes the projection area and the content. As a result, even if the situation changes, the robot 100 can appropriately switch the content with the amount of information suitable for the projection area according to the congestion degree, thereby improving information transferability.

[0060] According to the first embodiment, the robot 100 projects the content onto a projection area according to the congestion degree. Therefore, the robot 100 can prevent the projection area from being covered by people. Therefore, the user can easily see the content. Therefore, the robot 100 can improve visibility.

[0061] Embodiment 2 Next, a description will be given of embodiment 2. In embodiment 2, differences from embodiment 1 will be mainly described. In embodiment 2, descriptions of matters common to embodiment 1 will be omitted.

[0062] In the first embodiment, a case where the robot 100 performs guidance has been described. In particular, a case where the projector 106 moves has been described. In the second embodiment, a case where the projector does not move will be described.

[0063] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a control system according to the second embodiment. The control system includes a control device 200 and a projector 300. The control device 200 and the projector 300 are connected via a network. For example, the network is a wired network or a wireless network. For example, the projector 300 is installed above a passageway of various facilities (for example, on a ceiling or a wall). The projector 300 is also called a projection device. The projector 300 may be a pan-tilt type device. The control device 200 controls the projector 300. The control device 200 can control the projector 300 so as to project content onto a projection area according to the degree of congestion.

[0064] Next, the function of the control device 200 will be described.

[0065] 14 is a block diagram showing functions of the control device of embodiment 2. The control device 200 includes a storage unit 210, an acquisition unit 220, a calculation unit 230, a detection unit 240, and a control unit 250.

[0066] The storage unit 210 may be realized as a storage area secured in a volatile storage device or a non-volatile storage device included in the control device 200. A part or all of the acquiring unit 220, the calculating unit 230, the detecting unit 240, and the control unit 250 may be realized by a processing circuit included in the control device 200. In addition, a part or all of the acquiring unit 220, the calculating unit 230, the detecting unit 240, and the control unit 250 may be realized as a program module executed by a processor included in the control device 200.

[0067] The storage unit 210 stores various information. For example, the storage unit 210 stores the content management table 111. The functions of the acquisition unit 220 , the calculation unit 230 , the detection unit 240 , and the control unit 250 are almost the same as the functions of the acquisition unit 120 , the calculation unit 130 , the detection unit 140 , and the control unit 150 .

[0068] For example, the detection unit 240 detects the distance to a person present in the projection direction. Specifically, the detection unit 240 detects the distance between the projector 300 and a person present in the projection direction. In detail, the detection unit 240 detects the distance using a conventional technique. For example, the detection unit 240 detects the distance using an infrared sensor. Also, for example, when the surveillance camera is an RGB-D camera, the detection unit 240 detects the depth obtained from the image generated by the RGB-D camera as the distance. Note that the illustration of the surveillance camera is omitted. Also, for example, the detection unit 240 detects the distance using the image generated by the surveillance camera and a trained model.

[0069] For example, the calculation unit 230 calculates the congestion degree in the projection direction by using the distance. Specifically, the calculation unit 230 calculates the congestion degree by the method described with reference to FIG. For example, the control unit 250 controls the projector 300 to project content onto a projection area according to the degree of congestion. Note that the content is, for example, an advertisement.

[0070] Also, for example, the calculation unit 230 periodically calculates the congestion degree. When the congestion degree changes, the control unit 250 controls the projector 300 to project the content onto a projection area according to the changed congestion degree.

[0071] Also, for example, the acquiring unit 220 acquires the content management table 111 from the storage unit 210 or an external device. The acquiring unit 220 acquires content according to the congestion degree based on the content management table 111.

[0072] In this way, the functions of the acquisition unit 220, the calculation unit 230, the detection unit 240, and the control unit 250 are almost the same as the functions of the acquisition unit 120, the calculation unit 130, the detection unit 140, and the control unit 150.

[0073] According to the second embodiment, the control device 200 projects the content onto a projection area according to the congestion degree. Therefore, the control device 200 can prevent the projection area from being covered by people. Therefore, the user can easily see the content. Therefore, the control device 200 can improve visibility.

[0074] The features of each of the embodiments described above can be combined with each other as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 11,12,13 person, 20 projection area, 30 user, 100 robot, 101 processor, 102 volatile storage device, 103 non-volatile storage device, 104 communication IF, 105 camera, 106 projector, 107 input IF, 108 speaker, 110 memory unit, 111 content management table, 120 acquisition unit, 130 calculation unit, 140 detection unit, 150 control unit, 200 control device, 210 memory unit, 220 acquisition unit, 220 memory unit, 230 calculation unit, 240 detection unit, 250 control unit, 300 projector.

Claims

1. A robot including a projection device, comprising: a detection unit configured to detect a person present in the direction in which the robot moves and also present in the projection direction, and to detect the distance to the person; a calculation unit configured to calculate the degree of congestion in the projection direction using the distance; a control unit configured to control the projection device to project content onto a projection area according to the degree of congestion; The robot having the above.

2. After the projection is performed, when the degree of congestion changes, the control unit controls the projection device to project content onto a projection area according to the changed degree of congestion. The robot according to Claim 1.

3. The calculation unit assigns points according to the distance and calculates the degree of congestion based on the points. The robot according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The robot further includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire content management information indicating the correspondence between the degree of congestion and the content, and to acquire the content corresponding to the calculated degree of congestion based on the content management information. The robot according to Claim 1 or 2.

5. The acquisition unit acquires a guidance request from a user. After the projection is performed, the control unit controls the robot to move in parallel with the user in order to guide the robot to a destination. The robot according to Claim 4.

6. The control unit controls the projection device so that the content in the projection area is projected in the front direction of the user facing the traveling direction. The robot according to Claim 5.

7. A control method for a robot including a projection device, the method comprising: detecting a person present in the direction in which the robot moves and also present in the projection direction, and detecting the distance to the person; calculating the degree of congestion in the projection direction using the distance; controlling the projection device to project content onto a projection area according to the degree of congestion.

8. A control program for causing a robot including a projection device to: detect a person present in the direction in which the robot moves and also present in the projection direction, and detect the distance to the person; calculate the degree of congestion in the projection direction using the distance; control the projection device to project content onto a projection area according to the degree of congestion. ​

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