Map generation device, map generation method, and map generation system

Abstract

Provided are a map generation device, a map generation method, and a map generation system which are capable of reducing a generation cost of a facility map for a mobile body used for autonomous movement control of an autonomous mobile body. The map generation device comprises a passage identification unit and a facility map data generation unit for a mobile body. The passage identification unit identifies a passage in which the autonomous moving body can move in the facility by executing data processing on drawing data representing a construction drawing of the facility. The facility map data generation unit for the mobile body includes the identified passage and a point on the passage, and generates facility map data for the mobile body representing a facility map for the mobile body used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile body in the facility.

Description

Map generation device, map generation method, and map generation system

[0001] The present invention relates to a map generation device, a map generation method, and a map generation system.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, in order to solve the labor shortages for transporting goods in stores and logistics warehouses and for transporting goods between processes in factories, mobile robots (such as AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots)) have been increasingly introduced.

[0003] An AGV is a mobile robot that transports goods by being guided along a fixed route set by magnetic tape or other floor guides. In contrast, an AMR is a mobile robot that does not require floor guides, but instead estimates its own position using sensing technology and automatically calculates the route to its destination for autonomous driving.

[0004] The AMR has a SLAM (Simulated Localization and Mapping) function, and while measuring the distance to a wall or pillar using a laser range finder mounted on the AMR, that is, while sensing the surrounding movement environment (site), it generates a facility map for a mobile object around the AMR and estimates its own position on the facility map for a mobile object. Therefore, the AMR can travel (move) to a destination while automatically searching for a route.

[0005] Patent Document 1 discloses a route estimation system that sets the optimal route between two points (current location and destination) on a warehouse aisle from among multiple route candidates when the aisles in the warehouse are formed in a lattice pattern and multiple AMRs cannot pass through each aisle segment connecting adjacent nodes (intersections) at the same time.

[0006] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-46384

[0007] However, depending on the mobile environment (e.g., a retail store) in which the AMR (autonomous mobile object) is located, layout changes (e.g., moving product shelves in a retail store) may occur frequently. In this case, the autonomous mobile object needs to generate a new mobile object facility map every time a layout change occurs, which increases the cost of generating a mobile object facility map by the autonomous mobile object.

[0008] To explain the above problem in more detail, in order for an autonomous mobile body to generate a facility map for the mobile body to be used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile body, it is necessary to acquire high-resolution two-dimensional and three-dimensional data representing the surrounding mobile environment through sensing. Therefore, the control unit (CPU) of the autonomous mobile body, which performs the process of generating the facility map for the mobile body using the large amount of high-resolution two-dimensional and three-dimensional data, is required to have extremely high-speed processing performance, which results in high costs for generating the facility map for the mobile body.

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a map generation device, a map generation method, and a map generation system that can reduce the cost of generating a facility map for a mobile body used for autonomous movement control of an autonomous mobile body.

[0010] A map generating device according to the present invention includes a passage identification unit and a mobile object facility map data generation unit, wherein the passage identification unit identifies passages along which an autonomous mobile object can move in the facility by performing data processing on drawing data representing construction drawings of the facility, and the mobile object facility map data generation unit generates mobile object facility map data representing a mobile object facility map that includes the identified passages and points on the passages and is used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile object in the facility.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost of generating a facility map for a mobile body used for autonomous movement control of an autonomous mobile body.

[0012] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a map generation system in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a map generation device in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an autonomous mobile body in this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a construction drawing in this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of identifying a passage through which an autonomous mobile body can move in a facility corresponding to the construction drawing. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of searching for a route from a departure point of an autonomous mobile body to a destination. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of searching for a route from a departure point of an autonomous mobile body to a destination. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of autonomous movement control by an autonomous mobile body. A flowchart illustrating an example of map generation processing performed by a map generation device. A flowchart illustrating an example of autonomous movement control processing performed by an autonomous mobile body. A diagram illustrating an example of adding a point to the position coordinates of a shelf in a facility map for a mobile body.

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0014] (Configuration of Map Generation System 1) Fig. 1 shows the configuration of a map generation system 1 in this embodiment. The map generation system 1 is a system that generates facility map data for a mobile body used for autonomous movement control of an autonomous mobile body 20. As shown in Fig. 1, the map generation system 1 is configured to include a map generation device 10 and an autonomous mobile body 20. The map generation device 10 and the autonomous mobile body 20 are connected to each other so that they can communicate with each other via a communication line 5. Note that the number of autonomous mobile bodies 20 included in the map generation system 1 is not limited to one, and the map generation system 1 may include two or more autonomous mobile bodies 20.

[0015] The communication line 5 is typically a communication network including the Internet. The communication line 5 is typically a communication network including a WAN (Wide Area Network). The communication line 5 may be a communication network including a private network such as an intranet. The communication line 5 may be a communication network including a LAN (Local Area Network). The communication line 5 may be a wireless line or a wired line, or may be a combination of wireless and wired lines. The communication line 5 may also be a communication network including a dedicated line or a public mobile phone network.

[0016] The map generation device 10 generates facility map data for a mobile body and transmits the generated facility map data for a mobile body to an autonomous mobile body 20. The map generation device 10 is an information processing terminal such as a personal computer (PC) or a notebook PC, and provides a map generation service to a user. By operating the map generation device 10, the user can log in to the map generation service and receive the map generation service.

[0017] The map generation device 10 may be any type of terminal, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a home game console, etc. The map generation device 10 may be configured from one or more information processing devices, or may be configured using a virtual server (such as a cloud server).

[0018] The autonomous mobile body 20 is a mobile body that moves (travels) autonomously without requiring driving operation by a user. The autonomous mobile body 20 is, for example, an autonomous traveling vehicle or an autonomous mobile robot. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the autonomous mobile body 20 is an autonomous mobile robot that transports transport objects (baggage) in, for example, a store or a logistics warehouse.

[0019] (Configuration of map generation device 10) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the map generation device 10 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the map generation device 10 is configured to include a drawing data acquisition unit 11, a passage identification unit 12, a mobile object facility map data generation unit 13, a route search unit 14, a transmission unit 15, and an operation reception unit 16.

[0020] Each component of the map generating device 10 may be implemented by software or hardware. When implemented by software, various functions can be realized by a CPU executing a computer program. The program may be stored in an internal storage unit or a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium. Alternatively, the program may be read from an external storage unit and implemented using so-called cloud computing. When implemented by hardware, the functions can be realized by various circuits such as an ASIC, an FPGA, or a DRP (Dynamically Reconfigurable Processor). This embodiment deals with various pieces of information and concepts that encompass them. These are represented by high or low signal values ​​as a binary bit group consisting of 0s or 1s, and communication and calculations can be performed using the above software or hardware aspects.

[0021] The drawing data acquisition unit 11 acquires drawing data (e.g., CAD data) representing construction drawings of a facility (e.g., a retail store, warehouse, or factory) from an input device (not shown) and outputs the data to the passage identification unit 12. Here, the construction drawings are drawings necessary for on-site construction in facility construction, and are created based on design drawings of a survey site created using 3D CAD data in an absolute coordinate system, for example. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a construction drawing 30 in this embodiment.

[0022] The input device is an information processing device (for example, a personal computer) and is configured to be able to output various data such as drawing data.

[0023] The passage identification unit 12 identifies passages (also referred to as links) in the facility through which the autonomous mobile body 20 can travel by performing data processing on the drawing data output from the drawing data acquisition unit 11. For example, the passage identification unit 12 identifies passages whose road width is equal to or greater than a threshold value (a value greater than the width of the autonomous mobile body 20) as passages through which the autonomous mobile body 20 can travel. The passage identification unit 12 outputs the drawing data output from the drawing data acquisition unit 11 and passage data representing passages through which the autonomous mobile body 20 can travel to the mobile body facility map data generation unit 13.

[0024] 5 is a diagram showing an example of identifying paths that the autonomous moving body 20 can travel in a facility corresponding to a construction drawing. As shown in Fig. 5, paths L identified by the path identification unit 12 and points P on the paths L (also called nodes, which represent, for example, intersections, corners, dead ends, points arbitrarily set by the user, etc.) are shown on the construction drawing.

[0025] Based on the drawing data and passage data output from the passage identification unit 12, the mobile object facility map data generation unit 13 generates mobile object facility map data that includes the passages (travel paths, links) identified by the passage identification unit 12 and points (nodes) on the passages, and represents a mobile object facility map used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile object 20 in the facility. The mobile object facility map data generation unit 13 then outputs the generated mobile object facility map data to the route search unit 14. Here, the mobile object facility map is also referred to as a mobile object travel path map or a passage connection map (link map), and is a map that represents, in a simplified manner, the passages that the autonomous mobile object 20 can travel in the facility. Because this map is generated based on drawing data that represents construction drawings of the facility, the accuracy of the distances between each point is guaranteed.

[0026] The operation acceptance unit 16 accepts operations performed by the user regarding the use of the map generation device 10. For example, the operation acceptance unit 16 accepts an operation to set a departure point at which the autonomous mobile body 20 starts moving in a facility and a destination point at which the autonomous mobile body 20 ends moving on a mobile body facility map represented by the mobile body facility map data generated by the mobile body facility map data generation unit 13. In this case, the operation acceptance unit 16 outputs operation data representing an operation to set the departure point and the destination to the route search unit 14. For example, a product delivery base is set as the departure point. For example, a product delivery destination (e.g., a product shelf) is set as the destination.

[0027] The route search unit 14 searches for a route from the departure point of the autonomous mobile body 20 to the destination as a planned route for the autonomous mobile body 20 based on the mobile body facility map data output from the mobile body facility map data generation unit 13 and the operation data output from the operation reception unit 16. The route search unit 14 then outputs the mobile body facility map data output from the mobile body facility map data generation unit 13 and route data representing the searched route to the transmission unit 15. For example, the route search unit 14 sequentially calculates (accumulates) the costs of paths (links) from the departure point to the next reachable intersection (node) toward the destination, and selects a route with the smallest total cost from the departure point to the destination or a route that satisfies predetermined conditions. The route data representing the searched route is very simple data connecting multiple paths from the departure point to the destination. The route search unit 14 can use, for example, Dijkstra's algorithm, A* algorithm, or genetic algorithm as a route search method.

[0028] 6 and 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of searching for a route from the departure point of the autonomous mobile body 20 to the destination point. As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the route search unit 14 searches for a route from the departure point (point P1) of the autonomous mobile body 20 to the destination point (point P3) via a waypoint (point P2) as a planned route along which the autonomous mobile body 20 will travel (indicated by an arrow in the figure). Also, as illustrated in FIG. 7 , the route search unit 14 searches for a route from the departure point (point P1) of the autonomous mobile body 20 to the destination point (point P3) via waypoints (points P4 and P5) as a planned route along which the autonomous mobile body 20 will travel (indicated by an arrow in the figure). Then, the route search unit 14 selects one of the two routes described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 that has the smallest total cost required to travel from the departure point (point P1) to the destination point (point P3).

[0029] The route search unit 14 may calculate the cost of a passage based on the population density within the facility. For example, the route search unit 14 may weight passages where the population density within the facility is equal to or greater than a threshold value so that the cost is higher. This allows the autonomous mobile body 20 to move through passages with fewer people. The route search unit 14 may also calculate the cost of a passage based on the time required to move through the passage, the passage conditions (e.g., the presence or absence of obstacles or slopes), and the passage width.

[0030] The transmitter 15 uses the MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) protocol, a low-capacity communication method that has been used in the IoT field in recent years, to transmit the mobile object facility map data and route data output from the route search unit 14 to the autonomous mobile object 20. In this embodiment, the mobile object facility map data and route data are configured as simple text data. Therefore, the transmitter 15 can transmit the mobile object facility map data and route data to the autonomous mobile object 20 as low-capacity data.

[0031] (Configuration of Autonomous Mobile Body 20) Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the autonomous mobile body 20 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the autonomous mobile body 20 is configured to include a coupling unit 21, a receiving unit 22, a self-position estimation unit 23, a sensor unit 24, a movement control unit 25, a drive unit 26, and a user interface unit 27.

[0032] Each component of the autonomous mobile body 20 may be realized by software or hardware. When realized by software, various functions can be realized by a CPU executing a computer program. The program may be stored in an internal storage unit or in a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium. Alternatively, the program may be read from an external storage unit and realized by so-called cloud computing. When realized by hardware, it can be realized by various circuits such as an ASIC, FPGA, or DRP. This embodiment deals with various pieces of information and concepts that encompass them, which are represented by high or low signal values ​​as a binary bit collection consisting of 0 or 1, and communication and calculations can be performed by the above-mentioned software or hardware aspects.

[0033] The connecting unit 21 connects an object to be transported (luggage) to the autonomous mobile body 20 at an upper portion of the autonomous mobile body 20. In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of enabling the autonomous mobile body 20 to suitably transport heavy objects such as transport carts that are heavier than the autonomous mobile body 20 as objects to be transported, the connecting unit 21 is provided with a pressure unit for applying a certain amount of weight from the object to be transported to the autonomous mobile body 20. Furthermore, in order to enable the autonomous mobile body 20 to move with small turning radius while transporting heavy objects within a facility, the connecting unit 21 is provided with a rotation mechanism. This allows the autonomous mobile body 20 to move through narrow passages while minimizing the rotational load that occurs to itself when moving with small turning radius while transporting heavy objects.

[0034] The drive unit 26 is configured to include multiple (e.g., three or four) drive wheels (e.g., tires, not shown) provided at the bottom of the autonomous mobile body 20, a rotational drive unit (e.g., a motor, not shown) for driving the multiple drive wheels to rotate, a drive control unit (e.g., a motor driver, not shown) for controlling the rotational drive unit, and a battery (not shown) for supplying power to the rotational drive unit and the drive control unit.

[0035] The sensor unit 24 includes an inertial measurement unit (IMU, not shown), a two-dimensional laser distance measuring sensor (not shown), and a stereo camera (not shown).

[0036] The inertial measurement unit detects three-dimensional inertial motion (translational motion in three orthogonal axial directions and rotational motion) of the autonomous mobile body 20. The detection results of the inertial measurement unit can be used for attitude control of the autonomous mobile body 20.

[0037] The two-dimensional laser ranging sensor recognizes people, fixed objects (e.g., product shelves), objects (e.g., obstacles), etc. that are present in the aisles in the facility where the autonomous mobile body 20 is moving, and outputs recognition result data indicating the recognition results to the movement control unit 25.

[0038] The stereo camera is a VSLAM (Visual SLAM) camera that includes, for example, a CMOS image sensor and is capable of capturing images of the surrounding environment of the autonomous mobile body 20 , and outputs the captured image results to the self-position estimation unit 23 .

[0039] The receiving unit 22 receives the facility map data for a mobile object and the route data transmitted from the transmitting unit 15 of the map generating device 10. The receiving unit 22 then outputs the received facility map data for a mobile object and the route data to the self-position estimating unit 23 and the movement control unit 25.

[0040] The self-position estimation unit 23 estimates the direction and distance of movement of the autonomous mobile body 20 on the mobile body facility map represented by the mobile body facility map data, and estimates its own position (the position of the autonomous mobile body 20) on the mobile body facility map. The self-position estimation unit 23 then outputs self-position data indicating the estimated self-position on the mobile body facility map to the movement control unit 25. Note that, regarding the estimation of the self-position, based on known odometry technology, the amount of movement from a predetermined known location is calculated from the rotation angle of the drive wheels and steering of the drive unit 26, and the position of the autonomous mobile body 20 on the mobile body facility map can be estimated from the result of accumulating the movement distance. Furthermore, landmarks installed on the passage, such as beacons and markers, may be used as complementary data for estimating the self-position. Furthermore, the self-position estimation unit 23 may estimate its own position (the position of the autonomous moving body 20) on the mobile body facility map by using a known visual odometry technique and calculating the movement displacement of the autonomous moving body 20 from moving images captured by a stereo camera (a camera for VSLAM).

[0041] The movement control unit 25 controls the operation of the drive unit 26 so that the autonomous moving body 20 can recognize obstacles (people and objects) that occur randomly within the facility based on the facility map data and route data for the moving body output from the receiving unit 22, the self-position data from the self-position estimation unit 23, and the recognition result data output from the two-dimensional laser ranging sensor, and can move smoothly from the starting point to the destination on the facility map for the moving body while making temporary stops and avoiding the obstacles.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of autonomous movement control by the autonomous mobile body 20. As shown in FIG. 8, the movement control unit 25 of the autonomous mobile body 20 recognizes obstacles 42, 44 (people or objects) that randomly occur within a passage 40 of a facility, and controls the operation of the drive unit 26 so that the autonomous mobile body 20 can move smoothly from a starting point to a destination on the facility map for the mobile body while temporarily stopping and avoiding the obstacles 42, 44. In FIG. 8, W indicates the width of the passage 40 along which the autonomous mobile body 20 moves. M indicates the target route along which the autonomous mobile body 20 moves to a destination on the facility map for the mobile body while avoiding the obstacles 42, 44. R indicates the range recognizable by the two-dimensional laser ranging sensor (sensor range), and the sensor range includes passage walls 40A, 40B that form part of the passage 40.

[0043] The user interface unit 27 performs collision warning operations and safety ensuring operations for users (e.g., shoppers, workers) by outputting information using sound, light, etc. within a facility (e.g., a retail store). The user interface unit 27 can also perform reaction operations (interaction operations with the outside world) in response to user operations performed on the autonomous moving body 20.

[0044] (Map Generation Process Performed by Map Generation Device 10) FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of map generation process performed by the map generation device 10 in this embodiment.

[0045] First, the drawing data acquisition unit 11 acquires drawing data (e.g., CAD data) representing construction drawings of a facility (e.g., a retail store, a warehouse, a factory) from an input device (not shown) and outputs the data to the passage identification unit 12 (step S100).

[0046] Next, the passage identification unit 12 performs data processing on the drawing data output from the drawing data acquisition unit 11 to identify passages (also referred to as links) in the facility through which the autonomous moving body 20 can travel (step S110).The passage identification unit 12 then outputs the drawing data output from the drawing data acquisition unit 11 and passage data representing the passages through which the autonomous moving body 20 can travel to the moving body facility map data generation unit 13.

[0047] Next, the mobile object facility map data generation unit 13 generates mobile object facility map data representing a mobile object facility map to be used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile object 20 in the facility, including the paths (links) identified by the path identification unit 12 and points (nodes) on the paths, based on the drawing data and path data output from the path identification unit 12 (step S120).The mobile object facility map data generation unit 13 then outputs the generated mobile object facility map data to the route search unit 14.

[0048] Next, the operation accepting unit 16 accepts an operation to set a departure point at a facility where the autonomous moving body 20 starts moving and a destination point at which the autonomous moving body 20 ends moving on the mobile body facility map represented by the mobile body facility map data generated by the mobile body facility map data generating unit 13 (step S130). Then, the operation accepting unit 16 outputs operation data representing the operation to set the departure point and the destination to the route searching unit 14.

[0049] Next, the route searching unit 14 searches for a route from the departure point of the autonomous mobile body 20 to the destination as a planned route along which the autonomous mobile body 20 will travel, based on the mobile body facility map data output from the mobile body facility map data generating unit 13 and the operation data output from the operation receiving unit 16 (step S140). Then, the route searching unit 14 outputs the mobile body facility map data output from the mobile body facility map data generating unit 13 and route data representing the searched route to the transmitting unit 15.

[0050] Finally, the transmission unit 15 transmits the mobile facility map data and the route data output from the route search unit 14 to the autonomous mobile unit 20 (step S150). Upon completion of the processing of step S150, the map generation device 10 ends the processing shown in FIG.

[0051] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the autonomous movement control process performed by the autonomous moving body 20 in this embodiment. Note that step S200 is executed after the mobile body facility map data and route data are transmitted from the transmitter 15 to the autonomous moving body 20 in step S150 of FIG.

[0052] First, the receiving unit 22 receives the facility map data for a mobile object and the route data transmitted from the transmitting unit 15 of the map generating device 10 (step S200). Then, the receiving unit 22 outputs the received facility map data for a mobile object and the route data to the self-position estimating unit 23 and the movement control unit 25.

[0053] Next, the self-position estimation unit 23 estimates the moving direction and moving distance of the autonomous moving body 20 on the mobile body facility map represented by the mobile body facility map data, and estimates its own position (the position of the autonomous moving body 20) on the mobile body facility map (step S210).The self-position estimation unit 23 then outputs self-position data indicating the estimated self-position on the mobile body facility map to the movement control unit 25.

[0054] Next, based on the facility map data and route data for the mobile body output from the receiving unit 22, the self-position data from the self-position estimation unit 23, and the recognition result data output from the two-dimensional laser ranging sensor, the movement control unit 25 controls the operation of the drive unit 26 so that the autonomous mobile body 20 can recognize obstacles (people or objects) that occur randomly within the facility and move smoothly from the starting point to the destination on the facility map for the mobile body while temporarily stopping and avoiding the obstacles (step S220).

[0055] Finally, the movement control unit 25 determines whether the self-position (the position of the autonomous mobile body 20) on the mobile body facility map is the destination, i.e., whether the destination has been reached, based on the self-position data from the self-position estimation unit 23 (step S230). If the determination result shows that the target point has not been reached (step S230, NO), the process returns to before step S210. On the other hand, if the destination has been reached (step S230, YES), the autonomous mobile body 20 ends the process shown in FIG. 10.

[0056] As described above in detail, in this embodiment, the map generating device 10 includes the passage identification unit 12 and the mobile object facility map data generation unit 13. The passage identification unit 12 performs data processing on drawing data representing construction drawings of a facility, thereby identifying passages in the facility through which the autonomous mobile object 20 can move. The mobile object facility map data generation unit 13 generates mobile object facility map data representing a mobile object facility map that includes the identified passages and points on the passages and is used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile object 20 in the facility.

[0057] According to the present embodiment configured as described above, the map generation device 10 can generate a facility map for a mobile body as long as there is drawing data representing construction drawings for the facility, so even if layout changes are made frequently (for example, moving product shelves in a retail store), the autonomous mobile body 20 does not need to generate a new facility map for a mobile body every time the layout is changed. As a result, the control unit (CPU) of the autonomous mobile body 20 is not required to have extremely high processing performance in order to perform the process of generating a facility map for a mobile body, and ultimately the cost of generating a facility map for a mobile body by the autonomous mobile body 20 can be reduced.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the route search unit 14 of the map generation device 10 may search for a route from the departure point of the autonomous mobile body 20 to the destination in real time while the autonomous mobile body 20 is moving. Also, the route from the departure point of the autonomous mobile body 20 to the destination may be searched for in the autonomous mobile body 20, not in the map generation device 10.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the autonomous mobile body 20 may be given various functions other than the function of transporting the object to be transported (luggage). For example, if the facility is a retail store, it may be possible to install shelves (e.g., product shelves) around the autonomous mobile body 20, a camera unit for capturing images of the surrounding area, creative materials (e.g., image characters, guide materials) for promoting products or guiding customers around the sales floor, and monitors such as touch panels, provided that they can be fixed to the connecting part 21.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the facility map for mobile objects may include points that are not located on the aisles identified by the aisle identification unit 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , if the facility is a retail store, points may be added to the facility map for mobile objects at the position coordinates P6 and P7 of shelves (e.g., product shelves), and shelf information (e.g., shelf number, product JAN code, product category, etc.) managed by the retail store may be associated with and registered as such. In this case, a user (operator) may set a product shelf identified by a shelf number, which is an example of shelf information, as a destination and instruct the autonomous mobile object 20 to travel to the vicinity of the product shelf. The autonomous mobile object 20 may read the shelf number assigned to the product shelf using the sensing function of the sensor unit 24 and estimate its own position (the position of the autonomous mobile object 20) on the facility map for mobile objects.

[0061] Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of specific embodiments for carrying out the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by these embodiments. In other words, the present invention can be carried out in various forms without departing from the gist or main features thereof.

[0062] 1: Map generation system, 5: Communication line, 10: Map generation device, 11: Drawing data acquisition unit, 12: Passage identification unit, 13: Mobile facility map data generation unit, 14: Route search unit, 15: Transmission unit, 16: Operation reception unit, 20: Autonomous mobile body, 21: Connection unit, 22: Receiving unit, 23: Self-position estimation unit, 24: Sensor unit, 25: Movement control unit, 26: Drive unit, 27: User interface unit, 30: Construction drawing, 40: Passage, 40A, 40B: Passage wall, 42, 44: Obstacle, L: Passage, P, P1, P2, P3, P4, P5: Point, P6, P7: Position coordinates, R: Sensor range, M: Target route

Claims

1. A map generating device comprising: a passage identification unit; and a facility map data generation unit for mobile objects, wherein the passage identification unit performs data processing on drawing data representing construction drawings of a facility, thereby identifying passages in the facility along which an autonomous mobile object can move; and the facility map data generation unit for mobile objects generates facility map data for mobile objects representing a facility map for mobile objects to be used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile object in the facility, the facility map data including the identified passages and points on the passages.

2. A map generation method, comprising: a processor performing data processing on drawing data representing construction drawings of a facility, thereby identifying paths along which an autonomous moving object can move in the facility; and the processor generating facility map data for a moving object representing a facility map for a moving object, the facility map including the identified paths and points on the paths, and used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous moving object in the facility.

3. A map generation system comprising a passage identification unit and a facility map data generation unit for mobile objects, wherein the passage identification unit identifies passages along which an autonomous mobile object can move in the facility by executing data processing on drawing data representing construction drawings for the facility, and the facility map data generation unit for mobile objects generates facility map data for mobile objects representing a facility map for mobile objects used for autonomous movement control of the autonomous mobile object in the facility, the facility map data including the identified passages and points on the passages.

Images