Management system, management method, and management program

Abstract

This management system processing circuit is configured so as to: calculate management information that affects the movement of at least one moving body among a plurality of moving bodies and / or the operation of equipment in an area; obtain location information of the plurality of moving bodies obtained using sensors provided to each of the plurality of moving bodies; and change the management information on the basis of the locations of the plurality of moving bodies.

Description

Management System, Management Method, and Management Program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a management system, a management method, and a management program.

[0002] In Patent Document 1, when the GNSS signal information of the own vehicle does not satisfy the predetermined allowable accuracy of the reference signal information, based on the position information and distance of another autonomous work machine that has received a GNSS signal satisfying the allowable accuracy, a technique for specifying the own position is disclosed.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-74917

[0004] It is preferable if the movement of a mobile robot moving indoors or a person moving indoors can be optimized according to the surrounding environment. Also, it is preferable if the operation of the equipment indoors can be optimized according to the surrounding environment.

[0005] Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure aims to realize suitable movement of a mobile body or suitable operation of indoor equipment in an area including indoors.

[0006] A management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a management system that manages at least one of a plurality of mobile bodies moving in an area including indoors and at least one of the equipment provided in the area, and includes a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to calculate management information that affects at least one of the movement of at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies and the operation of the equipment, acquire the position information of the plurality of mobile bodies obtained by using sensors provided in each of the plurality of mobile bodies, and change the management information based on the positions of the plurality of mobile bodies.

[0007] A management method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a management method for managing at least one of a plurality of moving bodies that move within an area including indoors, and at least one of equipment installed in the area, comprising: calculating management information that affects at least one of the movement of at least one of the plurality of moving bodies and the operation of the equipment; acquiring location information obtained using sensors installed on each of the plurality of moving bodies; and changing the management information based on the locations of the plurality of moving bodies.

[0008] A management program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes at least one processor to execute the method described above. The program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium is a non-transitory and tangible medium. The storage medium may be built into or attached to a computer, such as a personal computer, a mobile information terminal, or a server. The storage medium includes RAM, ROM, EEPROM, storage, etc., and may be, for example, DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, a hard disk, etc. The program stored in the storage medium may be executed on a computer to which the storage medium is directly connected, or on a computer connected to the storage medium via a network such as the Internet.

[0009] According to one aspect of this disclosure, suitable movement of a mobile body or operation of suitable equipment can be achieved depending on the position of each of a plurality of mobile bodies in an area including indoors.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the management system according to the embodiment. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the mobile robot in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a block diagram of the information processing terminal in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a block diagram of the server in Figure 1. Figure 5 is a table explaining the management information handled by the server in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a flowchart explaining the processing of the server in Figure 1. Figure 7 is a block diagram of the machine learning model of the server in Figure 1.

[0011] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the management system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the predetermined area 2 is an indoor facility. Area 2 may include the indoor facility and the outdoor area adjacent to the indoor facility. Area 2 is not particularly limited, but could be an area such as a hospital, train station, airport, commercial facility, underground shopping mall, amusement park, government office, art museum, museum, exhibition hall, factory, logistics warehouse, school, etc.

[0013] Area 2 contains multiple mobile entities. These mobile entities include, for example, a mobile robot 3 and a human 4. However, the mobile entities may consist of only one of them, either the mobile robot 3 or the human 4. The mobile robot 3 moves autonomously toward a given destination or along a given route. The mobile robot 3 is a ground-based vehicle, but it may also fly in the air. The mobile robot 3 is an unmanned vehicle, but it may also be a manned vehicle.

[0014] Human 4 possesses an information processing terminal 5. For example, if human 4 moves, the information processing terminal 5 also moves with human 4. Positioning the information processing terminal 5 means positioning human 4. The moving object may be a transported object carried by a mobile robot 3, a cart, a worker, etc. In that case, the transported object will be equipped with sensors to detect its position.

[0015] Area 2 has multiple wireless access points 6 distributed throughout the area, which are capable of wireless communication with mobile robots 3 and information processing terminals 5. In other words, a wireless LAN is established in Area 2. The wireless access points 6 emit radio waves that include their own identification information (e.g., MAC address). The wireless access points 6 are, for example, base stations for wireless communication using Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Area 2 also has multiple pieces of equipment 7, such as air conditioning equipment, lighting equipment, elevators, escalators, and displays.

[0016] The mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5 are configured to receive radio waves from the wireless access point 6 and to communicate with the server 8. In other words, the mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5 can be connected to the communication network N via a wireless LAN line. Alternatively, the mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5 may be connected to the communication network N via a mobile phone network or satellite communication.

[0017] The information processing terminal 5 may be, for example, a smartphone, a wearable device, a tablet device, a personal computer, or a dedicated communication device. The mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5 may be connected to the communication network N via a wireless access point 6, or via a mobile phone line. The communication network N may be, for example, the internet or an intranet.

[0018] The management system 1 includes a server 8 connected to a communication network N. The server 8 can communicate with the mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5 via the communication network N. The server 8 determines the destination or planned travel route of the mobile robot 3 and transmits information indicating the determined destination or planned travel route to the mobile robot 3. The server 8 determines movement guidance information to guide the movement of the human 4 and transmits the determined movement guidance information to the information processing terminal 5. The server 8 determines request information regarding the control of the equipment 7 and transmits the determined request information to the control circuit that controls the equipment 7. The server 8 calculates the position information of the mobile robot 3 and the human 4 in area 2.

[0019] Server 8 is connected to operator terminal 9 via communication network N. Mobile robot 3 receives input from operator terminal 9 for settings to manage mobile objects within area 2. Operator terminal 9 may be located outside or inside facility 7. Operator terminal 9 may be a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet. Information processing terminal 5 may also function as operator terminal 9.

[0020] The aforementioned settings may be robot management settings input into the robot management program P3 described later. The robot management settings may be parameters required for generating movement support information that assists the movement of each mobile robot 3. The robot management settings may be detailed information of tasks assigned to each mobile robot 3 that are to be moved to each mobile robot 3. The detailed task information may include, for example, the type of task (e.g., delivery, patrol security, etc.), the departure point of the task, the destination of the task, the time range in which arrival at the departure point is required, and the time range in which arrival at the destination is required.

[0021] The aforementioned settings may be human management settings input into the human management program P4, which will be described later. The aforementioned human management settings may be parameters required to generate mobility support information that assists the movement of human 4. The mobility support information is, for example, mobility guidance information provided to human 4 from the information processing terminal 5. The parameters may be, for example, information that identifies areas that can be entered or areas that are prohibited from entering in area 2. The parameters may also be attributes of places recommended to human 4 in area 2. The parameters may also be attributes of places preferred by human 4, which have been input by human 4.

[0022] The aforementioned settings may be equipment management settings input into the equipment management program P5, which will be described later. The aforementioned equipment management settings may be parameters required for generating request information related to the control of equipment 7. The aforementioned parameters may also be information indicating the permissible or prohibited range of the operation output of equipment 7. The aforementioned parameters may also be the initial or default value of the operation output of equipment 7.

[0023] Figure 2 is a block diagram of the mobile robot 3 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the mobile robot 3 includes a processing circuit 10, a radio wave receiver 14, a touch panel display 15, a communication interface 16, a travel actuator 17, wheels 18, etc. These devices 14 to 17 are electrically connected to the processing circuit 10.

[0024] The processing circuit 10 includes a processor 11, a system memory 12, and a storage memory 13. The processor 11 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The system memory 12 may include RAM. The storage memory 13 may include a hard disk, flash memory, or a combination thereof. The storage memory 13 stores a control program P1. One example of the processing circuit 10 is a configuration in which the processor 11 executes the control program P1 read from the storage memory 13 to the system memory 12. Based on information input from at least one of the touch panel display 15 and the communication interface 16, the processor 11 controls the touch panel display 15 and at least one of the travel actuators 17 according to the control program P1.

[0025] The radio receiver 14 receives radio waves for wireless communication transmitted by multiple wireless access points 6. The radio receiver 14 receives strong radio waves from nearby wireless access points 6 and weak radio waves from distant wireless access points 6. The radio waves received by the radio receiver 14 contain identification information of the wireless access point 6 that transmitted the radio waves.

[0026] The touch panel display 15 is an example of a user interface. That is, the touch panel display 15 serves as both a user input interface and a user output interface. A keyboard, mouse, etc., may be used as the user input interface, and a non-touch panel display may be used as the user output interface. Furthermore, the mobile robot 3 may have at least one of a speaker and a lamp as a user output interface.

[0027] The communication interface 16 is an interface that wirelessly connects to the communication network N. The communication interface 16 functions as a transmitter that sends information about its own mobile robot 3 to the server 8 via the communication network N. The communication interface 16 also functions as a receiver that receives information about other mobile robots 3 transmitted from the server 8.

[0028] The travel actuator 17 includes a wheel drive actuator that drives the wheels 18 for travel. The travel actuator 17 is, for example, an electric motor. The travel actuator 17 includes a braking actuator that drives a brake that brakes the wheels 18. The mobile robot 3 may change its direction of travel by making the rotation speeds of the left and right wheels 18 different, by making the rotation directions of the left and right wheels 18 different, or by steering the wheels 18 with a steering actuator. The mobile robot 3 may have an opposing differential two-wheel mechanism or an omnidirectional Mecanum mechanism.

[0029] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the information processing terminal 5 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 3, the information processing terminal 5 includes a processing circuit 20, a display 24, an operation interface 25, a radio wave receiver 26, and a communication interface 27. The processing circuit 20 includes a processor 21, a system memory 22, and a storage memory 23.

[0030] The processor 21 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The system memory 22 may include RAM. The storage memory 23 is an example of a computer-readable medium, and is a non-temporary, tangible medium. The storage memory 23 may include ROM. The storage memory 23 may include a hard disk, flash memory, or a combination thereof. The storage memory 23 stores the control program P2. An example of a processing circuit 20 is a configuration in which the processor 21 executes the control program P2 read from the system memory 22.

[0031] The storage memory 23 stores attribute information K of the person 4 who owns the information processing terminal 5. Attribute information K may include personal information that is entered in advance, such as the gender, age, place of residence, nationality, and occupation of the person 4. If the information processing terminal 5 can acquire current biometric information related to the person 4's biological activity, such as pulse rate and blood pressure, attribute information K may also include the biometric information of the person 4. If the information processing terminal 5 can calculate the person 4's current fatigue level from the terminal's movement history, attribute information K may also include information indicating the fatigue level.

[0032] The display 24 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The operation interface 25 is a user interface operated by a human 4. The operation interface 25 includes, for example, at least one selected from a touch panel, keyboard, mouse, etc. If the display 24 is a touch panel, the display 24 also serves as the operation interface 25.

[0033] The radio receiver 26 receives radio waves for wireless communication transmitted by multiple wireless access points 6. The radio receiver 26 receives strong radio waves from nearby wireless access points 6 and weak radio waves from distant wireless access points 6. The radio waves received by the radio receiver 26 contain identification information of the wireless access point 6 that transmitted the radio waves.

[0034] The communication interface 27 is for connecting to the communication network N, and may be, for example, a communication device that connects to a mobile phone network. The communication interface 27 may also connect to the communication network N via a wireless access point 6. That is, the communication interface 27 may also function as a radio receiver 26.

[0035] Figure 4 is a block diagram of the server 8 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 4, the server 8 comprises a processing circuit 30 and a communication interface 34. The processing circuit 30 includes a processor 31, system memory 32, and storage memory 33. The communication interface 34 is a communication interface that connects to the communication network N by wire or wireless.

[0036] The processor 31 may include a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The system memory 32 may include RAM. The storage memory 33 may include a hard disk, flash memory, or a combination thereof. The storage memory 33 stores the robot management program P3, the human management program P4, and the equipment management program P5. An example of the processing circuit 30 is a configuration in which the processor 31 executes programs P3 to P5 read from the storage memory 33 to the system memory 32. Each of the programs P3 to P5 calculates management information that affects the movement of the mobile robot 3 and the human 4, and the operation of the equipment 7.

[0037] Figure 5 is a table explaining the management information handled by the server 8 in Figure 4. As shown in Figure 5, the management information for the mobile object is mobility support information that assists in the movement of the mobile object. The mobility support information that assists in the movement of the mobile robot 3 is information indicating the destination or planned movement route of the mobile robot 3. The mobility support information that assists in the movement of the person 4 who possesses the information processing terminal 5 is mobility guidance information, i.e., navigation information, provided from the information processing terminal 5 to the person 4. The management information for the equipment 7 is request information related to the control of the equipment 7.

[0038] The robot management program P3 determines movement support information to assist the movement of each mobile robot 3 based on the robot management settings entered into the server 8. This movement support information is, for example, information indicating the destination or planned movement route of each mobile robot 3. That is, the robot management program P3 determines the destination or planned movement route of each mobile robot 3 based on a known method (for example, the LNS (Large Neighborhood Search) algorithm) so that each mobile robot 3 can efficiently share the tasks registered in the server 8.

[0039] The human management program P4 determines the destination of human 4 in area 2 and determines the navigation information showing the route to that destination, based on the human management settings entered into server 8. The navigation route from the current location to the destination can be determined according to the well-known Dijkstra's algorithm.

[0040] The equipment management program P5 generates request information for controlling the equipment 7 based on the equipment management settings entered into the server 8. If the equipment 7 is an air conditioning unit, the request information is, for example, a requested value indicating the target room temperature or humidity. If the equipment 7 is a lighting unit, the request information is, for example, a requested value indicating the target room brightness. If the equipment 7 is an elevator or escalator, the request information is, for example, a command to stop or start the elevator or escalator. If the equipment 7 is a display, the request information is, for example, a command to indicate the content to be displayed on the display.

[0041] The storage memory 33 includes an AP location information storage unit 35 and a map storage unit 36. The AP location information storage unit 35 pre-stores an AP location information list that shows the correspondence between the identification information of each wireless access point 6 in area 2 and the location information of each wireless access point 6 in area 2. The map storage unit 36 ​​pre-stores map data of area 2.

[0042] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of server 8 in Figure 1. The processing of the management system 1 will be explained below following the flow shown in Figure 6, with reference to Figures 1 through 5. Note that the processing of server 8 is performed by the processing circuit 30. Furthermore, in the following explanation, server 8 acquiring data may mean server 8 receiving data, server 8 extracting data from storage memory 33, or server 8 calculating data. Any two blocks shown in order in the flowchart may be executed simultaneously or in reverse order, depending on the circumstances.

[0043] Server 8 accepts input of settings for calculating management information (step S1). The settings may be input from the operator terminal 9 or the information processing terminal 5, or from another personal computer, smartphone, or tablet device. The settings are the robot management settings, human management settings, and equipment management settings described above.

[0044] Next, the server 8 acquires the position information of each mobile body (step S2). The position information of the information processing terminal 5 is acquired as follows. The server 8 receives from the information processing terminal 5 the intensity of each radio wave received by the radio wave receiver 26 of the information processing terminal 5 from each wireless access point 6, and the identification information of the wireless access point 6 that is the source of each radio wave. The server 8 refers to the AP position information list in the AP position information storage unit 35 to identify the position of the wireless access point 6 corresponding to each radio wave. The server 8 calculates the position of the information processing terminal 5 as positioning data by calculating the distance from each wireless access point 6 to the information processing terminal 5 based on the intensity of each radio wave. That is, the radio wave receiver 26 of the information processing terminal 5 serves as a sensor provided in the information processing terminal 5 to acquire the position information of the information processing terminal 5.

[0045] The radio wave receiver 26 of the information processing terminal 5 receives radio waves transmitted by the wireless access point 6, which is a radio wave transmitter installed in area 2, and receives radio waves having communication information different from the position information. Therefore, there is no need to newly provide a sensor for acquiring position information in the information processing terminal 5, and the cost can be reduced.

[0046] The position information of the mobile robot 3 may be acquired by the same method as the position information of the information processing terminal 5. The position information of the mobile robot 3 may be the position information obtained by identifying the position of the mobile robot 3 on the map data by matching the shape of the surroundings detected by a distance measuring sensor such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) mounted on the mobile robot 3 with the shape of the map data of area 2. In that case, the position information of the mobile robot 3 is acquired using the distance measuring sensor provided on the mobile robot 3.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the machine learning model 50 of the server 8 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 7, when calculating the positions of the respective mobile bodies in step S2 of FIG. 6, the machine learning model 50 may be used. The machine learning model 50 has learned in advance the radio wave environment formed by the radio waves transmitted by the respective wireless access points 6 indoors in area 2. That is, the machine learning model 50 has been pre-trained with the actual radio wave environment taking into account the indoor structure of area 2 and individual differences in the respective wireless access points 6.

[0048] The server 8 inputs radio wave data indicating the intensity of each radio wave received by the radio wave receiver 26 of the information processing terminal 5 (or the radio wave receiver 14 of the mobile robot 3) from each wireless access point 6 to the machine learning model 50. Then, the machine learning model 50 outputs the position of the information processing terminal 5 (or the mobile robot 3). According to this, the position of the information processing terminal 5 (or the mobile robot 3) can be accurately specified.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 6, the server 8 acquires the attribute information K of the human 4 who holds the information processing terminal 5 from the information processing terminal 5 (step S3). Specific examples of the attribute information K are as described above.

[0050] Next, the server 8 calculates management information that affects the movement of each mobile body and the operation of the facility 7 based on the above settings and the position information of the plurality of mobile bodies (the plurality of mobile robots 3 and the information processing terminal 5) (step S4). Specifically, the server 8 calculates management information for the movement of the mobile robot 3 according to the robot management program P3 based on the robot management settings and the position information of each of the plurality of mobile robots 3 and the plurality of information processing terminals 5.

[0051] The server 8 calculates management information for the movement of the human 4 who holds the information processing terminal 5 according to the human management program P4 based on the human management settings and the position information of each of the plurality of mobile robots 3 and the plurality of information processing terminals 5.

[0052] Based on the equipment management settings and the location information of the multiple mobile robots 3 and the multiple information processing terminals 5, the server 8 calculates initial management information for the operation of the equipment 7 according to the equipment management program P5.

[0053] Steps S2 to S4 executed up to this point will be referred to as the first loop. After step S4 of the first loop, the process returns to step S2 as the second loop. Steps S2 to S4 of the second loop, which are executed after step S4 of the first loop, may be executed after a predetermined interval from the time when step S4 of the first loop was executed.

[0054] If the position information of each mobile object acquired in step S2 of the second loop differs from the position information of each mobile object acquired in step S2 of the first loop, the management information calculated in step S4 of the second loop will also differ from the management information calculated in step S4 of the first loop. In other words, the server 8 will change the management information based on the positions of the mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5.

[0055] The following provides further explanation regarding changes in management information. As time passes, the positions of each mobile robot 3 and each information processing terminal 5 change, resulting in densely congested areas in Area 2 where many mobile robots 3, humans 4, or both are concentrated, and sparsely congested areas where few mobile robots 3, humans 4, or both are present. In other words, as time passes, the positions of each mobile robot 3 and each information processing terminal 5 change, which alters the distribution of mobile robots 3 and humans 4 in Area 2.

[0056] The robot management program P3 assists the movement of the mobile robots 3 in avoiding congested areas. When the mobile robots 3 pass through congested areas, frequent stopping may occur, so the LNS algorithm sets a high movement cost for passing through congested areas. Therefore, as the positions of each mobile robot 3 and each information processing terminal 5 change over time, the destination or planned movement route of each mobile robot 3 calculated according to the LNS algorithm may change. In other words, the robot management program P3 modifies the movement support information for each mobile robot 3 based not only on the position of each mobile robot 3 but also on the position of each information processing terminal 5 held by each human 4.

[0057] The human management program P4 assists human 4 in avoiding congested areas by providing them with navigation information from the information processing terminal 5. For example, based on the human management settings entered into the server 8, the human management program P4 changes the destination indicated by the navigation information from a congested area to a non-congested area. For instance, if the human management settings set the attribute of human 4's destination to a specific attribute (e.g., Japanese restaurant), the human management program P4 changes the destination with the specific attribute located in a congested area (e.g., Japanese restaurant 1) to another destination with the same specific attribute located in a non-congested area (e.g., Japanese restaurant 2).

[0058] Furthermore, in determining the guidance route for human 4 according to Dijkstra's algorithm, the travel cost to pass through congested areas is set high. Therefore, as the positions of each mobile robot 3 and each information processing terminal 5 change over time, the guidance route for human 4 calculated according to Dijkstra's algorithm may change.

[0059] As described above, the human management program P4 can modify the mobility guidance information provided from the information processing terminal 5 to the human 4 based not only on the location of each information processing terminal 5 but also on the location of each mobile robot 3. Alternatively, the human management program P4 may modify the mobility support information provided from the information processing terminal 5 to the human 4 based on the location of each information processing terminal 5, without referring to the location of each mobile robot 3.

[0060] Furthermore, the human management program P4 may change the navigation information according to the attribute information K of the person 4 possessing the information processing terminal 5. For example, if the attribute of the person 4 indicates high fatigue, the destination may be changed to a place as close as possible to the current location. Also, if the attribute of the person 4 indicates that they are a foreigner, the destination may be changed to a store selected from a list of stores that can accommodate the foreigner's native language. In this way, the content of the navigation information provided to person 4 changes according to the attribute of person 4, thus realizing navigation that is tailored to the attribute of person 4.

[0061] The equipment management program P5 modifies the control request information for equipment 7 so as to increase the operating output of equipment 7 located in congested areas and decrease the operating output of equipment 7 located in non-congested areas. If equipment 7 is an air conditioning unit that functions as a cooler, the equipment management program P5 lowers the target room temperature for equipment 7 located in congested areas and raises the target room temperature for equipment 7 located in non-congested areas. If equipment 7 is a lighting unit, the equipment management program P5 lowers the target room brightness for equipment 7 located in non-congested areas.

[0062] If the equipment 7 is an elevator or escalator, the equipment management program P5 stops the elevator or escalator located in a non-congested area. If the equipment 7 is a display, the equipment management program P5 displays content on the display that matches the attributes of the person 4 in the area where the equipment 7 is located. As described above, the equipment management program P5 may modify the request information regarding the control of the equipment 7 based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each person 4, or both.

[0063] According to the configuration described above, management information is changed based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each human 4, or both, thereby enabling optimal movement of the mobile robots 3, optimal movement of the human 4, or optimal operation of the equipment 7.

[0064] It should be noted that the technology disclosed herein is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the radio wave receiver 14 of the mobile robot 3 and the radio wave receiver 26 of the information processing terminal 5 are types of sensors that detect physical waves generated indoors. That is, the positions of the mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5 can be said to be determined using physical waves detected by such sensors. In the embodiments described above, the physical waves are radio waves.

[0065] However, the physical wave may be light, sound wave, magnetism, etc. That is, instead of the radio wave receivers 14 and 26, a LiDAR sensor, camera sensor, infrared sensor, ultrasonic distance sensor, geomagnetic sensor, etc. may be used. The mobile robot 3 may be equipped with a distance sensor that emits light, radio waves, or ultrasonic waves towards its surroundings and receives the reflected waves. In that case, the position of the mobile robot 3 on the map data can be determined by matching the shape of the surroundings detected by the distance sensor with the shape of the map data. The positioning data of the mobile robot 3 and the information processing terminal 5 may be satellite positioning data such as GPS data.

[0066] In the embodiment described above, the server 8 calculated management information for each mobile robot 3, each human 4, and the equipment 7 based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each human 4, or both. However, the server 8 may calculate management information for each mobile robot 3 and each human 4 based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each human 4, or both, without calculating management information for the equipment 7. The server 8 may calculate management information for each human 4 and each piece of equipment 7 based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each human 4, or both, without calculating management information for the mobile robot 3. The server 8 may calculate management information for each mobile robot 3 and each piece of equipment 7 based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each human 4, or both, without calculating management information for the human 4.

[0067] Server 8 may calculate management information for each human 4 based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each human 4, or both, without calculating management information for the equipment 7 and the mobile robots 3. Server 8 may calculate management information for each mobile robot 3 based on the position of each mobile robot 3, each human 4, or both, without calculating management information for the equipment 7 and the human 4.

[0068] As described above, the embodiments have been explained as examples of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited thereto and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted as appropriate. Furthermore, it is possible to combine the components described in the embodiments to create new embodiments. For example, some components or methods in one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and some components in an embodiment can be separated from other components in that embodiment and extracted as appropriate. In addition, the components described in the attached drawings and detailed description include not only components that are essential for solving the problem, but also components that are not essential for solving the problem, in order to illustrate the technology.

[0069] The functions of the elements disclosed herein can be performed using circuits or processing circuits, including general-purpose processors, dedicated processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functions. A processor is considered a processing circuit or circuit because it includes transistors and other circuits. In this disclosure, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that performs the enumerated functions, or hardware programmed to perform the enumerated functions. The hardware may be hardware disclosed herein, or other known hardware that is programmed or configured to perform the enumerated functions. If the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuit, then the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software, and the software is used to configure the hardware and / or the processor.

[0070] [Embodiment] The embodiments described above are specific examples of the following embodiments.

[0071] (Aspect 1) A management system for managing at least one of a plurality of mobile bodies that move within an area including indoors, and at least one of the facilities installed in the area, comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to calculate management information that affects at least one of the movement of at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies and the operation of the facilities, acquire location information of the plurality of mobile bodies obtained using sensors installed on each of the plurality of mobile bodies, and modify the management information based on the locations of the plurality of mobile bodies.

[0072] This configuration allows for the optimal movement of multiple moving objects or the operation of suitable equipment, depending on their respective positions within an area including indoors.

[0073] (Aspect 2) The management system according to aspect 1, wherein the management information includes movement support information that assists in the movement of the mobile body.

[0074] This configuration allows for optimal support of the movement of multiple moving objects according to their respective positions.

[0075] (Aspect 3) The management system according to aspect 2, wherein the plurality of mobile bodies include a mobile robot, and the mobility support information includes the destination or planned mobility route of the mobile robot.

[0076] This configuration allows for optimal movement of the mobile robot by changing its destination or planned movement route according to the position of each of the multiple moving objects. For example, the mobile robot can be guided to an area with few moving objects.

[0077] (Aspect 4) The management system according to aspect 2 or 3, wherein the plurality of mobile entities include a person possessing an information processing terminal, and the mobility support information includes mobility guidance information provided to the person from the information processing terminal.

[0078] This configuration allows for optimal movement for a person carrying an information processing terminal by changing the navigation guidance information provided to the person according to the position of each of the multiple moving objects. For example, by referring to the positions of each of the multiple moving objects, the person can be guided to a location with fewer moving objects.

[0079] (Aspect 5) The management system according to aspect 4, wherein the processing circuit is configured to acquire attribute information indicating the attributes of the person, and changing the management information includes changing the navigation guidance information according to the attributes.

[0080] This configuration allows for personalized guidance, as the content of the navigation information provided to a person changes according to their attributes. For example, if a person indicates high fatigue, they may be guided to a location as close as possible to their current location. Alternatively, if a person indicates they are a foreigner, they may be guided to a store that offers services in their native language.

[0081] (Aspect 6) The management system according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the management information includes request information relating to the control of the equipment.

[0082] This configuration allows for optimal operation of the equipment by changing the required information for equipment control according to the position of each of the multiple moving objects. For example, the elevator's operating plan can be adjusted according to the position of each of the multiple moving objects to improve the elevator's transport efficiency. In addition, the output of lighting or air conditioning equipment can be adjusted according to the position of each of the multiple moving objects to reduce the power consumption of lighting or air conditioning equipment.

[0083] (Aspect 7) The management system according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of mobile entities include a person possessing a portable information terminal and a mobile robot, and the management information includes both mobility support information that assists the movement of the person and request information relating to the control of the mobile robot or the equipment.

[0084] This configuration allows for both optimal human movement and optimal operation of robots or equipment, depending on the position of each of the multiple moving objects.

[0085] (Aspect 8) The management system according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the management information includes both movement support information that assists in the movement of the mobile body and request information relating to the control of the equipment.

[0086] This configuration allows for both optimal movement of the multiple moving objects and optimal operation of the equipment, depending on the position of each of the multiple moving objects.

[0087] (Aspect 9) The management system according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein the sensor includes a sensor that detects physical waves generated indoors, and the position information of the plurality of moving bodies is determined using the physical waves detected by the sensor.

[0088] This configuration allows for accurate positioning of moving objects even indoors where satellite positioning accuracy is reduced.

[0089] (Aspect 10) The management system according to aspect 9, wherein the sensor includes a radio receiver that receives radio waves transmitted by a radio transmitter installed in the area and which have communication information different from the location information, and the location information of the plurality of moving bodies is calculated based on the radio waves received by the radio receiver.

[0090] With this configuration, location information is acquired using a radio receiver that receives radio waves containing communication information different from location information. This eliminates the need to install new sensors for acquiring location information, making it easier to reduce system implementation costs.

[0091] (Aspect 11) The management system according to aspect 10, wherein the physical wave is a radio wave emitted by an access point installed indoors, and acquiring the location information includes inputting the radio wave data detected by the sensor into a machine learning model that has previously learned the indoor radio wave environment, thereby calculating the positions of the multiple moving objects.

[0092] This configuration allows for highly accurate determination of the location of a moving object.

[0093] (Aspect 12) A management method for managing at least one of a plurality of mobile bodies that move within an area including indoors, and at least one of equipment installed in the area, comprising: calculating management information that affects at least one of the movement of at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies and the operation of the equipment; acquiring location information obtained using sensors installed on each of the plurality of mobile bodies; and changing the management information based on the locations of the plurality of mobile bodies.

[0094] (Aspect 13) A management program that causes at least one processor to execute the method described in Aspect 12.

[0095] 1 Management system 2 Designated area 3 Mobile robot 4 Human 5 Information processing terminal 6 Wireless access point 7 Equipment 8 Server 14 Radio wave receiver (sensor) 26 Radio wave receiver (sensor) 30 Processing circuit 31 Processor 50 Machine learning model K Attribute information P1-P3 Management program

Claims

1. A management system for managing at least one of a plurality of mobile bodies moving within an area including indoors, and at least one of the facilities installed in the area, comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit configured to: calculate management information that affects at least one of the movement of at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies and the operation of the facilities; acquire position information of the plurality of mobile bodies obtained using sensors installed on each of the plurality of mobile bodies; and modify the management information based on the positions of the plurality of mobile bodies.

2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the management information includes movement support information that assists in the movement of the mobile body.

3. The management system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of mobile bodies include a mobile robot, and the mobility support information includes the destination or planned mobility route of the mobile robot.

4. The management system according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of mobile entities include a person possessing an information processing terminal, and the mobility support information includes mobility guidance information provided to the person from the information processing terminal.

5. The management system according to claim 4, wherein the processing circuit is configured to acquire attribute information indicating the attributes of the person, and changing the management information includes changing the navigation guidance information according to the attributes.

6. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the management information includes request information relating to the control of the equipment.

7. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of mobile entities include a person possessing a portable information terminal and a mobile robot, and the management information includes both mobility support information that assists the movement of the person and request information relating to the control of the mobile robot or the equipment.

8. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the management information includes both movement support information that assists in the movement of the mobile body and request information relating to the control of the equipment.

9. The management system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sensor includes a sensor that detects physical waves occurring indoors, and the position information of the plurality of moving bodies is determined using the physical waves detected by the sensor.

10. The management system according to claim 9, wherein the sensor includes a radio receiver that receives radio waves transmitted by a radio transmitter installed in the area and which have communication information different from the location information, and the location information of the plurality of moving bodies is calculated based on the radio waves received by the radio receiver.

11. The management system according to claim 10, wherein the physical wave is a radio wave emitted by a wireless access point installed indoors, and acquiring the location information includes calculating the positions of the plurality of moving objects by inputting the radio wave data detected by the sensor into a machine learning model that has previously learned the indoor radio wave environment.

12. A management method for managing at least one of a plurality of mobile bodies moving within an area including indoors, and at least one of equipment installed in the area, comprising: calculating management information that affects at least one of the movement of at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies and the operation of the equipment; acquiring location information obtained using sensors installed on each of the plurality of mobile bodies; and changing the management information based on the locations of the plurality of mobile bodies.

13. A management program that causes at least one processor to perform the method according to claim 12.

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