Monitoring system, tying system, and tying device

Abstract

This monitoring system monitors the operating state of a tying device that moves over a bar arrangement in which a plurality of reinforcing bars are arranged so as to intersecting one another and that is capable of tying the intersection points where the reinforcing bars intersect. The monitoring system comprises: a display unit; and a control unit that causes the display unit to display the state of the bar arrangement of the plurality of reinforcing bars, the movement path of the tying device, and the tied state of reinforcing bars at the intersection points where the reinforcing bars intersect.

Description

Monitoring System, Binding System, and Binding Device

[0001] This embodiment relates to a monitoring system, a binding system, and a binding device.

[0002] Conventionally, for example, a reinforcing bar binding robot has been proposed that automates the reinforcing bar binding work of binding the intersection where a plurality of reinforcing bars intersect with a wire or the like after autonomously moving on the plurality of reinforcing bars. For example, in Patent Document 1, a binding result of binding a reinforcing bar using a wire by a reinforcing bar binding robot is acquired, and based on the acquired binding result, it is determined whether the binding is normally performed, and binding permission information corresponding to the binding result and position information of the binding location are output. A binding device for associating the binding-related information is described.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2023-105967

[0004] According to the technique described in Patent Document 1, based on the position information of the binding location associated with the binding-related information, the binding-related information related to the operation of binding the reinforcing bars with the wire can be confirmed for each binding location. However, according to the technique described in Patent Document 1, although the binding-related information such as the binding result at each binding location can be grasped, for example, it may not be easy to grasp the progress of the binding work in the entire reinforcement arrangement where a plurality of reinforcing bars are arranged to intersect. Therefore, it is considered that there is room for improvement in the configuration for grasping the binding work based on the binding-related information such as the binding result in the binding device.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a monitoring system, a binding system, and a binding device that can relatively easily grasp the progress of the binding work.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a monitoring system that monitors the operating state of a binding device that can move on a reinforcement arrangement in which a plurality of reinforcing bars are arranged to intersect each other and can bind the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars intersect, the monitoring system including a display unit, and a control unit that causes the display unit to display the reinforcement state of the plurality of reinforcing bars, the movement path of the binding device, and the binding state between the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars intersect.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a tying system comprising: a tying device that moves along a reinforcement arrangement in which multiple reinforcing bars are arranged in a crisscross pattern and can tie together the intersections where the multiple reinforcing bars intersect; a display unit; and a control unit that causes the display unit to display the reinforcement arrangement status of the multiple reinforcing bars, the movement path of the tying device, and the state of tying between the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the multiple reinforcing bars intersect.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a binding device comprising a rebar binding unit that moves along a rebar arrangement in which multiple rebars are arranged in a crisscross pattern and can bind the intersections where the multiple rebars intersect, a display unit, and a control unit, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display the arrangement state of the multiple rebars, the movement path of the binding device, and the binding state of the rebars at the intersections where the multiple rebars intersect.

[0009] This disclosure provides a monitoring system, a bundling system, and a bundling device that make it relatively easy to grasp the progress of bundling work.

[0010] Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of a rebar tying robot 100, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from an oblique upward direction. Figure 2 is an overall perspective view of a rebar tying robot, which is one embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from an oblique downward direction. Figure 3 is a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 viewed from above (above in the Z direction). Figure 4 is a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 viewed from below (below in the Z direction). Figure 5 is an oblique upward perspective view of the rebar tying robot 100 with the rebar tying section 110 removed. Figure 6 is an oblique upward perspective view of the rebar tying robot 100 with the rebar tying section 110 removed. Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the functional block configuration of the rebar tying robot 100. Figure 8 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 traveling along the first rebar R10, viewed from the Y direction. Figure 9 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 traveling along the first rebar R10, viewed from the X direction. Figure 10 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100, stopped moving and performing tying work, as seen from the Y direction. Figure 11 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 performing tying work as seen from the X direction. Figure 12 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 performing tying work as seen from below in the Z direction. Figure 13A shows an image of the vicinity of the intersection of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20, taken by a 3D distance camera. Figure 13B schematically shows an image of the vicinity of the intersection of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20. Figure 14A is a schematic side view of the rebar tying robot 100 as seen from the horizontal direction (X direction). Figure 14B is a schematic top view of the rebar tying robot 100 as seen from above (above in the Z direction). Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an image captured by the first sensor 130a. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram for explaining template matching. Figure 17 is a flowchart of the control method for the movement of the rebar tying robot 100 in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 18A is a schematic diagram showing an example of an intersection map 194. Figure 18B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route. Figure 18C is a diagram illustrating how the rebar tying robot detects obstacles. Figure 18D is a diagram illustrating how the rebar tying robot 100 detects intersections. Figure 18E is a diagram showing the state in which the rebar tying robot 100 has traveled to the intersection T2 detected by the sensor unit 130.Figure 18F is a diagram illustrating how the rebar tying robot 100 determines which region an intersection falls into. Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of the rebar tying robot 100 for illustrating the method of estimating the intersection. Figure 20 is a flowchart of the method for estimating the intersection c12 in the embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 21 is a flowchart relating to the lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100. Figure 22A is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rear during lateral movement. Figure 22B is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 from diagonally above during lateral movement. Figure 23A is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rear during lateral movement. Figure 23B is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 from diagonally above during lateral movement. Figure 24A is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rear during lateral movement. Figure 24B is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 from diagonally above during lateral movement. Figure 25A is a rear view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving laterally. Figure 25B is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving laterally from an oblique upward direction. Figure 26A is a rear view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving laterally. Figure 26B is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving laterally from an oblique upward direction. Figure 27A is a rear view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving laterally. Figure 27B is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving laterally from an oblique upward direction. Figure 28 is a schematic view of a rebar tying robot 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from below in the Z direction. Figure 29 is a diagram showing the functional block configuration of a monitoring system 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 30 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 300A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 31 is a flowchart of the processing performed in the rebar tying system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 32 is a diagram showing the functional block configuration of a rebar tying system 590 comprising a rebar tying robot 100A and a monitoring system 500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 33 is a flowchart of the control method of the display unit 510 in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 34A is a diagram showing an example of the display screen 510A of the display unit 510 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 34B is a diagram showing a partial example of the display screen 510A of the display unit 510 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.Figure 35A is a diagram showing a partial example of the display screen 510A of the display unit 510 according to the present disclosure. Figure 35B is a diagram showing a partial example of the display screen 510A of the display unit 510 according to the present disclosure. Figure 36 is a diagram showing the functional block configuration of the rebar tying robot 100B according to the present disclosure. Figure 37 is a perspective view of the tying device 300 according to the present disclosure.

[0011] This embodiment will now be described with reference to the attached drawings. To facilitate understanding of the explanation, the same reference numerals are used for identical components in each drawing whenever possible, and redundant explanations are omitted.

[0012] The configuration of the binding device 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure will be described below. In this embodiment, the binding device is a rebar binding device that binds multiple reinforcing bars arranged in a cross pattern, and may be, for example, a rebar binding robot. In the following description, the case where the binding device 100 is a rebar binding robot will be used as an example, and the binding device 100 will also be referred to as the rebar binding robot 100. Note that the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis may be shown in each drawing. The X axis, Y axis, and Z axis form a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system in a right-handed system. Hereinafter, the direction of the arrow on the X axis may be called the X axis forward, the +X direction, the right side of the X direction, or the X axis right side, and the direction opposite to the arrow may be called the X axis backward, the -X direction, the left side of the X direction, or the X axis left side. The same applies to the other axes. Note that the Z axis forward and Z axis backward may be called "upper side" or "upward" and "lower side" or "downward," respectively. Furthermore, planes perpendicular to the X, Y, or Z axes are sometimes called the YZ plane, ZX plane, or XY plane, respectively. However, these directions are used for convenience to explain relative positional relationships. Therefore, these directions do not define absolute positional relationships.

[0013] Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of a rebar tying robot 100, which is an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from diagonally above. Figure 2 is an overall perspective view of a rebar tying robot 100, which is an embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from diagonally below. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a rebar tying unit 110, a travel unit 121, and a sensor unit 130. The rebar tying robot 100 may further include other components such as a main body 140, a support bar 150, a control unit 160, reels 180 (first reel 180a and second reel 180b), a battery 182 (first battery 182a and second battery 182b), a lateral movement unit 146, and a storage device 198 (not shown in Figures 1 and 2).

[0014] Figures 1 and 2 also show a group of reinforcing bars R including a plurality of reinforcing bars R10 extending in the Y direction (also referred to as "first reinforcing bars" or "longitudinal reinforcing bars" in this embodiment). As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is positioned on the group of reinforcing bars R so as to travel along the first reinforcing bars R10. In addition to the plurality of reinforcing bars R10, the group of reinforcing bars R may also include a plurality of reinforcing bars extending in the X direction (also referred to as "second reinforcing bars R20" or "transverse reinforcing bars" in this embodiment).

[0015] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 is arranged such that its first direction of extension is parallel to the Y direction. The second reinforcing bar R20 is arranged such that its second direction of extension is parallel to the X direction. Therefore, in the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged orthogonal to each other. Furthermore, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged such that the plane formed by them (also referred to as the "reinforcing bar plane" in this embodiment) is parallel to the XY plane. Therefore, the plane formed by the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is a horizontal plane in this embodiment. However, the arrangement of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is not limited to this. For example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may be arranged non-orthogonal to each other. For example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may be arranged such that the angle between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 is, for example, 30°, 45°, 60°, or other angles. In the embodiments of this disclosure, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 are arranged to be orthogonal to each other, but they do not necessarily have to be orthogonal at some points where they intersect, for example, they may be arranged to form an angle of 85° or more and less than 90°.

[0016] Furthermore, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 have a finite length, and multiple first reinforcing bars R10 or multiple second reinforcing bars R20 may be connected via joints in a first or second direction. In addition, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may have ends as described later; for example, the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may have ends R10e and R20e, respectively, at one end and the other end in the first and second directions.

[0017] The rebar tying section 110 is configured to tie the intersection point c12 (Figure 6) between the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20. The tying operation of the rebar tying section 110 at the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 will be described in detail later.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the travel unit 121 may have four travel units 121a, 121b, 121c, and 121d (referred to in this embodiment as the "first travel unit," "second travel unit," "third travel unit," and "fourth travel unit," respectively). In the embodiment of this disclosure, the travel unit 121 is arranged on the reinforcing bar group R so that the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 moves in the Y direction. The first running section 121a, the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d each have a first roller section 122a, a second roller section 122b, a third roller section 122c, and a fourth roller section 122d, respectively, and the first roller section 122a, the second roller section 122b, the third roller section 122c, and the fourth roller section 122d are configured to run on any of the first reinforcing bars R10 along the Y direction (first direction), which is the extension direction of the first reinforcing bar R10.

[0019] In this embodiment, the traveling unit 121 is an example of a moving unit (moving unit 120 described later). The moving unit 120 may have a configuration other than that of the traveling unit 121, either in place of the traveling unit 121 or in addition to the traveling unit 121.

[0020] In embodiments of this disclosure, the first travel section 121a, the second travel section 121b, the third travel section 121c, and the fourth travel section 121d are described as being configured to move in the Y direction, but the first travel section 121a, the second travel section 121b, the third travel section 121c, and the fourth travel section 121d may be configured to move in directions other than the Y direction.

[0021] For example, the first travel section 121a, the second travel section 121b, the third travel section 121c, and the fourth travel section 121d may move in a direction that is tilted at an angle of several degrees to tens of degrees from the Y direction. For example, they may move in a direction that is tilted at an angle of several degrees to tens of degrees from the Y direction in the +X direction or the -X direction. For example, if the orientation of the rebar tying robot 100 is tilted from the Y direction due to the presence of foreign matter on the first rebar R10 being traveled, the direction in which the first travel section 121a, the second travel section 121b, the third travel section 121c, and the fourth travel section 121d move will be tilted at least temporarily from the Y direction in the +X direction or the -X direction. Even in that case, for example, the first travel section 121a, second travel section 121b, third travel section 121c, and fourth travel section 121d may move in a direction that returns the orientation of the rebar tying robot 100 back to the Y direction (-X direction or +X direction), so that the rebar tying robot 100 moves so that it substantially follows the first rebar R10. This makes it possible for the rebar tying section 110 of the rebar tying robot 100 to continuously perform the tying operation at the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20.

[0022] Furthermore, even in a construction site where the first reinforcing bar R10 is arranged in a curve, the first running section 121a, the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d may be configured to follow the curved first reinforcing bar R10 and move in a curved manner. In this case, the first direction, which is the extension direction of the first reinforcing bar R10, may differ at each point that constitutes the curve.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2 and Figure 3 described later, the sensor unit 130 (an example of a "detection unit") has sensors 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d (in this embodiment, also referred to as the "first sensor," "second sensor," "third sensor," and "fourth sensor," respectively). The first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are spaced apart from each other along the Y direction in Figures 1 and 2 (in this embodiment, the direction in which the straight line connecting the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b extends is also referred to as the "third direction"). Furthermore, the fourth sensor 130d is positioned on the side opposite to the side of the rebar tying robot 100 where the third sensor 130c is located (the side facing the viewer in Figures 1 and 2). The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are positioned so as to be spaced apart along a direction that intersects the Y direction in Figures 1 and 2 (the X direction in the example shown in Figures 1 and 2; in this embodiment, the direction in which the straight line connecting the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d extends is also referred to as the "fourth direction").

[0024] The first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d are configured to detect the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20. For example, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b may be configured to detect the first reinforcing bar R10, and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d may be configured to detect the second reinforcing bar R20. Alternatively, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d may all be configured to detect the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20.

[0025] The first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d (an example of an "obstacle detection unit") may be configured to detect obstacles. Alternatively, the rebar tying robot 100 may be equipped with a sensor capable of detecting obstacles (an example of an "obstacle detection unit") in addition to the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d.

[0026] Figure 3 shows a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 as seen from above (above in the Z direction). Figure 4 shows a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100 as seen from below (below in the Z direction).

[0027] As can be seen from Figures 3 and 4, the first running section 121a and the second running section 121b may be positioned on one and the other in the fourth direction (X direction) relative to the first sensor 130a (on the left and right sides in the X direction, respectively, in Figure 3). Similarly, the third running section 121c and the fourth running section 121d may be positioned on one and the other in the fourth direction (X direction) relative to the second sensor 130b. In other words, the first sensor 130a may be positioned between the first running section 121a and the second running section 121b in the fourth direction. Likewise, the second sensor 130b may be positioned between the third running section 121c and the fourth running section 121d in the fourth direction.

[0028] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the third sensor 130c may be positioned between the first travel section 121a and the third travel section 121c in the third direction (the Y direction in Figures 3 and 4), and similarly, the fourth sensor 130d may be positioned between the second travel section 121b and the fourth travel section 121d in the third direction (the Y direction).

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, for example, the first sensor 130a may be positioned in a bottom view on a straight line passing through the rotation axis 128a of the first roller portion 122a constituting the first running portion 121a and the rotation axis 128b of the second roller portion 122b constituting the second running portion 121b, or behind the straight line passing through the rotation axis 128a and the rotation axis 128b (in the -Y direction in Figure 4). Similarly, the second sensor 130b may be positioned in a bottom view on a straight line passing through the rotation axis 128c of the third roller portion 122c constituting the third running portion 121c and the rotation axis 128d of the fourth roller portion 122d constituting the fourth running portion 121d, or in front of the straight line passing through the rotation axis 128c and the rotation axis 128d (in the +Y direction in Figure 4).

[0030] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the first sensor 130a is positioned in front of the main body 140 in the Y-axis direction (+Y direction). Similarly, the second sensor 130b is positioned behind the main body 140 in the Y-axis direction (-Y direction). The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are positioned on the left and right sides of the main body 140 in the X direction in a top view in Figure 3, respectively. That is, as can be seen from Figure 4, for example, in this embodiment, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d are positioned on or inside the outer edge of a rectangle virtually formed by connecting the approximate centers of the first travel section 121a, the second travel section 121b, the third travel section 121c, and the fourth travel section 121d in a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100. Furthermore, the rectangle virtually formed by the first to fourth running sections 121a to 121d may be a square, for example, if the distances between each running section in the X and Y directions are approximately equal. In this case, the first to fourth sensors 130a to 130d may be arranged on or inside the outer edge of the virtual square. Also, depending on the arrangement configuration of the first to fourth running sections 121a to 121d, the first to fourth running sections 121a to 121d may virtually form a quadrilateral other than a rectangle or a square. In this case as well, the first to fourth sensors 130a to 130d may be arranged on or inside the outer edge of the virtual quadrilateral.

[0031] The first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d have been described in example of being arranged on or inside the outer edge of a rectangle virtually formed by connecting the vicinity of the approximate center of the first running section 121a, the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d, but are not limited to this. For example, depending on the arrangement configuration of the first running section 121a, the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d, and / or the shape of the main body 140, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d may have different arrangement configurations. For example, the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and the fourth sensor 130d may be positioned on or outside the outer edge of a rectangle virtually formed by connecting the approximate centers of the first travel section 121a, the second travel section 121b, the third travel section 121c, and the fourth travel section 121d in a plan view of the rebar tying robot 100.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the main body portion 140 may have a main body upper surface 142. The main body upper surface 142 may have, for example, a circular hole 144 formed near the center, and the reinforcing bar binding portion 110 may be arranged to pass through the hole 144.

[0033] In this embodiment, the rebar tying robot 100 may include, for example, two support bars 150 (a first support bar 150a and a second support bar 150b, respectively). The first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are bars that extend in one direction and are provided parallel to, for example, the fourth direction (the X direction in Figures 1 to 4). Therefore, in the embodiments of this disclosure, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are provided parallel to each other, for example, in the horizontal direction. Also, as shown in Figures 1 to 4, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b may be provided spaced apart from each other in the Y direction (the third direction). The first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b may be configured to support the main body 140 of the rebar tying robot 100 when the rebar tying robot 100 moves laterally (in the X direction in Figures 1 to 4, and in the fourth direction in the rebar tying robot 100).

[0034] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the rebar tying robot 100 with the rebar tying section 110 removed, viewed from the right rear. Figure 6 is a perspective view of the rebar tying robot 100 with the rebar tying section 110 removed, viewed from the right front. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the rebar tying section 110 may be provided to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction in Figure 5) while penetrating the hole 144. This allows, for example, the rebar tying section 110 to be lowered, and when the rebar tying robot 100 reaches the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20, it will tie the rebar at the intersection c12. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the rebar tying robot 100 has a first reel 180a and a second reel 180b. The first reel 180a and the second reel 180b contain wires used for tying reinforcing bars, and when the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 ties the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the wires contained in the first reel 180a and / or the second reel 180b are pulled out, and the intersection c12 is tied. Although a detailed explanation is omitted, the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 is provided with a wire twisting unit 114 (Figure 5) at one end of the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 (the lower end in the Z direction in Figure 5), which has a wire guide or the like and is configured to perform the reinforcing bar tying work. The reinforcing bar tying work of the wire twisting unit 114 may be realized by a function similar to that of a known reinforcing bar tying machine, for example.

[0035] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the functional block configuration of the rebar tying robot 100. As shown in Figure 7, in addition to the rebar tying unit 110, the traveling unit 121, and the sensor unit 130 described above, the rebar tying robot 100 may also include a control unit 160, a lateral movement unit 146, and a storage device 198.

[0036] The control unit 160 is configured to control the movement (travel) and tying operations performed by the rebar tying robot 100. The control unit 160 may include a sensor detection result acquisition unit 162, a determination unit 164, an intersection calculation unit 166 (also called the "intersection estimation unit" or "intersection estimation unit" in this embodiment), a rebar tying unit control unit 168, a travel control unit 170 (also called the "travel control unit" in this embodiment), a stop control unit 172, a movement amount calculation unit 174, a posture control unit 176, a motor control unit 178, a foreign object bypass control unit 188, an odometry information calculation unit 190, an intersection map generation unit 184, and a travel route generation unit 186.

[0037] In the rebar tying robot 100 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the control unit 160 is positioned in the Y direction opposite to the first reel 180a and the second reel 180b relative to the rebar tying unit 110. More specifically, as shown in Figure 1, the first reel 180a and the second reel 180b are positioned in the -Y direction of the rebar tying unit 110, while the control unit 160 is positioned in the +Y direction of the rebar tying unit 110. In particular, immediately after replacing the wire reels (first reel 180a and / or second reel 180b), the reels with the wire wound on them become relatively heavy, but by positioning the control unit 160 on the opposite side of the rebar tying unit 110, it is possible to balance the weight.

[0038] The lateral movement unit 146 (Figure 7) is configured to control the movement of the main body 140 of the rebar tying robot 100. In the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, the rebar tying robot 100 may be moved horizontally by the lateral movement unit 146. The lateral movement unit 146 may include a first lateral movement motor 146ma and a second lateral movement motor 146mb. ​​For example, when moving the rebar tying robot 100 later, the main body 140 may be moved horizontally by the two motors (first lateral movement motor 146ma and second lateral movement motor 146mb).

[0039] More specifically, as shown in Figure 6, the lateral movement section 146 includes a first lateral movement roller 146la and a first drive rack 146ca. The first lateral movement roller 146la is provided on the first connecting section 147a that connects the first running section 121a and the second running section 121b to the main body section 140. The first drive rack 146ca is provided on the back surface (the surface in the -Z direction) of the main body section 140, along the X direction.

[0040] Similarly, as shown in Figure 2, the lateral movement section 146 includes a second lateral movement roller 146lb and a second drive rack 146cb. The second lateral movement roller 146lb is provided on the second connecting section 147b that connects the third running section 121c and the fourth running section 121d to the main body section 140. The second drive rack 146cb is provided on the back surface (the surface in the -Z direction) of the main body section 140 along the X direction.

[0041] The second lateral movement roller 146lb constitutes, for example, a drive gear. The second drive rack 146cb has, for example, a plurality of teeth arranged in a straight line in the X direction that mesh with external teeth provided on the outer circumference of the second lateral movement roller 146lb. The second lateral movement roller 146lb is driven by the second lateral movement motor 146mb. ​​When the second lateral movement roller 146lb is rotated by the second lateral movement motor 146mb, the second lateral movement roller 146lb moves relative to the second drive rack 146cb so as to be along the longitudinal direction of the second drive rack 146cb. In this way, the main body 140 can move in the X direction relative to the third running section 121c and the fourth running section 121d.

[0042] Similarly, the first lateral movement roller 146la (Figure 6) also constitutes, for example, a drive gear, and the first drive rack 146ca has multiple teeth arranged in a straight line in the X direction that mesh with the external teeth provided on the outer circumference of the first lateral movement roller 146la. The first lateral movement roller 146la is driven by the first lateral movement motor 146ma. When the first lateral movement roller 146la is rotated by the first lateral movement motor 146ma, the first lateral movement roller 146la moves relative to the first drive rack 146ca along the longitudinal direction of the first drive rack 146ca, thereby allowing the main body 140 to move relative to the third running section 121c and the fourth running section 121d in the X direction.

[0043] Thus, the main body 140 may be configured to move laterally (in the X direction) relative to the running section 121 by driving the first lateral moving roller 146la and the second lateral moving roller 146lb with the first lateral moving motor 146ma and the second lateral moving motor 146mb, respectively.

[0044] The memory device 198 may include, for example, a storage medium (e.g., a semiconductor memory device) or other media that non-transitorily stores one or more computer programs executed in the control unit 160, data used for controlling the steel bar binding robot 100, and the like. The memory device 198 may include, for example, a template database (template DB) 198t. The template database 198t may store, for example, as will be described later, images of templates used for detecting the first steel bar R10 and / or the second steel bar R20 and / or detecting the ends R10e and / or R20e of the first steel bar R10 using template matching based on the detection results by the sensor unit 130, and data obtained by performing image processing such as frequency analysis on the images of the templates. Further, the control unit 160 may further include a template data creation unit. For example, the control unit 160 may be configured to create template data based on an image captured using the sensor unit 130 according to the site where the steel bar binding work is to be performed and store the template data in the template database 198t. The template data stored in the template database 198t may be accumulated, for example, at the timing when new template data is created, or may be deleted at the timing of completion of the binding work at each construction site. Alternatively, the created template data may be configured to be periodically deleted, for example, after being held in the template database 198t of the memory device 198 for a certain period of time.

[0045] The storage device 198 may include, for example, an intersection map 194. The intersection map 194 is, for example, a map that divides a binding work area, which includes the estimated positions of intersections, into a plurality of regions. Each region may include each estimated position. In other words, each region may correspond to each estimated position. The intersection map 194 may be generated, for example, by an intersection map generation unit 184. The intersection map 194 may further include information on a travel route. The travel route may be a route that passes through at least one of the plurality of regions included in the intersection map 194. The travel route may be generated, for example, by a travel route generation unit 186.

[0046] The sensor detection result acquisition unit 162 acquires the detection results from the sensor unit 130. For example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, second sensor 130b, third sensor 130c, and / or fourth sensor 130d of the sensor unit 130 may be used by the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or second rebar determination unit 164a2 of the determination unit 164, which will be described later, to determine the position of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20. In addition, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, second sensor 130b, third sensor 130c, and / or fourth sensor 130d may be used by the first rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or second rebar end determination unit 164b2 of the determination unit 164 to determine the position of the end R10e of the first rebar R10 and / or the end R20e of the second rebar R20.

[0047] The determination unit 164 may include a first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1, a second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2, a first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1, a second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2, an obstacle determination unit 164c, a posture determination unit 164d, and a robot height calculation unit 164e. The first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 determine the positions of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 by using, for example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d acquired by the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162. As will be described later, the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 may determine the positions of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 by performing template matching based on the captured images that are the detection results of the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d.

[0048] The first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 determine the ends R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the ends R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 by using, for example, the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d acquired by the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162. Similar to the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2, the first reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b1 and the second reinforcing bar end determination unit 164b2 may also determine the positions of the ends R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the ends R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 based on template matching.

[0049] The robot height calculation unit 164e may, for example, calculate the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d. For example, when the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 are imaged by the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d (for example, when an area including the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 is imaged), the robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 from the reinforcing bar group R by calculating the distance of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 from the reinforcing bar group R based on the relative size of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 within the imaged image of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20.

[0050] The height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R may be calculated, for example, based on the angle of the traveling section 121. As shown in Figure 6, the first traveling section 121a has a first main body side link section 125a connected to the main body section 140 and a first roller side link section 123a connected to the first roller section 122a, and the first main body side link section 125a and the first roller side link section 123a may constitute a link mechanism. In this case, the link angle, which is the angle between the first main body side link section 125a and the first roller side link section 123a, may be detected by the first link angle detection sensor 134a (Figure 7) of the sensor section 130, and the height of the first traveling section 121a may be calculated based on the link angle.

[0051] Similarly, as shown in Figure 2, the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d each have a second main body side link section 125b and a second roller side link section 123b, a third main body side link section 125c and a third roller side link section 123c, and a fourth main body side link section 125d and a fourth roller side link section 123d. The heights of the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d may be calculated by detecting the link angles formed by the second main body side link section 125b and the second roller side link section 123b, the third main body side link section 125c and the third roller side link section 123c, and the fourth main body side link section 125d and the fourth roller side link section 123d using a second link angle detection sensor 134b, a third link angle detection sensor 134c, and a fourth link angle detection sensor 134d, respectively.

[0052] The robot height calculation unit 164e may calculate the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R based on the heights (heights from the rebar group R) of the first travel unit 121a, second travel unit 121b, third travel unit 121c, and fourth travel unit 121d calculated in this way. For example, the height of the rebar tying robot 100 may be calculated using the average value of some or all of the calculated heights of the first travel unit 121a, second travel unit 121b, third travel unit 121c, and fourth travel unit 121d. Also, for example, if the rebar tying robot 100 is positioned parallel or nearly parallel to the virtual plane formed by the rebar group R, the height of the rebar tying robot 100 may be determined by any one of the heights of the first travel unit 121a, second travel unit 121b, third travel unit 121c, and fourth travel unit 121d.

[0053] As shown in Figure 7, the sensor unit 130 may include a tilt detection sensor 132 in addition to the first sensors 130a to the fourth sensors 130d described above. As the tilt detection sensor 132, for example, a known tilt sensor or horizontal sensor, or any sensor capable of detecting the tilt angle of the rebar tying robot 100 may be used. The sensor detection result acquisition unit 162 may also acquire the detection result of the tilt detection sensor 132. Based on the detection result of the tilt detection sensor 132, for example, the posture determination unit 164d of the determination unit 164 may determine the posture of the rebar tying robot 100, and based on the determination result of the posture determination unit 164d, the posture control unit 176 may drive the height change motors of the travel unit 121 (first wheel height change motor 126a of the first travel unit 121a, second wheel height change motor 126b of the second travel unit 121b, third wheel height change motor 126c of the third travel unit 121c, and / or fourth wheel height change motor 126d of the fourth travel unit 121d) to adjust the posture of the rebar tying robot 100.

[0054] The rebar tying robot 100 may, for example, drive a height-changing motor based on the detection result of the inclination detection sensor 132 so that the main body 140 is parallel to the surface formed by the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 (in this embodiment, also referred to as the "rebar surface"). For example, if the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 are arranged so that the rebar surface extends in the horizontal direction, and the rebar tying robot 100 is tilted in the X direction, the posture of the rebar tying robot 100 may be adjusted by changing the height of the first travel section 121a and the third travel section 121c, or the second travel section 121b and the fourth travel section 121d, among the first to fourth travel sections 121a to 121d.

[0055] The intersection point calculation unit 166 estimates the intersection point c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 by calculating it. The intersection point calculation unit 166 may, for example, calculate the position of the intersection point c12 based on the positions of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 determined by the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2, as will be described later. Based on the calculated position of the intersection point c12, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 may perform tying work with the reinforcing bar tying unit 110. Based on the estimated position of the intersection point c12, the motor control unit 178 may adjust the position of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 using the first travel unit 121a, the second travel unit 121b, the third travel unit 121c, and / or the fourth travel unit 121d so that the reinforcing bar tying unit 110 is on the intersection point c12.

[0056] The rebar tying unit control unit 168 controls the movement of the rebar tying unit 110 by controlling the rebar tying unit movement unit 168m. The rebar tying unit 110 can take on a tying position in which it performs a tying operation to tie the intersection point c12 where the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 intersect, and a retracted position in which it moves to a retracted position after the tying operation is completed and before moving to the next intersection point c12 to perform the tying operation. When the rebar tying unit 110 moves from the retracted position to the tying position, it moves in the -Z direction, and when it moves from the tying position to the retracted position, it moves in the +Z direction. Such movement of the rebar tying unit 110 in the Z direction is realized by the rebar tying unit movement unit 168m, which is configured by a motor or the like. Furthermore, the Z-direction vertical movement of the rebar tying unit 110 by the rebar tying unit movement unit 168m is controlled by the rebar tying unit control unit 168.

[0057] The rebar tying unit control unit 168 also controls the tying operation of the rebar tying unit 110 at the intersection point c12 after the rebar tying unit 110 has moved to the tying position. For example, the tying operation performed by the rebar tying unit 110 using wires pulled out from the reel 180 by the wire pulling unit described later is controlled by the rebar tying unit control unit 168. For example, after moving the rebar tying robot 100 by the first traveling unit 121a, second traveling unit 121b, third traveling unit 121c, and / or fourth traveling unit 121d so that the rebar tying unit 110 is positioned above the intersection point c12, the rebar tying unit control unit 168m may control the rebar tying unit moving unit 168m to lower the rebar tying unit 110 to the tying position so that it approaches the intersection point c12, and then tie the intersection point c12.

[0058] The travel control unit 170 controls the movement along the travel route. For example, the travel control unit 170 may use the motor control unit 178 to control the travel unit 121 so that the rebar tying robot 100 follows the first rebar R10 as it moves, based on information such as the position of the first rebar R10 determined by the first rebar determination unit 164a1. For example, as shown in Figure 5, when the rebar tying robot 100 travels along the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, the drive motors of the travel unit 121 (the first wheel drive motor 124a that drives the first roller unit 122a, the second wheel drive motor 124b that drives the second roller unit 122b, the third wheel drive motor 124c that drives the third roller unit 122c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d that drives the fourth roller unit 122d) may be driven to prevent the rebar tying robot 100 from detaching from the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14.

[0059] For example, the position of the rebar tying robot 100 may be adjusted by accelerating or decelerating the first wheel drive motor 124a and the third wheel drive motor 124c, which are the drive motors for the first and third running sections 121a and 121c, respectively, that are located at the same or approximately the same position in the X direction, relative to the second wheel drive motor 124b and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d, which are the drive motors for the second and fourth running sections 121b and 121d, respectively, that are located at the other end of the X direction, thereby causing the rebar tying robot 100 to move in accordance with the first rebar R10.

[0060] Alternatively, the travel control unit 170 may, for example, adjust the rotational speeds of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d to make the rebar tying robot 100 move in a manner that follows the first rebar R10. For example, by setting the rotational speed of one or more of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d to a rotational speed different from that of the other wheel drive motors, or by setting the rotational speeds of all of the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and the fourth wheel drive motor 124d to rotational speeds different from each other, it becomes possible to make the rebar tying robot 100 flexibly follow the first rebar R10.

[0061] The driving control unit 170 may determine whether or not an obstacle has been detected during driving based on the determination result of the obstacle detection unit 164c. If it is determined that an obstacle has been detected, the driving route generation unit 186 may generate (update) the driving route. The updated driving route does not have to include the area containing the obstacle. Also, if no obstacles are detected, the driving route generation unit 186 may generate (update) the driving route to include the area that contained the obstacle.

[0062] The travel control unit 170 may determine whether or not an intersection has been detected during travel, based on the calculation results of the intersection calculation unit 166. If an intersection is detected, the travel control unit may control the travel unit 121 with the motor control unit 178 to travel to the detected intersection. The travel control unit 170 may also determine which region of the intersection map the detected intersection is located in. For example, the travel control unit 170 may calculate the self-position of the rebar tying robot 100 based on the odometry information calculated by the odometry information calculation unit 190, and then perform the determination process based on that self-position.

[0063] The stop control unit 172 is configured to control the stopping operation of the rebar tying robot 100. For example, as will be described later, if the rebar tying robot 100, which has been traveling along the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, is determined by the first rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second rebar end determination unit 164b2 to be near or approaching the end R13e of the first rebar R13 based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d, the stop control unit 172 may control the motor control unit 178 to drive and stop the first wheel drive motors 124a to the fourth wheel drive motors 124d, thereby stopping the rebar tying robot 100. Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 may be stopped not only at the end R13e of the first rebar R13, but also if it is determined that the rebar tying robot 100 is located near the end R12e of the first rebar R12 and / or the end R14e of the first rebar R14, or if it is determined that the rebar tying robot 100 is approaching the end R12e and / or the end R14e, in addition to or instead of the end R13e of the first rebar R13.

[0064] Furthermore, the stop control unit 172 may, for example, stop the rebar tying robot 100 in order to tie the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 with the rebar tying unit 110 when the intersection point calculation unit 166 described above calculates the intersection point c12.

[0065] As will be described later, the movement amount calculation unit 174 may be configured to calculate the amount of movement when the rebar tying robot 100 moves laterally (moves in the X direction). For example, as described above, if the first rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second rebar end determination unit 164b2 determine that the rebar tying robot 100 is near or approaching the end R12e of the first rebar R12 and the end R14e of the first rebar R14, the rebar tying robot 100 completes the rebar tying work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R13 located between the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, moves to another first rebar R10, and starts the rebar tying work at the intersection c12.

[0066] For example, when the rebar tying robot 100 completes the rebar tying work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R13 and then performs the rebar tying work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R14, the rebar tying robot 100 moves in the X direction by the distance of one interval of the first rebar R10 in the X direction. At this time, the movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the movement amount based on the distance in the X direction between adjacent first rebars R10, based on the position information of the first rebar R10 determined by the first rebar determination unit 164a1. Similarly, when the rebar tying robot 100 performs rebar tying work at the intersection c12 on first rebars R10 that are two or more intervals apart in the X direction, the movement amount may be calculated based on the distance between the first rebars R10. Furthermore, based on the calculated movement amount, the lateral movement unit 146 may perform lateral movement (for example, horizontal movement) of the main body 140 during lateral movement. The movement amount calculation unit 174 may also calculate movement amounts in directions other than lateral movement. For example, the movement amount calculation unit 174 may calculate the vertical movement (movement in the first direction, Y direction) of the rebar tying robot 100 based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130 (first sensor 130a to fourth sensor 130d) or the determination results of the first rebar end determination unit 164b1 and / or the second rebar end determination unit 164b2.

[0067] As the sensor unit 130, for example, a camera capable of capturing two-dimensional or three-dimensional images may be used, and based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, the location of the foreign object may be determined, for example, by the obstacle determination unit 164c of the determination unit 164. At construction sites where reinforcing bars are assembled, for example, tools may be left on the surface of the reinforcing bars, or workers may be working there. These may be detected as foreign objects based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, and based on the detection results of the foreign object, the foreign object bypass control unit 188 may be configured to bypass the foreign object by driving the first wheel drive motor 124a, the second wheel drive motor 124b, the third wheel drive motor 124c, and / or the fourth wheel drive motor 124d by the motor control unit 178. Alternatively, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 may be configured to bypass the foreign object by performing lateral movement as described later.

[0068] The odometry information calculation unit 190 calculates the position and orientation of the rebar tying robot 100 as odometry information based on information from various sensors. For example, the odometry information calculation unit 190 may calculate the travel path of the rebar tying robot 100 by acquiring information such as the rotation speed of the motors output from encoders (not shown) provided on each motor of the travel unit 121, and then integrating this information, thereby calculating the position of the rebar tying robot 100. Furthermore, the output of the sensor unit 130 may also be utilized in calculating the position of the rebar tying robot 100. In addition, the odometry information calculation unit 190 may acquire information output from the sensor unit 130 and then calculate the orientation of the rebar tying robot 100 based on this information. This makes it possible to estimate the travel path and self-position on the intersection map.

[0069] The intersection map generation unit 184 generates an intersection map 194. The intersection map generation unit 184 may generate the intersection map 194 based on various information relating to reinforcing bars. For example, the intersection map 194 may be generated based on arrangement information relating to the arrangement of multiple reinforcing bars. The arrangement information may be, for example, information relating to the pitch between each reinforcing bar. The pitch information may include, for example, information indicating the pitch, as well as information for calculating the pitch (number of reinforcing bars and overall dimensions of the reinforcing bars). The arrangement information may also include information relating to the number of intersections. The information relating to the number of intersections may include, for example, information indicating the number of intersections, as well as information for calculating the number of intersections (for example, the number of first reinforcing bars and the number of second reinforcing bars).

[0070] The route generation unit 186 generates a route. The route generation unit 186 may generate a route based on, for example, an intersection map 194. Specifically, the route generation unit 186 may generate a route that passes through each area included in the intersection map 194. The information of the generated route may be included in the intersection map 194.

[0071] The control unit 160 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) corresponding to the calculation unit, and is a control unit that performs control, calculations, and processing of data related to the execution of computer programs stored in the storage device 198. The processor is a calculation unit that executes a program that uses each detected data to perform the operation of the rebar tying robot 100 (rebar tracking and travel, lateral movement (e.g., horizontal movement), rebar tying work, etc.). By executing the program stored in the storage device 198, the various parts of the control unit (for example, the sensor detection result acquisition unit 162, etc.) are realized.

[0072] The storage device 198 may have, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). RAM is the data rewritable storage unit and may be composed of, for example, semiconductor memory elements. RAM may store programs executed by the processor and data necessary for program execution (for example, template data used to determine the position of reinforcing bars based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, as described later). These are examples, and RAM may store other data, or some of these may not be stored.

[0073] ROM is a data read-only part of the storage unit, and may be composed of semiconductor memory elements, for example. ROM may store programs executed by the control unit 160, or data that is not rewritten.

[0074] The program executed by the control unit 160 may be stored and provided in a computer-readable storage medium such as a storage device 198 (e.g., RAM or ROM), or, if the rebar tying robot 100 according to this embodiment has a communication unit (not shown), the program may be provided via a communication network connected by the communication unit.

[0075] The physical configuration described above is illustrative, and in the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiments of this disclosure, the control unit 160 and the storage device 198 do not necessarily have to be independent. For example, the rebar tying robot 100 may be equipped with an LSI (Large-Scale Integration) that integrates a processor and memory. Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 may be equipped with a GPU (Graphical Processing Unit) as the control unit 160, and the various operations described above may be realized by the GPU executing a program.

[0076] The rebar tying robot 100 does not necessarily have the function of generating intersection point maps and / or generating travel routes; these functions may be provided by a separate device. This separate device may, for example, consist of a detection unit capable of detecting rebars, a moving unit, and a control unit. The moving unit may be configured as a traveling unit for traveling on rebars, or as a flying unit (e.g., a propeller) capable of flying above the rebars. This separate device (which may be called a "map generation device," etc.) may move (travel or fly, etc.) on the rebars while detecting them, generate intersection point maps and travel routes based on the detection results, and transmit them to the rebar tying robot 100. The rebar tying robot 100 may travel on the rebars based on the received intersection point maps and travel routes. Thus, the system may consist of the rebar tying robot 100 and the map generation device.

[0077] Next, the movement of the rebar tying robot 100 on the rebar will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Figure 8 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving along the first rebar R10 from the Y direction (-Y direction). Figure 9 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 moving along the first rebar R10 from the X direction (+X direction). In Figures 8 and 9, the rebar tying robot 100 moves in the first direction (Y direction). As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the rebar tying robot 100 moves such that the third roller part 122c of the third running part 121c is on the first rebar R12 and the fourth roller part 122d of the fourth running part 121d is on the first rebar R14. As shown in Figure 9, the second roller section 122b of the second running section 121b also runs on the first reinforcing bar R14, similar to the fourth roller section 122d of the fourth running section 121d. Although not shown in Figures 8 and 9, the first roller section 122a of the first running section 121a also runs on the first reinforcing bar R12, similar to the third roller section 122c of the third running section 121c. Thus, when the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure travels along the first rebar R10, it travels, for example, along a certain first rebar R10 (first rebar R12) and a first rebar R10 (first rebar R14) located two positions away from a certain first rebar R12, and ties together the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 that is located on the first rebar R13, which is the first rebar R10 that exists between the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14 that it is traveling along.

[0078] Next, the rebar tying robot 100 during rebar tying work will be described with reference to Figures 10, 11, and 12. Figure 10 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100, which has stopped moving and is performing tying work, from the Y direction (-Y direction). Figure 11 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 performing tying work from the X direction (+X direction). Figure 12 is a view of the rebar tying robot 100 performing tying work from the lower side in the Z direction (-Z direction). Figures 10, 11, and 12 show an example in which the rebar tying robot 100 ties the intersection c12 of the first rebar R13 and the second rebar R20. In order to perform tying work, the rebar tying robot 100 stops moving (Figure 10) and lowers the rebar tying unit 110 to perform tying (Figures 11 and 12).

[0079] Next, we will describe the configuration by which the rebar tying robot 100 according to the present disclosure calculates the positions of the rebar group R (first rebar R10 and second rebar R20). The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a traveling unit 121 configured to travel on a group of rebars R which includes a plurality of first rebars R10 whose extension direction is in the Y direction (first direction) and a plurality of second rebars R20 whose extension direction is in the X direction (second direction) which intersects the Y direction (first direction) and which are arranged to intersect with the first rebars R10; a sensor unit 130 configured to detect at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20; and a first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or a second rebar determination unit 164a2 (also referred to as the "rebar position calculation unit" in this embodiment) configured to calculate the position of at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20 detected by the sensor unit 130 based on the pixel values ​​of a plurality of pixels constituting a two-dimensional image generated by the detection result of the sensor unit 130. The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure can streamline the process of calculating the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 by calculating the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 based on a two-dimensional image generated from the detection results of the sensor unit 130. For example, compared to calculating the position of the rebar using three-dimensional data as the detection result of the sensor unit, the computational load can be reduced by performing calculations based on a two-dimensional image.

[0080] In the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the two-dimensional image used to calculate the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 may be a grayscale image. In this case, the rebar tying robot 100 includes a storage device 198 that stores information of at least one template image including partial images of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20, and the two-dimensional image includes a grayscale image, and the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) may be configured to calculate the positions of at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20 by comparing the grayscale image with the template image.

[0081] Furthermore, in the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, if the density value of a pixel in the grayscale image is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold, it may be determined that the pixel corresponds to the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20. In this case, the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) may determine that, if the density value of a pixel constituting the grayscale image is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold (first threshold), at least a part of the first rebar R10 and / or at least a part of the second rebar R20 exists at the position corresponding to the pixel having a density value greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold. Alternatively, when using a grayscale image as a two-dimensional image, the grayscale image may be generated by lowering the image density of the area where the object exists and increasing the image density of the area where the object does not exist. In this case, if the density value of a pixel is less than a predetermined threshold, it may be determined that the pixel corresponds to the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20.

[0082] In the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, the grayscale image may be generated by the detection result of a three-dimensional sensor. In this case, the sensor unit 130 includes a three-dimensional sensor capable of detecting the x, y, and z coordinates of a plurality of points on the surface of the object to be detected, and the z coordinate value detected by the three-dimensional sensor is converted into different image densities according to the magnitude of the z coordinate value, and the grayscale image may be generated by constructing a two-dimensional image based on the x coordinate, y coordinate and image density.

[0083] Alternatively, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure may be configured such that the sensor unit 130 captures a grayscale image. In this case, the sensor unit 130 may include an imaging device, and the grayscale image may be generated based on an image captured by the imaging device.

[0084] Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure may calculate the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 based on the degree of matching. In this case, the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) may be configured to calculate the position of at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20 based on the degree of matching between the grayscale image and the template image.

[0085] In embodiments of this disclosure, the degree of matching may be calculated, for example, by comparing the detection result from the sensor unit 130, the two-dimensional image generated based on the detection result from the sensor unit 130, or the template image. For example, the degree of matching may be calculated by comparing the pixel values ​​of all pixels in the partial image to be compared from the two-dimensional image generated based on the detection result from the sensor unit 130 with the pixel values ​​of all pixels in the template image, and expressing the percentage of matching pixels as a percentage based on whether the pixel values ​​of each corresponding pixel in the two images being compared match. For example, if the template image contains 50,000 pixels, and the density of 40,000 pixels matches or is nearly the same (for example, the difference between the two is within 10%) when compared with the 50,000 pixels in the grayscale image to be compared, the degree of matching may be calculated as 80%.

[0086] In this case, the positions of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 may be calculated using a standard value for the degree of matching. In this case, the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) may determine whether the degree of matching is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard value, and if the degree of matching is equal to or greater than the predetermined standard value, it may determine that the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 are within the detection range of the sensor unit 130.

[0087] In the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, different values ​​may be set for each height as the reference value of the degree of matching. In this case, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure is equipped with a robot height calculation unit 164e (also referred to as the "robot height calculation unit" in this embodiment) that calculates the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R, and the predetermined reference value includes a plurality of reference values ​​corresponding to different heights of the rebar tying robot 100, and the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) calculates the rebar tying robot calculated by the robot height calculation unit 164e (robot height calculation unit) based on the plurality of reference values The system may be configured to determine if there is a reference value corresponding to the height from the 100 reinforcing bar group R, and if it is determined that there is a reference value corresponding to the height of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 among the multiple reference values, the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 may be calculated based on this reference value. If it is determined that there is no reference value corresponding to the height of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 among the multiple reference values, a new reference value corresponding to the measured height of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 may be calculated based on at least two of the multiple reference values.

[0088] In embodiments of this disclosure, for example, multiple reference values ​​may be set for the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R for predetermined sizes. For example, five reference values ​​may be set for the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R, ranging from 10 cm to 30 cm in increments of 5 cm. In this case, for example, if the robot height calculation unit 164e determines that the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R is 20 cm, and a reference value of 60% has been set for a height of 20 cm, then 60% may be used as the reference value. Also, for example, if the robot height calculation unit 164e determines that the height of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rebar group R is 23 cm, and a reference value for 23 cm has not been set, then a new reference value may be set based on, for example, the reference value for 20 cm and the reference value for 25 cm. For example, if the reference value for a height of 20 cm is 60% and the reference value for a height of 25 cm is 50%, the reference value for 23 cm may be calculated by linear interpolation as 50% + (((60% - 50%) * ((25 cm - 23 cm) / (25 cm - 20 cm))) = 54%. The newly calculated reference value may be stored in, for example, a memory device 198 and used as needed in subsequent operations. Note that the above height, reference value, and method of calculating the new reference value are examples and are not limited thereto. For example, more reference values ​​may be set, or reference values ​​may be set for heights less than 10 cm or more than 30 cm.

[0089] The following describes the process for calculating the position of reinforcing bars using a reinforcing bar tying robot according to the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0090] First, a specific example of the sensor unit 130 used in the rebar tying robot 100 will be described in detail. As the sensor unit 130, for example, a 3D distance camera such as a ToF (Time of Flight) camera can be used (for example, the TOFcam-635 manufactured by ESPROS Photonics). With a 3D distance camera, for example, an image with different shades of gray depending on the distance from the camera is output for each object being photographed, and the distance to the target object can be obtained for each pixel, so that relatively close objects are represented with a higher density (closer to black), and relatively farther objects are represented with a lighter density (closer to white). In the embodiment of this disclosure, while the rebar tying robot 100 is traveling along the rebar group R, the distance between the rebar tying robot 100 and the rebar group R does not change much, so the rebars may be detected by recognizing relatively dark and close objects as rebars (first rebar R10 and / or second rebar R20).

[0091] Figures 13A and 13B show images output by a 3D distance camera. Figure 13A shows an image of the area near the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, taken by the 3D distance camera. Figure 13B schematically shows an image of the area near the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. As shown in Figure 13A, the image captured by the 3D distance camera shows variations in density, and in the embodiments of this disclosure, it is possible to recognize the areas with high density as the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20. As schematically shown in Figure 13B, images with different density levels are acquired for each pixel.

[0092] The sensor unit 130 is not limited to imaging devices such as cameras as exemplified above; other sensors may be used. For example, a laser capable of acquiring information in the depth direction or height direction may be used. For example, a two-dimensional image using the same image density as described above may be generated based on the depth direction information acquired by the laser.

[0093] Next, the process of detecting reinforcing bars based on the image (grayscale image in this embodiment) captured and acquired by the sensor unit 130 will be described. First, the arrangement of the first sensor 130a, second sensor 130b, third sensor 130c, and fourth sensor 130d of the sensor unit 130 will be described with reference to Figures 14A and 14B. Figures 14A and 14B are schematic diagrams showing the arrangement of the first sensor 130a, second sensor 130b, third sensor 130c, and fourth sensor 130d. Figure 14A is a schematic side view of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 viewed from the horizontal direction (X direction). Figure 14B is a schematic top view of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 viewed from above (upper side in the Z direction). Figure 14A schematically shows the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, and the fourth sensor 130d, along with the imaging ranges provided by the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, and the fourth sensor 130d.

[0094] As schematically shown in Figures 14A and 14B, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, which are spaced apart from each other in the Y direction, are positioned to capture images in a diagonal downward direction. The fourth sensor 130d and the third sensor 130c (not shown) are similarly positioned to capture images in a diagonal downward direction. The first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are set, for example, so that the field of view defining the imaging range is, for example, 80° or more and 100° or less. The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are set, for example, so that the field of view is, for example, 50° or more and 70° or less. Any of the sensors (first sensor 130a to fourth sensor 130d) may be set to have a different field of view. As described above, when determining whether a foreign object is present based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d, the imaging range of each sensor may be changed, for example, by tilting the angle of each sensor upward.

[0095] Figure 15 schematically shows an image captured by the first sensor 130a. As shown in Figure 15, in the embodiment of this disclosure, the first sensor 130a is positioned to capture an image in the diagonally downward direction, so that the spacing between adjacent first reinforcing bars R10 becomes narrower from front to back. In the embodiment of this disclosure, based on the image thus obtained, the position of each reinforcing bar (multiple first reinforcing bars R10 and multiple second reinforcing bars R20) constituting the reinforcing bar group R can be detected by, for example, performing template matching. In the embodiment of this disclosure, by template matching, for example, the reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bars R10 and / or second reinforcing bars R20) are detected based on the similarity (in this embodiment, also called the "matching degree") between the captured image and a pre-prepared image, a grayscale image including the grayscale portion corresponding to the reinforcing bar is prepared as a template, the image captured by the sensor unit 130 (first sensor 130a to fourth sensor 130d) is scanned, and the similarity is calculated in the scanning direction.

[0096] Referencing Figure 16, the template matching implemented in the embodiments of this disclosure will be described. Figure 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating the template matching according to this embodiment. Figure 16 shows an image of the vicinity of the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, along with template images TI10 and TI20 for scanning in the X and Y directions. Figure 16 also shows schematic graphs G10 and G20 of the similarity calculated according to the scanning of the template images TI10 and TI20, respectively. By scanning the template images TI10 and TI20 in the Y and X directions, respectively, and calculating the similarity with the template images TI10 and TI20, it is determined that locations on the captured image where the maximum value of the calculated similarity exceeds a threshold correspond to the locations where reinforcing bars exist. As shown in graphs G10 and G20, in the distribution of similarity along the Y and X directions, portions exceeding the thresholds TH10 and TH20 are identified, and these correspond to the locations where reinforcing bars exist. The similarity (matching degree) may be calculated, for example, by comparing the color density of each pixel in the captured image with the color density of each pixel constituting the template image. For example, first, the distance to the object for each pixel in the captured image is extracted as the color density. Next, if the sum or average value of the color density of the entire captured image is light (for example, lower than a predetermined threshold), it is determined that there is no rebar in the captured image. On the other hand, if the color density is dark (for example, higher than a predetermined threshold), the difference between the extracted color density and the color density of each pixel constituting the template image is compared for each pixel. Among the pixels in the captured image, the position where the sum of the absolute values ​​of the difference between the color density of the captured pixel and the color density of the pixels constituting the template image is lowest may be extracted as the rebar position. In this way, based on the similarity calculated by scanning the template image with the captured image, it is possible to detect the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 by template matching.

[0097] As described above with reference to Figure 15, in the embodiment of this disclosure, in the image captured by the first sensor 130a, the spacing between adjacent first reinforcing bars R10 in the X direction changes along the Y direction. Similarly, in the image captured by the second sensor 130b, the spacing between first reinforcing bars R10 in the X direction changes along the Y direction, and in the images captured by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d, the spacing between captured second reinforcing bars R20 in the Y direction changes along the X direction. Therefore, for example, the image may be corrected by performing an orthorectification transformation on the captured image so that the spacing between reinforcing bars on the captured image becomes approximately equal before performing template matching. Alternatively, without performing image transformations such as orthorectification, reinforcing bar detection based on template matching can also be performed by preparing an image as a template in which the spacing between reinforcing bars changes, as shown in Figure 15.

[0098] In the template matching according to the embodiments of this disclosure, for example, frequency analysis may be performed on each image, and the relationship between the captured image and the template image may be evaluated by using the phase correlation method.

[0099] The positions of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 can also be estimated by acquiring three-dimensional data in the X, Y, and Z directions of an object within the detection range using, for example, a three-dimensional sensor. As described above, in the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, by performing template matching that treats the third-dimensional data in the Z direction as information on pixel density, the computational amount for calculating the position of the intersection point c12 can be made relatively small compared to, for example, when the calculation is performed based on three-dimensional data in the X, Y, and Z directions. When performing tying work at the intersection point c12 while moving, as in the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure, the reinforcing bar position determination method by template matching, which can reduce the computational amount, is preferably used.

[0100] Next, a method for determining the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 in an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 determines the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b may be configured to detect the first reinforcing bar R10, as described above. That is, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 includes a reinforcing bar tying unit 110 configured to tie the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 of the reinforcing bar group R, as described above, and the sensor unit 130 includes a first sensor 130a and a second sensor 130b arranged spaced apart from each other along a third direction and configured to detect at least the first reinforcing bar R10, and the at least one template image described above includes a template image TI10 (first template image) including a partial image of the first reinforcing bar R10, and the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is The row section 121 advances in the Y direction (first direction), and the direction in which the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are positioned (third direction) is parallel to the Y direction (first direction). The first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) calculate the position of the first rebar R10 by comparing the detection results of the first sensor 130a and / or the second sensor 130b with the first template image. The rebar tying unit 110 may tie the intersection c12 on the first rebar R10 whose position has been calculated.

[0101] Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 may be configured such that the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d detect the second rebar R20 in addition to the first rebar R10 and estimate the intersection point c12. That is, the rebar tying robot 100 further includes an intersection point calculation unit 166 (also called the "intersection point estimation unit" in this embodiment) that estimates the intersection point c12, and the sensor unit 130 includes a third sensor 130c and a fourth sensor 130d that are spaced apart along a fourth direction intersecting the third direction and are configured to detect at least the second rebar R20, and at least one template image includes a template image TI20 (second template image) that includes a partial image of the second rebar R20, and the rebar tying robot 100 is a fourth The rebars may be arranged so that their orientation is parallel to the X direction (second direction), and the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) calculate the position of the second rebar R20 by comparing the detection results of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d with the second template image, the intersection point estimation unit (intersection point estimation unit) estimates the intersection point of the calculated first rebar R10 and the calculated second rebar R20 as the intersection point c12, and the rebar tying unit 110 may be configured to tie the estimated intersection point c12.

[0102] Furthermore, if the rebar tying robot 100 detects the end R10e of the first rebar R10, it may cause the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d to detect the first rebar R10, and the first rebar R10 detected by the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be used to calculate the lateral movement amount of the rebar tying robot 100, as described later. In other words, the rebar tying robot 100 includes a movement amount calculation unit 174 (movement amount calculation unit) that calculates the amount of movement of the traveling unit 121 based on the position information of the first rebar R10 calculated by the first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) when the traveling unit 121 moves from one first rebar R10 to another. The first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second rebar determination unit 164a2 (rebar position calculation unit) is the first Based on the detection results of sensor 130a and / or second sensor 130b, the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 to which the traveling unit 121 is moving is calculated. If the degree of matching of the detection result of the first sensor 130a is less than a predetermined reference value, it is determined whether the degree of matching is equal to or greater than a predetermined end reference value. If it is determined that the degree of matching is equal to or greater than a predetermined end reference value, it is determined that the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 is within the detection range of the first sensor 130a. When it is determined that the end portion R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 is within the range, the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d are set to detect the first reinforcing bar R10, and the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) determine the position of other first reinforcing bars R10 that are spaced apart in the X direction (second direction) from the first reinforcing bar R10 that the traveling unit 121 is moving towards. The travel amount calculation unit 174 calculates the amount of movement of the travel unit 121 in the X direction (second direction) based on the position of the other first reinforcing bars R10 calculated by the first reinforcing bar determination unit 164a1 and / or the second reinforcing bar determination unit 164a2 (reinforcing bar position calculation unit) and the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 to which the travel unit 121 is moving. The travel unit 121 may be configured to move in the X direction (second direction) based on the calculated amount of movement in the X direction (second direction).

[0103] Using Figure 17, the method for controlling the movement of the rebar tying robot 100 in the embodiment of this disclosure will be explained. Figure 17 is a flowchart of the method for controlling the movement of the rebar tying robot 100 in the embodiment of this disclosure.

[0104] First, various information regarding the reinforcing bars is acquired, and then an intersection map is generated based on that information (S1702). Figure 18A is a schematic diagram showing an example of an intersection map 194. In the example shown in Figure 18A, nine intersection points C1 to C9 in the intersection map 194 are shown as an example of estimated positions of intersections in the reinforcing bar tying work area of ​​the reinforcing bar tying robot 100. Each estimated position is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10, whose extension direction is the Y direction (first direction), and the second reinforcing bar R20, whose extension direction is the X direction (second direction). Specifically, for example, estimated position C1 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R11 and the second reinforcing bar R21, estimated position C2 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R11 and the second reinforcing bar R22, and estimated position C3 is the estimated position of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R11 and the second reinforcing bar R23. Furthermore, for example, estimated position C6 is the estimated location of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the second reinforcing bar R21, estimated position C5 is the estimated location of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the second reinforcing bar R22, and estimated position C4 is the estimated location of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R12 and the second reinforcing bar R23. Furthermore, for example, estimated position C7 is the estimated location of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R21, estimated position C8 is the estimated location of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R22, and estimated position C9 is the estimated location of the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R13 and the second reinforcing bar R23.

[0105] The intersection map 194 further includes multiple regions, each containing an estimated position. In the example shown in Figure 18A, nine regions r1 to r9 are shown in the intersection map 194, each containing one of the nine estimated positions C1 to C9. That is, in the intersection map 194, each region corresponds to each estimated position. In the example shown in Figure 18A, the regions are shown as approximately circular with predetermined dimensions. However, in the intersection map 194, the shape of the regions is not limited to approximately circular, but may be rectangular (including approximately rectangular), polygonal (including approximately polygonal), or any other arbitrary shape. Also, the dimensions of the regions are not particularly limited and may be set arbitrarily. In the example shown in Figure 18A, the regions are spaced apart from each other. However, in the intersection map 194, the regions may be adjacent to each other.

[0106] The intersection map 194 can be generated based on various information about the reinforcing bars. For example, the intersection map 194 may be generated based on information about the pitch between each reinforcing bar and information about the number of estimated positions. The information about the pitch between each reinforcing bar and the information about the number of estimated positions may be information entered by the user, stored in the storage device 198, or obtained from an external information processing device via communication. The information about the pitch may be, for example, a value calculated based on the number of reinforcing bars and the overall dimensions of the area where the reinforcing bars are placed (for example, the overall dimensions divided by the number of reinforcing bars). The information about the number of estimated positions may be, for example, a value calculated from the number of first reinforcing bars and the number of second reinforcing bars (for example, the product of the number of first reinforcing bars and the number of second reinforcing bars).

[0107] Next, a travel route is generated based on the intersection map 194 (S1704). Figure 18B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a travel route. The travel route may be a route that passes through at least one of the multiple regions included in the intersection map 194. Here, "passing through a region" means, for example, that at least a part of the travel route is included in the region, and it is not necessary to pass through the center of the region or through an estimated position included in the region. The travel route may pass through all or not all of the multiple regions, as long as it is at least one of them. In Figure 18B, an example of a travel route is shown by arrows connecting each region. That is, Figure 18B shows a travel route that passes through regions r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6, r7, r8, and r9 in order.

[0108] The method for generating travel routes is not particularly limited, but for example, it may be a method in which the travel cost is calculated for each assumed travel route and the travel route with a predeterminedly small travel cost (for example, the travel route with the minimum cost) is adopted. Here, the cost may be, for example, the sum of the products of the distance of each path constituting the travel route and the weight assigned to that path. The travel cost for a travel route may be calculated arbitrarily, but for example, the weights contributing to the travel cost may be changed between following movement that follows the reinforcing bars and lateral movement that changes the distance between the reinforcing bars being followed. In particular, the weight of lateral movement may be made larger than the weight of following movement for reasons such as the energy required for lateral movement being relatively high or the time required for lateral movement being relatively long.

[0109] Furthermore, in situations where two reinforcing bars intersect, two scenarios are possible: one where the reinforcing bar moves to follow the upper bar, and another where it moves to follow the lower bar. In this case, following the lower bar may necessitate moving over the upper bar, so following the upper bar may be preferable. Therefore, when calculating the movement cost, the weight of moving to follow the lower bar may be given more weight than the weight of moving to follow the upper bar.

[0110] Next, the robot begins traveling along the travel route (S1706). Specifically, the rebar tying robot 100 controls its travel unit 121 to travel along the travel route, for example, based on the travel route generated in step S1702. The odometry information calculation unit 190 calculates the position and orientation of the rebar tying robot 100 as odometry information based on the information acquired from the sensor unit 130 while the rebar tying robot 100 is traveling. This makes it possible to estimate the travel path and the robot's own position on the intersection map.

[0111] The rebar tying robot 100 determines whether the obstacle detection result via the sensor unit 130 has been updated while it is moving (S1708). Figure 18C is a diagram illustrating an example of how the rebar tying robot detects an obstacle, as an example of when the obstacle detection result is updated. Figure 18C shows the moving rebar tying robot 100 and an obstacle O3. Reference numeral 130R indicates the detection range of the sensor unit 130. In Figure 18C, the detection range 130R is shown as a circle, but this is merely an example, and the shape and dimensions of the detection range are not particularly limited. The rebar tying robot 100 detects the obstacle O3 via the sensor unit 130, for example.

[0112] The rebar tying robot 100 may determine whether the detected obstacle O3 is included in any of the regions included in the intersection map 194. In this determination process, for example, the angle θ (see Figure 18C) between the direction D of the rebar tying robot 100 included in the odometry information and the direction of the first rebar R11 may be calculated, and then it may be determined which region the obstacle is included in. This process makes it possible to understand in which direction the obstacle is located relative to the direction D of the rebar tying robot 100, and therefore it is possible to determine which region the obstacle is included in. In the example shown in Figure 18C, it is determined that the obstacle O3 is included in region r3.

[0113] If it is determined that an obstacle has been detected, the process returns to step S1704, and the rebar tying robot 100 generates (updates) a travel route. At this time, the rebar tying robot 100 may generate (update) a travel route that does not include the area containing the obstacle. In the example shown in Figure 18C, the rebar tying robot 100 may generate (update) a travel route that does not include the area r3 containing the obstacle O3.

[0114] As another example of when the obstacle detection results are updated, if an obstacle that was detected in the previous step S1704 is no longer detected in the subsequent step S1704, the rebar tying robot 100 may generate (update) the travel route to include the area that was not included in the travel route because it contained the obstacle.

[0115] The rebar tying robot 100 determines whether or not it has detected an intersection point via the sensor unit 130 while traveling (S1710). The rebar tying robot 100 detects the intersection point by using the intersection point estimation method described later, for example, using the process shown in Figure 20. Figure 18D is a diagram illustrating how the rebar tying robot 100 detects an intersection point. Figure 18D shows the rebar tying robot 100 in motion and the intersection point T2. Figure 18D shows an example in which the intersection point T2 has been detected.

[0116] Next, the robot travels to the detected intersection (S1712). For example, as shown in Figure 18E, the rebar tying robot 100 controls the travel unit 121 to travel to the intersection T2 detected by the sensor unit 130. The rebar tying robot 100 travels to the intersection T2 such that, for example, the rebar tying unit 110 is positioned above the intersection c12.

[0117] Next, the intersections are tied together (S1714). For example, the rebar tying robot 100 controls the rebar tying unit 110 to tie together the intersections T2.

[0118] Next, it is determined which region of the intersection map the detected intersection falls into (S1716). In the example shown in Figure 18E, the rebar tying robot 100 determines whether the detected intersection T2 falls into which region of the intersection map 194. In this determination process, for example, the angle θ (see Figure 18F) between the direction D of the rebar tying robot 100 included in the odometry information and the direction of the first rebar R11 may be calculated, and then it may be determined which region the intersection T2 falls into. This process makes it possible to determine which direction the intersection T2 is located in relative to the direction D of the rebar tying robot 100, and therefore it is also possible to determine which region the intersection T2 falls into. In the example shown in Figure 18E, an example is shown in which the intersection T2 is determined to be included in region r2.

[0119] Next, it is determined whether the determined area is the end point of the travel route (S1718). If it is determined that the determined area is not the end point of the travel route, the process returns to step S1706. If it is determined that the determined area is the end point of the travel route, the process ends.

[0120] Referring to Figure 19, a method for estimating the intersection point of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 will be described. Figure 19 is a schematic diagram showing the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 as viewed from the lower side in the Z direction (-Z direction) for illustrating the method for estimating the intersection point. As shown in Figure 19, for example, in the embodiment of this disclosure, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 travels along the two first reinforcing bars R12 and R14 as described above, and is configured such that the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b detect the first reinforcing bar R13, and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d detect the second reinforcing bar R20. In the example shown in Figure 17, the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d detect, for example, the second reinforcing bar R23. At this time, based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, the first reinforcing bar R13 extending between the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b is estimated, and based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d, the second reinforcing bar R23 extending between the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d is estimated. The point where the estimated first reinforcing bar R13 extending between the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b and the second reinforcing bar R23 extending between the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d intersect is estimated to be the intersection point c12.

[0121] The method for estimating the intersection point c12 in the embodiment of this disclosure will be explained using Figure 20. Figure 20 is a flowchart of the method for estimating the intersection point c12 in the embodiment of this disclosure. This process is performed, for example, in step S1710 described above.

[0122] First, the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are obtained (S2002).

[0123] Next, based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, template matching is performed to confirm the first reinforcing bar R10 and / or the second reinforcing bar R20 detected by the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b (S2004).

[0124] The position of the first reinforcing bar R13 is estimated based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b (S2006).

[0125] Next, the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are obtained (S2008).

[0126] Next, the position of the second reinforcing bar R20 is estimated based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d (S2010).

[0127] Next, the intersection point is estimated based on the estimated positions of the first reinforcement bar R13 and the second reinforcement bar R20 (S2012).

[0128] Thus, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure is arranged on the rebar group R such that the third direction (Y direction) in which the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are arranged is parallel to the first direction, which is the direction in which the first rebar R10 extends, and the fourth direction in which the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are arranged is parallel to the second direction, which is the direction in which the second rebar R20 extends. The robot is equipped with an intersection location calculation unit 166, which is an intersection location estimation unit that estimates the intersection location c12. The first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b are configured to detect the first rebar R10, and the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are configured to detect the second rebar R20. Furthermore, the intersection location calculation unit 166, which is an intersection location estimation unit, may be configured to estimate the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 (first reinforcing bar R13) detected by either the first sensor 130a or the second sensor 130b based on the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b, and to estimate the position of the second reinforcing bar R20 (second reinforcing bar R23) detected by either the third sensor 130c or the fourth sensor 130d based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d, and to estimate the intersection point of the first reinforcing bar R13 detected by the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b and the second reinforcing bar R23 detected by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d as the intersection location c12.

[0129] When the rebar tying robot 100 calculates the position of the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 on the first rebar R13, for example, the first sensor 130a may be passing through the intersection point (intersection). In this case, for example, the position of the calculated intersection point c12 may be adjusted based on the information of the intersection captured by the first sensor 130a. That is, the rebar tying robot 100 may be configured to move in a first direction (Y direction) while the first sensor 130a and the second sensor 130b detect the first rebar R10, and when the rebar tying robot 100 is moving, if the first sensor 130a detects the intersection where the first rebar R10 intersects with the second rebar R20, it may be configured to determine whether the intersection point and the estimated intersection point c12 coincide, and if the intersection point and the estimated intersection point c12 do not coincide, it may be configured to adjust the position of the estimated intersection point c12. If the detected intersection location does not match the estimated intersection location c12, the position of the rebar tying robot 100 may be adjusted by, for example, accelerating or decelerating the first travel section 121a, second travel section 121b, third travel section 121c, and / or fourth travel section 121d of the travel section 121, respectively, or by controlling the rotational speed of the first wheel drive motor 124a, second wheel drive motor 124b, third wheel drive motor 124c, and fourth wheel drive motor 124d, similar to the method described above for making the rebar tying robot 100 follow the first rebar R10.

[0130] Please note that the method for estimating intersection points described above is illustrative and not limited to the example shown in Figure 20. For example, the acquisition of detection results from each sensor does not have to be performed in the order described above, and the estimation of the rebar positions based on the detection results does not have to be performed in the order described above.

[0131] Next, a method for calculating the amount of movement of the rebar tying robot 100 in the embodiment of this disclosure will be described. Referring to Figure 19, an example will be given in which the rebar tying robot 100 reaches the vicinity of the Y-direction end R10e (for example, ends R11e, R12e, R13e, R14e, and R15e) of the first rebar R10 (for example, the first rebars R11, R12, R13, R14, and R15) and performs lateral movement (movement in the X direction). As shown in Figure 19, the rebar tying robot 100 travels along the first rebars R12 and R14, tying the first rebar R13, which is located between the first rebars R12 and R14, at the point where it intersects with the second rebars R20 (for example, the second rebars R21, R22, R23, R24, and R25), and has reached the vicinity of ends R12e, R13e, and R14e. At this point, the rebar tying robot 100 will next perform the tying work on the first rebar R14, which is the rebar adjacent to the first rebar R13 in the X direction (+X direction), and therefore moves in the X direction (+X direction, from the first rebar R13 towards the first rebar R14).

[0132] Referring to Figure 21, the method of lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100 in this case will be explained. Figure 21 is a flowchart relating to the lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100.

[0133] First, the detection result of the first sensor 130a is obtained (S2102).

[0134] Next, template matching is performed on the detection result of the first sensor 130a (S2104).

[0135] Next, based on the template matching results, it is determined whether the end portion R13e of the first reinforcing bar R13, which is detected by the first sensor 130a, has been detected (S2106).

[0136] Next, it is determined whether the end portion R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 has been detected (S2108). As an example of the end portion R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20, it may be determined whether any of the ends R21e, R22e, R23e, R24e, and R25e of the second reinforcing bars R21, R22, R23, R24, and R25 have been detected.

[0137] For example, based on the detection results of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d, it may be determined whether the end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 has been detected. In the embodiment of this disclosure, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 performs the tying work at the intersection of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, starting from the first reinforcing bar R10 on the left side of the X-axis and moving towards the first reinforcing bar R10 on the right side of the X-axis, as viewed from above in the Z-axis direction. Therefore, based on the detection results of the fourth sensor 130d, which is located on the right side in the X-axis direction, it may be determined whether the right end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 has been detected. For example, if the right end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 is detected by the fourth sensor 130d, it is possible that the tying work on the last first reinforcing bar R10 has been completed, and the tying work on the group of reinforcing bars R that is the target of the work may be terminated.

[0138] The detection of the end R20e is not limited to this, and for example, it may be determined based on the detection results of other sensors. For example, when tying work is performed from the first reinforcing bar R10 on the right side in the X direction toward the first reinforcing bar R10 on the left side in the X direction, the third sensor 130c may be used to detect the left end R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 in the X direction. It is also possible to configure the system to terminate the tying work based on conditions other than the detection of the end R20e. For example, it is possible to set a condition to start tying work on another reinforcing bar at a location other than the end R20e and configure the system to move the reinforcing bar tying robot 100, or it is possible to change the tying position and change the reinforcing bar to be tyed due to the occurrence of factors such as foreign object detection and move the reinforcing bar tying robot 100. Furthermore, the first sensor 130a and / or the second sensor 130b can also detect the second reinforcing bar R20 by adjusting, for example, the placement location, tilt, field of view, etc. Therefore, the detection of the end portion R20e of the second reinforcing bar R20 may be performed using the detection results of the first sensor 130a and / or the second sensor 130b.

[0139] Next, the detection result of the fourth sensor 130d is obtained (S2110).

[0140] Next, template matching is performed based on the detection results of the fourth sensor 130d (S2112).

[0141] Next, based on the position of the first reinforcing bar R10 detected by the fourth sensor 130d, the next destination of the first reinforcing bar R10 for the rebar tying robot 100 is estimated (S2114). In the embodiments of this disclosure, the fourth sensor 130d detects a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10. For example, in the example shown in Figure 19, the fourth sensor 130d may detect a first reinforcing bar R14 located to the right of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction. Furthermore, since the tying work has been performed at the intersection c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 along the first reinforcing bar R13, when the tying work is to be performed at the intersection along the first reinforcing bar R14, the rebar tying robot 100 moves laterally, for example, to travel along the first reinforcing bar R13 and the first reinforcing bar R15. For example, the rebar tying robot 100 may be moved laterally in the X direction such that the first travel section 121a and the third travel section 121c travel on the first rebar R13, and the second travel section 121b and the fourth travel section 121d travel on the first rebar R15.

[0142] Next, the amount of lateral movement is calculated (S2116). The amount of lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100 may be calculated by the following method. For example, as described above, when the rebar tying robot 100 moves to the right in the X direction (+X direction) when viewed from above in the Z direction, that is, when it moves in the direction in which the fourth sensor 130d is positioned, the amount of lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100 may be calculated based on two pieces of information: how far the fourth sensor 130d is from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction, and how far the first rebar R14 detected by the fourth sensor 130d is from the fourth sensor 130d.

[0143] When the fourth sensor 130d calculates how far it is from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction, the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction may be, for example, the position where the rebar tying unit 110 is located. Alternatively, the tying position by the rebar tying unit 110 may be considered as the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction. In this case, for example, the position in the X direction of the first rebar R13, which is the target of the rebar tying robot 100's tying work, may be determined as the center position of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction. Note that the center position of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction and the distance of the fourth sensor 130d from the center position of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction (distance in the X direction) may be calculated in advance and stored in the storage device 198. In a configuration in which the position of the sensor unit 130 can be changed, for example, when the position of the fourth sensor 130d is changed according to the construction site, the distance of the fourth sensor 130d in the X direction from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction may be calculated by calculating how much and in which direction the fourth sensor 130d has been moved, and taking into account the amount of movement of the fourth sensor 130d. Furthermore, the distance from the fourth sensor 130d to the first rebar R14 detected by the fourth sensor 130d may be calculated, for example, based on the image captured by the fourth sensor 130d.

[0144] For example, if the fourth sensor 130d is mounted at a position 100 cm away in the X direction from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction (for example, the position of the first rebar R13), and the first rebar R14 is located at a position 20 cm away from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction from the fourth sensor 130d, the spacing of the first rebars R10 (the spacing between the first rebars R13 and R14) can be calculated as 121 cm, and control may be performed to set the lateral movement amount to 121 cm. For example, if the fourth sensor 130d is mounted at a position 20 cm away in the X direction from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction (for example, the position of the first rebar R13), and the first rebar R14 is located 4 cm away from the fourth sensor 130d in the direction away from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction, the spacing of the first rebars R10 (the spacing between the first rebars R13 and R14) can be calculated as 24 cm, and control may be performed to set the lateral movement amount to 24 cm. Furthermore, if the fourth sensor 130d is mounted 20 cm away in the X direction from the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction (for example, the position of the first rebar R13), and the first rebar R14 is located 4 cm closer to the center of the rebar tying robot 100 in the X direction from the fourth sensor 130d, the distance between the first rebars R10 (the distance between the first rebars R13 and R14) can be calculated as 16 cm, and control may be performed to set the lateral movement amount to 16 cm.

[0145] The amount of lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100 may be calculated such that, for example, when the rebar tying robot 100 is moved laterally to perform tying at the intersection on the first rebar R14, the rebar tying robot 100 as a whole moves laterally to a distance corresponding to the distance between adjacent first rebars R10. In the above example, the first running section 121a and the third running section 121c move from the first rebar R12 to the first rebar R13, and the second running section 121b and the fourth running section 121d move from the first rebar R14 to the first rebar R15, respectively. In the embodiment of this disclosure, the first rebars R10 are arranged at approximately equal intervals and approximately parallel to each other, so the amount of movement of the first running section 121a to the fourth running section 121d in the X direction is equal. Therefore, the lateral movement amount may be, for example, the distance in the X direction between the first reinforcing bars R14 and R15 detected by the fourth sensor 130d. Alternatively, since the distance between the first reinforcing bars R10 is approximately equal, the lateral movement amount may be calculated based on the distance between adjacent first reinforcing bars R10 calculated based on the detection results from other sensors. Furthermore, the distance in the X direction of multiple (e.g., three or more) first reinforcing bars R10 may be calculated, the average value of the calculated distances in the X direction between multiple first reinforcing bars R10 may be found, and the average value of the distance between the first reinforcing bars R10 may be used as the lateral movement amount. By calculating the average value, the influence of errors on the calculated lateral movement amount can be reduced, for example, if there is an error in the distance between the first reinforcing bars R10.

[0146] Next, the rebar tying robot 100 is moved laterally based on the calculated lateral movement amount (S2118).

[0147] After completing its lateral movement, the rebar tying robot 100 may, for example, travel along the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R15 where the first travel section 121a to the fourth travel section 121d are located after the movement (S2120), and begin tying work at the intersection c12 on the first rebar R14.

[0148] The detection of the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 described above may be determined, for example, by preparing a template corresponding to the image of the end R10e and making a judgment based on the degree of matching with the template of the end R10e. For example, when preparing a template image that extends in one direction for the parts other than the end R10e, as illustrated with reference to Figure 16, a template image may be prepared for the end R10e in which the length in the Y direction of the part corresponding to the reinforcing bar is shorter than that of the parts other than the end R10e.

[0149] Alternatively, it may be determined that the reinforcing bar is approaching the end R10e if the degree of matching falls within a certain range. For example, in the portion of the first reinforcing bar R10 other than the end R10e, the presence of the portion of the first reinforcing bar R10 other than the end R10e may be determined if the degree of matching is relatively close to 100%, for example, 75% or more, and if the degree of matching is relatively low, for example, 50% or more and 75% or less, it may be determined that the reinforcing bar is running in a portion of the first reinforcing bar R10 that is close to the end R10e. The degree of matching here is an example for both the portion other than the end R10e and the vicinity of the end R10e, and other values ​​may be set, or the reference value may be configured to be changeable depending on the arrangement of the reinforcing bars and other environmental factors.

[0150] Thus, when the rebar tying robot 100 moves laterally, the detection results of the first rebar R10 by the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d are used in particular. As described above, for the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d, for example, when calculating the position of the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20, the detection results of the position of the second rebar R20 by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are used. In other words, when calculating the position of the intersection point c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20, the detection results of the position of the first rebar R10 by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are not used, so in this case, the first rebar R10 does not need to be detected by the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d. When the rebar tying robot 100 proceeds with the rebar tying work and reaches the end R10e of the first rebar R10, for example, the rebar tying robot 100 moves laterally, and so that the amount of movement can be calculated, the imaging range of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be changed by methods such as changing the orientation of the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d so that the first rebar R10 can be detected by the third sensor 130c and / or the fourth sensor 130d.

[0151] The above explanation, with reference to Figure 21, describes an example where the detection results of the first sensor 130a and the fourth sensor 130d are used. However, the sensors whose detection results are referenced are not limited to these, and for example, it is possible to change which sensor is used depending on the direction in which the rebar tying robot 100 is moving. As described above, when the end R10e of the first rebar R10 is detected by the first sensor 130a, the rebar tying robot 100 is not limited to moving laterally in the direction of the fourth sensor 130d. For example, when the end R10e of the first rebar R10 is detected by the first sensor 130a, the rebar tying robot 100 may move laterally in the direction of the third sensor 130c. Furthermore, for example, if the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 is detected by the second sensor 130b, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 may move laterally in the direction of the third sensor 130c, or if the end R10e of the first reinforcing bar R10 is detected by the second sensor 130b, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 may move laterally in the direction of the fourth sensor 130d.

[0152] The following describes an example of lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100 with reference to Figures 22A to 27B. Figures 22A to 27B show the rebar tying robot 100 in lateral movement. Figures 22A, 23A, 24A, 25A, 26A, and 27A are views of the rebar tying robot 100 from the rear, while Figures 22B, 23B, 24B, 25B, 26B, and 27B are views of the rebar tying robot 100 from an oblique upward direction.

[0153] Figures 22A and 22B show the rebar tying robot 100 before it begins lateral movement. As shown in Figures 22A and 22B, the rebar tying robot 100 travels along the first rebars R12 and R14.

[0154] Next, the rebar tying robot 100 begins to move laterally. In the embodiments of this disclosure, as described above, for example, if it is determined that the robot has reached or is approaching the vicinity of the end R10e of the first rebar R10 based on the detection result by the first sensor 130a, it is determined to start moving laterally. Figures 23A and 23B show the state when the rebar tying robot 100 has started to move laterally. As shown in Figures 23A and 23B, the rebar tying robot 100 moves in the direction of movement of the main body 140 (X direction) without moving the traveling section 121. As shown in Figures 23A and 23B, at this time, the first traveling section 121a and the second traveling section 121b are located on the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14, respectively, without moving. At this time, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are not in contact with either rebar. Lateral movement of the main body 140 (for example, movement in the horizontal direction (movement in the X direction)) may be performed, for example, by driving the first lateral movement roller 146la and the second lateral movement roller 146lb provided on the first connecting portion 147a and the second connecting portion 147b with the first lateral movement motor 146ma and the second lateral movement motor 146mb of the lateral movement portion 146 (not shown in Figures 23A and 23B), thereby moving the main body 140 in the X direction via the first drive rack 146ca and the second drive rack 146cb.

[0155] Next, the rebar tying robot 100 moves the travel section 121 (the lower end of the travel section 121) upward relative to the first rebar R10. As shown in Figures 24A and 24B, the lower end of the travel section 121 in the -Z direction is raised upward in the Z direction (+Z direction) in Figures 24A and 24B. At this time, for example, the first main body side link section 125a and the first roller side link section 123a move in a direction that brings them relatively closer to each other (i.e., the first main body side link section 125a and the first roller side link section 123a close together). That is, the first main body side link section 125a and the first roller side link section 123a move in such a way that the angle between them becomes smaller. Similarly, for the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d, the second main body side link section 125b and the second roller side link section 123b, the third main body side link section 125c and the third roller side link section 123c, and the fourth main body side link section 125d and the fourth roller side link section 123d move in the closing direction, respectively.

[0156] When the main body side link portion 125 and the roller side link portion 123 close and the lower end of the running portion 121 rises, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b relatively descend. When the running portion 121 moves away from the first reinforcing bar R10, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b come into contact with the first reinforcing bar R10. For example, the running section 121 may be configured such that its length in the Z direction can be changed by using motors (for example, the first wheel height changing motor 126a, second wheel height changing motor 126b, third wheel height changing motor 126c, and fourth wheel height changing motor 126d shown in Figure 7) to close the main body side link section 125 and the roller side link section 123 (first main body side link section 125a and first roller side link section 123a, second main body side link section 125b and second roller side link section 123b, third main body side link section 125c and third roller side link section 123c, fourth main body side link section 125d and fourth roller side link section 123d). The roller portion may be raised by closing the main body side link portion 125 and the roller side link portion 123, thereby separating the roller portion from the first reinforcing bar R10.

[0157] As shown in Figures 24A and 24B, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are in contact with, for example, the first reinforcing bars R11 to R14. In this way, the entire reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is supported by the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b.

[0158] Next, the travel section 121 of the rebar tying robot 100 moves in the X direction. As shown in Figures 25A and 25B, the first travel section 121a and the third travel section 121c, and the second travel section 121b and the fourth travel section 121d, which were in contact with the first rebar R12 and the first rebar R14 respectively, are moved above the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R15. At this time, none of the first travel section 121a to the fourth travel section 121d are in contact with the first rebar R10, and the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b are in contact with the first rebar R10 (first rebars R12 to R15), supporting the rebar tying robot 100.

[0159] Next, the main body side link portion 125 and the roller side link portion 123 of the running section 121 are opened. This lowers the lower end of the running section 121 in the -Z direction relative to the first reinforcing bar R10. At this time, for example, the first main body side link portion 125a and the first roller side link portion 123a move in a direction that moves them away from each other (i.e., the first main body side link portion 125a and the first roller side link portion 123a open up to each other). In other words, the first main body side link portion 125a and the first roller side link portion 123a move in such a way that the angle between them becomes larger. Similarly, for the second running section 121b, the third running section 121c, and the fourth running section 121d, the second main body side link section 125b and the second roller side link section 123b, the third main body side link section 125c and the third roller side link section 123c, and the fourth main body side link section 125d and the fourth roller side link section 123d move in the opening direction, respectively.

[0160] As shown in Figures 26A and 26B, the lower end of the travel section 121 in the -Z direction is lowered downward in the Z direction (-Z direction) in Figures 26A and 26B. As shown in Figures 26A and 26B, the first travel section 121a and the third travel section 121c are in contact with the first reinforcing bar R13, and the second travel section 121b and the fourth travel section 121d are in contact with the first reinforcing bar R15. Therefore, the first support bar 150a and the second support bar 150b rise relative to the first reinforcing bar R10. As a result, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is supported by the travel section 121 in this state.

[0161] Next, as shown in Figures 27A and 27B, the main body 140 is moved in the X direction. As described above with reference to Figures 23A and 23B, the lateral movement of the main body 140 shown in Figures 27A and 27B (here, for example, movement in the horizontal direction (movement in the X direction)) may be performed, for example, by the first lateral movement motor 146ma and the second lateral movement motor 146mb of the lateral movement unit 146, which is not shown in Figures 27A and 27B. Thus, the lateral movement of the rebar tying robot 100 is completed. The rebar tying robot 100 then starts moving, for example, on the first rebar R13 and the first rebar R15, and performs tying work at the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 on the first rebar R14.

[0162] The above explanation has been based on the example of the rebar tying robot 100 moving from the first rebars R12 and R14 to the first rebars R13 and R15. However, it is also possible to move to a location separated by multiple first rebars R10. In this case as well, the movement can be carried out using the same method as described above, or it is possible to move over even longer distances by repeating the above movement method. Furthermore, when moving to a location separated by multiple first rebars R10, the amount of movement may be calculated based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130 using the same method.

[0163] Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 is not limited to the method described above, and may move laterally by other methods. In such cases, the amount of movement of the rebar tying robot 100 can be calculated based on the detection result of the sensor unit 130 according to the method for calculating the amount of movement in the embodiment of this disclosure. By using the method for calculating the amount of movement in the embodiment of this disclosure, the movement of the rebar tying robot 100 can be made to proceed smoothly.

[0164] As described above, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure includes a traveling unit 121 configured to travel on a group of rebars R which includes a plurality of first rebars R10 whose extension direction is in a first direction (Y direction) and a plurality of second rebars R20 whose extension direction is in a second direction (X direction) that intersects the first rebars R10 and is arranged to intersect with the first rebars R10; a sensor unit 130 configured to detect at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20; and a first rebar determination unit 164a1 and / or a second rebar determination unit 164a2 (also referred to as the "rebar position calculation unit" in this embodiment) configured to calculate the position of at least one first rebar R10 and / or at least one second rebar R20 detected by the sensor unit 130 based on the pixel values ​​of a plurality of pixels constituting a two-dimensional image generated by the detection result of the sensor unit 130. The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure can streamline the process of calculating the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 by calculating the positions of the first rebar R10 and / or the second rebar R20 based on a two-dimensional image generated from the detection results of the sensor unit 130. Therefore, the rebar detection process in the rebar tying work of the rebar tying robot 100 can be streamlined. For example, compared to calculating the position of the rebar using three-dimensional data as the detection result of the sensor unit, the computational load can be reduced by performing calculations based on a two-dimensional image.

[0165] Improvements in the technological level of the various units (parts) that constitute the rebar tying robot 100 are making it possible to speed up and streamline the rebar tying work. In order to achieve high-speed rebar tying work, it is desirable to speed up the processes of detecting rebars and detecting intersections between rebars where tying takes place. The rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure can improve the efficiency of the rebar detection process, and thus contribute to speeding up the rebar tying work.

[0166] Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure includes, for example, a rebar tying unit 110 configured to tie the intersection points c12 between the first rebars R10 and the second rebars R20 of a group of rebars including a plurality of first rebars R10 whose extension direction is in a first direction (Y direction) and a plurality of second rebars R20 whose extension direction is in a second direction (X direction) that intersects the first rebars R10 and is arranged to intersect with the first rebars R10, and a traveling unit configured to travel on the first rebars R10 and / or the second rebars R20. The robot comprises 121, a first sensor 130a and a second sensor 130b configured to detect at least one first reinforcing bar R10 and / or at least one second reinforcing bar R20, and spaced apart from each other along a third direction (Y direction), and a third sensor 130c and a fourth sensor 130d configured to detect at least one first reinforcing bar R10 and / or at least one second reinforcing bar R20, and spaced apart from each other along a fourth direction (X direction) that intersects the third direction (Y direction). As described above, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is equipped with four sensors (first sensor 130a, second sensor 130b, third sensor 130c, and fourth sensor 130d), so for example, as described above, it can efficiently detect the intersection point c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. The position of the intersection point c12 can be confirmed, for example, by installing a sensor near the rebar binding portion 110. However, since the rebar binding portion 110 is configured to move up and down, it can be difficult to install a sensor nearby. In the embodiment of this disclosure, the position of the intersection point c12 can be estimated based on the detection results of four sensors (first sensor 130a, second sensor 130b, third sensor 130c, and fourth sensor 130d) without installing a sensor near the rebar binding portion 110.

[0167] Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure includes, for example, a rebar tying unit 110 configured to tie the intersection points c12 of the first rebars R10 and the second rebars R20 of a group of rebars including a plurality of first rebars R10 whose extension direction is in a first direction (Y direction) and a plurality of second rebars R20 whose extension direction is in a second direction (X direction) that intersects the first direction (Y direction), and is capable of traveling on the first rebars R10 and / or the second rebars R20. The robot comprises a traveling unit 121 configured as such, a sensor unit 130 configured to detect a first reinforcing bar R10 and / or a second reinforcing bar R20, and a movement amount calculation unit 174 that calculates the amount of movement of the traveling unit 121 based on the position information of the first reinforcing bar R10 or second reinforcing bar R20 detected by the sensor unit 130 when the traveling unit 121 moves from the first reinforcing bar R10 or second reinforcing bar R20 on which it is traveling to another first reinforcing bar R10 or other second reinforcing bar R20. As described above, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can, for example, determine the position of the reinforcing bar to which the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is moving based on the detection result of the sensor unit 130, and calculate the amount of movement of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 based on the position of the reinforcing bar on which the traveling unit 121 of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 is traveling and the position of the reinforcing bar to which it is moving. For example, when the rebar tying robot 100 reaches the end of a rebar it was tying, it can calculate the amount of movement based on the detection result from the sensor unit 130 when it moves to the next rebar to be tyed.

[0168] In the embodiments of the present disclosure described above, the example described was when the rebar tying robot 100 performs rebar tying work at the intersection c12 of the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 in a group of rebars arranged orthogonally to each other. However, the rebar tying robot 100 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be used when the first rebar R10 and the second rebar R20 are not orthogonal to each other.

[0169] Figure 28 is a schematic diagram of a rebar tying robot 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from below in the Z direction (-Z direction). As shown in Figure 28, in this embodiment, the second rebar R20 is positioned at an angle of approximately 30° to the first rebar R10. In the rebar tying robot 200 according to this embodiment, the positions of the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d are different from those of the rebar tying robot 100. The third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d of the rebar tying robot 200 are positioned on a straight line that is inclined at 30° with respect to the X direction. In the rebar tying robot 200, by aligning the third sensor 130c and the fourth sensor 130d with the second rebar R20 and positioning them in a direction inclined from the X direction, the second rebar R20 can be detected in the same manner as the rebar tying robot 100.

[0170] Thus, the arrangement of the first sensors 130a to the fourth sensors 130d may be changed according to the arrangement configuration of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20. The arrangement of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be changed manually or automatically before starting the reinforcing bar tying work, for example, according to the construction site where the group of reinforcing bars R to be tied is arranged. Alternatively, even after the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 has started moving, the relationship between the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20 may be determined based on the detection results of the sensor unit 130, and the arrangement of the first sensor 130a, the second sensor 130b, the third sensor 130c, and / or the fourth sensor 130d may be dynamically changed based on the determination result. In this case, for example, a motor capable of driving the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d may be provided, and the position of the first sensor 130a to the fourth sensor 130d may be changed by driving the motor.

[0171] [Configuration of the Monitoring System] The monitoring system according to the embodiment of this disclosure will be described below.

[0172] Figure 29 shows an example of a functional block diagram of a monitoring system 500 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The monitoring system (monitoring system 500) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure shown in Figure 29 is a monitoring system (monitoring system 500) that monitors the operating status of a binding device (rebar binding robot 100 (Figure 1, etc.)) that moves along a reinforcement arrangement in which a plurality of reinforcing bars (a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10 and a plurality of second reinforcing bars R20) are arranged in a crisscross pattern, and can bind the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars (a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10 and a plurality of second reinforcing bars R20) intersect, and comprises a display unit (display unit 510) and a control unit (520) that displays on the display unit (display unit 510) the reinforcement arrangement state of the plurality of reinforcing bars (a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10 and a plurality of second reinforcing bars R20), the movement path of the binding device (rebar binding robot 100), and the binding state of the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars (a plurality of first reinforcing bars R10 and a plurality of second reinforcing bars R20) intersect. As will be described later, the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment may be configured as a physically separate information processing device from the rebar tying robot 100, and may monitor the rebar tying robot 100 from outside the rebar tying robot 100. Alternatively, the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment may be configured as part of the rebar tying robot 100. Note that "monitoring the operating status of the tying device" means that it is sufficient to monitor the progress of the tying work, and it is not essential to monitor the status of the tying device (rebar tying robot) as displayed in the tying device status display unit 514 described later.

[0173] In this disclosure, when a binding device such as a rebar binding robot 100 binds multiple rebars (multiple first rebars R10 and multiple second rebars R20) together at an intersection, for example, a rebar extending in a first direction (Y direction) (first rebar R10) and a rebar extending in a second direction (X direction) (second rebar R20) may be bound together in a region including the intersection where both rebars (first rebar R10 and second rebar R20) intersect.

[0174] The monitoring system according to the embodiment of this disclosure displays the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 and the tying status of the rebars at intersections where multiple rebars cross. For example, it is possible to determine which of the intersections where multiple rebars cross along the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 have completed tying or which have not yet completed tying. Therefore, the progress of the tying work as a whole can be grasped.

[0175] For example, when using the rebar tying robot 100, which is composed of the self-propelled robot described above, to tie together the intersections of multiple reinforcing bars, tasks may be performed during the operation of the rebar tying robot 100, depending on the progress. For example, in the early stages of the tying work, the rebar placement work for the reinforcing bars to be tied in the next tying operation may be performed. Also, towards the end of the tying work, tasks such as preparing replenishment wires may be performed.

[0176] The monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment allows workers performing rebar tying work to grasp the overall progress of the tying work, for example, to know whether they are in the early or late stages of the tying work, making it possible to perform tasks that are carried out at the beginning or end of the tying work relatively easily. In addition, for example, they can get an estimate of the time remaining until the tying work is completed, making it possible to prepare for the next tying work.

[0177] Furthermore, during the tying operation, there is a possibility that untying locations may occur consecutively along the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100. In such cases, it is presumed that there is a malfunction in the rebar tying robot 100 or an abnormality in the reinforcement arrangement. According to the monitoring system 500 of this embodiment, it is possible to identify untying locations along the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100. For example, it becomes possible to stop the operation of the rebar tying robot 100 and relatively easily check for abnormalities in the rebar tying robot 100 or the reinforcement arrangement.

[0178] According to the monitoring system 500 of this embodiment, the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 is displayed on the display unit 510, and the worker can also check the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 in advance of the tying work. Therefore, for example, the worker can judge the appropriateness of the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 before starting the tying work.

[0179] Furthermore, according to the monitoring system 500 of this embodiment, it is possible to simultaneously display the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 and information regarding the completion or incompleteness of the tying. For example, the position of the rebar tying robot 100 (for example, its position on the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100) and the intersection of multiple rebars (first rebar R10 and second rebar R20) that have been tied on the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 can be displayed together. By displaying the position of the rebar tying robot 100 on the movement path and the intersections where tying has been completed together, the progress of the tying work by the rebar tying robot 100 can be grasped relatively easily.

[0180] Thus, the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment allows workers to understand the progress of the rebar tying performed by the rebar tying robot 100, making it possible to carry out the work more efficiently.

[0181] As will be described later, the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment can be applied not only to the self-propelled rebar tying robot 100 described above with reference to Figure 1, etc., but also to the monitoring of a robotic arm type rebar tying device (rebar tying device 300 (Figure 37)). In monitoring the robotic arm type rebar tying device 300, the progress of the tying work using the robotic arm type rebar tying device 300 can be grasped, making it possible to improve the efficiency of the tying work.

[0182] As shown in Figure 29, the monitoring system 500 includes a display unit 510 and a control unit 520. The control unit 520 may include, for example, a rebar arrangement display control unit 522, a movement path display control unit 524, an operation position display control unit 526, and a binding status display control unit 528.

[0183] The display unit 510 is configured to display the arrangement status of multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20), the movement path of the tying device (for example, a reinforcing bar tying robot 100), and the tying status of the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) intersect.

[0184] The control unit 520 is configured to control the display unit 510 to display the following on the display unit 510: the arrangement status of multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20), the movement path of the tying device (for example, the reinforcing bar tying robot 100), and the tying status of the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) intersect.

[0185] The reinforcement display control unit 522 of the control unit 520 may be configured, for example, to control the display unit 510 to display the reinforcement status of multiple reinforcement bars (first reinforcement bar R10 and second reinforcement bar R20) on the display unit 510. The reinforcement display control unit 522 may be configured, for example, to display the entirety of multiple reinforcement bars (first reinforcement bar R10 and second reinforcement bar R20) that are the target of the tying work on the display unit 510, or to display a portion of multiple reinforcement bars (first reinforcement bar R10 and second reinforcement bar R20) on the display unit 510.

[0186] The movement path display control unit 524 of the control unit 520 may be configured, for example, to control the display unit 510 to display the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 on the display unit 510. The movement path display control unit 524 may also be configured, for example, to display the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 by superimposing it on the image of the rebar arrangement displayed on the display unit 510 by the rebar arrangement display control unit 522.

[0187] The operation position display control unit 526 of the control unit 520 may be configured, for example, to control the display unit 510 so that the operation position of the rebar tying robot 100 is displayed on the display unit 510. The operation position display control unit 526 may be configured, for example, to display the operation position of the rebar tying robot 100, such as its current position, by superimposing it on the image of the rebar arrangement displayed on the display unit 510 by the rebar arrangement display control unit 522 and / or the image of the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 displayed on the display unit 510 by the movement path display control unit 524.

[0188] The binding status display control unit 528 of the control unit 520 may be configured to display the binding status of reinforcing bars at intersections where multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) intersect on the display unit 510 by controlling the display unit 510, for example. The binding status display control unit 528 may be configured to display on the display unit 510 information on whether the binding of reinforcing bars at intersections where multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) intersect is complete or incomplete. The binding status display control unit 528 may be configured to superimpose on the image of the reinforcing bar arrangement displayed on the display unit 510 by the reinforcing bar arrangement display control unit 522 and / or the image of the movement path of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 displayed on the display unit 510 by the movement path display control unit 524 whether the binding is complete or incomplete at intersections of reinforcing bars on the movement path of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100.

[0189] [Hardware Configuration of the Monitoring System] Next, with reference to Figure 30, an example of the hardware configuration when the monitoring system 500 is implemented using the computer 300A will be described. Figure 30 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer 300A.

[0190] The monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment includes, as described later, a memory for storing information (e.g., programs and various data) and a processor that operates based on the information stored in the memory. The processor may, for example, have the functions of each part realized by individual hardware, or the functions of each part may be realized by integrated hardware. The processor may be, for example, a CPU. However, the processor is not limited to a CPU, and various types of processors such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) can be used. The processor may also be a hardware circuit using an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). The memory may be, for example, a semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) or DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), a register, a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive, or an optical storage device such as an optical disk drive. For example, the memory stores instructions that can be read by a computer, and the functions of each part of the monitoring system 500 are realized when these instructions are executed by the processor. The instructions here may be instructions from an instruction set that constitutes a program, or instructions that instruct the hardware circuit of the processor to operate.

[0191] As shown in Figure 30, the computer 300A includes, for example, a processor 301, a memory 302, a storage device 303, an input I / F unit 304, a data I / F unit 305, a communication I / F unit 306, and a display device 307.

[0192] Computer 300A may be, for example, a server computer, a personal computer (e.g., a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (e.g., a cable, satellite set-top box, digital video recorder, etc.), a handheld computer device (e.g., a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), an email client, etc.), or another type of computer or communication platform.

[0193] The processor 301 is a control unit that controls various processes in the computer 300A by executing programs stored in the memory 302.

[0194] Memory 302 is a storage medium such as RAM (Random Access Memory). Memory 302 temporarily stores the program code of the program executed by the processor 301, as well as data required during program execution.

[0195] The storage device 303 is a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory. The storage device 303 stores the operating system and various programs for realizing the above configurations.

[0196] The input interface unit 304 is a device for receiving input from the user. The input interface unit 304 may be, for example, a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, various sensors, or wearable devices. The input interface unit 304 may be connected to the computer 300A via an interface such as USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0197] The data I / F unit 305 is a device for inputting data from outside the computer 300A. The data I / F unit 305 is, for example, a drive device for reading data stored on various storage media. The data I / F unit 305 may be provided outside the computer 300A. If the data I / F unit 305 is provided outside the computer 300A, it is connected to the computer 300A via an interface such as USB.

[0198] The communication interface unit 306 is a device for performing data communication with external devices of the computer 300A via a network such as the Internet, either by wire or wireless connection. The communication interface unit 306 may be located outside the computer 300A. If the communication interface unit 306 is located outside the computer 300A, it is connected to the computer 300A via an interface such as USB.

[0199] The display device 307 is a device for displaying various types of information. The display device 307 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or a display for a wearable device. The display device 307 may be provided outside the computer 300A. If the display device 307 is provided outside the computer 300A, it will be connected to the computer 300A via, for example, a display cable. Also, if a touch panel is used as the input I / F unit 304, the display device 307 may be configured to be integrated with the input I / F unit 304.

[0200] The monitoring program for monitoring the rebar tying robot 100 according to this embodiment, the control program for the display unit 510, or a part thereof, may be stored and provided on a computer-readable storage medium such as the storage device 303. The storage medium storing the program may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory storage medium is not particularly limited, but may be a storage medium such as a USB memory or CD-ROM.

[0201] Alternatively, the monitoring program according to this embodiment may be provided from outside the monitoring system 500 via a communication network to which the monitoring system 500 is connected. In the monitoring system 500, for example, the processor 301 may execute the monitoring program according to this embodiment to realize various processes and operations described later with reference to Figure 33, etc.

[0202] These physical configurations are illustrative and do not necessarily have to be independent. For example, the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment may include a Large-Scale Integration (LSI) in which the processor 301 and the storage device 303 are integrated. Also, as described above, the monitoring system 500 may include a GPU as the processor 301, in which case the GPU executes a monitoring program, thereby realizing various operations and processes described later using Figure 33, etc.

[0203] Furthermore, the monitoring system 500 and / or other devices such as the rebar tying robot 100A described later are not limited to the above configuration. For example, some or all of the functions of the monitoring system 500 may be performed by other information processing devices.

[0204] Furthermore, the functional units of the monitoring system 500 described with reference to Figure 29 are not limited to the above-described configuration. That is, the functional units of the monitoring system 500 described with reference to Figure 29 may be merely illustrative examples for the convenience of explanation in this embodiment, and some of the functions performed by the above-described functional units may be performed by other functional units or other servers. Also, the multiple functional units may be configured to be performed by a single piece of hardware. In other words, the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment may be realized by, for example, multiple information processing devices, and the monitoring system 500 may be composed of, for example, one or more physical servers, or it may be configured using a virtual server operating on a hypervisor. Alternatively, the monitoring system 500 may be configured using one or more cloud servers.

[0205] Next, referring to Figure 31, the processes performed in a rebar tying system including a tying device (such as a rebar tying robot 100) and a monitoring system 500 according to the present disclosure will be described.

[0206] In the process illustrated in Figure 31, first, for example, a process related to preparation before starting the tying work of multiple reinforcing bars may be performed. For example, input of reinforcing bar information by the worker may be accepted (S3102). For example, information regarding the number of vertical bars (first reinforcing bars R10 extending in the first direction) and the number of horizontal bars (second reinforcing bars R20 extending in the second direction) may be accepted. In this embodiment, further input of information such as the pitch of the reinforcing bars (distance between adjacent reinforcing bars arranged in the same direction, etc.) may also be accepted.

[0207] Furthermore, as part of the preparation process, for example, input of the tying mode by the worker may be accepted (S3104). As for the tying mode, for example, information such as tying all of the intersections of multiple reinforcing bars, or tying every other intersection (tying in a staggered pattern) may be accepted.

[0208] Furthermore, input may be accepted regarding the number of rebar tying robots 100 placed on the reinforcement arrangement where the rebars are arranged, the position where each rebar tying robot 100 is placed, or the position where each rebar tying robot 100 starts moving (S3106). The positions of the rebar tying robots 100 and the positions where the rebar tying robots 100 start moving may be input, for example, as coordinates on a two-dimensional coordinate system composed of the intersections of the reinforcement arrangements where multiple rebars are placed.

[0209] In this embodiment, each rebar tying robot 100 may then be assigned an area to perform tying. In assigning the area to perform tying (also referred to as the "tying area" in this embodiment), for example, the current position of the rebar tying robot 100 or the starting position of the rebar tying robot 100 may be displayed on the display unit 510 (S3108).

[0210] Next, for example, the number of vertical bars (first reinforcing bars R10 arranged in the first direction of extension) to be tied by each rebar tying robot 100 can be calculated by dividing the total number of vertical bars (first reinforcing bars R10) by the total number of rebar tying robots 100, and the area containing the calculated number of vertical bars can be allocated and set as the tying area where each rebar tying robot 100 will perform the tying (S3110). The tying area where each rebar tying robot 100 will perform the tying work can be set as an area that includes the number of vertical bars (first reinforcing bars R10) calculated by the above method, and also includes the starting position of each rebar tying robot 100.

[0211] Next, a movement path for each rebar tying robot 100 may be generated (S3112). The movement path for each rebar tying robot 100 may be generated such that, for example, it starts from the current position of each rebar tying robot 100, passes through the intersections of multiple rebars within the set tying area in order, and reaches the same position where it starts moving, or any other position that can be arbitrarily set as the position where it ends moving.

[0212] In this embodiment, the progress of the tying work of each rebar tying robot 100 may be displayed next. For example, the movement path generated for each rebar tying robot 100 may be displayed on the display unit 510 (S3114).

[0213] Next, each rebar tying robot 100 may begin tying (S3116). For example, each rebar tying robot 100 may start moving and, within the tying area assigned to each rebar tying robot 100, may sequentially tie the intersections of multiple rebars along the generated movement path.

[0214] During the rebar tying process by the rebar tying robot 100, for example, the display of the completed tying locations in the image of the rebar tying robot 100's movement path shown in the above process (S3114) may be changed (S3118). For example, the color or other characteristics of the locations where tying by the rebar tying robot 100 has been completed may be changed on the displayed image of the movement path. For example, information about the locations where tying has been completed by the rebar tying robot 100 may be transmitted to the control unit 520 of the monitoring system 500, and the display mode of the intersections on the image of the movement path may be changed by the tying status display control unit 528.

[0215] Furthermore, at this time, the current position of the rebar tying robot 100 may also be shown on the displayed movement path in accordance with the movement of the rebar tying robot 100 (S3120). For example, the current position of the rebar tying robot 100 on the movement path may be indicated by changing the color or the display method on the image of the movement path (for example, changing the shape of the icon indicating the current position of the rebar tying robot 100).

[0216] Each rebar tying robot 100 moves to a starting position or the like once it has completed tying the rebars at the intersections within the designated tying area.

[0217] This concludes the exemplary processing performed in the rebar tying system according to this embodiment.

[0218] [Configuration of the Rebar Tying Robot and Monitoring System] Referring to Figure 32, the functional configuration of the rebar tying robot 100A and monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 32 shows a functional block diagram of the rebar tying robot 100A and monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment.

[0219] In this embodiment, the system shown in Figure 32, which includes the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500, may be a tying system (rebar tying system 590). The rebar tying system 590 according to this embodiment comprises a tying device (rebar tying robot 100A), a display unit (display unit 510 of the monitoring system 500), and a control unit (control unit 520 of the monitoring system 500). In the rebar tying system 590 according to this embodiment, the tying device (rebar tying robot 100A) is configured to move along a reinforcement arrangement in which multiple rebars (first rebars R10 and second rebars R20) are arranged in a crisscross pattern, and to tie the intersections where the multiple rebars (first rebars R10 and second rebars R20) intersect. Furthermore, the control unit 520 is configured to display on the display unit 510 the arrangement status of the multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20), the movement path of the tying device (reinforcing bar tying robot 100A), and the tying status of the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) intersect.

[0220] As shown in Figure 32, in this embodiment, for example, the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 may be connected to each other via a network NE such as the Internet. The network NE here can be various networks such as WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), or short-range wireless communication. Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 may be connected via peer-to-peer (P2P) connection through mutual authentication. For example, they may be connected to each other via wireless communication such as Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth® communication, or NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0221] As shown in Figure 32, the rebar tying robot 100A according to this embodiment includes a rebar tying unit 110, a moving unit 120, a communication unit 154, a determination unit 152, and a storage device 198. In the rebar tying robot 100A, the rebar tying unit 110, the moving unit 120, and the storage device 198 may each have the same configuration as the rebar tying unit 110, the moving unit 120, and the storage device 198 described above, for example with reference to Figure 7. Furthermore, the rebar tying robot 100A may also include other components of the rebar tying robot 100 other than the rebar tying unit 110, the moving unit 120, and the storage device 198, such as a sensor unit 130, a lateral movement unit 146, and a control unit 160. Also, for example, the determination unit 152 of the rebar tying robot 100A may be provided as a function of the control unit 160. In the following, explanations of the components of the rebar tying robot 100A that are the same as those of the rebar tying robot 100 will be omitted as appropriate.

[0222] The rebar tying section 110 is configured to tie together the intersections where multiple rebars (first rebar R10 and second rebar R20) cross.

[0223] The mobile unit 120 is configured to move along a reinforcement arrangement in which multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) are arranged intersecting each other. In the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A according to this embodiment, the mobile unit 120 may also be able to travel along the reinforcement arrangement, for example, in the same way as the reinforcing bar tying robot 100 described above. The mobile unit 120 may be configured to move while the drive unit is in contact with, for example, the first reinforcing bar R10. The drive unit of the mobile unit 120 may have a configuration similar to that of the roller section (first roller section 122a, second roller section 122b, third roller section 122c, and fourth roller section 122d) of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100.

[0224] The communication unit 154 is configured to enable wireless communication of the rebar tying robot 100A with the monitoring system 500 via the network NE.

[0225] The determination unit 152 includes a battery level determination unit 152a, a consumable status determination unit 152b, and a communication strength determination unit 152c.

[0226] The battery level determination unit 152a may be configured to determine whether the remaining battery level of the rebar tying robot 100A is sufficient to allow the rebar tying robot 100A to continue tying operations. The battery level determination unit 152a may, for example, acquire information regarding the remaining battery level of the battery loaded in the rebar tying robot 100A and information regarding a battery level threshold, which is a threshold value for the remaining battery level stored in a storage device 198 or the like, and then compare the acquired battery level information with the battery level threshold to determine whether the remaining battery level is sufficient to allow the rebar tying robot 100A to continue tying operations. Alternatively, the battery level determination unit 152a may be configured to obtain information from the monitoring system 500 regarding the tying status at multiple intersections of reinforcing bars along the movement path of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A, the number of intersections where tying is not yet complete, and the distance the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A will travel until the completion of the tying work, and to determine whether the remaining battery level is sufficient for the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A to tie the intersections where tying is not yet complete and to travel the remaining distance to the completion position.

[0227] In this embodiment, the remaining battery charge may be, for example, the remaining charge of the batteries 182 described above (first battery 182a and second battery 182b (Figure 1, etc.)). If the rebar tying robot 100A has multiple batteries 182 (first battery 182a and second battery 182b), the remaining battery charge may be displayed as the sum of the remaining charge of the first battery 182a and the remaining charge of the second battery 182b.

[0228] The consumable status determination unit 152b may be configured to determine whether the remaining amount of consumables provided by the rebar tying robot 100A is sufficient for the rebar tying robot 100A to continue tying operations.

[0229] In this embodiment, the rebar tying robot 100A is equipped with, for example, wire as a consumable item. The consumable item status determination unit 152b in this embodiment may include, for example, a wire remaining amount determination unit 152w. The wire remaining amount determination unit 152w may be configured to determine whether the remaining amount of wire equipped in the rebar tying robot 100A is sufficient to allow the rebar tying robot 100A to continue tying operations. The wire remaining amount determination unit 152w may, for example, acquire information regarding the remaining amount of wire loaded onto the rebar tying robot 100A and information regarding a wire remaining amount threshold, which is a threshold value for the remaining amount of wire stored in a storage device 198 or the like, and by comparing the acquired information regarding the remaining amount of wire with the wire remaining amount threshold, it may determine whether the remaining amount of wire is sufficient to allow the rebar tying robot 100A to continue tying operations. Alternatively, the wire remaining amount determination unit 152w may be configured to obtain information from the monitoring system 500 regarding the tying status at multiple intersections of reinforcing bars along the movement path of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A, obtain information regarding the number of intersections where tying is not yet complete, and determine whether the remaining wire is sufficient for the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A to tie the remaining intersections.

[0230] The rebar tying robot 100A may be equipped with consumables other than wire, and in that case, the consumables status determination unit 152b may be configured to determine whether the remaining amount of such consumables is sufficient for, for example, the rebar tying work of multiple rebars performed by the rebar tying robot 100A or the movement of the rebar tying robot 100A.

[0231] The communication strength determination unit 152c may be configured to determine whether the communication strength between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 is sufficient for data communication between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500. Between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500, information and data such as the current position of the rebar tying robot 100A, the tying status of each intersection, information regarding the battery level, and information regarding the remaining wire amount are communicated. In this embodiment, for example, a threshold communication strength for which this information and data can be communicated may be set, and the communication strength determination unit 152c may be configured to determine whether the communication strength between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 is equal to or greater than the threshold. Such a threshold may be stored in the storage device 198, or it may be obtained from another storage medium or database outside of the rebar tying robot 100A.

[0232] The storage device 198 may include a storage medium (e.g., a semiconductor memory element) or other media for non-transitory storage of, for example, one or more computer programs executed in the control unit, such as the determination unit 152, or data used for other control of the rebar tying robot 100A. The storage device 198 may also store, for example, information regarding the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100A. The storage device 198 may also store, for example, information regarding the tying mode performed by the rebar tying robot 100A.

[0233] The monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment includes, for example, a communication unit 530 in addition to the display unit 510 and control unit 520 described above, as shown in Figure 29, etc. The communication unit 530 is configured to enable wireless communication between the monitoring system 500 and the rebar tying robot 100A via the network NE.

[0234] As shown in Figure 32, the control unit 520 of the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment may include, in addition to the rebar display control unit 522, the movement path display control unit 524, the operation position display control unit 526, and the binding status display control unit 528 described above with reference to Figure 29, for example, a battery level display control unit 532, a consumable status display control unit 534, and a communication strength display control unit 536.

[0235] The battery level display control unit 532 may be configured, for example, to display the remaining battery level of the rebar tying robot 100A on the display unit 510 by controlling the display unit 510. The battery level display control unit 532 may be configured, for example, to acquire information regarding the remaining battery level of the rebar tying robot 100A from the rebar tying robot 100A, and to control the display unit 510 so that the remaining battery level is displayed on the display unit 510 based on the acquired information regarding the remaining battery level. Alternatively, the battery level display control unit 532 may be configured, for example, to acquire information regarding the determination result by the battery level determination unit 152a of the determination unit 152 of the rebar tying robot 100A from the rebar tying robot 100A, and to control the display unit 510 so that the determination result is displayed on the display unit 510.

[0236] The display unit 510 may, for example, display information regarding the battery level, such as whether the battery level is above a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the display unit 510 may display the battery level as a percentage of the battery level when fully charged, or it may display it using an image corresponding to that percentage. Furthermore, the battery level may be configured to be displayed using images corresponding to multiple stages, such as five stages, depending on the remaining percentage.

[0237] The consumable status display control unit 534 may be configured to display information regarding the status of consumables, such as the remaining amount, of the rebar tying robot 100A on the display unit 510 by controlling the display unit 510. As described above, in this embodiment, the rebar tying robot 100A is equipped with, for example, wire as a consumable, and the consumable status display control unit 534 has, for example, a wire remaining amount display control unit 534w.

[0238] The wire remaining amount display control unit 534w may, for example, acquire information regarding the remaining amount of wire provided in the rebar tying robot 100A from the rebar tying robot 100A, and control the display unit 510 so that the remaining amount of wire is displayed on the display unit 510 based on the acquired information regarding the remaining amount of wire. Alternatively, the wire remaining amount display control unit 534w may, for example, acquire information regarding the determination result from the wire remaining amount determination unit 152w of the consumable status determination unit 152b of the determination unit 152 of the rebar tying robot 100A, and control the display unit 510 so that the determination result is displayed on the display unit 510.

[0239] The display unit 510 may, for example, display information regarding the remaining amount of wire, such as whether the remaining amount of wire is above a predetermined threshold. Alternatively, the display unit 510 may display the remaining amount of wire as a percentage, or as an image corresponding to that percentage. In this embodiment, the wire may be attached to the rebar tying robot 100A in a wound state such as a circular or cylindrical shape, and the remaining amount of wire may be displayed as the size of a circle corresponding to the current remaining amount of wire relative to the size of a circle corresponding to the remaining amount of wire when not in use.

[0240] Furthermore, the wire remaining amount display control unit 534w may be configured to, for example, acquire information regarding the determination result from the wire remaining amount determination unit 152w of the consumable status determination unit 152b of the determination unit 152 of the rebar tying robot 100A, and to control the display unit 510 so that the determination result is displayed on the display unit 510.

[0241] The communication strength display control unit 536 may be configured to display information regarding the communication strength between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 on the display unit 510 by controlling the display unit 510, for example. The display unit 510 may be configured to display the communication strength in multiple stages, such as four stages. Alternatively, the communication strength display control unit 536 may be configured to obtain information regarding the determination result of the communication strength determination unit 152c of the determination unit 152 of the rebar tying robot 100A from the rebar tying robot 100A, and to control the display unit 510 so that the determination result is displayed on the display unit 510. In this case, the communication strength display control unit 536 may control the display unit 510 so that, for example, information regarding whether the communication strength between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 is strong enough to perform data communication that can be communicated between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 is displayed on the display unit 510.

[0242] In the example shown in Figure 32, the determination unit 152 is provided in the rebar tying robot 100A, but it is not limited to this, and the processing performed by the determination unit 152 may be performed in, for example, the monitoring system 500. In this case, for example, the control unit 520 of the monitoring system 500 may acquire information regarding the remaining battery level of the rebar tying robot 100A from the rebar tying robot 100A and determine whether the acquired battery level is above a predetermined threshold, and based on such determination result, the battery level display control unit 532 may be configured to control the display unit 510 to display information such as the determination result regarding the battery level.

[0243] Similarly, the control unit 520 of the monitoring system 500 may acquire information regarding the remaining amount of wire, which is a consumable of the rebar tying robot 100A, and determine whether the acquired amount of wire is above a predetermined threshold. The wire remaining amount display control unit 534w may then control the display unit 510 to display the determination result regarding the remaining amount of wire. Similarly, regarding the communication strength of wireless communication between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500, the control unit 520 of the monitoring system 500 may acquire information regarding the communication strength, and the control unit 520 of the monitoring system 500 may determine, for example, whether the acquired communication strength is above a predetermined threshold. In this case as well, the communication strength display control unit 536 may control the display unit 510 to display the determination result regarding the communication strength on the display unit 510.

[0244] [Control Method for Display Device] Referring to Figure 33, a control method for the display unit 510, such as a display device, executed by the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment will be described. As described above, the control method for the display unit 510 according to this embodiment may be executed, for example, by a processor in the monitoring system 500, such as a control unit 520, which executes a control program for the display unit 510 stored in a storage device or the like provided by the monitoring system 500.

[0245] As shown in Figure 33, first, information regarding the reinforcement arrangement of multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) arranged in a cross pattern is acquired (S3302). The information regarding the reinforcement arrangement may be entered by a worker, for example, as described above with reference to Figure 31.

[0246] In this embodiment, the reinforcement state may be, for example, the number of vertical bars (first reinforcement bars R10) and the number of horizontal bars (second reinforcement bars R20) that intersect with the vertical bars (first reinforcement bars R10). Therefore, in this embodiment, the reinforcement state may be, for example, the number of intersections between multiple reinforcement bars (first reinforcement bars R10 and second reinforcement bars R20) that are arranged to intersect each other. In this embodiment, the reinforcement state may further include the pitch of the vertical bars (first reinforcement bars R10) (the distance between adjacent first reinforcement bars R10 (first reinforcement bars R10 adjacent to each other in the second direction X)) and the pitch of the horizontal bars (second reinforcement bars R20) (the distance between adjacent second reinforcement bars R20 (second reinforcement bars R20 adjacent to each other in the first direction Y)).

[0247] Next, information regarding the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100 (in this embodiment, the tying device) is acquired (S3304). The rebar tying robot 100 may be a tying device comprising a moving unit 120 configured to move along the reinforcement bar arrangement, and a rebar tying unit (tying unit) 110 configured to tie the intersections where multiple rebars (first rebar R10 and second rebar R20) intersect. The information regarding the movement path may include, for example, information regarding the reinforcement bar arrangement and information regarding the number of rebar tying robots 100 used for tying work, as described above with reference to Figure 31.

[0248] Next, information regarding the binding status of the reinforcing bars at the intersection where multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) intersect is acquired (S3306). The information regarding the binding status may, for example, be information regarding whether the intersection is already bound or not. The information regarding the binding status may be acquired, for example, by being transmitted to the control unit 520 each time the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 completes the binding operation for each intersection. Alternatively, for example, if the reinforcing bar binding robot 100 reaches an intersection of multiple reinforcing bars, stops at that intersection, and resumes movement after a predetermined time has elapsed, it may be determined that the binding at that intersection is complete. Furthermore, for example, in the tying operation of the rebar tying robot 100, if the rebar tying unit 110 reaches the intersection of multiple rebars, descends toward the intersection, and then rises back to its retracted position, it may be determined whether the tying is complete or incomplete based on whether or not such a series of operations by the rebar tying unit 110 has been performed.

[0249] Next, based on the information obtained regarding the reinforcement arrangement status, the movement path, and the tying status, the reinforcement arrangement status, the movement path, and the tying status are displayed on the display unit 510 (S3308). For example, the reinforcement arrangement status may be displayed on the display unit 510 by the reinforcement arrangement display control unit 522 of the control unit 520, the movement path display control unit 524 of the control unit 520 may be displayed on the display unit 510 regarding the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100, and the tying status may be displayed on the display unit 510 by the tying status display control unit 528 of the control unit 520.

[0250] With the above steps completed, the control processing of the display unit 510 according to this embodiment is terminated.

[0251] With the control method of the display device (display unit 510) according to the embodiment of this disclosure, and with the configuration described above, for example, the worker can grasp the progress of the binding work based on the information displayed on the display unit 510. As a result, for example, the worker can perform preparations for the next binding work, thereby improving the efficiency of the binding work.

[0252] Furthermore, in this embodiment, information about the current position (operating position) of the rebar tying robot 100 may be acquired, and based on the acquired information about the current position (operating position) of the rebar tying robot 100, the operating position display control unit 526 of the control unit 520 may perform a process to display the current position (operating position) of the rebar tying robot 100 on the display unit 510. This makes it possible to understand, for example, the positional relationship between the untying position and the current position of the rebar tying robot 100A, thereby enabling a more accurate understanding of the progress of the tying work.

[0253] In this embodiment, the display unit 510 may also be configured to display the status of consumables. That is, in this embodiment, the consumable status display control unit 534 of the control unit 520 may be configured to display the status of consumables used for tying multiple reinforcing bars at intersections by the rebar tying robot 100A. In the rebar tying robot 100A of this embodiment, wire is used as a consumable, and the consumable status display control unit 534 has a wire remaining amount display control unit 534w as shown in Figure 32, and the wire remaining amount display control unit 534w may display the remaining wire on the display unit 510. In this embodiment, by configuring the display unit 510 to also display the status of consumables such as the remaining wire, it becomes possible to grasp whether or not the remaining wire is insufficient in relation to the progress of the tying work. Therefore, the operator can relatively easily grasp whether or not the remaining wire is sufficient for the remaining tying work, and if the remaining wire is insufficient, they can replenish the wire in advance. Therefore, it becomes possible to perform the rebar tying work with wire more efficiently.

[0254] In this embodiment, the remaining wire length may be calculated based on, for example, the number of times tying has been performed. For example, the length of wire used in one tying operation performed by the rebar tying robot 100A may be calculated in advance, for example, by calculating the average value of actual values, and the remaining wire length may be calculated by subtracting the length obtained by multiplying the number of tying operations performed by the rebar tying robot 100A at the intersections of multiple first rebars R10 and multiple second rebars R20 by the average value of the length of wire used in one tying operation from the length of wire before the start of the tying operation. Alternatively, it is also possible to configure the system to calculate the remaining wire length based on the change in wire weight, etc.

[0255] In this embodiment, the display unit 510 may be configured to display, for example, information regarding the communication strength between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500, in place of, or in addition to, at least a portion of, the above-mentioned information. In this case, for example, the monitoring system 500 may include a communication unit (communication unit 530) that is configured to enable wireless communication via the network NE, and the control unit 520 may be configured to display the communication strength between the communication unit (communication unit 530) and the network NE on the display unit 510. In this embodiment, with this configuration, for example, it becomes possible to grasp the reliability of information and data regarding the progress of the tying work, which is acquired from the rebar tying robot 100A and displayed on the display unit 510. For example, a self-propelled rebar tying robot 100A (a rebar tying robot 100A having the same configuration as the self-propelled rebar tying robot 100 described above, which has a travel unit 121, etc., as shown in Figure 1, etc.) may move to a location relatively far from the monitoring system 500 if the rebar tying robot 100A is implemented by an information processing device that is physically separate from the monitoring system 500. In this case, if the communication strength between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 is insufficient, it is possible that delays may occur, such as the loss of at least some of the information and data acquired from the rebar tying robot 100A. By configuring the system so that the communication strength is displayed on the display unit 510 for confirmation, it becomes possible to confirm the reliability of the above information and data acquired from the rebar tying robot 100A.

[0256] Furthermore, in this embodiment, multiple rebar tying robots 100A may be monitored by the monitoring system 500, and in this case, the display unit 510 may be configured to display the movement paths of the multiple rebar tying robots 100A. That is, the control unit 520 includes a communication unit (communication unit 530) configured to be able to wirelessly communicate with multiple rebar tying robots 100A, which are tying devices that move along the reinforcement, via a network NE, and an acquisition unit (acquisition unit 538). The acquisition unit (acquisition unit 538) may acquire information from each of the multiple rebar tying robots 100A, which are tying devices, regarding the movement path and the tying state of the rebars at intersections. The control unit 520 may display the movement path and the tying state of the rebars acquired by the acquisition unit (acquisition unit 538) from each of the multiple rebar tying robots 100A on the display unit 510. With this configuration, for example, an operator can simultaneously monitor the progress of the rebar tying work of multiple rebar tying robots 100A during the tying operation. When performing tying work using multiple rebar tying robots 100A, for example, a tying area may be set for each of the multiple rebar tying robots 100A. If the movement paths of the multiple rebar tying robots 100A can be displayed, the tying area of ​​each of the multiple rebar tying robots 100A can be monitored simultaneously for all of them, and the progress of the rebar tying work of each rebar tying robot 100A in its respective tying area can be monitored simultaneously for all of them.

[0257] As described above, the control method for the display unit 510 according to this embodiment may be executed, for example, by having a control program for the display unit 510 stored in a storage device or the like provided by the monitoring system 500 executed by a processor provided by the monitoring system 500, such as the control unit 520. In this case, the program is, for example, a computer program that includes instructions executed by a control device (in this embodiment, the control unit 520, etc.), and the instructions are such that the control device (control unit 520, etc.) has multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) arranged to intersect each other. This could also be a computer program that controls a display device (display unit 510, etc.) to display the following on a display device (display unit 510, etc.): the state of the reinforcement arrangement, the movement path of a tying device (reinforcement tying robot 100A (Figure 32, etc.)) which is configured to move along the reinforcement arrangement, and the state of the tying of the reinforcement bars at the intersections where multiple reinforcement bars (first reinforcement bar R10 and second reinforcement bar R20) intersect, and the state of the tying of the reinforcement bars at the intersections where multiple reinforcement bars (first reinforcement bar R10 and second reinforcement bar R20) intersect.

[0258] [Display screen of the display unit] Referring to Figures 34A and 34B, an example of the display screen 510A displayed on the display unit 510 in this embodiment will be described.

[0259] Figure 34A is a diagram showing the display screen 510A displayed on the display unit 510. As shown in Figure 34A, the display screen 510A includes a route display unit 512 and a binding device status display unit 514. The route display unit 512 may display the movement route. In addition, the route display unit 512 displays the reinforcement arrangement status consisting of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, the binding status regarding completion or incompleteness of binding, and the current position of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100A. For example, the movement route may be displayed connecting the intersections of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, and the binding status may be displayed superimposed at each intersection on the displayed movement route, and the position of the reinforcing bar binding robot 100A may be displayed at any of the intersections, whether on or near one of the multiple intersections, or between any two intersections.

[0260] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 34A, a grid-like frame 518 may be displayed to represent the reinforcement state. Alternatively, instead of a grid-like frame, the reinforcement state may be displayed by arranging and displaying shapes such as circles corresponding to the intersection points of the first reinforcement bars R10 and the second reinforcement bars R20. The reinforcement state may be displayed on the display screen 510A based, for example, on the number of vertical bars (first reinforcement bars R10) and the number of horizontal bars (second reinforcement bars R20) that intersect with the vertical bars (first reinforcement bars R10). In this embodiment, in addition to the number of vertical bars (first bars R10) and the number of horizontal bars (second bars R20) that intersect with the vertical bars (first bars R10), information regarding the pitch of the vertical bars (first bars R10) (the distance between adjacent first bars R10 (first bars R10 adjacent to each other in the second direction X)) and the pitch of the horizontal bars (second bars R20) (the distance between adjacent second bars R20 (second bars R20 adjacent to each other in the first direction Y)) may be included in the information regarding the reinforcement arrangement. In this case, for example, the reinforcement arrangement may be displayed on the display screen 510A with the grid-like frames or circles arranged according to the pitch of the bars.

[0261] Figure 34B shows a magnified view of a portion of the image displayed on the route display unit 512. In the example shown in Figure 34B, for example, the rebar tying robot 100A is moving from bottom to top on the plane of Figure 34B in the order of intersections P(j,k-2), P(j,k-1), and P(j,k), and is currently at intersection P(j,k), and is moving towards intersection P(j,k+1) (j and k are natural numbers). At this time, the rebar tying robot 100A has already passed intersections P(j,k-2) and P(j,k-1) and tying work is being carried out, but for example, tying at intersection P(j,k-2) is incomplete due to an obstacle, etc., while tying at intersection P(j,k-1) is complete. In this case, intersections P(j,k-2) and P(j,k-1) may be displayed in different colors. Furthermore, the intersection P(j,k), which is the current position of the rebar tying robot 100A, may be displayed in a different manner than the intersections P(j,k-2) and P(j,k-1) that have already been passed. For example, as shown in Figure 34B, the intersections P(j,k-2), P(j,k-1), and P(j,k+1) may be represented by a single circle, while the intersection P(j,k) may be represented by a double circle. Also, the intersection P(j,k+1), which the rebar tying robot 100A has not yet reached, may be displayed in a different manner (for example, by a different color) than the intersection P(j,k-2), which the rebar tying robot 100A has already reached but where tying is not yet complete, and the intersection P(j,k-1), where tying is complete.

[0262] In this embodiment, the display is not limited to the examples given above, and may be displayed in other ways. The display of icons corresponding to intersections may be changed to indicate the tying status or the current position of the rebar tying robot 100A. For example, the tying status or the position of the rebar tying robot 100A may be displayed using multiple different shapes other than the circles and double circles exemplified above.

[0263] The intervals between each intersection (the interval I(j,k-2) between intersection P(j,k-2) and intersection P(j,k-1), the interval I(j,k-1) between intersection P(j,k-1) and intersection P(j,k), and the interval I(j,k) between intersection P(j,k) and intersection P(j,k+1)) may also be represented in different ways (different colors, etc.) than, for example, the intervals I(j,k-2) and I(j,k-1) that the rebar tying robot 100A has already passed through and the interval I(j,k) that the rebar tying robot 100A has not yet passed through.

[0264] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 34B, the movement path is indicated by arranging multiple (for example, three) triangular shapes, such as those shown at intervals I(j,k-2), I(j,k-1), and I(j,k). However, the method of indicating the movement path is not limited to this. In this embodiment, for example, the movement path may be indicated by a shape connecting the intersections of multiple reinforcing bars (first reinforcing bar R10 and second reinforcing bar R20) (for example, a solid line, dotted line, dashed line, or a combination thereof). When the movement path is indicated by a shape in which one end along the path indicates the direction, as shown in Figure 34B, it is also possible to indicate the direction of movement of the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A along the movement path. In this case, the movement path may be configured to be indicated not only by arranging multiple triangular shapes as described above, but also by shapes such as arrows in addition to triangles.

[0265] As shown in Figure 34A, the display screen 510A may have, for example, a binding device status display unit 514 in addition to the route display unit 512. The binding device status display unit 514 may display, for example, information regarding the status of one or more rebar binding robots 100A arranged on the rebar. In the example shown in Figure 34A, for example, the binding device status display unit 514 according to this embodiment is provided with eight display areas for displaying the status of each rebar binding robot 100A (display areas 514_rb1, 514_rb2, 514_rb3, 514_rb4, 514_rb5, 514_rb6, 514_rb7, and 514_rb8), and the status of eight rebar binding robots 100A can be displayed at once. In the example shown in Figure 34A, for example, two rebar tying robots 100A are positioned on the reinforcement, and the status of the two rebar tying robots 100A is displayed in display area 514_rb1 and display area 514_rb2.

[0266] Referring to Figures 35A and 35B, examples of the status of the rebar tying robot 100A displayed in each of the display areas 514_rb1, 514_rb2, 514_rb3, 514_rb4, 514_rb5, 514_rb6, 514_rb7, and 514_rb8 will be explained. Figures 35A and 35B show an example of the status of the rebar tying robot 100A being displayed in display area 514_rb1. Figure 35A shows the case when the rebar tying robot 100A is operating normally, and Figure 35B shows the case when an abnormality occurs in the rebar tying robot 100A and it is not operating.

[0267] As shown in Figure 35A, the display area 514_rb1 includes a name display area 514n that displays the name of the rebar tying robot 100A, a battery level display area 514b that displays the remaining battery level of the rebar tying robot 100A, a consumable status display area 514w that displays the status of consumables such as the remaining amount of wire, a communication strength display area 514i that displays the communication strength between the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500, a coordinate display area 514c that displays the position of the rebar tying robot 100A in coordinates, and a status display area 514s that displays information regarding whether the rebar tying robot 100A is operating normally or whether an abnormality has occurred and it is not operating.

[0268] The name display area 514n may be configured to display, for example, the name of the rebar tying robot 100A that is stored in advance in the memory unit of the monitoring system 500, or the name of the rebar tying robot 100A that is obtained from the rebar tying robot 100A connected to the monitoring system 500.

[0269] The battery level display area 514b may, for example, display an image showing the percentage of the current battery level relative to the battery level when fully charged, as shown in Figure 35A. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 35B, the battery level may be displayed using images in multiple stages, such as three stages.

[0270] The consumable status display area 514w may be configured to display the remaining amount of wire, for example, by the size of the circle.

[0271] The communication strength display area 514i may be configured to display the communication strength by changing, for example, the number of lines, size, amount of fill, etc., according to the strength of the communication signal.

[0272] The coordinate display area 514c may be configured to display the position of the rebar tying robot 100A using coordinates, for example, by using an (x,y) coordinate system where the x-coordinate indicates which of the multiple first rebars R10 the rebar tying robot 100A is located on, and the y-coordinate indicates which of the multiple second rebars R2 so on.

[0273] The status display area 514s may be configured to display "Active" as shown in Figure 35A when the rebar tying robot 100A is operating normally, and to display "Error" as shown in Figure 35B when some abnormality occurs in the rebar tying robot 100A and it is not operating. In addition, for example, the display may be shown in different colors depending on whether it is operating normally or an abnormality has occurred. For example, the entire display area 514_rb1 or the characters displayed in the display area 514_rb1 may be displayed in green when it is operating normally and in red when an abnormality has occurred.

[0274] In this embodiment, the display screen 510A may also be provided with a list update button 516_1 to update the status of each rebar tying robot 100A displayed on the tying device status display unit 514, a preparation display button 516_2 to indicate that it is the preparation stage, such as arranging multiple rebars and rebar tying robots 100A, a tying start button 516_3 to start the movement of the rebar tying robot 100A and start the tying work, and a tying interruption button 516_4 to interrupt the tying work by stopping the movement or tying operation of the rebar tying robot 100A.

[0275] [Configuration of the Rebar Tying Robot] Referring to Figure 32, etc., the configuration described is an example in which the rebar tying robot 100A and the monitoring system 500 are physically separate and communicated with each other via wireless communication. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the rebar tying robot 100A may be equipped with a display unit and control unit of the monitoring system, and configured to display the movement path and tying status of the rebar tying robot 100A. Referring to Figure 36, the rebar tying robot 100B in this case will be described. In the following, referring to Figures 29 and 32, etc., the same reference numerals will be used for components similar to those of the rebar tying robot 100A and monitoring system 500 described above, and explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0276] The rebar tying robot 100B according to this embodiment is a tying device (rebar tying robot 100B) that moves along a reinforcement arrangement in which a plurality of rebars (first rebars R10 and second rebars R20) are arranged in a crisscross pattern and can tie together the intersections where the plurality of rebars (first rebars R10 and second rebars R20) intersect, and comprises a display unit (display unit 510) and a control unit (control unit 520), wherein the control unit (control unit 520) displays on the display unit (display unit 510) the arrangement state of the plurality of rebars (first rebars R10 and second rebars R20), the movement path of the tying device (rebar tying robot 100B), and the tying state of the rebars at the intersections where the plurality of rebars (first rebars R10 and second rebars R20) intersect.

[0277] Figure 36 shows the functional blocks of the rebar tying robot 100B. As shown in Figure 36, the rebar tying robot 100B, like the rebar tying robot 100A (Figure 32, etc.), includes a rebar tying unit 110, a moving unit 120, a determination unit 152, and a storage device 198, and further includes a display unit 510 and a control unit 520. The display unit 510 and control unit 520 of the rebar tying robot 100B have the same configuration as the display unit 510 and control unit 520 of the rebar tying robot 100A, respectively. Therefore, in the rebar tying robot 100B, the control unit 520 may also include a rebar arrangement display control unit 522, a movement path display control unit 524, an operation position display control unit 526, a tying status display control unit 528, a battery level display control unit 532, and a consumable status display control unit 534. Furthermore, the consumable status display control unit 534 may also include, for example, a wire remaining amount display control unit 534w. With this configuration, the rebar tying robot 100B may be configured such that the display unit 510 provided in the rebar tying robot 100B displays some or all of the following: the movement path of the rebar tying robot 100B, the operating position such as the current position of the rebar tying robot 100B, the tying status indicating completion or incompleteness of tying, the battery level of the rebar tying robot 100B, and the remaining wire amount.

[0278] The rebar tying robot 100B may be configured such that, for example, a liquid crystal display device or the like is pre-installed as a display unit 510 on the main body 140, and the information of the rebar tying robot 100B is displayed on this display unit 510. Alternatively, the rebar tying robot 100B may be configured such that an information processing terminal equipped with a display device is attached to it using a portable terminal holder or the like, and the information processing terminal is moved together with the rebar tying robot 100B, and the display unit 510 of the information processing terminal, such as a display screen, is configured to display the aforementioned information such as the movement path and tying status of the rebar tying robot 100B. The display unit 510 provided on the rebar tying robot 100B, and the display unit 510 of the information processing terminal installed on a terminal holder or the like provided on the rebar tying robot 100B, may be configured to display the aforementioned display screen, for example, referring to Figure 34A.

[0279] The rebar tying robot 100B shown in Figure 36 does not communicate with an external monitoring system 500, etc., so for example, the communication unit 154 and the communication strength display control unit 536 are not shown. However, in cases where information regarding thresholds used in the determination unit 152 or computer programs executed by the control unit 520 of the rebar tying robot 100B is obtained by accessing an external database, or when accessing an external information processing device or storage medium, etc., the rebar tying robot 100B may be provided with a communication unit 154 and a communication strength display control unit 536.

[0280] Furthermore, in a configuration in which, for example, an information processing terminal such as a mobile terminal holder is installed on the rebar tying robot 100B as described above, and the information processing terminal is moved together with the rebar tying robot 100B, the information processing terminal and the rebar tying robot 100B may be configured to communicate via wireless communication. In this case as well, the rebar tying robot 100B may be provided with a communication unit 154, or a communication strength display control unit 536 may be provided to display the communication strength. In this configuration in which the information processing terminal is moved together with the rebar tying robot 100B, the information processing terminal and the rebar tying robot 100B are in close proximity to each other, so the information processing terminal and the rebar tying robot 100B may be connected by short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth® or NFC as described above. In this case, the display unit 510 may display the communication strength of the short-range wireless communication, or it may display information such as whether or not short-range wireless communication has been established and / or which type of short-range wireless communication is being used.

[0281] (Modification) In the embodiments described above, the control method of the display unit and the monitoring system 500 for monitoring the self-propelled rebar tying robot 100A and the rebar tying robot 100B have been described in detail. However, the embodiments of this disclosure are not limited to these, and can also be applied to, for example, a robot arm type rebar tying device 300.

[0282] Referring to Figure 37, the rebar tying device 300 (tying device) according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 37 is a view of the rebar tying device 300 according to this embodiment from the diagonal front (diagonal front in the +Y direction and the +X direction).

[0283] The rebar tying device 300 shown in Figure 37 differs from the rebar tying robots 100A and 100B, etc., in that it includes a robotic arm-type moving unit 320, and the rebar tying unit 310 is configured to be moved by the robotic arm-type moving unit 320. That is, the rebar tying device 300 according to this embodiment includes a rebar tying unit 310 and a moving unit 320, similar to the rebar tying robots 100A and 100B, etc. Furthermore, the rebar tying device 300 may also include a sensor unit (first sensor 330a and second sensor 330b) and a robotic arm unit (first robotic arm unit 322a and second robotic arm unit 322b).

[0284] As shown in Figure 37, the rebar tying device 300 may further include, for example, a base portion 340. The rebar tying device 300 may be positioned on a steel member 10, such as an H-beam, via the base portion 340. The base portion 340 includes a robot arm support portion 342, and one end of the robot arm portion (the end of the first robot arm portion 322a) is rotatably supported with respect to the robot arm support portion 342. Therefore, the rebar tying portion 310 is configured to be movable relative to the base portion 340 by connecting one end of the robot arm portion (the end of the first robot arm portion 322a) to the base portion 340 and connecting the rebar tying portion 310 to the other end of the robot arm portion (the end of the second robot arm portion 322b). The robot arm portion has a first robot arm portion 322a and a second robot arm portion 322b that are rotatably connected relative to each other. The rebar tying section 310 is provided at the end of the second robot arm section 322b. The sensor section is provided at the end of the second robot arm section 322b (the end opposite to the connection between the first robot arm section 322a and the second robot arm section 322b). The sensor section is positioned between the end of the second robot arm section 322b and the rebar tying section 310.

[0285] The sensor unit includes a first sensor 330a and a second sensor 330b. In the state shown in Figure 37, the first sensor 330a is provided in the +Z direction at the end of the second robot arm 322b, and the second sensor 330b is provided in the -Z direction at the end of the second robot arm 322b. As shown in Figure 37, the first sensor 330a and the second sensor 330b each include an oval-shaped imaging unit 330ac and imaging unit 330bc when viewed from the +Y direction.

[0286] In the state shown in Figure 37, the group of reinforcing bars formed by the first reinforcing bar R10 arranged along the Z direction and the second reinforcing bar R20 arranged along the Y direction is substantially upright in the Z direction. The reinforcing bar tying device 300, equipped with a robotic arm-type moving unit 320, can perform tying operations at the intersection points c12 of the first reinforcing bar R10 and the second reinforcing bar R20, even for a group of reinforcing bars that are upright, for example, along the Z direction, as shown in Figure 37. At this time, similar to the reinforcing bar tying robot 100A and the reinforcing bar tying robot 100B, the reinforcing bar tying unit 310 may be moved by the moving unit 320 to sequentially perform tying operations at multiple intersection points c12.

[0287] The rebar tying device 300 may be fixed to the steel member 10, for example, but it may also be provided so as to be movable relative to the steel member 10 (for example, so as to be movable along the direction in which the steel member 10 extends) and may perform tying operations on other groups of rebars not shown. Furthermore, not limited to groups of rebars standing upright along the Z direction as shown in Figure 37, it is also possible to use the rebar tying device 300 to tie the intersection points c12 of groups of rebars arranged parallel to the horizontal plane, for example, groups of rebars where tying operations are performed by rebar tying robots 100A and 100B, etc., by moving the rebar tying section 310 with a robot arm (robot arm section).

[0288] For example, the rebar tying device 300 can be used to tie the intersection c12 of a first reinforcing bar R10 extending in the X direction and a second reinforcing bar R20 extending in the Y direction, which form a reinforcing bar surface arranged horizontally (parallel to the XY plane). For example, if reinforcing bar surfaces arranged parallel to the XY direction exist in the -Z and +Z directions of the rebar tying device 300, the rebar tying device 300 can be placed on a steel member 10 located between these reinforcing bar surfaces (between the Z directions) to perform the tying operation on the reinforcing bar groups in the -Z and +Z directions. For example, even for groups of reinforcing bars located in the +Z direction of the rebar tying device 300, the tying operation can be performed relatively easily by using a robotic arm-type moving part 320 to move the rebar tying part 310.

[0289] Even when using the robotic arm type rebar tying device 300, similar to the rebar tying robots 100A and 100B, the worker performing the rebar tying work can grasp the overall progress of the tying work by using, for example, a monitoring system 500 (e.g., Figures 29 and 32, etc.), and can determine, for example, whether the tying work is in the beginning or the end. This makes it possible to perform tasks that are carried out at the beginning or end of the tying work relatively easily. In addition, for example, the worker can grasp the estimated time remaining until the tying work is completed, making it possible to prepare for the next tying work. In other words, with the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment, the worker can grasp the progress of the tying performed by the rebar tying robot 100, making it possible to carry out the work more efficiently.

[0290] Furthermore, when applying the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment to monitoring a robotic arm type rebar tying device (rebar tying device 300) as illustrated in Figure 37, information corresponding to the order of intersections of multiple rebars (first rebar R10 and second rebar R20) that are tied together by the rebar tying unit 310, which is moved by the robotic arm type moving unit 320 in the rebar tying device 300, may be used as the movement path of the rebar tying device 300.

[0291] Furthermore, when applying the monitoring system 500 according to this embodiment to the monitoring of the robot arm type rebar tying device 300 illustrated in Figure 37, similar to the rebar tying robot 100B (Figure 36, etc.), for example, a liquid crystal display device or the like may be pre-installed as a display unit 510 on, for example, the base unit 340 or the robot arm unit, and the information of the rebar tying device 300 may be displayed on the display unit 510. Alternatively, an information processing terminal equipped with a display device, such as a portable terminal holder, may be installed on the rebar tying device 300, and the information processing terminal may be moved together with the rebar tying device 300, and the above-mentioned information such as the movement path and tying status of the rebar tying device 300 may be displayed on the display unit 510, such as a display screen of the information processing terminal.

[0292] The embodiments have been described above with reference to specific examples. However, this disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. Modifications made to these specific examples by those skilled in the art are also included within the scope of this disclosure, as long as they retain the features of this disclosure. The elements and their arrangement, conditions, shapes, etc., of each of the aforementioned specific examples are not limited to those exemplified and can be modified as appropriate. The elements of each of the aforementioned specific examples can be combined in different ways as appropriate, as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0293] (Note 1) A computer program including instructions to be executed by a control device, wherein the instructions cause the control device to control a display device to display on the display device the following: the state of reinforcement arrangement in which a plurality of reinforcing bars are arranged to intersect each other; the movement path of a binding device comprising a movable part configured to be movable on the reinforcement arrangement and a binding part configured to be able to bind the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars intersect; and the state of binding between the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars intersect.

[0294] (Note 2) A control method for a display device, comprising: acquiring information regarding the reinforcement arrangement of a plurality of reinforcing bars arranged in a manner that intersects with each other; acquiring information regarding the movement path of a binding device comprising a movable part configured to be movable on the reinforcement arrangement and a binding part configured to be able to bind the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars intersect; acquiring information regarding the binding state of the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the plurality of reinforcing bars intersect; and displaying the reinforcement arrangement, the movement path, and the binding state on the display device based on the information regarding the reinforcement arrangement, the information regarding the movement path, and the information regarding the binding state.

[0295] (Note 3) A binding device comprising: a movable part configured to move along a reinforcing bar arrangement in which multiple reinforcing bars are arranged in an intersecting manner; and a binding part configured to bind the intersections where multiple reinforcing bars intersect, the device further comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires information relating to the reinforcing bar arrangement state of the multiple reinforcing bars, information relating to the movement path of the binding device, and information relating to the binding state of the reinforcing bars at the intersections where multiple reinforcing bars intersect; and a control unit configured to control the binding device, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit information for displaying the reinforcing bar arrangement state, the movement path, and the binding state, based on the information relating to the reinforcing bar arrangement state, the movement path, and the binding state acquired by the acquisition unit, within a predetermined area of ​​the display screen of a display device provided on the binding device body of the binding device, or an external terminal device provided to communicate with the binding device.

[0296] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that this disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations can be conceived within the scope of the claims, and these will naturally also fall within the technical scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the above embodiments may be combined in any way without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0297] This application is based on a Japanese patent application (JP 2024-232999) filed on December 27, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated by reference within this application.

[0298] This disclosure provides a monitoring system, a bundling system, and a bundling device that make it relatively easy to grasp the progress of bundling work.

[0299] 100, 100A, 100B, 300 Rebar tying robot (tying device) 110 Rebar tying unit (tying unit) 120 Mobile unit 152 Judgment unit 154, 530 Communication unit 500 Monitoring system 510 Display unit 520 Control unit NE Network R10 First rebar R20 Second rebar

Claims

1. A monitoring system for monitoring the operating status of a binding device that moves along a reinforcement arrangement in which multiple reinforcing bars are arranged in a crisscross pattern and binds the intersections where multiple reinforcing bars intersect, comprising: a display unit; and a control unit that causes the display unit to display the reinforcement arrangement status of the multiple reinforcing bars, the movement path of the binding device, and the binding status of the reinforcing bars at the intersections where the multiple reinforcing bars intersect.

2. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display the position of the binding device moving along the movement path.

3. The monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display the status of the consumables used for bundling the intersections by the bundling device.

4. The monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein the state of the consumable includes the remaining amount of the consumable.

5. The monitoring system according to claim 1, comprising a communication unit configured to enable wireless communication with the bundling device via a network, wherein the control unit causes the communication strength with the network by the communication unit to be displayed on the display unit.

6. A monitoring system according to claim 1, comprising: a communication unit configured to be wirelessly connected to a plurality of binding devices that move along the reinforcement bar arrangement; and an acquisition unit, wherein the acquisition unit acquires information from each of the plurality of binding devices regarding the movement path and the binding state of the reinforcement bars at the intersections; and the control unit displays the movement path and the binding state of the reinforcement bars for each of the plurality of binding devices acquired by the acquisition unit on the display unit.

7. A binding system comprising: a binding device that moves along a rebar arrangement in which multiple rebars are arranged in a crisscross pattern and can bind the intersections where multiple rebars intersect; a display unit; and a control unit that causes the display unit to display the rebar arrangement status of the multiple rebars, the movement path of the binding device, and the binding status of the rebars at the intersections where multiple rebars intersect.

8. A binding device comprising: a rebar binding unit that moves along a rebar arrangement in which multiple rebars are arranged in a crisscross pattern and can bind the intersections where the multiple rebars intersect; a display unit; and a control unit, wherein the control unit causes the display unit to display the arrangement state of the multiple rebars, the movement path of the binding device, and the binding state of the rebars at the intersections where the multiple rebars intersect.

Images