Robot management system, management server, and robot

Abstract

Provided are a robot management system and a management server with which it is possible to appropriately allocate spatial resources to robots. This robot management system comprises a plurality of autonomously movable robots, and a management server that manages the plurality of robots, the robot management system being characterized in that: each of the plurality of robots has a control unit that transmits a spatial resource use request, which includes purpose information relating to the purpose of using a spatial resource; and the management server has a reception unit that receives the use request, and a determination unit that upon receiving the use request from the plurality of robots determines a robot to which the spatial resource is to be allocated from among the plurality of robots on the basis of the purpose information included in the use request.

Description

Robot management system, management server, and robot

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a robot management system, a management server, and a robot.

[0002] When a plurality of autonomously movable robots travel or work within a facility, the travel or work of a robot may be obstructed by other robots. In this case, it is required to appropriately allocate the space resources within the facility to the robots. For example, in Patent Document 1, a class indicating the type of service provided by each robot, a time zone, and a priority according to the congestion status are set for each robot, and an operation management server that performs control so that a robot with a higher priority can move to a destination in a shorter time is disclosed.

[0003] Conventionally, a robot that performs a predetermined operation according to a predetermined operation schedule is known. For example, in Patent Document 2, a work robot that is capable of autonomous movement and at least performs a work operation of performing a predetermined operation according to a work schedule, a first coping operation of moving to an abnormal occurrence location without performing the work operation, and a second coping operation of moving to the abnormal occurrence location while performing the work operation, and a security device are disclosed.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2024-68737, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-139036

[0005] If only the robot is controlled according to the type of service provided by the robot as in the cited reference 1, it may not be possible to appropriately allocate the space resources to the robot.

[0006] In addition, when a plurality of autonomously movable robots travel or work within a facility, the travel or work of a robot may be obstructed by other robots. For example, there may be a case where another robot occupies the space resources that a robot that travels or works according to a predetermined schedule intends to use.

[0007] The purpose of the robot management system is to provide a robot management system that can appropriately manage space resources.

[0008] The robot management system according to this embodiment is a robot management system comprising a plurality of autonomously mobile robots and a management server for managing the plurality of robots, wherein each of the plurality of robots has a control unit that transmits a request for use of a spatial resource that includes purpose information relating to the purpose of use of the spatial resource, and the management server has a receiving unit that receives the request for use and a determination unit that, when it receives a request for use from the plurality of robots, determines which robot to allocate the spatial resource to from among the plurality of robots based on the purpose information contained in the request for use.

[0009] In this robot management system, the management server further has a table storage unit in which priority relationships of multiple purposes of use are registered, and the decision unit preferably determines which robot to allocate spatial resources to based on the priority relationships corresponding to the purposes of use included in the received multiple purpose information.

[0010] In this robot management system, it is preferable that the purpose of use be either a transit purpose (passing through a spatial resource) or a stay purpose (staying within a spatial resource).

[0011] In this robot management system, each of the multiple robots further has a table storage unit in which priorities are registered for each of the multiple purposes of use, the control unit transmits the priority as purpose information, and the decision unit determines which robot to allocate the spatial resources to based on the multiple priorities received.

[0012] The management server according to this embodiment is a management server that is communicatively connected to a plurality of autonomously mobile robots and manages a plurality of robots, and is characterized by having a receiving unit that receives requests for the use of spatial resources from the plurality of robots, including purpose information regarding the purpose of use of the spatial resources, and a determination unit that, when it receives requests for use from the plurality of robots, determines which robot to allocate the spatial resources to from among the plurality of robots based on the purpose information included in the requests for use.

[0013] Another embodiment of the robot management system is a robot management system comprising an autonomously mobile first robot, an autonomously mobile second robot, and a management server that manages the first robot and the second robot, wherein the first robot and the second robot have control units that transmit requests for the use of spatial resources, and the management server is characterized by comprising a receiving unit that receives the usage request, a decision unit that assigns spatial resources to the robot that transmitted the usage request, and a transmitting unit that, when it receives a usage request from the second robot and has already assigned spatial resources to the first robot, transmits a retreat instruction to the first robot.

[0014] In this robot management system, the management server further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not to issue a retreat instruction to the first robot based on information acquired from the first robot or the second robot, and the transmission unit preferably transmits the retreat instruction based on the determination result of the determination unit.

[0015] In this robot management system, it is preferable that the determination unit determines whether or not to issue an evacuation instruction based on time information regarding the use of spatial resources by the first robot or the second robot.

[0016] In this robot management system, the time information is preferably the remaining time for the first robot to use the space resources, the time required for the second robot to use the space resources, or the grace period for the work schedule including the use of space resources by the second robot.

[0017] In this robot management system, it is preferable that the control unit transmits information regarding the remaining battery level of the second robot, and the determination unit determines whether or not to issue an evacuation instruction based on the remaining battery level of the second robot.

[0018] In this robot management system, it is preferable that the control unit transmits type information regarding the type of second robot or purpose information regarding the purpose of using the spatial resource along with the usage request, and the determination unit determines whether or not to issue a retreat instruction based on the type information or purpose information.

[0019] In this robot management system, it is preferable for the decision-making unit to decide to issue a retreat instruction if the priority for the second robot to use spatial resources is higher than the priority for the first robot.

[0020] In this robot management system, it is preferable that the decision unit decides to move the first robot into the spatial resource if the spatial resource is passable to both the first robot and the second robot, and decides to move the first robot outside the spatial resource if the spatial resource is impassable to both the first robot and the second robot.

[0021] A management server according to another embodiment is a management server that is communicatively connected to an autonomously mobile first robot and an autonomously mobile second robot, and manages the first robot and the second robot, and is characterized by having a receiving unit that receives requests for the use of spatial resources from the first robot and the second robot, a decision unit that allocates spatial resources to the robot that sent the request, and a transmitting unit that, when it receives a request for use from the second robot, sends a retreat instruction to the first robot if the spatial resources have already been allocated to the first robot.

[0022] Another embodiment of the robot is a robot that is autonomously mobile and can communicate with other autonomously mobile robots, and is characterized by having a receiving unit that receives requests to use spatial resources from other robots, and a determination unit that, when it receives a request to use spatial resources from other robots, determines whether or not to evacuate from the spatial resources if it is currently staying in them.

[0023] Another embodiment of the robot is a robot that is autonomously mobile and can communicate with other autonomously mobile robots, and is characterized by having a determination unit that determines whether or not to evacuate other robots from the spatial resource when using the spatial resource and other robots are present in the spatial resource, and a transmission unit that transmits an evacuation instruction to the other robot.

[0024] The robot management system, management server, and robots will be able to properly manage spatial resources.

[0025] The object and effect of the present invention will be recognized and obtained, in particular, by using the components and combinations indicated in the claims. Both the general description above and the detailed description below are illustrative and descriptive, and do not limit the present invention as described in the claims.

[0026] This is a diagram showing an overview of the robot management system 1. This is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of the robot management system 1. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the priority table 242. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the robot table 243. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the spatial resource tables 163 and 244. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the usage request table 245. This is a sequence showing an example of the operation of the robot motion determination process. This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the spatial resource allocation process. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the priority table 242a according to modification 1 of Embodiment 1. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the priority table 242b according to modification 2 of Embodiment 1. This is a diagram showing an overview of the robot management system 2 according to Embodiment 2. This is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of the robot management system 2 according to Embodiment 2. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the spatial resource tables 163' and 244'. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the allocation table 245. This is a sequence showing an example of the operation of the robot motion determination process. This is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the judgment process. This is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the priority table 242c according to modification 2 of Embodiment 2. This is a sequence showing an example of the operation of the robot motion determination process according to modification 5 of Embodiment 2.

[0027] The robot management system according to Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to the figures.

[0028] Figure 1 shows an overview of the robot management system 1. In the robot management system 1, when the use of a spatial resource SR by multiple autonomously mobile robots 10 overlaps, the management server 20 determines which robot 10 will be allocated the spatial resource SR from among the multiple robots 10. A spatial resource SR is a space within a predetermined facility where the number of robots 10 that can use that space as a resource is limited. Examples of spatial resources SR include spaces that only one robot 10 can enter, spaces where passing other robots 10 is prohibited, spaces where robots 10 are prohibited from overtaking other robots 10, and spaces where robots 10 are prohibited from making U-turns.

[0029] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the overall system configuration of the robot management system 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the robot management system 1 has a plurality of robots 10 and a management server 20, etc. The robot management system 1 is a system for security, cleaning, or management of facilities such as companies, apartments, and commercial facilities. The robot management system 1 controls and manages the plurality of robots 10. Each robot 10 and the management server 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network N such as an intranet or the Internet. The robots 10 are connected to the communication network N via a wireless communication network such as a wireless LAN or a mobile phone network.

[0030] Robot 10 autonomously moves (travels) within the facility and performs predetermined tasks. Robot 10 moves along a predetermined route (travel path) according to a predetermined schedule, moves to a predetermined point (location), and performs predetermined tasks. When Robot 10 wants to use a spatial resource SR to move along a travel path or perform predetermined tasks, it sends purpose information regarding the purpose of using the spatial resource SR to the management server 20. The purpose of use is the purpose for which the spatial resource SR is to be used. Details of the purpose of use will be described later. The purpose information includes the purpose of use, the resource ID which is the identification number of the spatial resource SR to be used, and the usage time which is the time for which the spatial resource SR is to be used. A predetermined time is set as the usage time according to the spatial resource SR and the purpose of use. The usage time may be set each time the purpose information is transmitted. When Robot 10 transmits the purpose information, it also transmits a request to use the spatial resource SR. The usage request is a request to use the spatial resource SR. The purpose information may be included in the usage request.

[0031] Robot 10 is, for example, a security robot that performs security within a facility, a cleaning robot that performs cleaning within a facility, a guidance robot that provides guidance to facility users, or a transport robot that transports items such as AEDs within a facility. Robot 10 includes a position sensor 11, a drive unit 12, an input unit 13, an output unit 14, a first communication unit 15, a first storage unit 16, and a first processing unit 17, etc.

[0032] The position sensor 11 is a sensor for acquiring the current position of the robot 10. The position sensor 11 includes one or more laser sensors (LiDAR). Each laser sensor is provided on the front, side, back, and / or top surface of the robot 10. Each laser sensor includes an irradiator that emits light such as near-infrared light, visible light, or ultraviolet light in a predetermined direction, and a receiver that receives the reflected light. The direction in which each irradiator emits light is set to have various azimuth and elevation angles with respect to the direction of movement of the robot 10. Each laser sensor measures the distance to objects present around the robot 10 based on the time from when the irradiator emits light until the receiver receives the reflected light. The position sensor 11 outputs a position detection signal to the first processing unit 17 at a predetermined period, which includes a plurality of combinations of each direction in which each laser sensor emitted light and the measured distance. The position sensor 11 may include a receiver that receives radio waves (navigation signals) transmitted from navigation satellites (artificial satellites) such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The receiver receives navigation signals transmitted from multiple navigation satellites and outputs them to the first processing unit 17.

[0033] The drive unit 12 includes a motor for rotating the tires of the robot 10, a motor for changing the direction of the tires, and / or a motor for changing the angle of the arms of the robot 10. The drive unit 12 receives a drive signal from the first processing unit 17, rotates according to the received drive signal, and drives the tires and / or arms.

[0034] The input unit 13 includes one or more sensors for detecting the surrounding conditions of the robot 10. The input unit 13 includes one or more laser sensors, similar to the laser sensor of the position sensor 11, for example. Each laser sensor outputs a detection signal to the first processing unit 17 at a predetermined period, which includes a plurality of combinations of the direction in which light was irradiated and the measured distance. The input unit 13 may also include one or more visible light cameras provided on the front, side, back and / or top surface of the robot 10. The imaging direction of each visible light camera is set to have various azimuth and elevation angles with respect to the direction of movement of the robot 10. Each visible light camera has, for example, a photoelectric conversion element sensitive to visible light, such as a CCD element or a C-MOS element, an imaging optical system that forms an image on the photoelectric conversion element, and an A / D converter. Each visible light camera sequentially generates a visible light image based on visible light at a predetermined frame period and outputs it to the first processing unit 17. The input unit 13 may also include a thermal imaging camera to acquire thermal images, either in place of or in addition to the visible light cameras. The thermal imaging camera includes, for example, two-dimensionally arranged sensors that detect electromagnetic radiation energies of two different wavelengths from an object, and an A / D converter that amplifies the electrical signal output from the sensors and performs analog-to-digital (A / D) conversion. The thermal imaging camera generates a thermal image based on a temperature value determined by the ratio of the two types of radiation energies and outputs it to the first processing unit 17 at a predetermined frame period. The input unit 13 may include a microphone. The microphone has an A / D converter and generates an audio signal based on the detected sound and outputs it to the first processing unit 17 at a predetermined period. The input unit 13 may also include a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor detects the temperature around the robot 10 and outputs a temperature signal indicating the detected temperature to the first processing unit 17 at a predetermined period.

[0035] The output unit 14 includes an LED which lights up or turns off according to instructions from the first processing unit 17. The output unit 14 also includes a display including a liquid crystal, organic EL, etc., and an interface circuit that outputs image data to the display, and may display various information such as images and text according to instructions from the first processing unit 17. The output unit 14 also includes a speaker and an interface circuit that outputs audio data to the speaker, and may output audio according to instructions from the first processing unit 17.

[0036] The first communication unit 15 has, for example, an antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless signals and a wireless communication interface circuit for transmitting and receiving signals via a wireless communication line in accordance with a wireless communication protocol such as a wireless LAN, and is connected to the communication network N via an access point. Alternatively, the first communication unit 15 has, for example, a communication interface circuit compliant with the W-CDMA or LTE method, and is connected to the communication network N via a communication network such as a base station and a mobile communication network. The first communication unit 15 outputs data received from the communication network N to the first processing unit 17 and transmits data input from the first processing unit 17 to the communication network N.

[0037] The first storage unit 16 is an example of a table storage unit and includes semiconductor memory such as ROM or RAM, a magnetic disk or optical disk drive such as CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, and its recording medium. The first storage unit 16 stores a computer program and various data for controlling the robot 10 and inputs and outputs this information to and from the first processing unit 17. The computer program may be installed in the first storage unit 16 from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using a known setup program or the like. The computer program may also be stored on a recording medium owned by a predetermined server and installed via a network.

[0038] The first storage unit 16 also stores data such as map information 161, schedule information 162, and spatial resource table 163. The map information 161 shows the shape of passages or rooms within the facility, the location of fixed obstacles such as equipment or partitions, etc. The map information 161 shows a graph structure that includes information about nodes and edges set in the passages within the facility. The map information 161 is set by the management server 20. The schedule information 162 shows the work schedule of the robot 10. For each of the one or more tasks, the work schedule is set to include departure time, departure position, work start time, work position, work content, work duration, work end time, return time, return position, and movement route. The schedule information 162 is set by the management server 20. The departure position and return position are set to predetermined home positions, etc. Details of the spatial resource table 163 will be described later.

[0039] The first processing unit 17 includes a processor such as a CPU or MPU, memory such as ROM or RAM, and peripheral circuits, and performs various signal processing for the robot 10. The first processing unit 17 includes a detection unit 171 and a control unit 172, etc., which are implemented as functional modules of a program that runs on the processor. A DSP, LSI, ASIC, FPGA, etc. may be used as the first processing unit 17.

[0040] The first processing unit 17 receives schedule information for the robot 10 from the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15, and drives the drive unit 12 according to the received schedule information to move the robot 10. The first processing unit 17 moves along the path shown in the map information 161. Periodically, the first processing unit 17 acquires a position detection signal or navigation signal from the position sensor 11 to detect the current position and direction of the robot 10. The first processing unit 17 determines the current position and direction from the combination of the direction in which each laser sensor irradiated light and the distance to the object, and the positions of the path, room, obstacles, etc. shown in the map information 161. Alternatively, the first processing unit 17 determines the current position and direction by obtaining the latitude, longitude, and altitude from the acquired navigation signal. When the robot 10 arrives at the work position shown in the schedule information, the first processing unit 17 executes the work related to the work content shown in the schedule information.

[0041] The management server 20 is located on a control console or the like, either inside or outside the facility, and controls or manages multiple robots 10. The management server 20 includes an operation unit 21, a display unit 22, a second communication unit 23, a second storage unit 24, and a second processing unit 25, etc.

[0042] The operation unit 21 includes an input device such as a touch panel or keyboard, and an interface circuit that acquires signals from the input device. It accepts operations from the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the accepted operation to the second processing unit 25. The display unit 22 includes a display including a liquid crystal or organic EL display, and an interface circuit that outputs image data to the display. It displays various information such as images and text according to instructions from the second processing unit 25.

[0043] The second communication unit 23 has a communication interface circuit compliant with, for example, TCP / IP or the like, and is connected to the communication network N. Alternatively, the second communication unit 23 has, for example, an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals, and a radio communication interface circuit for transmitting and receiving signals through a radio communication line in accordance with a radio communication protocol such as a wireless LAN, and is connected to the communication network N via an access point. The second communication unit 23 outputs the data received from the communication network N to the second processing unit 25, and transmits the data input from the second processing unit 25 to the communication network N.

[0044] The second storage unit 24 is an example of a table storage unit, and has a semiconductor memory such as a ROM and a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk drive such as a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM and its recording medium. The second storage unit 24 stores a computer program for controlling the management server 20 and various data, and inputs and outputs this information to and from the second processing unit 25. The computer program may be installed in the second storage unit 24 using a known setup program or the like from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM and a DVD-ROM. The computer program may be stored in a recording medium possessed by a predetermined server and installed via a network. Also, the second storage unit 24 stores, as data, map information 241, a priority table 242, a robot table 243, a space resource table 244, a usage request table 245, and the like. The map information 241 and the space resource table 244 are the same information as the map information 161 and the space resource table 163 stored by the robot 10, respectively. Details of the priority table 242, the robot table 243, the space resource table 244, and the usage request table 245 will be described later.

[0045] The second processing unit 25 includes a processor such as a CPU or MPU, memory such as ROM or RAM, and peripheral circuits, and executes various processes of the management server 20. The second processing unit 25 includes a specific unit 251, a determination unit 252, a receiving unit 253, and a decision unit 254, etc., which are implemented as functional modules of a program that runs on the processor. A DSP, LSI, ASIC, FPGA, etc. may be used as the second processing unit 25.

[0046] The second processing unit 25 receives the setting of the robot 10's work schedule from the controller using the operation unit 21, and transmits the schedule information indicating the received work schedule to the robot 10 via the second communication unit 23 to set it on the robot 10. The second processing unit 25 also receives purpose information and usage requests from the robot 10 via the second communication unit 23, and based on the received purpose information, determines which robot 10 to which to allocate the spatial resource SR from among the multiple robots 10. The second processing unit 25 transmits the determination result, which is the result of the determination, to the multiple robots 10 via the second communication unit 23.

[0047] Figure 3A shows an example of the data structure of the priority table 242. As shown in Figure 3A, the priority table 242 contains usage purposes and the priority for each usage purpose, which are interrelated and set together.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 3A, for the purpose of use, a passing purpose of passing through the space resource SR or a staying purpose of staying in the space resource SR is set. As the passing purpose, a passing purpose of passing through a space resource SR with a detour route or a passing purpose of passing through a space resource SR without a detour route is further set. The detour route is a route that can move between the entrance and the exit of the space resource SR without using the space resource SR. The movement route is the route with the minimum total cost value (total distance) among all the routes from the starting position or the current position of each robot 10 to a predetermined point or a work position. The movement route is obtained by the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 using a known graph search technique such as the Dijkstra method or the A* (A-star) search algorithm. The space resource SR without a detour route indicates a space resource SR that cannot move from the starting position or the current position of each robot 10 to a predetermined point or a work position except by passing through the movement route. In addition, when the movement distance becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined limit distance or the movement time becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined limit time by using the detour route, the detour route may be set as not existing. The limit distance and the predetermined limit time are set in advance by the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20.

[0049] Prioritizing robot 10 intended for stay would increase the waiting time for robot 10 intended for transit, potentially causing delays in its work schedule. In other words, if there is no detour route, robot 10 intended for transit must wait until robot 10 intended for stay completes its predetermined tasks. As a result, robot 10 intended for transit cannot proceed with its work according to its schedule. Therefore, when the purpose of use is set to transit through a spatial resource SR without a detour route, the priority is set higher than when the purpose of use is to stay. On the other hand, if a detour route exists for the spatial resource SR, robot 10 intended for transit does not need to wait until robot 10 intended for stay completes its predetermined tasks. Therefore, when the purpose of use is set to transit through a spatial resource SR with a detour route, the priority is set lower than when the purpose of use is to stay. Alternatively, the priority table 242 may not set priorities, but instead specify the priority relationships between purposes of use (i.e., which purpose of use takes priority). In other words, the management server 20 may have a table storage unit in which the priority relationships of multiple usage purposes are registered.

[0050] Figure 3B shows an example of the data structure of the robot table 243. As shown in Figure 3B, the robot table 243 contains, for each of the multiple robots 10 owned by the robot management system 1, the identification number (robot ID), current position, battery level, schedule information, etc., of each robot 10, all of which are associated with each other. The identification number of each robot 10 is set in the robot management system 1 when each robot 10 is put into use. The current position and battery level of each robot 10 are periodically transmitted from each robot 10 to the management server 20 and updated. The schedule information of each robot 10 is set in the robot table 243 when it is set from the management server 20 to each robot 10.

[0051] Figure 3C shows an example of the data structure of spatial resource tables 163 and 244. Since the data structure of spatial resource table 244 stored by the management server 20 is the same as the data structure of spatial resource table 163 stored by the robot 10, only the data structure of spatial resource table 163 will be explained as a representative example. As shown in Figure 3C, in spatial resource table 163, for each of one or more spatial resource SRs, the resource ID, location, presence or absence of a detour route, and travel time of each spatial resource SR are set in relation to each other. The location, presence or absence of a detour route, and travel time of each spatial resource SR are pre-set by the management server 20 according to the resource ID.

[0052] Figure 3D shows an example of the data structure of the usage request table 245. As shown in Figure 3D, the usage request table 245 contains, for each robot 10 that has sent a usage request, the robot ID of each robot 10, the resource ID of the spatial resource SR that is the target of the usage request, the purpose of use, and the usage time, all of which are interrelated and set up.

[0053] Figure 4 shows a sequence illustrating an example of the robot motion determination process performed by the robot 10. This sequence is executed primarily by the first processing unit 17 in cooperation with the robot 10 and the management server 20, based on a program pre-stored in the first storage unit 16.

[0054] First, the control unit 172 of each robot 10, having received schedule information for each robot 10 from the management server 20, determines the spatial resource SR to be used (step S101). The control unit 172 determines the spatial resource SR to be used by referring to the work position and movement path included in the work schedule, and the resource position included in the spatial resource table 163. The control unit 172 determines the spatial resource SR to be used if the resource position is located on the movement path. The control unit 172 also determines the spatial resource SR to be used if the work position and the resource position coincide. Note that the robot 10 may move to the work position by passing through a path other than the movement path included in the work schedule. In this case, the control unit 172 determines the spatial resource SR to be used if the resource position is located on a path determined using the aforementioned known graph search technique.

[0055] Next, the control unit 172 generates purpose information that includes the resource ID of the spatial resource SR to be used, the purpose of use, and the usage time (step S102). The control unit 172 sets the purpose of use by referring to the work location included in the work schedule and the resource location of the spatial resource SR determined in S101. If the work location included in the work schedule matches the resource location of the spatial resource SR determined in S101, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to be a stay. If the work location included in the work schedule does not match the resource location of the spatial resource SR determined in S101, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to be a pass-through. If the purpose of use is set to be a pass-through, the control unit 172 refers to the presence or absence of a detour route included in the spatial resource table 163 to determine whether the purpose of pass-through is a pass-through purpose to pass through a spatial resource SR with a detour route, or a pass-through purpose to pass through a spatial resource SR without a detour route. If there is a detour route to the spatial resource SR determined in S101, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to pass through the spatial resource SR that has a detour route. If there is no detour route to the spatial resource SR determined in S101, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to pass through the spatial resource SR that does not have a detour route.

[0056] The control unit 172 sets the usage time by referring to the set purpose of use and the work time included in the work schedule or the passage time included in the spatial resource table 163. If the purpose of use is set to stay, the control unit 172 sets the usage time to the time equivalent to the work time. If the purpose of use is set to pass through, the control unit 172 sets the usage time to the time required for the robot 10 to pass through the spatial resource SR.

[0057] As described above, the control unit 172 generates purpose information that includes the resource ID of the spatial resource SR to be used, the purpose of use, and the usage time.

[0058] Next, the control unit 172 transmits the objective information and the request to use the spatial resource SR to the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15 (step S103). If the request to use the resource includes objective information, the control unit 172 transmits the request to use the resource via the first communication unit 15.

[0059] Next, when the management server 20 receives the purpose information and the usage request, it stores the resource ID, purpose of use, and usage time included in the purpose information in the usage request table 245, associated with the robot ID of the robot 10 that sent the usage request and purpose information. If the usage request includes purpose information, when the management server 20 receives the usage request, it stores the resource ID, purpose of use, and usage time in the usage request table 245, associated with the robot ID of the robot 10 that sent the usage request. The management server 20 executes the space resource allocation process in parallel. When the management server 20 determines the allocation of space resource SR through the space resource allocation process, it generates a decision result indicating the allocation of space resource SR and sends the decision result to the robot 10 that sent the usage request for space resource SR (step S104). The processing from S104 onward is executed when the allocation of space resource SR is determined by the space resource allocation process. Details of the space resource allocation process will be described later.

[0060] Next, when the control unit 172 of each robot 10 receives the decision result of the space resource allocation process from the management server 20, it determines the operation of each robot 10 according to the decision result (step S105). The decision result is information that includes whether or not a space resource SR is allocated, and the waiting time if a space resource SR is not allocated. The waiting time is the time corresponding to the usage time included in the purpose information of the robot 10 that has been allocated a space resource SR. The waiting time can also be called the time to keep the robot 10 that has not been allocated a space resource SR on standby.

[0061] If the control unit 172 receives a decision result to allocate the spatial resource SR, it drives the drive unit 12 to move to the spatial resource SR. If the control unit 172 receives a decision result not to allocate the spatial resource SR, it delays the operation of the drive unit 12 for the duration of the waiting time included in the decision result. With this, the robot motion determination process is completed.

[0062] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the spatial resource allocation process by the management server 20. This flowchart is executed mainly by the second processing unit 25 in cooperation with each element of the management server 20, based on a program pre-stored in the second storage unit 24.

[0063] First, the identification unit 251 refers to the spatial resource table 244 to identify the spatial resource SR that is subject to the spatial resource allocation process (step S201). The identification unit 251 sequentially identifies all spatial resource SRs included in the spatial resource table 244, and the determination unit 252 and the decision unit 254 execute the following steps S201 to S207 for each identified spatial resource.

[0064] Next, the determination unit 252 determines whether the receiving unit 253 has received a request for use of the spatial resource SR identified in S201 via the second communication unit 23 within the previously determined time (step S202). The determination unit 252 refers to the resource ID included in the request for use table 245 to determine whether or not a request for use of the target spatial resource SR has been received.

[0065] If it is determined that a usage request has been received (S202-YES), the determination unit 252 determines whether the receiving unit 253 has received usage requests for the target spatial resource SR from multiple robots 10 (step S203). The determination unit 252 refers to the robot ID and resource ID included in the usage request table 245 to determine whether it has received usage requests for the target spatial resource SR from multiple robots 10.

[0066] If it is determined that no usage requests have been received from multiple robots 10 (S203-NO), the decision unit 254 decides to allocate the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 that sent the usage request (step S204), and proceeds to step S207, which will be described later.

[0067] If it is determined that usage requests have been received from multiple robots 10 (S203-YES), the decision unit 254 identifies the priority corresponding to the usage purpose included in each purpose information received with each usage request (step S205). The decision unit 254 refers to the usage purposes included in each purpose information received with each usage request from multiple robots 10 by referring to the usage purposes included in the usage request table 245. If the usage purposes included in each purpose information are different, the decision unit 254 refers to the usage purposes and priorities included in the priority table 242 to determine the priority. If the usage purposes included in each purpose information are the same, the decision unit 254 determines the priority order in the order in which the usage requests were received.

[0068] Next, the decision unit 254 determines which robot 10 to allocate the space resource SR to from among the multiple robots 10 based on the priority identified in S205 (step S206). The decision unit 254 determines that the robot 10 with the highest identified priority will be allocated the space resource SR. The decision unit 254 decides not to allocate the space resource SR to any robots 10 other than the robot 10 to which it has been decided to allocate the space resource SR. The decision unit 254 refers to the robot ID, resource ID, and usage time included in the usage request table 245 to determine which robots 10 will not be allocated the space resource SR and the waiting time for those robots 10.

[0069] The decision unit 254 determines the waiting order for each robot 10 that is not allocated the spatial resource SR, in order of priority. For each robot 10 that is not allocated the spatial resource SR, the decision unit 254 determines the waiting time to be the sum of the usage times of the robots 10 that are allocated the spatial resource before each robot 10.

[0070] The decision unit 254 generates a decision result that includes the result determined in S206 (step S207). For robots 10 to which the decision unit 254 has decided to allocate the spatial resource SR, the decision unit 254 generates a decision result that determines that the spatial resource SR will not be allocated and that a waiting time will be set for robots 10 to which the decision unit 254 has decided not to allocate the spatial resource SR.

[0071] Once the priority order is determined, the decision unit 254 generates a decision result that determines to allocate the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 that is the first to be allocated the spatial resource SR. The decision unit 254 then generates a decision result that determines to allocate the spatial resource SR to the robots 10 that are the second and subsequent to be allocated the spatial resource SR in order, and also includes the waiting time for each robot 10.

[0072] Each decision result determined by the decision unit 254 is transmitted to each of the multiple robots 10 that sent a request to use the target spatial resource SR in S104 described above. The decision unit 254 deletes the target resource ID, the purpose of use associated with the target resource ID, and the usage time stored in the usage request table 245.

[0073] Next, the determination unit 252 determines whether or not the space resource allocation process has been completed for all space resources SR (step S208).

[0074] If it is determined that the space resource allocation process has not been completed for all space resources SR (S208-NO), the decision unit 254 returns to S201. If it is determined that the space resource allocation process has been completed for all space resources SR (S208-YES), the decision unit 254 waits for a predetermined time (step S209) and returns to S201. As a result, the robot management system 1 can execute the space resource allocation process at predetermined intervals and periodically process requests for use of space resources SR from multiple robots 10.

[0075] As explained above, in the robot management system 1, when the management server 20 receives purpose information and usage requests regarding the purpose of using the spatial resource SR from multiple robots 10, or when it receives usage requests for the spatial resource SR including purpose information from multiple robots 10, it determines which robot 10 to assign the spatial resource SR to from among the multiple robots 10 based on the purpose information. In this way, the robot management system 1 can assign the spatial resource SR to the robots 10 according to the purpose of using the spatial resource SR, and can appropriately assign the spatial resource SR to the robots 10.

[0076] In this robot management system 1, it is preferable for the decision unit 254 to determine which robot 10 to assign the spatial resource SR to based on the priority corresponding to the purpose of use included in the received plurality of purpose information. This allows the robot management system 1 to assign the spatial resource SR to robot 10 with a high priority for using the spatial resource SR, and to appropriately allocate the spatial resource SR to the robot 10. The decision unit 254 may also determine which robot 10 to assign the spatial resource SR to based on the priority relationship of the purposes of use included in the received plurality of purpose information. In this case as well, the robot management system 1 can assign the spatial resource SR to robot 10 with a high priority for using the spatial resource SR.

[0077] In this robot management system, it is preferable to set the purpose of use as either a transit purpose (passing through the spatial resource SR) or a stay purpose (staying in the spatial resource SR). Typically, the purpose of use of the spatial resource SR differs between transit purposes and stay purposes, and therefore the need for the spatial resource SR also differs. Since the robot management system 1 sets the purpose of use of the spatial resource SR as either a transit purpose or a stay purpose, it can appropriately allocate the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 according to the purpose of use.

[0078] (Modifications 1 and 2 of Embodiment 1) In the data structure of the priority table 242 of Embodiment 1, the purpose of use was set as either a transit purpose to pass through a spatial resource SR with a detour route, a transit purpose to pass through a spatial resource SR without a detour route, or a stay purpose, and a priority was set in relation to each purpose of use. However, the relationship between the purpose of use and the priority is not limited to this example.

[0079] Figure 6A shows an example of the data structure of the priority table 242a according to Modification 1. In Modification 1, the second storage unit 24 of the management server 20 stores the priority table 242a as data.

[0080] As shown in Figure 6A, the priority table 242a contains a set of usage purposes and the priority levels for each usage purpose, all of which are interrelated.

[0081] As shown in Figure 6A, the purpose of use is set as either a transit purpose (passing through the spatial resource SR) or a stay purpose (staying in the spatial resource SR). Further, transit purposes are set as either low-urgency transit purposes or high-urgency transit purposes. High-urgency transit purposes are transit purposes that require urgent passage through the spatial resource SR to be used. Low-urgency transit purposes are transit purposes other than high-urgency transit purposes.

[0082] An urgent reason for passing through is, for example, when the battery level of robot 10 is low (for example, when the battery level is 10 percent or less). An urgent reason for passing through may also be when robot 10 is responding to an abnormal situation.

[0083] An abnormal situation may be, for example, the occurrence of a fire, the presence of a suspicious person, a person lying down, or the transport of a person in need of rescue. An abnormal situation may also be, for example, the occurrence of dirt on the floor or congestion. An abnormal situation is detected by the detection unit 171 of each robot 10 via the input unit 13 of each robot 10, which is controlled or managed by the management server 20. The control unit 172 of each robot 10 that has detected an abnormal situation generates an abnormal signal indicating that an abnormal situation has been detected and transmits the abnormal signal to the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15. The abnormal signal includes the type of abnormality, the location where the abnormality occurred, etc. The detection unit 171 detects the occurrence of a fire as an abnormal situation when the temperature is above a predetermined threshold, for example. The first processing unit 17 identifies the location where the abnormality occurred by referring to information output from, for example, the position sensor 11.

[0084] The second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 receives an abnormality signal via the second communication unit 23 and transmits an abnormality signal to each of the robots 10 that it controls or manages, other than the robot 10 that detected the abnormal situation.

[0085] The control unit 172 of each robot 10 that generated an abnormal signal, or the control unit 172 of each robot that received an abnormal signal, refers to the type of abnormality and the location where the abnormality occurred, as well as the current position of each robot 10, to determine whether or not to respond to the abnormal situation. The control unit 172 decides to respond to the abnormal situation if the distance between the current position of the robot 10 and the location where the abnormality occurred is less than or equal to a predetermined distance. Even if the distance between the current position of the robot 10 and the location where the abnormality occurred is less than or equal to the predetermined distance, the control unit 172 decides not to respond to the abnormal situation if the type of abnormality is not reversible. Whether or not it is reversible is predetermined by the management server 20, for example, depending on the type of robot 10 (security robot, cleaning robot, guidance robot, transport robot). The abnormal situation may also be detected by another notification system and transmitted as an abnormal signal to the management server 20 or each robot 10.

[0086] If the purpose of use is a transit purpose with low urgency, the priority will be set low. If the purpose of use is a stay purpose, the priority will be set higher than the priority for a transit purpose with low urgency, because there is little need to use the spatial resource SR for a transit purpose with low urgency. If the purpose of use is a transit purpose with high urgency, the priority will be set higher than the priority for a stay purpose, because a highly urgent situation has occurred and there is a particularly high need for robot 10 to use the spatial resource SR.

[0087] In step S102 described in Embodiment 1, the control unit 172 of the robot 10 further determines whether there is an emergency depending on whether the remaining battery level of its own device is above a predetermined threshold or whether the device is responding to an abnormal situation, and generates objective information including the information regarding the determined emergency status. In step S103 described in Embodiment 1, the control unit 172 transmits the objective information including the information regarding the emergency status to the management server 20 along with the usage request. If the objective information is included in the usage request, the control unit 172 transmits the usage request including the objective information including the information regarding the emergency status to the management server 20.

[0088] The management server 20 receives purpose information, including information regarding urgency, along with the usage request. If purpose information is included in the usage request, the management server 20 receives the usage request that includes purpose information, including information regarding urgency. The usage request table 245 stores the resource ID, usage purpose, and usage time included in the purpose information, associated with the robot ID of the robot 10 that sent the usage request. If the usage purpose includes a transit purpose, the usage request table 245 stores either a transit purpose with low urgency or a transit purpose with high urgency.

[0089] The decision unit 254 of the management server 20 identifies the priority corresponding to the purpose of use included in the purpose information received with each use request, in the same manner as in step S205 described in Embodiment 1. The decision unit 254 then determines, based on the identified priority, which robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR will be allocated from among the multiple robots 10, in the same manner as in step S206 described in Embodiment 1.

[0090] Figure 6B shows an example of the data structure of 242b according to Modification 2. As shown in Figure 6B, the priority table 242b has usage purposes and the priority for each usage purpose set in relation to each other.

[0091] As shown in Figure 6B, the purpose of use is set as either passing through the spatial resource SR or staying in the spatial resource SR. For the purpose of staying, the content of the work to be performed in the spatial resource SR (cleaning or inspection, etc.) is further set.

[0092] When the purpose of use is simply to pass through, the priority is set low. When the purpose of use is to stay for cleaning, the priority is set higher than for passing through, because dirt and other issues within the facility may cause discomfort to other facility users. When the purpose of use is to stay for inspection, the inspection involves tasks directly related to the safety of the facility, such as checking trash cans or confirming that locks are secured. Since these tasks require a high priority, the priority is set higher than for staying for cleaning.

[0093] In step S102 described in Embodiment 1, the control unit 172 of the robot 10 further refers to the work content included in the work schedule and generates objective information including the work content. The work content is the content of the work to be performed while staying in the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 transmits the objective information including the work content to the management server 20 along with the usage request, in the same manner as in step S103 described in Embodiment 1. If the objective information is included in the usage request, the control unit 172 transmits the usage request including the objective information including the work content to the management server 20.

[0094] The management server 20 receives purpose information, including the work details, along with the usage request. If purpose information is included in the usage request, the management server 20 receives the usage request that includes purpose information, including the work details. The usage request table 245 stores the resource ID, usage purpose, and usage time included in the purpose information, associated with the robot ID of the robot 10 that sent the usage request. If the usage purpose includes a purpose of stay, the usage request table 245 stores the purpose of stay as either a purpose of stay for cleaning or a purpose of stay for inspection.

[0095] The decision unit 254 of the management server 20 identifies the priority corresponding to each purpose of use included in the purpose information received with each use request, in the same manner as in step S205 described in Embodiment 1. The decision unit 254 then determines, based on the identified priority, which robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR will be allocated from among the multiple robots 10, in the same manner as in step S206 described in Embodiment 1.

[0096] In both Modification 1 and Modification 2, the determination unit 254 determines which robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR will be allocated based on the priority corresponding to the purpose of use included in the objective information. This enables the robot management system 1 to appropriately allocate the spatial resource SR to the robot 10. In addition, similar to the priority table 242 in Embodiment 1, priority tables 242a and 242b may be set without priorities being set, but with priority relationships between purposes of use being set.

[0097] (Modification 3 of Embodiment 1) In Embodiment 1, the management server 20 has a priority table 242, and the decision unit 254 determines which robot 10 to which to allocate the spatial resource SR based on the priority corresponding to the purpose of use included in the purpose information. However, the first storage unit 16 of the robot 10 may have any of the priority table 242, priority table 242a, or priority table 242b. In this case, the control unit 172 of the robot 10 transmits the priority as purpose information, and the decision unit 254 of the management server 20 determines which robot 10 to which to allocate the spatial resource SR based on the transmitted priority. In this modification, step S205 described in Embodiment 1 is omitted. Also, in the second storage unit 24, each priority table is omitted.

[0098] The control unit 172 of the robot 10 determines the spatial resource SR to be used in the same manner as in step S101 described in Embodiment 1. In step S102 described in Embodiment 1, the control unit 172 further refers to the purpose of use and priority included in the priority table 242, priority table 242a, or priority table 242b stored in the first storage unit 16 to identify the priority as purpose information. The control unit 172 identifies the priority by the same process as in S205 described in Embodiment 1. In step S103 described in Embodiment 1, the control unit 172 transmits the priority, including the resource ID and usage time of the spatial resource SR, to the management server 20 along with the usage request.

[0099] The management server 20 receives the usage request along with the priority. The usage request table 245 stores the resource ID, priority, and usage time of the spatial resource SR that is the target of the usage request, associated with the robot ID of the robot 10 that sent the usage request.

[0100] In step S206 described in Embodiment 1, the decision unit 254 of the management server 20 refers to the robot ID, resource ID, and priority included in the usage request table 245 to determine which robot to allocate the spatial resource SR to from among the multiple robots 10. The decision unit 254 determines that the robot 10 with the highest priority identified in S102 is the robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR will be allocated.

[0101] In the modified example 3, each of the multiple robots 10 has a priority table 242, priority table 242a, or priority table 242b in which priorities are registered for each of the multiple purposes of use. The control unit 172 of the robot 10 transmits the priority as purpose information, and the decision unit 254 of the management server 20 determines which robot 10 to which to allocate the spatial resource SR based on the multiple priorities received. As a result, the robot management system 1 can appropriately allocate the spatial resource SR to the robots 10.

[0102] (Modification 4 of Embodiment 1) In Embodiment 1, the management server 20 performed space resource allocation processing at predetermined intervals. However, the management server 20 may also perform space resource allocation processing if it receives a request to use space resources from another robot 10 after it has already allocated space resources SR to one robot 10. In this case, steps S202, S203, and S209 described in Embodiment 1 are omitted.

[0103] The decision unit 254 determines the priority of the other robot 10 in the same manner as in step S205 described in Embodiment 1. If it determines that the priority of the other robot 10 is higher than the priority of the robot 10 that has already been allocated the spatial resource SR (hereinafter referred to as the "allocated robot"), the decision unit 254 decides to cancel the allocation of the spatial resource SR to the allocated robot 10 and transmits the decision result to the allocated robot 10.

[0104] When a decision result to cancel the allocation of spatial resource SR is received, the control unit 172 of the allocated robot 10 determines whether the current position of the allocated robot 10 is within the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 of the allocated robot 10 determines whether the allocated robot 10 is within the spatial resource SR depending on whether the current position obtained by the position sensor 11 matches the resource position included in the spatial resource table 244.

[0105] If it is determined that the assigned robot 10 is not currently located within the spatial resource SR, the control unit 172 of the assigned robot 10 stops or puts the drive unit 12 of the assigned robot 10 into standby mode. The control unit 172 of the assigned robot 10 may also drive the drive unit 12 to move the robot to the vicinity of the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 of the assigned robot 10 transmits acceptance information to the management server 20 indicating that it has accepted the decision result.

[0106] If it is determined that the current location of the assigned robot 10 is within the spatial resource SR, the control unit 172 of the assigned robot 10 sends rejection information to the management server 20 indicating that the decision result is rejected.

[0107] The decision unit 254 of the management server 20 decides to allocate the spatial resource SR to another robot 10 when it receives acceptance information, and decides not to allocate the spatial resource SR to another robot 10 when it receives rejection information. This makes it possible for the robot management system 1 to appropriately allocate the spatial resource SR according to the status of the already allocated robots 10 when a robot 10 with a higher priority for using the spatial resource SR appears later.

[0108] (Other modifications of Embodiment 1) In the robot management system 1, the management server 20 may be omitted. In this case, the first processing unit 17 of each robot 10 has a specific unit 251, a determination unit 252, a receiving unit 253, and a decision unit 254. For example, if the detection unit 171 detects that another robot 10 exists within a predetermined spatial resource SR via the input unit 13 of the robot 10, the control unit 172 of the robot 10 transmits purpose information or priority and a request to use the spatial resource SR to the other robot 10. When the control unit 172 of the other robot 10 receives a request to use from the robot 10, it determines which robot to allocate the spatial resource to based on the priority corresponding to the purpose of use included in the received purpose information, or based on the received priority, and transmits the decision result to the robot 10. As a result, the robot management system can appropriately allocate the spatial resource SR to each robot 10 even without the management server 20.

[0109] The decision unit 254 may determine priority using two or three of the following in addition to the purpose of use and purpose of stay: the availability of alternative routes, urgency, and work content. The decision unit 254 may also determine priority using only the purpose of use and purpose of stay. The decision unit 254 may also identify priority using other information in addition to the purpose of use and purpose of stay.

[0110] The second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 may identify whether there is a detour route, whether it is urgent, or the content of the work. When identifying whether there is a detour route, the second processing unit 25 identifies the presence or absence of a detour route based on the relationship between the resource ID included in the purpose of use of the robot 10 that sent the request to use the spatial resource SR and the presence or absence of a detour route associated with the resource ID included in the spatial resource table 244.

[0111] When determining whether there is an emergency, the second processing unit 25 identifies the current location of the robot 10 that sent the request to use the spatial resource SR from the robot ID of the robot 10 that sent the request and the current location associated with the robot ID included in the robot table 243. The second processing unit 25 identifies the purpose of use of the robot 10 that sent the request as an urgent pass-through purpose if the current location matches the location of the anomaly included in the anomaly signal, and the purpose of use included in the purpose information sent with the request is a pass-through purpose.

[0112] When identifying the work content, the second processing unit 25 identifies the purpose of use included in the purpose information transmitted along with the request to use the spatial resource SR. If the purpose of use is for a stay, the second processing unit 25 refers to the time the request for use was received and the start time of the work included in the work schedule. If the difference between the time the request for use was received and the start time of the work is within a predetermined threshold (for example, 1 minute), the second processing unit 25 refers to the work information included in the work schedule and identifies whether the work performed by the robot 10 that sent the request to use the spatial resource SR is cleaning or inspection. Depending on whether the identified work is cleaning or inspection, the second processing unit 25 identifies whether the purpose of use of the robot 10 that sent the request for use of the spatial resource SR is for cleaning or for inspection.

[0113] The robot management system according to Embodiment 2 will be described below with reference to the figures. In Embodiment 2 described below, the same reference numerals are used for components similar to those in Embodiment 1 described above, and their descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0114] Figure 7 shows an overview of the robot management system 2 according to Embodiment 2. In the robot management system 2, when the autonomously mobile second robot 10b (10) attempts to use the spatial resource SR, if the spatial resource SR has already been allocated to the autonomously mobile first robot 10a (10), the management server 20 determines whether or not to issue an evacuation instruction to the first robot 10a.

[0115] Figure 8 shows the overall system configuration of the robot management system 2 according to Embodiment 2. The robot management system 2 differs from the robot management system 1 according to Embodiment 1 in that the first storage unit 16 of the robot 10 has a spatial resource table 163' instead of a spatial resource table 163. The robot management system 2 also differs from the robot management system 1 in that the second storage unit 24 of the management server 20 has a spatial resource table 244' instead of a spatial resource table 244. The robot management system 2 also differs from the robot management system 1 in that the second storage unit 24 has an allocation table 246 instead of a usage request table 245. Furthermore, the robot management system 2 differs from the robot management system 1 in that the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 further has a transmission unit 255 and a management unit 256 implemented as functional modules on the processor.

[0116] The second processing unit 25 receives purpose information and usage requests from the robot 10 via the second communication unit 23. When it receives a usage request from one robot 10 (the second robot 10b), if the spatial resources have already been allocated to another robot 10 (the first robot 10a), it determines whether or not to issue a retreat instruction to the first robot 10a.

[0117] Figure 9A shows an example of the data structure of spatial resource tables 163' and 244'. The data structure of spatial resource table 244' stored by the management server 20 is the same as the data structure of spatial resource table 163' stored by the robot 10, so only the data structure of spatial resource table 163' will be explained as a representative example. As shown in Figure 9A, in spatial resource table 163', for each of one or more spatial resource SRs, the resource ID, location, presence or absence of detour routes, whether two-way traffic is permitted, evacuation location, and passage time are set in relation to each other. The location, presence or absence of detour routes, whether two-way traffic is permitted, evacuation location, and passage time of a spatial resource SR are pre-set by the management server 20 according to the resource ID. Two-way traffic indicates that two or more robots 10 are passing through the spatial resource SR. Two-way traffic includes movement where robots 10 pass each other and movement where robot 10 overtakes other robots 10. The evacuation position is a position where a robot 10 that has been allocated the spatial resource SR temporarily waits when the spatial resource SR is being used by another robot 10.

[0118] Figure 9B shows an example of the data structure of the allocation table 246. As shown in Figure 9B, the allocation table 246 contains, for each spatial resource SR that is the target of a usage request, the resource ID of the spatial resource SR, whether the spatial resource SR has been allocated (a flag indicating whether it has been allocated or not), the robot ID of each robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR has been allocated, the purpose of use, and the usage time, all of which are interrelated and set up.

[0119] Figure 10 shows a sequence illustrating an example of the robot motion determination process performed by robot 10. This sequence is executed primarily by the first processing unit 17 in cooperation with each element of robot 10 and management server 20, based on a program pre-stored in the first storage unit 16. For convenience, the robot 10 that sends the request to use the spatial resource SR first will be referred to as the first robot 10a, and the robot 10 that sends the request to use the spatial resource SR later will be referred to as the second robot 10b.

[0120] First, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a, having received schedule information from the management server 20, determines the spatial resources SR to be used (step S301). The control unit 172 determines the spatial resources SR to be used by referring to the work position and movement path included in the work schedule, and the resource area included in the spatial resource table 163. The control unit 172 determines the spatial resources SR to be used if the movement path overlaps with the resource area. The control unit 172 also determines the spatial resources SR to be used if the work position overlaps with the resource area. The first robot 10a may move to the work position by passing through a path other than the movement path included in the work schedule. In this case, the control unit 172 determines the spatial resources SR to be used if the path determined using the aforementioned known graph search technique overlaps with the resource area.

[0121] Next, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a generates purpose information that includes the resource ID of the spatial resource SR to be used, the purpose of use, and the time of use (step S302). The control unit 172 sets the purpose of use by referring to the work position included in the work schedule and the resource area of ​​the spatial resource SR determined in S301. If the work position included in the work schedule overlaps with the resource area of ​​the spatial resource SR determined in S301, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to stay. If the work position included in the work schedule does not overlap with the resource area of ​​the spatial resource SR determined in S301, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to pass through. If the purpose of use is set to pass through, the control unit 172 refers to the presence or absence of a detour route included in the spatial resource table 163 to determine whether the purpose of pass through is to pass through a spatial resource SR with a detour route, or to pass through a spatial resource SR without a detour route. If there is a detour route to the spatial resource SR determined in S301, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to pass through the spatial resource SR that has a detour route. If there is no detour route to the spatial resource SR determined in S301, the control unit 172 sets the purpose of use to pass through the spatial resource SR that does not have a detour route.

[0122] The control unit 172 of the first robot 10a sets the usage time by referring to the set purpose of use and the work time included in the work schedule or the passage time included in the spatial resource table 163. If the purpose of use is set to be passage, the control unit 172 sets the time required for the first robot 10a to pass through the spatial resource SR as the usage time.

[0123] As described above, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a generates purpose information that includes the resource ID of the spatial resource SR to be used, the purpose of use, and the usage time.

[0124] Next, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a transmits the objective information and the request to use the spatial resource SR to the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15 (step S303).

[0125] Next, when the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 receives the objective information and usage request from the first robot 10a, it executes a determination process (step S304). In the determination process, the determination unit 252 of the management server 20 determines whether or not the requested spatial resource SR is assigned to any of the robots 10. If the spatial resource SR is assigned to any of the robots 10, the determination unit 252 of the management server 20 determines whether or not to move the robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR is assigned and to allow the robot 10 that sent the usage request to use the spatial resource SR. Based on the information obtained from the robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR is assigned or the robot 10 that sent the usage request, the determination unit 252 determines whether or not to issue a move-out instruction. Details of the determination process will be described later.

[0126] Next, if the determination process determines that the requested spatial resource SR is not assigned to any of the robots 10, the transmission unit 255 of the management server 20 sends an assignment permission to the first robot 10a that sent the request for the spatial resource SR, via the second communication unit 23, granting permission to assign the requested spatial resource SR (step S305). The management unit 256 of the management server 20 sets the assignment flag, robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time associated with the resource ID of the spatial resource SR for which assignment has been permitted in the assignment table 246, and sets the robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time included in the purpose information of the first robot 10a that sent the request for use.

[0127] Next, when the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a receives an allocation permission from the management server 20, it determines the operation of the first robot 10a (step S306). The operation is to pass through the requested spatial resource SR or to perform a predetermined task at the requested spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 refers to the current position of the first robot 10a and the resource area included in the spatial resource table 244, activates the drive unit 12 to move to the spatial resource SR, and causes the first robot 10a to perform the aforementioned operation.

[0128] Meanwhile, the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b, having received schedule information from the management server 20, determines the spatial resource SR to be used in the same manner as described in S301 (step S307). The control unit 172 of the second robot 10b generates objective information in the same manner as described in S302 (step S308). The control unit 172 of the second robot 10b transmits the objective information and usage request to the management server 20 in the same manner as described in S303 (step 3109).

[0129] Next, when the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 receives the objective information and usage request from the second robot 10b, it executes a determination process (step S310). The determination process in S310 is the same as the process in S304.

[0130] Next, if the determination process decides to evacuate the robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR has been allocated and to allow the robot 10 that sent the usage request to use the spatial resource SR, the transmission unit 255 of the management server 20 sends an evacuation instruction to the first robot 10a instructing it to evacuate from the spatial resource SR (step S311). That is, the transmission unit 255 sends the evacuation instruction based on the determination result of the determination unit 252. The evacuation instruction is either an evacuation instruction within the spatial resource SR or an evacuation instruction outside the spatial resource SR. An evacuation instruction within the spatial resource SR is an instruction to evacuate the first robot 10a while keeping it in the spatial resource SR. An evacuation instruction outside the spatial resource SR is an instruction to evacuate the first robot 10a outside the spatial resource SR.

[0131] Next, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a receives a retreat instruction from the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15 and retreats (step S312). If the retreat instruction is for retreat within the spatial resource SR, the control unit 172 retreats within the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 drives the drive unit 12 of its own device to move to a retreat position included in the spatial resource table 163. In this case, the retreat position is located within the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 of the first robot 10a may also retreat to a position within the spatial resource SR other than the retreat position, based on the distance between its own device and the object obtained from the input unit 13.

[0132] If the evacuation instruction is to evacuate outside the spatial resource SR, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a evacuates outside the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 drives the drive unit 12 of its device to move to an evacuation position included in the spatial resource table 163. In this case, the evacuation position is located outside the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 may also evacuate to a position outside the spatial resource SR other than the evacuation position, based on the distance to the object obtained from the input unit 13.

[0133] Next, when the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a has completed moving to the retraction position, it transmits a message indicating that the retraction is complete to the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15 (step S313). The control unit 172 determines that the movement to the retraction position is complete when the current position of the first robot 10a coincides with the retraction position. The control unit 172 may also transmit a message indicating that the retraction is complete when the distance between its own device and the object acquired from the input unit 13 falls below a predetermined threshold (for example, 30 centimeters).

[0134] Next, when the transmission unit 255 of the management server 20 receives confirmation of the completion of the backup via the second communication unit 23, it sends an assignment permission to the second robot 10b that sent the request to use the spatial resource SR via the second communication unit 23 (step S314). The management unit 256 of the management server 20 sets the assignment flag associated with the resource ID of the spatial resource SR from which the first robot 10a was backed up to none in the assignment table 246, and deletes the assignment flag, robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time associated with that resource ID. Subsequently, the management unit 256 sets the assignment flag, robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time associated with that resource ID to none, respectively, in the assignment table 246, and sets the robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time included in the purpose information of the second robot 10b that sent the request to use.

[0135] Next, when the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b receives an assignment instruction via the first communication unit 15, it determines the operation of the second robot 10b (step S315). The control unit 172 refers to the current position of the second robot 10b and the resource area included in the spatial resource table 244, and activates the drive unit 12 of its device to move to the spatial resource SR. When the control unit 172 arrives at the assigned spatial resource SR, it transmits an arrival signal to the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15, indicating that it has arrived at the spatial resource SR. The control unit 172 either allows the second robot 10b to pass through the spatial resource SR or to perform a predetermined task at the spatial resource SR. When the predetermined task is completed, the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b transmits a usage completion message to the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15, indicating that the use of the spatial resource SR has ended. When the management unit 256 of the management server 20 receives a notification of the end of use via the second communication unit 23, it deletes the allocation flag, robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time associated with the resource ID of the space resource SR whose use has ended in the allocation table 246. It then resets the allocation flag, robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time for the robot that was moved out due to the use of the space resource SR by the robot 10 that sent the use request (second robot 10b), i.e., the robot 10 that had the space resource SR allocated to it before the space resource SR was allocated to the robot 10 that sent the use request (first robot 10a), and sends an allocation permission to the first robot 10a via the second communication unit 23. With this, the robot operation determination process is completed.

[0136] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the decision-making process by the management server 20. This flowchart is executed mainly by the second processing unit 25 in cooperation with each element of the management server 20, based on a program pre-stored in the second storage unit 24. The decision-making process is performed in S304 and S310 as described above.

[0137] First, when the receiving unit 253 receives a usage request from the robot 10, the determination unit 252 determines whether the spatial resource SR specified in the purpose information received along with the usage request is assigned to any of the robots 10 (step S401). The determination unit 252 refers to the assignment table 246 and determines whether the resource is assigned to any of the robots 10 based on whether the assignment flag associated with the resource ID included in the purpose information is set to "yes".

[0138] If it is determined that the target spatial resource SR is not assigned to any of the robots 10 (S401-NO), the decision unit 254 decides to assign the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 that sent the usage request (step S402) and generates an assignment instruction. That is, the decision unit 254 assigns the spatial resource to the robot 10 that sent the usage request. This completes the determination process. If it is decided to assign the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 that sent the usage request, the transmission unit 255 transmits the generated assignment instruction to the robot 10 that sent the usage request via the second communication unit 23, as described in S305 above.

[0139] If the target spatial resource SR is assigned to any of the robots 10 (S401-YES), the identification unit 251 identifies the priority for each of the robots 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned and the robot 10 that sent the usage request (step S403). The identification unit 251 refers to the assignment table 246 and identifies the usage purpose associated with the combination of the robot ID of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned and the resource ID of the target spatial resource SR. The identification unit 251 identifies the usage purpose included in the purpose information received from the robot 10 that sent the usage request. The identification unit 251 refers to the priority table 242 and identifies the priority associated with each identified usage purpose. In this way, the identification unit 251 identifies the priority for each of the robots 10 to each usage purpose.

[0140] Next, the determination unit 252 compares the priorities of each robot 10 identified in S403 and determines whether the priority of the robot 10 that sent the usage request is higher than the priority of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned (step S404).

[0141] If the priority of the robot 10 that sent the usage request is higher than the priority of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned (S404-YES), it is decided to move the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned and to allow the robot 10 that sent the usage request to use the spatial resource SR (S405).

[0142] Next, the determination unit 252 determines whether both the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned and the robot 10 that sent the usage request, i.e., two robots 10, can pass through the target spatial resource SR (step S406). The determination unit 252 refers to the spatial resource table 244' and determines whether both robots 10 can pass through the target spatial resource SR based on whether the resource ID of the target spatial resource SR is set to allow bidirectional passage.

[0143] If it is determined that two robots 10 can pass through the target spatial resource SR (S406-YES), the determination unit 254 decides to send an evacuation instruction within the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned (step S407), and generates an evacuation instruction within the spatial resource SR. In this case, the transmission unit 255 transmits the generated evacuation instruction within the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned via the second communication unit 23, as described in S311 above. This completes the determination process.

[0144] If it is determined that two robots 10 cannot pass through the target spatial resource SR (S406-NO), the determination unit 254 decides to instruct the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned to move outside the spatial resource SR (step S408), and generates an instruction to move outside the spatial resource SR. In this case, as described in S311 above, the transmission unit 255 transmits the generated instruction to move outside the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned via the second communication unit 23. This completes the determination process.

[0145] On the other hand, in step S404, if it is determined that the priority of the robot 10 that sent the usage request is not higher than the priority of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned (S404-NO), the decision unit 254 decides not to move the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned and not to allow the robot 10 that sent the usage request to use the spatial resource SR (step S409). The case where the priority is not higher also includes the case where the purpose of use of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned and the purpose of use of the robot 10 that sent the usage request are the same.

[0146] Next, the decision unit 254 decides to send a denial instruction to the robot 10 that sent the request to use the target spatial resource SR, notifying the robot 10 that it is not permitted to use the spatial resource SR (step S410), and generates a denial instruction. The transmission unit 255 sends the denial instruction to the robot 10 that sent the request via the second communication unit 23. This completes the determination process.

[0147] As explained above, in the robot management system 2, when the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 receives a usage request from the robot 10, if the spatial resource SR has already been allocated to another robot 10, it determines whether or not to issue a retreat instruction to the robot 10a to which the spatial resource SR has already been allocated. This enables the robot management system 2 to properly manage the spatial resource SR.

[0148] In this robot management system 2, the control unit 172 of the robot 10 preferably transmits purpose information regarding the purpose of using the spatial resource SR along with the usage request, and the determination unit 252 of the management server 20 preferably determines whether or not to issue a retreat instruction based on the purpose information. This enables the robot management system 2 to appropriately determine whether or not to retreat a robot that has already been allocated the spatial resource SR.

[0149] In this robot management system 2, it is preferable for the decision unit 254 of the management server 20 to decide to issue a retreat instruction if the priority of the second robot 10b using the spatial resource SR is higher than the priority of the first robot 10. This allows the robot management system 2 to allocate the spatial resource SR to the robot 10 with the higher priority of using the spatial resource SR. In other words, the robot management system 2 can appropriately determine whether or not to retreat a robot to which the spatial resource SR has already been allocated.

[0150] In this robot management system 2, it is preferable to set the purpose of use as either a passage purpose (to pass through the spatial resource SR) or a stay purpose (to stay in the spatial resource SR). Typically, the purpose of use of the spatial resource SR differs between a passage purpose and a stay purpose, and therefore the necessity of the spatial resource SR also differs. By setting the purpose of use of the spatial resource SR as either a passage purpose or a stay purpose, the robot management system 2 makes it possible to appropriately determine whether or not to evacuate a robot that has already been assigned the spatial resource SR.

[0151] In this robot management system 2, it is preferable that the decision unit 254 of the management server 20 decides to move the first robot 10a into the spatial resource SR if the spatial resource SR is passable for both the first robot 10a and the second robot 10b, and decides to move the first robot outside the spatial resource if the spatial resource SR is impassable for both the first robot 10a and the second robot 10b. This allows the robot management system 2 to minimize the movement of the robot (first robot 10a) that has already been allocated the spatial resource SR. This also contributes to suppressing schedule delays for the first robot 10a.

[0152] (Various Modifications of Embodiment 2) In the various modifications described below, the same reference numerals are used for components similar to those in Embodiment 2 described above, and their descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, in each modification, unless otherwise specified, the robot motion determination process (Figure 10) and the judgment process (Figure 11) of Embodiment 2 are executed.

[0153] (Modifications 1 and 2 of Embodiment 2) In the data structure of the priority table 242 of Embodiment 2, the purpose of use was set as either a transit purpose to pass through a spatial resource SR with a detour route, a transit purpose to pass through a spatial resource SR without a detour route, or a stay purpose, and a priority was set in relation to each purpose of use. However, the relationship between the purpose of use and the priority is not limited to this example.

[0154] In the first modification of Embodiment 2, the second storage unit 24 of the management server 20 stores the priority table 242a described in the first modification of Embodiment 1 (Figure 6A) as data.

[0155] The receiving unit 253 of the management server 20 receives an abnormal signal via the second communication unit 23. The transmitting unit 255 of the management server 20 transmits an abnormal signal to each of the robots 10 that it controls or manages, other than the robot 10 that detected the abnormal situation.

[0156] In S302 of Figure 10, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a further determines whether there is an emergency depending on whether the remaining battery level of its own device is above a predetermined battery threshold, or whether the device is responding to an abnormal situation, and generates objective information including the information regarding the determination of whether there is an emergency. In S303, the control unit 172 transmits the objective information, including the information regarding whether there is an emergency, to the management server 20 along with the usage request.

[0157] In S305, the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 sets the purpose of passage in the allocation table 246, including whether or not it is urgent.

[0158] In S308, the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b generates objective information, including information regarding the urgency of the situation. In S309, the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b transmits the objective information, including information regarding the urgency of the situation, to the management server 20 along with the request for use.

[0159] In S310, the receiving unit 253 of the management server 20 receives purpose information, including information regarding the use request and whether or not it is urgent, transmitted from the second robot 10b via the second communication unit 23.

[0160] Figure 12 shows an example of the data structure of the priority table 242c according to Modification 2 of Embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 12, the priority table 242c has the robot type and the priority for each robot type set in relation to each other. In Modification 2, the robot table 243 has the robot ID, current position, battery level, schedule information, etc. for each of the multiple robots 10 owned by the robot management system 2, and in addition, the type of each robot 10 is set in relation to each other.

[0161] As shown in Figure 12, the types of robots can be set as transport robots, cleaning robots, or security robots.

[0162] When a transport robot is selected as the robot type, its priority is set low. When a cleaning robot is selected as the robot type, its priority is set higher than that of a transport robot because dirt and other issues within the facility can cause discomfort to facility users. When a security robot is selected as the robot type, its priority is set higher than that of a cleaning robot because security is a task related to the safety of the facility and therefore requires a higher priority.

[0163] In S403 of Figure 11, the determination unit 252 of the management server 20 refers to the robot table 243 to identify the type of robot associated with the robot ID. The determination unit 252 refers to the priority table 242c instead of the priority table 242 to identify the priority associated with the purpose of use. In this way, the determination unit 252 identifies the priority for each type of robot 10 for the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned and the robot 10 that sent the usage request. That is, the determination unit 252 determines whether or not to issue a retreat instruction based on the type information regarding the type of robot 10. The decision unit 254 determines whether or not to issue a retreat instruction based on the type information regarding the type of robot 10.

[0164] In the modified versions 1 and 2 of Embodiment 2, the decision unit 254 of the management server 20 issues a retreat instruction to the robot 10 to which the target space resource SR has been assigned if the priority of the robot 10 that sent the usage request for the space resource SR is higher than the priority of the robot 10 to which the target space resource SR has been assigned. This enables the robot management system 2 to retreat the robot 10 to which the target space resource SR has been assigned from the space resource SR according to the priority of the space resource SR.

[0165] (Modification 3 of Embodiment 2) In Embodiment 2 and Modifications 1 and 2 of Embodiment 2, the management server 20 has priority tables 242, 242a, and 242c, and the decision unit 254 decides to issue a retreat instruction if the priority of the robot 10 that sent the usage request to use the spatial resource SR is higher than the priority of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned. However, the determination of whether or not to retreat may be made based on a basis other than priority. In Modification 3 of Embodiment 2, the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 determines whether or not to retreat based on the remaining time of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR is assigned and the grace period of the work schedule including the use of the spatial resource SR by the robot 10 that sent the usage request. In Modification 3, the priority tables 242, 242a, and 242c of the management server 20 are omitted.

[0166] In step S403 of Figure 11, instead of determining priority, the determination unit 252 calculates the remaining time for the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned, and the grace period for the robot 10 that sent the usage request. The determination unit 252 calculates the remaining time by subtracting the elapsed time from when the assignment permission was sent to the robot 10 to the present from the usage time associated with the resource ID of the target spatial resource SR in the assignment table 246. Alternatively, the determination unit 252 may set the usage time associated with the resource ID of the target spatial resource SR in the assignment table 246 as the remaining time.

[0167] The determination unit 252 calculates the time from the start time of the work to the current time, and calculates the grace period by subtracting the travel time required for the robot 10 to move from its current position to the work position from the calculated time. The determination unit 252 also calculates the travel time by dividing the distance traveled between the robot 10's current position and the work position by the robot 10's travel speed.

[0168] In S404, instead of determining the priority level, the determination unit 252 determines whether the grace period for the second robot 10b is shorter than the remaining time for the first robot 10a. If the grace period for the second robot 10b is shorter than the remaining time for the first robot 10a, the determination unit 252 decides to move the first robot 10a to a safe place and allow the second robot 10b to use the space resource SR. On the other hand, if the grace period for the second robot 10b is equal to or longer than the remaining time for the first robot 10a, the decision unit 254 decides not to move the first robot 10a to a safe place and not to allow the second robot 10b to use the space resource SR. This allows the robot management system 2 to move the robot 10 that has been assigned to use the target space resource SR from the space resource if the robot 10 that sent the usage request is likely to fall behind schedule. This also contributes to suppressing schedule delays for the robot 10 that sent the usage request.

[0169] The determination unit 252 may also determine whether to issue an evacuation order based on time information regarding the use of the spatial resource SR by the robot 10 assigned to use the target spatial resource SR (first robot 10a) or the robot 10 that sent the use request (second robot 10b). The time information is the remaining time for the first robot 10 to use the spatial resource SR, the time required for the second robot 10b to use the spatial resource SR, or the grace period for the work schedule including the use of the spatial resource by the second robot 10b. For example, the determination unit 252 may determine whether the remaining time for the robot 10 assigned to use the spatial resource SR is equal to or greater than a first time threshold (e.g., 3 minutes). The determination unit 252 may also determine whether the grace period for the robot 10b that sent the use request is equal to or less than a second time threshold. In other words, the determination unit 252 determines whether to issue an evacuation order based on the usage time of the spatial resource SR for the robot 10 assigned to use the spatial resource SR or the grace period for the work to be performed by the robot 10 that sent the use request. The decision unit 254 decides to issue an evacuation instruction to the robot 10 assigned to use the spatial resource SR if the remaining time is equal to or greater than the first time threshold, or if the grace period is equal to or less than the second time threshold. The first time threshold and / or the second time threshold are set in advance by, for example, the management server 20. In this case as well, the robot management system 2 makes it possible to evacuate the robot 10 that has been assigned to use the spatial resource SR from the spatial resource, according to the status of each robot 10.

[0170] Furthermore, the determination unit 252 may determine whether the time required for the second robot 10b that sent the usage request to use the spatial resource SR (required time) is within a third time threshold (for example, 1 minute). The determination unit 252 may also determine whether the required time for the second robot 10b that sent the usage request is equal to or greater than a fourth time threshold. In other words, the determination unit 252 determines whether to issue a retreat instruction based on the usage time of the spatial resource SR by the robot 10 that sent the usage request for the spatial resource SR. The decision unit 254 decides to issue a retreat instruction to the robot 10 that has been assigned to use the spatial resource SR if the required time is within the third time threshold. This makes it possible for the robot management system 2 to retreat the robot 10 that has been assigned to use the spatial resource SR when the robot 10 that sent the usage request will only use the spatial resource SR for a short time.

[0171] (Modification 4 of Embodiment 2) In Modification 4 of Embodiment 2, the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20 determines whether or not to evacuate the robot 10 (second robot 10b) that sent the usage request later, depending on whether or not its battery is below the battery threshold. In Modification 4 as well, the priority table 242 of the management server 20 is omitted.

[0172] In step S403 of Figure 11, the determination unit 252 sets the battery threshold for the second robot 10b instead of determining the priority. The battery threshold is set in advance by, for example, the management server 20. The battery threshold may be set to increase as the distance traveled from the current position of each robot 10 to the target position, such as the work start position, increases.

[0173] In S404, instead of determining the priority level, the determination unit 252 determines whether the battery level of the second robot 10b is below the battery threshold. That is, if the battery level of the second robot 10b is below the battery threshold, the decision unit 254 decides to issue an evacuation instruction to the robot 10 that has been assigned to use the spatial resource SR.

[0174] In the modified example 4 of Embodiment 2, the determination unit 252 of the management server 20 determines whether or not to issue an evacuation instruction based on the remaining battery level of the robot 10 that sent the usage request. This enables the robot management system 2 to evacuate the robot 10 that has been assigned to use the spatial resource SR before it becomes immobile due to insufficient battery power.

[0175] (Modification 5 of Embodiment 2) In the robot management system 2, the management server 20 may be omitted. In Modification 5 of Embodiment 2, the first storage unit 16 of the robot 10 stores the information stored in the second storage unit 24 of the management server 20. That is, the first storage unit 16 stores a priority table, a robot table and an assignment table similar to the priority table 242 (or priority table 242a or priority table 242c), robot table 243 and assignment table 246. The first processing unit 17 of the robot 10 has a specification unit, a determination unit, a receiving unit, a determination unit, a transmission unit and a management unit that have the same functions as the specification unit 251, determination unit 252, receiving unit 253, decision unit 254, transmission unit 255 and management unit 256 of the management server 20. Each robot 10 periodically or irregularly (when using the spatial resource, for example) transmits its current location, battery level, schedule information, and usage status of the spatial resource SR to other robots 10. Each robot 10 sets the current location, battery level, and schedule information of some or all of the robots 10 held by the robot management system 2 into the robot robot table. Each robot 10 may set a robot 10 within a predetermined range (for example, within a predetermined distance, within the same area) or a robot 10 that has been previously registered as a robot to cooperate with as the robot 10 to communicate with.

[0176] Figure 13 shows a sequence illustrating an example of the operation of the robot motion determination process according to Modification 5 of Embodiment 2. This sequence is executed mainly by the first processing unit 17 of each robot 10 in cooperation with each element of the robot 10, based on a program that is pre-stored in the first storage unit 16 of each robot 10.

[0177] First, when schedule information is set, the control unit 172 of robot 10 (first robot 10a) determines the spatial resource SR to be used (step S501) and generates objective information (step S502), in the same manner as S301 and S302 in Figure 10.

[0178] Next, the determination unit determines whether the space resource SR to be used is allocated to another robot 10 (step S503). The determination unit refers to the allocation table and determines whether the space resource SR to be used is allocated to another robot 10 based on whether the allocation flag associated with the resource ID allocated to the space resource SR is set to "yes".

[0179] If the space resource SR to be used is not allocated to any other robot 10, the management unit of the first robot 10a updates the allocation table in the same manner as in step S305 of Figure 10. The transmission unit of the first robot 10a transmits the updated items to all robots 10 other than its own robot, which are controlled by the robot management system 2, via the first communication unit 15. The receiving unit of each robot 10 receives the updated items in the allocation table from the first robot 10a via the first communication unit 15. The management unit of each robot 10 sets the updated items in its own robot's allocation table. Next, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a determines the operation of the first robot 10a in the same manner as in step S306 (S504). If the space resource SR to be used is not allocated to any other robot 10, the first processing unit 17 performs the same processing as in S507, which will be described later.

[0180] Meanwhile, the control unit 172 of the other robot 10 (second robot 10b) determines the spatial resource SR to be used (step S505) and generates objective information (step S506), in the same manner as in steps S307 and S308 of Figure 10.

[0181] Next, the determination unit of the second robot 10b determines, in the same manner as in S503, whether the space resource SR to be used is allocated to another robot 10 (S507). If the space resource SR to be used is not allocated to another robot 10, the first processing unit 17 of the second robot 10b executes the same processing as in S504. On the other hand, if the space resource SR to be used is allocated to another robot 10, the identification unit of the second robot 10b identifies the robot 10 to which the space resource SR to be used is allocated. The identification unit refers to the allocation table and identifies the robot 10 with the robot ID associated with the resource ID allocated to the space resource SR to be used as the robot 10 to which the space resource SR to be used is allocated. The control unit 172 transmits the purpose information and usage request to the robot 10 to which the space resource SR to be used is allocated (the first robot 10a in the example of Figure 13) via the first communication unit 15 (step S508).

[0182] Next, the receiving unit of the first robot 10a receives the target information and usage request from the second robot 10b via the first communication unit 15. The identification unit, determination unit, and decision unit of the first robot 10a execute the determination process (step S509). The determination process is the same as the determination process in Figure 11. However, since it has already been determined in S307 whether the spatial resource SR is assigned to any of the robots 10 (the robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR is assigned is the robot itself), the processes in S401 to S402 are omitted.

[0183] If the determination process decides to move the robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR has been allocated and to allow the robot 10 that sent the usage request to use the spatial resource SR, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a moves to the side in the same manner as in S312 of Figure 10 (step S510).

[0184] Next, when the relocation is complete, the transmitting unit of the first robot 10a transmits the completion of relocation to the second robot 10b that sent the request to use the spatial resource SR via the first communication unit 15 (step S511). The management unit of the first robot 10a updates the allocation table in the same manner as in S314. The transmitting unit of the first robot 10a transmits the updated items to all robots 10 other than its own robot in the robot management system 2 via the first communication unit 15. Each robot 10 receives the updated items in the allocation table from the first robot 10a via the first communication unit 15 and sets them in its own robot's allocation table.

[0185] Next, the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b determines the operation of the second robot 10b in the same manner as in S315 of Figure 10 (step S512). When the predetermined task is completed, the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b transmits a "use completion" message to the first robot 10a via the first communication unit 15, indicating that the use of the spatial resource SR has ended. When the management unit of the first robot 10a receives the "use completion" message via the second communication unit 23, it sets the assignment flag associated with the resource ID of the spatial resource SR whose use has ended in the assignment table to none, and deletes the assignment flag, robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time associated with that resource ID. The transmission unit of the first robot 10a transmits the updated items to all robots 10 other than its own robot in the robot management system 2 via the first communication unit 15. Each robot 10 receives the updated items in the assignment table from the first robot 10a via the first communication unit 15 and sets them in its own robot's assignment table. With this, the robot operation determination process is completed.

[0186] The determination unit of the modified robot 10 determines whether or not to leave the spatial resource SR if it is currently staying in the spatial resource SR when it receives a usage request from another robot 10. In this case as well, the robot management system 2 is able to appropriately manage the spatial resource.

[0187] (Modification 6 of Embodiment 2) The determination process may be performed by a robot 10 that is scheduled to use the spatial resource SR, rather than the robot 10 to which the spatial resource SR has been assigned. In that case, if the spatial resource SR to be used is assigned to another robot 10 in S507, in S508, instead of the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b transmitting the objective information and the usage request, the identification unit, determination unit, and decision unit execute the determination process. The determination process is the same as the determination process performed in Modification 5 of Embodiment 2. However, the identification unit, determination unit, and decision unit execute the determination process with their own robot as the robot 10 that transmitted the usage request. Since the robot 10 that transmitted the usage request is their own robot, the process in S410 is omitted.

[0188] If, in the determination process, the first processing unit 17 of robot 10 (second robot 10b) decides to have the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been assigned move to a safe place and to allow its own robot 10 to use the spatial resource SR, it transmits a move-ahead instruction to the robot 10 (first robot 10a) to which the spatial resource SR has been assigned via the first communication unit 15.

[0189] S509 is omitted, and in S510, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a takes cover if it receives a retreat instruction from another robot 10. In S511, the control unit 172 of the first robot 10a transmits the completion of retreat to the second robot 10b that sent the retreat instruction via the first communication unit 15. In S512, the management unit of the second robot 10b updates the assignment table in the same manner as in S314 if it receives the completion of retreat from another robot 10 via the first communication unit 15. The transmission unit of the second robot 10b transmits the updated items to all robots 10 other than its own robot in the robot management system 2 via the first processing unit 17. Each robot 10 receives the updated items in the assignment table from the first robot 10a via the first communication unit 15 and sets them in its own robot's assignment table. Next, the control unit 172 of the second robot 10b determines the operation of the second robot 10b. When the predetermined task is completed, the management unit of the second robot 10b sets the allocation flag associated with the resource ID of the space resource SR whose use has ended in the allocation table to none, and deletes the allocation flag, robot ID, purpose of use, and usage time associated with that resource ID. The transmission unit of the second robot 10b transmits the updated items to all robots 10 other than its own robot in the robot management system 2 via the first communication unit 15. Each robot 10 receives the updated items in the allocation table from the first robot 10a via the first communication unit 15 and sets them in its own robot's allocation table.

[0190] The determination unit of the modified robot 10 (second robot 10b) determines whether to evacuate the other robot 10 (first robot 10a) from the spatial resource SR if the other robot 10 is already present in the spatial resource SR when the robot is using the spatial resource SR. Based on the determination result, the decision unit decides to evacuate the other robot 10 from the spatial resource SR. In this case as well, the robot management system 2 is able to appropriately manage the spatial resource.

[0191] (Modification 7 of Embodiment 2) Even if the management server 20 is not omitted, the first storage unit 16 of each robot 10a, 10b may have a priority table 242, priority table 242a, or priority table 242c. In this case, the control unit 172 of each robot 10a, 10b transmits the priority as target information, and the determination unit 252 of the management server 20 determines, in step S404 of Embodiment 2, whether the priority of the second robot 10b is higher than the priority of the first robot 10a, based on the transmitted priority. In this modification, S403 described in Embodiment 2 is omitted. Also, in the second storage unit 24, each priority table is omitted.

[0192] In S302 or S308 of Figure 10, the control unit 172 of each robot 10 further refers to the purpose of use and priority included in the priority tables 242, 242a, and 242c stored in the first storage unit 16 to identify the priority as purpose information. Each control unit 172 identifies the priority by the same process as described in S403 in Embodiment 2. In S303 or S309, the control unit 172 transmits the priority, including the resource ID and usage time of the spatial resource SR, along with the usage request, to the management server 20 via the first communication unit 15.

[0193] The management server 20 receives the priority along with the usage request via the second communication unit 23. When S305, as described in Embodiment 2, is executed, the management unit 256 of the management server 20 stores the allocation flag, the robot ID of the robot 10 (first robot 10a) that sent the usage request, the priority, and the usage time in the allocation table 246, in association with the resource ID of the allocated spatial resource SR.

[0194] In S404 of Figure 11, the determination unit 252 of the management server 20 compares the priority included in the allocation table 246 with the priority included in the purpose information of the requested robot 10. The determination unit 252 determines whether the priority of the requested robot 10 is higher than the priority of the robot 10 to which the target spatial resource SR has been allocated. This allows the robot management system 2 to remove robots that have already been allocated the spatial resource SR from the spatial resource SR according to the priority of the spatial resource SR.

[0195] (Other variations of Embodiment 2) The decision unit 254 may determine priority using two or three of the following: purpose of use and purpose of stay, availability of alternative routes, and urgency. The decision unit 254 may determine priority using only the purpose of use and purpose of stay. The decision unit 254 may specify priority using other information in addition to the purpose of use and purpose of stay.

[0196] Whether or not there is an alternative route, or whether or not there is an emergency, may be determined not by the first processing unit 17 of the robot 10, but by the second processing unit 25 of the management server 20. The second processing unit 25 determines whether or not there is an alternative route based on the relationship between the resource ID included in the purpose of use of the robot 10 that sent the request to use the spatial resource SR, and the existence or absence of an alternative route associated with the resource ID included in the spatial resource table 244.

[0197] The second processing unit 25 identifies the current location of the robot 10 that sent the request to use the spatial resource SR, based on the robot ID of the robot 10 that sent the request and the current location associated with the robot ID included in the robot table 243. The second processing unit 25 identifies the purpose of use of the robot 10 that sent the request as a high-priority transit purpose if the current location matches the location of the anomaly included in the anomaly signal, and the purpose of use included in the purpose information sent with the request is a transit purpose.

[0198] Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, the embodiments and variations described above may be combined as appropriate within the scope of this disclosure.

[0199] One embodiment of the robot management system can contribute to solving social issues such as the declining workforce and long working hours. Furthermore, one embodiment of the robot management system can contribute to achieving Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0200] 1.2 Robot management system, 10 Robot, 172 Control unit, 20 Management server, 252 Judgment unit, 253 Receiving unit, 254 Decision unit, 255 Transmitting unit, 256 Management unit

Claims

1. A robot management system comprising a plurality of autonomously mobile robots and a management server for managing the plurality of robots, wherein each of the plurality of robots has a control unit that transmits a request for use of the spatial resource, which includes purpose information relating to the purpose of use of the spatial resource, and the management server has a receiving unit that receives the request for use, and a determination unit that, when it receives a request for use from the plurality of robots, determines which robot from among the plurality of robots to which to allocate the spatial resource based on the purpose information included in the request for use.

2. The robot management system according to claim 1, wherein the management server further has a table storage unit in which a plurality of priority relationships of the purposes of use are registered, and the decision unit determines a robot to which the spatial resources will be allocated based on the priority relationships of the purposes of use included in the plurality of purpose information received.

3. The robot management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the purpose of use is set to be either a purpose of passing through the spatial resource or a purpose of staying in the spatial resource.

4. Each of the plurality of robots further has a table storage unit in which priorities are registered for each of the plurality of purposes of use, the control unit transmits the priorities as purpose information, and the decision unit determines which robot to allocate the spatial resources to based on the plurality of priorities received, the robot management system according to claim 1.

5. A management server that is communicatively connected to a plurality of autonomously mobile robots and manages the plurality of robots, comprising: a receiving unit that receives requests for the use of spatial resources from the plurality of robots, including purpose information relating to the purpose of use of the spatial resources; and a determination unit that, upon receiving the use requests from the plurality of robots, determines which robot from the plurality of robots to which the spatial resources will be allocated based on the purpose information included in the use requests.

6. A robot management system comprising a first autonomously mobile robot, a second autonomously mobile robot, and a management server for managing the first and second robots, wherein the first and second robots each have a control unit for transmitting requests for the use of spatial resources, and the management server comprises a receiving unit for receiving the requests, a decision unit for allocating spatial resources to the robot that transmitted the requests, and a transmitting unit for transmitting a retreat instruction to the first robot when the second robot has received the requests and the spatial resources have already been allocated to the first robot.

7. The robot management system according to claim 6, wherein the management server further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not to issue the evacuation instruction to the first robot based on information obtained from the first robot or the second robot, and the transmission unit transmits the evacuation instruction based on the determination result of the determination unit.

8. The robot management system according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit determines whether or not to issue the evacuation instruction based on time information relating to the use of the spatial resources by the first robot or the second robot.

9. The robot management system according to claim 8, wherein the time information is the remaining time for the first robot to use the space resource, the time required for the second robot to use the space resource, or the grace period for the work schedule including the use of the space resource by the second robot.

10. The robot management system according to claim 7, wherein the control unit transmits information regarding the remaining battery level of the second robot, and the determination unit determines whether or not to issue the retraction instruction based on the remaining battery level of the second robot.

11. The robot management system according to claim 7, wherein the control unit transmits type information relating to the type of the second robot or purpose information relating to the purpose of use of the spatial resource along with the usage request, and the determination unit determines whether or not to issue the evacuation instruction based on the type information or purpose information.

12. The robot management system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the decision unit determines to issue the retreat instruction when the priority of the second robot to use the spatial resources is higher than the priority of the first robot.

13. The robot management system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the decision unit decides to move the first robot into the spatial resource if the spatial resource is passable to both the first robot and the second robot, and decides to move the first robot outside the spatial resource if the spatial resource is impassable to both the first robot and the second robot.

14. A management server that is communicatively connected to an autonomously mobile first robot and an autonomously mobile second robot, and manages the first robot and the second robot, comprising: a receiving unit that receives requests for the use of spatial resources from the first robot and the second robot; a decision unit that allocates spatial resources to the robot that sent the request; and a transmitting unit that, when it receives the request from the second robot, sends a retreat instruction to the first robot if the spatial resources have already been allocated to the first robot.

15. A robot that is capable of autonomous movement and can communicate with other autonomously moving robots, comprising: a receiving unit that receives requests for the use of spatial resources from the other robots; and a determination unit that, upon receiving the request for use from the other robots, determines whether or not to evacuate from the spatial resources if it is currently present in the spatial resources.

16. A robot that is capable of autonomous movement and can communicate with other autonomously moving robots, comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not to evacuate the other robot from the spatial resource when the robot is using the spatial resource and the other robot is present in the spatial resource; and a transmission unit that transmits an evacuation instruction to the other robot.

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