Guide Robot Dispatch Control for Unattended Visitor Assistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Visitors often experience long wait times in facilities without adequate staff presence, leading to unserved needs and increased stress, as existing robot control systems lack efficient mechanisms to dispatch guide robots to assist visitors without staff nearby.
Innovation Solution
A control device and method that identifies the positions of facility staff and visitors using imaging units, instructing a self-propelling guide robot to move into the vicinity of visitors unattended by staff, enabling timely assistance and communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If guide robots are deployed to assist visitors, then service quality improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The guide robot is designed to perform multiple functions: it can identify visitors through imaging units, determine staff presence, navigate autonomously to target locations, and provide guidance services. This multi-functionality allows a single robot to replace multiple specialized devices, improving service quality while controlling system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The robot autonomously identifies visitors who need assistance, determines whether staff are present, navigates to the appropriate locations, and provides services without continuous human intervention. The self-propelling capability and automated decision-making reduce the need for manual operation, improving service reliability while minimizing the complexity of control systems
2Productivity
If more staff are deployed to serve visitors, then service coverage improves, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human staff with an automated guide robot equipped with imaging units and navigation systems. The robot can continuously monitor facility conditions, identify visitors needing assistance, and provide services without breaks or additional costs, thereby improving service coverage while reducing the quantity of staff required
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters from human-based service delivery to autonomous robot-based service. The robot operates with different efficiency parameters - continuous availability, faster response times, and the ability to serve multiple visitors sequentially - thereby achieving greater service coverage with fewer resources
3Loss of time
If guide robots autonomously navigate to visitors, then response time improves, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robot continuously scans the facility environment using imaging units to identify visitors and assess staff presence in advance. By maintaining situational awareness and pre-calculating navigation routes, the robot can respond immediately when assistance is needed, reducing visitor wait time while managing control complexity through proactive monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses imaging units to continuously feedback information about visitor positions and staff locations. This real-time feedback enables the robot to dynamically adjust its navigation and service delivery, achieving rapid response times while the feedback loop manages control complexity through automated decision-making based on current conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A control device that controls a robot capable of self-propelling is provided. The control device comprises: a facility staff member identifying unit configured to identify a position of a facility staff member in a facility; a visitor identifying unit configured to identify a position of a visitor in the facility; and a control unit configured to instruct the robot capable of self-propelling to move. In a case where the control unit determines that the facility staff member that has been identified by the facility staff member identifying unit is absent in a predetermined range near the visitor that has been identified by the visitor identifying unit, the control unit causes the robot to move into the predetermined range.