Mobile Robot Operation Mode Control by Staff Classification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous mobile robots in facilities like hospitals and hotels face challenges in efficiently operating while ensuring safety, as they need to differentiate between staff and non-staff members to adjust their movement accordingly, without compromising security or efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A control system equipped with a feature detection unit, classifying unit, and system controller that uses camera image data to classify individuals into staff and non-staff groups, adjusting the robot's operation mode based on their presence, including speed and movement range, to ensure safe and efficient navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mobile robot operates with reduced motion to ensure safety around non-staff members, then safety is improved, but operation efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile robot dynamically adjusts its operation mode based on real-time detection of surrounding persons. When staff members are detected, the robot operates in normal mode with higher efficiency. When non-staff members are detected, it switches to restricted mode with reduced motion. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making safety measures conditional rather than constant.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (movement restrictions, speed, navigation permissions) based on the type of persons detected in the environment. By modifying these parameters according to whether staff or non-staff members are present, the robot achieves both safety for non-staff members and efficiency when only staff are present.
2Productivity
If the mobile robot operates with higher efficiency, then productivity is improved, but safety around non-staff members deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The camera and classification system act as an intermediary between the robot and the environment. This intermediary detects and classifies persons, providing information that enables the robot to adjust its behavior appropriately. The intermediary allows the robot to distinguish between staff and non-staff members, thereby managing safety risks while maintaining efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot's operational characteristics are dynamically adjusted based on environmental conditions detected by the camera system. When non-staff members are detected, the robot transitions to a safer operation mode. When only staff members are present or no persons are detected, it operates at full efficiency, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and safety.
3Device complexity
If the mobile robot uses a fixed operation mode, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different environments deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile robot autonomously detects and classifies persons in its environment using the camera and classification unit, then automatically adjusts its own operation mode without external intervention. This self-service capability enables environmental adaptability while keeping the control system relatively simple, as the robot makes its own decisions based on detected conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera system serves multiple functions: detecting persons, classifying them into staff or non-staff members, and providing this information to the control unit for operation mode selection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized sensors and control mechanisms, maintaining simplicity while achieving high adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A control system controls an operation mode of a mobile robot that autonomously moves in a predetermined area, and includes a feature detection unit, a classifying unit, and a system controller. The feature detection unit detects features of a person who is present in the vicinity of the mobile robot. The classifying unit classifies the person into a predetermined first group or a predetermined second group based on the features. The system controller selects a first operation mode when the person who belongs to the first group is present in the vicinity of the mobile robot and selects a second operation mode that is different from the first operation mode when the person who belongs to the first group is not present in the vicinity of the mobile robot, thereby controlling the mobile robot.