WO2020137685A1

WO2020137685A1 - Control device, control method, program, and control system

Info

Publication number: WO2020137685A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/049367
Authority: WO
Inventors: 諒渡辺; 雅貴豊浦
Original assignee: ソニー株式会社
Priority date: 2018-12-27
Filing date: 2019-12-17
Publication date: 2020-07-02

Abstract

This control device comprises: an estimation unit that estimates a host position; a determination unit that determines whether a mobile body has lost the host position; and a processing control unit that, in accordance with the determination results of the determination unit, executes processing necessary for approaching a target of approach.

Description

Control device, control method, program, and control system

The present disclosure relates to a control device, a control method, a program, and a control system.

Currently, in a moving body that moves autonomously, a technique for estimating the self-position based on information measured by a sensor or the like provided in the moving body is widespread. The moving body may lose its position due to, for example, a system error or an external factor. Therefore, a technique for restoring the self-position when the mobile body loses the self-position is being developed.

Related to a technique for a mobile body to return its own position, for example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for returning its own position by an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) system provided in the external environment of the mobile body. ing. Specifically, the mobile body acquires the position information of the RFID tag based on the information read from the RFID tag provided in the external environment of the mobile body, and identifies its own position from the acquired position information.

JP, 2007-249735, A

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that an RFID system is provided in the external environment of the mobile body. Therefore, when the mobile body loses its own position in an environment where the RFID system is not provided, it is difficult for the mobile body to return to its own position.

Therefore, in the present disclosure, a new and improved control device, control method, program, and control capable of returning its own position when the moving body approaches the approaching object when the moving body loses its own position. Suggest a system.

According to the present disclosure, an estimation unit that estimates a self-position, a determination unit that determines whether or not a mobile body has lost the self-position, and an approach target is approached according to a determination result by the determination unit. And a processing control unit that performs the processing of 1.

Further, according to the present disclosure, the approaching target is approached according to the estimation of the self-position, the determination of whether or not the mobile body has lost the self-position, and the determination result of the determination. And a control method executed by the processor, the method including:

Further, according to the present disclosure, the computer is configured to approach the computer according to an estimation unit that estimates a self-position, a determination unit that determines whether or not the moving body has lost the self-position, and a determination result by the determination unit. A processing control unit that performs processing for approaching an object and a program that causes the processing control unit to function as the processing control unit are provided.

Further, according to the present disclosure, a first estimation unit that estimates the self-position, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the moving body has lost the self-position, and a determination performed by the first determination unit A first processing control unit that performs processing for approaching the approaching object in accordance with the result; and a second controller that estimates the self-positions of the moving body and the approaching object. A second control device including: an estimation unit; and a second processing control unit that performs processing for approaching the moving body in accordance with a determination result by the first determination unit, When it is determined that the moving body has lost the self-position, the first control device transmits request information regarding return of the self-position to the second control device via communication, and the second control device transmits the request information to the second control device. The control device causes the approaching target to approach the moving body based on the request information received from the first control device via communication, and causes the approaching target to estimate the self-position of the moving body. A system is provided.

It is a block diagram showing an example of functional composition of a mobile concerning an embodiment of this indication. It is a figure which shows the example of the plan of the movement path which does not pass the lost position which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of the plan of the approach route which does not pass the lost route which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of a processing block when a mobile concerning the embodiment carries out usual movement. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of a process when the mobile body which concerns on the same embodiment moves normally. It is a block diagram which shows the example of a processing block when the lost moving body which concerns on the same embodiment makes a return request to a person. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of a process when the lost moving body which concerns on the embodiment makes a return request to a person. It is a block diagram which shows the example of a processing block when the lost moving body which concerns on the embodiment makes a return request to another moving body. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of a process when the lost moving body which concerns on the embodiment makes a return request to another moving body. It is a block diagram which shows the example of a processing block when the moving body which concerns on the same embodiment plans a moving path which does not pass a lost position. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the flow of a process when the mobile body which concerns on the same embodiment plans the movement path which does not pass a lost position. It is a block diagram showing an example of hardware constitutions of a control device concerning the embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description will be omitted.

The description will be given in the following order.
1. Outline 2. Example of functional configuration of mobile unit 3. Example of processing in mobile unit 3-1. Processing when the mobile body normally moves 3-2. Processing when the lost mobile unit requests a person to return 3-3. Processing when Lost Mobile Unit Requests Return to Other Mobile Unit 3-4. 3. Processing when planning a moving route in which the moving body does not pass through the lost position Modification 5. Example of hardware configuration 6. Summary

<<1. Overview >>
The present disclosure relates to a technique of returning a self-position when a moving body loses the self-position. The mobile body may be a device that can move autonomously. For example, the moving body may be a robot capable of autonomously moving (for example, walking). Examples of autonomously movable robots include humanoid robots, pet robots, self-driving cars, and drones. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, the mobile may be a vehicle (eg, a vehicle, ship, or air vehicle), various industrial machines, or other types of devices such as toys. In the following, an example will be described in which the moving body is a robot used at home (hereinafter, also referred to as “home robot”). The domestic robot is, for example, a pet robot.

The term "lost" may be used below in relation to the loss of the mobile body's position. The “lost” includes meanings such as that the moving body loses its own position and that the moving body has lost its own position. For example, a moving body that has lost its own position is also called a lost moving body. When lost, the mobile body may have difficulty performing the expected operation. For example, if the loss continues, the moving body may keep moving around in the same place. Therefore, when the moving body is lost, it is desirable to quickly return the moving body from the lost state.

As a technology for a mobile body to recover from a loss, for example, technology that uses an RFID system is disclosed. In this technique, the mobile body acquires RFID position information from an RFID tag provided in the external environment, estimates its own position based on the acquired position information, and returns from the lost state. However, the technique is based on the premise that the RFID system provided in the external environment of the mobile body is used. Therefore, for example, when the mobile body loses its own position in an environment where the RFID system is not provided, it is difficult for the mobile body to return to its own position.

The embodiment of the present disclosure is conceived in view of the above points, and is a technique capable of returning the self-position by approaching the approach target when the mobile unit loses its own position. To propose. The approach target is a target that approaches the lost moving body. As an example of the approaching object, for example, a person or another moving body can be cited.

Note that the route along which the moving body can move is also referred to as a “moving route” below. Further, of the moving routes, the route for the moving body and the approaching object to approach each other is also referred to as an “approaching route” below. Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be sequentially described in detail.

<<2. Functional configuration example of mobile unit>>
First, a functional configuration example of a mobile unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of a moving body according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a sensor unit 100, a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a drive unit 130, an output unit 140, and a communication unit 150.

(1) Sensor unit 100
The sensor unit 100 has a function of sensing information used for processing in the control unit 110. The sensor unit 100 may include various sensor devices. For example, the sensor unit 100 may include an external sensor, an internal sensor, a camera, a microphone (hereinafter referred to as a microphone), and an optical sensor. The sensor unit 100 performs sensing using the sensor described above. Then, the sensor unit 100 outputs the sensing information acquired by the various sensors by sensing to the control unit 110.

The sensor unit 100 acquires information used by the control unit 110 to estimate the self-position of the moving body 10 by using the external sensor and the internal sensor. The external world sensor is a device that senses information outside the moving body 10. For example, the external sensor may include a camera, a distance measuring sensor, a depth sensor, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor, a magnetic sensor, a communication device, and the like. The internal sensor is a device that senses information inside the moving body 10. For example, the internal sensor may include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an encoder, etc. Further, the sensor unit 100 uses a camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor to acquire information used by the control unit 110 to estimate the position of a person.

A camera is an image pickup device that has a lens system such as an RGB camera, a drive system, and an image pickup element, and picks up an image (still image or moving image). The camera is capable of capturing an image of the outside of the moving body 10 by being provided so as to be able to capture the outside of the moving body 10, for example. The sensor unit 100 can acquire a captured image of the periphery of the moving body 10 with the camera.

The distance measuring sensor is, for example, a device such as a ToF (Time of Flight) sensor that acquires distance information. The depth sensor is, for example, an infrared distance measuring device, an ultrasonic distance measuring device, a LiDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging), or a device that acquires depth information such as a stereo camera. The sensor unit 100 can acquire the distance information to the target around the moving body 10 by the distance measuring sensor or the depth sensor.

The GPS sensor is a device that measures the positional information including the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the mobile unit 10 by receiving GPS signals from GPS satellites. The sensor unit 100 can acquire the position information of the moving body 10 by using the GPS sensor. A magnetic sensor is a device that measures the magnitude and direction of a magnetic field. The sensor unit 100 can acquire information on the magnetic field at the position of the moving body 10 by using the magnetic sensor.

The communication device is a device that communicates with another mobile unit 10. The communication device performs communication by, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or the like. The sensor unit 100 can acquire communication information when the mobile unit 10 communicates with another mobile unit 10 by the communication device. The communication device may be realized as the communication unit 150 instead of the sensor unit 100.

An acceleration sensor is a device that acquires the acceleration of an object. For example, the acceleration sensor measures acceleration, which is the amount of change in speed when the moving body 10 moves. The gyro sensor is a device having a function of acquiring the angular velocity of an object. For example, the gyro sensor measures the angular velocity, which is the amount of change in the posture of the moving body 10. An encoder is a device that acquires the rotation angle of an object. The encoder is provided, for example, on a wheel or joint of the moving body 10 and measures a rotation angle that is a change amount of the angle when the wheel or joint rotates. The information acquired by the acceleration sensor, the gyro sensor, and the encoder is also referred to as “inertia information” below. The sensor unit 100 can acquire inertial information of the moving body 10 by using the acceleration sensor, the gyro sensor, and the encoder.

Microphone is a device that detects surrounding sounds. The microphone collects ambient sound and outputs audio data converted into a digital signal via an amplifier and an ADC (Analog Digital Converter). The sensor unit 100 can acquire voice information around the moving body 10 by using the microphone. The number of microphones is not limited to one, and a plurality of microphones may be used, or a so-called microphone array may be configured. When detecting the direction of the voice based on the voice information, the detection accuracy improves as the number of microphones increases. Therefore, it is desirable that the number of microphones is large.

　The optical sensor is a device that detects ambient light. The sensor unit 100 can acquire light information around the moving body 10 by the optical sensor.

(2) Control unit 110
The control unit 110 is a control device having a function of controlling the operation of the entire moving body 10. In order to realize the function, the control unit 110 has an estimation unit 112, a determination unit 114, a detection unit 116, and a processing control unit 118, as shown in FIG.

(2-1) Estimating unit 112
The estimation unit 112 has a function of estimating the self-position of the moving body 10. For example, the estimation unit 112 estimates the self-position of the moving body 10 based on the sensing information input from the sensor unit 100. Examples of methods by which the estimation unit 112 estimates the self-position of the moving body 10 include, for example, star reckoning and dead reckoning. The method by which the estimation unit 112 estimates the self-position of the moving body 10 is not limited to star reckoning and dead reckoning.

Star reckoning is a method of estimating the absolute self-position of the moving body 10 based on sensing information from an external sensor. The external sensor is the above-described camera, distance measuring sensor, depth sensor, GPS sensor, magnetic sensor, communication device, or the like. The sensing information by the external sensor may include a physical quantity such as the position and orientation of the moving body 10, for example. The external world sensor can acquire the absolute position of the moving body 10 as sensing information. However, the rate at which the external sensor acquires the sensing information is lower than the rate at which the internal sensor used in dead reckoning acquires the sensing information.

The estimation unit 112 can directly calculate the absolute position of the moving body 10 from the physical quantity acquired by the external sensor by star reckoning, and estimate the calculated absolute position as the self-position of the moving body 10. When the external sensor acquires the absolute position of the moving body 10, the estimating unit 112 may estimate the absolute position as the self-position of the moving body 10.

Dead reckoning is a method of estimating the relative self-position of the moving body 10 based on the sensing information from the internal sensor. The internal sensor is the above-described acceleration sensor, gyro sensor, encoder, or the like. Sensing information by the internal sensor may include physical quantities such as the velocity, acceleration, relative position, and angular velocity of the moving body 10, for example. The internal sensor does not acquire the absolute position of the moving body 10 as sensing information. However, the rate at which the internal sensor acquires sensing information is higher than the rate at which the external sensor used in star reckoning acquires sensing information.

The estimation unit 112 may calculate the relative position and posture of the moving body 10 by integrating the physical quantities acquired by the internal sensor by dead reckoning, and estimate the self-position of the moving body 10 from the relative position and posture. it can. The internal sensor acquires sensing information at a higher rate than the external sensor. Therefore, when estimating the self-position by dead reckoning, the estimation unit 112 can estimate the self-position at a higher rate than the star reckoning. In addition, the internal sensor can acquire sensing information without interruption at regular intervals. Therefore, the estimation unit 112 can perform continuous self-position estimation at regular intervals without interruption.

Note that in star reckoning, the self-position of the moving body 10 may be estimated based on the information acquired by odometry. Odometry is, for example, a method of calculating the moving amount of the moving body 10 by forward dynamics calculation using the amount of rotation of the wheels of the moving body 10, the angle of the joint, the information on the geometrical shape, and the like. Specifically, when the moving body 10 has wheels, the estimation unit 112 may use a method called wheel odometry that calculates the amount of movement from the amount of rotation of the wheels. In addition, the estimation unit 112 may use a method called visual odometry that calculates the movement amount from the temporal change amount of the feature amount in the captured image captured by the camera. Then, the estimation unit 112 estimates the self-position of the moving body 10 from the calculated movement amount.

When the estimation unit 112 estimates the self-position of the moving body 10 using only one of star reckoning and dead reckoning, the estimated self-position may have an error peculiar to each method. For example, when the external sensor is a sensor that continuously receives position information at a constant cycle, the reception of position information becomes unstable due to deterioration of the radio wave condition, and an error occurs in the self position estimated by the estimation unit 112 by star reckoning. Can happen. In addition, for example, when the amount of data such as an image or point cloud data acquired by the external sensor is large, the processing in the estimation unit 112 becomes high load and the processing efficiency decreases, and thus the estimation unit 112 estimates by star reckoning. An error may occur in the self position.

In dead reckoning, the relative position from the reference point and the posture of the moving body are estimated by the integration process for the physical quantity acquired by the internal sensor. Therefore, for example, if the physical quantity includes an error, the error is accumulated by the integration process, and a cumulative error may occur. Then, due to the accumulated error, an error may occur in the self-position estimated by the estimation unit 112 by dead reckoning.

Therefore, the estimation unit 112 according to the present embodiment estimates the self-position of the moving body 10 using both star reckoning and dead reckoning. For example, the estimation unit 112 corrects the relative self-position estimated by dead reckoning with the absolute self-position estimated by star reckoning. As a result, the estimation unit 112 can reset the accumulated error accumulated by dead reckoning based on the absolute self-position.

Therefore, the estimation unit 112 can estimate the self-position with higher accuracy than the estimation of the self-position using only one of the star reckoning and the dead reckoning. The estimating unit 112 can also ensure the continuity of the estimated self-position.

Note that the process of correcting the self-position estimated by dead reckoning with the self-position estimated by star reckoning is also referred to as "integration process" below. The integration process is performed using, for example, a Kalman filter or a particle filter. The estimation unit 112 can perform the integration process at the timing when the self position is estimated by the star reckoning, that is, at the timing when the data for correcting the self position estimated by the dead reckoning is acquired. If the self-position has not been estimated by star reckoning, that is, if the data for correcting the self-position estimated by dead reckoning has not been acquired, the estimation unit 112 may skip the integration process.

Further, the estimation unit 112 has a function of estimating the position of the approach target. For example, the estimation unit 112 estimates the position of the approach target based on the information about the approach target (hereinafter, also referred to as “approach target information”). For example, when the detection unit 116 detects a person as the approach target, the estimation unit 112 estimates the position of the approach target based on the approach target information input from the detection unit 116. Specifically, the estimation unit 112 estimates the position of the person shown in the captured image (approach target information) input from the detection unit 116 as the position of the approach target.

Further, when the detecting unit 116 detects an approaching target that is likely to have a person nearby, the estimating unit 112 estimates the position of the approaching target based on the approaching target information input from the detecting unit 116. For example, when the detection unit 116 detects a voice as an approach target, the estimation unit 112 inputs information indicating the position of the sound source of the voice (hereinafter, also referred to as “sound source position information”) as the approach target information. To be done. Then, the estimating unit 112 estimates the position of the sound source as the position of the approach target based on the input sound source position information.

When the detection unit 116 detects light as an approach target, the estimation unit 112 receives information indicating the position of the light source of the light (hereinafter, also referred to as “light source position information”) as the approach target information. To be done. Then, the estimation unit 112 estimates the position of the light source as the position of the approach target based on the input light source position information.

The estimation unit 112 also has a function of estimating the self-position of another lost mobile body 10. For example, the estimation unit 112 of the non-lost mobile unit 10 estimates the self-position of the lost mobile unit 10 from the relative positional relationship between the non-lost mobile unit 10 and the lost mobile unit 10. Specifically, first, the non-lost moving body 10 approaches the lost moving body 10 and the camera of the sensor unit 100 images the lost moving body 10. Next, the estimation unit 112 of the non-lost moving body 10 determines the relative position between the non-lost moving body 10 and the lost moving body 10 based on its own position and the position of the lost moving body 10 shown in the captured image. Calculate the relative position. Then, the estimation unit 112 of the mobile body 10 that is not lost estimates the calculated position as the self-position of the lost mobile body 10.

(2-2) Judgment unit 114
The determination unit 114 has a function of determining whether or not the moving body 10 is lost. For example, the determination unit 114 determines whether or not the mobile body 10 is lost based on the estimation result of the self-position of the mobile body 10 input from the estimation unit 112 (hereinafter, also referred to as “lost determination”). To do. When the determination unit 114 determines that the moving body 10 is lost, the determination unit 114 outputs the determination result to the estimation unit 112 and the detection unit 116. When the determination unit 114 determines that the moving body 10 is lost, the determination unit 114 stores the last acquired self position of the moving body 10 before the loss (hereinafter, also referred to as “lost position”) in the storage unit 120. It is output and stored in the storage unit 120.

As an example of a concrete determination method, there is a method of comparing the self-position estimation result by dead reckoning and the self-position estimation result by star reckoning. The sensing result by the external sensor may change greatly due to external factors. That is, the estimation result of the self-position by the star reckoning may change greatly due to external factors. Therefore, when the sensing result of the external sensor changes significantly, the result of estimating the self-position by star reckoning may be an unexpected result, and the moving body 10 may be lost. For example, it is assumed that the brightness greatly changes due to turning off the electricity in the room or inserting sunlight while estimating the self-position by matching the characteristic points in the image captured by the camera. In this case, the result of estimating the self-position by star reckoning becomes an unexpected result, and the moving body 10 is lost. Further, for example, when the moving body 10 is surrounded by an animal body such as a person during the point cloud matching by Lidar or the like, the moving body 10 is similarly lost.

Then, if the estimation result of the self-position of the moving body 10 by the star reckoning is an unexpected result, the determining unit 114 determines that the moving body 10 is lost. For example, when the self-position estimated by the star reckoning is a position separated from the self-position estimated by the dead reckoning by a predetermined distance or more, the determination unit 114 determines that the self-position estimation result of the moving body 10 by the star reckoning is It is judged that the result was unexpected. That is, the determination unit 114 determines that the moving body 10 has been lost. Note that an arbitrary distance may be set as the predetermined distance. For example, the user may set an arbitrary value, or the distance calculated by general statistics may be set. Further, the method of determining whether or not the moving body 10 is lost is not limited to the above example.

(2-3) Detection unit 116
The detection unit 116 has a function of detecting information about the periphery of the moving body 10. For example, the detection unit 116 detects the approach target from the sensing information of the sensor device included in the sensor unit 100. The process in which the detection unit 116 detects an approaching object is also referred to as a “detection process” below.

Further, the detection unit 116 detects the approach target information from the sensing information of the sensor device included in the sensor unit 100. Then, the detection unit 116 outputs the detected approach target information to the estimation unit 112. The approach target information is information for estimating the position of the approach target when the moving body 10 is lost. Therefore, the detection unit 116 performs a process of detecting the approach target information when the determination result indicating that the moving body 10 has been lost is input from the determination unit 114.

The detection unit 116 detects the approach target and the approach target information using the sensing information input from at least one of a camera (imaging device), a microphone, and an optical sensor. When the sensor device is a camera, the detection unit 116 detects the approach target based on the captured image acquired by the camera. For example, the detection unit 116 detects an imaged person as an approach target by performing image recognition processing on the captured image. The detection unit 116 may perform image recognition processing by machine learning (for example, deep learning) when performing the image recognition processing. As a result, the detection unit 116 can detect a person existing around the moving body 10.

When a person existing around the moving body 10 is detected as the approach target based on the captured image, the detection unit 116 outputs the captured image to the estimation unit 112 as the approach target information. The detection unit 116 may also acquire the position information of the person when performing the image recognition process, and output the acquired position information to the estimation unit 112 as the approach target information.

If the approach target is a person and there are multiple candidates for the approach target, the detection unit 116 communicates with the mobile unit 10 from among the candidates (hereinafter, also referred to as the number of communications). A person with a large number of people is detected as an approach target. For example, the detection unit 116 detects the communication partner of the mobile unit 10 each time the mobile unit 10 communicates with a person, and stores the communication partner in the storage unit 120 in association with the communication count. Specifically, the detection unit 116 detects feature information (for example, a face image) indicating the feature of the other party from the captured image by the image recognition processing, and outputs the detected feature information and the number of times of communication to the storage unit 120. Then, when the detection unit 116 detects a plurality of candidates for the approach target, the detection unit 116 acquires the number of times of communication with the candidates from the storage unit 120 and compares the number of communication with the candidates, thereby detecting a person with a large number of communication times as the approach target. To do. Accordingly, the detection unit 116 can detect a person who is closer to the moving body 10 as an approach target. The person closer to the moving body 10 is, for example, the owner who takes care of the moving body 10 most. Note that examples of communication include strokes (detection of contact with a person), voice conversation (detection of a person's voice), eye contact (detection of a person's line of sight), and the like.

Also, a person who is close to the mobile unit 10 is more likely to know a coping method when the mobile unit 10 is lost than a person who is not close to the mobile unit 10. Therefore, since the detection unit 116 detects a person who is closer to the moving body 10 as an approach target, the moving body 10 has a higher possibility of being able to take an appropriate countermeasure earlier when lost. Therefore, by having a person close to the moving body 10 take appropriate measures, it is possible to recover from the lost faster than when a person not close to the person takes measures.

When the sensor device is a microphone, the detection unit 116 detects the position of the sound source as the approach target information based on the voice information acquired by the microphone. For example, the detection unit 116 detects the direction of voice from the voice information. When the direction of the sound source is detected from the voice information, the detection unit 116 detects the sound source existing in the direction of the voice as the approach target. Then, the detection unit 116 outputs the sound source position information indicating the detected position of the sound source to the estimation unit 112 as the approach target information.

When the sensor device is an optical sensor, the detection unit 116 detects the position of the light source as approach target information based on the optical information acquired by the optical sensor. For example, the detection unit 116 detects the direction of light from the light information. When the light direction is detected from the light information, the detection unit 116 detects a light source existing in the light direction as an approach target. Then, the detection unit 116 outputs the light source position information indicating the detected position of the light source to the estimation unit 112 as the approach target information. An example of the light information is a light intensity gradient that indicates the rate of change of light intensity. Specifically, when the light intensity gradient increases in the bright direction and the light intensity gradient decreases in the dark direction, the light source may be present in the light intensity gradient increasing direction. Therefore, the detection unit 116 can detect the position of the light source by detecting the direction of light based on the light intensity gradient.

Note that the detection unit 116 may set the priority when detecting the approaching object. For example, when the approach target is a person, the moving body 10 can easily return to its own position by approaching the person and requesting help. Specifically, the moving body 10 can have the person move to a position where the own position can be restored. On the other hand, when the approaching object is a sound source or a light source, even if the moving body 10 approaches the approaching sound source or the light source, if there is no person around the sound source or the light source, the moving body 10 returns to its own position. Can be difficult. Therefore, the priority when the detection unit 116 detects the approaching object is preferably set so that the detection unit 116 detects the person with the highest priority. As a result, the moving body 10 can increase the possibility of returning to its own position when approaching the approach target.

(2-4) Processing control unit 118
The processing control unit 118 has a function of controlling the processing in the control unit 110. For example, the processing control unit 118 performs processing according to whether or not the moving body 10 is lost. The moving body 10 that is not determined to have been lost is also referred to as a “normal moving body 10” below. Further, the moving body 10 determined to have been lost is also referred to as “lost moving body 10” below. Further, the processing relating to the return of the self-position is also referred to as “return processing” below. The request for returning the self-position is also referred to as a "return request" below.

(When it is not determined that the moving body 10 is lost)
The processing control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 plans the moving route of the normal moving body 10 and moves the normal moving body 10 along the moving route. The movement route is planned by the processing control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 based on the normal position of the normal moving body 10 and the destination, for example. Specifically, the process control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 routes from the self-position of the normal moving body 10 input from the estimating unit 112 to the destination of the normal moving body 10 acquired from the storage unit 120. Is planned as a travel route.

The normal moving body 10 can also perform processing for the lost moving body 10. For example, the normal moving body 10 performs a process of returning the lost moving body 10. At this time, the process control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 controls the operation of the normal moving body 10 according to whether or not the request information regarding the return request from the approaching object is received. The approaching object in this case is the lost moving body 10.

The request for return from the approaching object here is, for example, to return the lost self-position of the moving body 10. In addition, the request information mentioned here is information including at least one of information indicating that the information has been lost, information indicating the lost position, and information indicating the locus until lost. The information indicating the lost information is also referred to as “lost information” below. In addition, the information indicating the lost position is also referred to as “lost position information” below. The information indicating the locus until lost is also referred to as “trajectory information” below.

When the request information is received from the approaching object, the process control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 causes the normal moving body 10 to approach the approaching object based on the request information, and estimates the position of the approaching object to the normal moving body 10. Let Specifically, first, the processing control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 calculates, based on the self-position of the normal moving body 10 estimated by the estimating unit 112 and the lost position information of the lost moving body 10 included in the request information, Plan an approach route to the lost moving body 10. Next, the processing control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 moves the normal moving body 10 along the planned approach route, and brings the normal moving body 10 and the lost moving body 10 close to each other. After approaching, the process control unit 118 of the normal moving body 10 causes the normal moving body 10 to estimate the self position of the lost moving body 10. For example, the normal moving body 10 estimates the self-position of the lost moving body 10 by calculating the relative positional relationship between the normal moving body 10 and the lost moving body 10. Thereby, the normal moving body 10 can estimate the self-position of the lost moving body 10 by approaching the lost moving body 10. Further, the lost moving body 10 can restore its own position based on the self position of the lost moving body 10 estimated by the normal moving body 10.

After the estimation, the process control unit 118 of the normal mobile unit 10 transmits the estimated self-position to the lost mobile unit 10. Then, the lost moving body 10 identifies the self position received from the normal moving body 10 as the self position of the lost moving body 10. As a result, the lost moving body 10 can return to its own position.

(When it is determined that the moving body 10 is lost)
The processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 performs processing for allowing the lost moving body 10 to approach an approaching target (hereinafter, also referred to as “approaching processing”). For example, the process control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 performs the approach process based on the position of the approach target. Specifically, the processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 plans an approach route from the self position of the lost moving body 10 and the position of the approach target, and moves the lost moving body 10 along the approach route. The process is performed as an approach process. Further, the processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 causes the lost moving body 10 to make a return request to the approaching object. As a result, the lost mobile body 10 can return its own position by issuing a return request to the approaching object. The contents of the approach process and the return request differ depending on the approach target.

When the approach target is a person, the lost moving body 10 performs approach processing on the person and requests the person to return. Specifically, first, the processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 plans an approach route for the lost moving body 10 to approach the person based on the position of the person. After the planning, the processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 moves the lost moving body 10 along the planned approach route, and brings the lost moving body 10 and the person closer. After approaching, the process control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 causes the lost moving body 10 to make a return request to a person. The processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 may cause the lost moving body 10 to make a return request while the lost moving body 10 is approaching a person. As a result, the lost moving body 10 can return to its own position via a person. Further, the lost moving body 10 can restore its own position without depending on other external systems.

The return request here is, for example, to move the lost moving body 10 to a position where the own position can be returned. The method by which the lost mobile unit 10 makes the return request is not particularly limited. For example, the process control unit 118 causes the lost moving body 10 to make a return request expressed by at least one of gesture, voice output, and display output.

Specifically, when the lost moving body 10 has arms and legs, the processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 has information indicating the content of the return request (hereinafter, also referred to as “return request information”). In response to this, the arm or leg of the lost moving body 10 is driven.

The processing control unit 118 of the lost mobile unit 10 may cause the mobile unit 10 to make a return request using the output unit 140. For example, the processing control unit 118 of the lost mobile unit 10 generates output information according to the output device that realizes the function of the output unit 140, and causes the output unit 140 to output the generated output information.

Specifically, when the function of the output unit 140 is realized by a voice output device such as a speaker, the processing control unit 118 of the lost mobile unit 10 generates a voice indicating the return request information as the output information, and the generated voice. Is output from the audio output device. As a result, the lost moving body 10 can make a return request using the audio output device.

When the function of the output unit 140 is realized by a display device such as a display, the processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 generates an image or text indicating the return request information as output information, and the generated image or text. Etc. are displayed on the display device. As a result, the lost moving body 10 can make a return request using the display device.

Also, the position where the self position can be returned here is, for example, the position of the charger of the lost moving body 10. The mobile body 10 such as a home robot may estimate its own position based on the position of the charger. Therefore, the lost moving body 10 can obtain the information of the base point from the charger by being moved to the position of the charger by a person, for example. Then, the lost moving body 10 can estimate its own position based on the acquired information on the base point and restore the own position. The information on the base point may be transmitted to the lost moving body 10 by connecting the lost moving body 10 to the charger, or when the lost moving body 10 moves to the vicinity of the charger. It may be transmitted to the lost mobile unit 10 by wireless communication or the like.

When the approach target is not a person, the processing control unit 118 of the lost mobile unit 10 causes the lost mobile unit 10 to transmit request information regarding the return request to the approach target. For example, when the specific approach target is the normal moving body 10, the processing control unit 118 of the lost moving body 10 causes the lost moving body 10 to transmit request information to the normal moving body 10. Accordingly, the lost moving body 10 can restore its own position by detecting the normal moving body 10 even if it cannot detect a person, a sound source, a light source, or the like as an approach target.

The request information mentioned here is information including at least one of lost information, lost position information, and trajectory information.

The normal mobile unit 10 can detect that the source mobile unit 10 has been lost by receiving the lost information as the request information. Further, the normal moving body 10 can detect the lost position of the moving body 10 that is the transmission source by receiving the lost position information as the request information. Further, the normal moving body 10 receives the locus information of the lost moving body 10 as the request information, so that the moving body 10 as the transmission source lost the route (hereinafter, also referred to as “lost route”). It is possible to plan an approach route that does not include.

By receiving the above request information, the normal mobile unit 10 can move to the position of the lost mobile unit 10 and estimate the self-position of the lost mobile unit 10. Then, the lost moving body 10 can restore its own position by identifying the self position received from the normal moving body 10 as the self position of the lost moving body 10.

In order to realize the above functions, the processing control unit 118 has a route planning unit 1180 and an operation control unit 1182 as shown in FIG.

(2-4-1) Path planning unit 1180
The route planning unit 1180 has a function of planning a route. For example, the route planning unit 1180 performs the above-described process regarding the travel route planning as the process performed by the process control unit 118. Then, the route planning unit 1180 outputs information indicating the planned movement route to the operation control unit 1182.

Note that the mobile unit 10 may be lost again if it passes through a position that was lost in the past. Therefore, the route planning unit 1180 may plan the movement route so that the moving body 10 does not pass the past lost position. Thereby, the route planning unit 1180 can prevent the recurrence of the lost of the mobile unit 10.

As an example of a specific planning method, the route planning unit 1180 sets priorities for candidates of a moving route that the moving body 10 can move, and determines a candidate with a higher priority as the moving route of the moving body 10. There is a method of doing. For example, the route planning unit 1180 sets the priority of the candidate of the moving route including the lost position lower than the priority of the candidate of the moving route that does not include the lost position. Accordingly, when there are a moving route that does not include the lost position and a moving route that includes the lost position as candidates for the moving route, the route planning unit 1180 can select the moving route that does not include the lost position.

Further, the route planning unit 1180 may set the priority according to the number of lost positions included in the candidates for the moving route. Specifically, the route planning unit 1180 may set the priority to a lower value for a candidate of a moving route including a larger number of lost positions. As a result, when there are a moving route that does not include the lost position and a moving route that includes the lost position as candidates, the route planning unit 1180 can select the moving route that does not include the lost position. In addition, when there are only a plurality of movement routes including the lost position as a candidate, the route planning unit 1180 can select the movement route having the smaller lost position.

Note that the lost position described above may include both the lost position of the moving body 10 and the lost position of another moving body 10. Moreover, the data stored in the storage unit 120 each time the moving body 10 is lost is used as the above-mentioned lost position.

Here, a specific example of the route planning by the route planning unit 1180 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a travel route plan that does not pass through a lost position according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an approach route plan that does not pass through a lost route according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

2 shows an example in which the moving body 10 plans a moving route 70 that does not include the lost point 50 in the passage 22 surrounded by the wall 20. The moving body 10 shown in FIG. 2 has started moving along the moving route 60 from the starting point 30 toward the destination 40 in the past, and has been lost at the lost point 50. Therefore, when the moving body 10 passes through the moving route 60 again, there is a possibility that the moving body 10 is lost again at the lost point 50.

Therefore, when the moving body 10 re-plans the moving route from the starting point 30 to the destination 40, it plans a route that does not pass through the lost point 50. Specifically, the moving body 10 plans the moving route 70 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the travel route 70 is a route that does not include the lost point 50. Therefore, the moving body 10 can move to the destination 40 without passing through the lost point 50 by moving along the movement route 70 from the start point 30. In addition, the moving body 10 moves along the moving route 70, so that the possibility of being lost can be reduced as compared with the case where the moving body 10 moves along the moving route including the lost point 50.

FIG. 3 shows an example of planning an approach route 90 that does not include the moving route 60 that is the lost route to the moving body 10a lost by the moving body 10b in the passage 22 surrounded by the wall 20. The moving body 10a shown in FIG. 3 starts moving along the movement route 60 from the starting point 30a toward the destination 40 and is lost at the lost point 50. Therefore, when the moving body 10b approaches the moving body 10a by planning an approach route 80 including a route partially common to the moving route 60, there is a risk that the moving body 10b will be lost on the partially common route.

Therefore, when the moving body 10b plans the approach route to the moving body 10a, it plans a route that does not include the moving route 60 of the moving body 10a. For example, the moving body 10b plans an approaching route 90 that is a route that does not include the moving route 60 shown in FIG. Specifically, the moving body 10b plans an approach route 90 that does not pass through the route that the lost moving body 10a has moved to based on the lost position information and the trajectory information included in the request information received from the moving body 10a. To do. Then, the moving body 10b moves from the starting point 30b along the approach route 90, and thus can approach the moving body 10a lost at the lost point 50 without passing through the moving route 60. Further, the moving body 10b moves along the approaching route 90, so that the possibility of being lost can be reduced as compared with the case where the moving body 10b moves along the approaching route including the moving route 60.

(2-4-2) Operation control unit 1182
The operation control unit 1182 has a function of controlling the operation of the moving body 10. For example, the operation control unit 1182 controls the operation of the moving body 10 by controlling the driving of the driving unit 130. Specifically, the operation control unit 1182 moves the moving body 10 along the moving route based on the information indicating the moving route input from the route planning unit 1180 (hereinafter, also referred to as “moving route information”). Drive information for driving the drive unit 130 is generated when the drive is performed. Then, the operation control unit 1182 outputs the generated drive information to the drive unit 130.

The operation control unit 1182 also controls the drive of the drive unit 130 to control the operation when the moving body 10 makes a return request. Specifically, the operation control unit 1182 generates drive information for driving the drive unit 130 when the moving body 10 makes a return request based on the return request information. Then, the operation control unit 1182 outputs the generated drive information to the drive unit 130.

Further, the operation control unit 1182 controls the output of the output unit 140 to control the operation when the mobile unit 10 makes a return request. Specifically, the operation control unit 1182 generates output information suitable for the output device according to the output device that realizes the function of the output unit 140. Then, the operation control unit 1182 outputs the generated output information to the output unit 140.

(3) Storage unit 120
The storage unit 120 has a function of storing data regarding processing in the mobile unit 10. For example, the storage unit 120 stores information used when the moving body 10 plans a moving route. Specifically, the storage unit 120 stores information indicating destinations/route points when the moving body 10 moves (hereinafter, also referred to as “destination/route point information”) in the destination/route point information DB. Remember.

The storage unit 120 also stores information used when the moving body 10 plans a moving route that does not pass through the lost position. Specifically, the storage unit 120 stores the lost position information of the moving body 10 in the lost position DB.

The data stored in the storage unit 120 is not limited to the above example. For example, the storage unit 120 may store the sensing information of the sensor unit 100. In addition, the storage unit 120 may store information acquired via the communication unit 150. The storage unit 120 may also store programs such as various applications.

(4) Drive unit 130
The drive unit 130 has a function of operating the moving body 10. For example, the driving unit 130 operates the moving body 10 by driving based on the driving information input from the control unit 110. The drive unit 130 can be realized by, for example, an actuator. When the moving body 10 includes an arm having a joint, the actuator may be provided at the joint of the arm. Therefore, the drive unit 130 can operate the arm of the moving body 10 by driving based on the drive information input from the control unit 110.

When the moving body 10 includes a leg having a joint, the actuator may be provided at the joint of the leg. Therefore, as in the case of the arm, the drive unit 130 can drive the leg of the moving body 10 by driving based on the drive information. The moving body 10 may include wheels, and the driving unit 130 may be configured to be able to drive the wheels.

(5) Output unit 140
The output unit 140 has a function of outputting according to the input from the control unit 110. The function is implemented by the output device included in the moving body 10. For example, the function of the output unit 140 can be realized by an audio output device such as a speaker. When the function of the output unit 140 is realized by the audio output device, the output unit 140 outputs, for example, a sound indicating the content of the return request input from the control unit 110.

Also, the function of the output unit 140 can be realized by a display device such as a display. When the function of the output unit 140 is realized by the display device, the output unit 140 displays information such as an image and text indicating the content of the return request on the display device.

The function of the output unit 140 may be realized by one output device or may be realized by a plurality of output devices. For example, the function of the output unit 140 may be realized by either the audio output device or the display device, or may be realized by both the audio output device and the display device.

(6) Communication unit 150
The communication unit 150 has a function of communicating with an external device. The communication unit 150 outputs the information received from the external device to the control unit 110 in the communication with the external device, for example. Specifically, the communication unit 150 receives the request information from the lost moving body 10 and outputs the request information to the control unit 110. Further, the communication unit 150 receives the determination result from the lost moving body 10 and outputs the determination result to the control unit 110. In addition, the communication unit 150 receives its own position from the normal moving body 10 and outputs it to the control unit 110.

The communication unit 150 transmits information input from the control unit 110 to an external device in communication with the external device, for example. Specifically, the communication unit 150 transmits the request information input from the control unit 110 to the normal mobile body 10. The communication unit 150 also transmits the determination result input from the control unit 110 to the normal moving body 10. In addition, the communication unit 150 transmits the self position input from the control unit 110 to the lost mobile body 10.

<<3. Example of processing in mobile unit>>
The example of the functional configuration of the mobile unit 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above. Next, a processing example in the moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

<3-1. Processing when the mobile body moves normally>
<3-1-1. Processing block>
A process when the moving body 10 normally moves will be described. First, a processing block used when the moving body 10 normally moves will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of processing blocks when the moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure makes a normal movement.

The functions of the sensor unit 100, the control unit 110, the storage unit 120, and the drive unit 130 are used in the process when the mobile unit 10 normally moves. Specifically, in the sensor unit 100, the external sensor 102 and the internal sensor 104 are used. The control unit 110 uses the estimation unit 112 and the processing control unit 118. In the storage unit 120, the destination/route point DB 122 is used.

More specifically, the estimation unit 112 uses the star reckoning unit 1122, the dead reckoning unit 1124, and the integration unit 1126 of the self-position estimation unit 1120. Further, the processing control unit 118 uses the route planning unit 1180 and the operation control unit 1182.

First, in the sensor unit 100, sensing is performed by the external sensor 102 and the internal sensor 104. The sensing information sensed by the external sensor 102 is output to the star reckoning unit 1122. The sensing information sensed by the inner world sensor 104 is output to the dead reckoning unit 1124.

Next, the star reckoning unit 1122 and the dead reckoning unit 1124 each perform self-position estimation of the moving body 10 based on the sensing information. After the self-position estimation, the self-position estimated by each of the star reckoning unit 1122 and the dead reckoning unit 1124 is output to the integration unit 1126, and the integration unit 1126 performs integration processing. Then, the self-position after the integration processing is output to the route planning unit 1180.

Next, in the route planning unit 1180, information indicating the self-position after the integration process and the destination/route point acquired from the destination/route point DB 122 (hereinafter, also referred to as “destination/route point information”). Based on the above), the moving route of the moving body 10 is planned. After the planning, the movement route information indicating the movement route is output to the operation control unit 1182.

Then, the operation control unit 1182, to which the movement route information is input, controls the driving unit 130 to move the moving body 10 along the movement route.

<3-1-2. Processing flow>
Next, a processing flow when the moving body 10 normally moves will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing when the moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure makes a normal movement.

As shown in FIG. 5, first, the moving body 10 performs sensing by the inner world sensor 104 (S100). Next, the moving body 10 performs self-position estimation by dead reckoning based on the sensing information of the internal sensor (S102). Further, the moving body 10 performs sensing by the external sensor 102 (S104). Next, the moving body 10 performs self-position estimation by star reckoning based on the sensing information of the external sensor (S106). After estimating the self-position, the moving body 10 integrates the self-position estimated by the dead reckoning and the self-position estimated by the star reckoning (S108).

Next, the mobile unit 10 acquires destination/route point information (S110). Next, the mobile unit 10 plans a travel route based on the integrated self-position and the acquired destination/route point information (S112). Then, the moving body 10 moves along the planned moving route (S114).

<3-2. Processing when a lost mobile unit requests a person to return>
<3-2-1. Processing block>
The processing performed when the moving body 10 normally moves has been described above. Subsequently, a process when the lost moving body 10 requests a person to return will be described. First, a processing block used when the lost moving body 10 requests a person to return will be described. FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of processing blocks when the lost moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure requests a person to return.

As shown in FIG. 6, the functions of the sensor unit 100, the control unit 110, the drive unit 130, and the output unit 140 are used in the process when the lost moving body 10 requests a person to return. Specifically, in the sensor unit 100, the external sensor 102, the internal sensor 104, the camera 106, the microphone 107, and the optical sensor 108 are used. The control unit 110 uses the estimation unit 112, the determination unit 114, the detection unit 116, and the processing control unit 118.

More specifically, the estimation unit 112 uses the star reckoning unit 1122, the dead reckoning unit 1124, the integration unit 1126, and the human position estimation unit 1128 of the self-position estimation unit 1120. The determination unit 114 uses the lost determination unit 1140. The detection unit 116 uses a human detection unit 1160, a sound source localization unit 1162, and a light source localization unit 1164. The processing control unit 118 uses a route planning unit 1180 and an operation control unit 1182. It is assumed that the detection unit 116 has the highest priority when the approaching object is detected and that the light source has the lowest priority.

Next, the star reckoning unit 1122 and the dead reckoning unit 1124 each perform self-position estimation of the moving body 10 based on the sensing information. After the self-position estimation, the self-position estimated by each of the star reckoning unit 1122 and the dead reckoning unit 1124 is output to the integration unit 1126, and the integration unit 1126 performs integration processing.

Here, the self position estimated by each of the star reckoning unit 1122 and the dead reckoning unit 1124 is output to the lost determination unit 1140. The lost determination unit 1140 makes a lost determination based on the input self-position. When it is determined by the lost determination that the moving body 10 has been lost, the lost determining unit 1140 outputs a determination result indicating that the moving body 10 has been lost to the detecting unit 116 and the person position estimating unit 1128. When the moving body 10 is lost, the self-position estimated by the star reckoning unit 1122 and the self-position after the integration processing by the integration unit 1126 are not used in the subsequent processing. Therefore, the processing by the star reckoning unit 1122 and the integration unit 1126 may not be performed while the moving body 10 is lost.

Next, the detection unit 116, to which the determination result has been input, performs detection processing. First, the human detection unit 1160 performs detection processing based on the captured image captured by the camera 106. When a person is detected, the person detection unit 1160 outputs the captured image as the approach target information to the person position estimation unit 1128. When no person is detected, the sound source localization unit 1162 performs detection processing based on the voice information acquired by the microphone 107. When a sound source is detected, the sound source localization unit 1162 outputs the sound source position information to the person position estimating unit 1128 as approach target information. When the sound source is not detected, the light source localization unit 1164 performs a detection process based on the light information acquired by the optical sensor. When the light source is detected, the light source localization unit 1164 outputs the light source position information to the person position estimation unit 1128 as approach target information.

Next, the person position estimation unit 1128, to which the determination result is input from the lost determination unit 1140, estimates the position of the approach target based on the approach target information input from the detection unit 116. After the estimation, the person position estimating unit 1128 outputs the estimated position of the approaching object to the route planning unit 1180.

Then, in the route planning unit 1180, based on the self-position of the moving body 10 that is input last from the dead reckoning unit 1124 and is acquired before loss, and the position of the approaching target input from the human position estimation unit 1128, The approach route of the moving body 10 is planned. After the planning, the information indicating the approach route (hereinafter, also referred to as “approach route information”) is output to the operation control unit 1182.

The operation control unit 1182, to which the approach route information is input, controls the driving unit 130 to move the moving body 10 along the approach route. Then, after the moving body 10 approaches the approaching object, the operation control unit 1182 controls the operation of the driving unit 130 or the output unit 140 to cause the moving body 10 to make a return request. The operation control unit 1182 may cause the moving body 10 to make a return request while the moving body 10 is approaching the approach target.

<3-2-2. Processing flow>
Next, a processing flow when the lost moving body 10 requests a person to return will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing in the mobile unit 10 when the lost mobile unit 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure requests a person to return.

As shown in FIG. 7, first, the moving body 10 moves (S200). Next, the moving body 10 makes a lost decision while moving (S202). When it is not determined that the moving body 10 is lost (S202/NO), the moving body 10 continues moving.

If it is determined that the mobile unit 10 has been lost (S202/YES), the mobile unit 10 performs a person detection process (S204). When a person is detected (S204/YES), the moving body 10 estimates the position of the person (S206).

When no person is detected (S204/NO), the mobile unit 10 performs a voice detection process (S208). When the voice is detected (S208/YES), the moving body 10 performs localization of the sound source (S210). After the localization of the sound source, the moving body 10 estimates the position of the person based on the position of the sound source (S206).

If no voice is detected (S208/NO), the moving body 10 performs a light intensity gradient detection process (S212). When the light intensity gradient is detected (S212/YES), the moving body 10 positions the light source (S214). After the position of the light source is localized, the moving body 10 estimates the position of the person based on the position of the light source (S206).

If the light intensity gradient is not detected (S212/NO), the moving body 10 suspends its operation for a predetermined time (S218). After the lapse of a predetermined time, the moving body 10 restarts the process from S204.

After estimating the position of the person, the mobile unit 10 plans an approach route to the person (S216). After the planning, the moving body 10 starts moving to the position of the person along the planned approach route. When the movement to the position of the person or its surroundings is completed (S220/YES), the moving body 10 makes a request for returning to the person (S222). When the movement to the position of the person or its periphery is not completed (S220/NO), the moving body 10 continues the movement. At this time, the moving body 10 may again plan the approach route to the position of the person.

<3-3. Processing when a lost mobile makes a return request to another mobile>
<3-3-1. Processing block>
The processing when the lost moving body 10 makes a return request to a person has been described above. Next, a process when the lost moving body 10 makes a return request to another moving body 10 will be described. First, a processing block used when the lost mobile unit 10 makes a return request to another mobile unit 10 will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a processing block when the lost moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure makes a return request to another moving body 10.

The processing block of the mobile unit 10a in FIG. 8 shows the processing block of the lost mobile unit 10. The processing block of the moving body 10b in FIG. 8 is a processing block of another moving body 10 detected by the lost moving body 10. The processing blocks illustrated in FIG. 8 also indicate processing blocks of the control system 1000 including the moving body 10a (moving body having the first control device) and the moving body 10b (moving body having the second control device). There is.

When the mobile unit 10a makes a return request to the mobile unit 10b, as shown in FIG. 8, the processing block of the mobile unit 10a uses the functions of the sensor unit 100a, the control unit 110a, and the communication unit 150a. Specifically, in the sensor unit 100a, the external sensor 102a and the internal sensor 104a are used. The estimation unit 112a and the determination unit 114a are used in the control unit 110a. More specifically, the estimation unit 112a uses the star reckoning unit 1122a, the dead reckoning unit 1124a, and the integration unit 1126a of the self-position estimation unit 1120a. The determination unit 114a uses the lost determination unit 1140a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in the processing block of the mobile unit 10b, the functions of the sensor unit 100b, the control unit 110b, the drive unit 130b, and the communication unit 150b are used. Specifically, the sensor unit 100b uses the external sensor 102b and the internal sensor 104b. The estimation unit 112b and the processing control unit 118b are used in the control unit 110b. More specifically, the estimation unit 112b uses the self-position estimation unit 1120b. The process control unit 118b uses the route planning unit 1180b and the operation control unit 1182b.

First, in the sensor unit 100a of the moving body 10a, sensing is performed by the external sensor 102a and the internal sensor 104a. The sensing information sensed by the external sensor 102a is output to the star reckoning unit 1122a. Further, the sensing information sensed by the inner world sensor 104a is output to the dead reckoning unit 1124a.

Next, the star reckoning unit 1122a and the dead reckoning unit 1124a each perform self-position estimation of the moving body 10a based on the sensing information. After the self position is estimated, the self position estimated by each of the star reckoning unit 1122a and the dead reckoning unit 1124a is output to the integration unit 1126a, and the integration unit 1126a performs integration processing.

Here, the self position estimated by each of the star reckoning unit 1122a and the dead reckoning unit 1124a is output to the lost determination unit 1140a. The lost determination unit 1140a makes a lost determination based on the input self-position. When the lost determination unit 1140a determines that the mobile unit 10a has been lost, the mobile unit 10a transmits a determination result indicating that the mobile unit 10a has been lost to the mobile unit 10b via the communication unit 150a. At the same time, the mobile unit 10a also transmits request information to the mobile unit 10b via the communication unit 150a.

The mobile unit 10b that has received the determination result and the request information via the communication unit 150b performs a process of returning the mobile unit 10a. First, the moving body 10b plans the approach route to the moving body 10a by the route planning unit 1180b based on the received request information. After the planning, the approach route information is output to the operation control unit 1182b. The operation control unit 1182b, to which the approach path information is input, controls the driving unit 130b to move the moving body 10b along the approach path. After moving along the approach route, the moving body 10b detects the moving body 10a by the external sensor 102b. After the detection, the moving body 10b calculates the relative positional relationship between the moving body 10b and the moving body 10a based on the sensing information obtained by sensing the moving body 10a by the external sensor 102b, thereby determining the self-position of the moving body 10a. presume. After the estimation, the mobile unit 10b transmits the estimated self position to the mobile unit 10a via the communication unit 150b.

The mobile unit 10a that has received its own position via the communication unit 150a identifies the self position received by the integration unit 1126a as the self position of the mobile unit 10a, and restores its own position.

<3-3-2. Processing flow>
Next, a processing flow when the lost mobile unit 10 makes a return request to another mobile unit 10 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing when the lost moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure issues a return request to another moving body 10.

As shown in FIG. 9, first, the moving body 10a moves (S300). Similarly, the moving body 10b is also moving (S302). The moving body 10a makes a lost decision while moving (S304). When it is not determined that the moving body 10a is lost (S304/NO), the moving body 10a continues moving. When it is determined that the moving body 10a is lost (S304/YES), the moving body 10a transmits request information including the lost information of the moving body 10a, the lost position information, and the trajectory information to the moving body 10b (S306). ..

The mobile unit 10b that has received the request information plans an approach route to the mobile unit 10a based on the lost position information and the trajectory information of the mobile unit 10a included in the request information (S308). For example, the moving body 10b can plan the approaching route 90 not including the lost route, instead of the approaching route 80 including the lost route shown in FIG. 3, from the lost position information and the trajectory information of the moving body 10a. After the planning, the moving body 10b moves to the position of the moving body 10a along the planned approach route (S310). The moving body 10b confirms whether or not the moving body 10a is detected while moving (S312). When the moving body 10a is detected (S312/YES), the moving body 10b calculates the relative positional relationship between the moving body 10b and the moving body 10a based on the sensing information to determine the self-position of the moving body 10a. It is estimated (S314). When the moving body 10a is not detected (S312/NO), the moving body 10b continues moving. At this time, the moving body 10b may again plan the approach route to the position of the moving body 10a.

After estimating the self-position of the mobile unit 10a, the mobile unit 10b transmits the estimated self-position to the mobile unit 10a (S316). Then, the moving body 10b restarts moving (S318).

The mobile unit 10a that has received the self-position from the mobile unit 10b identifies the received self-position as the self-position of the mobile unit 10a and restores the self-position. Then, the moving body 10a restarts moving (S322).

<3-4. Process when planning a moving route where the moving body does not pass through the lost position>
<3-4-1. Processing block>
The processing when the lost moving body 10 makes a return request to another moving body 10 has been described above. Next, a process when the moving body 10 plans a moving route that does not pass through the lost position will be described. First, a processing block used when the moving body 10 plans a moving route that does not pass through the lost position will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of processing blocks when the moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure plans a moving route that does not pass through the lost position.

As shown in FIG. 10, the functions of the sensor unit 100, the control unit 110, the storage unit 120, and the drive unit 130 are used in the process when the moving body 10 plans a moving route that does not pass through the lost position. Specifically, in the sensor unit 100, the external sensor 102 and the internal sensor 104 are used. The control unit 110 uses the estimation unit 112 and the processing control unit 118. The storage unit 120 uses a destination/route point DB 122 and a lost position DB 124.

Next, the route planning unit 1180 determines the lost position based on the self-position after the integration process, the destination/route point information acquired from the destination/route point DB 122, and the lost position information acquired from the lost position DB 124. Plans for routes that will not be taken. After planning, the movement route information is output to the operation control unit 1182.

<3-4-2. Processing flow>
Next, a processing flow when the moving body 10 plans a moving route that does not pass through the lost position will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing when the moving body 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure plans a moving route that does not pass through the lost position.

First, the mobile unit 10 estimates its own position (S400). Next, the mobile unit 10 acquires the destination/route point information from the destination/route point DB 122, and plans a travel route candidate (S402). For example, the moving body 10 plans the moving route 70 shown in FIG. 2 and the moving route moving through the moving route 60 to the destination 40 as candidates. Next, the moving body 10 acquires the lost position information from the lost position DB 124 and excludes the movement route including the lost position from the candidates (S404). For example, the moving body 10 excludes a moving route that moves to the destination 40 through the moving route 60 shown in FIG. 2 from the candidates.

Next, the mobile unit 10 selects a travel route from the remaining candidates (S406). When a plurality of candidates remain, the moving body 10 may narrow down the moving route to one, for example, under arbitrary conditions. Specifically, the moving body 10 may select a travel route having a shorter distance to the destination than other travel routes. Then, the moving body 10 moves along the selected moving route (S408).

<<4. Modification>>
Heretofore, the processing example in the moving body according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. Next, modified examples according to the embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Note that the modified examples described below may be applied instead of the configuration described in the embodiment of the present disclosure, or may be additionally applied to the configuration described in the present embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the moving body 10 is a home robot has been described, but the moving body 10 may be a robot used in a factory (hereinafter, also referred to as “in-factory robot”). Good. The in-factory robot can estimate its own position, for example, by recognizing a marker (for example, Alvar marker) attached in the factory. Therefore, the lost factory robot issues a return request to move the marker to a recognizable position. For example, when a return request is made to a person, the lost factory robot causes the person to move the marker to a recognizable position. As a result, the lost factory robot can restore its own position.

<<5. Hardware configuration example>>
Finally, a hardware configuration example of the control device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration example of the control device according to the present embodiment. The control device 900 shown in FIG. 12 can realize the moving body 10 shown in FIG. 1, for example. The control processing by the mobile unit 10 according to the present embodiment is realized by cooperation of software and hardware described below.

As shown in FIG. 12, the control device 900 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 902, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 903. The control device 900 also includes a host bus 904, a bridge 905, an external bus 906, an interface 907, an input device 908, an output device 909, a storage device 910, a drive 911, a connection port 912, and a communication device 913. The hardware configuration shown here is an example, and some of the components may be omitted. The hardware configuration may further include components other than the components shown here.

The CPU 901 functions as, for example, an arithmetic processing device or a control device, and controls the overall operation of each component or a part thereof based on various programs recorded in the ROM 902, the RAM 903, or the storage device 910. The ROM 902 is a means for storing programs read by the CPU 901, data used for calculation, and the like. The RAM 903 temporarily or permanently stores, for example, a program read by the CPU 901 and various parameters that appropriately change when the program is executed. These are connected to each other by a host bus 904 including a CPU bus and the like. The CPU 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM 903 can realize the function of the control unit 110 described with reference to FIG. 1 in cooperation with software, for example.

The CPU 901, the ROM 902, and the RAM 903 are mutually connected, for example, via a host bus 904 capable of high-speed data transmission. On the other hand, the host bus 904 is connected to the external bus 906 having a relatively low data transmission rate, for example, via the bridge 905. The external bus 906 is also connected to various components via the interface 907.

The input device 908 is realized by a device, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, a microphone, a switch and a lever, to which information is input by the user. Further, the input device 908 may be, for example, a remote control device that uses infrared rays or other radio waves, or may be an externally connected device such as a mobile phone or PDA that corresponds to the operation of the control device 900. Further, the input device 908 may include, for example, an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on the information input by the user using the above-described input unit and outputs the input signal to the CPU 901. By operating the input device 908, the user of the control device 900 can input various data to the control device 900 and instruct a processing operation.

Alternatively, the input device 908 may be formed by a device that detects information about the user. For example, the input device 908 includes an image sensor (for example, a camera), a depth sensor (for example, a stereo camera), an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a sound sensor, and a distance measuring sensor (for example, ToF (Time of Flight). ) Sensors), force sensors, and the like. Further, the input device 908 acquires information about the state of the control device 900 itself such as the posture and moving speed of the control device 900, and information about the surrounding environment of the control device 900 such as the brightness and noise around the control device 900. Good. Further, the input device 908 receives a GNSS signal from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite (for example, a GPS signal from a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite) and receives positional information including the latitude, longitude, and altitude of the device. It may include a GNSS module to measure. Regarding the position information, the input device 908 may detect the position by transmission/reception with Wi-Fi (registered trademark), a mobile phone/PHS/smartphone, or the like, or short-distance communication or the like. The input device 908 can realize the function of the sensor unit 100 described with reference to FIG. 1, for example.

The output device 909 is formed of a device capable of visually or auditorily notifying the user of the acquired information. Such devices include CRT display devices, liquid crystal display devices, plasma display devices, EL display devices, display devices such as laser projectors, LED projectors and lamps, audio output devices such as speakers and headphones, and printer devices. .. The output device 909 outputs the results obtained by various processes performed by the control device 900, for example. Specifically, the display device visually displays the results obtained by the various processes performed by the control device 900 in various formats such as text, images, tables, and graphs. On the other hand, the audio output device converts an audio signal composed of reproduced audio data, acoustic data, etc. into an analog signal and outputs it audibly. The output device 909 can realize the function of the output unit 140 described with reference to FIG. 1, for example.

The storage device 910 is a device for data storage formed as an example of a storage unit of the control device 900. The storage device 910 is realized by, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD, a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, a magneto-optical storage device, or the like. The storage device 910 may include a storage medium, a recording device that records data in the storage medium, a reading device that reads data from the storage medium, and a deletion device that deletes data recorded in the storage medium. The storage device 910 stores programs executed by the CPU 901, various data, various data acquired from the outside, and the like. The storage device 910 can realize the function of the storage unit 120 described with reference to FIG. 1, for example.

The drive 911 is a reader/writer for a storage medium, and is built in or externally attached to the control device 900. The drive 911 reads out information recorded on a removable storage medium such as a mounted magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, and outputs it to the RAM 903. The drive 911 can also write information to a removable storage medium.

The connection port 912 is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, an IEEE 1394 port, a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), an RS-232C port, or a port for connecting an external device such as an optical audio terminal. ..

The communication device 913 is, for example, a communication interface formed of a communication device or the like for connecting to the network 920. The communication device 913 is, for example, a communication card for wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), LTE (Long Term Evolution), Bluetooth (registered trademark), or WUSB (Wireless USB). The communication device 913 may be a router for optical communication, a router for ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), a modem for various kinds of communication, or the like. The communication device 913 can send and receive signals and the like to and from the Internet and other communication devices, for example, according to a predetermined protocol such as TCP/IP. The communication device 913 can realize the function of the communication unit 150 described with reference to FIG. 1, for example.

The network 920 is a wired or wireless transmission path for information transmitted from a device connected to the network 920. For example, the network 920 may include a public line network such as the Internet, a telephone line network, and a satellite communication network, various LAN (Local Area Network) including Ethernet (registered trademark), WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like. The network 920 may also include a dedicated line network such as an IP-VPN (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Network).

The example of the hardware configuration capable of realizing the function of the control device 900 according to the present embodiment has been described above. Each component described above may be implemented by using a general-purpose member, or may be implemented by hardware specialized for the function of each component. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately change the hardware configuration to be used according to the technical level at the time of implementing the present embodiment.

<<6. Summary >>
As described above, the control device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure estimates the self position of the moving body 10a. Further, the control device determines whether or not the self-position of the moving body 10a has been lost. Then, the control device performs processing for approaching the approaching object according to the determination result of whether or not the moving body 10a has lost its own position. When it is determined that the moving body 10a has lost its own position, the control device brings the moving body 10a and the approaching object close to each other. As a result, the control device can cause the approaching object to perform an operation for returning the self-position of the moving body 10a.

Therefore, there is provided a new and improved control device, control method, program, and control system capable of returning its own position when the moving body approaches the approaching object when the moving body loses its own position. It is possible.

The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field of the present disclosure can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that the invention also belongs to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

For example, each device described in this specification may be realized as a single device, or part or all may be realized as separate devices. For example, the control unit 110 included in the moving body 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be realized as a single device. For example, the control unit 110 may be realized as an independent device such as a server device and connected to the mobile unit 10 via a network or the like.

The series of processes performed by each device described in this specification may be realized using any of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. The programs constituting the software are stored in advance, for example, in a recording medium (non-transitory medium: non-transmission media) provided inside or outside each device. Then, each program is read into the RAM when it is executed by a computer, and executed by a processor such as a CPU.

Also, the processes described using the flowcharts and sequence diagrams in this specification do not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown. Some processing steps may be performed in parallel. Further, additional processing steps may be adopted, and some processing steps may be omitted.

Also, the effects described in the present specification are merely explanatory or exemplifying ones, and are not limiting. That is, the technique according to the present disclosure may have other effects that are apparent to those skilled in the art from the description of the present specification, in addition to or instead of the above effects.

Note that the following configurations also belong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.
(1)
An estimation unit that estimates the self-position,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the mobile body has lost its own position,
In accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, a processing control unit that performs a process for approaching the approach target,
And a control device.
(2)
When it is determined that the moving body has lost the self-position,
The control device according to (1), wherein the processing control unit further causes the moving body to make a request for returning the self-position to the approaching target.
(3)
When the approach target is a person,
The processing control unit plans a route for the moving body to approach the person based on the position of the person, causes the moving body to approach the person, and makes the request for the person to the moving body. The control device according to (2) above.
(4)
The control device according to (3), wherein the request is to move the moving body to a position where the self position of the moving body can be returned.
(5)
The control device according to (4), wherein the position where the self-position can be returned is the position of the charger of the moving body.
(6)
6. The processing control unit according to any one of (3) to (5) above, which causes the moving body to perform the request represented by at least one of gesture, voice output, and display output. Control device.
(7)
When the approach target is not a person,
The control device according to any one of (2) to (6), wherein the processing control unit causes the mobile unit to transmit request information regarding the request to the approach target.
(8)
Further comprising a detection unit that detects approaching object information regarding the approaching object from the sensing information of the sensor device,
The estimation unit estimates the position of the approach target based on the approach target information,
The control device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the processing control unit performs processing for approaching the approaching object based on a position of the approaching object.
(9)
When the approach target is a person and there are multiple candidates for the approach target,
The control device according to (8), wherein the detection unit detects, from the candidates, a person who has frequently communicated with the moving body as the approach target.
(10)
The sensor device is an imaging device,
The control device according to (8) or (9), wherein the detection unit detects the approaching object based on a captured image acquired by the imaging device.
(11)
The sensor device is a microphone,
The control device according to any one of (8) to (10), wherein the detection unit detects a position of a sound source as the approach target information based on voice information acquired by the microphone.
(12)
The sensor device is an optical sensor,
The control device according to any one of (8) to (11), wherein the detection unit detects a position of a light source as the approach target information based on light information acquired by the optical sensor.
(13)
If it is not determined that the mobile has lost the self-position,
The processing control unit controls the operation of the moving body according to whether or not request information relating to a request from the approaching object is received, according to any one of (1) to (12) above. Control device.
(14)
When the request information is received from the approach target,
The control device according to (13), wherein the processing control unit causes the moving body to approach the approaching target based on the request information, and causes the moving body to estimate the position of the approaching target.
(15)
The request information includes at least one of information indicating the loss of the self-position, information indicating the lost position of the self-position, and information indicating a trajectory until the loss of the self-position, (7) The control device according to 1.
(16)
The processing control unit sets a priority for a candidate of a moving route along which the moving body can move, and determines the candidate with a higher priority as the moving route of the moving body, (1) The control device according to any one of to (15).
(17)
The processing control unit sets the priority of the candidate of the travel route including the position where the self position is lost to be lower than the priority of the candidate of the travel route that does not include the position where the self position is lost. The control device according to (16) above.
(18)
Estimating self position,
Determining whether the mobile has lost its self-position,
Performing processing for approaching the approaching object according to the determination result of the determination,
A control method executed by a processor, including:
(19)
Computer,
An estimation unit that estimates the self-position,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the mobile body has lost its own position,
In accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, a processing control unit that performs a process for approaching the approach target,
Program to function as.
(20)
A first estimation unit that estimates the self-position, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the moving body has lost the self-position, and an approach target according to the determination result by the first determination unit. A first controller including a first processing controller that performs processing for approaching;
A second estimating unit that estimates the self-positions of the moving body and the approaching target, and second processing control that performs processing for approaching the moving body according to a determination result by the first determining unit. A second control device comprising:
Equipped with
When it is determined that the moving body has lost the self-position,
The first control device transmits request information regarding return of the self-position to the second control device via communication,
The second control device causes the approaching target to approach the moving body based on the request information received from the first controlling device via communication, and the approaching target sets the self-position of the moving body to the approaching target. Estimate, control system.

10 moving body 100 sensor part 110 control part 112 estimation part 114 judgment part 116 detection part 118 processing control part 1180 route planning part 1182 operation control part 120 storage part 130 driving part 140 output part 150 communication part 1000 control system

Claims

An estimation unit that estimates the self-position,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the mobile body has lost its own position,
In accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, a processing control unit that performs a process for approaching the approach target,
And a control device.
When it is determined that the moving body has lost the self-position,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing control unit further causes the moving body to make a request for returning the self-position to the approaching object.
When the approach target is a person,
The processing control unit plans a route for the moving body to approach the person based on the position of the person, causes the moving body to approach the person, and makes the request for the person to the moving body. The control device according to claim 2, wherein
The control device according to claim 3, wherein the request is to move the mobile body to a position where the self-position of the mobile body can be returned.
The control device according to claim 4, wherein the position where the self-position can be returned is the position of the charger of the moving body.
The control device according to claim 3, wherein the processing control unit causes the mobile unit to make the request represented by at least one of a gesture, a voice output, and a display output.
When the approach target is not a person,
The control device according to claim 2, wherein the processing control unit causes the mobile unit to transmit request information regarding the request to the approach target.
Further comprising a detection unit that detects approaching object information regarding the approaching object from the sensing information of the sensor device,
The estimation unit estimates the position of the approach target based on the approach target information,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing control unit performs processing for approaching the approach target based on a position of the approach target.
When the approach target is a person and there are multiple candidates for the approach target,
The control device according to claim 8, wherein the detection unit detects, from the candidates, a person who has frequently communicated with the moving body as the approach target.
The sensor device is an imaging device,
The control device according to claim 8, wherein the detection unit detects the approach target based on a captured image acquired by the imaging device.
The sensor device is a microphone,
The control device according to claim 8, wherein the detection unit detects a position of a sound source as the approach target information based on voice information acquired by the microphone.
The sensor device is an optical sensor,
The control device according to claim 8, wherein the detection unit detects the position of the light source as the approach target information based on the light information acquired by the optical sensor.
If it is not determined that the mobile has lost the self-position,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the processing control unit controls the operation of the moving body according to whether or not request information regarding a request from the approach target is received.
When the request information is received from the approach target,
The control device according to claim 13, wherein the processing control unit causes the moving body to approach the approaching target based on the request information, and causes the moving body to estimate the position of the approaching target.
8. The request information includes at least one of information indicating a loss of the self position, information indicating a lost position of the self position, and information indicating a trajectory until the loss of the self position. The control device described.
The processing control unit sets a priority for a candidate of a moving route on which the moving body can move, and determines the candidate having a higher priority as the moving route of the moving body. The control device described.
The processing control unit sets the priority of the candidate of the travel route including the position where the self position is lost to be lower than the priority of the candidate of the travel route that does not include the position where the self position is lost. The control device according to claim 16.
Estimating self position,
Determining whether the mobile has lost its self-position,
Performing processing for approaching the approaching object according to the determination result of the determination,
A control method executed by a processor, including:
Computer,
An estimation unit that estimates the self-position,
A determination unit that determines whether or not the mobile body has lost its own position,
In accordance with the determination result by the determination unit, a processing control unit that performs a process for approaching the approach target,
Program to function as.
A first estimation unit that estimates the self-position, a first determination unit that determines whether or not the moving body has lost the self-position, and an approach target according to the determination result by the first determination unit. A first controller including a first processing controller that performs processing for approaching;
A second estimating unit that estimates the self-positions of the moving body and the approaching target, and second processing control that performs processing for approaching the moving body according to a determination result by the first determining unit. A second control device comprising:
Equipped with
When it is determined that the moving body has lost the self-position,
The first control device transmits request information regarding return of the self-position to the second control device via communication,
The second control device causes the approaching target to approach the moving body based on the request information received from the first controlling device via communication, and the approaching target sets the self-position of the moving body to the approaching target. Estimate, control system.