JP2002092761A - Movement monitoring system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To monitor an optional monitor point set with the usage of a moving robot and surely detect abnormality when the abnormality occurs. SOLUTION: This movement monitoring system is provided with a robot cleaner 8 equipped with a visual sensor 9 and a cleaner mechanism and autonomously moving, and a home server 6 for controlling the robot cleaner. The home server is provided with a setting means for setting an information on plural monitor points, a storage means for previously storing an image of the respective monitor points at normal time set by the setting means, and a determination means for determining the normality and the abnormality of the obtained image by comparing the image obtained at the respective monitor points by the visual sensor of the robot cleaner and the image of the respective monitor points previously stored in the storage means. The robot cleaner autonomously moves to the respective monitor points set and obtains the image of the respective monitor points by the visual sensor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a movement monitoring system for monitoring indoor conditions of a house or the like using a mobile robot or a robot cleaner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A large number of monitoring systems for monitoring a fire or crime prevention in a room such as a house are known.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-283152 discloses a substation including various devices and sensors, a main station that applies a control signal to the substation via a transmission line and obtains a detection signal from the substation, and performs an operation by autonomously moving. And a mobile robot to perform.
A remote control system is described that acts based on instructions from a main or substation.

[0003] In this method, a terminal device including sensors and various devices is connected to a controller via a home bus, and an information station is connected to the home bus, and an instruction from the controller is transmitted to the mobile robot via the information station. . If the information transmitted from the main or sub station is a video signal of a visitor, the mobile robot moves to another location and outputs an image according to an instruction from the main or sub station. Therefore, the resident in the house can surely confirm the visitor by watching the video output by the mobile robot.
As the terminal equipment, there are sensors such as a security sensor, a gas sensor, a smoke sensor, etc. installed in each room, a TV door phone, an electric lock for a front door, a bath, a TV, an air conditioner, a light, a telephone, a personal computer, and the like. It is controlled by a controller.

Further, the controller displays a signal when a detection signal of a fire, a gas leak or the like is obtained from a terminal device, gives an alarm with an alarm bell, an alarm, etc., a fire station,
It can notify the security company, offices, outings, etc. to the outside, and when the mobile robot monitors infants and sick people, the mobile robot records the voices and images of the infant, and information as audio and video signals The information is transmitted to the controller via the station, and at this time, the user can confirm the condition of the infant even when away from home.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-59765 discloses a portable terminal with a television device, image capturing control of a plurality of monitor camera devices arranged in a monitoring target area, and image data transmission to the portable terminal with a television device. A monitoring system is described in which a server that performs transfer control is connected, and a situation in a monitoring target area can be monitored as necessary in a portable terminal with a television device via the server. In addition, a server that controls a plurality of monitor camera devices and transfers image data in accordance with instructions from the mobile phone with a TV is installed, and each monitor camera device includes a relay unit that relays data transmitted and received between the server and the monitor camera device. With the provision, the power consumption of the monitor camera device can be reduced.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-2831
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 52, the abnormality is detected by the output from various sensors separate from the mobile robot, and the situation is photographed by the camera of the mobile robot and displayed on the controller. There was a problem that detection was not possible.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-59765, it is necessary to install a camera in each room because there is no moving object, and one camera cannot monitor the situation depending on the layout of the room and the arrangement of furniture. Cases arise,
In such a case, there is a problem that more cameras are required.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a movement monitoring system capable of monitoring an arbitrary monitoring point set by using a mobile robot and automatically detecting an abnormality when it occurs.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A mobile monitoring system that includes a mobile robot that autonomously moves with a visual sensor and a server that controls the mobile robot, and a server that captures and monitors an image obtained by the visual sensor with the movement of the mobile robot, the server includes: Setting means for setting information on a plurality of monitoring points, storage means for pre-storing a normal image of each monitoring point set by the setting means, and an image obtained by the visual sensor of the mobile robot at each monitoring point. A mobile robot is controlled by a server, autonomously moves to each set monitoring point, and visually judges whether the acquired image is normal or abnormal. An image of each monitoring point is acquired by a sensor. According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the movement monitoring system according to the first aspect, information on a plurality of monitoring points set on an indoor layout of a plurality of rooms registered in advance is set.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile robot with a cleaner which has a visual sensor and a cleaner mechanism, and which autonomously moves, and a server which controls the mobile robot. In a mobile surveillance system where a server captures and monitors images,
A server configured to set information on a cleaning circuit path of the mobile robot and a plurality of monitoring points in the circuit path; and a storage unit configured to previously store a normal image of each monitoring point set by the setting means. The mobile robot further includes a determination unit that compares the image acquired at each monitoring point by the visual sensor of the mobile robot with the image of each monitoring point stored in the storage unit in advance, and determines whether the acquired image is normal or abnormal. The cleaning operation is performed according to a set cleaning circuit path, and an image is acquired by a visual sensor at each monitoring point along the path.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the mobile monitoring system according to any one of the first to third aspects, the server is connected to a public line or the Internet, and externally sets information in the setting means through the public line or the Internet. Is to do. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the mobility monitoring system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the server comprises:
Further, there is provided an abnormality notifying unit for notifying an abnormality at a preset location according to the state of the abnormality determined by the determining unit.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the mobile monitoring system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the mobile robot further includes a dialogue means, and the server is connected to a public line or the Internet. From the public line, the Internet, and a server through dialogue means.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, home appliances such as a refrigerator 2, a television device 3, an air conditioner 4, and a sensor device 5 existing in a relatively small space 1 such as a home or a small office are connected to a home server 6 by Bluetooth or the like. Wireless LAN 7
Form a home network. The home appliances 2, 3, 4 and the sensor device 5 are centrally managed by the home server 6. A robot cleaner 8 as a mobile robot is connected to the home server 6 via a wireless LAN 7. The robot cleaner 8 includes a visual sensor 9, an autonomous moving mechanism described later,
A cleaner mechanism is provided. Note that the LAN may be wired or wireless, but a wireless system such as Bluetooth is preferable because it has a higher degree of freedom in arrangement.

The home server 6 is connected to an external computer network 10 via a terminal adapter (TA) and the Internet 11, and communicates with a mobile station 13 via a modem and a public line 12; It is connected to a reporting device 15 of the police, fire department, security company, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the home server 6 comprises setting means 16 for setting various information for controlling the home appliances 2, 3, 4, the sensor device 5, and the robot cleaner 8, and a robot cleaner. Storage means 17 for storing the image information from the visual sensor 9 of 8, storing images of normal states at a plurality of preset monitoring points, and storing the room layout information of each room, and the robot cleaner 8. The image acquired at each monitoring point is compared with the image at each monitoring point stored in the storage means 17 to determine whether the image at the monitoring point acquired by the robot cleaner 8 is normal or abnormal. Means 18 and this determination means 18
Notifying means 19 for notifying an abnormality to a preset place according to the abnormal situation when the abnormality is judged, layout information of each room and visual sensor 9 of robot cleaner 8
Position identifying means 20 for identifying the position of the robot cleaner 8 by comparing an image from the camera or an image from a visual sensor incorporated in a lighting device or the like arranged at a position that can be looked down from above the room such as a ceiling. ing. In addition,
The room layout information stored in the storage means 17 in advance includes, in addition to the layout and size of the room, the layout including furniture and other arrangements, walls, and the like, and images showing the state of the room and the interior of the room. It contains images of furniture, pillars and other furniture.

As shown in FIG. 3, the robot cleaner 8 includes two left and right driving wheels 21 constituting a front wheel, one freely rotating rear wheel 22 provided at the center of a rear end, and left and right driving wheels 21. An autonomous moving mechanism constituted by two motors 23 each of which is driven to rotate is provided, and a power rotary brush 24, a motor 25 for driving the rotary brush 24 to rotate, a dust collection chamber 26 including a paper bag and the like,
6 and a cleaner mechanism constituted by a suction path 28 for sucking dust collected by the rotation of the fan and cleaner motor 27 and the rotation of the rotary brush 24 into the dust collection chamber 26. ing. The robot cleaner 8 includes a CCD.
The visual sensor 9 comprising a camera, an image processing unit 29 for processing an image signal captured by the visual sensor 9, a motor control unit 30 for controlling the motors 23 and 25, and a cleaner motor control for controlling the fan and the cleaner motor 27. Unit 31, an obstacle sensor 32 that detects an obstacle while traveling,
Lithium ion secondary battery 33 for supplying power to each unit, charging control unit 34 for controlling charging of this secondary battery 33, wireless communication unit 35 for performing wireless communication with the home server 6, speaker 36 and microphone constituting interactive means 37 and an overall traveling control unit 38 for controlling each unit. The general traveling control unit 38 controls the driving wheels 21 based on the information on the moving amount and the direction received from the home server 6 and controls the traveling of the robot cleaner 8 in a predetermined direction.

In the home network having such a configuration, first, the setting means 16 of the home server 6 sets the traveling operation of the robot cleaner 8. This sets a monitoring point and an image obtaining condition of the image obtained by the visual sensor 9 of the robot cleaner 8 at the monitoring point, for example, aperture, zoom, focus, and the like. Also, time information for acquiring an image is set. These settings may be input directly to the home server 6, or may be set by accessing the home server 6 from a mobile phone or a terminal on the go.

At the set time, the home server 6 transmits the monitoring point and image acquisition conditions set in the robot cleaner 8 and transmits information indicating the moving amount and direction. Thereby, the robot cleaner 8 starts moving. The robot cleaner 8 first determines the direction from the home position where the position is known, starts moving, counts the number of pulses from the encoder attached to the drive wheel 21, measures the amount of movement, and moves to the set monitoring point. I do. In this case, if there are several turns on the way,
A plurality of sets of information indicating the amount of movement and direction are transmitted, and the robot cleaner 8 is linearly moved with the information indicating the amount of movement and direction, and the information indicating the next amount of movement and direction each time the robot reaches the direction change position. The next movement will be performed according to. The direction change is performed by reversing the rotation directions of the left and right drive wheels 21.

The position of the robot cleaner 8 is determined by a visual sensor which is a separate sensor from the robot cleaner 8, for example, one sensor device 5 incorporated in a lighting device mounted on the ceiling. And the position of the home server 6
Compares the photographed image with the room layout of each room stored in the storage means 17 in advance to recognize the current position and direction in the room.

The visual sensor 9 of the robot cleaner 8
And the storage means 17 in the home server 6 in advance
The current position in the room can also be grasped by comparing the room layout of each room stored in the room. In this case, the home server 6 performs object recognition on a main target serving as a mark projected in front of the visual sensor 9 of the robot cleaner 8, and recognizes the current position and direction.

The distance to the object can be predicted from image acquisition conditions such as focus and zoom of the visual sensor 9 and the size of the target object. Note that the obstacle sensor 32
Can also be used to measure the distance to the object. In addition, the relative distance and direction can be estimated from the round-trip time in wireless communication with the home server 6 and home electric appliances connected to other networks. The monitoring point is set in the indoor layout stored in the storage unit 17.

Thus, it is possible to judge whether or not the robot cleaner 8 has reached the monitoring point by comparing the current position of the robot cleaner 8 with the set layout in the room. In addition, the position and direction of the robot cleaner 8 are estimated, and if there is a deviation from the set data by estimating the movement amount and the current position, the position and direction are corrected.

The robot cleaner 8 arriving at the monitoring point applies the current image captured by the visual sensor 9 to the image processing unit 2.
9, the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35
Send to Since the storage unit 17 of the home server 6 previously stores the normal image of the monitoring point, the determination unit 18 of the home server 6 compares the captured current image with the normal image. If the difference between the two images is within a preset condition, it is determined that the image is normal, and if the difference exceeds the condition, it is determined that the image is abnormal. Then, when the home server 6 recognizes an abnormality according to the setting condition, the home server 6
The abnormality notification means 19 communicates with a place set in advance according to the situation of the abnormality and transmits an abnormal image. The setting conditions for judging the abnormality differ depending on the monitoring point, and the judgment criteria also differ.

FIG. 4 shows that the robot cleaner 8 goes to the set monitoring point according to the traveling route set in the storage means 17 of the home server 6, takes an image with the visual sensor 9, and transmits the image to the home server 6. It shows the situation. The robot cleaner 8 is initially located at the home position P0, goes from the home position P0 to the first monitoring point P2 via the position P1, and captures an image with the visual sensor 9 at the monitoring point P2. , And wirelessly transmits to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35.

In this case, the robot cleaner 8 first
It moves to the position P1 according to the information indicating the movement amount and direction from the home position P0 to the position P1, and then moves to the monitoring point P2 according to the information indicating the movement amount and direction from the position P1 to the monitoring point P2. And
If there is a displacement between the position P1 and the monitoring point P2, the position is corrected using the above-described method.

When the home server 6 captures the image of the monitoring point P2 from the robot cleaner 8, the home server 6 reads the normal image of the monitoring point P2 stored in the storage means 17 and compares it with the image captured by the determination means 18, Determine whether it is normal or abnormal.

For example, when the monitoring target at the monitoring point P2 is a sick person, an image in a normal state is as shown in FIG. The normal judgment condition at this time is that the sick person fits in the futon and the head position is close to the pillow. Therefore, if the image captured by the visual sensor 9 at the monitoring point P2 is equivalent to or close to the image shown in FIG. 5A, it is determined that the image is normal. If the image captured by the visual sensor 9 is an image in which the sick person does not enter the futon as shown in FIG. 5B, it is determined that caution is required. If the image captured by the visual sensor 9 is an image in which the sick person is lying beside the futon as shown in FIG. 5C, it is determined that the image is abnormal.

Subsequently, the robot cleaner 8 moves from the monitoring point P2 to the monitoring point P3 according to the set traveling route. The image is taken by the visual sensor 9 at the monitoring point P3, image-processed by the image processing unit 29, and then transmitted wirelessly to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35. When the home server 6 captures the image of the monitoring point P3 from the robot cleaner 8, the home server 6 reads the normal image of the monitoring point P3 stored in the storage unit 17 and compares the image with the captured image by the determination unit 18.

For example, if the object to be monitored at the monitoring point P3 is a toilet, it cannot be put inside because the toilet has a door. In this case, the normal image is in a state where the light of the toilet is turned off as shown in FIG. Therefore, the image captured by the visual sensor 9 at the monitoring point P3 is shown in FIG.
If it is an image in which the light of the toilet is turned off as shown in FIG. If the image captured by the visual sensor 9 is an image in which the toilet is lit as shown in FIG. 6B, it is determined that caution is required. Then, in this case, the home server 6 is accessed from the observer's mobile phone or a terminal on the go.
To control the dialogue means of the robot cleaner 8 via. In other words, the voice of the observer, which is input from the observer's mobile phone or a terminal on the go, is output through the speaker 36. If there is a response, the response is collected by the microphone 37, and the collected voice is transmitted to the observer's mobile phone or the terminal at the destination via the home server 6 together with the image captured by the visual sensor 9. Thereby, the observer determines whether the state is normal or abnormal based on the state of the image displayed on the mobile phone or the terminal and the sound output. For example, if there is no response while the light is on, it is determined that there is an abnormality.

Subsequently, the robot cleaner 8 moves from the monitoring point P3 to the monitoring point P4 according to the set traveling route. At the monitoring point P4, the image is photographed by the visual sensor 9 and image-processed by the image processing unit 29, and then transmitted wirelessly to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35. When the home server 6 captures the image of the monitoring point P4 from the robot cleaner 8, the home server 6 reads out the normal image of the monitoring point P4 stored in the storage unit 17 and compares it with the image captured by the determination unit 18.

For example, if the object to be monitored at the monitoring point P4 is a bath, it cannot be put inside because there is a door like a toilet. In this case as well, the image at the time of normal operation is the same as that of the toilet shown in FIG.
It is assumed that the bath light is turned off as shown in FIG. Therefore, if the image captured by the visual sensor 9 at the monitoring point P4 is an image in which the light of the bath is turned off as shown in FIG. 6A, it is determined that the image is normal. Further, if the image captured by the visual sensor 9 is an image with a bath light as shown in FIG. 6B, it is determined that caution is required. Also in this case, the observer controls the interactive means of the robot cleaner 8 via the home server 6 from a mobile phone or a terminal on the go to determine whether the state is normal or abnormal based on the displayed image and the state of the output voice. to decide.

Subsequently, the robot cleaner 8 moves from the monitoring point P4 to the monitoring point P5 according to the set traveling route. The image is taken by the visual sensor 9 at the monitoring point P5, image-processed by the image processing unit 29, and then transmitted wirelessly to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35. When the home server 6 captures the image of the monitoring point P5 from the robot cleaner 8, the home server 6 reads out the normal image of the monitoring point P5 stored in the storage means 17 and compares it with the image captured by the determination means 18.

For example, when the object to be monitored at the monitoring point P5 is a stove, the normal image is a screen in which the stove is not lit as shown in FIG. 7A. Therefore, if the image captured by the visual sensor 9 at the monitoring point P5 is an image in which the same stove as the image shown in FIG. Also, the visual sensor 9
In the case where the image taken by the user is small because the stove is lit as shown in FIG. 7 (b), it is determined that caution is required. If the image captured by the visual sensor 9 is an image in which a large flame is rising from the stove as shown in FIG. 7C, it is determined that the image is abnormal. In this case, caution or abnormality is determined based on the percentage of the flame area with respect to the entire screen or the presence or absence of a flame in an arbitrary area of the screen.

In this way, the robot cleaner 8 moves the monitoring point P
When it reaches 5 and ends the monitoring operation, it returns to the first home position P0 and stops. In this way, a plurality of monitoring points can be set in the room, and the robot cleaner 8 can directly move to the monitoring points and monitor. When an abnormality is determined at each monitoring point, the occurrence of the abnormality is notified from the abnormality notification means 19 via the public line 12 via the mobile phone 13 of the observer, the reporting device 15 of the police, fire and security companies, or the Internet 11. To the terminal 10 of the supervisor. In this case, the notification destination notifies the notification person preset by each monitoring point. If there is a notification device in the home network, the notification device is notified. This means, for example, that an abnormal occurrence on the first floor is notified to a person on the second floor.

Further, since each monitoring point is stored and set in the storage means 17 of the home server 6, this storage means 1
7 can be easily changed by operating the home server 6 or by inputting information from outside using the Internet 11 or the public line 12. Further, the number of monitoring points can be further increased.

The robot which directly moves to the monitoring point set in this way and obtains an image of the point may be a mobile robot dedicated to monitoring instead of a robot cleaner having a cleaner mechanism.

Here, using the interactive means consisting of the speaker 36 of the robot cleaner 8 and the microphone 37, the voice of the observer, which is input from the observer's mobile phone or a terminal at the destination, is output from the speaker, and is monitored. The response from the person is received by the microphone 37 to notify the monitor, but the present invention is not limited to this. The information of the voice talking to the robot cleaner 8 is stored, and the robot cleaner 8 sends the response to the person to be monitored. The home server 6 may determine whether or not there is a response from the person being monitored and responded.

In the above, the case where the robot cleaner 8 directly moves to the monitoring point and obtains an image of the point has been described as an example. Next, the robot cleaner 8 moves to the monitoring point set in the middle of the cleaning circuit. An example in which an image is obtained while performing a cleaning operation will be described.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a cleaning tour pattern of the robot cleaner 8. The cleaning tour pattern is stored in the storage unit 17 of the home server 6 in advance. In this case, a plurality of cleaning tour patterns may be stored, and an arbitrary pattern may be selected from the stored patterns. The setting of the cleaning tour pattern is performed by reading the room layout of each room stored in the storage unit 17, and writing and setting the tour route on the room layout. The selection of the cleaning tour pattern may be performed by the home server 6 or by a mobile phone or a terminal connected to the Internet 11. Further, without using the pattern stored in the storage unit 17, for example, it is possible to specify the position to be cleaned from a mobile phone or a terminal.

The traveling pattern is set based on the cleaning patrol pattern of the robot cleaner 8 by reading the room layout of each room stored in the storage means 17 and writing the patrol path on the indoor layout in the same manner as the patrol pattern. Set with. In the learning mode, the robot cleaner 8 may manually follow the route, and the traveling route may be stored in the storage unit 17.

The current position of the robot cleaner 8 is determined in advance by using an image from a visual sensor incorporated in a lighting device or the like separate from the robot cleaner 8 and using the home server 6 in advance.
The current room and the position of the room are ascertained by comparing the room layout of each room stored in the storage means 17.
It is also easy to estimate the relative distance and direction from the round-trip time in wireless communication with the home server 6 and home appliances connected to the home network, and to correct the position.

For example, in the cleaning tour pattern, the living room is first cleaned, and at the monitoring point P11 where the television device is installed in the middle of the living room, it is confirmed whether the television device is switched on or off. The bedroom is cleaned, and at the monitoring point P12 where the sick person is sleeping on the way, it is checked whether the sick person is on the futon. Check if the drawer is open, then clean the dining room, then clean the entrance, hallway, and kitchen, and fire from the stove at the monitoring point P14 where the stove is located in the middle. If it is determined that the cleaning has been completed and the cleaning has been completed, the result is as shown in FIG.

That is, the robot cleaner 8 first cleans the living room starting from the home position P0, and when the robot cleaner 8 reaches the monitoring point P11 on the way, the robot sensor 8 photographs the television device with the visual sensor 9. The captured image is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 29 and then transmitted wirelessly to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35. Home server 6
When the image of the monitoring point P11 is fetched from the robot cleaner 8, the normal image of the monitoring point P11 stored in the storage means 17 is read out, compared with the image fetched by the judging means 18, and the switch of the television device is turned on. Determine if it is on or off. If the switch of the television device is turned on, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred.

When the cleaning of the living room is completed, the robot cleaner 8 once returns to the home position P0 and then starts cleaning the bedroom. In the bedroom, when reaching the monitoring point P12 on the way, the sick person sleeping on the futon is photographed by the visual sensor 9. The captured image is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 29 and then transmitted wirelessly to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35. When the home server 6 captures the image of the monitoring point P12 from the robot cleaner 8, the home server 6 reads the normal image of the monitoring point P12 stored in the storage means 17 and compares it with the image captured by the determination means 18 to determine whether it is normal or abnormal. Judge. Then, if the sick person has fallen outside the futon, it is determined to be abnormal.

Subsequently, when the vehicle arrives at the monitoring point P13, a closet is photographed by the visual sensor 9. The captured image is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 29 and then transmitted wirelessly to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35. When the home server 6 captures the image of the monitoring point P13 from the robot cleaner 8, the home server 6 reads out the normal image of the monitoring point P13 stored in the storage means 17, compares it with the image captured by the determination means 18, and draws a closet. It is determined whether or not is open.
If the drawer is empty, it is determined that the drawer is abnormal.

When the cleaning of the bedroom is completed, the cleaning of the dining room is started. Since no monitoring point is set in the cafeteria, only cleaning is performed. When the cleaning is completed, the process returns to the home position P0. Now clean the entrance, hallway and kitchen. As for the entrance and corridor, only the cleaning is performed because the monitoring point is not set.

In the kitchen, the monitoring point P is located at the position of the stove.
Since 14 is set, when the robot cleaner 8 reaches the monitoring point P14, the visual sensor 9 photographs the stove. The captured image is subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 29 and then transmitted wirelessly to the home server 6 via the wireless communication unit 35. When the home server 6 captures the image of the monitoring point P14 from the robot cleaner 8, the home server 6 reads out the normal image of the monitoring point P14 stored in the storage means 17, compares it with the image captured by the determination means 18, and outputs the flame from the stove. It is determined whether or not is out. Then, if a flame comes out of the stove, it is determined to be abnormal. When the cleaning of the kitchen ends, the robot cleaner 8 returns to the home position P0 and ends a series of cleaning.

By setting a plurality of monitoring points on the cleaning circuit of the robot cleaner 8 as described above, the robot cleaner 8 can monitor the monitoring points while cleaning. When an abnormality is determined at each monitoring point, the occurrence of the abnormality is notified from the abnormality notification means 19 through the public line 12 to the mobile phone 13 of the monitor.
To the terminal 10 of the observer via the reporting device 15 of the police, fire, security company or the Internet 11. In this case, the notification destination notifies the notification person preset by each monitoring point. If there is a notification device in the home network, the notification device is notified.

The cleaning tour pattern of the robot cleaner 8 includes a pattern for specifying a tour route in detail and a pattern for roughly specifying an area as shown by diagonal lines in FIG. 10, and these may be selectable. it can. When the area is designated, the cleaning pattern of the designated area is included in the built-in cleaning mode, that is, the traveling pattern and the quality of the cleaning (carefully,
Quick and easy, zigzag pattern, U-shaped pattern, etc.)
It is only necessary to be able to select a pattern to be assigned according to. In addition, a display unit may be provided in the home server 6 to display an image from the visual sensor 9 sent from the robot cleaner 8.

As described above, in this movement monitoring system,
A home server 6 is connected to an autonomous mobile mechanism that can be controlled from the outside, a robot cleaner 8 having a visual sensor 9 and a cleaner mechanism, and a home server 6 by a wireless LAN.
2. It can be operated from the outside through the Internet 11 and compares the image from the visual sensor 9 of the robot cleaner 8 with the normal image stored in the storage means 17 of the home server 6,
When an abnormality occurs, it can be reliably detected. In addition, it is possible to confirm by dialog using the interactive means provided in the robot cleaner 8.

Further, the cleaning operation and the monitoring operation can be performed by the robot cleaner 8, and the practicability can be further improved. In addition, a cleaning command, a patrol command, a command to move to a monitoring point and an image acquisition command to the robot cleaner 8 can be set in the home server 6 in advance, and a family member can issue a command from outside through a mobile phone or the Internet. Further, the robot cleaner 8 has a cleaner function and a patrol monitoring function, and preliminarily stores a cleaning range and a method, a start time, a cleaning time, a patrol course, a check point, a patrol time, and the like.
Can be preset, and the family can command from outside via a mobile phone or the Internet.

Further, when the judging means 18 of the home server 6 judges that there is an abnormality according to the setting standard, it is possible to contact a plurality of set places and transmit an abnormal image according to the condition of the abnormality. As a result, according to the level of the abnormality, not only notification to the family members but also notification to the police, fire department, security company, and the like can be smoothly performed.

In this embodiment, a case has been described in which a robot cleaner is used as a mobile robot to travel on the floor. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
A rail may be arranged on the ceiling so that the mobile robot can move vertically and horizontally, and the mobile robot may be hung on the rail and move to each monitoring point.

[0054]

According to the invention described in each of the claims, it is possible to monitor an arbitrary monitoring point set by using a mobile robot, and to detect the abnormality automatically when it occurs. Also,
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the mobile robot is a robot cleaner that performs a cleaning operation, and can perform a cleaning operation and a monitoring operation, and can further improve practicality. Also,
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to externally set information on the server using a public line or the Internet.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly notify an abnormality to a place set according to an abnormal situation. According to the sixth aspect of the present invention,
Using a public line or the Internet, the user can interact with the monitoring target from outside via a mobile robot. When the monitoring target is a person, the occurrence of an abnormality can be confirmed more smoothly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a home network according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram showing a configuration of a main part of the home server according to the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a robot cleaner according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a monitoring patrol route of the robot cleaner according to the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image of a monitoring point P2 on the monitoring patrol route in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows monitoring points P3 and P4 in the monitoring circuit shown in FIG.
The figure which shows the example of a picked-up image.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a captured image of a monitoring point P5 on the monitoring patrol route in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a cleaning tour route of the robot cleaner and monitoring points on the route in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of designation of a cleaning area of a robot cleaner and monitoring points on a route in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 6 Home server 8 Robot cleaner 9 Visual sensor 11 Internet 12 Public line 16 Setting means 17 Storage means 18 Judgment means 19 Abnormality notification means

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Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A mobile robot that has a visual sensor and moves autonomously and a server that controls the mobile robot,
In a movement monitoring system in which the server captures and monitors an image acquired by the visual sensor with the movement of the mobile robot, the server includes: a setting unit configured to set information on a plurality of monitoring points; Storage means for storing in advance a normal image of each monitoring point, and comparing the image obtained by the visual sensor of the mobile robot at each monitoring point with the image of each monitoring point stored in advance in the storage means. The mobile robot is controlled by the server, autonomously moves to each set monitoring point, and obtains an image of each monitoring point with the visual sensor, comprising a determination unit for determining whether the image is normal or abnormal. And mobile monitoring system. 2. The movement monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein the setting means sets information on a plurality of monitoring points set on an indoor layout of a plurality of rooms registered in advance. 3. A mobile robot having a cleaner function, having a visual sensor and a cleaner mechanism, and autonomously moving, and a server for controlling the mobile robot, wherein the image acquired by the visual sensor with the movement of the mobile robot is read by the robot. In a mobile monitoring system that a server captures and monitors, the server includes: a setting unit configured to set information on a cleaning tour route of the mobile robot and a plurality of monitoring points in the tour route; and each monitoring set by the setting unit. Storage means for pre-storing an image of a normal point, and comparing the image obtained by the visual sensor of the mobile robot at each monitoring point with the image of each monitoring point pre-stored in the storage means; The mobile robot is controlled by the server and follows a set cleaning circuit path. Clean operation Te, mobile monitoring system and obtaining an image by the visual sensor at each monitoring point in the middle path. 4. The server according to claim 1, wherein the server is connected to a public line or the Internet and externally sets information in the setting means through the public line or the Internet.
The movement monitoring system according to any one of the above items. 5. The server according to claim 1, wherein said server further comprises an abnormality notifying unit for notifying an abnormality at a preset location in accordance with the state of the abnormality determined by said determining unit.
The movement monitoring system according to any one of the above items. 6. The mobile robot further includes a dialogue means, and the server is connected to a public line or the Internet, and the dialogue is enabled by the dialogue means from outside through the public line, the Internet, and the server. The movement monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: