JP2006171893A - Disaster rescue robot and disaster rescue support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a disaster rescue support system using a disaster rescue robot which is preset in a living room and functions as an interphone in a normal time and has a disaster rescue function in the case of disaster. <P>SOLUTION: This disaster rescue support system 1 is mainly configured of a plurality of robots 2 installed in a plurality of living rooms 9 in a state that a crawler mechanism is compactly stored, and a support computer 3 configured so that various information can be transmitted and received through a radio communication network 10 with the robots 2, and the robot 2 is remotely controlled when disaster occurs, and it can be used for retrieving and finding out a person 11 to be rescued who is left in the living room 9. In this case, it is possible to find out the person 11 to be rescued in an early stage by using living room information 20 acquired in a normal time and in disaster occurrence, and stored in the support computer 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a disaster rescue robot and a disaster rescue support system. In particular, the present invention is used in a disaster site where a house has collapsed due to a disaster such as a large-scale earthquake, and is effective for searching and rescuing rescuers who are buried in rubble. The present invention relates to a disaster rescue robot and a disaster rescue support system that can be supported in an automatic manner.

  Conventionally, disaster prevention measures against natural disasters such as large-scale earthquakes with seismic intensity of 6 or more, volcanic eruptions, or typhoons have been carried out by the national and local governments and related organizations, and efforts to minimize damage are made. Has been done. Especially in recent years, large-scale earthquakes such as the Tonankai and Tokai-oki earthquakes are predicted to occur with a very high probability, and are events that are of great interest not only to experts but also to the general population. is there. Therefore, many devices and appliances that can cope with natural disasters are being developed.

  For example, in a natural disaster such as an earthquake, buildings such as buildings and ordinary houses are expected to collapse. Then, when the ceiling or pillar material of the collapsed building or the furniture installed in the room lays on its side, the escape route to the outdoors is blocked, or the fallen pillar material etc. Part may be pinched. For this reason, there are cases where there are many rescuers who are unable to move while still alive at the collapse site of a building. It is known that the survival probability of rescuers at the time of these disasters greatly depends on the rescue time from the time of the disaster to the time required for rescue, and generally the limit time at which the survival probability changes dramatically is It has been reported that it is about 72 hours after the disaster.

  Therefore, members of the fire brigade, rescue squad, and self-defense forces that conduct disaster rescue activities should find rescuers as soon as possible, remove the pillars that cannot be escaped, and perform rescue operations to rescue them. It must be done within the 72 hours mentioned above. However, rescuers who are unable to escape due to the collapse of rubble such as pillars lose their consciousness, or make active voices that produce sounds by striking the surrounding pillars or making sounds by weakness. Often difficult to do. Furthermore, it is assumed that the whole body is buried by pillars, etc., and it is difficult for an external rescuer to find the rescuer, so that the discovery of the rescuer is delayed and the rescue operation is hindered.

  Therefore, a fiberscope is inserted in a narrow space that is difficult for rescue workers to enter, or a blind spot to be searched, and the position of the rescuer can be confirmed as an image, or unevenness with scattered debris etc. A crawler-type small disaster rescue robot that can easily travel even on rough terrain is used to search for rescuers by remote control of rescue workers.

  The rescue method using the above-mentioned fiberscope and the use of a small disaster rescue robot have already been performed as well-known ones, and the applicant of the present application particularly knows the technical literature describing such technology at the time of filing. Not.

  However, the disaster relief activities described above may cause the following problems. That is, conventional disaster rescue robots are stored in the headquarters of organizations to which rescue team members belong, such as fire department headquarters and rescue team headquarters, during normal times (except during disasters). When a disaster occurs, rescue workers etc. transported the disaster rescue robot to the disaster site and used it for disaster rescue activities by remote control.

  Therefore, it cannot be used until the arrival time of rescue workers, and rescue operations may be performed inefficiently. In addition, these disaster-rescue robots are still in practical use, and the absolute number of robots was insufficient so that one could be deployed in a special rescue team. As a result, if a large-scale earthquake occurs in a wide area and there are disaster sites such as burying in multiple locations simultaneously, it is possible to conduct searches and disaster rescue activities using disaster rescue robots only in some locations. could not. As a result, discovery of those who needed help was sometimes delayed.

  In addition, disaster rescue robot activities are often set in places where there is a high probability that a rescuer is needed based on the long-term experience and intuition of rescue workers, and the discovery of the rescuer may be delayed more often. It was. For this reason, it is necessary to carry out efficient disaster relief activities based on accurate data such as patterns of life between residents (rescue personnel) between normal times and disasters, and the number of people in the rooms. It was expected to be necessary to increase the survival probability of rescuers.

  Therefore, in view of the above situation, the present invention is preliminarily installed in a normal room, operates as a disaster rescue robot in a disaster, and can function as an intercom in a normal time, and uses the disaster rescue robot It is an issue to provide a disaster relief support system.

  In order to solve the above problems, the disaster rescue robot according to the present invention is “installed in a normal room waiting for the occurrence of a disaster in advance and can communicate with the outside of the room by at least one of video and audio. Use of a robot body having an interphone function and a plurality of sensors installed or built in the robot body to obtain room information as room information at the normal time and the state of the room at the time of the disaster. Means, a crawler mechanism portion disposed in the robot body and capable of traveling in the living room that has become uneven at the time of the disaster, and the crawler mechanism portion is deformed according to the situation of the living room during the normal time and the disaster. And a wireless transmission for transmitting the room information acquired by the room information acquisition means to the outside of the room via a wireless communication network. Means, a wireless reception means for receiving a wireless control signal transmitted from the reception destination of the room information via the wireless communication network, and the crawler mechanism section and the deformation mechanism based on the received wireless control signal. And a radio control means for controlling at least one of the units ”.

  Here, with the intercom function of the robot body, it is possible to apply voice communication technology generally used in current houses and condominiums, for example, provided in both the entrance and the living room. There are devices that allow a call terminal to confirm a visitor by video (visitor's face) and voice (visitor's voice) and talk to each other. In addition, in the case of the disaster rescue robot of the present invention, it is desirable to install one each in each room of the house in order to use it as an interphone as described above during normal times.

  The room information acquisition means acquires room information that can grasp the state of the room during normal times and disasters by using various sensors attached to or built in the robot body. For example, if information related to the floor plan of the living room and the arrangement of furniture is acquired in advance by an imaging means such as a camera, the disaster rescue robot is controlled to move according to this floor plan when a disaster occurs, or the route for searching is set. It becomes possible to set. Further, if the disaster occurs at midnight, it is easy for the rescuer to set the first goal of searching for the rescuer in the vicinity of the bedroom recognized in advance.

  Here, sensors attached to the robot body include a small camera that visually captures the state of the room, an infrared sensor that detects the presence of a person and the movement of an object due to a difference in reflectance such as infrared rays, and door opening and closing. It is possible to exemplify an electromagnetic sensor or the like that detects a state by an electrical or magnetic change. In addition, as described above, it is assumed that the search range of rescuers is different depending on the time of occurrence of the disaster. Therefore, the occurrence of the disaster is detected and the clock function for measuring the time or the elapsed time from the occurrence of the disaster is measured. It may include time measuring means having a timer function.

  On the other hand, the crawler mechanism is conventionally well-known as one of moving means that can travel without any trouble even in a disaster site where the furniture, rubble, and the like are scattered and rough. More specifically, an annular belt is laid over a plurality of wheels attached to the side of the robot body, and the belt is rotated by driving means to rotate the associated belt. It is a mechanism with high running stability that is used in a wide range of fields such as military vehicles such as tanks, construction work vehicles such as bulldozers, agricultural machinery such as tractors, snowmobiles and snow vehicles. Further, the deformation mechanism section changes the form of the crawler mechanism section attached to the robot main body appropriately according to the normal time and the disaster. Specifically, it is deformed into a compact folded state so that it is almost the same shape as the robot body in normal times, so that it does not get in the way even if it is hung on the wall surface of the living room, etc. It extends to the maximum length and can be changed to a form that can travel freely even between large debris. In particular, when the level difference is large, the moving angle of the crawler mechanism with respect to the robot body is changed so that the rotation of the belt is always transmitted to the irregular ground. It is possible to move easily even at a disaster site.

  Further, the wireless transmission means for transmitting the acquired room information and the wireless reception means for receiving the wireless control signal transmitted from outside the room can apply the existing wireless communication technology, and currently communicate with the Internet. It is possible to utilize the wireless LAN technology widely adopted as a means. In this case, communication with the outside of the room may be performed via a wireless access point installed inside or outside the house.

  Therefore, according to the disaster rescue robot of the present invention, it can be used as a normal interphone when it is installed in a room, including a robot body having an interphone function, so that no disaster such as an earthquake occurs. Is possible. Thereby, even if it exists in a normal room, it does not get in the way of a resident. In addition, because it is used more frequently as an interphone, it is often installed in a familiar area such as a wall or table in a living room. The possibility of being in the vicinity of a victim who needs a disaster is increased. Therefore, the search range by the disaster rescue robot can be narrowed down to a certain range from the start of the rescue operation, and a rescuer who is in a state where the house has collapsed and is buried in rubble or the like can be quickly found.

  Furthermore, compared to the time required for a rescue team to transport a disaster rescue robot to the disaster site after a disaster has occurred and to start disaster rescue activities such as searching for rescuers, as in the past, Since the installed disaster rescue robot is used, the operation of the disaster rescue robot is promptly performed, and the probability of early rescue of the rescuer is increased.

  In addition, since the room information acquisition means can acquire in advance the state of the room during normal times and disasters, preliminary information can be provided to the rescuer for searching for the rescuer. In other words, even if a disaster occurs in the middle of the night and a difficult situation such as a power failure, the rescuer remotely operates the disaster rescue robot based on preliminary information on the layout of the furniture in the room based on the room information in advance. This makes it possible to search for and find a rescuer. Therefore, it is possible to perform more efficient activities as compared with the conventional case where the rescue operation is carried out almost by groping, depending on the experience and intuition of the rescuer. In addition, by having a crawler mechanism and a deformation mechanism, even if the rescuer or other rescuer is unable to enter, even if it is a narrow area where the rescuer cannot enter, it will change its shape appropriately according to the surrounding situation (deformation) It becomes possible to travel near the person who needs a rescue.

  Further, by utilizing the interphone function of the robot body, it is possible to transmit video or audio to the rescue requester and to receive a response such as a voice uttered by the rescue request outside the room. Therefore, it is possible to confirm the detailed disaster situation such as confirmation of the level of consciousness of the rescuer, the degree of serious injury such as a fracture, and the state of fire and smoke fullness in the living room. For this reason, rescue team members can perform appropriate disaster relief activities corresponding to these. In particular, when the rescuer and the rescuer need to communicate with each other, it is possible to stabilize the consciousness of the rescuer while waiting for rescue and to eliminate psychological anxiety. As a result, the rescuer is no longer subject to mental pressure.

  Furthermore, the disaster rescue robot according to the present invention has, in addition to the above configuration, “an identification device for individually identifying a resident entering the room is attached to the resident in advance, and the room information acquisition means The entrance / exit information acquisition means for acquiring the entrance / exit information including the entrance / exit status and the entrance / exit time in each room based on the identification device may be provided.

  Here, the resident is mainly a resident (resident) living in a residence including the room, but includes a resident's friend and acquaintance who temporarily enters and leaves the room. It is defined in the specification.

  In addition, the identification device for identifying a resident can use, for example, an IC tag or the like in which basic information (name, age, sex, etc.) of the resident is stored in advance as electronic information. This IC tag is capable of reading electronic information stored in a non-contact state, and is a technology that is currently used in various fields such as factory shipment management. In this case, the disaster rescue robot needs to have a reader function capable of reading the information of the identification device such as the IC tag. The reader function of the identification device may be provided separately from the disaster rescue robot and electrically connected.

  Therefore, according to the disaster rescue robot of the present invention, entrance / exit information including the entrance / exit status such as the number of residents in the room and the entrance / exit time is acquired. For this reason, confirmation of safety such as who was damaged and left behind in the room at the time of the disaster is a factor. As a result, it is possible to quickly determine the room where the disaster rescue operation is necessary, and it is possible to efficiently allocate the rescuer personnel and the rescue equipment.

  Furthermore, the disaster rescue robot according to the present invention has, in addition to the above configuration, “disaster information acquisition means for acquiring disaster information related to the disaster via the wireless communication network, and a rescuer who has suffered the acquired disaster information. And disaster information providing means to be provided.

  Therefore, according to the disaster-rescue robot of the present invention, it is possible to provide information related to the disaster by the disaster-rescue robot that has reached the vicinity of the person in need of the disaster who has suffered the disaster. Thereby, the person in need of rescue can confirm the situation of the disaster before waiting for rescue.

  On the other hand, the disaster rescue support system according to the present invention uses a disaster rescue robot installed in advance in a living room and a disaster rescue support computer connected to the disaster rescue robot via a wireless communication network, so A disaster rescue support system for supporting search and disaster rescue activities, wherein the disaster rescue computer is sent from the disaster rescue robot installed in the room, and indicates the state of the room during normal times and disasters Room information receiving means for receiving information via the communication network, room information storage means for storing the received room information in a room information database, and the disaster rescue robot determined based on the stored room information Operation information accepting means for accepting input of operation information for instructing a search route, and the inputted operation information The transmitted to disaster relief robot, it said that the disaster relief robot consists mainly comprises a "wireless control signal transmitter for remotely controlling a wireless radio control signal via the wireless communication network.

  Therefore, according to the disaster rescue support system of the present invention, the disaster rescue support computer and the disaster rescue robot are connected by a communication network using wireless communication technology, and the disaster rescue support computer is used based on the room information transmitted. Then, a radio control signal for controlling the disaster rescue robot at the disaster site is transmitted to perform disaster rescue activities. Here, the operation of the disaster rescue support computer is performed by a rescuer such as a rescue team. At this time, the disaster rescue robot is installed in advance in a normal time waiting for the occurrence of the disaster, and sequentially transmits information on the room as room information to the disaster rescue support computer via the communication network. The disaster rescue support computer receives the transmitted room information and stores it in the room information database. Here, since the room information is substantially the same as that described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

  The rescuer who operates the disaster rescue support computer determines the search operation by the disaster rescue robot with reference to the stored room information, and inputs this data. Then, the disaster rescue support computer receives the input operation information and transmits it to the disaster rescue robot as a wireless control signal via the communication network. Thereby, the disaster rescue robot is remotely controlled. That is, by receiving and storing the normal room information in advance, it can be used as a reference for searching for a rescuer in the event of a disaster, leading to early discovery of a rescuer.

  Further, the disaster rescue support system according to the present invention, in addition to the above-described configuration, “analyzes the individual life pattern of the resident using the room information transmitted from the disaster rescue robot, You may comprise the "life pattern analysis means to acquire".

  Therefore, according to the disaster rescue support system of the present invention, the resident's life pattern is analyzed based on the room information and stored as life pattern information in the disaster rescue computer. Thereby, it becomes possible to calculate and predict the existence probability of each rescuer in the room by referring to the life pattern information at the time of a disaster. For example, if the resident (rescuer required) is a housewife, the general housework pattern (cleaning-> washing-> cooking-> shopping, etc.) in each time zone of the day is recognized over time, and the housework is further performed. A place is also identified, and normal life pattern information is analyzed. Therefore, when the time of disaster occurrence corresponds to the time of washing, search for the vicinity of the washing machine or the veranda with the clothesline with a disaster rescue robot, or if it corresponds to cooking time, around the kitchen As a search, the rescuer can operate the disaster rescue robot. As a result, the probability of finding a rescuer is increased and efficient operation becomes possible.

  In addition to the above configuration, the disaster rescue support system according to the present invention further includes: “The disaster rescue support computer further includes a search route calculation unit that calculates the search route of the rescuer based on the stored room information”. The disaster rescue robot includes route information acquisition means for acquiring route information related to the searched route calculated by the searched route calculation means via the wireless communication network, and the route information acquisition means based on the acquired route information. And an autonomous control means for controlling the crawler mechanism section and the deformation mechanism section to autonomously search for the rescue requester ”.

  Here, the search route calculation means determines a place where the presence probability of the rescuer is high based on the acquired room information and the analyzed life pattern information, and determines the search route at the time of rescue as a disaster. It is calculated as route information by the rescue support computer.

  Therefore, according to the disaster rescue support system of the present invention, the disaster rescue robot can independently operate the crawler mechanism unit without being remotely controlled from the disaster rescue support computer by the wireless control signal transmitted based on the rescuer input. Etc., and it becomes possible to search for a rescuer autonomously autonomously. Thereby, it is possible to start the rescue operation without waiting for the remote control by the rescuer, and it is possible to perform the rescue immediately after the disaster occurs.

  As an effect of the disaster rescue robot of the present invention and the disaster rescue support system, the disaster rescue robot is arranged in the living room in advance from the normal time before the occurrence of the disaster, the normal time and the state at the time of the disaster are acquired as the room information, and the external Can be sent to. Thereby, the useful information which concerns on disaster relief activity can be provided to the rescuer who rescues from the outside. In particular, since it is installed in the room as an interphone from the normal time, the time loss from the occurrence of a disaster to the start of the rescue operation is greatly reduced, and a quick rescue operation can be performed. As a result, it is possible to detect the rescuer early and improve the survival rate.

  Further, it can be used as an interphone, and does not get in the way even when the disaster rescue robot is in a normal state. Moreover, since the form of the crawler mechanism that can travel on rough terrain is formed to be deformable, it is attached in a normally folded state in a compactly folded state, and does not impair the atmosphere of the room. Furthermore, by constructing a disaster rescue support system in cooperation with a disaster rescue support computer provided outside the living room, the disaster rescue robot can be remotely controlled from the outside to find a rescuer in need. Further, by providing the autonomous control means, it is possible for the disaster rescue robot to detect a disaster by its own judgment and to start searching for a rescuer.

  Hereinafter, a disaster rescue support system 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as “support system 1”) and a disaster rescue robot 2 (hereinafter simply referred to as “robot 2”) used in the support system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. ) Will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the support system 1 of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the robot 2, and FIGS. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a disaster rescue support computer 3 (hereinafter simply referred to as “support computer 3”), and FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams of a crawler mechanism unit 4 of the robot 2. FIG. 6 (a) and 6 (b) are schematic diagrams showing an example of analysis of the life pattern information 6 of the resident 5, and FIG. 7 and FIG. These are flowcharts showing the flow of processing of the robot 2 and the support computer 3 respectively.

  As schematically shown in FIG. 1, the support system 1 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of crawler mechanism units 4 that are installed in a compactly stored state at each of an entrance 8 and a plurality of rooms 9 of a house 7. Various information can be transmitted and received via the robot 2 and the robot 2 and the wireless communication network 10. When a disaster occurs, the robot 2 is remotely controlled, or autonomous control of the robot 2 is supported. It is mainly configured by the support computer 3 used for searching and finding the rescuer 11 who is left behind. More specifically, the robot 2 is installed in advance on the wall surface of the living room 9 in a normal state, communicates voice and video between the robots 2 and the support computer 3, and moves between the residents 5. It is configured to be able to talk on the phone. That is, it can be utilized as a conventionally known interphone (extension telephone) between the entrance 8 and each living room 9 in normal times. Here, the wireless access point 10a used in the wireless communication network 10 is well known as a device for connecting to each personal computer in the current Internet connection environment and providing various information with the Internet N. in use.

  Here, the structure of the robot 2 and the functional configuration thereof will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped robot main body 12 that forms the main skeleton of the external shape, and a front surface of the robot main body 12. A microphone 13a for audio input, a speaker 13b for audio output, a small camera 14a for video input, a video output, which are formed so as to be partially exposed to 12a, and are used as a normal intercom and a communication means at the time of disaster Infrared 16 is applied to the audio / video input / output unit 15 including the 2.5-inch liquid crystal monitor 14b and the predetermined space 9a of the living room 9, and the entering / exiting status of the occupant 5 in the living room 9 is determined from the reflectance and the like. Read the information of the infrared sensor 18 to be detected and the IC tag 32 attached in advance to identify each resident 5, and indicate the action history for each resident 5. Using various measurement sensors such as an IC tag reader 19 that acquires the exit information 17, the room information acquisition means 21 that acquires the room information 20 including information related to the occupant 5, and the main body back surface 12 b of the robot main body 12 protrude. The outer peripheral surface of a plurality of wheels including a drive wheel main body 22 provided and a drive wheel 24a supported by a drive shaft 22a of a drive motor (not shown) built in the drive main body 22 is made of a metal belt 25. The crawler mechanism 4 having a pair of first crawlers 26 and a second crawler 27 connected to the first crawlers 26, which are connected so as to be covered by each other and can freely run in the room 9 which has been roughened. A part of the crawlers 26, 27 is rotatably connected via a rotation connecting part 29, and the relative angle of the second crawler 27 with respect to the first crawler 26 is changed to form the crawler mechanism part 4. And a robot that is transmitted from the support computer 3 and the wireless transmission means 31 that transmits the acquired room information 20 to the support computer 3 via the wireless communication network 10 via the wireless access point 10a. Robot communication means 34 connected to radio receiving means 33 for receiving radio control signal 36 for remotely controlling 2, and radio control means for controlling crawler mechanism section 4 and deformation mechanism section 30 by received radio control signal 36. 35 and is mainly configured. Here, the IC tag reader 19 corresponds to the entry / exit information acquisition means in the present invention.

  Further, the robot 2 searches for the rescuer 11 by autonomous control, the route information requesting means 37 for requesting the route information 47 and the like from the support computer 3, and the route information acquisition for acquiring the requested route information 47. Means 38 and autonomous control means 39 for autonomously controlling the robot 2 according to the route information 47 and the room information 20 are provided. Here, the route information acquisition unit 38 is directly connected to the room information acquisition unit 21 and can autonomously control the crawler mechanism unit 4 and the like in consideration of the room information 20 acquired in real time. At this time, the robot 2 is equipped with artificial intelligence and is appropriately controlled by the artificial intelligence. In addition, disaster information providing means 40 that can provide disaster information DD obtained from the Internet N to the rescuer 11 by video and audio using the speaker 13b and the 2.5-inch liquid crystal screen 14b and the like in the event of a disaster. The robot 2 further includes.

  Here, the crawler mechanism section 4 and the deformation mechanism section 30 will be further described. In normal times, the first crawler 26 and the second crawler 27 are folded, and are approximately the same length as the robot body 12 (the paper surface in FIG. 1). Equivalent to the vertical direction). That is, in a normal state, it is in a compactly folded state so as to be substantially minimum, and even if it is installed in the living room 9, it does not require so much installation location (see FIG. 5 (a)). Further, since it is used as an interphone, it is placed on a table, a wall, etc., and is always present relatively near the resident 5.

  When a disaster occurs, the driving wheel 24a is rotated to transmit the driving force to the belt 25, so that the belt 25 rotates and can run through the room 9 that has become uneven. The drive unit body 22 installed in the robot body 12 accommodates necessary equipment such as a drive battery (not shown) for rotating the drive motor and other control circuits in addition to the drive motor. . In addition to these configurations, the drive unit main body 22 has a configuration change motor (not shown) and a drive transmission gear for changing the relative angle of the second crawler 27 with respect to the first crawler 26 and maintaining the state. (Not shown) is also accommodated. Thereby, the form of the crawler mechanism unit 4 can be appropriately changed in the normal storage state (see FIG. 5A) and various situations at the time of disaster. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), when there is a stepped step D in the living room 9 which has become uneven, the folded second crawler 27 is used with the rotation connecting portion 29 as the rotation axis. It extends by rotating forward, and the belt 25 of the second crawler 27 is applied to a part of the step D. As a result, the driving force is transmitted to the belt 25, and the vehicle can travel even with the step D that cannot be driven by a moving means such as a normal tire.

  On the other hand, the support computer 3 used in the support system 1 of the present embodiment has a functional configuration as normal, as shown mainly in FIG. 4, transmitted from a plurality of robots 2 installed in the living room 9. And the room information receiving means 41 for receiving the room information 20 at the time of disaster via the wireless communication network 10 including the wireless access point 10a, the room information storage means 43 for storing the received room information 20 in the room information database 23, Living pattern analysis means 44 for analyzing the living pattern information 6 of the resident 5 based on the behavior pattern of living for each resident 5 included in the living room information 20 stored in the living room information database 23, and the stored room information 20 and an operation for operating the robot 2 according to the search route determined by the rescuer based on the analyzed life pattern information 6. Operation information receiving means 46 for receiving the input of information 45, wireless control signal transmitting means 49 for transmitting the received operation information 45 as a wireless control signal 36, and searching for rescuer 11 in need based on the analyzed life pattern information 6 A search route calculation means 48 that calculates a route and obtains route information 47 for autonomous control, and a route information request acceptance that receives a route information 47 transmission request from the robot 2 and transmits the route information 47 of a transmission request destination. The apparatus 50 is mainly provided.

  Here, the support computer 3 transmits / receives various information to / from the plurality of robots 2 via the wireless access point 10a. In this embodiment, one support computer 3 is provided for each house 7 to which the robot 2 is attached. is set up. In this case, it is particularly preferable that the support computer 3 itself be separated from the house of the house 7 and accommodated in a storage space having excellent earthquake resistance and fire resistance so that the support computer 3 itself is not buried in the rubble due to a disaster such as an earthquake. is there. In addition, it is necessary to perform remote control of the robot 2 by promptly moving it to the vicinity of the disaster site assuming that it is operated by a rescuer such as a rescue crew or a fire brigade during a disaster. For this reason, it is considered preferable to use a notebook personal computer that can cope with a power failure during a disaster, can be driven by a battery, and is excellent in portability. Here, a storage medium such as a hard disk drive or a semiconductor memory is used for the living room information storage means 43, and various information and signals such as the living room information receiving means 41 and the wireless control signal transmitting means 49 are wirelessly capable of wireless communication. This is done through computer communication means 51 comprising a LAN terminal. In addition, since various information and signals are transmitted via the wireless communication network 10, the degree of freedom for movement of the robot 2 is ensured compared to wired control. Furthermore, the operation information receiving means 46 uses information input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. In addition, display means (not shown) such as a liquid crystal display for displaying the room information 20 and the like obtained and analyzed to a rescuer, and a microphone and a speaker for communicating with the rescuer 11 in case of a disaster The video / audio output control means 52 performs various signal controls on the audio input / output means (not shown).

  Note that the support computer 3 of the present embodiment is a remote storage terminal that stores and analyzes various data such as the living room information storage means 43 and the life pattern analysis means 44, and the robot 2 that is actually remote at the disaster site. The operation terminal including the operation information receiving means 46 for controlling each may be formed individually, and only the operation terminal may be brought into the disaster site and used for rescue activities. That is, the room information 20 and the like, which are valuable preliminary information for the rescue operation included in the memory analysis terminal, are centrally managed in a relatively safe place (for example, the firefighting headquarters etc.), and the room information database 23 is maintained. Etc. may be used. Thereby, the loss | disappearance of the room information 20 by an unavoidable situation can be prevented, without impairing the mobility of disaster relief activity.

  Next, an example of a disaster relief activity using the support system 1 of the present embodiment will be described mainly with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, the robot 2 of the present embodiment is attached to the normal room 9 waiting for the occurrence of a disaster. Then, the robot 2 is switched on and put into operation (step S1). And the robot 2 which became the operation state acquires the room information 20 which shows the state of the room 9 with the various sensors incorporated (step S2). More specifically, visual information such as the movement of the resident 5 and the arrangement of furniture is photographed as a moving image or a still image using the small camera 14a provided on the front surface 12a of the robot body 12 (step S3). ) Recording the sound (such as the voice of the resident 5) generated in the room 9 using the microphone 13a (step S4), irradiating the room 9 with the infrared ray 16 from the infrared sensor 18, and changing the reflectance The presence / absence or the like of the resident 5 is detected (step S5), the information of the IC tag 32 is read, the individual resident 5 is identified, and the entry / exit information 17 including the life pattern such as the action history is obtained (step S6). A process for obtaining a plurality of pieces of information is performed. The obtained room information 20 is transmitted to the support computer 3 via the wireless access point 10a provided on the wireless communication network 10 (step S7). Until a disaster occurs (YES in step S8), the robot 2 repeats the processes from step S2 to step S7 described above. Further, the robots 2 attached to the respective living rooms 9 can be used as interphones that can talk to each other using the small camera 14a or the like.

  On the other hand, when the support computer 3 is in an operating state, it detects the presence / absence of transmission of the room information 20 described above from each robot 2 installed in the plurality of rooms 9 (step T1), and when transmission is detected (step S1). This information is received and stored in the room information database 23 (step T2). On the other hand, when the transmission is not detected (NO in step T1), the process waits until the transmission of the room information 20 is detected, and the process of step T1 is repeated. After that, the support computer 3 analyzes the daily life pattern of the resident 5 based on the information from the IC tag 32 that is included in the stored occupancy information 20 and is attached to each occupant 5 (step). T3).

  Here, if the resident 5 wearing the IC tag 32 is a full-time housewife, the probability of being present in the kitchen for cleaning up after breakfast (for example, 80%) is high around 10 am on weekdays. A rough prediction is made that the probability of being in the living room (for example, 20%) is low (see FIG. 6A). On the other hand, at 3:00 pm on weekdays, the housework with cleaning and washing is completed, and there is room to prepare for dinner, so there is a high probability of relaxing in the living room (for example, 90% in the living room, 10% in the kitchen, etc.) ) Is predicted (see FIG. 6B). Also, if the resident 5 is a company employee, it is unlikely to be in the room 9 from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm on weekdays, and even if there is a disaster at this time, It is possible to provide preliminary information on disaster relief activities, such as almost no possibility of being damaged. Then, the life pattern information 6 including the existence probability calculated as a result of the analysis is stored (step T4). The support computer 3 repeats the above-described processing from step T1 to step T4 repeatedly until a disaster occurs (YES in step T5).

  After that, when a disaster such as an earthquake occurs and there is a rescuer 11 who needs to be rescued in the living room 9, there is a method for supporting rescue activities by the robot 2 by the rescuer who operates the support computer 3. It is determined. At this time, the support computer 3 provides the rescuer with specific information on the disaster location of the rescuer 11 based on the room information 20 acquired in normal times, the analysis and the calculated existence probability, and the like. The rescuer determines whether to operate the robot 2 by remote control from outside the living room 9 or to search autonomously by the control function using the artificial intelligence installed in the robot 2, and the decision is transmitted to the robot 2. (Step T6).

  At this time, the robot 2 detects the presence or absence of an instruction transmitted from the support computer 3 (step S8). If there is no instruction (NO in step S8), it is determined that there is no need for occurrence of a disaster or searching for a rescuer, and the process returns to step S2. On the other hand, if there is an instruction (YES in step S8), the type of control is determined (step S9). When the robot 2 is operated by remote control based on the radio control signal 36 transmitted from the support computer 3 (YES in step S9), the radio control signal 36 transmitted thereafter is received (step S10). Then, the movement of each mechanism of the crawler mechanism unit 4 and the deformation mechanism unit 30 is controlled by the received wireless control signal 36 (steps S11 and S12). As a result, the robot 2 is moved to the vicinity of the rescuer 11 required to be confined in the living room 9, and the rescuer 11 is called from outside the living room 9 using the video / audio input / output unit 15 such as the microphone 13a. And the response of the rescuer 11 can be heard. Thereby, the degree of injury and the consciousness level of the rescuer 11 can be confirmed from outside the living room 9. Furthermore, it becomes possible to quickly identify which resident 5 is damaged by the IC tag 32 attached to the rescuer 11. Note that the room information 20 relating to Steps S2 to S6 is continuously acquired even during the disaster relief support activities by the robot 2, and transmitted to the support computer 3 as needed through the process of Step S7. The support computer 3 receives this (step T1, step T2).

  At this time, when operating the robot 2 by remote control (YES in step T6), the support computer 3 obtains the route information 47 related to the searched route for searching for the rescuer 11 required from the calculated existence probability. Operation information 45 is provided to the rescuer and input by the rescuer who refers to this (step T7). Here, the route information 47 indicates a route for moving the robot 2 to a position where there is a high possibility that the rescuer 11 is present, and the state of the room 9 at the time of the disaster is visually confirmed by the small camera 14a. To be presented. Thereby, the rescuer can input the operation information 45 for remote control while confirming the state of the living room 9. Thereafter, the operation information 45 that has received the input is transmitted to the robot 2 as a wireless control signal 36 (step T8). As a result, the above-described remote control of the robot 2 is performed, and searching and finding of the rescuer 11 is performed while making full use of the various sensors installed.

  On the other hand, when the instruction by the support computer 3 autonomously searches for the rescuer 11 by the robot 2 (NO in step S9), the robot 2 has been stored in the room information database 23 with respect to the support computer 3 so far. The room information 20 and the route information 47 are requested via the wireless communication network 10 (step S13). In this case (NO in step T6), the support computer 3 instructing the autonomous search by the robot 2 detects whether or not there is a transmission request for the route information 47 or the like from the robot 2 (step T9), and there is such a request (step T9). In step T9, YES), necessary information is transmitted (step T10). On the other hand, if there is no such request (NO in step T9), the process waits until there is a request. Then, the robot 2 that has made the transmission request autonomously performs a search activity based on the received route information 47 based on the robot 2's own determination (step S14). Note that the control of the crawler mechanism unit 4 and the like in this case is substantially the same as in the case of remote control, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  Here, in both cases of remote control and autonomous control, the intercom function of the robot 2 can be used to make a call such as a call from a rescuer and a response from the rescuer 11 in need. Furthermore, when the robot 2 reaches the vicinity of the rescuer 11, the disaster information DD (see, for example, FIG. 2) relating to the disaster acquired through the Internet N is provided as video and audio on the 2.5-inch liquid crystal screen 14 b or the like. be able to. As a result, the rescuer 11 can relieve psychological anxiety until waiting for rescue with accurate information, and does not panic even during a disaster and takes a calm response. Can do.

  When the rescue of the rescuer 11 is completed, the support computer 3 receives the input of the instruction from the rescuer (step T11). If there is such an instruction (YES in step T11), the support of the disaster rescue operation using the robot 2 at the disaster site by the support computer 3 is ended (step T12). Furthermore, an instruction to end support is also transmitted to the robot 2 that has performed remote control or the like. On the other hand, when there is no such instruction, the process returns to the process of step T7 or step T9, and the search and rescue activity support is continued.

  In addition, the robot 2 detects the presence or absence of an instruction to end support transmitted from the support computer 3 (step S15), and when there is an instruction (YES in step S15), ends the support at the disaster site (step S16). . In this case, the robot 2 is saved and moved outside the living room 9 or to the next disaster site. On the other hand, if there is no instruction (NO in step S15), the process returns to the process of step S10 or step S13, and the search and rescue activity support is continued.

  Thereafter, the end of the system and the end of the operation of the robot 2 are detected (step S17, step T13), and if there is such an instruction (YES in step S17, YES in step T13), the support computer 3 performs the operation of the system of this embodiment. The end (step T14) and the operation stop of the robot 2 (step S18) are performed. On the other hand, if there is no such instruction (NO in step S17, NO in step T13), the process returns to step S2 and step T1, respectively, and the system is continued.

  As described above, according to the support system 1 and the robot 2 of the present embodiment, by using the robot 2 installed in the normal room 9 in advance, the rescuer 11 near the rescuer 11 immediately after the disaster occurs. The robot 2 exists and can promptly start a rescue operation. Thereby, an early rescue becomes possible and the possibility of survival of the rescuer 11 can be increased. In particular, it can be used as a useful device in daily life as an interphone during normal times and can be used as a disaster rescue robot 2 only during a disaster. Can be made.

  In addition, the state of the room 9 during normal times and disasters can be acquired as room information 20 by various sensors. This makes it possible to quickly identify useful information, occupancy status, and rescuer 11 that are required for rescue operations, and to facilitate a rescue plan that eliminates uncertainties.

  The present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as described below. And design changes are possible.

  For example, the robot 2 of this embodiment is provided with disaster occurrence detection means such as a gravity sensor that detects the occurrence of a disaster, and autonomously searches and rescues the rescuer 11 at the same time as the disaster occurs without waiting for the rescuer's instruction. May be started. This allows for earlier discovery and rescue. In this case, when the rescuer 11 is found as a result of the search, it is necessary to notify the surrounding people or the rescuer of this by various information transmission means such as voice and light blinking and radio. Moreover, you may provide the means to notify this to the organization PF (refer FIG. 1), such as a police and a fire department, directly. Furthermore, in the robot 2 of the present embodiment, the crawler mechanism unit 4 and the deformation mechanism unit 30 are constructed by combining a pair of crawlers 26 and 27. However, the present invention is not limited to such a shape, and rough terrain. What is necessary is just the form which can run through the inside of the living room 9 which became. Furthermore, in the robot 2 of the present embodiment, the robot 2 having the interphone function is exemplified, but the daily necessities (for example, small household appliances) installed in a general household and the functions related to disaster rescue are merged. Also good.

It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the assistance system of this embodiment. It is a front view which shows the structure of a robot. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the robot in a support system. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the assistance computer in a assistance system. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the mode of a change of the form of the crawler mechanism part of a robot. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of analysis of resident's life pattern information, It is a flowchart which shows the flow of each process of a robot and a support computer. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of each process of a robot and a support computer.

Explanation of symbols

1 support system (disaster rescue support system)
2 Robot (Disaster rescue robot)
3 support computer (disaster rescue support computer)
4 Crawler mechanism part 5 Residents 6 Living pattern information 9 Living room 11 Rescued person 12 Robot body 15 Video / audio input / output part (interphone function, room information acquisition means)
18 Infrared sensor (room information acquisition means)
19 IC tag reader (room information acquisition means, entrance / exit information acquisition means)
20 Living room information 21 Living room information acquisition means 23 Living room information database 30 Deformation mechanism 31 Wireless transmission means 32 IC tag (identification device)
33 Radio reception means 35 Radio control means 36 Radio control signal 41 Living room information reception means 43 Living room information storage means 44 Living pattern analysis means 45 Operation information 46 Operation information reception means 47 Route information 48 Search route calculation means 49 Radio control signal transmission means

Claims (6)

A robot body that is installed in a normal room waiting for the occurrence of a disaster and has an interphone function capable of making a call with the outside of the room by at least one of video and audio;
Utilizing a plurality of sensors installed or built in the robot body, room information acquisition means for acquiring the room state at the time of the normal and the disaster when the disaster occurred as room information,
A crawler mechanism that is disposed in the robot body and is capable of traveling in the living room that has become uneven at the time of the disaster;
A deformation mechanism that deforms the crawler mechanism according to the situation of the living room during the normal time and the disaster,
Wireless transmitting means for transmitting the living room information acquired by the living room information acquiring means to the outside of the living room via a wireless communication network;
A wireless receiving means for receiving a wireless control signal transmitted from a receiving destination of the room information via the wireless communication network;
A disaster rescue robot comprising: a wireless control unit that controls at least one of the crawler mechanism and the deformation mechanism based on the received wireless control signal. An identification device for individually identifying the occupants entering the room is attached to the resident in advance,
The room information acquisition means includes:
It further comprises entrance / exit information acquisition means for acquiring entrance / exit information including the entrance / exit status and entrance / exit time in the normal time for each resident based on the identification device. The disaster rescue robot according to claim 1. Disaster information acquisition means for acquiring disaster information related to the disaster via the wireless communication network;
The disaster rescue robot according to claim 1, further comprising disaster information providing means for providing the acquired disaster information to a rescue recipient who has suffered a disaster. A disaster rescue support system that uses a disaster rescue robot installed in a living room in advance and a disaster rescue support computer connected to the disaster rescue robot via a wireless communication network to search for a victim who needs a disaster and support disaster rescue activities. There,
The disaster rescue computer
Living room information receiving means that is sent out from the disaster rescue robot installed in the living room and receives the room information indicating the state of the living room during the normal time and disaster, via the communication network;
Room information storage means for storing the received room information in a room information database;
Operation information receiving means for receiving input of operation information for instructing a search route of the disaster rescue robot determined based on the stored room information;
Radio control signal transmission means for transmitting the input operation information to the disaster rescue robot as a radio radio control signal via the radio communication network, and for remotely controlling the disaster rescue robot. Disaster relief support system.   The life pattern analyzing means for analyzing the individual living pattern of the resident by using the living room information transmitted from the disaster rescue robot and acquiring the living pattern information. Disaster relief support system described in 1. The disaster rescue support computer is:
Further comprising search route calculation means for calculating the search route of the rescuer based on the stored room information;
The disaster rescue robot is
Route information obtaining means for obtaining route information related to the searched route calculated by the searched route calculating means via the wireless communication network;
The autonomous control means for controlling the crawler mechanism and the deformation mechanism based on the acquired route information and autonomously searching for the rescuer is further provided. 5. Disaster relief support system according to 5.

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