JP2015001810A - Mobile robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile robot system which is capable of easily indicating, to a robot, a route to which the robot is to be moved, and is capable of easily changing and adding routes.SOLUTION: The mobile robot system comprises: a robot including a robot body having an upper part thereof formed like a slender bar, a moving mechanism part for moving the robot body, a camera and various sensors, and robot-side control means for controlling the moving mechanism part and performing wireless communication; and a management terminal including management-side control means which generates route information from a route indicated as a plurality of points on a map associating coordinates of pixels and coordinates in a real world with each other on the basis of image data, by input with a point device, in a state where the map is displayed on a display and where coordinates of an initial position in the real world of the robot are made to correspond to a point P0 on the map, acquires coordinates of a current position of the robot to contrast them with the route information, and thereby transmits a signal instructing the robot to move, to the robot-side control means by wireless communication.

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile robot system that moves a robot along a route.

  Various techniques for causing a robot to circulate a predetermined route to detect security and abnormality in a facility have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the technique of Patent Document 1, a belt-like magnetic guide or white line tape is fixed to the road surface as means for instructing the robot to provide a route. The robot moves along the path while detecting the belt-shaped guide with a sensor. Therefore, in order to instruct the route to the robot, it is necessary to provide special equipment on the road surface, which requires labor and cost. In addition, when changing the route on which the robot is to be moved, it is necessary to change the equipment provided on the road surface, so that a large-scale work is required and it is difficult to change. Further, when a plurality of routes are set in the same facility, the belt-shaped guides are mixed to make the equipment complicated, and there is a possibility that accurate detection by the robot may be difficult.

  On the other hand, a number of technologies have been proposed in which the environment in which the robot is moved is measured in advance, a map is created, the map information is stored in the robot, and the destination and waypoints are indicated to the robot by numerical values on the map. Yes. In such a technology, the map information is stored in the robot, so when changing the route or adding a route, it is necessary to store new map information in the robot or rewrite the map information each time. It was time-consuming and costly.

  Therefore, in view of the above situation, the present invention has an object to provide a mobile robot system that can easily instruct a robot on a route to be moved and can easily change or add a route. is there.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a mobile robot system according to the present invention includes:
“A mobile robot system that moves a robot along a path,
The robot is
A robot body whose upper part is formed in an elongated bar shape;
A moving mechanism for moving the robot body;
A camera attached to the robot body;
At least one sensor selected from a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a gas sensor attached to the robot body;
And a robot-side control means for controlling the moving mechanism unit and communicating with a management terminal via a wireless communication network based on imaging by the camera and detection of the sensor,
The management terminal
In a state in which a map in which pixel coordinates and real-world coordinates are associated with each other based on image data is displayed on the display, and in which the coordinates of the initial position of the robot in the real-world are associated with points on the map , By creating a route information from a route indicated as a plurality of points on the map by an input by a pointing device, obtaining coordinates of the current position of the robot and comparing it with the route information, thereby moving the robot. A management-side control means for transmitting a command signal to the robot-side control means via a wireless communication network ”.

  As the “moving mechanism unit for moving the robot body”, a mechanism based on wheel rotation or a mechanism based on a crawler can be employed.

  The “route information” can be composed of the coordinates of a plurality of points constituting the route and the relative angles between the plurality of points.

  Examples of methods for the management side control means of the management terminal to “acquire the coordinates of the current position of the robot” include a method of accumulating the movement distance and movement direction of the robot and a method of detecting the relative position of the robot from the reference point. Can do. In the latter case, a landmark provided along the route or a fixed camera such as a security camera possessed by a facility for moving the robot can be used as the reference point.

  Examples of the “signal for instructing the robot to move” include a signal for instructing the direction and angle of rotation on the spot, linear advance, reverse, and stop.

  In the present invention configured as described above, route information is created on the management terminal side by a simple operation of inputting a route using a pointing device on a map displayed on a display, and a robot is connected via a wireless communication network. By sending an instruction signal to the robot, the robot is moved along the route. This system has a very simple configuration because it does not store map information in the robot and does not detect its own position by referring to the map information while the robot is moving. In addition, when changing a route or adding another route, it is only necessary to input a route using a pointing device on the map displayed on the display. There is no need to change your hands. Therefore, it is possible to simply instruct the robot of the route to be moved, and it is possible to easily change or add the route.

  Since the robot of this system is equipped with a camera, it can take an image while moving the route. If video data acquired by imaging is transmitted to the management terminal by wireless communication, video data can be output on the management terminal side, and monitoring and safety confirmation can be performed by monitoring the route of the robot at a remote location . In addition, since the robot of this system includes at least one sensor selected from a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a gas sensor, information based on the detection of the sensor can be transmitted to the management terminal by wireless communication. As a result, it is possible to obtain information on the environment along the route of the robot at a remote location, and to detect abnormalities such as fire and gas leaks.

  In addition, the robot of this system is formed in an extremely unique shape in which the upper part of the robot body is in the shape of an elongated bar. Most of conventional robots have a heavy body, such as a shape imitating a human body or a stubborn shape with a hemispherical head and a cylindrical body. On the other hand, the robot of this system can be reduced in weight as a whole because the upper part of the robot body has an elongated bar shape. In addition, since the elongated bar-like part is easy to grip like a mop or a handle of a cocoon, a person can hold the part and move the robot during an emergency. Therefore, the robot of this system is suitable as a robot that moves in an environment where a person exists.

  As described above, as an effect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a mobile robot system that can easily instruct a robot on a route to be moved and can easily change or add a route.

It is a front view of the robot which comprises the mobile robot system of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a right view of the robot of FIG. It is (a) top view which shows the moving mechanism part of the robot of FIG. 1, (b) The right view, and (c) Front view. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the mobile robot system of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a display example of the display when setting a route. It is an example of a display on the display when the robot is moving.

  Hereinafter, a mobile robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The mobile robot system includes a robot 1 and a management terminal 5, and the robot 1 and the management terminal 5 perform wireless communication in both directions via a wireless communication network N.

  First, the configuration of the robot 1 will be described. The robot 1 mainly includes a robot body 10 and a moving mechanism unit that moves the robot body 10. The robot body 10 includes a lower body 12 that has a substantially hemispherical appearance, and an upper body 11 that has an elongated bar-like appearance that extends upward from the center of the lower body 12. It is continuous with the surface without a clear boundary. In the lower main body 12, a circular bottom plate 15 is fitted into the lower end of the outer shell.

  The moving mechanism unit includes a pair of wheels 21, two motors 23 that independently drive each of the pair of wheels 21, and a pair of auxiliary wheels 29 that are smaller in diameter than the wheels 21 and are rotatable. The wheel 21 is grounded to the floor surface (ground) through a hole 15h penetrating the bottom plate 15 with the rotating shaft 21p positioned above the bottom plate 15. The motor 23 is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate 15, and a belt 25 is wound around both the pulley 24 attached to the rotating shaft 23 p of the motor 23 and the pulley 22 attached to the rotating shaft 21 p of the wheel 21. It has been. As a result, the driving force of the motor 23 is transmitted to the wheels 21 via the belt 25. The robot 1 moves forward or backward by rotating the pair of wheels 21 forward or backward at the same speed, and the robot 1 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise by rotating one wheel 21 forward and rotating the other wheel 21 backward. By rotating around and making the rotational speeds of the pair of wheels 21 different, the robot 1 moves in a curve in the right or left direction. In the present embodiment, the two motors 23 are arranged such that the rotation shafts 23p thereof are not on the same line but are parallel to each other, thereby saving space. The pair of auxiliary wheels 29 are attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 15 on the rear side (back side) from the wheels 21.

  An encoder 41 is attached to the motor 23 and detects the rotation speed of the wheel 21. In addition, an orientation sensor 42 that detects the direction in which the robot 1 is facing by magnetism is attached to the robot body 10.

  A camera 30 is provided in the vicinity of the upper end of the upper body 11 of the robot 1. In the present embodiment, a wide-angle camera 30 having an angle of view of 90 degrees in the width direction and 120 degrees in the height direction is used, and the wide-angle camera 30 is attached in the vicinity of the upper end of the upper body 11, thereby From the floor to the ceiling of a general building, it is possible to enter the imaging field of view without having to rotate the screen up and down. In this document, the direction in which the camera 30 is attached is referred to as “the direction in which the robot 1 is facing”, “in front of the robot 1”, or “the front of the robot 1”.

  The robot body 10 includes a microphone 32 that collects sounds around the robot 1, audio data to be described later, a speaker 33 for outputting the administrator's voice sent via the management terminal 5, and wireless communication. A wireless antenna 34 is attached.

  In addition, a multicolor LED 35 is attached to the top of the upper body 11 of the robot 1, and the state of the robot 1 is displayed by turning on, blinking, and turning off. For example, the operating and stopped states of the robot 1 can be displayed by lighting and extinguishing, respectively, and the discovery of abnormality and the battery exhaustion can be displayed by lighting or blinking in different colors.

  Various sensors such as a temperature sensor 44, a humidity sensor 45, a gas sensor 46, and an illuminance sensor 43 are attached to the robot body 10 to detect physical quantities in the surrounding environment.

  Further, proximity sensors 47 and 48 and a contact sensor 49 are attached to the robot body 10. A plurality of proximity sensors 47 are attached to the peripheral wall of the bottom plate 15 toward the front, and detect front obstacles. The proximity sensor 48 is attached downward from the bottom plate 15 and detects the presence of a step by detecting the distance to the floor surface. The contact sensor 49 is in the form of a tape and is attached to the outer surface along the peripheral wall of the bottom plate 15, and detects contact with an obstacle by being pressed through the outline of the lower body 12.

  The lower body 12 of the robot 1 stores a main storage device, a microprocessor that performs processing according to a program stored in the main storage device, and a microcomputer (not shown) that includes an auxiliary storage device. A battery 81 that supplies power to the microcomputer, various sensors, and the motor 23 is mounted in the lower main body 12, and the charging terminal 82 of the battery 81 extends downward from the bottom plate 15 in front of the lower main body 12. Protrusively toward.

  On the other hand, the management terminal 5 is configured by a general-purpose computer mainly including a main storage device, an auxiliary storage device, a processor, and a communication device that performs wireless communication as a hardware configuration, and includes an input including a keyboard and a pointing device. An output device including a device 60 and a display 61 is provided. In addition, the management terminal 5 includes a microphone 62 that inputs sound, a speaker 63 that outputs sound, and an alarm device 66 such as a warning light or an alarm sound speaker that notifies the occurrence of an abnormality.

  Next, the functional configuration of the mobile robot system will be described with reference to FIG. The functional configuration of the robot 1 is positional information that transmits information on the current position of the robot 1 to the management terminal 5 based on detection by the robot-side wireless communication means 51 that performs wireless communication with the management terminal 5, the encoder 41, and the direction sensor 42. Based on the detection of the transmission means 52, the temperature sensor 44, the humidity sensor 45, and the gas sensor 46, information on the environment is transmitted to the management terminal 5, and the data detected by the temperature sensor 44, the humidity sensor 45, and the gas sensor 46 is set as a predetermined threshold value. In contrast, the sensor information processing means 53 for determining the occurrence of an abnormality such as a fire or a gas leak, the instruction signal from the management terminal 5, the signal from the sensor information processing means 53, the proximity sensors 47, 48 and the contact sensor 49 are detected. On the basis of this, the motor 23 is controlled and the image is picked up by the camera 30 and the drive control means 54 that manages the battery power. The video data is stored in the auxiliary storage device 39 as the video database 92 and the video input / output means 55 for transmitting the video data to the management terminal 5, and the audio data collected by the microphone 32 is transmitted to the management terminal 5. In addition, the main configuration of the robot-side control means 50 is provided with the voice input / output means 56 that reads the voice data from the voice database 93 and outputs it from the speaker 33 based on the signals from the sensor information processing means 53 and the drive control means 54. It is said.

  On the other hand, the functional configuration of the management terminal 5 includes a management-side wireless communication unit 71 that performs wireless communication with the robot 1, a map display unit 72 that displays map image data 91 on the display 61, and video data transmitted from the robot 1. The image display means 73 to be displayed on the display 61, the sound data transmitted from the robot 1 is output from the speaker 63, and the sound input / output means 74 to transmit the sound input from the microphone 62 to the robot 1; Based on the input from the image processing means 75, the information on the current position of the robot 1 transmitted from the robot 1, the coordinate update means 76 for updating the coordinates of the current position of the robot 1, and the input device 60. The route information is created, and based on the signal from the coordinate update means 76, an instruction signal relating to the movement of the robot 1 The control-side control means includes: a movement instructing means 77 for transmitting the signal to the robot 1; and an abnormality signal receiving means 78 for operating the alarm device 66 based on the signal informing the abnormality transmitted from the sensor information processing means 53 of the robot 1. 70 is the main configuration.

  Next, route setting and operation of the robot 1 in the mobile robot system will be described. First, prior to setting a route, image data 91 of a sketch of a facility for moving the robot 1 is created. For example, a printed floor plan such as a design drawing of a facility is converted into electronic data by a scanner and used as image data 91. In creating the image data 91, the aspect ratio of the sketch needs to be equal to the aspect ratio of the real world. The created image data 91 can be stored in the auxiliary storage device 69 of the management terminal 5.

  The image data 91 created as described above is read by a program stored in the main storage device of the management terminal 5 and displayed on the display 61 by the map display means 72. The distance in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction in the real world is input in correspondence with the length in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction in the sketch displayed on the display 61. Thereby, the coordinates of the pixel on the display 61 correspond to the two-dimensional coordinates in the real world.

  Then, an icon 96 representing the robot 1 is newly registered at the point P0 on the display screen corresponding to the position (actual initial position of the robot 1 in the real world) that is actually the starting point of the movement of the robot 1 (see FIG. 5). ). Then, an identification code for identifying the robot 1 is input to correspond to the newly registered icon 96. As a result, the initial position P0 of the icon 96 on the display 61 corresponds to the initial position of the robot 1 in the real world. At the same time, a signal transmitted from the robot 1 based on the detection of the azimuth sensor 42 is acquired by the coordinate updating unit 76 of the management-side control unit 70 and displayed on the display 61 with an arrow or the like.

  The administrator uses the initial position of the icon 96 as a starting point, and inputs a route on which the robot 1 is to be moved as a plurality of points on the display screen using a pointing device. Thereby, the movement instruction means 77 acquires route information as the coordinates of each point. In addition, on the map on the screen of the display 61, a line connecting the points is displayed as a route (illustrated, one-dot chain line). In FIG. 5, after going straight along the corridor from the initial position P0, turn right at the point P1 into the room at a right angle, enter straight into the room, turn straight at the point P2, turn left at a right angle, and continue straight In this example, the route to the point P3 is indicated. A plurality of routes can be registered for one sketch. Although a one-way route is illustrated here, a round-trip route or a route closed in a loop shape can be designated. In addition, it is possible to specify a route including a time element so that the same route is moved at a predetermined time interval or the movement is started at a predetermined time.

  In addition, a charging station including a charging device 85 for charging the battery 81 of the robot 1 is installed in the facility for moving the robot 1, and the coordinates of the position are given to the movement instruction means 77 in advance. Alternatively, the position of the charging station may be input on the screen of the display 61 using a pointing device. 5 and 6 illustrate a case where three charging stations S1, S2, and S3 are installed in the facility.

  When one of the set routes is selected and the movement of the robot 1 is started, the movement instruction unit 77 of the management-side control unit 70 first compares the direction of the instructed route with the direction in which the robot 1 is facing. To do. As shown in FIG. 5, when the direction of the front of the robot 1 is deviated from the direction of the instructed route, the movement instructing unit 77 sends a signal to the robot 1 to instruct to rotate to the opposite side by the angle. Send. The drive control means 54 receives this signal, drives the motor 23, and rotates the robot 1 by the angle. Thereby, the front direction of the robot 1 coincides with the direction of the instructed route.

  Next, the movement instructing unit 77 transmits a signal for instructing straight travel to the robot 1. Thereby, the robot 1 goes straight toward the point corresponding to the point P1 in the real world. The robot 1 captures an image with the camera 30 while moving, and the captured video data is transmitted to the management-side control unit 70 by the video input / output unit 55 and stored in the auxiliary storage device 39 as the video database 92. The The video input / output unit 55 adjusts the exposure of the camera 30 based on the detection of the illuminance sensor 43 and transmits the illuminance data acquired from the illuminance sensor 43 to the management-side control unit 70. The voice data collected from the microphone as the robot 1 moves is transmitted to the management-side control means 70 by the voice input / output means 56 and stored in the auxiliary storage device 39 as the voice database 93.

  Since the video data transmitted from the robot 1 to the management-side control means 70 is displayed on the display 61 by the video display means 73, the administrator in front of the display 61 can see the displayed video. Further, since the voice data transmitted from the robot 1 to the management side control means 70 is output from the speaker 63 by the voice input / output means 74, the administrator can listen to the voice.

  As the robot 1 moves, the coordinate updating means 76 updates the coordinates indicating the current position of the robot 1 from moment to moment, and displays the coordinates of the robot 1 at predetermined time intervals on the display 61 as a movement trajectory (see FIG. 6). Here, for example, the following methods (1) to (3) can be adopted as a method by which the management-side control means 70 acquires coordinates indicating the current position of the robot 1.

  Method (1): The moving distance and moving direction of the robot 1 are accumulated based on the rotation number of the wheel 21 and the diameter of the wheel 21 counted by the encoder 41 and the detection of the direction sensor 42.

  Method (2): Install a landmark in the facility and use it as a reference point. If it is determined that a landmark exists in the captured video by performing image processing on the video data captured by the robot 1 and transmitted to the management-side control means 70, the landmark is determined from the dimensions of the captured landmark. The distance to the robot 1 is obtained, and the absolute coordinates of the robot 1 are obtained based on the absolute coordinates of the landmark.

  Method (3): If the facility has a fixed camera such as a security camera, this is the reference point. The management-side control means 70 acquires video data captured by the fixed camera and performs image processing. If it is determined that a mark previously attached to the robot 1 is present in the captured image, the relative coordinates of the robot 1 with respect to the fixed camera are calculated from the coordinates of the pixels, and the absolute coordinates of the fixed camera are used as the basis. Next, the absolute coordinates of the robot 1 are obtained.

  The coordinate update means 76 of the management-side control means 70 updates the coordinates indicating the current position of the robot 1 by the method as described above. The movement instructing unit 77 acquires the updated coordinates, and when the current position of the robot 1 reaches the point P1, the movement instructing unit 77 transmits a signal to the robot 1 instructing to rotate 90 degrees rightward and then proceed straight. The drive control means 54 of the robot side control means 50 receives this signal, drives the motor 23, rotates the robot 1 90 degrees to the right, and then advances straight toward the point P2.

  Thereafter, the robot 1 can be moved along the designated route by the same control. When the robot 1 reaches the end point P3, the movement instructing means 77 transmits a signal instructing the robot 1 to stop, and the robot 1 stops under the control of the drive control means 54 that receives this signal.

  While the robot 1 is moving along the designated route, temperature data, humidity data, and gas concentration data detected by the temperature sensor 44, the humidity sensor 45, and the gas sensor 46 are managed by the sensor information processing unit 53. It is transmitted to the control means 70. The transmitted data is displayed beside the video of the camera 30 displayed on the screen of the display 61 via the video display means 73.

  When the sensor information processing unit 53 determines that an abnormality such as a fire has occurred based on detection by the temperature sensor 44, the humidity sensor 45, the gas sensor 46, etc., the sensor information processing unit 53 transmits a signal to the drive control unit 54. Then, the motor 23 is stopped, the movement of the robot 1 is stopped, and an abnormal situation is displayed by turning on or blinking the LED 35. Further, a signal is transmitted to the voice input / output means 56, and voice data stored in the voice database 93, for example, voice data “fire is occurring” is output from the speaker 33. At the same time, the sensor information processing means 53 transmits a signal notifying the management side control means 70 that an abnormality has occurred. Receiving this, the abnormal signal receiving means 78 of the management-side control means 70 activates an alarm device 66 such as an alarm light or an alarm sound speaker to notify the administrator. Note that when an abnormality such as a fire occurs, the sensor information processing unit 53 may send a mail to a pre-registered address. Thereby, it is possible to notify a person who is not near the management terminal 5 of the occurrence of an abnormality.

  On the other hand, by processing the video data captured by the robot 1 and transmitted to the management-side control means 70, a person who should not be at that time for that time, such as a person who is hesitant at night in a care facility When it is determined that the image processing unit 75 has been found, the image processing unit 75 transmits a signal to the robot-side control unit 50 via the movement instruction unit 77, and the drive control unit 54 that has received the signal stops the robot 1. At the same time, the image processing means 75 activates an alarm device 66 such as an alarm light or an alarm sound speaker to notify the administrator.

  The administrator can talk to the deaf person from the microphone 62 of the management terminal 5, and the voice of the administrator is sent from the management side control means 70 to the robot side control means 50 and output from the speaker 33 of the robot 1. Further, the voice of the deaf person is sent from the robot side control means 50 to the management side control means 70 via the microphone 32 of the robot 1 and is output from the speaker 63 of the management terminal 5. Thereby, the manager can talk with the deaf person from a remote place. Therefore, it is possible to take a detailed response without fear that the deceased will not be able to care for the deceased before the manager rushes to the site.

  Further, when an abnormality occurs or when a manager is discovered, when the manager rushes to the site and takes measures, the robot 1 stopped at the site may be in the way. Since the upper body 11 of the robot 1 is a long and narrow bar, the robot 1 according to the present embodiment is very light compared to the robot 1 imitating a human body and the robot whose upper part is formed as much as the lower part. (In this embodiment, 8 kg to 10 kg). The elongated bar-shaped upper body 11 has a shape that can be easily grasped by a hand. Therefore, it is not necessary to give an instruction to the robot 1 (send a signal for instructing movement) and move the robot 1 to hold the robot 1 on the spot. Can be easily removed.

  When the proximity sensor 47 detects that there is an obstacle within a predetermined distance in front of the robot 1 while the robot 1 is moving along the designated route, the contact sensor 49 indicates that the obstacle 1 has been touched. When the proximity sensor 48 detects a step having a height equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the drive control unit 54 controls the motor 23 to stop the robot 1 based on these detections. In addition, the drive control means 54 transmits a signal to the voice input / output means 56, and the voice input / output means 56 that has received the signal reads the voice data from the voice database 93 and "collision", "stopped", etc. Is output from the speaker 33. At the same time, the drive control means 54 transmits a signal notifying that the movement has been disturbed. In the management-side control means 70, the abnormal signal receiving means 78 that has received this signal activates the alarm device 66 to inform the administrator. Inform. An administrator who knows that the robot 1 has stopped can move the robot 1 by remote operation based on manual input from the management terminal 5.

  When the power of the battery 81 is consumed below a predetermined value while the robot 1 is moving, the drive control unit 54 that has detected this transmits a signal notifying the consumption of the battery 81 to the management-side control unit 70. . The movement instructing means 77 that has received this signal selects the charging station that is closest to the current position of the robot 1, compares the coordinates of the charging station with the coordinates of the current position of the robot 1, and heads the robot 1 toward the charging station. A signal instructing movement is transmitted. FIG. 6 illustrates a case where the robot 1 is instructed to move toward the charging station S2 (illustrated by a two-dot chain line). The robot 1 is rotated at an angle that causes the front of the robot 1 to face the charging station S2. Then, it is instructed to go straight ahead.

  When the robot 1 approaches the charging station S2 and reaches a point of a predetermined distance (for example, 50 cm) as the distance from the charging device 85, the movement instruction unit 77 transmits a signal to the robot side control unit 50. In response to this signal, the drive control means 54 changes the processing mode based on the detection of the proximity sensor 47 from the mode in which the motor 23 is stopped when an obstacle is detected in the forward direction, toward the charging device 85 detected in the forward direction. Switch to the mode for moving. When the robot 1 moves toward the charging device 85 and reaches the charging device 85, the charging terminal 82 on the robot 1 side contacts the connection terminal 86 of the charging device 85, and current flows from the charging device 85 to the battery 81 side. Supplied. Note that, during charging of the battery 81, control for switching to a mode for suppressing power consumption in the robot 1 may be performed.

  When it is detected that the battery 81 is charged, the drive control means 54 controls the motor 23 to move the robot 1 backward. As a result, the charging terminal 82 on the robot 1 side and the connection terminal 86 of the charging device 85 are separated. The movement instructing unit 77 transmits a signal instructing movement for the robot 1 to return to the route instructed first to the robot-side control unit 50, and the robot 1 moves along the route in the same manner as described above.

  As described above, according to the mobile robot system of the present embodiment, the robot 1 is routed by a simple operation of inputting a route using the pointing device on the map displayed on the screen of the display 61. Can be moved along. In the present embodiment, the map information is stored in the robot 1, and the self-position is not detected by referring to the map information while the robot 1 moves, so that the configuration is very simple. Further, since no changes are made to the robot 1 when setting the route, it is very easy to change or add a route.

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

  For example, in the above, the case where the robot 1 is circulated in the facility and the abnormality is detected or the person is discovered is not limited to this, but the advertisement in a commercial facility such as a shopping mall, The robot can guide the exhibits at the museum. In this case, voice data containing the advertisement of the store or product and the description of the exhibit can be stored in advance in the voice database, and the voice data can be output to the robot at the location indicated in the route.

  Moreover, although the case where a mobile robot system was applied to an indoor facility was illustrated above, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to an outdoor facility. In this case, if the robot is further provided with a GPS antenna, the coordinates of the current position of the robot can be acquired with reference to the satellite.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Robot 5 Management terminal 10 Robot main body 21 Wheel (movement mechanism part)
22 Pulley (moving mechanism)
23 Motor (moving mechanism)
24 pulley (moving mechanism)
25 Belt (moving mechanism)
30 Camera 44 Temperature Sensor 45 Humidity Sensor 46 Gas Sensor 50 Robot Side Control Unit 60 Input Device 61 Including Pointing Device Display 70 Management Side Control Unit N Wireless Communication Network

JP 2008-33759 A

Claims (1)

A mobile robot system that moves a robot along a route,
The robot is
A robot body whose upper part is formed in an elongated bar shape;
A moving mechanism for moving the robot body;
A camera attached to the robot body;
At least one sensor selected from a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and a gas sensor attached to the robot body;
And a robot-side control means for controlling the moving mechanism unit and communicating with a management terminal via a wireless communication network based on imaging by the camera and detection of the sensor,
The management terminal
In a state in which a map in which pixel coordinates and real-world coordinates are associated with each other based on image data is displayed on the display, and in which the coordinates of the initial position of the robot in the real-world are associated with points on the map , By creating a route information from a route indicated as a plurality of points on the map by an input by a pointing device, obtaining coordinates of the current position of the robot and comparing it with the route information, thereby moving the robot. A mobile robot system comprising management side control means for transmitting a command signal to the robot side control means via a wireless communication network.

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