JP7095220B2 - Robot control system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a robot control system.

In Patent Document 1, a large number of search robots are arranged in a certain environment, each search robot takes an image of the surroundings with a camera to extract the features of the image, and the supervising robot collects the features and detects the prominence. Notifying each search robot, the search robot knows the position of the search robot that saw a remarkable image by the rotating antenna and moves by means of transportation, and as a result, the search robot sees an object having different characteristics from the others. A group robot system is disclosed in which other exploration robots gather around the robot.

Patent Document 2 discloses a system including a navigator robot (autonomous robot) and a functional robot (non-autonomous robot). The navigator robot performs four main tasks of mapping, location confirmation, planning, and control, and the functional robot performs tasks such as vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping. The navigator robot operates the functional robot as it moves around an obstacle.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-287071 Japanese Patent No. 4951180

An object of the present invention is to provide a robot control system capable of performing movement control of a movable robot along a movement path considering a place where the robot should not pass, which cannot be specified by the sensor of the robot. That is.

The invention according to claim 1 is
With a movable robot,
A storage means for storing a map of the area where the robot moves,
A biosensor that is attached to a person present in the area and detects information on either the pulse, skin conductivity, or body temperature of the person wearing the area as biometric information .
An acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a person existing in the region detected by the biosensor, and
An update means for updating a place where it is presumed that there is a person who is concentrated on the map using the acquired biometric information as information on a place where the robot should not pass.
A search means for avoiding and searching the route from the current position of the robot to the destination as a place where the robot should not pass by referring to the updated map.
A control means for controlling the movement of the robot along the searched path, and
It is a robot control system equipped with.

The invention according to claim 2 relates to the robot control system according to claim 1 , wherein the control means travels in the vicinity of a place on the map where the robot should not pass. , The robot is controlled to move at a reduced speed.

According to the invention of the robot control system according to claim 1, a movable robot should not be passed through a robot such as a place where there is a person who is intensively working, which cannot be specified by the sensor of the robot. It is possible to provide a robot control system capable of performing movement control along a movement route in consideration of a place.

According to the invention of the robot control system according to claim 2 , the possibility that a movable robot collides with a person or another obstacle can be reduced as compared with a system having no configuration of the present invention. It will be possible.

It is an overall schematic diagram which shows an example of the robot control system 100 which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the interactive robot 20. It is a functional block diagram of an interactive robot 20. It is a hardware block diagram of the service execution robot 20. It is a functional block diagram of a service execution robot 20. It is a hardware configuration diagram of the control server 40. The functional block diagram of the control server 40 is shown. It is explanatory drawing which shows the map of the workplace 10 stored in the map storage unit 426 of the control server 40, and an example of the movement path of the interactive robot 20A searched by the route information processing unit 423. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of movement control in a control server 40. It is explanatory drawing which reflects the map update information on the map of FIG. 8, and shows an example of the changed movement route. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control in the interactive robot 20A which received the robot dispatch instruction from the control server 40.

A robot control system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The robot control system 100 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of interactive robots 20 arranged in a relatively large predetermined area 10 (hereinafter referred to as a workplace) such as one floor (one floor) of an office building, and a plurality of interactive robots 20. The service execution robot 30, the control server 40, and a plurality of environment sensors 50 arranged on the ceiling or wall of the workplace 10 are provided, and the control server 40 includes each interactive robot 20 and each service execution robot 30. , And is connected to the environment sensor 50 by the network 60. The environment sensor 50 includes an RGB camera, a depth sensor, a plurality of microphones (not shown respectively), and the like. Each environment sensor 50 detects environmental information about a specific part (for example, a specific passage, a room) constituting the workplace 10, and transmits the information to the control server 40. The control server 40, each interactive robot 20, and each service execution robot 30 are connected by a wireless network via an access point 70 installed on the wall surface of the workplace 10.

Further, although there are a plurality of users 80 in the workplace 10, in the present embodiment, the user 80 is an office worker who works in the workplace 10. Each user 80 wears a wearable sensor 55 on an arm or the like, and each wearable sensor 55 is connected to a control server 40 via an access point 70. The wearable sensor 55 is a biological sensor that measures the pulse, skin conductivity, and body temperature of the user 80, and transmits the biological information to the control server 40 as environmental information.

Here, the interactive robot 20 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the interactive robot 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the interactive robot 20 includes a control microprocessor 210, a memory 211, a storage device 212 such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and a solid state drive (SSD), a communication interface 213, and a camera 214. It is configured to include a microphone 215, a speaker 216, and a mobile device 217, and each is connected to a control bus 218.

The control microprocessor 210 controls and controls the operation of each part of the interactive robot 20 by executing the control program stored in the storage device 212. The memory 211 temporarily stores the robot dispatch instruction received from the control server 40 and the control information generated by the dispatch instruction interpretation unit described later. Further, in the memory 211, the surrounding situation taken by the camera 241 of the interactive robot 20, for example, an image of a wall, a ceiling, an obstacle, or a picture taken by the camera 241 when the interactive robot 20 has a dialogue with the user 80. The facial expression, behavior, image of the physical condition of the user 80, the voice of the dialogue at the time of dialogue, and the content of the dialogue are temporarily stored.

A control program for controlling each part of the interactive robot 20 is stored in the storage device 212. The communication interface 213 controls communication for the interactive robot 20 to communicate with the control server 40, another interactive robot 20, or the service execution robot 30 via the access point 70.

The camera 214 captures the situation around the interactive robot 20 and stores it in the memory 211. Further, when the user 80 has a dialogue, the facial expression, the behavior, the change in the physical condition of the user 80, and the like are photographed and stored in the memory 211. Further, the microphone 215 detects the user's voice when interacting with the user, and stores or records the user's voice in the memory 211. Note that the memory 211 may store the dialogue content after interpreting the voice content, instead of directly recording the voice. The speaker 216 outputs the voice generated by the dialogue control unit described later of the interactive robot 20. The moving device 217 is composed of a driving device such as wheels and a motor necessary for moving the interactive robot 20 to an arbitrary place. The mobile device 217 may include a GPS receiving device for detecting the current position.

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the interactive robot 20. By executing the control program stored in the storage device 212 in the control microprocessor 210, the interactive robot 20 has a dispatch instruction receiving unit 220, a dispatch instruction interpreting unit 221 and a current position, as shown in FIG. It functions as a detection unit 222, a movement control unit 223, an ambient condition detection unit 224, an ambient condition notification unit 225, and a dialogue control unit 226.

The dispatch instruction receiving unit 220 receives the robot dispatch instruction information from the control server 40. For the robot dispatch instruction information, what kind of service should be executed (what kind of dialogue service is provided in the case of the interactive robot 20), to whom (service provider), and when to provide it (service provider). Information such as (time of service provision), where to provide the service (service provision location), and travel route information from the current position of the interactive robot 20 searched by the control server 40 to the destination which is the service provision location are included. .. The dispatch instruction receiving unit 220 temporarily stores the received robot dispatch instruction information in the memory 211. Further, the dispatch instruction receiving unit 220 receives the updated movement route information transmitted from the control server 40 while moving toward the destination, and stores it in the memory 211.

The dispatch instruction interpretation unit 221 interprets the received robot dispatch instruction information and generates specific control information for operating each unit of the interactive robot 20. The control information includes information on what kind of dialogue is to be performed and how to move the interactive robot 20 along the movement path, and is temporarily stored in the memory 211.

The current position detection unit 222 detects the current position of the interactive robot 20. Specifically, the current position detecting device 222 calculates the moving distance and the moving direction of the interactive robot 20 based on the information of the rotation angle of the wheels of the moving device 217, and the map stored in the storage device 212 (not shown). ) And the image of the wall, passage, etc. taken by the camera 214, the current position of the interactive robot 20 is detected. When the mobile device 217 includes a GPS receiving device, the current position may be detected by analyzing the GPS signal. The movement control unit 223 controls the operation of the movement device 217 while referring to the current position specified by the current position detection unit 222, and moves the interactive robot 20 along the movement route information received from the control server 40.

The surrounding situation detection unit 224 analyzes the surrounding situation of the interactive robot 20 taken by the camera 214, determines whether or not there are obstacles, other robots, and people, and their positions, and obtains the information. Store in memory 211. The surrounding situation notification unit 225 controls information about the surrounding situation detected by the surrounding situation detection unit 224, for example, information about the presence or absence of obstacles, people, and other robots and their positions as environmental information. Send to server 40.

The dialogue control unit 226 controls the dialogue performed by the interactive robot 20 with the user 80 based on the dialogue content included in the dispatch instruction interpreted by the dispatch instruction interpretation unit 221 and generates a response content to the user 80. .. Specifically, the dialogue control unit 226 generates a response message according to the dialogue content included in the dispatch instruction and outputs the response message to the speaker 216.

Next, the service execution robot 30 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The service execution robot 30 is, for example, a transport robot, a display robot, a projector robot, or the like. In FIGS. 4 and 5, a display robot will be illustrated as a service execution robot. FIG. 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the service execution robot 30 of the present embodiment. The service execution robot 30 includes a control microprocessor 310, a memory 311, a storage device 312, a communication interface 313, a camera 314, a microphone 315, a mobile device 316, a display device 317, and an input device 318, each of which is a control bus 319. It is connected to the.

The control microprocessor 310 controls and controls the operation of each part of the service execution robot 30 by executing the control program stored in the storage device 312. The memory 311 temporarily stores the robot dispatch instruction received from the control server 40 via the communication interface 313 and the control information generated by the dispatch instruction interpretation unit described later. Further, the memory 311 temporarily stores the surrounding conditions taken by the camera 314 of the service execution robot 30, such as images of walls, ceilings, obstacles, and sounds detected by the microphone 315.

The storage device 312 is a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or the like, and stores a control program for controlling the service execution robot 30. The communication interface 313 controls communication for the service execution robot 30 to communicate with the control server 40 via the access point 70 and the network 60.

The camera 314 is used when the service execution robot 30 moves, the surrounding situation is photographed, or the user 80 stands in front of the display device 317 of the service execution robot 30 and makes a videophone call. The face of the person 80 is photographed. The image taken by the camera 314 is temporarily stored in the memory 211. The microphone 315 detects the voice of the user 80 and temporarily stores it in the memory 211. The moving device 316 is composed of a driving device such as wheels and a motor necessary for moving the service execution robot 30 to an arbitrary place, and a current position detecting device such as a GPS receiving device.

The display device 317 is composed of a liquid crystal display, an adjustment device for changing the angle and height of the liquid crystal display, and the like, via the information stored in the storage device 312, the communication interface 313, the access point 70, and the network 60. Information acquired from the control server 40, the Internet, or the like is displayed on the liquid crystal display. The input device 318 is a touch panel arranged on the surface of the liquid crystal display constituting the display device 317, and is required by the user 80 touching a predetermined portion of the touch panel while visually recognizing the information displayed on the display device 317. You can enter information.

FIG. 5 shows a functional block diagram of the service execution robot 30. The service execution robot 30 executes the control program stored in the storage device 312 in the control microprocessor 310, and as shown in FIG. 5, the dispatch instruction receiving unit 320, the dispatch instruction interpreting unit 321, and the current position. It functions as a detection unit 322, a movement control unit 323, an ambient condition detection unit 324, an ambient condition notification unit 325, and a service execution unit 326.

The dispatch instruction receiving unit 320 receives the robot dispatch instruction information from the control server 40. The robot dispatch instruction information includes what kind of service should be executed (service content), to whom (service provider), when or by when (service provision time), and where to provide it. Information such as whether to do so (service providing place, that is, destination), and movement route information from the current position of the service executing robot 30 searched by the control server 40 to the destination which is the service providing place are included. The dispatch instruction receiving unit 320 temporarily stores the received robot dispatch instruction information in the memory 311. Further, the dispatch instruction receiving unit 220 receives the updated movement route information transmitted from the control server 40 while moving toward the destination, and stores it in the memory 211.

The dispatch instruction interpretation unit 321 interprets the received robot dispatch instruction information and generates specific control information for operating each unit of the service execution robot 30. The control information includes information on specific operations such as when and how to operate the display device 317 and what kind of information is displayed (when the service execution robot 30 is a transport robot, what and how). Information on whether to collect or distribute information), information on the destination is included when the service execution robot 30 is moved, and is temporarily stored in the memory 311.

The current position detection unit 322 detects the current position of the service execution robot 30. Specifically, the current position detection unit 322 calculates the movement distance and the movement direction of the service execution robot 30 based on the information of the rotation angle of the wheels of the movement device 316, and the map described later and the wall photographed by the camera 314. The current position of the service execution robot 30 is detected by comparing with an image such as a passage or a passage. When the mobile device 316 includes a GPS receiving device, the current position may be detected by analyzing the GPS signal. The movement control unit 323 controls the operation of the movement device 316 while referring to the current position specified by the current position detection unit 322, and moves the service execution robot 30 along the movement route information received from the control server 40.

The surrounding situation detection unit 324 analyzes the surrounding situation of the service execution robot 30 taken by the camera 314, determines whether or not there are obstacles, other robots, and people, and determines their positions, and outputs the information. It is stored in the memory 311. The surrounding situation notification unit 325 controls information about the surrounding situation detected by the surrounding situation detection unit 325, for example, information about the presence or absence of obstacles, people, and other robots and their positions as environmental information. Send to server 40.

The service execution unit 326 operates the display device 317 and the like according to the control information stored in the memory 311 and executes the service specified by the robot dispatch instruction received from the control server 40.

Next, the control server 40 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of the control server 40. As shown in FIG. 6, the control server 40 includes a CPU 410, a memory 411, a storage device 412, a communication interface 413, and a user interface 414, and each is connected to a control bus 415. The CPU 410 controls and controls the operation of each part of the control server 40 based on the control program stored in the storage device 412. The memory 411 contains information about obstacles, people, and robot positions in the workplace 10 transmitted from a plurality of environment sensors 50, sensors provided in the interactive robot 20, and sensors provided in the service execution robot 30. In addition, information about places where people are crowded, places where meetings are held, places where people are working intensively, and robots transmitted to the interactive robot 20 and the service execution robot 30. The dispatch instruction and the map update information added in real time to the map of the workplace 10 are temporarily stored.

The storage device 412 is a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or the like, and stores a control program for controlling the control server 40. Further, the storage device 412 stores a map of the workplace 10 described later. The communication interface 413 controls communication for the control server 40 to send and receive various data to and from the interactive robot 20, the service execution robot 30, the environment sensor 50, and the wearable sensor 55 via the access point 70. The user interface 414 is composed of a display device such as a liquid crystal display and an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and is for the administrator to adjust a control program stored in the storage device 412.

FIG. 7 shows a functional block diagram of the control server 40. By executing the control program stored in the storage device 412 in the CPU 410, the control server 40 has a dispatch request receiving unit 420, an environment / robot information acquisition unit 421, and a map updating unit 422, as shown in FIG. It functions as a route information processing unit 423, a dispatch instruction information processing unit 424, a dispatch instruction / route information transmission unit 425, and a map storage unit 426.

The dispatch request receiving unit 420 receives the robot dispatch request information transmitted by the environment sensor 50 when the user 80 requests the dispatch of the robot by beckoning or the like at a certain place in the workplace 10. The robot dispatch request information received from the environment sensor 50 includes information about the place where the robot dispatch request is generated, the time, and the type of request by the user 80. In the robot dispatch request, the user 80 explicitly identifies the robot that needs to be dispatched or the service that needs to be provided by voice, and the interactive robot 20 near the environment sensor 50 and the user 80 is the robot. The dispatch request may be detected.

The environment / robot information acquisition unit 421 acquires environment information in real time from a plurality of environment sensors 50, an interactive robot 20, and a service execution robot 30 arranged in the workplace 10, and temporarily stores the environment information in the memory 411. .. The environmental information includes information on the presence / absence of obstacles, humans, and other robots and their positions, as well as biological information of humans existing in the workplace 10. Further, each of the interactive robot 20 and the service execution robot 30 adds the current position information of each robot to the environmental information and stores it as environmental information. In addition, the environment / robot information acquisition unit 421 acquires the current position information of each of the interactive robots 20 and the service execution robot 30 operating in the workplace 10 in real time.

The map update unit 422 updates the information on the location on the map, which will be described later, where the robot should not pass, based on the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 421. For example, the map update unit 422 has a place where people are crowded and a meeting based on the environmental information including the presence / absence and position of obstacles, people, and other robots acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 421. Identify at least one of the places where it is done, where there are people working intensively, and where there is a high risk of collision as places where robots should not pass, and that information is on the map. Update the map by reflecting. At that time, the map updating unit 422 calculates the degree of collision risk at a place having a high collision risk on the map, which will be described later, using the environmental information acquired by the environmental information acquisition unit 421, and the collision. The degree of danger may be dynamically updated on the map.

The route information processing unit 423 is from the current position specified by the current position detection unit 222 of the interactive robot 20 or the current position specified by the current position detection unit 322 of the service execution robot 30 to the destination which is the service provision location. The movement route of the above is searched by referring to the map stored in the map storage unit 426, which will be described later, and the movement route information is generated and stored in the memory 411. Further, the route information processing unit 423 determines whether or not a route information request has been received from each of the interactive robot 20 and the service execution robot 30, and if the route information request is received, the interactive robot 20 or the service. The movement route from the current position of the execution robot 30 to the destination is searched by referring to the updated map. Further, the route information processing unit 423 determines whether or not the robot has arrived at the destination based on the current position information transmitted from the interactive robot 20 and the service execution robot 30.

The dispatch instruction information processing unit 424 determines which robot should be dispatched based on the robot dispatch request received by the robot dispatch request receiving unit 420 and the information on the current position of each robot. Furthermore, the dispatch instruction information processing unit 424 provides what kind of service should be executed (what kind of dialogue service is provided in the case of the interactive robot 20), to whom it is provided (service provider), and when. It generates robot dispatch instruction information composed of information such as whether to provide the service (time of service provision), where to provide the service (service provision location), and movement route information searched by the route information processing unit 423.

The dispatch instruction / route information transmission unit 425 uses the robot dispatch instruction information generated by the robot dispatch instruction generation unit 424 as a robot (specific interactive robot 20) to execute a service specified by the dispatch instruction information processing unit 424. Alternatively, it is transmitted to the service execution robot 30). Further, when a new movement route is searched for by the route information processing unit 423 and new movement route information is generated based on the new movement route information, the generated new movement route information is used for the corresponding interactive robot 20 and service execution. It is transmitted to the robot 30.

The map storage unit 426 stores a map of the area in which the interactive robot 20 and the service execution robot 30 move. In this embodiment, the map storage unit 426 stores the map in the workplace 10. In this map, passages, walls, rooms, and doorways in the workplace 10 are registered. Further, in the map stored in the map storage unit 426, the map update unit 422 described above updates the information of the place where the robot should not pass. Places where robots should not be passed include places where people are crowded, places where meetings are held, places where there are people who are working intensively, places where there is a high risk of collision and their collision risk. The degree of sex is included.

Next, the flow of processing in the robot control system 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. Note that FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a map of the workplace 10 stored in the map storage unit 426 of the control server 40 and an example of the movement route of the interactive robot 20A searched by the route information processing unit 423. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of movement control in the control server 40. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the changed movement route while reflecting the map update information on the map of FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control flow in the interactive robot 20A that has received a robot dispatch instruction from the control server 40.

As shown in FIG. 8, the workplace 10 has rooms A to D and passages 910 to 940. Further, an environment sensor 50A is installed in the room A to detect the environmental information inside the room A, and an environment sensor 50B is arranged on the wall surface of the passage 920 to detect the environmental information of the passage 930 and to be on the wall surface of the passage 910. Is arranged with environment sensors 50C and 50D, and detects environmental information of passages 920 and 940, respectively. In addition, two interactive robots 20A and 20B and one service execution robot 30A are operating in the workplace 10. In the following description, a case where the user 80A working in the room A makes a robot dispatch request will be described.

When the user 80A makes a robot dispatch request, the environment sensor 50A installed in the room A detects the robot dispatch request by the user 80A, and requests the place, time, and request of the user 80A. The robot dispatch request information including the information about the type is transmitted to the control server 40. Therefore, first, the flow of processing in the control server 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. In step S901 of FIG. 9, the dispatch request receiving unit 420 of the control server 40 receives the robot dispatch request information transmitted from the environment sensor 50A. In step S902, the dispatch instruction information processing unit 424 determines a robot to be dispatched based on the received robot dispatch request information. When there are a plurality of robots in the workplace 10, the dispatch instruction information processing unit 424 determines which interactive robot 20 is based on the content of the robot dispatch request information, that is, the content of the service to be provided, and the current position information of each robot. Or, determine whether the service execution robot 30 should be dispatched. For example, in the example of FIG. 8, the dispatch instruction information processing unit 424 determines the interactive robot 20A at the current position P as the robot to be dispatched. It is assumed that the current position of each robot is acquired in real time by the environment / robot information acquisition unit 421.

In step S903, the route information processing unit 423 of the control server 40 stores the movement route from the current position P specified by the current position detection unit 222 of the interactive robot 20A to the destination G, which is the service providing location, in the map storage unit. It searches with reference to the map stored in 426 and stores it in the memory 411 as movement route information. In the present embodiment, the movement route searched by the route information processing unit 423 is the passage 940 from the current position P to the passage 910 in the X direction when the right direction of the paper surface in FIG. 8 is the X direction and the upward direction is the Y direction. Then, turn left in the Y direction, proceed in the passage 940 in the Y direction, turn right at the entrance / exit 950 of the "room A" in the X direction, enter the "room A", and reach the destination G.

In step S904, the dispatch instruction information processing unit 424 generates robot dispatch instruction information based on the movement route information searched in step S903 and the robot dispatch request information received in step S901. The robot dispatch instruction information includes, for example, the above-mentioned movement route information and instruction content such as "asking a request" to the user 80A after moving to the destination G.

In step S905, the dispatch instruction / route information transmission unit 425 transfers the robot dispatch instruction information generated in step S904 to the interactive robot 20 or the service execution robot 30 (FIG. 8) determined as the robot to be dispatched in step S902. In the example of, transmission is performed to the interactive robot 20A).

In step S906, the environment / robot information acquisition unit 421 is connected to the workplace from the plurality of environment sensors 50 installed in the workplace 10, the plurality of interactive robots 20 operating in the workplace 10, and the service execution robot 30. Environmental information of each part such as each room and passage in 10 is acquired and stored in the memory 411. Here, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, it is assumed that the users 80B and 80C are talking at a place near the connection point of the passage 940 with the passage 910. Therefore, the users 80B and 80C talk to each other near the connection portion of the passage 940 with the passage 910 by the environment sensor 50C that is photographing the passage 940 and the service execution robot 30 that is traveling or waiting there. This is detected and transmitted to the control server 40 as environment information, and the environment / robot information acquisition unit 421 of the control server 40 acquires the environment information. When the interactive robot 20 and the service execution robot 30 transmit environmental information, the surrounding information detection units 227 and 327 of the interactive robot 20 and the service execution robot 30 detect the situation around the robot and notify the surrounding situation. It is transmitted to the control server 40 by the unit 225 and 328. Then, the environment / robot information acquisition unit 421 of the control server 40 acquires the transmitted environment information as described above.

In step S907, the map update unit 422 of the control server 40 uses the environmental information acquired in step S906 to update the information on the map stored in the map storage unit 426 where the robot should not pass. do. For example, the vicinity of the connection point of the passage 940 with the passage 910 in FIG. 10 is specified and updated as a place 960 where the robot should not pass because it is a place where people are crowded.

In step S908, the route information processing unit 423 determines whether or not the route information request has been received from the interactive robot 20 that has transmitted the robot dispatch instruction information. When the route information processing unit 423 determines that the route information request has not been received, it returns to step S906, acquires environmental information from the environment sensor 50, the interactive robot 20, and the service execution robot 30, and maps in real time. Is performed (step S907).

When it is determined in step S908 that the route information request has been received, in step S909, the route information processing unit 423 refers to the updated map stored in the map storage unit 426 and refers to the interactive robot 20. The route search from the current position P'to the destination is performed again, new movement route information is generated, and the route is stored in the memory 411. In the above example, as shown in FIG. 10, a movement path R'that avoids a place 960 where the robot should not pass is searched from the current position P'of the interactive robot 20. This movement path R'turns left in the Y direction from the current position P'and travels in the passage 920, then turns right in the X direction at the connection portion with the passage 930 and travels in the passage 930, and then turns right and travels in the passage. It is composed of a route that travels 940 for a short distance, turns left at the entrance / exit 950 of "Room A" in the X direction, enters "Room A", and travels to the user 80A.

In step S910, the dispatch instruction / route information transmission unit 425 transmits the new movement route information generated in step S909 to the interactive robot 20A. In step S911, the route information processing unit 423 determines whether or not the interactive robot 20A has arrived at the destination based on the current position information transmitted from the interactive robot 20A, and arrives at the destination. If not, the process returns to step S906, and the processes from steps S906 to S910 are performed until the interactive robot 20 arrives at the destination. If it is determined in step S911 that the interactive robot 20 has arrived at the destination, the process ends.

Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the flow of processing in the interactive robot 20A that has received the robot dispatch instruction information from the control server 40 will be described. In step S905 of FIG. 9, when the dispatch instruction / route information transmission unit 425 of the control server 40 transmits the robot dispatch instruction information, in step S1101 of FIG. 11, the dispatch instruction receiving unit 220 of the interactive robot 20A gives a robot dispatch instruction. Upon receiving the information, the dispatch instruction interpretation unit 221 generates control information based on the received robot dispatch instruction information. The control information moves the movement path R from the current position P of the interactive robot 20A to the location of the user 90A in the room A of FIG. 8, and performs an operation such as "asking a request" to the user 90A. It is composed of instructions for controlling each part of the interactive robot 20A.

In step S1102, the movement control unit 223 controls the movement device 217 so that the interactive robot 20 moves along the route specified by the movement route information. In step S1103, the current position is specified by the current position detection unit 222. This is a map (not shown) stored in the storage device 212 of the interactive robot 20 by calculating the moving distance and the moving direction of the interactive robot 20 based on the information of the rotation angle of the wheels of the moving device 217. This is done by comparing the images of walls, passages, etc. taken by the camera 214.

In step S1104, the interactive robot 20 photographs the surrounding situation of the interactive robot 20 by the camera 214, the surrounding situation detection unit 224 analyzes the captured image, and an obstacle, another robot, or a person is present. After determining whether or not to do so and their positions, the surrounding situation notification unit 225 transmits environmental information including information on the presence / absence and position of obstacles, people, and other robots to the control server 40.

In step S1105, the movement control unit 223 refers to the current position specified in step S1103, and determines whether or not the user has moved a predetermined distance or a predetermined time from the current position specified last time. If it is determined that the vehicle has not moved a predetermined distance or a predetermined time, the process returns to step S1102, and the processes of steps S1102 to S1105 are executed while the vehicle travels a predetermined distance or a predetermined time along the movement route. If it is determined in step S1105 that the robot has moved a predetermined distance or a predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S1106, the movement control unit 223 refers to the current position information specified in step S1103, and the interactive robot 20 arrives at the destination. Determine if it has been done.

If it is determined in step S1106 that the interactive robot 20 has arrived at the destination, the process proceeds to step S1109, and the dialogue control unit 226 is based on the control information generated based on the robot dispatch instruction information received in step S1101. Then, a dialogue is performed with the user 80A (in the case of the service execution robot 30, the service is provided), and the process is terminated. If it is determined in step S1106 that the interactive robot 20 has not reached the destination, the process proceeds to step S1107.

In step S1107, the movement control unit 223 requests the control server 40 for information on a new route. In step S1108, when the movement control unit 223 receives the new movement route information from the control server 40, the movement control unit 223 stores the new movement route information in the memory 211 as a future movement route instead of the previous movement route information. Next, returning to step S1102, the movement control unit 223 controls the interactive robot 20A to move along the new movement path (here, the movement path R'in FIG. 10), and the interactive robot 20A controls the movement. The processes of steps S1102 to S1108 are executed until the destination G is reached.

In the above example, when one interactive robot 20A moves toward the destination, the environment sensors 50A to 50D installed in the workplace 10 travel in or in the workplace 10. By acquiring information on the surrounding environment using other standby interactive robots 20B and service execution robot 30 and reflecting the places where the robot should not pass on the map, the interactive robot 20A alone cannot grasp the information. I explained the case of changing the movement route so as to avoid places where the robot should not pass, such as places where people are crowded and places where meetings are held. However, the biological sensor 55 attached to the user 80 existing in the workplace 10 detects the mental state of the user 80, identifies the place where the robot should not pass according to the mental state, and determines the place. You may change the movement route to avoid it. For example, it is possible to acquire the biometric information of the user 80 from the biosensor 55 and use the acquired biometric information to estimate that the user 80 is concentrating on the work. You may try to search the route so as to avoid.

Further, in the above example, the interactive robot 20 has described an example in which the interactive robot 20 searches for a route to avoid a place where the robot should not pass and uses it as a movement route based on environmental information. Not limited to the above example, for example, when the interactive robot 20 travels in the vicinity of a place where the robot should not pass, the movement control unit 223 moves at a speed lower than the normal traveling speed. The moving device 217 of the interactive robot 20 may be controlled as described above. Further, the map update unit 422 of the control server 40 uses the environment information acquired from the environment sensor 50, the other interactive robot 20, and the service execution robot 30 to store the risk of collision on the map stored in the map storage unit 426. The degree of collision risk in a high place is calculated and dynamically updated, and the movement control unit 223 of the interactive robot 20 is used when the interactive robot 20 travels in the vicinity of a place having a high collision risk on a map. In addition, the moving device 217 of the interactive robot 20 may be controlled so as to move at a reduced speed according to the degree of collision risk updated by the map updating unit 422.

Further, in the above example, the example in which the interactive robot 20 moves to the destination has been described, but in the present invention, it can be equally applied to the case where the service execution robot 30 moves to the destination. be.

Further, in the above example, the robot is used by using the environment sensor 50 installed in the workplace 10, the interactive robot 20 operating in the workplace 10, and the environment information acquired from the service execution robot 30. I explained the case of identifying a place that should not be passed, reflecting that place on the map, avoiding that place, and controlling to slow down when traveling in the vicinity, but on the contrary. Based on the acquired environmental information, identify the place where the robot makes a detour, for example, multiple users are talking, or there is a user who has spare time, and the place is reflected on the map. , When the robot moves, it may go to the destination via the place.

10 Workplace 20 Interactive robot 30 Service execution robot 40 Control server 50 Environmental sensor 55 Wearable sensor 60 Network 70 Access point 80 User 100 Robot control system 210 Control microprocessor 211 Memory 212 Storage device 213 Communication interface 214 Camera 215 Microphone 216 Speaker 217 Mobile device 218 Control bus 220 Dispatch instruction reception unit 221 Dispatch instruction interpretation unit 222 Current position detection unit 223 Movement control unit 224 Ambient status detection unit 225 Ambient status notification unit 226 Dialogue control unit 310 Control microprocessor 311 Memory 312 Storage device 313 Communication interface 314 Camera 315 Microprocessor 316 Mobile device 317 Display device 318 Input device 319 Control bus 320 Dispatch instruction receiver 321 Dispatch instruction interpretation unit 322 Current position detection unit 323 Movement control unit 324 Surrounding status detection unit 325 Surrounding status notification unit 326 Service Execution unit 410 CPU
411 Memory 412 Storage device 413 Communication interface 414 User interface 415 Control bus 420 Dispatch request reception unit 421 Environment / robot information acquisition unit 422 Map update unit 423 Route information processing unit 424 Dispatch instruction information processing unit 425 Dispatch instruction / route information transmission unit 426 Map storage

Claims (2)

With a movable robot,
A storage means for storing a map of the area where the robot moves, and
A biosensor that is attached to a person present in the area and detects information on either the pulse, skin conductivity, or body temperature of the person wearing the area as biometric information .
An acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a person existing in the region detected by the biosensor, and
An update means for updating a place where it is presumed that there is a person who is concentrated on the map using the acquired biometric information as information on a place where the robot should not pass.
A search means for avoiding and searching the route from the current position of the robot to the destination as a place where the robot should not pass by referring to the updated map.
A robot control system including a control means for controlling the robot to move along a searched route. The robot control system according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the robot to move at a reduced speed when the robot travels in the vicinity of a place on the map where the robot should not pass. ..

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