JP2003170376A - Autonomously acting robot and autonomously acting robot system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autonomously acting robot capable of recognizing the pattern of action of the autonomously acting robot itself even when the autonomously acting robot is absent. <P>SOLUTION: A marking device ST stamping a seal SH as a mark to show the patter of action on an external environment is mounted on the autonomously acting robot R. The mark is stamped in a pattern MA allowing a user to recognize information on the pattern of the action by the shape, color, and arrangement of the mark. The user observing the pattern MA reads the information on the pattern of the action specified by the pattern MA to recognize what action the autonomously acting robot R has taken. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an autonomous action robot and an autonomous action robot system that perform an autonomous action without being operated by a person.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an indoor environment, an autonomous behavior robot that autonomously behaves often does not require the user to individually instruct its operation, and all instructions for the action are directly given by the user. Do not mean. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to understand how the instruction given to the autonomous action robot is reflected in the action of the actual autonomous action robot.

As a technique for a user to grasp the behavior of an autonomous behavior robot which performs autonomous behavior, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
There is a technique such as the cleaning autonomous action robot described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-267074, and in the cleaning autonomous action robot, the history of actions and the state of the robot are displayed by a display mounted on the cleaning autonomous action robot. By the method described above, the autonomous action robot itself directly provides the user with information regarding the mode of action taken by the autonomous action robot.

Further, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-163390, it is possible to allow a human to visually confirm a contaminated place by marking a radiation source discovered by an autonomously acting robot having a radiation detecting function that autonomously acts. A device characterized by:
It provides the user with the recognition result of the surrounding environment in the path of the behavior of the autonomous robot.

[0005]

According to the autonomous action cleaning robot disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-267074, autonomous action robots are provided using the display means etc. provided. It is performed by presenting information such as the state of the autonomous action robot itself or action history stored inside the robot. Therefore, in order for another person, such as the user or another autonomous action robot, to recognize the information presented by the autonomous action robot, the autonomous action robot itself displays the information explicitly using the display means, and the other person The information needs to exist within a range that can be recognized.

Further, when the autonomous action robot keeps a record of the mode of action, it is necessary to save the action in the memory means of the robot, so that the area of the memory means is unnecessarily consumed and the memory means is used. When the robot is destroyed or the information stored in the memory means is erased, there is a problem that the record of the action of the autonomous action robot is damaged.

Here, in the self-propelled radiation substance automatic measuring apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-163390, the radiation substance which is the information extracted from the information acquired by the sensor by the autonomous behavior robot. About being
Since the person can be informed by marking, the problem caused by using the internal memory means as described above can be avoided.

However, the information extracted by the device in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-163390 is used for a limited purpose of presenting information on the situation of the surrounding environment, and the information on the behavior of the autonomous behavior robot itself is externally provided. It is not output to and recorded externally.

Therefore, if the autonomous action robot does not exist, another person cannot recognize the information about the action mode of the autonomous action robot itself.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to allow another person to recognize information regarding the behavior mode of the autonomous action robot itself, even if the autonomous action robot does not exist. It is to provide a possible autonomous action robot and autonomous action robot system.

Further, since the above-described information mark of the external environment recognized by the autonomous action robot is performed by a single mark, it is not considered that the mark itself has various meanings. The marking method itself has low versatility.

Therefore, a further object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous action robot and an autonomous action robot system in which it is considered that the mark itself has various meanings.

Further, the above-mentioned conventional autonomous action robot is
Even if the information of the external environment stored in the memory means of the autonomous behavior robot is output to the outside and stored,
It is not intended to be used for information transmission between autonomous behavior robots and humans, or between autonomous behavior robots.

Therefore, a further object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous action robot and an autonomous action robot system capable of outputting information capable of transmitting information between the autonomous action robot and human or between the autonomous action robots to the outside. Is to provide.

In addition to this, various environmental recognition methods such as image processing have been proposed, especially for autonomous robots that perform autonomous behaviors in the everyday space in which humans live. In daily life, where there is a lot of change, there is a problem in terms of certainty.

Therefore, it is a further object of the present invention to provide an autonomous action robot and an autonomous action robot system capable of reliably recognizing the environment in a daily space in which the environment changes drastically. is there.

[0017]

An autonomous action robot of the present invention is an autonomous action robot capable of autonomously acting without being operated by a person, and is an action means for performing autonomous action and an action means. The information output means capable of outputting the information regarding the mode of the action executed by the external device so as to record the information in a mode that can be recognized by a person outside. According to such a configuration, it is possible for another person to recognize information about the behavior mode of the autonomous action robot itself, even if the autonomous action robot itself does not exist.

The autonomous behavior robot of the present invention comprises a surrounding environment recognition means for recognizing the state of the surrounding environment, and analyzes the surrounding environment information obtained using the environment recognition means,
The behavior may be determined based on the analysis result. With such a configuration, it is possible to recognize how another person has acted according to the state of the surrounding environment, even if the autonomous action robot itself does not exist.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the information on the behavior mode may include surrounding environment information. According to such a configuration, even if the autonomous action robot does not exist, it is possible to recognize the state of the environment around the route on which the autonomous action robot has acted.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the surrounding environment recognition means may include an image recognition device for recognizing the state of the surrounding environment as an image. According to such a configuration, even if the autonomous action robot does not exist, it is possible to recognize the state of the environment around the route along which the autonomous action robot has acted with an image.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the information on the behavior mode may include information indicating a route to the charging device for the autonomous behavior robot. With such a configuration, the route to the charging device can be suggested.

In the autonomous action robot of the present invention, the action means may be a wheel-type action mechanism that allows the action of the wheel due to the frictional force between the wheel and the ground contact surface on which the wheel contacts the ground. . With such a configuration, stable autonomous action can be performed.

In the autonomous action robot of the present invention, the action means may be a leg type action mechanism that acts by walking motion of a plurality of legs. With such a configuration, autonomous action can be performed even on a complicated road surface.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the information output means may use a method of marking the external environment itself by using a physical information transmission medium as a method of storing the information in a manner that can be recognized by a person outside. Good. By doing so, a person can recognize the information on the behavior mode of the autonomous action robot by using the physical information transmission medium.

In the autonomous-behavior of the present invention, the information output means may use a physical information transmission medium to mark the external environment itself by applying a sticker to the external environment. By doing so, it is possible to easily mark the external environment.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the information output means uses a physical information transmission medium to mark the external environment itself, and a sticker including a data tag capable of recording information inside is attached to the external environment. You may use the method of sticking. By doing so, various information can be included in the sticker.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the data tag may be a data tag capable of non-contact communication. According to such a configuration, it is possible to recognize the information regarding the behavior mode of the autonomous action robot at a place apart from the data tag by communicating with the data tag.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the information output means may use a method of recording in a computer-readable recording medium as a method of recording in a manner that can be recognized by a person outside. By doing this,
Information regarding the mode of action can be recognized by the computer.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, the information output means may record the information regarding the mode of behavior in a data tag which is provided in the external environment and is capable of contactless communication. By doing so, it is not necessary to have a physical information transmission medium for externally outputting the information regarding the behavior mode.

In the autonomous action robot of the present invention, it is more preferable that the information output means can transmit the internal information to other autonomous action robots. By doing so, it is possible to act in cooperation with other autonomous action robots.

The autonomous action robot of the present invention is provided with an action mode control means for controlling the action mode, and the action mode control means can perform control so as to cooperate with another autonomous action robot. More preferable. According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve work efficiency by cooperative action.

The autonomous action robot system of the present invention uses a plurality of the above-mentioned autonomous action robots to cause the plurality of autonomous action robots to perform a collaborative work. By doing so, it becomes possible to improve the efficiency of collaborative work by acting in a coordinated manner using a plurality of autonomous action robots.

[0033]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an autonomous action robot and an autonomous action robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) As shown in FIG. 1, a robot R is a device embodying the autonomous action robot of the present embodiment and forms a part of action means for performing autonomous action. It has a total of four wheels TI, two on each side,
A wheel-type mobile robot that moves on U,
A control board BO and a battery BA are provided inside the CCD, and a CCD (Charge Couple) that recognizes an external environment as an example of a peripheral environment recognition means is directed toward the front of the robot R at the upper part.
d Device) Cameras CA1 are arranged on the left and right respectively. Control board BO as an example of action mode determination means
Is an image processing control board BOb equipped with an image processing circuit for processing an image of the surrounding environment obtained by a CCD or the like, and a process of analyzing various images processed by the image processing circuit. Robot control board including a calculation unit capable of performing the above operation, a memory capable of recording the state of the surrounding environment resulting from the analysis, and a motor driver circuit capable of controlling the motor that drives the wheels according to the state of the surrounding environment. It is divided into BOa. Here, the detailed description of the control board BO is omitted because it is not the purpose of the present invention.

On the front surface of the robot R, a posture adjusting mechanism ME capable of adjusting its height and angle and a marking device ST connected to its tip are attached.
The robot R can leave the marking by attaching a small circular sticker SH to the road surface SU.

In this embodiment, in consideration of the case where the moving space targeted by the robot R is a daily living space, the sticker SH attached to the robot R is such that the adhesive is not likely to remain after peeling. It shall be.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a marking device ST1 as an example of information output means used in the robot R of FIG. The marking device ST1 is covered by a case ST1c having an opening in the lower left corner of FIG.
Inside the case ST1c, rollers ST1r1, STr2, one edge of the rotation center shaft of which is fixed to the case ST1c, are provided.
STr3 is provided. Of these, roller ST1r
Since 1 and STr2 can be rotationally driven by a motor, the tape ST1t including the marking sticker SH1
Can be wound up.

The lower end of the case ST1 is pressed against the surface SU to be marked, and the roller ST1 is moved in the direction of the arrow RO1.
The seal SH1 can be attached to the surface SU by rotating c.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the robot R attaches the sticker SH. If it is a wall surface, the roller of the roller type marking device ST that is variable in the height direction
The sticker is attached to 1w, and a sticker is attached at a height easily recognized by the camera CA1 of the robot R.

If the floor surface, the marking device ST
With the U1f being in close contact, a sticker is attached to a position where the onboard camera CA1 of the robot R can easily recognize it. By the above method, the robot R can put the seal on the wall surface and the floor surface in the room, so that the marking can be performed in a wide range and the sticker can be put on the image processing board BOb at a position where the image processing can be easily performed. it can.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a marking pattern performed by applying the sticker SH by the robot R described above. Even if the sticker SH used for marking has a single shape and color, the mark can be made meaningful by changing the pattern of the sticker SH.

The pattern MAP1 in FIG. 4 is the simplest marking pattern, and is used to simply indicate the movement route. The pattern MAP2 is a pattern using two seals SH, and the robot R as indicated by the arrow AR1.
Shows the route of movement of the. The pattern MAP3 is a pattern using three stickers SH, and indicates the moving direction of the robot R as indicated by an arrow AR2.

For example, in the present embodiment, a charger PS capable of charging built-in battery BA in the direction of the arrow.
Can indicate a position.

Further, the pattern MAP4 has the seal SH of 3
The pattern used by the robot R indicates that the robot R has changed direction as indicated by an arrow AR3.

Although only four patterns are shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to give more various meanings to the marking by increasing the number of seals SH or changing the relative position of the seals SH. Become.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a result of information presentation regarding movement of the robot R using the pattern shown in FIG.
The room where the robot R moved is looking down from the ceiling side. Patterns MA1a, MA1b, MA1
c is a robot R which is an important device for the robot R
The pattern MAP3 indicating the position of the charger PS1 is used, which means the arrow in FIG.
Robot R has pattern MA1a, MA1b, MA on the wall
If the robot R loses its position by storing a program in the memory means of the robot control board BOa that can interpret the charger PS1 if it finds 1c in the indicated direction. Even if the pattern MA1a, MA1b, MA has the meaning of the arrow indicating the direction
It is possible to reach the charger PS1 by discovering any one of 1c.

Although the patterns MA1a, MA1b, MA1c are formed by sticking a charger-instructing pattern on the wall surface, marking can also be performed on the floor surface as shown in the patterns MA2a, MA2b, MA3.

Further, when the robot R travels on the movement route indicated by the arrow AR4, the patterns MA3a, MA3b,
By marking like MA3c and MA3d, the movement history of the robot R can be shown. Therefore, by observing the marking, a human or another robot R can grasp the moving range of the autonomous mobile robot R that performs the marking.

The pattern MA shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is
For example, a sticker SH of a color such as red that stands out in the room
With this configuration, the robot R can easily recognize the pattern. Since such a pattern MA can enhance the certainty of image processing even in a complicated environment such as human living space, the marking can also be used as a reference point for autonomous movement of the robot R.

Further, since the robot R itself performs marking of the pattern MA for grasping the environment of the robot R and presenting movement path information, the camera CA1 of the robot R is used.
An appropriate position can be selected based on the viewpoint of.

Therefore, the marking position can be set at a position where the robot R itself can easily find it. Therefore, when the robot R refers to the marked pattern MA, the reliability of the image processing in the image processing control board BOb can be ensured. It can be further increased.

In addition, the robot R stores in the memory of the robot R.
If the map of the markings made by the robot is recorded, the robot R can estimate its own current position in the room by checking the history of the markings found during the movement.

By the method using the pattern MA of the seal SH as described above, it is easy for a human to grasp the movement route or the action of the robot R. At this time, even if the robot R is not facing a human, such as moving to another room, the robot R is not operating, or even when the robot R is absent. ,
A human can confirm the history of movement of the robot R by referring to only the seal SH.

Further, as shown in the example of FIG. 5, by clearly setting the meaning of each pattern, a person moves furniture, changes the indoor environment, and simultaneously changes the marking position. By performing the operation of
Through the marking, the robot R can be instructed of changes in the environment.

Furthermore, the marking of the autonomous mobile robot R as described above is used as information by performing image processing even on the autonomous mobile robot R other than the marking robot R. Since it is possible, there is also an effect of sharing information between the robots R. For example, by changing the color of the sticker SH for each robot R, it is possible to distinguish the markings made by other robots R from the markings made by other robots R, and by distinguishing the colors of the sticker SH. It is also possible to coordinate with each other and adjust the range of autonomous movement. In addition, the shape (circle, square, etc.) and size of the seal SH may be changed for each robot R, and further, an identification code unique to each robot R may be attached on the seal SH.

For example, assuming that the robot R is a robot R for cleaning the room, if marking is performed in the area where each robot R has completed cleaning, some robots R have completed cleaning. Other robot R
Can eliminate the waste of cleaning again.

Up to this point, as the marking method in the present embodiment, the method of adding information to the marking using the arrangement of the seal SH has been described. However, the seal SH includes, for example, a data tag, and the seal SH itself is provided. If the information can be recorded, even if only one pattern of the sticker SH is provided, various information can be presented.

A data tag having a communication function utilizing infrared rays, microwaves, etc. is generally used. The communication distance of a data tag having a communication function is, for example, 20
It is also possible to limit the short distance to about cm. If a data tag having a short-distance communication function is used as the above-mentioned marking data tag, and the robot R has a communication function with the data tag, the robot R can communicate with the data tag in the vicinity of the data tag. Being able to do so makes it easier to find the marked seal SH.

Furthermore, the robot R can change the recorded information without changing the arrangement of the seal SH. Therefore, for example, if a room in which data tags are spread on the floor is prepared and the robot R is configured to perform marking by rewriting the data tags by short-range communication, the robot R does not need to attach the sticker SH. It is possible to realize the same function as when the seal SH is used, without making the room dirty.

(Embodiment 2) The above-described Embodiment 1 is
This is an example in which the robot R physically marks the outside world, but like the robot R of the present embodiment, the marking performed on the outside world can be handled as data that can be processed by an electronic computer. It may be a virtual one.

In the following, an example in which the robot R virtually marks on a computational memory will be described as the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the robot R and the apparatus arranged in the room for explaining the present embodiment.

In the figure, the robot R is different from the robot R in the first embodiment described above in the posture adjusting mechanism ME and the marking device S for performing marking using the seal SH.
The ultrasonic wave generator SS1 and the wireless communication device WLC1 are removed by removing T. Moreover, a CCD camera and an image processing device are not particularly required.

On the other hand, the ultrasonic receivers SSR1, SSR2, SS are provided at three corners in the room where the robot R autonomously moves.
In the remaining corner of R3, a computer HS is installed as a home server whose power is always turned on, and the detection results of the ultrasonic receivers SSR1, SSR2, SSR3 are totaled by the computer HS. A wireless communication device WLC2 for communicating with the robot R by communication data COM1 is connected to the computer HS.

The ultrasonic generator SS1 of the robot R emits ultrasonic waves at regular time intervals.
The position of S1 is sequentially obtained by triangulation by the computer HS based on the reception time of the signals received by the ultrasonic wave receiving devices SSR1, SSR2, SSR3 attached to the three corners of the room.

As described below, since the communication data COM1 exchanged between the robot R and the computer HS is not of large capacity, the wireless communication device WL of the robot R is used.
C1 does not have to be very fast.

Here, the conditions for the robot R to perform recording are the same as in the case of the above-described first embodiment, and the marking positions are the patterns MA1, MA2 in FIG.
MA3 is assumed, and marking patterns when this is virtually performed are MA'1, MA'2, and MA3 '.

Communication data C from the robot R to the computer HS
The information sent by the OM1 includes the execution position for marking and the marking patterns MA'1 and MA '.
2, MA3 'and the amount of rotation of the wheels, and conversely, the information sent from the HS to the robot R is a computer HS that can be seen from the position of the robot R in the room calculated by triangulation.
As the above data, marking patterns MA′1, MA′2, MA made by the virtually existing robot R are used.
3'position information.

Here, the information of the robot R that can be estimated by triangulation using the ultrasonic waves emitted from the antenna of the ultrasonic generator SS1 is only the position of the robot R, and the posture of the robot R can be specified. Since the angle data indicating the direction is not included, the posture of the robot R needs to be estimated from the operation history of the wheels TI of the robot R and the position of the robot R itself.

With the above-described structure, the robot R can be marked in the present embodiment as in the first embodiment.

Further, since the marking is performed on the storage area of the computer HS outside the robot R, there is an advantage that the operation of the robot R can be managed from a remote place by connecting the computer HS to the network.

Since the marking patterns MA'1, MA'2, MA3 'performed by the robot R can be handled as electronic data, the marking patterns MA1, MA2, M actually performed in the present embodiment.
The problem of the recognition ability of the image processing board BOb in A3 does not occur.

(Embodiment 3) In Embodiment 2 described above, since position estimation of the robot R is performed using triangulation by ultrasonic waves, there are uncertain parts in the estimation of the angular orientation of the robot R. there were. FIG. 7 shows the third embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the autonomous behavior robot of FIG. 1, in which the camera CA2, which is an example of a surrounding environment recognition unit, is attached to the ceiling, which is an example of the outside of the robot, so that It solves the estimation problem.

Here, from the autonomous mobile robot R,
The ultrasonic generator SS1 is removed and the camera CA2 is attached to the ceiling. The image of the camera CA2 is input to the computer HS, which is a home server, and is used to perform image processing and determine the position and orientation information of the robot R.

In this way, except that the position and orientation of the robot R is determined from the image of the camera CA2,
The action means, information output means, marking method, etc. of the robot R in the third embodiment are the same as those in the second embodiment.

Although the method of recording information of the robot R and its operation have been described by the above three embodiments, the marking accuracy can be further improved by combining the respective embodiments.

For example, when there is an uncertain part in the angle estimation of the robot of the second embodiment and the robot of the third embodiment moves under the desk, and when the robot is in the blind spot of the camera CA2, There is a problem that the position of R cannot be determined. By combining these embodiments, the posture of the robot R can be more reliably estimated.

Although the above three embodiments have been described by taking the wheel type robot R as an example, in general, the wheel type robot is used in a room where the floor surface is relatively tidy. There is an advantage that the image can be stably acquired because the movement efficiency is good and the shake of the posture is small.

The foot-type mobile robot, which is another typical form of the autonomous behavior robot of the present invention, does not have the advantages of the above-mentioned wheel-type robot, but is relatively complicated such as obstacles are scattered. The movable area in the environment is wide,
For example, there is an advantage that it is possible to move even in an environment where there are steps. Even in such a foot-type mobile robot, the information output means of the present invention can be provided.

Further, by adding a boundary line such as a step as a target of marking in the foot-type mobile robot,
It can be expected that the foot-type mobile robot can assist the robot to more surely recognize the step, and the autonomous action robot can move more stably.

Further, the effects obtained by the autonomous action robot according to the present embodiment described above are summarized as follows.
In the autonomous behavior robot of the above embodiment, in addition to the moving means, the sensor means, etc., a device for marking is attached, and the function of performing marking at a time superior to environmental recognition of the autonomous behavior robot by sensor input is added. There is. In addition, since a function to change the shape of the marking according to the environment recognition result is provided, the marking itself performed by the autonomous action robot is given information, and the autonomous action robot and person or the autonomous action robot and autonomous action robot are provided. It has a structure that can also be used to communicate information with.

As described above, by allowing the autonomous action robot to mark the information according to the environment recognition by the sensor input, the information useful when the autonomous action robot acts in a specific place in the room can be obtained. You will be able to record it in a specific place itself.

Further, by making it possible to change the shape of the marking in accordance with the result of environment recognition, the environment recognition information of the autonomous action robot can be more efficiently recorded in the autonomous action robot itself, other autonomous action robots, people, etc. Or you can communicate.

Furthermore, by making it possible to change the position and shape of the marking, the result of environmental recognition of the autonomous action robot can be changed by other autonomous action robots and persons, and the command means for the autonomous action robot can be changed. The function can be improved.

Here, the shape of the marking is obviously different as compared with the object, wall surface or floor surface existing in the room,
For example, by making it identifiable by a sensor means such as image processing installed in an autonomous behavior robot, it is possible to form a point of environment recognition that can be probabilistically identified in a complex environment such as daily living space. Robustness can be secured for the movement of the autonomous action robot itself.

If the data tag and the virtual space for calculation are used for marking, the internal information of the robot can be easily recorded in the external environment. The function as the interface of will be enhanced.

Further, as described above, since the marking does not limit the shape or type of the marking, if a rule regarding the shape or type is set in advance, for example,
Marking various information such as indicating the position of the charger and the position of obstacles allows the autonomous action robot to judge, so it can move autonomously under complicated conditions such as human daily life space. It is possible to give useful information to the autonomous behavior robot that performs.

Here, if the environment recognizing means of the autonomous action robot is composed of the image input device and the image processing device, the environment recognition of the autonomous action robot can be performed by various methods. Can make the autonomous behavior robot recognize the environment by an appropriate method.

Further, the moving system of the autonomous behavior robot of this embodiment may be a wheel type or a foot type, and when the wheel type moving system is used, stable image processing can be performed with less energy. There is an advantage to be obtained, and when the foot type moving method is used, the autonomous action robot can be moved on a complicated road surface.

In the autonomous behavior robot of the above-described embodiment, the marking is determined in advance as an instruction to indicate the presence of an irregular road surface such as a step,
Since the autonomous behavior robot can reliably recognize the road surface condition, it can move stably.

Further, as described above, if the information recording of the autonomous action robot can be performed by a physical mark, the information can be recorded in the environment even if there is no computer such as a server outside the robot. Therefore, the configuration of the robot system of the autonomous action robot can be simplified.

Further, as described above, the marking method of the autonomous mobile robot is the sticking of the sticker to the environment, so that the marking device of the autonomous action robot can be easily constructed and the peripheral pattern is changed. By doing so, the marking can have various meanings.

Further, since the autonomous action robot itself can attach the sticker, the sticker can be placed at a position where the robot can easily recognize it, and the autonomous action robot having the above-mentioned image processing device can identify the marking. Easy to do. Further, by making the sticker having a weak adhesive force, the autonomous action robot can perform marking without polluting the human living environment.

Here, as described above, if a data tag capable of recording data such as identification information inside the robot is used as a sticker for marking by the autonomous action robot, the autonomous action robot will use the identification information of the data tag. By changing it, marking can be performed without performing a complicated operation.

Furthermore, if a data tag capable of non-contact communication is used as a data tag capable of recording data, the autonomous behavior robot can easily retrieve the position of the mark by communicating with the tag and change the data content near the mark. Because of this, the work at the time of marking becomes easy.

The marking target may be a virtual one in the data on the computer outside the robot. By taking such a marking method, the robot can perform marking without polluting the human living environment, and by connecting the computer to the network and referencing the data from the outside, The behavior of the robot can be monitored from the ground. In addition, it becomes easy for a person to confirm or change the marking.

Further, if a data tag which is arranged at a specific point and capable of updating data in a non-contact manner is used for marking, the robot must have an information transmission medium as a physical marking means. Moreover, since the number of markings can be kept constant, the environment is not polluted.

The marking method of the autonomous action robot according to the present embodiment can also be used for exchanging information between the autonomous action robots, and a plurality of autonomous cleaning robots according to the present embodiment as described above. If the configuration is applied, a plurality of autonomous action robots can identify each other's work areas by marks, so that work can be performed efficiently even if there is no centralized management device such as a server. it can.

For example, when the shape of the autonomous action robot is imitated by an animal such as a dog, the marking performed by the autonomous action robot gives an impression as if it were marking of an animal such as a dog. The behavior of the pet can be associated with the mechanical behavior of the autonomous behavior robot. Through such an action of the autonomous action robot, it is possible to give the user a sense of familiarity and a sense of security with respect to the autonomous action robot.

It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed above are illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is not the above description,
It is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims, as indicated by the claims.

[0101]

According to the autonomous action robot of the present invention, it is possible for another person to recognize the information regarding the behavior mode of the autonomous action robot itself, even if the autonomous action robot itself does not exist.

According to the autonomous action robot system of the present invention, it is possible to improve the efficiency of collaborative work by using a plurality of autonomous action robots to act in a coordinated manner.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an autonomous mobile robot according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the details of the marking device in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an information recording method of the autonomous mobile robot according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an information recording pattern of the autonomous mobile robot according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of an information recording result of the autonomous mobile robot according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an information recording method of the autonomous mobile robot according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an information recording method of an autonomous mobile robot according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

R robot, SU road surface, SU1f floor surface, SU1w
Wall, SH seal, MA mark pattern, MA
P mark pattern, CA1-L, CA1-R robot camera, BA battery, BOa image processing control board, BOb robot control board, TI robot wheel, ST marking device, ME marking device attitude adjustment mechanism, STr marking device Roller, STt
Marking device tape, RO1 roller rotation direction,
AR arrow, SS1 ultrasonic generator, WLC1, WL
C2 wireless communication device, SSR1, SSR2, SSR3
Ultrasonic receiver, COM1, COM2 communication data, H
S Computer, CA2 ceiling mounted camera, PS
1, PS2 Robot battery charger.

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 3B057 DA00                 3C007 CS08 HS09 JS02 JS07 KS10                       KT02 LV00 LV02 WA12 WA16                       WC00 WC06                 5H301 AA02 BB14 CC03 CC06 CC08                       DD02 EE13 FF05 FF08 FF10                       FF11 FF21 GG09 GG10 GG12                       GG16 GG24 QQ04

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An autonomous action robot capable of autonomously acting without being operated by a person, the action means for performing autonomous action, and information on a mode of action executed by the action means. An autonomous action robot comprising: an information output unit capable of outputting to the outside so as to be recorded in a manner that can be recognized by a person outside. 2. A surrounding environment recognizing means for recognizing a state of the surrounding environment, wherein the surrounding environment information obtained by using the environment recognizing means is analyzed, and the behavior mode is based on a result of the analysis. An autonomous action robot that determines 3. The autonomous action robot according to claim 2, wherein the information regarding the behavior mode is information including the surrounding environment information. 4. The autonomous action robot according to claim 1, wherein the surrounding environment recognition means includes an image recognition device for recognizing a state of the surrounding environment as an image. 5. The autonomous action robot according to claim 1, wherein the information regarding the behavior mode includes information indicating a route to a charging device for the autonomous action robot. 6. The wheel-type action mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the action means is a wheel-type action mechanism capable of acting by a frictional force between the wheel and a ground contact surface on which the wheel is grounded by rotation of the wheel. The autonomous behavior robot described in Crab. 7. The autonomous action robot according to claim 1, wherein the action means is a leg type action mechanism that acts by walking motion of a plurality of legs. 8. The information output means uses a method of marking the external environment itself using a physical information transmission medium as a method of storing the information in a manner that can be recognized by a person in the outside. 7. The autonomous action robot according to any one of 1. 9. The autonomous action robot according to claim 8, wherein the information output means uses a method of attaching a sticker to the external environment as a method of marking the external environment itself using the physical information transmission medium. . 10. The method for marking the external environment itself by using the physical information transmission medium, wherein the information output means is a method of sticking a seal containing a data tag capable of recording information to the external environment. Use, Claim 8
Alternatively, the autonomous behavior robot according to Item 9. 11. The autonomous action robot according to claim 10, wherein the data tag is a data tag capable of non-contact communication. 12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the information output means uses a method of recording on a computer-readable recording medium as a method of storing the information in a manner that can be recognized by a person in the outside. Autonomous behavior robot. 13. The autonomous-behavior robot according to claim 12, wherein the information output unit is provided in an external environment and causes a data tag, which can communicate in a contactless manner, to record information about the behavior mode. 14. The autonomous action robot according to claim 1, wherein the information output means is capable of transmitting internal information of itself to another autonomous action robot. 15. A behavior mode control means for controlling the mode of the behavior is provided, and the behavior mode control means can control to perform a behavior in cooperation with the other autonomous behavior robot. The autonomous action robot according to any one of 1 to 14. 16. An autonomous action robot system using a plurality of autonomous action robots according to claim 1, and causing the plurality of autonomous action robots to collaborate.