JP2006277121A - Moving route creation device, mobile robot, moving route creation method and moving route creation program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a moving route creation device capable of suitably creating a moving route in each moving region. <P>SOLUTION: This moving route creation device for creating a moving route used when a mobile robot moves in a predetermined region comprises a floor plan information holding means 104 for holding floor plan information indicating the floor plan of a predetermined region, a feature information extraction means 108 for extracting the feature information as image information indicating the feature regarding the moving route from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding means 104, a movement propriety estimation means 110 for estimating whether or not the mobile robot can move at locations corresponding to the feature information based on the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction means 108, and a moving route creation means 124 for creating the moving route based on the movement propriety of the mobile robot of which the movement propriety estimation means 110 estimated for the locations corresponding to the feature information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile robot, a travel route creation device, a travel route creation method, and a travel route creation program for creating a travel route used when the mobile robot moves within a predetermined area.

  In recent years, a wide variety of robots such as robots that live instead of pets at home have been researched and marketed. Furthermore, a robot that can automatically generate a movement route for reaching a destination is also known.

  Such robots have a known route in advance or hold a map within a range to be moved. Based on this, it is possible to move to the destination. However, even if a map is held in advance, if an obstacle or the like is newly installed, the map cannot be moved properly because it is arranged differently from the map held in advance. A problem occurs.

  As a method for solving this problem, a robot that detects an obstacle is known (see, for example, “Patent Document 1”). In this case, the robot newly creates a route to the destination based on the detected obstacle and the self-position at the time of detection.

  Even in this case, as a premise, the robot holds a map. A route is created based on the map. Methods for creating a map can be broadly divided into a manual input method and a method for creating an environmental map from images.

JP 2004-42148 A

  The manual input method has an advantage that an accurate route map can be created. However, in reality, a robot used at home such as an answering machine or home security requires a map for each house. However, if the user who purchased the robot creates a map, it takes time. It is also conceivable that a robot sales maker acts as a proxy for creating maps. However, in this case, there is a problem that the production cost is high. Such an increase in production cost becomes a factor that hinders the spread of robots to the home.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a movement path creation device capable of creating an appropriate movement path in each movement area.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a movement path creation device that creates a movement path to be used when a mobile robot moves in a predetermined area. Floor plan information holding means for holding floor plan information indicating a floor plan, feature information extracting means for extracting feature information, which is image information indicating characteristics relating to a movement route, from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding means, and the features Based on the feature information extracted by the information extraction unit, a movement availability estimation unit that estimates whether the mobile robot can move at a position corresponding to the feature information, and the movement availability estimation unit corresponds to the feature information. And a moving route creating means for creating a moving route based on whether or not the mobile robot has been estimated for the position to be moved.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile robot that moves within a predetermined area, the floor plan information holding unit that holds floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area, and the floor plan information holding unit that holds the floor plan information. Based on the feature information extracted from the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction means, feature information extraction means for extracting feature information that is image information indicating characteristics relating to a moving route from the floor plan information, a position corresponding to the feature information is obtained. A movement availability estimation unit that estimates whether or not the mobile robot can move, and a movement that creates a movement path based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated by the movement availability estimation unit for a position corresponding to the feature information Route creation means and movement means for moving the mobile robot along the movement route created by the movement route creation means And it features.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movement path creation method for creating a movement path used when a mobile robot moves in a predetermined area, and the floor plan information indicating the floor area of the predetermined area is retained. Based on the feature information extracted in the feature information extraction step, the feature information extraction step that extracts the feature information that is image information indicating the feature related to the movement route from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding unit Based on the movement possibility estimation step for estimating whether or not the mobile robot can move the position corresponding to the feature information, and the movement possibility of the mobile robot estimated for the position corresponding to the feature information in the movement possibility estimation step And a travel route creation step for creating a travel route.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a travel route creation program for causing a computer to execute a travel route creation process for creating a travel route to be used when a mobile robot moves within a predetermined area. A feature information extraction step for extracting feature information, which is image information indicating a feature relating to a movement route, from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding unit that holds floor plan information indicating a floor plan of the region, and extracted in the feature information extraction step Based on the feature information, the movement possibility estimation step for estimating whether the mobile robot can move the position corresponding to the feature information, and the position corresponding to the feature information in the movement possibility estimation step are estimated. A moving route creating step for creating a moving route based on whether or not the mobile robot can move; Characterized in that it.

  In the movement path creation device according to the present invention, the floor plan information holding unit holds floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area, and the feature information extraction unit uses the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding unit to feature the movement path. The feature information that is image information indicating the feature information is extracted, and based on the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit, the movement availability estimation unit estimates whether or not the mobile robot can move the position corresponding to the feature information. The movement path creation means creates the movement path based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated by the movement availability estimation means for the position corresponding to the feature information. There is an effect that it is possible to create a movement route that passes through. In addition, since the movement route is automatically created based on the floor plan information, an appropriate movement route can be created without increasing the processing burden on the user.

  In the mobile robot according to another aspect of the present invention, the floor plan information holding unit holds the floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area, and the feature information extracting unit determines the movement route from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding unit. Whether or not the mobile robot can move a position corresponding to the feature information based on the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit. The movement path creation means creates a movement path based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated by the movement availability estimation means for the position corresponding to the feature information, and the movement means creates the movement robot as the movement path creation means. Move along the movement path created by, so exclude the area where the mobile robot can not move, along the movement path passing through the movable area An effect that it is possible to move the moving robot. In addition, since the movement route is automatically created based on the floor plan information, an appropriate movement route can be created without increasing the processing burden on the user.

  The moving route creation method according to another aspect of the present invention is an image showing characteristics relating to a moving route from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding means for holding floor plan information indicating the floor plan of a predetermined area in the feature information extraction step. Feature information that is information is extracted, and in the movement possibility estimation step, based on the feature information extracted in the feature information extraction step, it is estimated whether or not the mobile robot can move at a position corresponding to the feature information, and a movement route In the creation step, a movement route is created based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated for the position corresponding to the feature information in the movement availability estimation step, so that the area where the mobile robot cannot move is excluded and passes through the area where it can move There is an effect that a movement route can be created. In addition, since the movement route is automatically created based on the floor plan information, an appropriate movement route can be created without increasing the processing burden on the user.

  The moving route creation program according to another aspect of the present invention is an image showing characteristics relating to a moving route from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding means for holding the floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area in the feature information extraction step. Feature information that is information is extracted, and in the movement possibility estimation step, based on the feature information extracted in the feature information extraction step, it is estimated whether or not the mobile robot can move at a position corresponding to the feature information, and a movement route In the creation step, a movement route is created based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated for the position corresponding to the feature information in the movement availability estimation step, so that the area where the mobile robot cannot move is excluded and passes through the area where it can move There is an effect that a movement route can be created. In addition, since the movement route is automatically created based on the floor plan information, an appropriate movement route can be created without increasing the processing burden on the user.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a travel route creation device, a mobile robot, a travel route creation method, and a travel route creation program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of the mobile robot 10 according to the first embodiment.

  The mobile robot 10 includes a floor plan information acquisition unit 102, a floor plan information database (DB) 104, a feature information DB 106, a feature information extraction unit 108, a movement availability estimation unit 110, a movement availability estimation result DB 118, and a visible graph creation. Unit 114, visible graph DB 116, movement route creation instruction receiving unit 120, movement route creation unit 124, movement route DB 126, and movement route display unit 128.

  The floor plan information acquisition unit 102 acquires floor plan information, which is image information indicating an existing floor plan, from the outside. The floor plan is created by, for example, a real estate company. The floor plan information acquisition unit 102 acquires image information of a floor plan read by an image reading device such as a scanner.

  The floor plan information DB 104 holds the floor plan information acquired by the floor plan information acquisition unit 102. The feature information extraction unit 108 extracts feature information from the floor plan information held in the floor plan information DB 104.

  Here, the feature information is image information included in the floor plan information, and is information related to the movement route of the mobile robot 10. Specifically, it is information for determining whether or not the position is movable. For example, there is image information indicating a doorway or a wall.

  Further, for example, there is image information indicating characters such as “Western-style room”. About the image information which shows a character, after extracting as an image, character information is obtained by character recognition. The feature information extraction unit 108 extracts feature information held in the feature information DB 106.

  The feature information DB 106 holds the feature information that the feature information extraction unit 108 should extract from the floor plan information and the movement availability information in association with each other. Here, the movement availability information is information indicating a possibility that the mobile robot 10 can move. That is, it is information indicating the possibility that the mobile robot 10 can be included in the movement path. For example, the mobile robot 10 cannot pass through a wall. Accordingly, the feature information indicating the wall is associated with the movement availability information indicating that the wall cannot be moved.

  The movement possibility estimation unit 110 estimates whether or not the position corresponding to the feature information is movable based on the movement movement possibility information associated with the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit 108 in the feature information DB 106. .

  The movement possibility estimation result DB 118 holds the estimation result by the movement possibility estimation part 110 so that the position corresponding to each feature information extracted from the floor plan information by the feature information extraction part 108 can be recognized. Specifically, the estimation result is held in association with each position of the floor plan information.

  The visible graph creation unit 114 creates a visible graph from the floor plan information. Here, the visible graph is a set of line segments that constitute a path along which the mobile robot 10 can move. The mobile robot 10 according to the present embodiment creates a movement route by connecting these line segments. The visible graph DB 116 holds the visible graph created by the visible graph creation unit 114.

  The travel route creation instruction accepting unit 120 accepts a travel route creation instruction from the user to a predetermined destination. When the movement route creation unit 124 receives the movement route creation instruction from the movement route creation instruction reception unit 120, the movement route creation unit 124 creates a movement route using the visible graph held in the visible graph DB 116. The travel route DB 126 holds the travel route determined by the travel route creation unit 124.

  The movement route display unit 128 displays the movement route determined by the movement route creation unit 124. Specifically, the mobile robot 10 includes a display unit (described later) such as a liquid crystal monitor, and the movement path display unit 128 displays the movement path on the display unit.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed functional configuration of the movement possibility estimation unit 110. The movement possibility estimation unit 110 includes a level difference estimation unit 111 and an entrance / exit estimation unit 112.

  The level difference estimation unit 111 estimates the presence or absence of a level difference based on the movement availability information held in the feature information DB 106. The entrance / exit estimation unit 112 estimates whether it is an entrance / exit based on the mobility information held in the feature information DB 106.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the floor plan information held in the floor plan information DB 104. The floor plan information DB 104 holds the floor plan as image data or CAD data created by a floor plan creation CAD (Computer Aided Design) system or the like. The floor plan information DB 104 of this embodiment holds image data whose data format does not depend on the type of CAD system.

  4 and 5 are diagrams schematically showing the data structure of the feature information DB 106. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the feature information DB 106 holds feature symbols and feature information in association with each other. Here, the feature symbol is image information that can be included in the floor plan information. For example, a characteristic symbol indicating a single door is held. The feature information is information indicating the configuration indicated by the corresponding feature symbol. For example, information indicating that the door is a single door is stored in association with the characteristic symbol of the single door.

  As described above, the feature information DB 106 holds the feature symbol and the feature information in association with each other. Therefore, when the feature information extraction unit 108 extracts the feature symbol, the feature information indicated by the extracted feature symbol is specified. be able to.

  The floor plan information may include image information indicating characters such as “Western-style room”. The feature information DB 106 holds character information corresponding to image information indicating these characters as feature information.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the feature information DB 106 further holds the feature information and the movement availability information in association with each other. The movement availability information includes a boundary attribute, a step candidate attribute, and an entrance / exit candidate attribute.

  The boundary attribute indicates whether the structure indicated by the corresponding feature information becomes a boundary, that is, whether the mobile robot 10 can pass. The boundary attribute “self_open” indicates that the corresponding structure opens the area, that is, connects the areas. That is, it can be opened and closed instead of the boundary, and can pass. For example, the door is opened and closed by itself, and is associated with “self_open”.

  The boundary attribute “self_close” indicates that the corresponding structure itself partitions the area. That is, the structure corresponding to “self_close” is itself a boundary and cannot pass through. For example, a structure such as a wall or a column is associated with “self_close”. The boundary attribute “open” indicates that it can always pass. For example, a room space such as a Western-style room is associated with “open”.

  Further, as the step candidate attribute, “1” is assigned to feature information that is likely to be a step, and “0” is assigned to feature information that is not likely to be a step.

  The positions corresponding to “self_open” and “self_close” have a function of partitioning the open space. Therefore, there is a high possibility that there is a step, for example, pulling in the sliding door. Therefore, “1” is assigned as the step candidate attribute. On the other hand, the position corresponding to “open” is the open space itself. Therefore, “0” is assigned as the step candidate attribute. However, although the boundary attribute “open” is assigned to the position corresponding to the feature information such as the entrance and the refrigerator, there is a high possibility that there is a step. Therefore, “1” is assigned as the step candidate attribute.

  As the entrance / exit candidate attribute, “1” is assigned to feature information that is likely to be an entrance / exit, and “0” is assigned to feature information that is not likely to be an entrance / exit candidate.

  The position corresponding to “self_open” is likely to be an entrance / exit. Therefore, “1” is assigned as the entrance / exit candidate attribute. Since the position corresponding to “self_close” is a boundary position, the possibility of being an entrance / exit is low. Therefore, “0” is assigned as the entrance / exit candidate attribute. Furthermore, since the position corresponding to “open” is an open space, the possibility of being an entrance / exit is low. Therefore, “0” is assigned as the entrance / exit candidate attribute.

  In the present embodiment, the feature information DB 106 has a correspondence table associating the feature symbols and feature information shown in FIG. 4 with a correspondence table associating the feature information and moveability information shown in FIG. However, instead of this, the correspondence table shown in FIG. 4 and the correspondence table shown in FIG. 5 may be provided as one correspondence table.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing when the mobile robot 10 according to the present embodiment creates a movement route. First, the floor plan information acquisition unit 102 acquires floor plan information from the outside (step S100). The floor plan information is held in the floor plan information DB 104. The feature information extraction unit 108 refers to the information held in the movement possibility estimation unit 110 and extracts feature information from the floor plan information held in the floor plan information DB 104 (step S102).

  Next, the movement possibility estimation unit 110 refers to the feature information DB 106 and estimates the movement possibility of the position corresponding to the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit 108 (step S104). Then, the movement possibility estimation result DB 118 holds the movement possibility estimation result as movement possibility information. Next, the visible graph creating unit 114 creates a visible graph by referring to the information held in the movement possibility estimation result DB 118 (step S106).

  Furthermore, the movement route creation unit 124 creates a movement route to a predetermined destination (step S110). The created travel route is held in the travel route DB 126 (step S112). Furthermore, the movement route display unit 128 displays the created movement route on a display unit (not shown) (step S114). This completes the travel route creation process.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in the feature information extraction processing (step S102) described in FIG. First, the feature information extraction unit 108 extracts image information indicating the same symbol as the feature symbol held in the feature information DB 106 from the floor plan information (step S120). More specifically, image information indicating the same symbol as the feature symbol held in the feature information DB 106 is extracted by image matching. Since the floor plan information shown in FIG. 3 includes, for example, a characteristic symbol indicating a single door, this characteristic symbol is extracted in step S120. The accuracy in matching is arbitrary.

  Next, the feature information extraction unit 108 extracts a character region in which characters are drawn from the floor plan information (step S122). In the floor plan information illustrated in FIG. 3, for example, a character “Western-style room” is drawn. Therefore, an area including the character “Western-style room” is extracted as a character area.

  Next, the feature information extraction unit 108 performs character recognition on the extracted character region (step S124). Thereby, for example, character information “Western-style room” is obtained. Next, the feature information extraction unit 108 specifies the feature information at each position included in the floor plan information based on the obtained feature symbol and character information (step S126).

  Specifically, for example, when a feature symbol of a pillar is extracted, the feature information of the position is specified as “pillar”. Furthermore, when the character information “Western-style room” is obtained and the feature symbols of the pillars and walls are obtained from the surroundings of the character information, the feature information of the area surrounded by these pillars and walls is referred to as “Western-style room”. Identify.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the result of the process of step S126. For example, the boundary attribute of a living room, a kitchen, a Western-style room, and a Japanese-style room is “open”. In FIG. 8, the “open” area is indicated by a dotted line. A single door or a sliding door has a boundary attribute “self_open”. In FIG. 8, the “self_open” area is indicated by a dotted line. The boundary attribute of walls, partitions, etc. is “self_close”. In FIG. 8, the “self_close” area is indicated by a solid line.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in the movement possibility estimation processing (step S104) described in FIG. First, the movement possibility estimation unit 110 specifies a floor plan outline from the floor plan information (step S130). Next, the movement possibility estimation part 110 estimates the level | step difference in floor plan information (step S132). Similarly, the movement possibility estimation unit 110 estimates an entrance / exit in the floor plan information (step S134), and further estimates a furniture installation position (step S136). The movement propriety estimation process is thus completed.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in the floor plan outline specifying process (step S130) described in FIG. First, the line segment of the “open” area that is in contact with the “self_close” area, that is, the common part of both is extracted from the floor plan information (step S140). Next, the extracted common part is changed to a solid line (step S142). Further, the “self_close” area drawn on the outermost side is deleted from the floor plan information (step S144).

  FIG. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating the floor plan information after the process of step S144 is performed. In FIG. 11, the “self_close” area from which the inside has been deleted is shown in black. Thus, the movement path of the robot can be clarified by specifying the contour line. A “self_open” area such as a sliding door or a single door is indicated by a dotted line.

  The description returns to FIG. 10 again. Subsequent to the processing of step S144, a common part between the “open_” area and the “self_open” area other than the “self_open” area, which is not in contact with the entrance and is arranged between the “open” area and the “open” area, Extract (step S146).

  Next, the common part extracted in step S146 is changed to a solid line (step S148). Further, the “self_open” area other than the “self_open” area that is not in contact with the entrance and is arranged between the “open” area and the “open” area is deleted (step S150). The contour specifying process is thus completed.

  The mobile robot 10 according to the present embodiment cannot move outside the balcony or entrance. As described above, when there is a region where the mobile robot 10 cannot move, the boundary with this region needs to be an outline. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the boundary between the area that cannot be moved and the area that can be moved is specified as an outline by the processing from step S146 to step S150.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram schematically showing the processing result of step S150. The sliding door to the balcony indicated by the dotted line in the process of step S144 has been deleted by the processes from step S146 to step S150. In addition, the single door of the entrance which becomes the boundary between the entrance and the outside has been deleted.

  In this way, a more appropriate movement path can be created by deleting an area where the mobile robot 10 cannot move. Further, by excluding unnecessary areas, the processing burden can be reduced.

  As another example, if there is no area such as a balcony that cannot be used as the moving path of the mobile robot 10, the processes after step S146 need not be performed.

  Next, the step estimation process (step S132) will be described in detail. In the step estimation process (step S132), the step estimation unit 111 estimates a step candidate based on the movement possibility estimation result held in the movement possibility estimation result DB 118. Specifically, an area to which the step candidate attribute “1” is assigned in the floor plan information is estimated as a step candidate. In the floor plan information shown in FIG. 12, five single doors, one sliding door, one entrance, one refrigerator and one washing machine are estimated as step candidates.

  Further, in the entrance / exit estimation process (step S134), the entrance / exit estimation unit 112 estimates an area to which the entrance / exit candidate attribute “1” is assigned in the floor plan information held in the movement possibility estimation result DB 118 as an entrance / exit candidate. In the floor plan information shown in FIG. 12, one sliding door and five single doors are estimated as doorway candidates. In many cases, the entrance / exit candidate is an area overlapping with the step candidate.

  Next, the visible graph creation process (step S106) will be described in detail. 13 and 14 are diagrams for explaining the visible graph creation processing.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an area in which the mobile robot 10 moves. A user plots a contour line to obtain a contour line and a node. Further, of the line segments connecting the nodes, those not intersecting with the contour line are extracted as a visible graph.

  The visible graph thus obtained is shown in FIG. The shortest one corresponding to the destination point is selected from the starting point on the moving route. Thereby, a movement route is created. Details of the method using the visible graph are described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-172632.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in the visible graph creation processing (step S106). First, the visible point is a node, and a line segment connecting the nodes is drawn (step S160). Next, a line segment that intersects the outline is deleted from the drawn line segments (step S162). That is, a visible graph is obtained.

  Further, a line segment intersecting with the region of the step candidate attribute “1” and a line segment intersecting with the region of the entrance / exit candidate attribute “1” are extracted (step S164). Then, information indicating that the position is a line segment intersecting with the region of the step candidate attribute “1” or the like is associated with this position (step S166). The visible graph obtained as described above is held in the movement route DB 126 (step S168).

  In this way, by associating the information indicating that the line intersects with the area of the step candidate attribute “1” or the like, the area that may be a step and the area that may be an entrance / exit are recognized. Can be possible. That is, it is possible to recognize information indicating whether or not a predetermined line segment is movable.

  For example, there is a possibility that the step cannot be moved because the mobile robot 10 cannot get over the step. The doorway may be closed. In this case, if the mobile robot cannot open the door, it cannot move. Therefore, when the door is closed, there is a possibility that it cannot move. Such a region can be recognized.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram schematically showing a visible graph created by the visible graph creation process. In FIG. 16, the visible graph is indicated by a solid line. Further, in the visible graph, a route that intersects the region of the step candidate attribute “1” and the region of the doorway candidate attribute “1” is indicated by a dotted line.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in the movement route creation processing (step S110). The movement route creation unit 124 extracts a visible graph including the starting point and the target point from the visible graph DB 116 (step S180). The visible graphs extracted at this stage are not guaranteed to be connected to each other. Therefore, in order to connect the starting point and the target point, a visible graph that shares end points with the visible graph extracted in step S180 is further extracted (step S182). Next, the shortest path connecting the starting point and the target point is selected from the visible graph extracted in step S180 and the visible graph extracted in step S182 (step S184).

  FIG. 18 is a diagram schematically showing the shortest path selected by the processing from step S180 to step S184. The route shown in FIG. 18 is the shortest route when the reference point 30 defined at the southwest end of the living room is the starting point and the refrigerator 31 is the target point.

  The description returns to FIG. 17 again. The shortest path obtained in step S184 is created by connecting line segments connecting nodes. Therefore, it may be difficult for the mobile robot 10 to move smoothly, such as when the connection point between line segments is an acute angle. Therefore, next, the shortest route is smoothed, and the route is shaped into a route that the mobile robot 10 can easily move (step S186).

  FIG. 19 is a diagram schematically illustrating the movement path after shaping. Thus, the mobile robot 10 can move without difficulty by changing the movement path so that the angle of the curve becomes a more obtuse angle.

  As described above, the mobile robot 10 according to the present embodiment can automatically create a movement route to a predetermined destination based on the floor plan information.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the mobile robot 10 according to the first embodiment. The mobile robot 10 has, as a hardware configuration, a ROM 52 that stores a travel route creation program for executing a travel route creation process of the mobile robot 10, a CPU 51 that controls each part of the mobile robot 10 according to the program in the ROM 52, A RAM 53 that stores various data necessary for controlling the mobile robot 10, a communication I / F 57 that communicates by connecting to a network, and a bus 62 that connects each unit are provided.

  The moving path creation program in the mobile robot 10 described above is an installable or executable format file on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, floppy (R) disk (FD), or DVD. It may be recorded and provided.

  In this case, the movement path creation program is loaded onto the main storage device by being read from the recording medium and executed by the mobile robot 10 so that each unit described in the software configuration is generated on the main storage device. It has become.

  Further, the travel route creation program of the present embodiment may be configured to be provided by being held on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and downloaded via the network.

  Furthermore, the mobile robot 10 includes a moving wheel, a wheel driving mechanism, a display unit, a speaker, a microphone, a controller for controlling these hardware, and the like as a hardware configuration.

  As described above, the present invention has been described using the embodiment, but various changes or improvements can be added to the above embodiment.

  As such a first modified example, in the mobile robot 10 according to the present embodiment, a movement route including the region of the step candidate attribute “1” and the region of the entrance / exit candidate attribute “1” is created. Thus, a movement route that does not include the region of the step candidate attribute “1” may be created. For example, if there is a step and the mobile robot 10 cannot move, by excluding an area that is highly likely to have a step from the movement route in advance, a movement path that can move more reliably is obtained. Can be created. In this case, in step S164 described with reference to FIG. 15 in the first embodiment, a line segment that intersects the step is extracted, and a line segment that intersects the extracted step is deleted.

  In the mobile robot 10 according to the present embodiment, the created movement route is displayed on the display unit, but instead, the movement route may be read out by the voice synthesis mechanism. Thus, what is necessary is just to output in the form which a user can recognize a movement path | route, and the method is not limited to this Embodiment.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment. In addition to the functional configuration of the mobile robot 10 according to the first embodiment, the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment includes a movement path change instruction receiving unit 130, a change unit 132, a drive control unit 140, and a voice output instruction. And a portion 142. In addition to the process of the mobile robot 10 according to the first embodiment, the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment performs a process of changing the created travel route.

  The drive control unit 140 controls a drive mechanism (not shown) to move the mobile robot 10 according to the movement route created by the movement route creation unit 124. The audio output instructing unit 142 instructs the audio output mechanism such as a speaker to output audio in accordance with an instruction from the drive control unit 140.

  The movement route change instruction receiving unit 130 receives a movement route change instruction from the user. Specifically, in a dialogue between the user and the mobile robot 10, a movement path change instruction is accepted as an answer to the question of the mobile robot 10. When the movement route change instruction receiving unit 130 receives the movement route change instruction, the changing unit 132 changes the content of the movement route estimation result held in the movement possibility estimation result DB 118.

  FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a movement process when the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment actually moves. When the movement path is created, the drive control unit 140 instructs the drive mechanism to start moving (step S200). While moving along the created movement path, the drive control unit 140 detects whether or not a region that is a step candidate has been reached (step S202). Specifically, it is detected whether or not the region having the step candidate attribute “1” has been reached.

  When it is detected that the region has reached the step candidate area (Yes in step S202), the drive control unit 140 asks the audio output instruction unit 142 whether or not the step is a step that can be overcome. Instruct. The voice output instructing unit 142 outputs a voice such as “It seems that there is a step, but can I get over?” (Step S210). If the mobile robot 10 cannot get over even a small step, it may output a question "There seems to be a step. I can't get over the step. Is it really a step?"

  When the movement path change instruction accepting unit 130 obtains an answer that the user can get over (Yes in step S212), the changing unit 132, based on the answer obtained by the movement route change instruction accepting unit 130, the movement possibility estimation result DB 118. Change the information held in. Specifically, first, the step candidate attribute “1” of the target region is changed to “0”, and the boundary attribute is set to “open” (step S214).

  By obtaining an answer indicating that the vehicle can be overcome, it is determined that the target area is either not a step or a step that can be overcome. Therefore, the step attribute “0” indicating that it is not a step is changed. Since the mobile robot 10 is a movable area, the boundary attribute is changed to “open”.

  Next, the visible graph creating unit 114 regenerates the visible graph using the changed information (step S216). Next, the travel route creation unit 124 creates the travel route from the current position to the destination again using the regenerated visible graph (step S218). Then, returning to step S200, the drive control unit 140 again instructs the start of movement of the newly created movement route.

  As described above, the contents of the movement possibility estimation result DB 118 are changed based on the answer from the user, and the visible graph is regenerated based on the changed contents. It can be determined that the step region that is found to be movable is movable. Therefore, when this step area is reached next time, the step area is movable, and therefore, a process for asking the user whether or not it is a step is not performed.

  In addition, in step S212, when the movement route change instruction accepting unit 130 obtains an answer indicating that it cannot be overcome (No in step S212), the changing unit 132 is stored in the movement possibility estimation result DB 118. The boundary attribute of the region to be changed to “close” (step S220).

  When an answer indicating that it cannot be overcome is obtained, it is found that the target area is a step and cannot be overcome. Therefore, the boundary attribute is changed to “close” since the mobile robot 10 is an area where the mobile robot 10 cannot move.

  Next, the visible graph creating unit 114 regenerates the visible graph using the information in the movement possibility estimation result DB 118 after being changed (step S222). Further, the drive control unit 140 outputs a sound to the sound output instructing unit 142 that it cannot move (step S224), and instructs the drive mechanism to stop moving (step S226). The audio output includes, for example, “I cannot proceed any further because there is a step” or “I'm sorry, I can't get over this step”.

  As described above, when an answer indicating that the level difference cannot be overcome is obtained, the visible graph is regenerated, so that the level difference is determined to be an unmovable area from the next time. Therefore, it is possible to create a movement route that passes through a position other than this region.

  If it is not detected that the region has reached the step candidate (step S202, No), the drive control unit 140 further detects whether or not the region has become the doorway candidate (step S230). Specifically, it is detected whether or not an area having the entrance / exit candidate attribute “1” has been reached.

  When it is detected that an area that is an entrance / exit candidate has been reached (step S230, Yes), the drive control unit 140 asks the audio output instructing unit 142 whether the door is open or not. Direct output. The voice output instruction unit 142 outputs, for example, a voice such as “Do you have a door but are you open?”, “Do you open the door?” Or “Do you have a door but open it when it is closed?” (Step S232).

  When the movement path change instruction receiving unit 130 obtains an answer from the user that the door is open (step S234, Yes), a voice indicating that the door is open is output, thereby outputting a confirmation voice to the user. To confirm that the door is open. Then, the movement route is continuously moved (step S236). When the destination is reached (step S240, Yes), the movement process is completed.

  On the other hand, in step S234, when the movement route change instruction accepting unit 130 obtains an answer that the door is not open (step S234, No), the user is notified that the movement is impossible (step S250). Then, the drive mechanism is instructed to stop moving (step S252). Thus, the moving process of the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment is completed.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining the movement process more specifically. FIG. 23 shows a movement route that is created when the mobile robot 10 is instructed to pick up a householder from the entrance. The moving route shown in FIG. 23 has a reference point 30 as a starting point and an entrance 32 as a destination point. In this movement route, the single door 20 is reached when exiting from the living / dining room to the hallway. This single door has a step candidate attribute “1” and an entrance candidate attribute “1”. Therefore, when the mobile robot 10 reaches the single door 20, the processes after Step S <b> 210 are performed. Thereby, it can be confirmed whether or not there is a step in the single door 20.

  Furthermore, the single door 20 has an entrance / exit candidate attribute “1”. Therefore, after the processing after step S210 is performed, the processing after step S232 is also performed. Thereby, it can be confirmed whether the doorway is open. Thereby, the robot can confirm whether it can pass through the single door 20 or not.

  Furthermore, the entrance 32 has a step candidate attribute “1”. Therefore, the process after step S310 is performed when the mobile robot 10 reaches the entrance 32.

  As described above, in the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to confirm whether or not the step candidate and the entrance candidate are movable while interacting with the robot. The missing information can be compensated as appropriate.

  In addition, since the confirmation of the step candidates and the like is only performed when the mobile robot 10 moves the area for the first time, useless conversations are not increased and the processing burden on the user can be reduced.

  Moreover, the case where the mobile robot 10 cannot detect an own position appropriately is assumed. In this case, it cannot move continuously. Therefore, in such a case, the mobile robot 10 requests the user to return to the reference point. Specifically, a sound for returning to the reference point is output. For example, the voice is output such as “I don't know the position. Please return to the southwestern part of the living room, which is the reference point”, “I can't proceed well because I get stuck.”

  Note that the reference point is set in advance. A charging device for the mobile robot 10 is installed at the reference point. The charging device performs an initialization process for changing the position of the mobile robot 10 to the reference point.

  In the second embodiment, the user is asked whether or not the user can move by outputting sound from the speaker. However, the method may be output in a form in which the user can recognize the question, and the method is limited to the present embodiment. Is not to be done. For example, the question content may be displayed in text on the display unit.

  Further, in the second embodiment, when the user reaches a position where it is unknown whether or not it is possible to move, a dialog for confirming whether or not it can be moved is performed with the user. It is not limited to this. For example, the dialogue may be performed when the movement route is created.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, the mobile robot 10 according to the third embodiment will be described. Similar to the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment, the mobile robot 10 according to the third embodiment confirms whether or not the user can pass through the movement path through dialogue with the user.

  Furniture or the like not shown in the floor plan information is arranged in the area where the mobile robot 10 actually moves. The mobile robot 10 according to the third embodiment creates a movement path that does not include a position where the mobile robot 10 cannot move, although it is not shown in the floor plan information such as a reception set.

  FIG. 24 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of the movement availability estimation unit 110 of the mobile robot 10 according to the third embodiment. The movement possibility estimation unit 110 of the mobile robot 10 according to the third embodiment further includes a furniture installation position estimation unit 113. The furniture installation position estimation unit 113 estimates the furniture installation position.

  FIG. 25 is a diagram schematically illustrating a data configuration of the feature information DB 106 according to the third embodiment. The moveability information held in the feature information DB 106 according to the third embodiment includes a furniture candidate attribute indicating the possibility of being a furniture candidate in addition to the boundary attribute, the step candidate attribute, and the entrance / exit candidate attribute.

  As furniture candidate attributes, “1” is assigned to feature information that is highly likely to be installed, and “0” is assigned to feature information that is less likely to be installed. Yes.

  For example, “1” is assigned as the furniture candidate attribute to the feature information indicating the position planned as a storage space for a refrigerator, a washing machine, and the like because furniture is highly likely to be installed. In addition, with respect to the feature information indicating the TV outlet or the assumed position of the air conditioner indoor unit, “1” is assigned as the furniture candidate attribute because there is a high possibility that a TV or an air conditioner is installed in the vicinity thereof.

  For example, the furniture candidate attribute for the feature symbol indicating the refrigerator in the floor plan information is “1”. In addition, there is a high possibility that furniture is placed in the living / dining room. Therefore, the furniture candidate attribute for the living / dining room is “1”. In addition, there may be a dent in the living / dining room. There is a high possibility that this recess is for placing a dining table. Therefore, the furniture candidate attribute corresponding to the feature information indicating the depression is “1”.

  In the floor plan information shown in FIG. 26, the reception set 40 is arranged in the living / dining room. Furthermore, a shelf 41 is arranged. In this case, when a movement route from the reference point 30 to the refrigerator 31 that is the destination is created, a movement route that passes through the reception set 40 and the shelf 41 is created.

  FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating a movement process when the mobile robot 10 according to the third embodiment moves along a movement route as described with reference to FIG. 26, that is, a movement route including a furniture installation position.

  First, the drive control unit 140 instructs the drive mechanism to start moving the movement path (step S300). Next, when it hits an obstacle (step S302, Yes), it asks whether it is furniture (step S304). For example, a question such as “I can't pass but is there furniture?” Or “Is there an obstacle but is this furniture?” Is output as a voice.

  If an answer indicating that the furniture is furniture is acquired (step S306, Yes), the drive control unit 140 instructs the drive mechanism to move along the furniture (step S310). If it moves to the position where furniture can be avoided (step S312, Yes), the boundary attribute of the moved position is changed to “close” (step S314). Further, the visible graph is regenerated (step S316). Then, using the regenerated visible graph, a travel route from the current position to the destination is created again (step S318). Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S202 of the movement process described with reference to FIG. 22 in the second embodiment.

  On the other hand, if an answer indicating that the furniture is not acquired in step S306 (No in step S306), there is a high possibility that the object is temporarily an obstacle. Therefore, in this case, an obstacle removal request is made (step S330). Specifically, it outputs audio such as “There is an obstacle and I can not pass. Please do it.”, “I can not pass. Please remove the obstacle.” Then, the process proceeds to step S202 in FIG.

  The processing after step S202 is the same as the processing described with reference to FIG. 22 in the second embodiment.

  As described above, the mobile robot 10 according to the third embodiment predicts furniture arrangement positions and the like that are not included in the floor plan information, and confirms with the user so that each mobile robot 10 can move to a region to be moved. A suitable movement route can be created.

1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a mobile robot 10 according to a first embodiment. 3 is a block diagram showing a detailed functional configuration of a movement availability estimation unit 110. FIG. It is a figure which shows the floor plan information which the floor plan information DB104 holds. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of feature information DB106. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of feature information DB106. It is a flowchart which shows a process when the mobile robot 10 produces a movement path | route. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process in the characteristic information extraction process (step S102) demonstrated in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the result of the process of step S126. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process in the movement availability estimation process (step S104) demonstrated in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process in the floor plan outline specific process (step S130) demonstrated in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the floor plan information after the process of step S144 is performed. It is a figure which shows typically the processing result of step S150. It is a figure for demonstrating a visible graph creation process. It is a figure for demonstrating a visible graph creation process. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process in a visible graph preparation process (step S106). It is a figure which shows typically the visible graph created by the visible graph creation process. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process in a movement route creation process (step S110). It is a figure which shows typically the shortest path | route selected by the process of step S180 to step S184. It is a figure which shows typically the movement path | route after shaping. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a mobile robot 10 according to a first embodiment. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a mobile robot 10 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a movement process when the mobile robot 10 according to the second embodiment actually moves. It is a figure for demonstrating a movement process more concretely. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the movement availability estimation part 110 of the mobile robot 10 concerning Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the data structure of feature information DB106 concerning Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a figure which shows the floor plan by which the reception set 40 is arrange | positioned in a living / dining room like a trial corner. It is a flowchart which shows a movement process when moving the movement path | route including a furniture installation position.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Mobile robot 20 Single door 30 Reference point 31 Refrigerator 32 Entrance 40 Reception set 41 Shelf 51 CPU
52 ROM
53 RAM
57 Communication I / F
62 Bus 102 Floor Plan Information Acquisition Unit 104 Floor Plan Information DB
106 Feature information DB
108 Feature Information Extraction Unit 110 Moveability Estimation Unit 111 Step Estimation Unit 112 Entrance Entrance Estimation Unit 113 Furniture Installation Position Estimation Unit 114 Visible Graph Creation Unit 116 Visible Graph DB
118 Movement possibility estimation result DB
120 Travel Route Creation Instruction Accepting Unit 124 Travel Route Creation Unit 126 Travel Route DB
128 movement route display unit 130 movement route change instruction reception unit 132 change unit 140 drive control unit 142 voice output instruction unit

Claims (18)

A movement path creation device for creating a movement path to be used when a mobile robot moves within a predetermined area,
Floor plan information holding means for holding floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area;
Feature information extracting means for extracting feature information, which is image information indicating characteristics relating to a movement route, from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding means;
Based on the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit, a movement availability estimation unit that estimates whether or not the mobile robot can move a position corresponding to the feature information;
A movement path creation device comprising: a movement path creation means for creating a movement path based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated by the movement availability estimation means for the position corresponding to the feature information. A feature information holding unit that holds image information that is the feature information to be extracted by the feature information extraction unit and movement availability information that indicates a possibility that a position corresponding to the feature information is movable; Prepared,
The movement path creation device according to claim 1, wherein the feature information extraction unit extracts the feature information held by the feature information holding unit.   The movement path creation device according to claim 2, wherein the feature information extraction unit extracts image information, which is the feature information held by the feature information holding unit, from the floor plan information by image matching.   4. The movement path creation device according to claim 1, wherein the feature information extraction unit extracts character information drawn as an image in the floor plan information by character recognition.   The movement possibility estimation unit estimates movement possibility of a position corresponding to the feature information based on the movement possibility information associated with the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit in the feature information holding unit. The movement path creation device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The feature information holding unit holds information indicating that a position corresponding to the feature information is movable as the movement availability information,
The movement possibility estimation unit estimates that the position corresponding to the feature information associated with the movement possibility information indicating that the movement is possible is movable,
6. The movement path creation device according to claim 5, wherein the movement path creation unit creates a movement path including a position estimated by the movement availability estimation unit as the movable. The feature information holding unit holds information indicating that the position corresponding to the feature information is likely to be movable, as the movement availability information,
The movement possibility estimation means estimates that the position corresponding to the feature information associated with the movement possibility information indicating that the possibility of movement is high is likely to be movable,
6. The movement path creation device according to claim 5, wherein the movement path creation unit creates a movement path including a position that is estimated that the movement possibility estimation unit is likely to be movable. The feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit is associated with the moveability information indicating that the position corresponding to the feature information is likely to be moved in the feature information holding unit. In addition, it further comprises a movement availability information acquisition means for acquiring information indicating whether movement is possible from the user,
The movement route according to claim 7, wherein the movement possibility estimation unit estimates movement possibility of a position corresponding to the feature information based on the movement possibility information acquired by the movement permission information acquisition unit. Creation device. An estimation result holding unit that holds the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit and the estimation result of the movement possibility estimated by the movement possibility estimation unit based on the movement permission information;
9. The movement route creation device according to claim 8, wherein the movement route creation unit further determines a movement route based on the estimation result held by the estimation result holding unit. The feature information extracting means extracts image information indicating an entrance as the feature information from the floor plan information,
The movement path creation device according to claim 4, wherein the movement possibility estimation unit estimates that a position corresponding to the feature information that is image information indicating the doorway is movable. The feature information extracting means extracts image information indicating an entrance as the feature information from the floor plan information,
The movement path creation device according to claim 5, wherein the movement possibility estimation unit estimates that a position corresponding to the feature information that is image information indicating the doorway is likely to be moved. The feature information extracting means extracts image information indicating a step as the feature information from the floor plan information,
The movement path creation device according to claim 5, wherein the movement possibility estimation unit estimates that a position corresponding to the feature information that is image information indicating the step is likely to be moved. The feature information extracting means extracts image information indicating a step as the feature information from the floor plan information,
The movement possibility estimation means estimates that the position corresponding to the feature information that is image information indicating the step is not movable,
The movement path creation device according to claim 1, wherein the movement path creation unit creates a movement path that does not include a position estimated to be unmovable. The feature information extracting means extracts image information indicating a furniture installation position as the feature information from the floor plan information,
6. The movement route creation according to claim 5, wherein the movement possibility estimation unit estimates that the position corresponding to the feature information that is image information indicating the furniture installation position is likely to be moved. apparatus. The feature information extracting means extracts image information indicating a furniture installation position as the feature information from the floor plan information,
The movement possibility estimation unit estimates that the position corresponding to the feature information that is image information indicating the furniture installation position is immovable,
The movement path creation device according to claim 1, wherein the movement path creation unit creates a movement path that does not include a position estimated to be unmovable. A mobile robot that moves within a predetermined area,
Floor plan information holding means for holding floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area;
Feature information extracting means for extracting feature information, which is image information indicating characteristics relating to a movement route, from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding means;
Based on the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit, a movement availability estimation unit that estimates whether or not the mobile robot can move a position corresponding to the feature information;
A movement path creation means for creating a movement path based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated for the position corresponding to the feature information by the movement possibility estimation means;
A mobile robot comprising: moving means for moving the mobile robot along the movement path created by the movement path creation means. A movement path creation method for creating a movement path to be used when a mobile robot moves within a predetermined area,
A feature information extracting step of extracting feature information that is image information indicating a feature relating to a movement route from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding unit that holds floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area;
Based on the feature information extracted in the feature information extraction step, a movement availability estimation step for estimating whether or not the mobile robot can move a position corresponding to the feature information;
A movement path creation method comprising: a movement path creation step of creating a movement path based on the movement availability of the mobile robot estimated for the position corresponding to the feature information in the movement availability estimation step. A movement path creation program for causing a computer to execute a movement path creation process for creating a movement path to be used when a mobile robot moves within a predetermined area,
A feature information extracting step of extracting feature information that is image information indicating a feature relating to a movement route from the floor plan information held by the floor plan information holding unit that holds floor plan information indicating the floor plan of the predetermined area;
Based on the feature information extracted in the feature information extraction step, a movement availability estimation step for estimating whether or not the mobile robot can move a position corresponding to the feature information;
A travel route creation program, comprising: a travel route creation step for creating a travel route based on the travel feasibility of the mobile robot estimated for the position corresponding to the feature information in the travel feasibility estimation step.

Images