JP2009169581A - Moving unit, moving unit system, and fault diagnosis system therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a moving unit, a moving unit system, and a fault diagnosis system therefor, capable of securely detecting a fault in a transmitter. <P>SOLUTION: The moving unit is a moving body which moves on the basis of a signal transmitted from a transmitter 161 provided in an environment. The moving unit includes: a receiver 126 for receiving signals including identification information transmitted from the transmitter 161; an own-position estimation section 111 for estimating the position; a decision section 112 for deciding whether the estimated position exists in an obtainable area capable of obtaining the identification information from the transmitter 161, by referring to the position information of the transmitter 161 on a map; a fault counter 113 for performing counting operation according to whether the receiver 126 can obtain the identification information, when the estimated position exists in the obtainable area; and a diagnosis section 114 for diagnosing the fault of the transmitter 161, based on the count value of the fault counter 113. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile object, a mobile object system, and a failure diagnosis method thereof, and more particularly to a mobile object that receives a signal from a transmitter and moves, a mobile object system, and a failure diagnosis method thereof.

  In recent years, robots that coexist with human beings have been developed. For example, a communication robot that communicates with humans is disclosed (Patent Document 1). In this document, an infrared tag is attached to a person to be communicated. And the infrared rays from an infrared tag are detected and it is detected whether the other party is facing the robot.

  Some robots move autonomously. That is, the robot moves alone as the robot moves autonomously. When the robot moves alone, it is necessary to estimate the robot's own position based on the output from the sensor.

  In addition, a position information acquisition method using a mobile terminal capable of receiving infrared rays is disclosed (Patent Document 2). In this method, mapping information indicating the positional relationship among a plurality of ID transmitters is set. By detecting the ID number of the ID transmitter, the location information of the mobile terminal can be acquired.

JP 2005-238382 A JP 2000-98034 A

  When estimating the robot's own position using an infrared tag having an ID, a plurality of infrared tag transmitters can be used. For example, a plurality of infrared tag transmitters with different IDs are installed in an environment where the robot moves. Then, the location information of the infrared tag transmitter is registered on the map. The position can be estimated by the robot acquiring the transmitter ID number. Such an infrared tag transmitter includes an infrared LED, an electronic circuit, and a power source.

  However, when the transmitter is installed in the environment, the infrared tag transmitter may break down. In other words, after the infrared tag transmitter is once installed in the environment, there is a possibility of failure due to, for example, an overcurrent such as a lightning strike or an artificial external force such as construction. Since the infrared tag transmitter emits infrared light that cannot be seen, it is difficult to determine whether the transmitter is operating normally. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to detect a failure even when the transmitter fails. If the transmitter fails and the ID number cannot be detected, it is difficult to accurately estimate the self position.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a moving body, a moving body system, and a failure diagnosis method capable of reliably detecting a transmitter failure. .

  The moving body according to the first aspect of the present invention is a moving body that moves based on a signal transmitted from a transmitter provided in the environment, and includes a signal including identification information transmitted from the transmitter. With reference to the receiving unit for receiving, the position estimating unit for estimating the position of the moving body, and the position information of the transmitter on a map, the estimated position estimated by the position estimating unit is from the transmitter. A determination unit that determines whether or not the identification information is in an acquirable area, and a count according to whether or not the reception unit has acquired the identification information when the estimated position is in the acquirable area A counter that performs an operation; and a diagnosis unit that diagnoses a failure of the transmitter based on a count value of the counter. Thereby, the failure of the transmitter can be reliably detected.

  A moving object according to a second aspect of the present invention is the moving object described above, wherein the diagnosis unit determines whether or not a failure has occurred according to a comparison result between the count value and a threshold value. It is. Thereby, a failure can be detected easily.

  A mobile object according to a third aspect of the present invention is the mobile object described above, wherein the counter performs a counting operation depending on whether or not a receiving unit of another mobile object has acquired identification information. . Thereby, a failure can be detected more quickly.

  A mobile system according to a fourth aspect of the present invention includes a transmitter that is provided in the environment and that transmits a signal including identification information, and a mobile body that has a receiver that receives a signal from the transmitter. A position estimation unit that estimates the position of the moving body, and position information of the transmitter on a map, and the estimated position estimated by the position estimation unit is A determination unit that determines whether or not the identification information from the machine can be acquired, and whether or not the reception unit has acquired the identification information when the estimated position is in the acquisition region Accordingly, the counter includes a counter that performs a counting operation, and a diagnosis unit that diagnoses a failure of the transmitter based on the count value of the counter. Thereby, the failure of the transmitter can be reliably detected.

  A mobile system according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the mobile system described above, wherein the diagnosis unit determines whether or not there is a failure according to a comparison result between the count value and a threshold value. It is what. Thereby, a failure can be detected easily.

  A mobile system according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the mobile system described above, wherein a plurality of the mobile bodies are provided, and whether or not the identification information can be acquired by receiving units of the plurality of mobile bodies. A count operation is performed. Thereby, a failure can be detected more quickly.

  A failure diagnosis method according to a seventh aspect of the present invention includes a transmitter that is provided in the environment and that transmits a signal including identification information, and a mobile body that has a receiver that receives a signal from the transmitter. A failure diagnosis method for diagnosing a failure of the transmitter in a mobile system provided with a position estimation step of estimating a position of the mobile body, and referring to position information of the transmitter on a map, A determination step for determining whether or not the estimated position estimated in the position estimating step is in an obtainable area where the identification information from the transmitter can be obtained; and when the estimated position is in the obtainable area, the identification A counting step for performing a counting operation according to whether information has been acquired, and a diagnostic step for diagnosing a failure of the transmitter based on a count value in the counting step. Than is. Thereby, the failure of the transmitter can be reliably detected.

  A failure diagnosis method according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the failure diagnosis method described above, wherein, in the diagnosis step, whether or not a failure has occurred is determined according to a comparison result between the count value and a threshold value. It is what. Thereby, a failure can be detected easily.

  A failure diagnosis method according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is the failure diagnosis method described above, wherein the mobile system includes a plurality of the mobile bodies, and the identification information can be acquired by the plurality of mobile bodies. The counting operation is performed depending on whether or not it has occurred. Thereby, a failure can be detected more quickly.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the mobile body which can detect the failure of a transmitter reliably, a mobile body system, and a failure diagnosis method.

  A robot used in the mobile system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an external view schematically showing the configuration of the robot 100. In the present embodiment, the robot 100 will be described as a mobile robot that moves autonomously. The robot 100 includes a wheel 2, a housing 3, and an arm portion 4. Inside the housing 3 are provided a motor connected to the wheels 2, a battery for driving the motor, and the like. This motor serves as a drive mechanism for driving the robot 100. By driving the motor, the wheel 2 rotates and the robot 100 moves. Further, the arm portion 4 is provided with a joint 4a. The joint 4a of the arm 4 is connected to a motor. By driving the joint 4a by a motor or the like, the position and posture of the arm portion 4 are controlled. Further, when the arm portion 4 is driven, an object is gripped. The body part and the housing 3 of the head 1 are provided with a camera, LED, microphone, speaker, and the like. Furthermore, the robot 100 is provided with a receiver 126 for receiving a signal from the transmitter. The receiver 126 is provided at the top of the head, for example. Thereby, as will be described later, a signal from a transmitter (infrared tag) provided on the ceiling can be reliably received.

  Next, the control system of the robot 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the robot 100. The robot 100 includes a control unit 101, an input / output unit 102, a drive unit 103, a power supply unit 104, an external storage unit 105, and the like.

  The input / output unit 102 includes a camera 121 such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) for acquiring surrounding video, one or a plurality of internal microphones 122 for collecting surrounding sounds, and outputs audio to the user. A speaker 123 for performing a conversation, an LED 124 for expressing a response to the user, feelings, and the like, a sensor unit 125 including a touch sensor, a receiver 126, and the like are provided. The sensor unit 125 includes various sensors such as a laser range finder and an encoder. The receiver 126 receives a signal from a transmitter, which will be described later, and acquires the ID number of the transmitter. The robot 100 moves based on the signal received by the receiver 126.

  The drive unit 103 includes a motor 131 and a driver 132 that drives the motor, and drives the wheel 2 and the joint 4a of the arm unit 4 in accordance with a user instruction. The power supply unit 104 is a power supply unit that includes a battery 141 and a battery control unit 142 that controls the discharging and charging thereof, and supplies power to each unit. That is, the power supplied from the battery 141 is controlled by the battery control unit 142. The power from the battery 141 is supplied to the control unit 101, the input / output unit 102, the motor 131, the external storage unit 105, and the like. The power supply unit 104 is provided in the housing 3, for example. The battery 141 built in the robot 100 is a secondary battery, and is charged by being connected to an external AC power source, for example.

  The external storage unit 105 includes a removable HDD, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and the like, stores various programs and control parameters, and stores the programs and data in a memory (not shown) in the control unit 101 as necessary. To supply.

  The control unit 101 includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an interface for wireless communication, and the like, and controls various operations of the robot 100. And this control part 101 controls each part of the robot 100 according to the control program stored, for example in ROM. The control unit 101 outputs a drive signal to the driver 132 to control the operation of the motor 131. Thereby, the robot 100 moves autonomously to a predetermined position. Or the joint 4a drives and the arm part 4 moves autonomously. Specifically, the control unit 101 generates a movement path to the target position and controls the motor so as to follow the movement path.

  The motor 131 and the driver 132 are provided on each of the two wheels 2. Thereby, the two wheels 2 can be driven independently. For example, the driver 132 controls the rotation speed of the motor 131. Thereby, the wheel 2 can be driven at a predetermined rotational speed. Therefore, the robot 100 can move to the target position. The motor 131 is attached inside the robot 100. The aspect of the robot is not limited to the above aspect. For example, in the above description, the wheel type robot 100 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a walking robot having legs with joints may be used.

  Further, the external storage unit 105 includes a map storage unit 151 and a position information storage unit 152. The map storage unit 151 stores a map (map) of a moving environment. The position information storage unit 152 stores the position information of the transmitter on the map. That is, the position information storage unit 152 stores coordinates on a map indicating a moving environment. For example, if the plane on which the robot 100 moves is the XY plane, the position information storage unit 152 stores the XY coordinates of the transmitter on the map.

  The control unit 101 includes a self-position estimation unit 111, a determination unit 112, a failure counter 113, and a diagnosis unit 114. For example, the self-position estimating unit 111 estimates the self-position based on the output of an encoder or the like provided in the sensor unit 125. Thereby, the current position on the map stored in the map storage unit 151 can be obtained. For example, if the plane on which the robot 100 moves is an XY plane, the self-position estimating unit 111 obtains XY coordinates on the map. As described above, the self-position estimation unit 111 estimates the self-position of the robot 100.

  The determination unit 112 determines whether or not the robot 100 is in an area where a signal from a transmitter can be received. The failure counter 113 performs a counting operation when the determination unit 112 determines that the robot 100 is in the receivable region. The diagnosis unit 114 performs failure diagnosis according to the count value of the failure counter 113. The failure diagnosis control in the control unit 101 will be described later.

  Next, the configuration of the transmitter used in the mobile system will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of the transmitter. The transmitter 161 is, for example, an IR tag transmitter that transmits its unique ID by infrared rays. That is, the transmitter 161 is assigned a different ID number for each machine, and outputs the unique ID number as an infrared signal. The ID number is identification information for identifying a plurality of transmitters 161. The other transmitter 161 is identified by the ID number. For example, the transmitter 161 is installed in an environment where the robot 100 moves. The transmitter 161 is installed above the robot 100 such as a ceiling. As the transmitter 161, for example, a SmartLocator (registered trademark) manufactured by NEC Corporation can be used.

  The transmitter 161 has a predetermined positioning area 163. The positioning area 163 is an infrared irradiation area. That is, the transmitter 161 transmits an infrared signal including ID information toward the positioning area 163. Therefore, when the receiver 126 is in the positioning area 163, the ID number of the transmitter 161 can be acquired. That is, the positioning area 163 becomes an acquirable area where the ID number can be acquired on the receiver 126 side. Infrared rays emitted from the transmitter 161 have directivity. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the positioning area 163 has a conical shape in three dimensions. For example, when the transmitter 161 is installed at a height of 3 m, the positioning area 163 has a circular shape with a radius of 0.7 m on the floor surface (XY plane). Of course, the size and arrangement of the positioning area 163 are not limited to this. Further, the transmitter 161 may transmit a signal other than the infrared signal.

  Next, the entire system including the robot 100 and the transmitter 161 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view schematically showing a moving environment in which the robot 100 is moving. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of transmitters 161 are provided in the moving environment in which the robot 100 moves. Here, the three transmitters 161 are distinguished as transmitters 161a, 161b, and 161c, respectively. Of course, the number of transmitters 161 is not limited to three. The transmitter 161 is provided on the ceiling 162 in the environment where the robot 100 moves.

  Each transmitter 161 transmits a signal including ID information. As shown in FIG. 4, when the receiver 126 exists in the positioning area 163c of the transmitter 161c, a signal from the transmitter 161c is received. Therefore, the ID number of the transmitter 161c can be acquired on the robot 100 side. Similarly, when there are receivers in the positioning areas 163a and 163b of the transmitters 161a and 161b, the ID numbers of the transmitters 161a and 161b can be acquired. In addition, since each positioning area 163 does not overlap here, two or more ID numbers are not acquired simultaneously. Of course, when two or more positioning areas 163 partially overlap, a plurality of ID numbers are acquired almost simultaneously in the overlapping region. Here, since the robot 100 is moving in the direction of the arrow, the robot 100 passes in the order of the positioning area 163c, the positioning area 163b, and the positioning area 163a.

  The robot 100 moves in this moving environment while estimating its own position. The self position estimation unit 111 sequentially updates the self position during movement. The robot 100 stores a map (map) of the moving environment in the map storage unit 151 in advance. In this map, the size of the moving environment and the position where it can move are registered as coordinates. Further, the position of the transmitter 161 and the coordinates of the positioning area 163 on the map are stored in the position information storage unit 152. As described above, the robot 100 stores the position information of the transmitter 161 in advance.

  The robot 100 estimates its own position using, for example, a particle filter. In this method, a number of points (particles) having probabilities as weights are distributed in a space spanned by parameters (position (x, y), direction θ) indicating the posture of the robot 100. Then, the probability that the robot 100 exists in an arbitrary area of the xyθ space is approximately expressed as the sum of the weights of the particles existing in the area. The particle distribution is updated using sensor information. That is, the particle distribution is moved by dead reckoning. For example, the movement distance is obtained from the output from the encoder, and each particle is moved. At this time, when sensor information is input from the sensor unit 125, the weight of the particles changes according to the Bayes formula. Thus, the self-position of the robot 100 can be estimated by regenerating particles according to the weight of the particles. As described above, the self-position estimation unit 111 sequentially obtains the self-position by calculation.

  Furthermore, the self-position is estimated here using the signal from the transmitter 161. That is, since the position information of the transmitter 161 is registered on the map, the weight of the particles can be changed according to the position information. For example, when the ID number is acquired, the weight of the particle in the positioning area 163 of the ID number is increased, and the weight of the particle outside the positioning area 163 is decreased. The position where the probability that the robot 100 exists is the highest is set as the estimated position. The self position is estimated according to the signal from the transmitter 161. Thereby, the self position can be estimated with high accuracy. By acquiring the ID number of the transmitter 161, it is possible to recover from the estimation error. When the ID number cannot be acquired, the particles generated by odometry are used as they are. Further, the self position may be estimated using a laser range finder or the like.

  The determination unit 112 determines whether or not the estimated self-position is within the positioning area 163. That is, it is determined whether or not the robot 100 is in the area where the ID number can be acquired. If it is determined by the determination unit 112 that the ID number is within the positioning area 163, it is determined whether the ID number can be acquired. The failure counter 113 increases the count value by 1 when the ID number can be acquired, and decreases the count value by 1 when an acquisition error that cannot acquire the ID number occurs. That is, the count value is increased or decreased depending on whether or not the ID number has been acquired.

  Here, the failure counter 113 counts for each transmitter 161. That is, count up and count down are performed for each of the transmitters 161. Thereby, failure diagnosis can be performed for each transmitter 161. For example, when the receiver 126 is in the positioning area 163a, when the ID number of the transmitter 161a is acquired, the count value of the failure counter 113 corresponding to the transmitter 161a increases by one. Further, when there is a receiver 126 in the positioning area 163a, if an acquisition error that cannot acquire the ID number of the transmitter 161a occurs, the count value of the failure counter 113 corresponding to the transmitter 161a is decreased by one. Similarly, when the transmitters 161b and 161c are located in the positioning areas 163b and 163c, the count value is increased or decreased. Thus, when the estimated position is in the positioning area 163, the failure counter 113 performs a counting operation depending on whether or not the ID number has been acquired.

  The diagnosis unit 114 performs failure diagnosis based on the count value of the failure counter 113. Specifically, the diagnosis unit 114 compares the count value of the failure counter 113 with a threshold value. When the count value exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the transmitter 161 has failed. On the other hand, when the count value is less than or equal to the threshold value, it is determined that the transmitter 161 has not failed. As described above, the diagnosis unit 114 performs failure diagnosis based on the count value of the failure counter 113. That is, the diagnosis unit 114 performs failure diagnosis according to the number of acquisitions of ID numbers and the number of acquisition errors. The threshold value may be set in advance or may be changed as appropriate by the user.

  The operation of the failure counter 113 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating an example in which the count value of the failure counter 113 is increased or decreased. 5 and FIG. 1-No. Transmitters 161a to 161c having ID numbers of 3 are installed. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 transmitter 161a is out of order. Furthermore, in FIG. 5, since the obstacle 165 blocks the infrared signal, the ID number cannot be acquired. That is, in FIG. 1 and No. No. 3 transmitter 161a, 161c has an acquisition error. In FIG. 1 transmitter 161a has an acquisition error. 5 and 6, since the robot 100 moves along the arrow, the robot 100 passes through the positioning area 163c, the positioning area 163b, and the positioning area 163a in this order.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, when the robot 100 passes the positioning area 163a, the ID number No. Cannot get 1. Then, the failure counter 113 corresponding to the transmitter 161a is incremented by one. While in the positioning area 163a, the failure counter increases. That is, when the estimated self-position is within the positioning area 163a, the failure counter 113 is incremented by 1 each time the self-position is estimated. In this way, the failure counter 113 of the transmitter 161a counts up until the robot 100 moves outside the positioning area 163a.

  When the transmitter 161a breaks down, the ID number of the transmitter 161a cannot be acquired until the transmitter 161a is repaired or replaced. Therefore, every time the robot 100 passes the positioning area 163a, the failure counter 113 counts up and the count value does not decrease. For this reason, the count value of the failure counter 113 eventually exceeds the threshold value. When the count value of the failure counter 113 exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that the transmitter 161a has failed. And a user etc. are alert | reported that the transmitter 161a is out of order. Further, the position information of the transmitter 161a stored in the position information storage unit 152 may be deleted. As a result, the position can be estimated more accurately.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the obstacle 165 blocks the signal from the transmitter 161 c. For this reason, the robot 100 cannot receive a signal from the transmitter 161c. That is, since the obstacle 165 exists between the transmitter 161c and the receiver 126, the receiver 126 cannot receive the infrared signal. Even when the robot 100 is in the positioning area 163c, the ID number of the transmitter 161c cannot be acquired. For this reason, the failure counter corresponding to the transmitter 161c is incremented by one. However, as shown in FIG. 6, if the obstacle 165 disappears, the signal from the transmitter 161c can be received. That is, when the obstacle is not blocked by the obstacle 165, the robot 100 can acquire the ID number of the transmitter 161c. Therefore, the count value of the failure counter 113 corresponding to the transmitter 161c is decreased by 1.

  Then, after the obstacle 165 is removed, the ID number can be acquired while the robot 100 is in the positioning area 163c. Therefore, the failure counter 113 decreases. Thus, when the ID number can be acquired, the failure counter is counted down. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the threshold value from being exceeded. That is, a temporary acquisition error such as when the signal is blocked by an obstacle will eventually be recovered, and the failure counter 113 will not continue to rise. If the threshold value is set to an appropriate value, the failure counter 113 counts down before the threshold value is exceeded. Therefore, a failure is not detected by a temporary acquisition error. Thereby, a fault diagnosis can be performed accurately.

  Next, a failure diagnosis method for the transmitter 161 by the robot 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a failure diagnosis method according to the present embodiment. First, the self-position estimating unit 111 estimates the self-position of the robot 100 (Step S101). As described above, the particle filter can be used for the self-position estimation. Then, the determination unit 112 determines whether or not the robot is in a position where the ID number can be acquired (step S102). That is, it is determined whether or not the estimated self-position is within the positioning area 163 with reference to the position information registered in advance. With reference to the position information of the transmitter 161 on the map stored in the position information storage unit 152, it is determined whether the own position is within the positioning area 163 or outside the positioning area 163. If it is determined that the ID number is not at a position where the ID number cannot be acquired, the process proceeds without performing a failure display process (step S103). Of course, in the determination in step S102, the mounting position of the receiver 126 in the robot 100 is taken into consideration.

  If the ID number can be acquired, it is determined whether or not the ID number has been acquired (step S104). That is, when the estimated self-position is in the positioning area 163, a signal from the transmitter 161 is received to try to obtain an ID number. Here, when the transmitter 161 is operating normally, the ID number can be acquired. Then, it is determined whether the count value of the failure counter 113 of the transmitter 161 corresponding to this ID number is greater than 0 (step S105). If the count value of the failure counter 113 is greater than 0, the failure counter is decremented by 1 (step S106). When the count value of the failure counter 113 is 0 or less, failure display processing is not performed (step S107). That is, it continues to move without changing the value of the failure counter. As described above, by providing the minimum value in the failure counter 113, it is possible to appropriately diagnose the failure.

  If the ID number cannot be acquired in step S104, the count value of the failure counter 113 is incremented by 1 (step S108). That is, the failure counter 113 is counted up. Then, the diagnosis unit 114 compares the count value of the failure counter 113 with a threshold value (step S109). If the count value exceeds the threshold value, the diagnosis unit 114 determines that a failure has occurred, and displays a failure on the transmitter 161 (step S110). That is, it is displayed that the transmitter 161 of the ID number is out of order. As a result, the user or the like recognizes that the transmitter 161 has failed. On the other hand, if the failure counter is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the failure display is not performed and the movement continues (step S111).

  Then, the above processing is repeated while the robot 100 is moving. The count value of the failure counter 113 corresponding to each transmitter 161 changes sequentially. By doing in this way, the failure of the transmitter 161 can be reliably detected. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the obstacle is blocking the signal from the transmitter 161c, the count value of the failure counter 113 will eventually decrease, and thus the threshold value will not be exceeded. That is, when recovering from a temporary acquisition error, the failure counter 113 counts down, and the count value returns to zero. On the other hand, when the transmitter 161a is out of order, the count value from the failure counter 113 does not count down. Therefore, the counter value eventually exceeds the threshold value, and the failure can be detected reliably. Moreover, since a different ID number is registered for each transmitter, the failed transmitter 161 can be easily identified. Even when the transmitter 161 that emits invisible infrared rays is used, a failure can be detected promptly. Further, the threshold value and the count value are compared, and failure diagnosis is performed based on the comparison result. Thereby, a failure can be detected easily.

  In the above method, the failure diagnosis is performed by comparing the threshold value and the count value. However, the failure diagnosis is not limited to this method. For example, the failure counter 113 counts the number of ID number acquisitions and the number of acquisition errors. Based on the count value, when the ID cannot be acquired, a conditional probability that the transmitter 161 has not failed is obtained. Failure diagnosis may be performed based on the probability. That is, when the probability is less than or equal to the threshold value, it is determined that there is a failure, and when it exceeds the threshold value, it is determined that there is no failure.

For example, if the probability that the transmitter 161 does not fail is P (A) and the probability that the ID number cannot be acquired is P (B), the conditional probability P that the transmitter 161 does not fail when the ID number cannot be acquired. (A | B) can be expressed by the following equation according to Bayes' theorem.
P (A | B) = P (B | A) × P (A) / P (B)

  Note that P (B | A) is a conditional probability that an ID number cannot be acquired when there is no failure, for example, while the infrared tag is guaranteed to operate normally immediately after the infrared tag is attached. In addition, the failure counter 113 can obtain the ID number acquisition count and acquisition error count. Here, the probability P (A) that the transmitter 161 has not failed is normally a constant determined by the specifications and performance of the transmitter 161. The probability P (B) that the ID number cannot be acquired varies depending on the number of ID number acquisitions and the number of acquisition errors. Therefore, the probability P (A | B) that the transmitter is not out of order when the ID number cannot be obtained can be obtained. That is, the failure counter 113 can obtain the probability P (A | B) by counting the number of ID number acquisitions and the number of acquisition errors. This probability P (A | B) is compared with a threshold value, and if it falls below the threshold value, it is determined as a failure.

  In the above embodiment, the failure diagnosis is performed by one robot 100, but the failure diagnosis may be performed by a plurality of robots 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, two robots 100a and 100b are prepared and moved in the environment simultaneously or separately. Each robot 100 determines whether or not the estimated self-position is in the positioning area 163 in the same manner as described above. Then, the fault diagnosis is performed by adding the counts of the respective robots 100 together.

  For example, when the robot 100a is in the positioning area 163a, the count value corresponding to the transmitter 161a is increased or decreased depending on whether or not the robot 100a has acquired the ID number of the transmitter 161. Similarly, when the robot 100b is in the positioning area 163a, the count value corresponding to the transmitter 161a is increased or decreased depending on whether or not the robot 100b has acquired the ID number of the transmitter 161. That is, the common count value is increased or decreased by the plurality of robots 100.

  In this way, failure information collected by a plurality of robots 100 may be centrally managed. That is, the failure counter 113 performs a counting operation according to whether or not the ID numbers can be acquired by the receivers 126 of the plurality of robots 100. When a plurality of robots 100 are used, it is possible to detect a failure earlier than when a single robot is used. That is, since the number of times of acquiring the ID number increases, the amount of failure information increases. Therefore, when the transmitter 161 is out of order, the count value of the failure counter is quickly increased. Thereby, the failure of the transmitter 161 in the environment can be detected earlier. In addition, a general-purpose RFID tag or the like can be used.

  Note that the common failure counter 113 and the diagnosis unit 114 may be provided in one or more robots. In other words, the robot may perform communication so that the count operation of the failure counter 113 and the failure diagnosis process of the diagnosis unit 114 may be performed. In this case, one robot 100 performs a counting operation depending on whether another robot 100 has acquired an ID number. Furthermore, the counting operation and the failure diagnosis may be performed not by the robot but by a server or the like provided to be able to communicate with the plurality of robots 100. Of course, three or more robots 100 may be provided. Then, failure diagnosis may be performed by two or more robots 100.

  In the above description, the robot 100 is a wheel type robot, but may be a walking type robot. Moreover, a mobile body other than the robot may be used. A part of the above processing may be performed by an apparatus physically different from the robot 100. For example, the diagnosis unit 114 may be provided in a server that can communicate with the robot 100. Then, the failure diagnosis process may be performed by a server.

It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the robot concerning embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram conceptually showing a control system of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the transmitter of the mobile body system concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the mobile body system concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that the transmitter has failed in the mobile body system concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that the transmitter has failed in the mobile body system concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the failure diagnosis method in the mobile body system concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows a mode that the transmitter is out of order in the mobile system concerning other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 head, 2 wheels, 3 housing, 4 arm part 101 control part,
111 self-position estimation unit, 112 determination unit, 113 failure counter, 114 diagnosis unit,
102 I / O unit,
121 camera, 122 internal microphone, 123 speaker,
124 LED, 125 sensor unit, 126 receiver,
103 drive unit 131 motor, 132 driver 104 power supply unit 141 battery, 142 battery control unit,
105 External storage unit,
151 Map storage unit, 152 Location information storage unit,
161 Transmitter, 162 Ceiling, 163 Positioning area, 165 Obstacle

Claims (9)

A moving body that moves based on a signal transmitted from a transmitter,
A receiver for receiving a signal including identification information transmitted from the transmitter;
A position estimation unit for estimating the position of the moving body;
A determination unit that refers to position information of the transmitter on a map and determines whether the estimated position estimated by the position estimation unit is in an acquirable area where identification information from the transmitter can be acquired When,
A counter that performs a counting operation according to whether or not the receiving unit has acquired the identification information when the estimated position is in an obtainable region;
And a diagnostic unit that diagnoses a failure of the transmitter based on a count value of the counter.   The moving body according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis unit determines whether or not there is a failure according to a comparison result between the count value and a threshold value.   The moving body according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the counter performs a counting operation according to whether or not a receiving unit of another moving body has acquired identification information. A transmitter provided in the environment for transmitting a signal including identification information;
A mobile system having a receiver that receives a signal from the transmitter,
A position estimation unit for estimating the position of the moving body;
A determination unit that refers to position information of the transmitter on a map and determines whether the estimated position estimated by the position estimation unit is in an acquirable area where identification information from the transmitter can be acquired When,
A counter that performs a counting operation according to whether or not the receiving unit has acquired the identification information when the estimated position is in an obtainable region;
And a diagnostic unit that diagnoses a failure of the transmitter based on a count value of the counter.   The mobile system according to claim 4, wherein the diagnosis unit determines whether or not there is a failure according to a comparison result between the count value and a threshold value. A plurality of the moving bodies are provided,
The mobile system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the counting operation is performed depending on whether or not the identification information has been acquired by the receiving units of the plurality of mobile bodies. A transmitter provided in the environment for transmitting a signal including identification information;
A mobile body having a receiver for receiving a signal from the transmitter, and a failure diagnosis method for diagnosing a failure of the transmitter in a mobile system comprising:
A position estimating step for estimating the position of the moving body;
A determination step of determining whether or not the estimated position estimated in the position estimation step is in an acquirable area where identification information from the transmitter can be acquired with reference to the position information of the transmitter on a map When,
When the estimated position is in the obtainable region, a counting step that performs a counting operation according to whether or not the identification information has been obtained;
A failure diagnosis method comprising: a diagnosis step of diagnosing a failure of the transmitter based on a count value in the counting step.   8. The failure diagnosis method according to claim 7, wherein in the diagnosis step, it is determined whether or not there is a failure according to a comparison result between the count value and a threshold value. The mobile body system is provided with a plurality of the mobile bodies,
The failure diagnosis method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a counting operation is performed depending on whether or not the identification information has been acquired by the plurality of moving bodies.

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