JP2011068453A - Autonomous travel robot and control system of autonomous travel robot - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an autonomous travel robot and a control system of the autonomous travel robot, for performing predetermined work, by surely moving to a desired story by simultaneously getting on the same car of a general user, with a simple constitution. <P>SOLUTION: This control system includes a story number identification tag 116 arranged in a hatch of respective stories for stopping an elevator 100 and recording story number information for identifying the respective stories, and story number information detecting means 50, 52 and 16 arranged in the autonomous travel robot 1 and detecting the story number information recorded in a story number identification tag 110 by radio transmission. Motor control means 50, 51a, 61R and 61L allow the autonomous travel robot 1 to get off from the elevator 100 by driving driving motors 61R and 61L when a stopping story based on the story number information detected by the story number information detecting means 50, 52 and 16, coincides with a getting-off story by preset passage information, in a stopping state of the elevator 100 when the autonomous travel robot 1 gets on the elevator 100. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an autonomous traveling robot that moves to a desired floor using an elevator installed in a building having a plurality of floors such as a high-rise building and a factory, and an autonomous traveling robot control system.

  Conventionally, as an autonomous traveling robot using an elevator, for example, a self-propelled cleaning robot is known. This self-propelled cleaning robot, for example, uses an elevator used by a general user as in Patent Document 1, calls a car, etc., and gets on and off the elevator on a desired floor of the building. It has become.

  Thus, when using an elevator used by a general user, conventionally, from the viewpoint of safety, for example, as shown in Patent Document 2, a self-propelled cleaning robot and a general user have The operation of the elevator is controlled so that the same car is not boarded at the same time.

JP 2000-339030 A JP 2009-051617 A

  By the way, work by a self-propelled cleaning robot is usually performed at night when a general user does not exist in a building. In the case of such nighttime work, the self-propelled cleaning robot can continue to use the elevator, so that the predetermined work can be executed almost as scheduled.

  However, in recent years, there are cases where it is desired that a general user perform work during a time zone such as a daytime in a building depending on the work content of the autonomous traveling robot, not limited to cleaning. In this case, in the conventional elevator operation control system, since the autonomous traveling robot cannot ride in an elevator on which a general user rides, the general user waits for a time when the elevator is not used. . For this reason, movement to a desired floor is not performed smoothly, and work efficiency will fall.

  In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable that the autonomous traveling robot and a general user get on the same car at the same time to perform predetermined work. However, in the conventional elevator operation control system, as described above, the elevator movement is performed in the robot-dedicated operation mode. During this robot-dedicated operation mode, the elevator is stopped and the door is opened at a place other than the destination floor of the autonomous traveling robot. It does not open, and the autonomous robot determines that it has arrived at the destination floor triggered by the opening of the door and gets off.

  For this reason, when such a conventional driving control system is applied and the autonomous traveling robot is simultaneously placed in the same car as a general user to perform work, the autonomous traveling robot is in the elevator. When the elevator stops on the floor where the user gets on and the door opens, or when the door opens on the destination floor of the passenger, the autonomous robot cannot identify whether it is the destination floor become. As a result, it may be assumed that the autonomous traveling robot gets off at an unintended floor and cannot perform a predetermined operation.

  Therefore, the object of the present invention made in view of such a point is to make sure that the same floor as that of a general user can be boarded at the same time with a simple configuration without making any improvements on the elevator control device side, and to be surely placed on a desired floor. An object of the present invention is to provide an autonomous mobile robot that can move and execute a predetermined work, and an autonomous mobile robot control system.

  The autonomous traveling robot according to claim 1, which achieves the above object, includes a drive motor for rotationally driving the drive wheels, and a motor control means for controlling the drive of the drive motor so as to move in accordance with preset route information. A floor information detecting means for wirelessly detecting floor information for identifying each floor recorded on a floor identification tag provided in a hatch of each floor where the elevator can be stopped, and the motor control means is configured to When the stop floor based on the floor information detected by the floor information detection means in the stop state matches the exit floor based on the preset route information, the drive motor is driven to get off the elevator To do.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control system for an autonomous mobile robot according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the drive motor rotates the drive wheels, and the drive motor is driven to move in accordance with preset route information. An autonomous traveling robot control system comprising a motor control means for controlling, and provided in a hatch on each floor where an elevator can be stopped, a floor identification tag in which floor information for identifying each floor is recorded, and the autonomous traveling robot And a floor information detecting means for wirelessly detecting the floor information recorded in the floor identification tag, wherein the motor control means is configured to move the elevator while the autonomous mobile robot is on the elevator. In accordance with the stop floor based on the floor information detected by the floor information detecting means and the preset route information. If the getting-off floors are matched, by driving the drive motor, characterized in that to get off the autonomous mobile robot from the elevator.

  According to these, when the elevator stops while the elevator is on board, the autonomously traveling robot should get off the elevator if the stop floor is a floor according to preset route information, and continue the boarding if it is not an exit floor. become.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the control system for an autonomous mobile robot according to the second aspect, the floor identification tag is arranged on the inner peripheral side of the landing side entrance / exit frame of the hatch.

  According to this, it becomes possible to more reliably detect the floor information from the floor identification tag of the floor where the elevator is stopped by the floor detection means of the autonomous mobile robot.

  In the autonomous traveling robot and the autonomous traveling robot control system according to the present invention, a floor identification tag is provided in the hatch on each floor where the elevator can be stopped, and the autonomous traveling robot is in the elevator stop floor by the autonomous traveling robot while the autonomous traveling robot is in the elevator. The floor information recorded in the floor identification tag of the stop floor is detected wirelessly. Then, when the stop floor based on the detected floor information coincides with the exit floor based on preset route information, the autonomous traveling robot is dismounted from the elevator. As a result, the autonomous traveling robot can be placed in the same car as a general user at the same time and reliably moved to a desired floor with a simple configuration without any improvement on the elevator control device side, and a predetermined work can be performed. It becomes possible to execute.

It is a schematic block diagram of the control system of the self-propelled cleaning robot which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which illustrated IC tag and ID which were attached to each stop floor of the elevator of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the principal part of the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the floor data table stored in the floor data memory of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the operation control system of the elevator of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the movement operation | movement to the calling floor which is the basic operation | movement of the elevator of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the movement operation | movement to the destination floor which is the basic operation | movement of the elevator of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows schematic operation | movement of the control system of the self-propelled cleaning robot of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a self-propelled cleaning robot will be described as an example of an autonomous traveling robot. However, the present invention is not limited to a self-propelled cleaning robot, and moves to a desired floor of a building using an elevator. The present invention can be applied to various autonomous traveling robots.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a control system for a self-propelled cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. The self-propelled cleaning robot 1 includes a pair of left and right drive wheels 11R and 11L, a front caster 12, and a rear caster 13 at the bottom, and a rotating brush and a blower fan for cleaning (not shown). Moreover, the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 includes a bumper 14 at the front portion and an infrared communication port 15 at the upper portion. Further, in the control system of the present embodiment, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) antenna 16 is provided in front of the self-propelled cleaning robot 1.

  On the other hand, the elevator 100 is provided with an in-car transmission / reception means 111 in the car 101 so as to be communicable with the infrared communication port 15 of the self-propelled cleaning robot 1. Hall transmission / reception means 112 is attached. These in-car transmission / reception means 111 and hall transmission / reception means 112 are connected to an elevator control device 115 for controlling the operation of the elevator 100 via an interface device 113.

  The control system according to the present embodiment further includes an RFID IC tag 116 that is a floor identification tag attached to a hatch on each floor of the elevator 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the floor information (ID) of the attached floor is recorded in advance on the IC tag 116. FIG. 2 shows a case where the IC tags 116 in which IDs “001” to “005” are sequentially recorded are attached to the hatches of the first floor from 1F to 5F of the elevator tower 102. The IC tags 116 on each floor are preferably attached to the inner peripheral side of the hatch boarding entrance / exit frame 103 so that the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 can reliably detect them. Note that the IC tag 116 on each floor can be a passive tag having no battery or an active tag having a battery.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of a main part of the self-propelled cleaning robot 1. The self-propelled cleaning robot 1 includes a CPU 50 that controls the entire operation. The CPU 50 is connected to a cleaning data memory 51 a that stores cleaning data of the self-propelled cleaning robot 1, a floor data memory 51 b that stores floor data of the IC tag 116 on each floor, and a main controller 52. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the floor data memory 51b stores a floor data table in which the IDs and floors recorded in the IC tags 116 of each floor are associated with each other. The cleaning data memory 51a and the floor data memory 51b can be configured by dividing one data memory into areas.

  The main controller 52 includes an input operation panel 53, an autonomous traveling gyroscope 54, a bumper sensor 55 for collision detection, a magnetic sensor 56 and a magnetic mark reader 57 for position detection, and an optical sensor constituting an obstacle sensor. 58, the above-described infrared communication port 15 and the RFID antenna 16 are connected.

  Here, the magnetic sensor 56 for position detection detects a magnetic tape attached to the elevator hall in order to position the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 with respect to the hall door of the elevator hall when getting on and off the elevator. To do. In addition, the magnetic mark reader 57 for position detection is a magnetic mark for positioning that is attached to the elevator hall at a position where it communicates with the hall transmitting / receiving means 112 via the infrared communication port 15 when the elevator 100 gets on the car 101. Is detected.

  The RFID antenna 16 is used for wireless communication with an IC tag 116 provided in a hatch on each floor of the elevator 100. In the control system according to the present embodiment, when the elevator 100 stops and the car door and the hall door open while the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 gets on the elevator 100, the IC tag 116 on the stop floor and the self-propelled The cleaning robot 1 is set to be capable of wireless communication via the antenna 16. Thereby, the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 reads the ID (floor information) recorded on the IC tag 116 by the main controller 52 and the antenna 16 under the control of the CPU 50. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the CPU 50, the main controller 52, and the antenna 16 constitute a floor information detection unit.

  The drive motors 61R and 61L that rotationally drive the left and right drive wheels 11R and 11L for traveling are connected to the battery 63 via corresponding drivers 62R and 62L. Similarly, a brush motor 64 that rotationally drives a rotating brush (not shown) is connected to the battery 63 via a driver 65, and a blower motor 66 that rotationally drives a blower fan (not shown) also includes: It is connected to the battery 63 via a driver 67. These motors are driven and controlled by the CPU 50 through corresponding drivers based on the cleaning data stored in the cleaning data memory 51a. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the CPU 50, the cleaning data memory 51a, and the drivers 62R and 62L constitute motor control means.

  The drive current path between the driver 62R and the drive motor 61R and the drive current path between the driver 62L and the drive motor 61L are normally turned on / off by the electromagnetic solenoid 71 for relay. Closed (normally on) relay switches 72R and 72L are connected. The electromagnetic solenoid 71 is driven and controlled independently of the normal control system by the CPU 50, for example, by an emergency stop button (not shown) provided in the self-propelled cleaning robot 1.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the operation control system of the elevator 100. The elevator 100 is configured such that a car 101 is moved to each floor within a hollow elevator tower 102 as shown in FIG. The car 101 includes an operation unit having a destination floor designation button 121 for designating a destination floor, an open button 122 for opening the car door, a display device 123 indicating information such as the current position of the car 101, and a car door. A car door opening / closing device 124 for opening and closing the vehicle, a sound output device 125 for outputting sound of overloading, a lighting device 126 for illuminating the inside of the car 101, and a user detection sensor 127 for detecting the presence of a user in the car 101. Each is controlled by an elevator control device 115.

  The elevator hall on each floor is provided with a hall call button 128 for calling the car 101, and a hall door opening / closing device 129 for opening and closing the hall door in conjunction with the car door, each controlled by the elevator control device 115. It has become so.

  The self-propelled cleaning robot 1 according to the present embodiment automatically starts operation at the operation start time regardless of whether there is a general user who uses the elevator 100, moves from a storage location, Each of the cleaning floors is cleaned while moving between the cleaning floors using the elevator 100, and when it is detected that the cleaning work of the final cleaning floor has been completed, the operation is stopped by moving to the storage location.

  6 and 7 show the basic operation of the elevator 100 by the elevator control device 115. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the movement operation to the calling floor, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the movement operation to the destination floor. is there.

  In the movement operation to the calling floor, as shown in FIG. 6, the elevator control device 115 determines whether there is a calling floor from the hall transmission / reception means 112 or the landing call button 128 on each floor in the upward or downward traveling direction of the car 101. Whether or not there is a calling floor, the car 101 is moved to the calling floor (step S602). When it is detected that the car 101 has arrived at the calling floor (step S603), the elevator control device 115 resets the calling floor (step S604).

  In addition, in the movement operation to the destination floor, as shown in FIG. 7, the elevator control device 115 uses the in-car transmission / reception means 111 and the destination floor designation button 121 in the car 101 in the traveling direction of the car 101 ascending or descending. Whether there is a designated destination floor is monitored (step S701). If there is a destination floor, the car 101 is moved to the destination floor (step S702). When detecting that the car 101 has arrived at the destination floor (step S703), the elevator control device 115 resets the destination floor (step S704).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a schematic operation of the control system of the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 according to the present embodiment. In the following description, the car door and hall door of the elevator 100 are collectively referred to as an open / close door.

  As described above, the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 drives the drive motors 61R and 61L via the drivers 62R and 62L by the CPU 50 based on the cleaning data stored in the cleaning data memory 51a, and The brush motor 64 and the blower motor 66 are driven via drivers 65 and 67. As a result, while rotating the drive wheels 11R and 11L and moving according to the preset route information, the rotary brush and the blower fan are operated to perform cleaning.

  Then, the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 monitors whether or not there is a movement request by the elevator 100 from the current floor to another floor (step S801). The movement is stopped at a predetermined position of the hall, and the car 101 of the elevator 100 is called by communication with the hall transmission / reception means 112 (step S802).

  Thereafter, when the car 101 arrives and the door is opened, the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 rotates the drive wheels 11R and 11L by the drive motors 61R and 61L, and executes boarding control for boarding the car 101 ( Step S803). When the movement to the predetermined robot stop fixed position in the car 101 is completed, a stop completion signal and destination floor information are transmitted from the infrared communication port 15 to the car transmitting / receiving means 111. This causes the elevator control device 115 to set a destination floor (step S804).

  Thereafter, when the car 101 stops and the open / close door open signal is received from the in-car transmission / reception means 121 via the infrared communication port 15 (step S805), the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 stops via the antenna 16. Wireless communication is performed with the IC tag 116 attached to the boarding entrance / exit frame 103 on the floor, and the ID recorded in the IC tag 116 is acquired (step S806).

  Then, the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 detects the current stop floor based on the acquired ID (floor information) and the floor data table shown in FIG. 2 stored in the floor data memory 51b. It is determined whether or not the stop floor of the destination coincides with the destination floor (step S807). As a result, when they match, the drive wheels 11R and 11L are rotated by the drive motors 61R and 61L, and the getting-off control for getting off the car 101 to the current stop floor is executed (step S808). The process proceeds to step S805 to prepare for reception of the next opening / closing door opening signal.

  As described above, according to the control system according to the present embodiment, the IC tag 116 is provided in the hatch on each floor where the elevator 100 can be stopped without any improvement on the elevator control device side, and the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 The self-propelled cleaning robot 1 can collate the desired destination floor with the stop floor of the elevator 100 with a simple configuration in which a communication function with the IC tag 116 is provided. Thereby, even when a general user uses the elevator 100 while the self-propelled cleaning robot 1 is moving by the elevator 100, it is possible to prevent the passenger from getting off at a floor other than the destination floor by mistake. Therefore, it is possible to get on the same car as a general user at the same time and move to a desired floor to perform a predetermined cleaning operation with certainty. Moreover, in the control system according to the present embodiment, the IC tag 116 on each floor is attached to the inner peripheral side of the hatch-side entrance / exit frame 103 of the hatch, so that the IC tag 116 can be more reliably secured when the door of the elevator 100 is open. Can be detected.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of invention. For example, in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the floor data memory 51b storing the floor data table is provided, and the floor corresponding to the ID detected from the IC tag 116 of each floor is identified from the floor data table. Although the comparison is made with the desired destination floor, the ID detected from the IC tag 116 and the desired destination floor information can be directly compared without providing the floor data table.

1 Self-propelled cleaning robot (self-propelled traveling robot)
11R, 11L Driving wheel 16 Antenna (floor information detecting means)
50 CPU (floor information detection means, motor control means)
51a Cleaning data memory (motor control means)
51b Floor data memory 52 Main controller (floor information detection means)
62R, 62L driver (motor control means)
100 Elevator 101 Car 103 Ride side entrance frame 115 Elevator control device 116 IC tag (floor identification tag)

Claims (3)

A drive motor for rotationally driving the drive wheels;
Motor control means for controlling the driving of the driving motor so as to move in accordance with preset route information;
Floor information detecting means for wirelessly detecting floor information for identifying each floor recorded in a floor identification tag provided in a hatch of each floor where the elevator can be stopped;
When the motor control means coincides with the stop floor based on the floor information detected by the floor information detection means when the elevator is in a stopped state, and the getting-off floor based on the preset route information. An autonomous traveling robot, wherein the driving motor is driven to get off the elevator. An autonomous traveling robot control system comprising: a drive motor for rotationally driving a drive wheel; and a motor control means for controlling the drive of the drive motor so as to move according to preset route information,
A floor identification tag provided on a hatch of each floor where the elevator can be stopped, in which floor information for identifying each floor is recorded,
Floor information detection means provided on the autonomous mobile robot and wirelessly detecting the floor information recorded in the floor identification tag,
The motor control means is based on the stop floor based on the floor information detected by the floor information detection means when the autonomous traveling robot is on the elevator and the elevator information is stopped, and the preset route information. An autonomous traveling robot control system that drives the driving motor to dismount the autonomous traveling robot from the elevator when the getting-off floor matches.   The autonomous traveling robot control system according to claim 2, wherein the floor identification tag is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the hatch side entrance / exit frame of the hatch.

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