JP2011224679A - Reaction robot, reaction control method, and reaction control program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To properly control an approaching behavior of a robot to a human body according to the movement of the human body.SOLUTION: The robot travels autonomously and reacts to a human body. The robot includes: a human body detector 23 for detecting a position and movement of the human body; a human body route predictor 24 for predicting a traveling route of the human body based on the information detected by the human body detector 23 and also altering a travelling route thereof in response to a change in the travelling direction of the human body; a robot route generator 25 for generating a travelling route along which the robot approaches the human body so as to allow the robot to react based on the traveling route of the human body; an intersection supposition part 26 for supposing an intersection of the traveling route of the human body and the traveling route of the robot; a determiner 27 for determining whether the intersection exists within an reacting area where the robot is movable; and a stopping device 28 for stopping movement for a reaction when the intersection is out of the reacting area.

Description

  The present invention relates to control of a robot that moves autonomously and responds to a person.

  In recent years, autonomous control robots that respond to visitors such as greetings, guidance, explanations, and guidance have been developed in facilities such as exhibition halls and corporate buildings. In such a robot, if there is a visitor, whether to perform the response action on the visitor, whether to perform an action to approach the visitor, and what route to approach It is necessary to determine whether to move the vehicle.

  Patent Document 1 is a robot that autonomously drives a travel unit to move to a guidance destination and guides a guided person to the guidance destination, and includes an input / output unit that inputs the guidance destination, and a route generation to the guidance destination A configuration comprising a control unit for controlling traveling according to the walking state of the guided person, comprising: a detecting unit for detecting a traveling state; is doing.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an autonomously traveling guidance robot for guiding a visitor in a facility, first position detection means for detecting the position of the guidance robot, and detecting the position of the visitor and transmitting it to the guidance robot. A system is disclosed that includes second position detection means, a position specifying unit that specifies a relative distance between the guide robot and the visitor, and a travel control unit that controls the travel of the guide robot by the relative distance.

  Patent Document 3 is a robot control device that generates a movable path while recognizing a movable range by autonomous movement of a robot, and detects a direction angle of a person existing in front of the robot in time series. A configuration is disclosed in which a robot walks along a movement, and a person walks along a basic route to teach the route.

  Patent Document 4 is a method of creating a movement path of an autonomous mobile body that reaches a movement end point from a movement start point existing in a movement region, calculating a future position of the movement obstacle, and calculating the calculated movement obstacle A configuration is disclosed in which a forbidden area is calculated based on the future position and the movement route is created so as to avoid the forbidden area.

  FIG. 9 illustrates the operation of the conventional response robot 101. The response robot 101 detects the presence, position, and movement speed Vh of the person 102 based on the peripheral information acquired by various sensors. When the moving speed Vh of the person 102 is equal to or lower than the threshold value, the execution of the response action is determined and the approach to the person 102 is started. By such processing, it becomes possible to perform the response action only on the person 102 who is walking slowly or stopping.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-340764 Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-066745 JP 2006-185438 A JP 2008-152600 A

  However, according to the process shown in FIG. 9, if the movement speed Vh of the person 102 is low, the person 102 is moving in a direction away from the response robot 101 as shown in the figure. However, there are cases where a response action including the approach is performed. In such a case, since the person 102 is often not interested in the response robot 101 or does not want to make contact, an unfavorable situation may occur. Further, since the moving distance of the response robot 101 becomes unnecessarily long, there is room for improvement in terms of safety, energy consumption, and the like.

  Therefore, the present invention includes an object of enabling a robot to appropriately control the movement of approaching a person according to the movement of the person.

  One aspect of the present invention is a robot that autonomously moves and responds to a person, based on human detection means that detects the position and movement of the person, and information detected by the person detection means A human route predicting means for predicting the moving route of the person and correcting the moving route according to a change in the moving direction of the person, and the robot for performing the response action based on the moving route of the person A robot path generation means for generating a movement path for approaching the person, an intersection assumption means for assuming an intersection of the movement path of the person and the movement path of the robot, and an available area where the robot can move And determining means for determining whether or not the intersection exists, and stopping means for stopping movement for the response action when the intersection is out of the available area.

  According to the said aspect, the movement path | route of the said person and the movement path | route of the said robot are estimated, and these intersections are assumed. And the change of the said intersection accompanying the change of the said person's moving direction is monitored, and the movement (approach to the said person) accompanying the said response action is stopped when the said intersection remove | deviates from the said area | region which can respond.

  Further, the human route prediction means assumes a movement path of the person by a linear equation based on at least the position and movement direction of the person, and the robot path generation means generates a straight line based on the self position of the robot and the linear equation. It is preferable that a straight line connecting the upper point is the moving path of the robot.

  Further, it is preferable that the robot path generation means sets a path including the intersection point where the arrival times from the positions of the person and the robot are equal as the movement path of the robot.

  Further, it is preferable that an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle is further provided, and the stop unit stops the movement for the response action when the intersection point corresponds to the position of the obstacle.

  It is preferable that the apparatus further includes an area setting unit that determines to perform the response action only when the moving speed of the person is equal to or less than a threshold, and sets the available area.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a response method using a robot that moves autonomously and performs a response action on a person, the step of detecting the position and movement of the person, and the position and movement of the person. For predicting the movement path of the person based on the information about, for correcting the movement path according to a change in the movement direction of the person, and for performing the response action based on the movement path of the person A step of generating a movement path for the robot to approach the person, and an intersection of the movement path of the person and the movement path of the robot, and the position of the intersection according to a change in the movement direction of the person. , A step of determining whether or not the intersection exists in an available area where the robot can move, and the intersection when the intersection is out of the available area In which and a step of stopping the movement for for action.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a response control program for controlling a robot that moves autonomously and performs a response action on a person. The computer controls the person based on information collected by a predetermined sensor. A process of detecting the position and movement of the person, a process of predicting the movement path of the person based on information on the position and movement of the person, and a process of correcting the movement path according to a change in the movement direction of the person. Suppose that the robot generates a movement path for approaching the person to perform the response action based on the movement path of the person, and an intersection of the movement path of the person and the movement path of the robot A process of correcting the position of the intersection according to a change in the direction of movement of the person, a process of determining whether or not the intersection exists in an available area where the robot can move, Serial intersection is one which executes the process of stopping the movement for the answering behavior when deviated from the spoken region.

  According to the present invention, the approaching action to the person accompanying the response action is appropriately controlled in response to a change in the movement direction of the person. For example, even after the robot starts the approaching operation, the approaching action is stopped if the moving direction of the person changes in a direction away from the robot. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent problems such as continuing the approaching action to the person who is not interested in the robot, and to improve safety, energy saving, and the like.

It is a figure which shows the functional structure of the response robot which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of movement processing in the response robot according to the first embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the relationship between the response robot and the person who is moving. It is a figure which illustrates the situation where prediction of a person's movement path | route, the setting of an intersection, and the movement path | route of a robot are produced | generated. The robot position corresponding to FIG. 4, the position of the person, the distance from the robot position to the intersection, the distance from the person position to the intersection, the movement speed of the robot, the movement speed of the person, the arrival time from the robot position to the intersection It is a graph which illustrates the arrival time from a person's position to an intersection. It is a figure which illustrates the case where a person's moving direction changes so that an intersection may enter into a region which can respond. It is a figure which illustrates the case where a person's moving direction changes so that an intersection may remove | deviate from an available area. It is a figure which illustrates the case where an intersection corresponds to the position where an obstacle exists. It is a figure which illustrates operation | movement of the conventional reception robot.

Embodiment 1
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a functional configuration of a response robot (hereinafter abbreviated as a robot) 1 according to the present embodiment. The robot 1 has a function of autonomously moving in a predetermined area and performing response actions such as greetings, guidance, explanations, etc. to persons existing in the area. Since the present invention allows various forms for the movement mechanism and the response behavior of the robot 1, they are not mentioned here. The robot 1 according to the present embodiment includes a microcomputer 10, a drive unit 11, an output unit 12, a manipulator 13, a sensor 14, and the like.

  The drive unit 11 corresponds to a unit including wheels, a motor and the like if it is a vehicle type robot, and corresponds to a mechanism including a plurality of joint mechanisms, motors, actuators and the like if it is a walking type robot.

  The output unit 12 corresponds to a speaker, a display, and the like, and in the present embodiment, has a role of generating sound, video, and the like accompanying the response action.

  The manipulator 13 is a part corresponding to the arm of the robot 1, and in this embodiment, has a role of performing various expressions such as instructions and guidance accompanying the response action.

  The sensor 14 acquires information on the position and movement of a person, an obstacle, etc. existing in the area. Any known sensor can be used as long as it can acquire the above information. In particular, a laser range sensor is suitable for mounting on the robot 1. The laser range sensor collects data relating to the time until the surroundings are irradiated with a laser and the reflected waves are received. Based on this data, it becomes possible to recognize the distance from the sensor to the object, the shape characteristics of the object, and the like.

  The microcomputer 10 is a control unit including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, an input / output port, and the like, and performs arithmetic processing according to a control program stored inside and outside. The microcomputer 10 according to the present embodiment includes, as a functional configuration, a movement control unit 21, a response action control unit 22, a human detection unit 23, a human route prediction unit 24, a robot route generation unit 25, an intersection assumption unit 26, A determination unit 27 and a stop unit 28 are included.

  The human detection unit 23 detects the position and movement of an object (a person, an obstacle, a guidance target, etc.) existing in the region based on the data acquired by the sensor 14. For example, the object is a person by analyzing the shape characteristic of the object from the data acquired by the laser range sensor and comparing the analysis result with the shape characteristic of the person stored in the memory. Whether or not can be detected. Similarly, the obstacle, the guidance object, and the like can be detected. In addition, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the object can be detected based on the change over time of the data acquired by the laser range sensor. Although an example using the laser range sensor is shown here, the present invention is not limited to this, and the same detection can be performed by using, for example, an imaging device, image analysis processing, or the like. is there.

  The human route prediction unit 24 predicts the movement route of the person based on information detected by the human detection unit 23. The movement path of the person can be predicted based on the position and movement direction of the object recognized as a person by the person detection unit 23. In addition, the human route prediction unit 24 corrects the moving route as needed according to a change in the moving direction of the person.

  The robot path generation unit 25 moves the robot 1 closer to the person in order to perform the response action based on the self-position of the robot 1 and the movement path predicted or corrected by the human path prediction unit 24. Generate a travel route. The generation process of the movement route of the robot 1 is performed by assuming a route that intersects the movement route of the person based on the movement ability of the robot 1.

  The intersection assumption unit 26 assumes an intersection between the movement route predicted or corrected by the human route prediction unit 24 and the movement route generated by the robot route generation unit 25. Such an intersection can be assumed by setting a plane coordinate in the area and expressing the movement path of the person and the movement path of the robot 1 as a straight line or a curve on the plane coordinate.

  The determination unit 27 determines whether or not the intersection exists in an available area where the robot 1 can move. The available area can be set on the basis of information such as the robot's own position, movement capability, type of response action, presence of the obstacle, and presence / absence of the guidance target. Moreover, it is preferable to determine whether or not the available area is set according to the moving speed of the target person. Thereby, for example, it is possible to prevent the response behavior from being performed on a running person or the like.

  When the determination unit 27 determines that the intersection has deviated from the available area, the stop unit 28 moves for the response action of the robot 1, that is, an action of approaching an object recognized as the person. Stop.

  With the above configuration, even after the robot 1 starts to approach the person to perform the response action, the robot 1 continues or stops moving according to a change in the movement direction of the person. Can be determined appropriately.

  FIG. 2 exemplifies the flow of movement processing in the robot 1. First, in step S101, the human detection unit 23 performs the detection process based on the data acquired by the sensor 14, and in step S102, it is determined whether or not there is a person around the robot 1. If it is determined in step S102 that it does not exist (N), the process returns to step S101. If it is determined that it exists (Y), in step S103, the position, moving speed, and moving direction of the person. Is detected (S103).

  Next, in step S104, it is determined whether or not the movement speed of the person is equal to or less than a threshold value. If it is determined that the movement speed is not equal to or less than the threshold value (N), the process returns to step S101. That is, when the person is moving at high speed, the response action is not performed. If it is determined in step S104 that the moving speed is equal to or lower than the threshold value (Y), the available area is set in step S105.

  FIG. 3 illustrates the relationship between the robot 1 and the moving person 30. In this example, the robot 1 is located at coordinates (Xr, Yr) when the region is regarded as XY plane coordinates, and the person 30 is located at coordinates (Xh, Yh). The person 30 is moving at a moving speed Vh. The moving speed Vh is information including the moving direction. When | Vh | is equal to or less than the threshold value, the robot 1 attempts to perform the response action on the person 30 and sets the available area A. The available area A according to this example is a circular area having a radius R from the coordinates (Xr, Yr). The radius R can be determined based on a moving capability including the moving speed Vr of the robot 1. In the same figure, an intersection P between the movement path of the person 30 and the movement path of the robot 1 is shown as a position (Xi, Yi).

  Next, in step S106 shown in FIG. 2, the movement path of the person 30 is predicted or corrected. In step S107, the movement path of the robot 1 is generated. In step S108, the movement path of the person 30 and the robot 1 are generated. The intersection point with the movement path is assumed or corrected. FIG. 4 illustrates the prediction of the movement path of the person 30, the setting of the intersection point, and the generation of the movement path of the robot 1. 5 shows the position (Xr, Yr) of the robot 1 corresponding to FIG. 4, the position (Xh, Yh) of the person 30, and the distance Dr from the position of the robot 1 to the intersection (Xi, Yi). The distance Dh from the position of the person 30 to the intersection (Xi, Yi), the movement speed Vr of the robot 1, the movement speed Vh of the person 30, and the position of the robot 1 to the intersection (Xi, Yi) The arrival time Tr and the arrival time Th from the position of the person 30 to the intersection (Xi, Yi) are shown.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the movement path of the person 30 can be represented by a linear equation on the XY coordinate axes set in the area. This linear equation can be assumed based on the position and moving direction of the person 30 at a certain moment. The person 30 according to this example changes the point on the XY coordinate axis with time (1,10) → (2,9) → (3,8) → (4,7) → (5,6 ) And is expected to move. The movement path of the robot 1 can be expressed by a linear equation or a quadratic or higher equation that intersects with the linear equation. Here, a primary case is shown. The movement path of the robot 1 can be generated based on the arrival times Tr and Th until the robot 1 and the person 30 reach each point (Xh, Yh) on the movement path of the person. The arrival times Tr and Th can be obtained by referring to the moving speed Vr of the robot 1 and the moving speed Vh of the person. In the present embodiment, a point (Xh, Yh) where the both arrival times Tr and Th are equal (or the difference is the smallest) is included in the movement path of the robot 1. That is, in the example shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the path passing through the self-position (1, 4) and the point (4, 7) of the robot 1 is the movement path of the robot 1. The point (4, 7) becomes the intersection at this point, but is corrected as needed by changing a linear equation indicating the movement path of the person according to a change in the movement direction of the person.

  Next, in step S109 shown in FIG. 2, it is determined whether or not the intersection exists in the available area. If it is determined in step S109 that it exists (Y), the movement for performing the response action is executed in step S110, and if it is determined that it does not exist (N), the movement is performed in step S111. Stop moving to perform a response action.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a case where the moving direction of the person 30 is changed so that the intersection point P enters the available area A. In such a case, the robot 1 continues to move toward the corrected intersection P ′.

  FIG. 7 illustrates a case where the moving direction of the person 30 changes so that the intersection point P deviates from the available area A. In such a case, the robot 1 stops moving toward the corrected intersection P ′.

  FIG. 8 illustrates a case where the intersection P between the movement path of the person 30 and the movement path of the robot 1 corresponds to the position where the obstacle 40 exists. In such a case, it is preferable that the robot 1 does not set the available area A. As a result, the intersection P does not exist in the available area A, and the robot 1 can stop moving toward the intersection P.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, whether or not the response action is possible is determined in accordance with not only the movement speed of the person 30 but also the change in the movement direction. As a result, even if the movement speed of the person 30 is a sufficiently slow movement suitable for performing the response action, if the movement direction of the person 30 is changed in a direction away from the robot 1, The moving operation for the response action is stopped. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the robot 1 approaches the person 30 who is not interested.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, a means for detecting a person or the like, a means for assuming the movement path of the person, a means for generating a movement path of the robot, a means for assuming the intersection, and stopping of the robot are determined. The means and the like are all constructed using the microcomputer 1 of the robot 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various sensors, server systems, and wireless communication systems installed in the area. It is also possible to construct using such as.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Response robot 10 Microcomputer 11 Drive part 12 Output part 13 Manipulator 14 Sensor 21 Movement control part 22 Response action control part 23 Human detection part 24 Human path | route prediction part 25 Robot path | route production | generation part 26 Intersection assumption part 27 Judgment part 28 Stop part 30 Person 40 Obstacle A Available area P Intersection

Claims (7)

A robot that moves autonomously and responds to people,
Human detection means for detecting the position and movement of the person;
Predicting the movement path of the person based on the information detected by the person detection means, and correcting the movement path according to a change in the movement direction of the person;
Robot path generation means for generating a movement path for the robot to approach the person in order to perform the response action based on the movement path of the person;
Intersection assumption means for assuming an intersection of the movement path of the person and the movement path of the robot;
Determining means for determining whether or not the intersection exists in an available area where the robot can move;
Stop means for stopping movement for the response action when the intersection is out of the available area;
A response robot with The human route prediction means assumes a movement path of the person by a linear equation based on at least the position and movement direction of the person,
The robot path generation means uses a straight line connecting the robot's own position and a point on the straight line according to the linear equation as a movement path of the robot.
The response robot according to claim 1. The robot path generation means uses a path including the intersection point where the arrival times from the positions of the person and the robot are equal as the movement path of the robot.
The response robot according to claim 1 or 2. It further includes an obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle,
The stopping means stops the movement for the response action when the intersection point corresponds to the position of the obstacle;
The response robot according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An area setting means for determining to perform the response action only when the movement speed of the person is equal to or less than a threshold, and setting the available area;
The response robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A response control method for controlling a robot that moves autonomously and performs a response action on a person,
Detecting the position and movement of the person based on data from a sensor that acquires information around the robot;
Predicting the movement path of the person based on information on the position and movement of the person;
Modifying the movement path in response to a change in the direction of movement of the person;
Generating a movement path for the robot to approach the person to perform the response action based on the movement path of the person;
Assuming an intersection of the movement path of the person and the movement path of the robot, and correcting the position of the intersection according to a change in the movement direction of the person;
Determining whether the intersection exists in an available area where the robot can move; and
Stopping the movement for the response action when the intersection is out of the available area;
A response control method comprising: A response control program for controlling a robot that moves autonomously and performs a response action on a person,
On the computer,
Processing for detecting the position and movement of the person based on data from a sensor that acquires information around the robot;
A process of predicting the movement path of the person based on information on the position and movement of the person;
A process of correcting the movement route according to a change in the movement direction of the person;
Generating a movement path for the robot to approach the person in order to perform the response action based on the movement path of the person;
Assuming an intersection between the person's movement path and the robot's movement path, and correcting the position of the intersection according to a change in the person's movement direction;
A process of determining whether or not the intersection exists in an available area where the robot can move;
A process of stopping movement for the response action when the intersection is out of the available area;
A response control program that executes

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