JP2012161901A - Communication robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a variety of communications adaptable to an environment crowded with people.SOLUTION: A communication robot 10 includes a density database and is disposed in a variety of environments coexisting with the people to execute a variety of communication behaviors. Associated with each of divided environmental areas, the density database stores density acceptable values in the respective areas. When the communication robot 10 executes the communication behavior, the robot acquires its own present location and a present density of an area containing the present location. Then, the robot determines whether the density of the area containing the present location is equal to or higher than the acceptable value associated with the area, and controls execution of the communication behavior according to a result of determination.

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication robot, and more particularly to a communication robot disposed in an environment where people coexist, for example.

  In recent years, communication robots that are arranged in an environment where people coexist and provide communication behaviors (services) such as guidance and customer attraction to people are being developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional guide robot.

The guidance robot of Patent Document 1 includes image analysis means, analyzes an image received from a camera arranged in a store, detects a person who passes each checkpoint, and counts the number of persons passing. Then, the check point with the least number of people passing through is extracted as a guidance (guidance) destination, and the entrance of the passage connected to the guidance destination is set as the placement destination of the guidance robot.
JP 2008-132568 A [G05D 1/2]

  However, the technology of Patent Document 1 is a technology that dynamically arranges robots according to the crowded situation of the sales floor and guides the shoppers to the place where they are rinsing from there. Since the reaction situation is not taken into consideration, as a result, there is a concern that the guidance behavior of the robot may interfere with the behavior of surrounding people.

  Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a novel communication robot.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a communication robot that can execute a communication action without disturbing the surrounding people.

  The present invention employs the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. Note that reference numerals in parentheses, supplementary explanations, and the like indicate correspondence relationships with embodiments described later to help understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention in any way.

  A first invention is a communication robot that is arranged in an environment where people coexist and is capable of performing communication behavior with a person using at least one of body motion and voice, and the environment is set in one or a plurality of areas. A density storage means for storing an allowable value of the density of people in the area in association with each area, a current location acquisition means for acquiring current location information indicating the current location, and a current location acquired by the current location acquisition means Based on the information, the density acquisition means for acquiring the current density of the area including the current location, and the density storage means, and the current density of the area including the current location acquired by the density acquisition means Communication means according to the determination result of the first determination means and the first determination means for determining whether or not is greater than or equal to an allowable value corresponding to the area. Comprising a first action control means for controlling the execution of the emission behavior is communication robot.

  In the first invention, the communication robot (10) is an interaction-oriented robot that performs a communication action with a person using body movements and speech, and is arranged in various environments coexisting with a person. Move autonomously in the environment and perform various communication actions such as reception and guidance. The communication robot includes a density storage unit (88), and the density storage unit stores an allowable value of the density in association with each of the areas into which the environment is divided into one or more. In the embodiment, the allowable value of the density is determined according to the maximum value of the number of visitors in each area, which is measured in advance. The communication robot also includes current location acquisition means (62, 66, 84, 210, S3) and density acquisition means (62, 66, 84, 210, S5). The present location is acquired by the means, and the density of the area including the current location is acquired by the density acquisition means. In the embodiment, the current density of each area is detected by using the position detection system (100) or the like. Then, the first determination means (62, 66, 88, 214, S9, S11) determines whether or not the density of the area including the current location is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and according to the determination result, Execution of communication behavior is controlled by behavior control means (26, 62, 66, 68, 220, S35).

  According to the first invention, it is possible to execute a communication action while confirming the surrounding congestion situation of the person, so that even in an environment where people come and go around, the action of surrounding people is hindered. Communication behavior can be executed without any problems.

  The second invention is dependent on the first invention, and when the first action control means determines that the current density of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value by the first determination means, First action stopping means for stopping execution, and first action executing means for executing a communication action as it is at the current location when the current density of the area including the current location is determined to be less than the allowable value by the first determining means. including.

  In the second invention, the action control means (26, 62, 66, 68, 220, S35) is the first action stop means (62, 66, 222, S21) and the first action execution means (62, 66, 212). , S19). Then, when it is determined that the density of the area including the current location is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the first behavior stopping unit performs control so as to stop the communication behavior being executed. Further, when it is determined that the density of the area including the current location is less than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the first behavior executing unit performs control so that the communication behavior is executed as it is at the current location.

  The third invention is dependent on the second invention, and when the first determination means determines that the current density of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value, at least each of the density storage means stored in the density storage means The system further comprises first area selection means for selecting another area from areas around the area including the current location based on the allowable value of the area, and the first action control means is configured to communicate with the first action stop means. After the execution of is stopped, it further includes second action executing means for moving toward another area selected by the first area selecting means and restarting the communication action in the area.

  In the third invention, the communication robot (10) includes first area selecting means (62, 66, 218, 226, S25). The first area selecting means, when the first determining means (62, 66, 88, 214, S9, S11) determines that the density of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value corresponding to the area, For example, another area is selected from the areas around the area including the current location based on the allowable value of each area stored in the density storage means (88). The behavior control means (26, 62, 66, 68, 220, S35) is a second behavior execution means (26, 62, 66, 68, 224) after the first area selection means selects another area. , S27, S29), the communication robot is controlled to move toward another area and resume the communication action in that area.

  A fourth invention is dependent on the third invention, and the first area selecting means selects an area having the highest tolerance of the density from the areas around the area including the current location.

  In the fourth invention, the first area selecting means (62, 66, 218, 226, S25) refers to the permissible value of each area stored in the density storage means (88) and includes the current location. The area with the highest density tolerance is selected from the surrounding areas.

  The fifth invention is dependent on the first invention and is based on the current location information acquired by the current location acquisition means and the flow rate storage means for storing the allowable value of the human flow rate in the area in association with each of the areas. When the flow rate acquisition means for acquiring the current flow rate of the area including the current location and the first determination means determine that the current congestion level of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value, the flow rate storage is performed. Means for further determining whether or not the current flow rate of the area including the current location acquired by the flow rate acquisition unit is greater than or equal to an allowable value corresponding to the area; The means is a second action stop means for stopping the execution of the communication action when the second determination means determines that the current flow rate of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value. And when the current flow of the area including the current position by the second determining means is determined to be smaller than the allowable value, a third action executing means for executing the communication action as is the current location.

  In the fifth invention, the communication robot (10) is provided with a flow rate storage means (90), and the flow rate storage means is associated with each of the areas into which the environment is divided into one or a plurality of areas. The allowable value is stored. In the embodiment, the allowable value of the flow rate is determined according to the maximum value of the staying number of people in each area, which is measured in advance. In addition, the communication robot includes flow rate acquisition means (62, 66, 84, 210, S7), and when moving, acquires the current flow rate of the area including the current location by the flow degree acquisition means. . In the embodiment, the current flow rate of each area is detected by using the position detection system (100) or the like. The communication robot determines the second determination when the first determination means (62, 66, 88, 214, S9, S11) determines that the density of the area including the current location is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area. By means (62, 66, 90, 216, S15, S17), it is determined whether or not the flow rate of the area including the current location is equal to or larger than the allowable value corresponding to the area. Then, when it is determined that the flow rate of the area including the current location is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the communication robot (10) is executed by the second action stopping means (62, 66, 222, S21). Control to stop the communication behavior. Further, when it is determined that the flow rate of the area including the current location is less than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the communication robot communicates with the current location as it is by the third action execution means (62, 66, 212, S19). Control to perform an action.

  The sixth invention is dependent on the fifth invention, and when the second determination means determines that the current flow rate of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value, at least each of the density storage means stored in the density storage means The system further comprises second area selecting means for selecting another area from areas around the area including the current location based on the allowable value of the area, and the first action control means uses the second action stop means to perform communication behavior. After the execution of is stopped, a fourth action executing means for moving toward another area selected by the second area selecting means and restarting the communication action in the area is further included.

  In the sixth invention, the communication robot (10) includes second area selecting means (62, 66, 218, 226, S25). When the second area selecting unit determines that the second determining unit (62, 66, 90, 216, S15, S17) has a flow rate of an area including the current location equal to or greater than a permissible value corresponding to the area, For example, another area is selected from the areas around the area including the current location based on the allowable value of each area stored in the density storage means (88). Then, the behavior control means (26, 62, 66, 68, 220, S35) is the fourth behavior execution means (26, 62, 66, 68, 224) after the second area selection means selects another area. , S27, S29), the communication robot is controlled to move toward another area and resume the communication action in that area.

  A seventh invention is dependent on the sixth invention, and the second area selecting means selects an area having the highest allowable value of density from the areas around the area including the current location.

  In the seventh invention, the second area selecting means (62, 66, 218, 226, S25) refers to the permissible value of each area stored in the density storage means (88) and includes the current location. The area with the highest density tolerance is selected from the surrounding areas.

  An eighth invention is a communication robot that is arranged in an environment where people coexist and can perform communication behavior with a person using at least one of body motion and voice, and the environment is set in one or more areas. Classifying and associating with each of the areas, a flow rate storage means for storing an allowable value of the flow rate of the person in the area, a current location acquisition means for acquiring current location information indicating the current location of the current location, and a current location acquired by the current location acquisition means Based on the information, the flow rate acquisition means for acquiring the current flow rate of the area including the current location, and the flow rate storage means, and the current flow rate of the area including the current location acquired by the flow rate acquisition means Communication means according to the determination result of the third determination means and the third determination means for determining whether or not is greater than or equal to an allowable value corresponding to the area. A second action control means for controlling the execution of the emission behavior is communication robot.

  In the eighth invention, the communication robot (10) is arranged in various environments coexisting with humans, autonomously moves in the environment, and executes various communication actions such as reception and route guidance. The communication robot includes a flow rate storage unit (90), and the flow rate storage unit stores an allowable value of the flow rate in association with each of the areas into which the environment is divided into one or more. The communication robot also includes current location acquisition means (62, 66, 84, 210) and flow rate acquisition means (62, 66, 210). When moving, the communication robot determines its current location by the current location acquisition means. In addition to the acquisition, the flow rate of the area including the current location is acquired by the flow rate acquisition means. Then, the third determining means (62, 66, 90, 216) determines whether or not the flow rate of the area including the current location is equal to or larger than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and the action control means ( 26, 62, 66, 68, 220), the execution of the communication action is controlled.

  According to the eighth aspect, the same effect as in the first aspect is obtained.

  According to the present invention, it is determined whether the density or flow rate of the area including the current location is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and the execution of the communication action is controlled according to the determination result. It becomes possible to execute communication behavior without disturbing the surrounding people.

  The above object, other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

It is an illustration figure which shows a mode that the communication robot of one Example of this invention moves the environment where a person coexists. It is an illustration figure which shows a mode that the external appearance of the communication robot of FIG. 1 was seen from the front. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the communication robot of FIG. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of a mode that divided the environment where a communication robot is arrange | positioned into several areas. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the table showing the correspondence of each area memorize | stored in a congestion degree database, and the allowable value of a congestion degree. It is an illustration figure which shows an example of the table showing the correspondence of each area memorize | stored in a flow rate database, and the allowable value of a flow rate. (A) is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the position detection system, and (B) is an illustrative view schematically showing an environment in which the position detection system is applied. (A) is an illustrative view showing an example of an area around an area including the current location of the communication robot, and (B) shows how the communication robot moves to another area selected from the surrounding areas. It is an illustration figure shown. FIG. 3 is an illustrative view showing one example of a memory map of the memory shown in FIG. 2. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the whole process which CPU shown in FIG. 3 performs. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the communication action execution process of FIG.

  Referring to FIG. 1, a communication robot (hereinafter simply referred to as “robot”) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an interaction-oriented system that executes a communication action with a person using body movements and speech. This robot is placed in various environments (places) that coexist with people such as event venues and streets. There are multiple people in the environment. Then, the robot 10 autonomously moves in such an environment and executes various communication actions such as reception and guidance.

  FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the robot 10. The hardware configuration of the robot 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The robot 10 includes a carriage 20, and two wheels 22 and one slave wheel 24 that autonomously move the robot 10 are provided on the lower surface of the carriage 20. The two wheels 22 are independently driven by a wheel motor 26 (see FIG. 3), and can move the robot 10 in any direction, front, back, left, and right. The slave wheel 24 is an auxiliary wheel that assists the wheel 22. Thus, the robot 10 can move freely within the environment in which it is placed. However, the movement mechanism of the robot 10 is not limited to the wheel type, and a known movement mechanism can be appropriately employed. For example, a biped walking type movement mechanism can also be employed.

  A cylindrical sensor mounting panel 28 is provided on the carriage 20, and an infrared distance sensor 30 is mounted on the sensor mounting panel 28. The infrared distance sensor 30 measures the distance between the robot 10 and a surrounding object (such as a person or an obstacle).

  Further, the body 32 is provided on the sensor mounting panel 28 so as to stand upright. The above-described infrared distance sensor 30 is further provided on the front center upper portion of the body 32 (a position corresponding to the chest). This measures the distance to the person mainly in front of the robot 10. The body 32 is provided with one omnidirectional camera 34. The omnidirectional camera 34 is provided, for example, on a support column 36 extending from substantially the center of the upper end on the back side. The omnidirectional camera 34 captures the surroundings of the robot 10 and is distinguished from an eye camera 60 described later. As this omnidirectional camera 34, for example, a camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or a CMOS can be adopted. In addition, the installation positions of the infrared distance sensor 30 and the omnidirectional camera 34 are not limited to the portions, and can be changed as appropriate.

  Upper arms 40R and 40L are provided by shoulder joints 38R and 38L, respectively, at upper end portions (positions corresponding to shoulders) on both side surfaces of the body 32. Although illustration is omitted, each of the shoulder joints 38R and 38L has three orthogonal degrees of freedom. That is, the shoulder joint 38R can control the angle of the upper arm 40R around each of the three orthogonal axes. A certain axis (yaw axis) of the shoulder joint 38R is an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the upper arm 40R, and the other two axes (pitch axis and roll axis) are axes orthogonal to each other from different directions. Similarly, the shoulder joint 38L can control the angle of the upper arm 40L around each of the three orthogonal axes. A certain axis (yaw axis) of the shoulder joint 38L is an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the upper arm 40L, and the other two axes (pitch axis and roll axis) are axes orthogonal to each other from different directions.

  Further, forearms 44R and 44L are provided at the tips of the upper arms 40R and 40L via elbow joints 42R and 42L, respectively. Although illustration is omitted, each of the elbow joints 42R and 42L has one degree of freedom, and the angle of the forearms 44R and 44L can be controlled around the axis (pitch axis).

At the tip of each of the forearms 44R and 44L, spheres 46R and 46L corresponding to the hands
Are fixedly provided. However, if a finger or palm function is required, a “hand” in the shape of a human hand can be used.

  Although illustration is omitted, a contact sensor (FIG. 3) is provided on each of the front surface of the carriage 20, a portion corresponding to the shoulder including the shoulder joints 38R and 38L, the upper arms 40R and 40L, the forearms 44R and 44L, and the spheres 46R and 46L. Is comprehensively shown as a contact sensor 48.). The contact sensor 48 on the front surface of the carriage 20 detects contact of a person or another obstacle to the carriage 20. Therefore, if there is contact with an obstacle while the robot 10 is moving, it can be detected, and the driving of the wheel 22 can be immediately stopped to suddenly stop the movement of the robot 10. The other contact sensors 48 mainly detect whether or not a person has touched each part of the robot 10. The installation position of the contact sensor 48 is not limited to these, and may be provided at an appropriate position (chest, abdomen, side, back, waist, etc.).

  A neck joint 50 is provided at the upper center of the body 32 (a position corresponding to the neck), and a head 52 is further provided thereon. Although illustration is omitted, the neck joint 50 has a degree of freedom of three axes, and the angle can be controlled around each of the three axes. A certain axis (yaw axis) is an axis directed directly above (vertically upward) of the robot 10, and the other two axes (pitch axis and roll axis) are axes orthogonal to each other in different directions.

  The head 52 is provided with a speaker 54 at a position corresponding to the mouth. The speaker 54 is used for the robot 10 to communicate with people around it by voice or sound. Further, microphones 56R and 56L are provided at positions corresponding to the ears. Hereinafter, the microphone 56R corresponding to the right ear and the microphone 56L corresponding to the left ear may be collectively referred to as “microphone 56”. The microphone 56 captures ambient sounds, particularly a voice of a person who is a target of communication. Further, eyeball portions 58R and 58L are provided at positions corresponding to the eyes. Eyeball portions 58R and 58L include eye cameras 60R and 60L, respectively. Hereinafter, the right eyeball portion 58R and the left eyeball portion 58L may be collectively referred to as “eyeball portion 58”, and the right eye camera 60R and the left eye camera 60L are collectively referred to as “eye camera 60”. Sometimes.

  The eye camera 60 captures a human face approaching the robot 10, other parts or objects, and captures a corresponding video signal. As the eye camera 60, a camera similar to the omnidirectional camera 34 described above can be used. For example, the eye camera 60 is fixed in the eyeball part 58, and the eyeball part 58 is attached to a predetermined position in the head 52 via an eyeball support part (not shown). Although illustration is omitted, the eyeball support portion has two degrees of freedom, and the angle can be controlled around each of these axes. For example, one of the two axes is an axis (yaw axis) in a direction toward the top of the head 52, and the other is orthogonal to one axis and the direction in which the front side (face) of the head 52 faces. It is an axis (pitch axis) in the direction to be. By rotating the eyeball support portion around each of these two axes, the tip (front) side of the eyeball portion 58 or the eye camera 60 is displaced, and the camera axis, that is, the line-of-sight direction is moved. The installation positions of the speaker 54, the microphone 56, and the eye camera 60 described above are not limited to these, and may be provided at appropriate positions.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the robot 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the robot 10 includes a CPU 62 that controls the whole. The CPU 62 is also called a microcomputer or a processor, and is connected to the memory 66, the motor control board 68, the sensor input / output board 70, the audio input / output board 72, and the like via the bus 64.

  Although not shown, the memory 66 includes a ROM, an HDD, and a RAM. As will be described later in detail, a storage area 202 and a temporary storage area 204 as shown in FIG. 9 are realized by these.

  The motor control board 68 is configured by, for example, a DSP, and controls driving of motors of the axes such as the arms, the neck joint 50, and the eyeball unit 58. That is, the motor control board 68 receives two control data from the CPU 62 and controls two motors for controlling the respective angles of the two axes of the right eyeball portion 58R (collectively, “right eyeball motor” in FIG. 3) 74. Control the rotation angle. Similarly, the motor control board 68 receives control data from the CPU 62, and controls two angles of the two axes of the left eyeball part 58L (in FIG. 3, collectively referred to as “left eyeball motor”). The rotation angle of 76 is controlled.

  The motor control board 68 receives control data from the CPU 62, and includes three motors for controlling the angles of the three orthogonal axes of the right shoulder joint 38R and one motor for controlling the angle of the right elbow joint 42R. The rotation angles of a total of four motors 78 (collectively referred to as “right arm motor” in FIG. 3) 78 are adjusted. Similarly, the motor control board 68 receives control data from the CPU 62 and includes three motors for controlling the angles of the three orthogonal axes of the left shoulder joint 38L and one motor for controlling the angle of the left elbow joint 42L. The rotation angles of a total of four motors (collectively referred to as “left arm motor” in FIG. 3) 80 are adjusted.

  Furthermore, the motor control board 68 receives the control data from the CPU 62 and controls three motors for controlling the angles of the three orthogonal axes of the neck joint 50 (in FIG. 3, collectively referred to as “head motors”). The rotation angle of 82 is controlled. Furthermore, the motor control board 68 receives control data from the CPU 62 and controls the rotation angle of two motors 26 (hereinafter collectively referred to as “wheel motors”) 26 that drive the wheels 22.

  In this embodiment, stepping motors or pulse motors are used for the motors other than the wheel motor 26 in order to simplify the control. However, as with the wheel motor 26, a DC motor may be used.

  Similarly, the sensor input / output board 70 is also configured by a DSP, and takes in signals from each sensor and gives them to the CPU 62. That is, data relating to the reflection time from each of the infrared distance sensors 30 is input to the CPU 62 through the sensor input / output board 70. The video signal from the omnidirectional camera 34 is input to the CPU 62 after being subjected to predetermined processing by the sensor input / output board 70 as necessary. Similarly, the video signal from the eye camera 60 is also input to the CPU 62. Further, signals from the plurality of contact sensors 48 described above are given to the CPU 62 via the sensor input / output board 70.

  Similarly, the voice input / output board 72 is also configured by a DSP, and a voice or voice according to voice synthesis data provided from the CPU 62 is output from the speaker 54. Also, the voice input from the microphone 56 is taken into the CPU 62 via the voice input / output board 56.

The CPU 62 is connected to the communication LAN board 84 via the bus 64. The communication LAN board 84 is constituted by a DSP, gives transmission data sent from the CPU 62 to the wireless communication device 86, and transmits the transmission data from the wireless communication device 86 to an external computer via a network such as a wireless LAN. . The communication LAN board 84 receives data via the wireless communication device 86 and gives the received data to the CPU 62. That is, the communication LAN board 84 and the wireless communication device 86 allow the robot 10 to perform wireless communication with an external computer (for example, the position detection system 100).

  Further, the CPU 62 is connected to the density database (DB) 88 and the flow degree DB 90 via the bus 64. As will be described later in detail, the density DB 88 stores an allowable value of the density (person / m 2) indicating the degree of gathering of people in association with each area. Further, as will be described in detail later, the flow degree DB 90 stores a permissible value of a flow degree (person / m 2) indicating the flow of people in association with each area.

  As described above, the robot 10 having such a configuration is arranged in an environment where people coexist, and autonomously moves in the environment to execute various communication actions. When executing the communication action, the map data stored in the memory 66 and the information transmitted from the built-in sensor or the sensor installed in the environment (for example, the position detection system 100) are referred to. Execute communication behavior while grasping the current location (current coordinates).

  Here, if a robot performs communication behavior in an environment where people coexist, surrounding people are affected by a considerable amount. For example, when a robot performs a communication action, people other than the target of the communication action may gather around the robot, but this phenomenon of people gathering around the robot There is no problem in a place where there is almost no inflow of people, but in places where there are many people or where there is a significant inflow of people, the actions of surrounding people will be hindered.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the environment in which the robot 10 is arranged (that is, the moving area of the robot 10) is divided (divided) into a plurality of areas so that the robot 10 can perform communication behavior so as not to interfere with surrounding people. Then, in association with each of the areas, an allowable value indicating an allowable range (limit) of the degree of gathering and the flow of people is stored in advance.

  In addition, as the information indicating the degree of gathering of people, for example, the density (person / m 2) obtained by measuring how many people are staying in the area per unit area is used. In addition, as information indicating the flow of people, for example, a value obtained by subtracting the total number of people who have come out from the total number of people who entered the area during a predetermined time (for example, 10 seconds) (number of people inflow-number of people outflow; That is, the flow rate (person / m 2) obtained by measuring the number of people staying) per unit area is used.

  Then, the robot 10 determines whether the density or flow rate of the area including its current location is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and controls the execution of the communication action according to the determination result. ing. This will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of how the environment in which the robot 10 is arranged is divided into a plurality of areas. In this environment, a portion surrounded by grid lines (broken lines) indicates one area, and the environment is divided into 53 areas from A1 to A53. The map data including information regarding such an area is represented by, for example, an XY two-dimensional plane coordinate system and is stored in the memory 66 as described above.

  It should be noted that the manner of classification of the environment in which the robot 10 is arranged, that is, the size, number, and shape of the area is appropriately set according to the environment to be applied, the service provided by the robot 10, and the like. In this embodiment, as an example, the areas from A1 to A41, A43 to A47, and A49 to A52 are divided into squares of about 5m x 5m and the areas of A42, A48, and A53 are indefinite shapes. It is divided. Such an environment classification may be set manually by the developer or administrator of the robot 10 in detail, or may be automatically set using a k-means method or the like.

  In an environment divided into a plurality of areas as described above, for example, before placing the robot 10 (that is, in a situation where the robot 10 is not present), a predetermined time per unit area of each area for several hours to several days. The number of staying persons is measured, and the maximum number of staying persons for each area is stored in the congestion degree DB 88 as an allowable value of the congestion degree (person / m2) in association with each area.

  Similarly, before the robot 10 is placed, the number of people staying per unit area of each area is measured for a predetermined time of several hours to several days, and the number of people staying in each area is correlated with each area. The maximum value is stored in the flow rate DB 90 as an allowable value of the flow rate (person / m 2).

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a table representing a correspondence relationship between each area and the allowable value of the density, which is stored in the density DB 88. Referring to FIG. 5, the allowable density value of area A1 is set to 1 (person / m2), and the allowable density value of area A2 is set to 2.2 (person / m2). It can be seen that the permissible value of the density is set to 0.3 (person / m 2).

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a table representing the correspondence relationship between each area and the allowable value of the flow rate, which is stored in the flow rate DB 90. Referring to FIG. 6, the allowable value of the flow rate in the area A1 is set to 0.8 (person / m2), the allowable value of the flow rate in the area A2 is set to 1.5 (person / m2), It can be seen that the allowable value of the flow rate in the area A3 is set to 0.1 (person / m 2).

  When measuring the density and flow rate for each area, for example, the position detection system 100 using an environmental sensor such as a laser range finder (LRF) can be used. Hereinafter, the position detection system 100 will be described. However, details of the position detection of a moving object using the LRF are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-168578 filed earlier by the present inventors. I want.

  Referring to FIG. 6, the position detection system 100 includes a general-purpose computer 102 and a plurality of LRFs 104 installed in the environment so that measurement areas are overlapped with each other. The position of a moving object (that is, the robot 10 or a person) existing inside is detected.

  The LRF 104 is a sensor that measures the distance to the object from the time it takes to irradiate the laser and reflect back to the object. For example, the laser irradiated from the transmitter is reflected by a rotating mirror and the front is fan-shaped. Scan at a fixed angle. As LRF104, LRF (model LMS 200) manufactured by SICK, LRF (model UTM-30LX) manufactured by HOKYUYO, or the like can be used.

  In the position detection system 100, the computer 102 estimates a change in the current position of a person using a particle filter based on the output (distance data) from the LRF 104. For example, when scanned by the LRF 104, visible areas where no people are present, shadow areas where people are present, and human edges are detected. Further, particles are evenly distributed in the virtual space corresponding to the real space, and the likelihood is obtained for each LRF 104. Furthermore, each particle is updated by integrating the likelihood for each LRF 104. Then, a change in the current position of the person is estimated by each updated particle. The likelihood is a constant value in the visible area, and is the sum of the constant value and the likelihood of the edge in the shadow area. Based on the change of the current position estimated in this way, the current number of staying people and staying number of people for each area are obtained. Then, for example, by calculating the current number of people staying and the number of people staying in each area per unit area, the density and flow rate of each area are calculated.

  However, in the above-described position detection system 100, the position of a moving object (that is, the robot 10 or a person) is detected using the LRF 104, but an ultrasonic distance sensor, a millimeter wave radar, or the like is used instead of the LRF 104. The position of the moving object may be detected. In addition, a wireless ID tag reader, a floor sensor, a ceiling camera, and the like installed in the environment can be used as appropriate.

  Returning to the description of the robot 10, when the robot 10 executes the communication action, the robot 10 determines the density and flow rate of the area (current area) including its current location at regular time intervals (for example, 60 seconds). get. When it is determined that the density of the current area is less than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the communication action is executed as it is in the current area.

  On the other hand, when the robot 10 determines that the density of the current area is greater than or equal to the allowable value corresponding to the area, the robot 10 further determines whether or not the flow rate of the current area is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area. To do. For example, when it is determined that the flow rate of the current area is less than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the communication action is executed as it is at the current location.

  In addition, when it is determined that the flow rate of the current area is equal to or greater than the permissible value corresponding to the area, the execution of the communication action is temporarily stopped, and other areas are selected from the surrounding areas under the predetermined condition. select. As used herein, the “surrounding area” refers to, for example, a range that can be seen by the robot 10, specifically, an area that is included in a range having a radius of about 5 m around the robot 10. Show. Then, after selecting another area from the surrounding areas, as shown in FIG. 8B, the robot moves toward the area and resumes communication behavior within the area.

  Next, the operation of the robot 10 will be described using a flowchart. The robot 10 executes the entire process according to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Referring to FIG. 7, for example, when a service to be provided by robot 10 occurs (that is, when robot 10 executes a communication action), CPU 62 starts this entire process.

  Note that a program corresponding to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10 and 11 is stored in the memory 66 of the robot 10. Here, FIG. 9 is an illustrative view showing one example of a memory map 200 of the memory 66 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a storage area 202 and a temporary storage area 204 are formed in the memory 66. In the storage area 202, a communication control program 210, an action execution program 212, a congestion degree determination program 214, a flow degree determination A program 216, an area selection program 218, an action control program 220, map information 226, and the like are stored. The communication control program 210 is a communication program for the robot 10 to transmit / receive necessary information to / from an external computer (for example, the position detection system 100) via a network. The action execution program 212 is a program or data for the robot 10 to execute communication with a person. The density determination program 214 is a program, data, or the like for determining whether the density of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or greater than an allowable value corresponding to the area. The flow degree determination program 216 is a program, data, or the like that determines whether or not the flow degree of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or greater than an allowable value corresponding to the area. The area selection program 218 is a program, data, or the like for selecting another area from areas around the current area of the robot 10. The behavior control program 220 is a program for controlling execution and stop of the communication behavior of the robot 10 based on the density and flow rate of the current area of the robot 10. Action stop program 222 for controlling to stop communication action based on the determination results of programs 214 and 216, and action restart program for controlling to resume communication action by moving to the area selected by area selection program 220 224 is included. Further, the map information 226 is map data of an environment including area information obtained by dividing the environment to be arranged into a plurality of areas.

  The temporary storage area 204 is provided with a current position data buffer 230, a congestion data buffer 232, a flow rate data buffer 234, and an allowable value data buffer 236. The position data buffer 130 is information received (acquired) from the position detection system 100 and is a buffer for temporarily storing current position information indicating the current position of the robot 10. The density data buffer 232 is a buffer for temporarily storing information indicating the density of the current area of the robot 10 received (acquired) from the position detection system 100. The flow rate data buffer 234 is a buffer for temporarily storing information indicating the flow rate of the current area of the robot 10 received (acquired) from the position detection system 100. The allowable value data buffer 236 is a buffer for temporarily storing information indicating the allowable value of the density read from the density DB 88 and information indicating the allowable value of the flow degree read from the flow degree DB 90.

  Now, as shown in FIG. 10, when the robot 10 (the CPU 62) starts the whole process, in step S1, it determines whether or not to end the whole process. Here, it is determined whether or not a series of services (communication behavior) has been completed, for example, by arriving at the destination, or whether a stop command has been issued from an external computer or the like.

  If “YES” in the step S1, that is, if a series of services are ended, an ending process is executed in a succeeding step S3, and the entire process is ended. In this end process, each part of the body of the robot 10 may be returned to the home position.

  On the other hand, if “NO” in the step S1, the process proceeds to a step S5. In step S5, current location information indicating the current location is acquired. Specifically, referring to the map information 226 stored in the memory 66 and information transmitted from a built-in sensor or a sensor installed in the environment (for example, the position detection system 100), its current location (current coordinates) Is calculated.

  In the subsequent step S7, the current density and flow rate of the area (current area) including the current location of the robot 10 is acquired. Here, in the position detection system 100, an area (current area) that includes the current location of the robot 10 based on the map data of the environment including the area information divided into a plurality of areas and the current coordinates of the robot 10. , And the density and flow rate of the current area are measured and transmitted to the robot 10 via the network. Therefore, in step S <b> 7, the CPU 62 refers to the information transmitted from the position detection system 100 and acquires the density and flow rate of the current area of the robot 10. These data are temporarily stored in the density data buffer 232 (FIG. 9) or the flow degree data buffer 234 (FIG. 9) of the memory 22. It should be noted that such a density and flow rate acquisition operation can be executed once every 60 seconds, for example, as described above.

  In step S9, an allowable value corresponding to the current area of the robot 10 is read from the density DB 88. In step S11, it is determined whether or not the density of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area. to decide.

  If “YES” in the step S11, that is, if the density of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or larger than an allowable value corresponding to the area, the process proceeds to a step S13, and a communication action control process (FIG. 11) is performed in a step S13. Start).

  On the other hand, if “NO” in the step S11, that is, if the density of the current area of the robot 10 is less than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the process proceeds to a step S15. In step S15, an allowable value corresponding to the current area of the robot 10 is read from the flow rate DB 88. In step S17, it is determined whether or not the flow rate of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area. to decide.

  If “YES” in the step S17, that is, if the flow rate of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or larger than the allowable value of the flow rate corresponding to the area, the process proceeds to a step S13, and a communication action control process is performed in the step S13. (See FIG. 11).

  On the other hand, if “NO” in the step S17, that is, if the flow rate of the current area of the robot 10 is less than the allowable value of the flow rate corresponding to the area, the process proceeds to a step S19.

  Next, in step S19, control is performed so that the robot 10 executes the communication action as it is at the current location, and the process returns to step S1, and in step S1, it is repeatedly determined whether or not to end the entire process.

  FIG. 11 shows communication behavior control processing in step S13 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the server 12 starts the communication behavior control process, in step S21, the server 12 controls the robot 10 to stop the communication behavior currently being executed.

  In step S23, the robot 10 is controlled to execute a predetermined communication action. As an example, the predetermined communication behavior may be set, for example, to say “I will move a little because it is full”. Specifically, the execution information corresponding to the predetermined communication action is read from the action execution program 212 of the memory 66, and the execution information is transmitted to the voice input / output board 110. Control is performed so that the voice or voice saying “yo” is output from the speaker 54.

  Next, in step S25, another area is selected from areas around the current area of the robot 10 under predetermined conditions. In this embodiment, an area having the highest allowable value is selected from the areas around the current area of the robot 10 with reference to the density DB 88.

  In the following step S27, the area is moved to the area selected in step S25. Here, with reference to the map information 226 stored in the memory 66, the coordinates (x, y) of the area selected in step S25 are transmitted to the motor control board 68 and moved to that area (that is, the area) Guide people around to the area).

  When step S27 is completed, that is, when it arrives at the area selected in step S25, for example, “I've got it” is spoken, and in step S29, the communication behavior stopped in step S21 is resumed. Here, instead of restarting the stopped communication action, the communication action may be executed again from the beginning. And it returns to step S1 of FIG. 10, and it is repeatedly determined by step S1 whether the whole process is complete | finished.

  As described above, in this embodiment, permissible values of the density and the flow rate are set in advance in association with each of the areas into which the environment is divided. Then, when executing the communication action, the robot 10 determines whether the density or flow rate of the area including its current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value corresponding to the area, and the communication action is determined according to the determination result. Controls execution and stoppage.

  That is, according to this embodiment, since it becomes possible for the robot 10 to execute a communication action while confirming the congestion situation around itself in real time, even in an environment where people go around, Communication behavior can be carried out without interfering with the behavior of other people.

  In the above-described embodiment, the number of people staying in each area is measured for a certain period in the absence of the robot 10, and the maximum number of people staying per unit area for each area is set as an allowable value of the density (person / m2). However, it need not be limited to this. Instead of the maximum number of visitors per unit area per area, a ± 3α (so-called 99% value) when the average value of the number of visitors per unit area in a certain area is a and the standard deviation is α May be adopted as an allowable value of the density in the area.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the density of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or larger than the allowable value corresponding to the area, the robot 10 has the highest allowable density value among the surrounding areas. The other high area was selected, moved to that area, and resumed the communication behavior, but it is not necessary to be limited to this.

  For example, if a threshold value is set in advance for the density tolerance value and the density tolerance value exceeds the threshold value, instead of the density tolerance value or in addition to the density tolerance value, The area may be selected in consideration of the distance from the current location to the area (that is, the movement distance).

  In addition, information that stores the priority in the area in association with each area is stored in a table or the like, and when the allowable value of the congestion exceeds the threshold, the allowable value of the congestion is substituted. Alternatively, the area may be selected in consideration of the priority table data in addition to the tolerance value of the density. For example, if the operator wants to guide customers to an area far from the entrance, for example when the environment is a shopping mall, set a high priority for the area far from the entrance and For example, a low priority may be set for a nearby area.

  Furthermore, when the tolerance value of the density exceeds the threshold value, the activity status of the other robots 10 existing in the environment is determined instead of or in addition to the tolerance value of the density. You may make it select an area in consideration. As an example, for example, if the operator wishes to place the robots 10 in separate areas, it may be set so that the robots 10 move to areas in directions away from each other.

  In any of the above, it goes without saying that an allowable value of the flow rate may be adopted instead of the allowable value of the density or in addition to the allowable value of the density.

  In the above-described embodiment, after the robot 10 stops executing the communication action, the robot 10 selects another area from the area around the current area and moves to resume the communication action in that area. It is not necessary to be limited to. After stopping the execution of the communication action, it is possible to wait in the current area as it is, and to resume the communication action when the density or flow rate of the area becomes less than the allowable value. In this case, before stopping the execution of the communication action, it is preferable that the robot 10 utters “Because it is full, I will suspend it”.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the robot 10 first determines whether or not the density of its current area is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and then the flow rate of the current area is Judgment is made on whether or not the value is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and finally the execution of the communication action is stopped when it is determined that the flow rate of the current area is equal to or larger than the allowable value corresponding to the area. However, it need not be limited to this.

  For example, first, it is determined whether or not the flow rate of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and then the congestion level of the current area is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area. When it is determined whether or not the density of the current area is finally greater than or equal to an allowable value corresponding to the area, the execution of the communication action may be stopped.

  Further, when it is determined whether the density of the current area of the robot 10 is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and it is determined that the density of the current area is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area. The execution of the communication action may be stopped.

  Further, when it is determined whether or not the flow rate of the current location area of the robot 10 is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area, and it is determined that the flow rate of the current area is equal to or greater than the allowable value corresponding to the area. The execution of the communication action may be stopped.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the computer 102 of the position detection system 100 specifies the current area of the robot 10 based on the map data and the current coordinates of the robot 10, and the density and flow rate of the current area. Was measured. And although the robot 10 acquired the congestion degree of its own current area by referring the information transmitted from the position detection system 100, it does not need to be limited to this.

  The current area specifying process as described above may be performed on the robot 10 side. In addition, once the robot 10 acquires the current density of all areas from the position detection system 100 and temporarily stores it in the density data buffer 232 (FIG. 9) of the memory 66, the robot 10 itself The density of the current area may be extracted based on the current coordinates.

  Note that the specific numerical values such as the time and distance described above are merely examples, and can be changed as appropriate.

10 ... Communication robot 62 ... CPU
66 ... Memory 88 ... Congestion database 90 ... Flow rate database 100 ... Position detection system 102 ... Computer 104 ... Laser range finder

Claims (8)

A communication robot that is arranged in an environment that coexists with humans and that can perform communication behaviors with humans using at least one of body movement and voice,
A density storage unit that divides the environment into one or a plurality of areas, and associates each of the areas with each other to store an allowable value of a person's congestion in the area;
Current location acquisition means for acquiring current location information indicating its current location,
Based on the current location information acquired by the current location acquisition unit, the density acquisition unit acquires the current density of an area including the current location, and the density acquisition unit refers to the density storage unit. First determination means for determining whether or not a current density of an area including the current location is equal to or greater than an allowable value corresponding to the area;
A communication robot comprising first action control means for controlling execution of a communication action according to a judgment result of the first judgment means. The first action control means includes
A first action stopping means for stopping execution of a communication action when the first determination means determines that a current congestion degree of an area including the current position is equal to or greater than an allowable value; and The communication robot according to claim 1, further comprising: a first action execution unit that executes a communication action at the current location as it is when it is determined that the current congestion degree of an area including is less than an allowable value. When the first determination unit determines that the current density of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value, the current location is determined based on at least the allowable value of each area stored in the congestion storage unit. A first area selecting means for selecting another area from an area around the included area;
The first action control means stops execution of the communication action by the first action stop means, then moves toward another area selected by the first area selection means, and resumes the communication action in the area. The communication robot according to claim 2, further comprising second action executing means.   The communication robot according to claim 3, wherein the first area selection unit selects an area having the highest tolerance value of density from areas around the area including the current location. In association with each of the areas, a flow rate storage means for storing an allowable value of the flow rate of the person in the area,
Based on the current location information acquired by the current location acquisition unit, a flow rate acquisition unit that acquires a current flow rate of the area including the current location, and a current congestion level of the area that includes the current location by the first determination unit If the current flow rate of the area including the current location acquired by the flow rate acquisition unit is greater than or equal to the allowable value corresponding to the area, with reference to the flow rate storage unit A second judging means for judging whether or not,
The first action control means includes
A second action stopping means for stopping execution of a communication action when the second determining means determines that the current flow rate of the area including the current position is greater than or equal to an allowable value; and The communication robot according to claim 1, further comprising: third action executing means for executing a communication action at the current location as it is when it is determined that the current flow rate of an area including is less than an allowable value. When it is determined by the second determination means that the current flow rate of the area including the current location is greater than or equal to an allowable value, the current location is determined based on at least the allowable value of each area stored in the congestion storage means. A second area selecting means for selecting another area from the areas around the included area;
The first action control means stops execution of the communication action by the second action stop means, then moves to another area selected by the second area selection means, and resumes the communication action in that area. The communication robot according to claim 5, further comprising a fourth action executing unit.   The communication robot according to claim 6, wherein the second area selecting unit selects an area having the highest tolerance value of congestion from areas around the area including the current location. A communication robot that is arranged in an environment that coexists with humans and that can perform communication behaviors with humans using at least one of body movement and voice,
A flow rate storage means for dividing the environment into one or a plurality of areas and associating with each of the areas, and storing an allowable value of the flow rate of people in the area;
Current location acquisition means for acquiring current location information indicating its current location,
Based on the current location information acquired by the current location acquisition unit, the flow rate acquisition unit acquires the current flow rate of the area including the current location, and the flow rate storage unit acquires the flow rate acquisition unit. Third determining means for determining whether or not the current flow rate of the area including the current location is equal to or greater than an allowable value corresponding to the area;
A communication robot comprising second action control means for controlling execution of a communication action according to a judgment result of the third judgment means.

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