JP2016192040A - Self-propelled traveling device, management device, and walking obstacle place determination system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically detect a place to be an obstacle to walking, such as a step or a slope in a house, and notify residents of the place so that the residents can learn an environment for walking in the house or in a nursing facility.SOLUTION: A self-propelled traveling device 10 comprises: means that acquires or create a floor plan in a room; position detection means 12 that detects the position of the device in the room; obstacle detection means 21 that detects an obstacle likely to be an obstacle to walking in the room; imaging means 17 that photographs an image of the surroundings during self-propelled traveling; obstacle information storage means 14 that stores a photographed image photographed by the imaging means 17 and information on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means together with date and time information; and traffic line acquisition means 13 that acquires a traffic line of residents in the room. The obstacle detection means 21 detects an obstacle likely to be an obstacle to walking in the room, particularly on the surroundings of the acquired traffic line.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a self-propelled traveling device, a management device, and a walking obstacle location determination system.

  It is known that human beings have a base of life, and the average purchase age of the home is in their 30s. However, homes purchased at an early age may become increasingly difficult to live as they age, or as their family structure changes. For example, entrances that have no problems at the time of purchase, steps on sills, slopes of stairs, etc., increase the risk of falls as residents become older. This is the same not only for individual houses but also for nursing homes, nursing homes, etc. that have been built in the past, because the staff cannot always monitor them.

  Currently, it is said that there are three types of senior citizens (seniors). They are healthy and active as well as the active generation (called active seniors), elderly people in need of care, and healthy. It is divided into elderly people (including gap seniors, including elderly people in “need to be in need of support”) who may be in a state requiring care. Of these, gap seniors are expected to account for more than 40% of the total elderly, an estimated 10 million. In particular, the cause of the deterioration of the health condition of gap seniors is most often due to falls. For example, over 500,000 elderly people who were urgently transported to hospitals for five years from 2006 to 2011. Accounting for 79% of the total.

  Therefore, for residents, especially gap seniors, etc., a place where there is a risk of falling or crawling in a house or in a nursing facility or nursing home, etc. It is necessary to keep track of the location, or the location where there is no problem at present, but where there is a possibility that the risk will occur in the future (hereinafter referred to as “careful point” or “walking obstacle location”). Yes, it is desirable to take measures in advance for the location. Ideally, it is conceivable to renovate the current residence or the facility that is currently used in a barrier-free manner, but full renovation requires a large amount of cost.

  On the other hand, in public institutions that support the lives of elderly people, or real estate companies that propose renovation to customers, there is a possibility that the elderly, such as the houses where the residents currently live, may become obstacles during walking. It is necessary to investigate a certain place (walking obstacle part) and convey the degree of danger to residents. However, it takes a lot of time and cost to investigate one residence and one facility.

  By the way, nowadays, an automatic traveling robot and an automatic cleaning robot that can travel in a room are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a distance sensor that measures the distance between a floor surface in front of the moving body and the moving body is provided on the moving body that includes traveling wheels, and the front floor surface and the moving body that are measured by the same distance sensor are provided. The technology of an autonomous mobile robot provided with a detecting means for detecting a step on the front floor surface by comparing the distance between the predetermined distance and a predetermined distance between the floor surface and the moving main body is disclosed. This autonomous mobile robot is provided with a moving amount measuring means in the moving body, and when the deviation between the measured distance from the front floor and the set distance continuously exceeds the reference amount, the moving amount measuring means sets the same reference amount. The movement distance after exceeding is measured, and when the movement distance exceeds the reference movement amount, it is determined that traveling is impossible and the moving main body is stopped.

  If the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied, the automatic traveling robot, when detecting a step or a slope in front of the travel route, recognizes the height, width, or slope of the step, thereby reducing the level difference. Or, if the groove has a narrow width, it is possible to travel.

JP 2006-146376 A

  Using the technology of automatic robots as described above, walking obstacles such as steps are automatically detected and notified to residents of the house and their watchers, facility users and their managers, etc. Providing a mechanism for continuously grasping the walking environment in the future can increase the safety of walking in houses and facilities, and also greatly reduce the time and cost problems required for the above survey. There is a possibility.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in view of the above-mentioned problems, as part of services that support the life of gap seniors, etc., it automatically detects walking obstacles such as steps and slopes in the residence and notifies the resident etc. An object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled traveling device, a management device, and a walking obstacle location determination system capable of grasping the walking environment. In this specification, a house or a facility such as a nursing home or a nursing home is collectively referred to as a “resident”, and a resident of the house or a user of the facility is collectively referred to as a “resident”.

  In order to solve the above problems, the self-propelled traveling device, the management device, and the walking obstacle location determination system of the present invention provide the following solution.

  A self-propelled traveling device that automatically travels in a room, the means for acquiring or generating the floor plan data in the room, and the obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle that may become a walking obstacle in the room An image pickup means for picking up an image of surroundings during automatic traveling; an obstacle for recording the picked-up image picked up by the image pickup means and information on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means together with date information and position information; An information storage means, and a flow line acquisition means for acquiring a flow line of a resident, wherein the obstacle detection means is an obstacle that may become the walking obstacle around the acquired flow line. It is characterized by detecting.

  Further, the flow line acquisition means detects the resident's flow line by tracking the movement route of the resident for a certain period.

  The image processing apparatus may further include an image generation unit configured to generate an image in which the position of the obstacle is superimposed on the floor plan of the room.

  The obstacle detection means includes an aerial obstacle determination means, and the aerial obstacle determination means determines an object located within a predetermined height range as an aerial obstacle from an image of the object acquired during traveling. It is characterized by.

  The obstacle detection means includes a contact detection sensor, and detects the air obstacle by the contact detection sensor during traveling.

  Further, the obstacle detection means searches for the same place in the room by different movements a plurality of times.

  In addition, the self-propelled traveling device includes voice dialogue means, and when the obstacle detection means finds a new obstacle, it notifies the resident or the watcher by voice.

  Further, the obstacle detection means includes obstacle determination means, the obstacle determination means acquires the resident characteristic information from the voice dialogue means, and based on the characteristic information, the obstacle determination means This is characterized in that a determination criterion is set.

  In addition, the image processing apparatus may further include an image projecting unit configured to project an image in which the position of the obstacle is superimposed on the indoor floor plan generated by the image generating unit on the indoor wall surface.

  Further, the self-propelled traveling device has obstacle confirmation means for allowing a resident or a watcher to confirm the obstacle information stored in the obstacle information storage means, and as a result of the confirmation, there is no problem. The obstacle information is deleted from the obstacle information storage means.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the management device is connected to a self-propelled traveling device that automatically travels indoors through a network, and notifies a walking obstacle location in the room, and is generated by the self-propelled traveling device. Acquire indoor floor plan data, flow line information of the occupants in the room, and obstacle information that may become a walking obstacle in the room, and at least a place that may become a walking obstacle A confirmation table generating means for generating a walking obstacle location confirmation table including information on the traffic frequency and the type thereof, and a means for transmitting information set in the walking obstacle location confirmation table to a predetermined terminal. And

  In another aspect of the present invention, a walking obstacle location comprising: a self-propelled traveling device that automatically travels indoors; and a management device that communicates wirelessly with the self-propelled traveling device and notifies a walking obstacle location in the room. In the determination system, the self-propelled traveling device includes an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle that may become a walking obstacle in the room, an imaging unit that captures an image of surroundings during automatic traveling, An obstacle information collection unit that collects the captured image captured by the imaging unit and the information of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit together with date information and position information, and obtains a flow line of the resident in the room A flow line acquisition means that performs the above-mentioned floor plan data generated by the self-propelled traveling device, the flow line information of the resident, and the walking obstacle Obstacle Confirmation table generating means for acquiring physical information by communication and generating a walking obstacle location confirmation table including at least the traffic frequency of the location that may cause the walking obstacle and the type thereof as information, and the walking obstacle location confirmation Means for transmitting information set in the table.

  According to the present invention, a self-propelled traveling device, a management device, and a self-propelled traveling device that can automatically detect walking obstacles such as steps and slopes in a residence and notify a resident or the like to grasp the walking environment in the residence, and A walking obstacle location determination system can be provided.

It is an image figure of the walking obstacle location determination system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure quoted in order to demonstrate the method to acquire a resident's flow line. It is a figure which shows an example of the external appearance of the self-propelled traveling apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows another example of the external appearance of the self-propelled traveling apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the walking disorder location determination system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure memorize | stored in the walking disorder location information DB of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure memorize | stored in confirmation table DB of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the self-propelled traveling device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which detects the flow line of FIG. 8 by flow line learning mode. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing operation of the management apparatus from preparation of an indoor walking obstacle location confirmation table to opening. It is a figure which shows an example which displays a walking disorder location confirmation screen. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which displays a floor plan. It is a figure which shows the functional block of another structure of a self-propelled traveling apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as this embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the same numbers or symbols are assigned to the same elements throughout the description of the embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is an image diagram of a walking obstacle location determination system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the above system will be referred to as “the present system”. Here, the “walking obstacle part” means a part (for example, a step, an inclination, a slippery floor or staircase, a protruding furniture, etc.) that may hinder indoor walking.

  This system includes a self-propelled traveling device that automatically travels indoors, and a management device that wirelessly communicates with the self-propelled traveling device to determine a walking obstacle location in the room. The management device (management server) communicates wirelessly with the self-propelled traveling device, receives and processes various data detected by the self-propelled traveling device, and changes the contents as necessary to the resident or the second Notify the three parties.

  FIG. 1 shows an image of a self-propelled traveling device brought into a nursing facility or a nursing home moving around in a house and detecting various “care points” existing in the house. Moreover, FIG. 2 is a figure quoted in order to explain a method for acquiring a resident's flow line. “Hidden point” refers to steps and slopes on the floor, steep stairs and slippery floors, darkness, places with extremely high or very low temperature differences, and other objects and environments that may cause walking problems. Means. For example, this figure shows a state in which a traveling self-propelled traveling device detects a resident's flow line and searches for a “careful point” in the residence along the detected flow line. .

  First, a self-propelled traveling device acquires a flow line of a resident who moves in a residence. First, the self-propelled traveling device circulates in the room, detects the shape (outline) of each room in the room, and determines a reference point that serves as a reference for the position in the room (hereinafter, the room shape and the reference point Including room information). For example, the start position when the self-propelled traveling device is turned on may be set as the reference point, or the position where the battery of the self-propelled traveling device is charged may be used as the reference point. If the floor plan of the residence already exists, the floor plan data may be acquired from a resident or a third party (for example, a facility management company) without detecting the shape of the room. By doing so, the self-propelled traveling device generates the shape of the entire residence, or acquires a floor plan of the entire residence as shown in FIG. 2A and stores it in the built-in storage device. And register it in the database of the management device

  Then, the self-propelled traveling device tracks the movement routes of a plurality of residents for a certain period of time by a sensor and a camera built in the self-propelled traveling device, and learns the flow lines of the residents. It has a mode (flow line learning mode) for transmitting the flow line information to the management apparatus. As a result, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), in the database of the management device, the result of the self-propelled traveling device detecting the flow line of the resident is a floor plan (in this example, a multipurpose hall and a garden are shown). ). For example, it is assumed that a certain resident often spends most of his / her daily life around the living table from the TV area in the multipurpose hall. In that case, the periphery of the living table is registered as the flow line of the resident from the periphery of the television, and the walking obstacle location is determined around the periphery. As a flow line acquisition method, a resident can input directly separately from the detection in the flow line learning mode. For example, a floor plan may be displayed on the screen of the terminal, and the movement line may be acquired by tracing the movement route with a mouse or a finger.

  The self-propelled traveling device circulates around the house around the acquired flow line (including the flow line input by humans and the flow line automatically detected by the flow line learning mode), and is a sensor built in the device. And various data and images are acquired by the camera, and it is determined by these data and images whether or not an object in the facility, particularly around the flow line, becomes a walking obstacle. Even if it is an obstacle, an object in a size and position that is not problematic for human walking is not determined as a walking obstacle. However, since the size and position of an object that becomes a walking obstacle varies depending on the resident, the setting can be changed as a parameter. For example, an elderly person with a cane is determined to be a walking obstacle because even a small level difference causes a walking obstacle. If the resident is tall, a cupboard or the like installed at a relatively high location also becomes a walking obstacle. In order to determine a walking obstacle, for example, the illuminance, temperature, level difference, slipperiness (friction) of the floor, presence of a floor surface obstacle, an airborne obstacle, and the like are determined. When the self-propelled traveling device determines that the detected object may be a walking obstacle, it walks the position of the walking obstacle determined with the room information to the management device using wireless communication means and the related information. Send as fault location information. By doing in this way, the management device, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the flow line information of the resident corresponding to the floor plan information and the walking obstacle location information (concealment points (marks of ★)) ) Is registered. Since the flow line is different for each resident, the flow line acquisition unit 13 has a function of acquiring a flow line for each resident and merging them to generate one flow line (flow line merging unit). Also good. When obstacles are detected around the same flow line, this walking obstacle is for Mr. A, this walking obstacle is for Mr. B, this walking obstacle is for Mr. A and Mr. C, etc. Can efficiently detect obstacles

  The data including the location information of the location detected by the self-propelled traveling device is transmitted to the management device, processed, accumulated, and can be displayed together with the floor plan of the residence at any time. At this time, the position of the obstacle is superimposed on the floor plan, and it is desirable to further include an image such as a photograph as the detailed information of the obstacle. Alternatively, the floor plan itself may be a three-dimensional plan view generated from a 360-degree panoramic photograph including the floor surface. Even in the case of a floor plan, in particular, it is desirable to include a three-dimensional image obtained by capturing photographs of the obstacle from a plurality of locations in order to display details of the air obstacle described later. The management device may be brought into the residence together with the self-propelled traveling device, but may be provided as a management server in a remote place.

  Here, the external appearance of the self-propelled traveling device according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the appearance of the self-propelled traveling device. As shown in the figure, the self-propelled traveling device 1a is provided with a caterpillar as the driving means 50 on the lower side of the quadrangular body, and includes a camera as the imaging means 17 in the front-rear and left-right directions of the body. Similarly, an imaging camera 17 is provided with a telescopic camera for imaging an airborne obstacle.

  An airborne obstacle is an object above the self-propelled traveling device, and the self-propelled traveling device can travel under it without any problem, but an object that is likely to become an obstacle when a human walks. Say. For example, a table top, a half-open drawer of a desk or a chest, an article protruding from a shelf, and the like are typical examples. On the other hand, an object that obstructs the traveling of the self-propelled traveling device itself is referred to as a floor surface obstacle. For example, steps, steps, furniture, etc. are typical examples.

  In addition, it is desirable to provide several auxiliary wheels 51 having a spherical shape inside the caterpillar on the lower side of the body in order to assist the running of the caterpillar (for example, to enable lateral movement). Further, an antenna 11a for communicating with other self-propelled traveling devices, management devices, and the like is provided on the front side of the body, and various sensors (not shown) are provided on each surface of the body. Since the self-propelled traveling devices can communicate with each other, when a plurality of self-propelled traveling devices are arranged in the residence, it is possible to control the search areas so as not to overlap each other. The travel mechanism is not limited to the caterpillar, and may be wheel drive. Moreover, the mechanism which can go up and down stairs may be sufficient.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the appearance of the self-propelled traveling device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4A shows a shape suitable for measuring an airborne obstacle of the self-propelled traveling device. As shown in FIG. 4A, the self-propelled traveling device 1b is provided with several wheels on the lower side of the cylindrical body, and can easily rotate 360 °. Further, a head is provided at the upper part of the body, and a camera as the imaging means 17 is provided at the head. Since the head can be expanded and contracted up and down and can be rotated 360 °, the head and neck have a built-in contact detection sensor that detects contact with an obstacle. It has a structure suitable for detecting airborne obstacles above the self-propelled traveling device.

  As another form, the self-propelled traveling device 1c can be a pet-shaped shape (for example, a cat-shaped robot). For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the imaging means 17 is formed in the eyes of a cat, and the tail is an antenna 11a. In addition, by providing the driving means 50 capable of walking on four legs instead of the caterpillar or the wheel, it is also possible to rent or sell to the resident as a resident's pet. Pet-type robots are programmed to circulate indoors when they are not used as pets, even if they are installed in a resident's home for a long period of time. It can be carried out. Therefore, it is possible to detect and notify a walking obstacle that appears depending on the season, such as a stove, a kotatsu, and a fan.

  Returning to the description of FIGS. When the management device receives the room information and the walking obstacle location information, the management device generates an image in which the walking obstacle location is superimposed on the floor plan of the house based on the information. In addition, when the floor plan of a residence already exists, based on the information of the floor plan and the gait obstacle location information, an image in which the gait obstacle location is superimposed on the floor plan of the residence is generated.

  And the management apparatus produces | generates the walk obstacle location confirmation table for every resident from the various information acquired from the self-propelled traveling apparatus, and the produced | generated image information. Specifically, indoor information generated by the self-propelled traveling device, flow line information for each resident, and walking obstacle location information that may cause walking obstacles in the room are acquired by wireless communication. . Then, referring to the flow line information for each resident, a walking obstacle location confirmation table is generated that includes at least the traffic frequency of a location that may cause a walking obstacle and its type (gait failure classification described later).

  The generated walking obstacle location confirmation table is used to check walking obstacle locations according to requests from residents or third parties (such as public organizations that authorize facilities and management companies that manage and operate buildings). Various information set in the table is transmitted to a predetermined terminal of the third party. Instead of sending to the terminal, it may be printed and notified on a paper basis, or displayed on a screen of a dedicated terminal or the like possessed by the browsing requester.

  In this way, it is possible to identify indoor “careful points” and automatically notify public institutions, etc., without going out to investigate, and identify dangerous places in the house and suggest renovations It becomes possible to make use for. In addition, by using this system by residents or the like, “care points” can be grasped in advance, and the frequency of accidents can be reduced, so that safety can be improved. “Concealment points” continue even if they are in the same building because they change depending on the resident's condition, time (seasonal, secular change), weather, indoor furniture, and how to place objects. Measurement is desirable. In addition, a self-propelled traveling device may be installed for each floor of the building. For example, a caterpillar that is the driving means 50 or a mechanism that climbs up and down stairs to wheels is provided, and one unit automatically detects walking obstacles on each floor. You may make it do.

(Configuration of walking obstacle location determination system)
FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the walking obstacle location determination system according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, as described above, this system is connected to the self-propelled traveling device 10 that automatically travels indoors and the self-propelled traveling device 10 through a network, and notifies walking obstacle location information in the room. A management device 30 is provided.

(Configuration of self-propelled traveling device)
As a configuration example, the self-propelled traveling device 10 includes a communication unit (transmission unit) 11, a position detection unit 12, a flow line acquisition unit 13, an obstacle information storage unit 14, an obstacle determination unit 15, The vehicle includes an automatic travel unit 16, an imaging unit 17, a sensor group 18, an obstacle information collection unit 19, and a rechargeable battery 20. Here, the obstacle determination means 15 and the sensor group 18 are collectively referred to as an obstacle detection means 21.

  The communication unit 11 serves as a communication interface when communicating with the management device 30. The communication unit 11 wirelessly transmits the captured image and the running state information collected by the obstacle information collection unit 19 to the management device 30. In the following description, information detected by the sensor group 18 is collectively referred to as “running state information”.

  The position detection means 12 detects position information in its own room. As the position detection means 12, a known indoor positioning technique such as indoor GPS is used, and detailed description thereof is omitted here. The self-propelled traveling device 10 travels in the room, detects the shape of the room, and determines a reference point for position information in the facility of the self-propelled traveling device 10.

  The flow line acquisition means 13 can detect the flow line of the resident in the room by the flow line learning mode described above. Specifically, the flow line acquisition unit 13 receives room information from the position detection unit 12 and a sensor (sensor group 18) and a camera (imaging unit 17) built in the self-propelled traveling device for a certain period. ) To track the resident's movement route and detect the flow line of the resident in the room.

  The obstacle information storage unit 14 records the captured image captured by the imaging unit 17 and the information of the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection unit 21 together with date information and position information. The reason why it is recorded together with the date and time information is that it is necessary to change the reference for determining whether or not it is an obstacle depending on the change over time or the season. For example, even if there is a small obstacle that was not a problem at the age of 65, there are loyalty points that can become an obstacle at the age of 75. Moreover, since the sun is early in the winter, even if a low-light location is not detected in the summer, it is necessary to re-examine a low-light location if the season changes.

  The obstacle detection means 21 is a sensor group 18 that detects surrounding information during automatic traveling, and an obstacle that determines whether the obstacle is based on information obtained from the sensor group 18 and a captured image during traveling. Determination means 15 is provided. Moreover, the obstacle determination means 15 determines an obstacle that may become a walking obstacle in the room. Therefore, the obstacle determination unit 15 includes a floor surface obstacle determination unit 15a and an airborne obstacle determination unit 15b.

  For example, the floor obstacle determination means 15a irradiates laser light or ultrasonic waves in the front, rear, left and right directions, measures the distance and size from the reflected light or ultrasonic waves to the object, and determines whether the floor obstacle is Determine if. Here, the floor obstacle refers to an object or a shape of an object having a predetermined size or larger that hinders the progress when the self-propelled traveling device 10 moves on the floor surface. For example, walls, steps, sills, stairs, furniture, electrical appliances and the like. Actually, the self-propelled traveling device may be brought into contact with the object to be determined as a floor surface obstacle. Further, the floor surface in the traveling direction is searched, an image of an indoor object is captured, and an object at a position exceeding a predetermined height (for example, 30 cm) is determined as an air obstacle. However, even if an object is located at a position exceeding a predetermined height, an object located at a height exceeding the normal height of a person is not determined as an air obstacle. That is, an object located in a predetermined height range (for example, 30 cm to 180 cm) is determined as an air obstacle, and an object less than the predetermined height is determined as a floor obstacle. Further, the degree of slipperiness of the floor surface is detected by measuring the degree of friction (friction coefficient) of the floor surface, and a location exceeding a predetermined value is determined as a floor surface obstacle. Of course, when a contact is made with an object in the traveling direction, the contact detection sensor may be activated to determine that the object is a floor surface obstacle. The techniques for detecting and determining these obstacles on the floor are assumed to make the most of known techniques, and detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  As described above, the air obstacle determination means 15b can make an object located at a predetermined height within the vicinity of the upper part of the travel route to be a walking obstacle location based on information obtained during travel. Judged as an aerial obstacle. Specifically, on the basis of information such as the distance, height, size, etc. from the indoor image (captured image) captured by the imaging unit 17 and / or the object acquired from the sensor group 18 at the captured location. It is determined whether or not the object becomes a walking obstacle. That is, the captured image is subjected to image analysis, an object in the image is extracted, and it is determined whether the object itself or a projection of the object is not at a height at which a human walks. For example, if a furniture half-open drawer is detected above the route along which the self-propelled traveling device 10 travels, it is not determined as an obstacle on the floor, but is determined as an aerial obstacle. Further, when the vehicle can travel under the table, the table top is not a floor obstruction, but may be determined as an airborne obstruction depending on how the table top protrudes. As a technique for extracting and analyzing an object in an image for this purpose, a known technique is used. In addition, the distinction between a floor surface obstacle and an airborne obstacle is a height from the floor surface. For example, the obstacle on the floor surface is set to be 30 cm or less from the floor surface, and an object located beyond the floor obstacle is an air obstacle, and can be changed depending on the setting.

  The automatic traveling means 16 includes a known configuration (inverter, motor, brake, etc.) necessary for driving electrically as the driving means 50 of the self-propelled traveling device 10 and performs automatic traveling control. Further, the vehicle detours or gets over the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means 21 and travels. Specifically, a step is detected by the obstacle detection means 21, and the vehicle detours or gets over depending on the height of the step.

  The imaging means 17 is a camera that captures surrounding images during automatic traveling. The imaging means 17 (camera) amplifies the optical system including a lens, an imaging element such as a CMOS sensor, a signal photoelectrically converted by the imaging element through the lens, and performs imaging after color adjustment such as luminance adjustment, white balance, and γ correction. A control system for generating an image and outputting it to the obstacle information collecting means 19 is included. The imaging means 17 also includes a mechanical component that can move the head portion including the optical system in the vertical direction in order to capture an airborne obstacle.

  The sensor group 18 detects various information in the traveling room and outputs the detected information to the obstacle determination means 15. Specifically, the sensor group 18 includes at least a step sensor 41 that detects a step, an illuminance sensor 42 that detects the intensity (illuminance) of room light, and friction between the running surface (floor surface) and a caterpillar or a wheel. A friction sensor 43 for measuring, a contact detection sensor 44 for detecting contact with an obstacle, a temperature sensor 45 for detecting environmental temperature (outside temperature) during automatic traveling, and a biaxial or triaxial sensor for detecting acceleration It includes an acceleration sensor 46, a battery sensor 47 that measures the remaining battery level, and a gyro sensor 48 that detects the rotation angle of the apparatus.

  The step sensor 41 measures the step (width, height, etc.) for the obstacle determination means 15 to determine the step. For example, the step sensor 41 performs an angle scan while projecting a laser beam on the detected step. And a control system that measures the distance to the object by detecting the reflected light.

  The friction degree sensor 43 detects the rotation resistance of the caterpillar during traveling by the automatic traveling means 16 and measures the friction degree (friction coefficient).

  The obstacle information collecting unit 19 collects the captured image captured by the imaging unit 17 and the running state information detected by the sensor group 18. The collection timing may be performed every time the self-propelled traveling device 10 determines an obstacle, but may be performed every certain traveling distance or traveling time.

(Management device configuration)
The management apparatus 30 according to this embodiment typically includes a communication unit 31, an image processing unit 32, an image generation unit 33, a confirmation table generation unit 34, a notification unit 35, a display unit 36, and a control. It comprises means 37, walking obstacle location information DB100, floor plan DB200, and confirmation table DB300.

  The communication unit 31 is a communication interface that performs wireless communication with the self-propelled traveling device 10 and the management device 30. The communication between the self-propelled traveling apparatuses 10 may be performed using normal Wi-Fi (registered trademark), but when the management apparatus 30 is in a remote place as a management server, communication is performed via the Internet.

  The image processing unit 32 performs image processing for determining a floor obstacle or an airborne obstacle performed by the obstacle determination unit 15 of the self-propelled traveling device 10. In other words, the indoor image captured by the self-propelled traveling device 10 is acquired, and image analysis is performed using a known image analysis technique to extract an object in the image. The extracted object information is sent to the obstacle determination means 15 to determine whether the object is a walking obstacle. The image processing means 32 may be provided inside the obstacle determination means 15 of the self-propelled traveling device 10.

  The image generation means 33 generates a room image in which a floor obstacle and an aerial obstacle are shown on the floor plan based on the walking obstacle location obtained by image processing and the corresponding room information. In addition, when the floor plan of the corresponding room is registered in the floor plan DB 200, the room image is generated in combination with the position of the obstacle using the information of the floor plan. If there is no floor plan, the travel route information obtained by the self-propelled traveling device 10 traveling in the room and the information on the places where travel is impossible are collected, and the outline of the entire region traveled is simplified as a floor plan. You may make it produce | generate. At this time, the generated simplified floor plan may be corrected by a human with reference to the indoor captured image.

  The confirmation table generating means 34 includes room floor plan data generated by the self-propelled traveling device 10, flow line information of indoor occupants, and obstacle information that may cause a walking obstacle in the room. Obtain by communication. Then, a walking obstacle location confirmation table including at least the traffic frequency and the type of the location that may cause a walking disorder as information is generated and stored in the confirmation table DB 300.

  The notification unit 35 notifies the predetermined destination of the information set in the confirmation table DB 300 based on an external browsing request or voluntarily. As a notification method, the information may be printed on a paper basis as described above, or may be transmitted to a terminal or the like owned by a resident and displayed on the screen.

  The display means 36 is composed of, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Organic Electro-Luminescence), or the like, and is a three-dimensional plane generated from a plane floor plan generated by the image generating means 33 or a 360-degree panoramic photograph. Further, the information generated by the control means 37 is displayed and output.

  The control means 37 plays a role of controlling each functional block described above. An example of the data structure of the walking obstacle location information DB 100 is shown in FIG. The walking obstacle location information DB 100 is a database in which the walking obstacle location information generated by the control means 37 is stored. The control means 37 is collected by the obstacle information collecting means 19 of the self-propelled traveling apparatus 10 and communicated. 11. Based on the running state information transmitted and received by the communication means 31, gait obstacle location information is generated.

  As an example of the data structure is shown in FIG. 6, the walking obstacle location information DB 100 includes at least a residence or facility “No”, “house / facility name”, “walking obstacle location” numbered for each residence. Data item of "information". The data item “walking obstacle location information” includes “coordinate position” from the reference point of the walking obstacle location determined by each sensor, “content of the obstacle” (reason determined to be a walking obstacle location), walking obstacle location “Measured value” is registered. In addition, resident “No”, “resident name”, “traffic line” showing the resident's travel route, resident or third party, numbered for each resident living in the residence or facility The “weight setting” of the walking disorder classification set by is registered. Details will be described later.

  According to FIG. 6, there are six places determined as walking obstacle places in “Old nursing home” numbered “No. 00100”. Among them, the plane coordinate positions x (120) and y (180) are relatively dark places where the illuminance is less than 10 lux, and the plane coordinate positions x (130) and y (50) have a temperature of 8 ° C. Indicates a relatively cold place. Further, the plane coordinate positions x (140) and y (170) have a step of 5 cm and there is a risk of falling, and the plane coordinate positions x (150) and y (82) have a degree of friction. 3 indicates that the place is relatively slippery and requires attention. Further, the plane coordinate position x (160), y (145) is a place where there is an obstacle with a height of 25 cm and there is a possibility of collision or falling, and the plane coordinate position x (170), y (103) indicates that there is an aerial obstacle at a height of 120 cm and there is a risk that a human may collide when walking. In the coordinate position z, the first floor is set to zero (reference), and the height value of the detection position is entered in the middle of the second floor or stairs.

  The floor plan DB 200 stores floor plans prepared in advance or information of simplified floor plans generated by the management device 30. In general, a floor plan exists in a nursing facility, a nursing home, a day care center, an apartment such as a real estate rental, a condominium, etc., and the floor plan DB 200 stores the information. In the case where there is no floor plan, for example, in an old apartment or a detached house, the self-propelled traveling device 10 detects the outline of the room as described above and is stored in the floor plan DB 200 as a simple floor plan. The

  As an example of the data structure is shown in FIG. 7, the confirmation table DB 300 is at least a residence numbered for each resident and associated with the “resident / facility name” in the walking obstacle location information DB 100. "No", "gait disorder classification" classified for each gait disorder, "coordinate position", "traffic frequency", "importance" of gait obstacle location, presence or absence of improvement of detected gait disorder "not improved / “Completed”, “date” when improved, and “image data” of the walking obstacle part are registered. The “passing frequency” is calculated by tracking the resident's movement route by the flow line acquisition means 13. In the “importance”, the resident or a third party sets a weight for the walking obstacle classification, and the importance is calculated according to the set weight and the traffic frequency of the walking obstacle portion. In addition, the management apparatus 30 may acquire resident information (for example, physical information, health information, etc.) in advance, and automatically set a weight to the gait disorder classification.

  FIG. 7A shows a resident who does not have a walking disorder in the body, FIG. 7B shows a resident who has a walking disorder in the body, and FIG. 7C shows a resident who uses a wheelchair. It is a thing. According to FIG. 7A, the “step” (2014/12/30 update), which may cause a gait obstacle, is present on the movement route of the resident who is assigned No. “00500” and the coordinate position “x ( 100), y (120), z (0) ". At that position, the occupant's traffic frequency is “high” and the importance is set to “high”. Since the corresponding “step” has been improved to “2015/1/15” by the resident, “completed” is registered as “uncompleted / completed”.

  The degree of importance varies greatly depending on the resident. For example, for a resident with a walking disorder shown in FIG. 7B, if there is a “slippery” place in the room, there is a high possibility that it will be accompanied by a danger (falling over, etc.) during walking, so the importance will be high. In addition, if a resident is using the wheelchair shown in FIG. 7 (c), if there are many “airborne obstacles” installed in the room, there is a high risk of hindering movement in the wheelchair. The importance becomes higher. A method of calculating the importance will be described later. Moreover, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted, if there is no handrail where it should be, it may become a hindrance to a movement handicapped person. Conversely, handrails in narrow passages can hinder movement for wheelchair residents. Thus, it is necessary to pay attention to the location where the occupancy is different for each resident even in the same facility.

  The functions and configuration of the system described above are merely examples, and one functional block (database and function processing unit) may be divided or a plurality of functional blocks may be configured as one functional block. Good. Each function processing unit reads a computer program stored in a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, SSD (Solid State Drive), or hard disk by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) built in the device This is realized by a computer program executed by the CPU. That is, in each function processing unit, this computer program reads and writes necessary data such as a table from a database (DB; Data Base) stored in a storage device or a storage area on a memory, and may be related in some cases. This is realized by controlling hardware (for example, an input / output device, a display device, and a communication interface device). In addition, the database in the embodiment of the present invention may be a commercial database, but it simply means a collection of tables and files, and the internal structure of the database itself does not matter.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the self-propelled traveling device 10 according to the present embodiment. Note that the processing described below does not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown in this flowchart, and the processing order may be changed as long as the relationship between input data and output data of each processing block is not impaired.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the self-propelled traveling device 10 according to the present embodiment receives an activation command from the outside (step S11), it automatically measures the shape of the room (room information) by automatically traveling in the room. To do. (Step S12). Specifically, the self-propelled traveling device 10 is activated by receiving an activation command from the power switch or the management device 30. Then, the activated self-propelled traveling device 10 can automatically travel in the room by the automatic traveling means 16, and can travel around the obstacles or get over some obstacles. Further, the position detection unit 12 is used to always acquire the position information of the travel route. If the floor plan information has already been registered in the management device 30, the corresponding floor plan information is received from the management device 30, and therefore the process of step S12 is omitted. In addition, the self-propelled traveling device travels in the room, detects the shape (contour) of the room, and determines a reference point that serves as a reference for the position in the room (hereinafter including the indoor shape and the reference point). Called room information). For example, the start position when the self-propelled traveling device is turned on may be set as the reference point, or the position where the battery of the self-propelled traveling device is charged may be used as the reference point.

  Subsequently, the obstacle information collecting unit 19 determines a predetermined position as a reference point of coordinates among the position information acquired by the position detecting unit 12 (step S13). The reference point may be determined, for example, by using the start position when the self-propelled traveling device 10 is turned on as a reference point, the position at which the battery of the self-propelled traveling device 10 is charged, or the corner of the room (corner). ) Etc.

  Then, the obstacle information collecting unit 19 acquires the flow line information of the corresponding resident acquired in advance by the flow line acquiring unit 13 from the walking obstacle location information DB 100 of the management device 30 (step S14).

  Here, a method for detecting the flow line of the resident in the room will be described with reference to FIG. First, a resident or a third party (for example, a staff member of the facility) activates the self-propelled traveling device 10 and sets the tracking mode to ON (flow line learning mode) (step S141). In response to this, the self-propelled traveling device 10 activates the imaging means 17 (step S142), activates the automatic traveling means 16 and the various sensor groups 18, and performs daily operations of a plurality of residents moving in the room. The movement route is traced and detected as a flow line (step S143).

  Then, when a predetermined period (for example, intermittently for several days) set in advance or when the tracking mode OFF is manually detected by a resident or the like (step S144 “YES”), the self-propelled traveling device 10 is Then, the tracking mode is set to OFF (step S145), and each functional unit (the imaging unit 17, the automatic traveling unit 16, and the various sensor groups 18) stops activation. Then, the obstacle information collecting unit 19 transmits the acquired flow line information to the management device 30 (step S146). In addition to the movement line learning mode in which the movement route of the resident is traced to acquire the movement line information, the movement line information may be directly input from the resident or a third party as described above. .

  Returning to the description of FIG. The obstacle determination means 15 of the self-propelled traveling device 10 that has acquired the room information uses each sensor (step sensor 41, illuminance sensor 42, friction sensor 43, contact detection) of the sensor group 18 in order to determine a walking obstacle location. The sensor 44, temperature sensor 45, acceleration sensor 46, battery sensor 47, and gyro sensor 48) are activated (step S15). Next, when an obstacle is found while traveling and the obstacle determination means 15 determines that the obstacle is an aerial obstacle at a position equal to or higher than the “predetermined height” (step S16 “YES”). Depending on the height of the position of the air obstacle, for example, when the self-propelled traveling device 10 is in the form of FIG. 4A, an instruction to extend the head in the height direction is sent. When the self-propelled traveling device 10 receives the extension instruction, the self-propelled traveling apparatus 10 extends the head of the imaging means 17 to the height at which the instruction is given (step S18). Subsequently, the obstacle determination means 15 measures the height of the air obstacle, acquires detailed information of the determined air obstacle (for example, captures an image of the air obstacle), and sends it to the obstacle information collection means 19. Deliver (step S19). The “predetermined height” used for the determination at this time can be changed depending on the setting. For example, an object at a position of 30 cm or less is determined as an obstacle on the floor surface, and an object at a position exceeding that is determined. Judge as an airborne obstacle.

  If the obstacle determining means 15 determines that the obstacle is not an air obstacle (step S16 “No”), the obstacle determining means 15 determines whether the obstacle is a floor obstacle, and the floor obstacle. If so, the detailed information of the floor obstacle is acquired (for example, an image of the floor obstacle is taken) and delivered to the obstacle information collecting means 19 (step S17).

  When the obstacle information collecting unit 19 acquires a certain number (a predetermined range) of walking obstacles (step S20 “YES”), the obstacle information collecting unit 19 wirelessly transmits the collected information to the management device 30 via the communication unit 11 (step S20 “YES”). Step S21). On the other hand, when the obstacle information collection means 19 has not acquired a fixed number of walking obstacle locations and room information (“NO” in step S20), the obstacle information collection means 19 returns to the processing of step 15 and the obstacle determination means 15 finishes the determination. Drive in a place where you are not walking and determine where you are walking. The obstacle information collecting means 19 may wirelessly transmit information to the management device 30 every time a walking obstacle location is acquired. Moreover, it returns to the process of S15 until it receives the stop command of the self-propelled traveling device 10, and it travels indoors in order to determine a walking obstacle point. Accordingly, the self-propelled traveling device 10 internally determines the search end condition without receiving a stop command from the outside, searches for a walking obstacle location by tracing the flow line, and walks when the search on all the flow lines ends. The exploration of the location can be completed.

  Next, the processing operation of the management apparatus 30 according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10, when the control means 37 of the management device 30 receives room information, flow line information, and walking obstacle location information from the self-propelled traveling device 10 (step S31), it walks the walking obstacle location information. In addition to saving in the failure location information DB 100, room information is saved in the floor plan DB 200, flow line information is saved in the confirmation table DB 300, and an image processing command is sent to the image processing means 32. Subsequently, the image processing means 32 that has received the image processing command performs image processing based on walking obstacle location information and room information (step S32).

  Specifically, the image generation means 33 performs planar image processing (a process in which the position of an obstacle is superimposed on the floor plan and the image of the obstacle is associated with the position) (step S32 “planar image”). Then, the walking obstacle location information and the room information are extracted from the walking obstacle location information DB 100 and the floor plan DB 200, and two-dimensional image processing is performed (step S33). In addition, about the residence where the floor plan DB200 is registered into the management apparatus 30, the information is extracted from floor plan DB200, and planar image processing is performed based on walking obstacle location information.

  On the other hand, the image generation means 33, when performing stereoscopic image processing (processing for associating an image of the obstacle with the position of the obstacle on the three-dimensional floor plan) (step S32 "stereoscopic image"), the walking obstacle location information DB 100 3D image processing is performed by obtaining imaging information and distance information from the obstacle determination means 15 to the obstacle (step S34). Note that planar image processing and stereoscopic image processing may be used together for one obstacle.

  Next, the image generation unit 33 generates image data based on the image processing of the planar image or the stereoscopic image (step S35).

  Subsequently, the confirmation table generating unit 34 generates a confirmation table based on the information acquired from the walking obstacle location information DB 100 (step S36). A processing method for generating the confirmation table will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the confirmation table generation unit 34 firstly includes the corresponding residence information and resident information collected by the obstacle information collection unit 19 (room information, resident flow line information, walking obstacle location information, and The determination date and time) is acquired from the walking obstacle location information DB 100 (step S361). Subsequently, the confirmation table generation unit 34 extracts the weight setting of the gait obstacle classification registered in the gait obstacle location information DB 100 and the traffic frequency from the flow line information (step S362), and the importance of the gait obstacle location. Is calculated (step S363).

  As a method of setting the importance, for example, the traffic frequency is set to 3 levels (high, medium and small), the traffic frequency (high) is 5 points, the traffic frequency (medium) is 3 points, and the traffic frequency (small) is 1 point. And set. Further, it is assumed that the resident sets 5 steps as the weight of each gait disturbance classification, sets the step to “3”, the illuminance to “5”, and the slipperiness to “2”. The importance level is also set to 3 levels (high, medium and small). The total of the multiplication of the traffic frequency and its weight is 15 points or more for importance (high) and 5 to 14 points for importance (medium). The degree (small) is set to 4 points or less. If the “step” registered in FIG. 7A is calculated as an example, the traffic frequency is high (5 points) and the weight of the gait disorder classification (3 points), so 5 × 3 = 15 points. The degree is “high”.

  Next, the confirmation table generating unit 34 determines whether or not the detected walking obstacle location is improved (step S364). If the walking obstacle has been improved (“YES” in step S364), the confirmation table generating unit 34 checks “Done” in the item of improvement not completed / completed and registers the improvement date (step S365). On the other hand, when the walking obstacle location has not been improved (“NO” in step S364), the confirmation table generating unit 34 checks “not yet” in the items that have not been improved (step S366). The determination of whether or not there is an improvement may be, for example, whether or not the self-propelled traveling device 10 determines whether or not there is a walking obstacle in the room, or may be a resident or a third party (for example, facility management) Or the like) may directly notify the management device 30 of improvement. And the confirmation table production | generation means 34 reflects the acquired information and the calculated information, and produces | generates a confirmation table (step S367).

  Returning to the description of FIG. After the confirmation table is generated by the confirmation table generation unit 34, the management unit 30 receives a confirmation table browsing request from the resident or the outside via the communication unit 31 (step S37 “YES”), and the notification unit 35 is activated. In response to this, the notification means 35 refers to the confirmation table DB 300 and sets the walking obstacle classification for each resident, coordinate position, traffic frequency, importance, improvement not yet done, date, and image data set as the confirmation table. All or a part of the information of the item is notified (disclosed) to a resident who has requested browsing or a third party such as a public organization (step S38).

  For example, when sending and notifying to the terminal of the resident who requested the viewing, as shown in the screen example of FIG. 12A, the name of the residence or facility is displayed as the confirmation table and registered in the confirmation table. Each item and its contents are displayed. Then, when a user (resident, public institution or management company staff, etc.) presses “display flow line information”, the screen transitions to a screen for selecting each room in the residence. For example, when it is desired to display the movement route of the resident in the multipurpose hall, the screen changes to the screen of FIG. 12B by selecting the multipurpose hall. Further, by pressing the image data registered for each walking disorder classification or by pressing the ★ mark portion in FIG. 12B, for example, the details of each walking disorder classification as shown in FIG. A screen is displayed.

  In addition, by pressing the “display entire residence information” button assigned and displayed at the top of the screen of FIG. 12A, the entire residence where the walking obstacles collected by the self-propelled traveling device 10 are displayed is displayed. A floor plan is displayed. For example, as shown in the screen example in FIG. 13, when existing floor plan data exists, a floor plan of the residence is displayed on the screen. Specify the item. As already described, when there is no existing floor plan data, the self-propelled traveling device 10 travels through the room without fail and collects information on the obtained travel route and untravelable points to obtain a simple floor plan. Generate. For generating the floor plan, captured indoor images may be used. In the screen example of FIG. 13, the step position and the position of the obstacle are specified. Here, the step detected as an obstacle is indicated by a mark of ☆, and other detected obstacles are indicated by a mark of ★. ing. Furniture and the like are indicated by shading. The detailed information of the obstacle is output by clicking on the mark of ☆ or ★ with a mouse or the like. For example, if you click on the ☆ mark on a step (including a threshold), the image and height of that step are displayed. In particular, when a star mark indicated by reference numeral 60 is clicked, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), an image of an obstacle in the air on the TV stand is displayed, and it is shown on the image that the drawer of the TV stand is half open. I can confirm. The image at this time is taken from the position “A” in FIG. Therefore, the resident or the like can easily grasp the dangerous place (“smiling point”) in the residential environment by checking such a screen as needed. Although not shown, it is also possible to separately display the floor obstacle and the air obstacle on the floor plan.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of another embodiment of the self-propelled traveling device. In this embodiment, only the self-propelled traveling device 10 does not involve the control of the management device 30 and automatically detects a walking obstacle location and notifies a resident or the like to grasp a walking environment such as a residence. is there.

  As a configuration example, the self-propelled traveling device 60 in the present embodiment includes a communication unit 61, a position detection unit 62, a flow line acquisition unit 63, an obstacle determination unit 64, an automatic traveling unit 65, and an imaging unit. 66, sensor group 67, obstacle information storage means 68, rechargeable battery 69, floor plan acquisition means 71, floor plan generation means 72, voice interaction means 73, image generation means 74, An obstacle confirmation unit 75, an image projection unit 76, and a control unit 77 are provided. The obstacle determination means 64 and the sensor group 67 are collectively referred to as an obstacle detection means 70.

  The communication means 61 is the communication means 11, the position detection means 62 is the position detection means 12, the flow line acquisition means 63 is the flow line acquisition means 13, the automatic travel means 65 is the automatic travel means 16, and The imaging means 66 is the imaging means 17, the sensor group 67 is the sensor group 18, the rechargeable battery 69 is the rechargeable battery 20, the obstacle detection means 70 is the obstacle detection means 21, and the functions of FIG. Since the function is similar to that of the block diagram, description thereof is omitted.

  The floor plan acquisition means 71 acquires floor plan data from the portable terminal 80 possessed by a resident or the like and stores it. The floor plan data acquired here may be bitmap data or vector data.

  The floor plan generation unit 72 travels through the corresponding room and hits an obstacle when the floor plan data does not exist in the floor plan acquisition unit 71 or when there is no floor plan data that can be acquired anywhere. It has a function of storing a position where travel is disabled, capturing an image of the entire room by the imaging unit 66, collecting a shape (contour), and generating a simple floor plan.

  The voice interaction means 73 has a built-in microphone and speaker. When the obstacle detection means 70 finds a new obstacle, it appropriately notifies the resident or the watcher by voice. Moreover, the function which performs the voice dialogue for acquiring the characteristic information of the resident in the obstacle determination means 64 is provided.

  In addition to the role of the obstacle determination unit 15 shown in FIG. 5, the obstacle determination unit 64 acquires the resident characteristic information from the voice dialogue unit 73 and sets a determination criterion based on the characteristic information. The characteristic information is physical information related to the walking of the resident (including age, height, weight, visual acuity, hearing, etc., including information on a support level and a care level). Judgment standards for obstacles are set according to the level of support required or the level of care, such as lowering of the legs and weakness of the legs. In addition, for example, when determining the illuminance state in a room according to time of day or season, a resident with low visual acuity is determined to have a walking obstacle even in an indoor place with low illuminance by reducing the illuminance setting. . In addition, in the case of a resident with weak legs and legs, if a step is detected, it is determined that the gait is a walking obstacle even if the height of the step is 1 cm. In addition, the height standard for determining an airborne obstacle is changed according to the height of the resident. In addition, as a method for acquiring the characteristic information, for example, the resident may be inquired in a question format by the voice interaction means 73. Alternatively, characteristic information may be input in advance to the mobile terminal 80 and transmitted to the self-propelled traveling device 60.

  In addition, it is preferable that the obstacle determination unit 64 searches for the same place a plurality of times in consideration of an error of a detection unit such as a sensor. At this time, the self-propelled traveling device 60 searches for different movements at each time in a plurality of searches. For example, when searching for a room vertically for the first time, searching horizontally for the second time, searching for the room clockwise for the first time, searching counterclockwise for the second time, etc. Change the movement. In addition, by searching the same place multiple times, a place that has been determined to be a “careful point” more than a predetermined number of times is designated as a “careful point”, and a place that has been determined as a “careful point” less than a specified number of times is designated as a “careful point” For example, a “lightening point” may be given a weight of danger.

  In addition to the role of the obstacle information storage means 14 shown in FIG. 5, the obstacle information storage means 68 is newly discovered based on the date and time information recorded together with the obstacle information by the obstacle confirmation means 75 described later. A resident or the like may confirm the location only for the location, or a re-search may be automatically started after a certain time has elapsed since the previous search.

  The image generation means 74 generates an image in which the position of the obstacle is superimposed on the indoor floor plan. Specifically, based on the room information acquired from the floor plan acquisition unit 71 or the floor plan generation unit 72, a room image showing floor obstacles and airborne obstacles on the floor plan is generated. The floor plan that can be handled here is not limited to a two-dimensional floor plan, but may be a three-dimensional floor plan generated from a panoramic photograph.

  The obstacle confirmation means 75 causes the resident to confirm the obstacle information stored in the obstacle information storage means 68 ("satisfying point"). Delete from the obstacle information storage means 68. Specifically, as a confirmation method, a method of confirming from an information image of an obstacle projected on a wall surface or the like from the image projecting means 76, or a portable terminal 80 possessed by a resident or the like via the communication means 61, A method for transmitting information images to allow residents to confirm, or providing generated floor plan data and obstacle information that may cause a walking obstacle in the room to an external system, and at least a walking obstacle Acquire the confirmation table in which the gait obstacle location including information on the traffic frequency and the type of the location where there is a possibility of being registered from the external system, and based on the external browsing request or periodically There is a method to notify the contents of. However, regarding the deletion of obstacle information, there is a possibility that it will become an obstacle again in the future even if there is no problem at present, so it is desirable to keep at least the deletion history.

  As a method for confirming the “care points”, not only a method of projecting an image on a wall surface or the like as described above or a method of transmitting an image to the portable terminal 80 but also a method of notifying by voice may be used. For example, if a resident actually approaches the discovered “hidden point”, the self-propelled traveling device will follow and emit a warning sound, or the device will circulate in the room with the resident. , You may be allowed to check each discovered “careful point” on the spot. At this time, the intention of confirmation from the resident or the like may be displayed by voice or by performing a predetermined operation on the apparatus. By doing in this way, it is possible to make the resident or the like confirm the newly discovered “careful points”. This is because whether or not the “careful point” discovered is really a dangerous place depends on the individual resident and changes with time. This is particularly important not only in private housing but also in apartment houses such as nursing homes.

  The image projecting unit 76 is, for example, a projector, and projects an image in which the position of an obstacle is superimposed on the indoor floor plan generated by the image generating unit 74 on a wall surface in the room. Accordingly, the resident or the like can check the position of the obstacle and its detailed information while looking at the large floor plan projected on the wall surface. The control means 77 plays a role of controlling the functional blocks 61 to 76 described above.

(Effect of embodiment)
As described above, according to the present system, by using a self-propelled traveling device and running in a living space, walking obstacles such as steps are automatically detected, the management device performs image processing, and the resident In addition, it is possible to construct a mechanism to notify the family of the dangerous place so that the walking environment can be grasped and dealt with, and not only improve the safety but also provide a walking obstacle location determination system that reduces the time and cost required for it be able to. In this system, it is possible to make the residents quickly recognize new places of danger of falling by conducting repeated exploration regularly and irregularly, but in order to conduct repeated exploration, more efficient exploration that explores the entire house is necessary. is necessary. Therefore, in this system, by providing the flow line acquisition means, it is possible to efficiently search by tracing the flow line after acquiring the resident's flow line.

  In addition, the self-propelled traveling device reduces the detection time by detecting a flow line for each occupant and detecting obstacles that may cause obstacles in walking indoors around the detected flow line. Is possible.

  In addition, the management device generates an image in which walking obstacles are superimposed on the room plan. By doing in this way, a gait obstacle location can be displayed visually.

  In addition, the management device generates a check table for walking obstacles for each resident. By doing in this way, a resident or a third party can grasp the walking obstacle part by browsing the information, and can lead to early improvement.

  In addition, the self-propelled traveling device detects a three-dimensional walking obstacle part (aerial obstacle) from an image of an object acquired during traveling, for example, to detect an aerial obstacle that cannot be confirmed in plan view. It becomes possible.

  In addition, the self-propelled traveling device includes a contact detection sensor, and an object located at a high position that cannot be detected by the self-propelled traveling device traveling on the floor surface by the imaging means or the contact detection sensor while traveling is in the air. It can be detected as an obstacle. If the imaging means can be vertically expanded and contracted, an object can be imaged from a high position, so that it is easier to determine an airborne obstacle.

  Further, when detecting an obstacle, the self-propelled traveling device can increase the detection accuracy by searching the same place with a plurality of different movements. Further, by searching a plurality of times, it is possible to give a light weight to the danger level of the place according to the number of times the obstacle is detected at the same place.

  In addition, the self-propelled traveling device includes a voice dialogue means, and can notify the resident or the like by voice when the obstacle detection means finds a new obstacle. By doing in this way, a resident etc. can grasp the position of an obstacle clearly.

  Further, the self-propelled traveling device includes an obstacle determination unit, the obstacle determination unit obtains resident characteristic information from the voice dialogue unit, and sets a determination criterion for the obstacle determination unit based on the characteristic information. can do. By doing in this way, it becomes possible to determine an obstruction according to the resident's characteristic information.

  Further, the self-propelled traveling device includes an image projecting unit (projector), and can project an image in which the position of the obstacle is superimposed on the floor plan generated by the image generating unit. By doing in this way, a resident etc. become easy to grasp the position of an obstacle.

  In addition, the self-propelled traveling device has obstacle confirmation means for allowing the occupants to confirm the obstacle information stored in the obstacle information storage means, and information on obstacles that are confirmed to be satisfactory as a result of the confirmation. Can be deleted from the obstacle information storage means.

  In addition, the present system has been described on the assumption that the self-propelled traveling device is mainly for indoor use, but can also be applied to outdoor use. For example, by running the self-propelled traveling device 10 through the approach from the gate to the entrance, garden, parking lot, etc. within the site, obstacles such as abandoned objects, excessive branching of trees, water, ponds, etc. It is possible to automatically detect an object that may become, manage the entire premises of the residence on the management device 30 side, and display an obstacle or the like. Moreover, the present invention can be applied not only to individual houses and nursing homes, but also to schools, kindergartens, nursery schools, disabled facilities, construction sites, and the like. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied to a city dangerous spot investigation system that makes an outdoor self-propelled traveling device circulate around the city and investigate steps on a sidewalk.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, it cannot be overemphasized that the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiments. Further, it is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Self-propelled traveling apparatus 11 Communication means 11a Antenna 12 Position detection means 13 Flow line acquisition means 14 Obstacle information storage means 15 Obstacle judgment means 15a Floor surface obstacle judgment means 15b Aerial obstacle judgment means 16 Automatic travel means 17 Imaging Means 18 Sensor group 19 Obstacle information collection means 20 Rechargeable battery 21 Obstacle detection means 30 Management device 31 Communication means 32 Image processing means 33 Image generation means 34 Confirmation table generation means 35 Notification means 36 Display means 37 Control means 41 Step sensor 42 Illuminance sensor 43 Friction sensor 44 Contact detection sensor 45 Temperature sensor 46 Acceleration sensor 47 Battery sensor 48 Gyro sensor 50 Drive means 51 Auxiliary wheel 60 Self-propelled traveling device 61 Communication means 62 Position detection means 63 Flow line acquisition means 64 Obstacle Judgment means 64a Floor Obstacle determination means 64b Aerial obstacle determination means 65 Automatic traveling means 66 Imaging means 67 Sensor group 68 Obstacle information storage means 69 Rechargeable battery 70 Obstacle detection means 71 Floor plan acquisition means 72 Floor plan generation means 73 Voice dialogue Means 74 Image generation means 75 Obstacle confirmation means 76 Image projection means 77 Control means 100 Walking obstacle location information DB
200 Floor plan DB
300 Confirmation table DB

Claims (12)

A self-propelled traveling device that automatically travels indoors,
Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle that may become a walking obstacle in the room;
An imaging means for capturing an image of surroundings during automatic driving;
Obstacle information storage means for recording the captured image captured by the imaging means and information on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detection means together with date information and position information;
A flow line acquisition means for acquiring a resident's flow line,
The obstacle detection means detects an obstacle that may become the walking obstacle around the acquired flow line.   The self-propelled traveling device according to claim 1, wherein the flow line acquisition means detects the resident's flow line by tracking a movement route of the resident for a certain period.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for acquiring or generating the floor plan data in the room, and further comprising image generation means for generating an image in which the position of the obstacle is superimposed on the floor plan of the room. The described self-propelled traveling device.   The obstacle detection means includes an aerial obstacle determination means, and the aerial obstacle determination means determines an object located within a predetermined height range as an aerial obstacle from an image of the object acquired during traveling. The self-propelled traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   The self-propelled traveling device according to claim 4, wherein the obstacle detection means includes a contact detection sensor, and detects the air obstacle by the contact detection sensor during traveling.   The self-propelled traveling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the obstacle detection means searches for the same place in the room by different motions a plurality of times.   7. The self-propelled traveling device includes a voice dialogue unit, and when the obstacle detection unit finds a new obstacle, a resident or a watcher is notified by voice. The self-propelled traveling device according to any one of the above.   The obstacle detection means includes obstacle determination means, the obstacle determination means obtains the resident characteristic information from the voice dialogue means, and the obstacle determination means determines based on the characteristic information The self-propelled traveling device according to claim 7, wherein a reference is set.   The image projection means for projecting an image in which the position of the obstacle is superimposed on the indoor floor plan generated by the image generation means is further provided on the wall surface of the room. Traveling traveling device.   The self-propelled traveling device has obstacle confirmation means for allowing a resident or a watcher to confirm the information of the obstacle stored in the obstacle information storage means, and the obstacle that is confirmed to be satisfactory as a result of the confirmation. 10. The self-propelled traveling device according to claim 9, wherein information on an object is deleted from the obstacle information storage unit. A management device that is connected to a self-propelled traveling device that automatically travels indoors through a network, and that notifies a walking obstacle location in the room,
The floor plan data generated by the self-propelled traveling device, flow line information of occupants in the room, and obstacle information that may become a walking obstacle in the room, and at least Confirmation table generating means for generating a walking obstacle location confirmation table including information on the frequency of passage where there is a possibility of the walking obstacle, and its type,
Means for transmitting information set in the walking obstacle location confirmation table to a predetermined terminal;
A management apparatus comprising: A walking obstacle location determination system comprising a self-propelled traveling device that automatically travels indoors, and a management device that communicates wirelessly with the self-propelled traveling device and notifies a walking obstacle location in the room,
The self-propelled traveling device is:
Obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle that may become a walking obstacle in the room;
An imaging means for capturing an image of surroundings during automatic driving;
Obstacle information collecting means for collecting the captured image taken by the imaging means and information on the obstacle detected by the obstacle detecting means together with date information and position information;
A flow line acquisition means for acquiring a flow line of a resident in the room;
With
The management device
The floor plan data generated by the self-propelled traveling device, the flow line information of the resident, and obstacle information that may become a walking obstacle are acquired by communication, and at least the walking Confirmation table generating means for generating a walking obstacle location confirmation table including information on the frequency of passage of potential obstacles and the type thereof, and
Means for transmitting information set in the walking obstacle location confirmation table;
A walking obstacle location determination system characterized by comprising:

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