JP2020009201A - Guide robot system and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a guide robot system which is capable of giving guidance about a store under an appropriate situation and to provide a control method thereof.SOLUTION: In a guide robot system for giving guidance about a store to people in the surroundings of the store and a control method thereof, the guide robot system is provided with a guide robot for giving guidance about the store and a robot control device for controlling the guide robot. The guide robot acquires prescribed first data for determination of crowd congestion level in the surroundings of the store and transmits the acquired first data to the robot control device. The robot control device determines the crowd congestion level in the surroundings of the store on the basis of the first data transmitted from the guide robot, and if it determines that the surroundings of the store is less congested than a fixed level, controls the guide robot so as not to give guidance about the store.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a guide robot system and a control method thereof, and is suitably applied to, for example, a guide robot system for guiding a store in a facility such as a shopping mall.

  In recent years, guide robots that provide information on stores and the like to customers who come to the stores and the like have been scattered. This type of robot usually provides shop guides and advertisements to customers according to fixed menus registered in advance.

  Regarding such a robot, for example, Patent Literature 1 detects an attribute of an adult, a child, or a toddler based on the height and face height of a customer who has come to a store, and detects an attribute of a customer based on an image captured by an in-store camera. It is disclosed that the degree of congestion is detected, and based on these detection results, information optimal for the customer is displayed or uttered.

JP 2008-055578 A

  By the way, Patent Literature 1 discloses that appropriate information is displayed or uttered based on the degree of congestion in the store. However, for example, the situation where there is no person around the store or the store (inside the store) is displayed. Information is provided even in a crowded situation.

  However, store guidance in a situation where there is no person around the store has a low advertising efficiency. For example, when the guide robot is driven by a battery, there is a problem that the battery is wasted. Has not been taken into account. Also, in a situation where the store is crowded, it is necessary to refrain from providing guidance that calls for more customers into the store, as this will spur congestion in the store. No such consideration has been made.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to propose a guidance robot system capable of guiding a store under an appropriate situation and a control method thereof.

  In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, in a guide robot system that guides the store to people around the store, a guide robot that guides the store, and a robot control device that controls the guide robot The guide robot acquires predetermined first data for determining the degree of congestion of people around the store, transmits the acquired first data to the robot control device, When the robot control device determines the congestion degree around the store based on the first data transmitted from the guide robot, and determines that the periphery of the store is not congested by a certain amount or more, Controls the guidance robot so as not to guide the store.

  Further, in the present invention, in the control method of the guide robot system that guides the store to a person around the store, the guide robot system controls the guide robot that guides the store and the guide robot. A robot controller, wherein the guide robot acquires predetermined first data for determining the degree of congestion of people in the vicinity of the store, and transmits the acquired first data to the robot controller. And the robot controller determines the degree of congestion around the store based on the first data transmitted from the guide robot, and determines whether the periphery of the store is constant. And a second step of controlling the guide robot so as not to guide the store when it is determined that the store is not crowded. It was.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the guidance robot system and its control method of this invention, guidance by the guidance robot in the situation where advertising efficiency is bad can be suppressed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the guidance robot system which can guide a shop under an appropriate situation and its control method can be implement | achieved.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a guidance robot system according to the present embodiment. It is a block diagram showing the example of composition of a guidance robot. It is a conceptual diagram provided for explanation of a request store map. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a robot control device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a back-end system. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method of detecting a congestion degree based on scanning data. It is a chart provided for explanation of measurement place management data. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of guidance necessity determination processing. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of guidance scenario switching processing. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of a power saving guidance scenario execution process.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Guide Robot System According to the Present Embodiment In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a guide robot system according to the present embodiment as a whole. The guide robot system 1 includes a guide robot 3 that guides a store 2 (including calls and advertisements, the same applies hereinafter), a robot control device 4 that controls the guide robot 3, and data acquired by the guide robot 3. And a plurality of echo sensors 6 for acquiring and analyzing these data via the robot controller 4 and accumulating and analyzing these data.

  The guide robot 3 and the robot controller 4 enter a store (hereinafter, referred to as a requested store) 2 which has requested the provision of a service (hereinafter, referred to as a guide service) for guiding the store by the guide robot 3. It is arranged in a facility 7 such as a shopping mall. Further, the back-end system 5 is installed on the side of the business operator that provides such a guidance service. The guide robot 3 and the robot controller 4 are communicably connected via a wireless communication line 8, and the robot controller 4 and the back-end system 5 are communicably connected via a network 9 such as the Internet. Is done.

  In addition, the echo sensor 6 responds to an inquiry electromagnetic wave (hereinafter, referred to as an inquiry electromagnetic wave) transmitted from the guide robot 3 as described later, in response to the electromagnetic wave on which the sensor ID of the own echo sensor 6 is superimposed. Hereinafter, this is called a response electromagnetic wave). The echo sensors 6 are arranged at entrances of the requesting stores 2 and at predetermined positions in the stores.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the guide robot 3 includes an input / output device group 10, a CPU 11, a main storage device 12, a communication interface 13, and a battery 14 as a power source.

  The input / output device group 10 includes a camera 20, a microphone 21, a gyro sensor 22, a range sensor 23, a speaker 24, a driving mechanism 25, a position sensor 26, and a battery remaining amount detection unit 27.

  The camera 20 is an imaging device that captures an image of the outside and outputs video data of the captured video. The microphone 21 is a sound collection device that collects an external sound, converts the sound into electricity, and outputs the sound data thus obtained. The gyro sensor 22 is a measuring device that detects the angle and angular velocity or angular acceleration of the movement of the self-guided robot 3. The speaker 24 is an audio device that outputs a sound based on the sound data. General-purpose cameras 20, microphones 21, gyro sensors 22, and speakers 24 are used, respectively.

  The range measurement sensor 23 is configured by a three-dimensional scanning optical distance sensor that measures the distance to each object located in front of the self-guided robot 3 while scanning the front direction of the self-guided robot 3 with light. The range sensor 23 outputs the distance to each object existing in front of the self-guided robot 3 obtained by the scanning as scanning data.

  The drive mechanism 25 is a mechanism for operating the movable part of the self-guided robot 3, and includes a moving mechanism such as a bipedal walking mechanism or a wheel traveling mechanism for the self-guided robot 3 to move. Further, the position sensor 26 is constituted by, for example, a transceiver for electromagnetic waves. The battery remaining amount detecting unit 27 is a functional unit having a function of detecting the remaining amount of energy of the battery 14.

  The CPU 11 is a processor that controls the operation of the self-guided robot 3. Further, the main storage device 12 is formed of, for example, a semiconductor memory, and is used as a work memory of the CPU 11. The communication interface 13 is composed of, for example, a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) card, and performs protocol control when communicating with the robot controller 4 (FIG. 1).

  In the case of the present embodiment, the main storage device 12 of the guide robot 3 stores map information 30, a guide scenario 31, an input / output unit 32, a drive control unit 33, a dialog control unit 34, and a scenario execution control unit 35. You. The map information 30 includes information on a map of the entire facility 7 (FIG. 1) in which the requested store 2 (FIG. 1) is occupied, and a map of each requested store 2 in the facility 7 (hereinafter referred to as a requested store map). ) Information.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the information on the internal space structure including the entrance 2A and the exit 2B of the corresponding requested store 2, the echoes installed around the requested store 2 and in the store are included in the requested store map 30A. The position information of the installation position of the sensor 6 is also included. FIG. 3 shows that the echo sensor 6 is installed in front of the entrance 2A and the exit 2B of the requesting store 2, and the inside of the requesting store 2 is divided into eight areas AR1 to AR8. The example in which the echo sensor 6 was installed is shown. The request store map 30A also includes information indicating the flow of people in the request store 2 indicated by an arrow a in FIG. 3 and information regarding the direction in the request store map 30A. In FIG. 3, the direction (arrow b) in which the entrance 2A and the exit 2B of the requested store 2 are viewed from the installation position of the echo sensor 6 is set as the reference angle (0 degree).

  The guidance scenario 31 is an operation and utterance of the guidance robot 3 when the guidance robot 3 guides the visitor 2 to the facility 7 where the request store 2 is located (hereinafter, referred to as a facility visitor). This is information that defines the content of the action such as the content. In the main storage device 12 of the guidance robot 3, guidance scenarios 31 created for each requested shop 2 in the facility 7 are stored in advance.

  The input / output unit 32 is a program having a function of exchanging necessary information and commands with the robot control device 4. For example, when a movement instruction designating a destination is given from the robot control device 4, the input / output unit 32 receives the instruction and transfers it to the drive control unit 33. In the case of the present embodiment, in such a movement instruction, the installation location of any of the echo sensors 6 in the requested store 2 to be moved to is specified as the destination. Here, as the echo sensor 6, it is assumed that the installation location of the echo sensor 6 installed in front of the entrance 2A of the requested store 2 is designated as the destination.

  Further, the input / output unit 32 transmits the above-described scanning data output from the range sensor 23 (FIG. 2) and the voice data output from the microphone 21 (FIG. 2) to the robot control device 4 when necessary. Hereinafter, these scanning data and audio data are collectively referred to as measurement data as appropriate.

  The drive control unit 33 moves the self-guided robot 3 to the destination specified in the move instruction by controlling the drive mechanism 25 in accordance with the above move instruction given from the robot control device 4 via the input / output unit 32. This is a program having a function of causing the guide robot 3 to perform necessary operations or to perform necessary operations.

  Actually, when such a movement instruction is given via the input / output unit 32, the drive control unit 33 refers to the map information 30 and sequentially confirms the direction based on the output of the gyro sensor 22, and also, While detecting an obstacle in the traveling direction of the self-guided robot 3 based on the output video data and the scanning data output from the range sensor 23, drive to move to the corresponding requested store 2 while avoiding the obstacle. The mechanism 25 is controlled.

  When the drive control unit 33 moves to the vicinity of the request store 2, the drive control unit 33 drives the position sensor 26 to transmit an inquiry electromagnetic wave including infrared rays or the like. As a result, from each of the echo sensors 6 installed in the request store 2, a response electromagnetic wave on which the sensor ID of the echo sensor 6 is superimposed is transmitted as described above. Thus, the drive control unit 33 recognizes the current position and orientation of the guiding robot 3 from the receiving direction of these response electromagnetic waves based on the output of the position sensor 26 that has received these response electromagnetic waves, and The drive mechanism 25 is controlled such that the... Faces in a predetermined direction (usually the direction of the entrance) on the corresponding echo sensor 6.

  The movement control of the self-guided robot 3 by the drive control unit 33 is performed not only when a movement instruction is given from the robot control device 4 but also when the guide robot 3 moves around the requested store 2 or in the store. The same is done when moving around the request store 2 or inside the store in order to grasp the congestion situation.

  The dialogue control unit 34 is a program having a function of outputting, from the speaker 24, an uttered voice having the content specified in the guidance scenario 31 when guiding the requested store 2. Further, the dialogue control unit 34 controls the utterance of the self-guided robot 3 so that the dialogue with the facility visitor is performed even when the facility visitor speaks. Specifically, the dialogue control unit 34 recognizes the utterance content of the facility visitor captured via the microphone 21 by the voice recognition process, and outputs the utterance voice according to the recognition result from the speaker 24.

  The scenario execution control unit 35 is a program having a function of controlling the drive control unit 33 and the dialog control unit 34 so that the guidance robot 3 executes guidance according to the guidance scenario 31 of the target shop 2 at that time. In practice, the scenario execution control unit 35 drives the driving mechanism 25 via the drive control unit 33 at a necessary timing according to the corresponding guidance scenario 31 to perform the operation specified by the guidance scenario 31 to the guidance robot 3. On the other hand, by giving an instruction to the dialogue control unit 34 at a necessary timing, an uttered voice having the content specified by the guidance scenario 31 is output from the speaker 24.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the robot control device 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the robot control device 4 includes a general-purpose computer device having information processing resources such as a CPU 40, a main storage device 41, and a communication interface 42. Since the configurations and functions of the CPU 40 and the main storage device 41 are the same as those of the corresponding part (the CPU 11 or the main storage device 12) of the guide robot 3, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The communication interface 42 includes a wireless LAN card for communicating with each of the guide robot 3 and the back-end system 5, a NIC (Network Interface Card), and the like. The communication interface 42 controls a protocol when communicating with the guide robot 3 and the back-end system 5.

  The main storage device 41 of the robot control device 4 stores an input data processing unit 43, a measurement data storage unit 44, a congestion status determination unit 45, a service content transmission unit 46, a measurement location management table 47, and map information 48. . The details of the input data processing unit 43, the measurement data storage unit 44, the congestion status determination unit 45, and the measurement location management table 47 will be described later.

  The service content transmitting unit 46 is a program having a function of managing a guide scenario for each requested shop 2 registered in advance and transmitting the guide scenario for each requested shop 2 to the guide robot 3 at an initial stage. The guidance robot 3 stores and manages the guidance scenario as the guidance scenario 31 in FIG. 2 in the main storage device 12 and guides the facility visitor to the facility visitor 2 according to the guidance scenario 31.

  The map information 48 includes a map of the entire facility 7 (FIG. 1) in which the own robot control device 4 is provided in advance from the back-end system 5 (FIG. 1) and a diagram for each requested store 2 in the facility 7. 3 is information of the requested store map 30A described above. The map information 48 is distributed to the guide robot 3 at the initial stage, and the map information is stored and managed in the main storage device 12 (FIG. 2) of the guide robot 3 as the map information 30 in FIG.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of the back-end system 5. The back-end system 5 includes a general-purpose server device having information processing resources such as a CPU 50, a main storage device 51, and a communication interface 52. Since the configurations and functions of the CPU 50 and the main storage device 51 are the same as those of the corresponding portion (the CPU 11 or the main storage device 12) of the guide robot 3 described above with reference to FIG. 2, the description thereof will be omitted. The communication interface 52 is composed of, for example, an NIC, and performs protocol control when communicating with the robot control device 4.

  The main storage device 51 of the back-end system 5 stores a measurement data storage unit 53 and a map information storage unit 54. The measurement data storage unit 53 collects the above-described measurement data (scanning data and voice data) transmitted from each of the guide robots 3 arranged in each of the facilities 7 to the robot control device 4 from each of the robot control devices 4, respectively. This is a program having a function of managing.

  Further, the map information storage unit 54 has a function of storing and managing information on the entire map of each facility 7 where the pre-registered guide robot 3 is arranged, and the requested shop map 30A for each requested shop 2 in the facility 7. Program. Among the map information of these maps managed by the map information storage unit 54, the map information of the corresponding map is distributed to each robot controller 4, and this map information is used as the map information 48 of FIG. The information is stored in the main storage device 41 of the device 4 and managed.

(2) Guidance Necessity Determination Function Next, a guidance necessity determination function mounted on the guidance robot system 1 will be described. In the guide necessity determination function, the robot control device 4 determines the congestion situation of the facility visitor around the requested store 2 and in the store based on the measurement data (scanning data and voice data) transmitted from the guide robot 3. Then, it is a function of determining whether or not the guidance robot 3 needs to provide guidance to the requested store 2 based on the determination result.

  In practice, the robot control device 4 appropriately issues a movement instruction to the guidance robot 3 so as to sequentially move to each requested shop 2 in order to perform the guidance service of each requested shop 2 in the facility 7 (FIG. 1). Send. The destination specified in the movement instruction is usually near the echo sensor 6 installed in front of the entrance of the target shop 2 to be targeted.

  After receiving the movement instruction, the guide robot 3 moves to the destination specified in the received movement instruction, and then, at the entrance 2A (FIG. 3) of the requested shop 2 targeted at that time, the range sensor 23 (FIG. 3). 1), the scanning data is acquired at predetermined time intervals by scanning the area around the entrance of the requested shop 2 a plurality of times at predetermined time intervals (several seconds to several minutes) by the area measurement sensor 23.

  Further, the guide robot 3 moves to the vicinity of the echo sensor 6 installed at the exit 2B (FIG. 3) of the request shop 2, and positions the area sensor 23 (FIG. 1) near the echo sensor 6, and The scanning data of a plurality of times of scanning is acquired in the same manner as in.

  Further, thereafter, the guide robot 3 sequentially moves to the vicinity of the echo sensor 6 in each of the areas AR1 to AR8 in the store of the request store 2, and sequentially acquires the voice data output from the microphone 21 in the vicinity of the echo sensor 6. .

  The guiding robot 3 uses the scanning data acquired in the vicinity of the requested store 2 (in front of the entrance 2A and the exit 2B) and the voice data acquired in the store as measurement data, and the measurement data and the measurement data. Is transmitted to the robot controller 4 at the date and time when the is acquired and the inclination angle of the self-guided robot 3 with respect to the reference angle at that time.

  The robot control device 4 determines the degree of congestion of facility visitors around the requested store 2 and in the store based on measurement data and the like acquired in and around the requested store 2 transmitted from the guide robot 3 (hereinafter, referred to as This is called the congestion degree).

  Specifically, based on the scanning data acquired in front of the entrance 2A and the exit 2B of the request shop 2, the robot control device 4 sequentially compares the scanning results of the preceding and following scanning as shown in FIG. The number of staying facility visitors (black spots in FIG. 6) (staying number) in front of the entrance 2A or the exit 2B of the requested store 2 is sequentially acquired, and the average value of these is calculated. Then, the robot control device 4 calculates the ratio of the average value to the preset maximum number of people around the requested store 2 as the congestion degree around the requested store 2.

  Further, the robot controller 4 determines, for each voice data acquired on each echo sensor 6 in the store of the request store 2, the echo sensor 6 based on the number of voiceprints for each facility visitor included in the voice based on the voice data. The number of facility visitors existing in the areas AR1 to AR8 (FIG. 3) in which is installed is estimated. Further, the robot control device 4 calculates the total value of the estimated number of facility visitors in each of the areas AR1 to AR8 obtained as described above to the estimated value of the total number of facility visitors existing in the store of the requested store 2. Is calculated as Then, the robot control device 4 calculates the ratio of the estimated value of the total number of people to the preset maximum number of people in the store of the requested store 2 as the degree of congestion in the store of the requested store 2.

  Based on the congestion degrees around the requested store 2 and inside the store calculated in this way, the robot control device 4 determines, for example, the first congestion degree around the requested store 2 as a first threshold ( (Hereinafter, this will be referred to as a peripheral congestion degree threshold.) If it is determined that the surroundings of the requested store 2 are not crowded with facility visitors, the guide to the requested store 2 is not provided for a certain period of time and waits. The guide robot 3 is controlled to perform the operation. This suppresses the execution of the guidance service of the requested store 2 in a situation where the efficiency is low, and avoids wasting the battery 14 (FIG. 1).

  In addition, the robot control device 4 determines that the congestion degree around the requesting store 2 is equal to or greater than the peripheral congestion degree threshold value, and the congestion degree in the store of the requesting store 2 is set to a second threshold value (hereinafter referred to as “in-store”). If it is less than the threshold value, it is determined that the area around the requested store 2 is congested but the inside of the requested store 2 is not congested, and guidance to the requested store 2 is given. The robot 3 is controlled. Thus, at this time, the guidance robot 3 executes the guidance of the requested store 2 to the facility visitor existing around the requested store 2.

  On the other hand, if the congestion degree around the requested store 2 is equal to or larger than the peripheral congestion degree threshold and the congestion degree in the store of the requested store 2 is equal to or larger than the in-store congestion degree threshold, Then, it is determined that both the periphery of the requested store 2 and the inside of the store are congested, and the guidance robot 3 is controlled to stop guiding the requested store 2. Thus, at this time, the guide robot 3 stops guiding the requesting store 2, whereby the guide robot 3 further moves to the requesting store 2 in a situation where the inside of the requesting store 2 is crowded with facility visitors. Attracts visitors to the facilities.

  As means for realizing the above-described guidance necessity determination function, the main storage device 41 of the robot control device 4 includes, in addition to the service content transmitting unit 46 and the map information 48 described above, as shown in FIG. , An input data processing unit 43, a measurement data storage unit 44, a congestion state determination unit 45, and a measurement place management table 47.

  The input data processing unit 43 has a function of detecting the number of facility visitors existing around or in the corresponding requested shop 2 based on the above-described scanning data and voice data transmitted from the guidance robot 3. It is a program. The measurement data storage unit 44 is a program having a function of registering the number of facility visitors around the requested shop 2 and inside the store detected by the input data processing unit 43 in a measurement place management table 47 described later.

  The congestion state determination unit 45 determines the target shop 2 based on the number of facility visitors in and around the requested shop 2 registered in the measurement place management table 47 and based on the number of facility visitors in the shop. Is a program having a function of calculating the degree of congestion and determining whether or not guidance to the requested store 2 is required for facility visitors. The congestion status determination unit 45 returns the determination result of this determination to the guidance robot 3.

  On the other hand, the measurement location management table 47 indicates the location (on each echo sensor 6) where the guidance robot 3 should acquire the measurement data (scanning data or voice data) as described above in connection with the above-described guidance necessity determination function. The table is used to manage information obtained based on measurement data actually acquired at the measurement location.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the measurement location management table 47 includes a number column 47A, a measurement location ID column 47B, a measurement location name column 47C, a sensor ID column 47D, a measurement date column 47E, a measurement time column 47F, and a measurement direction column 47G. , A measurement result column 47H, a congestion degree column 47I, a peripheral congestion degree threshold value column 47J, an in-store congestion degree threshold value column 47K, and a determination column 47L. In the measurement location management table 47, one row corresponds to one measurement location.

  The number column 47A stores an identification number assigned to the entry (row) of the measurement location management table 47, and the measurement location ID column 47B stores a unique identification number assigned to the corresponding measurement location. Is stored. The measurement location name column 47C stores the name of the measurement location, and the sensor ID column 47D stores the sensor ID of the echo sensor 6 (FIG. 1) installed at the measurement location.

  The measurement date column 47E stores the date when the last measurement data (scanning data and audio data) was obtained at the measurement location, and the measurement time column 47F stores the time when the measurement data was obtained. . Further, the measurement direction column 47G stores the inclination angle of the microphone 21 and the range sensor 23 of the guidance robot 3 from the reference angle when the measurement is performed, and the measurement result column 47H stores the measurement acquired at that time. The number of facility visitors detected based on the data is stored.

  Further, the congestion degree column 47I stores the congestion degree around or in the corresponding requested store 2 calculated based on the number of facility visitors detected based on the measurement data acquired at that time. In the case of the present embodiment, the degree of congestion around the requested store 2 is calculated based on the number of facility visitors detected at the entrance 2A and the exit 2B of the requested store 2, respectively. The congestion degree in the requested store 2 is calculated based on the number of facility visitors detected in each of the areas AR1 to AR8.

  Further, the peripheral congestion degree threshold field 47J stores a peripheral congestion degree threshold value which is a threshold value of the congestion degree around the requested store 2 preset as described above, and the in-store congestion degree threshold value field 47K stores The in-store congestion degree threshold, which is the threshold of the in-store congestion degree of the requested store 2 set in advance as described above, is stored. Further, the determination column 47L stores a determination result as to whether or not to execute guidance for the corresponding requesting store 2 determined for the measurement location.

  FIG. 8 shows a flow of a series of processing (hereinafter, referred to as guidance necessity determination processing) executed in the robot control device 4 of the guidance robot system 1 in connection with the above-described guidance necessity determination function. Show.

  The guidance necessity determination process is performed after the robot control device 4 transmits a movement command designating the requested store 2 of the destination to the guide robot 3, and then the guidance robot 3 arriving at the requested store 2 and the vicinity of the requested store 2 And the timing when the measurement data (scanning data and voice data) in the store, the date and time when the measurement data was acquired, and the direction of the guidance robot 3 (the inclination angle of the guidance robot 3 with respect to the reference angle) are transmitted. Is done.

  Then, the input data processing unit 43 (FIG. 4) of the robot control device 4 exists at the entrance 2A (FIG. 3) and the exit 2B (FIG. 3) of the requested store 2 based on the measurement data and the like received at this time. In addition to detecting the number of facility visitors, the number of facility visitors present in each of the areas AR1 to AR8 in the store of the requested store 2 is detected, and the number, date and time when the measurement data is acquired, and the number of facilities visitors are detected. Information such as the direction of the robot 3 is transferred to the measurement data storage unit 44 (FIG. 4). In addition, the measurement data storage unit 44 stores the number of persons in the information provided from the input data processing unit 43 in the measurement result column 47H of the corresponding entry (row) in the measurement place management table 47 (FIG. 7) (FIG. 7). And the date and time are stored in the measurement date column 47E and the measurement time column 47F, respectively, and the direction of the guide robot 3 is stored in the measurement direction column 47G. Thereafter, the congestion status determination unit 45 (FIG. 4) is called (S1). ).

  When called by the measurement data storage unit 44, the congestion status determination unit 45 starts to determine the congestion status around the requested store 2 or in the store (S2). First, the vicinity of the requested store 2 is a facility visitor. It is determined whether or not the traffic is more than a certain level (S3). In this determination, the ratio of the total number of facility visitors around the requested store 2 to the maximum number of people around the requested store 2 (that is, the congestion degree around the requested store 2) is calculated. This is performed by determining whether or not the value is equal to or larger than the threshold value.

  If the ratio of the total number of facility visitors in the vicinity of the request store 2 to the maximum number of people in the vicinity is less than the peripheral congestion degree threshold, a negative result is obtained in this determination. Thus, at this time, the congestion status determination unit 45 gives an instruction to the guidance robot 3 to wait for the requested store 2 without performing the guidance for a predetermined time (S4). In this case, after the predetermined time, the guide robot 3 collects the measurement data around the request store 2 and in the store again in the same manner as described above and transmits this to the robot control device 4, so that the processing after step S1 is performed. Will be executed again.

  On the other hand, if the ratio of the total number of facility visitors in the vicinity of the request store 2 to the maximum number of people in the vicinity is equal to or greater than the peripheral congestion degree threshold, a positive result is obtained in the determination in step S3. Thus, in this case, the congestion status determination unit 45 determines whether or not the inside of the requested store 2 is crowded by a facility visitor for a certain amount or more (S5). In this determination, the ratio of the total number of facility visitors in the store of the requested store 2 to the maximum number of people in the store described above (that is, the congestion degree in the store of the requested store 2) is calculated. This is performed by determining whether or not the value is equal to or larger than the threshold value.

  If the ratio of the total number of facility visitors in the store of the requested store 2 to the maximum number of people in the store is less than the in-store congestion threshold, a negative result is obtained in this determination. Thus, at this time, the congestion status determination unit 45 gives an instruction to the guidance robot 3 to execute guidance of the requested store 2 around the requested store 2 (S6). Hereinafter, this instruction is referred to as a guidance execution instruction. Thus, the guidance necessity determination processing ends.

  On the other hand, if the ratio of the total number of facility visitors in the store of the requested store 2 to the maximum number of people in the store is equal to or larger than the in-store congestion threshold, a positive result is obtained in this determination. Thus, at this time, the congestion status determination unit 45 gives an instruction to the guidance robot 3 to stop the execution of the guidance service for guiding the requested store 2 (S7). Thus, the guidance necessity determination processing ends.

(3) Guide Scenario Switching Function Next, a guide scenario switching function mounted on the guide robot 3 will be described. The guide scenario switching function is such that the guide robot 3 determines that the remaining energy of the battery 14 (FIG. 2) mounted on the guide robot 3 is equal to or less than a preset first threshold (hereinafter referred to as a first energy remaining threshold). In this case, the guide scenario 31 (FIG. 2) to be executed is switched to a power-saving guide scenario.

  In practice, the guidance robot 3 includes, as data of the guidance scenario 31 for each requested shop 2, data of a guidance scenario for a normal time (hereinafter, referred to as a normal guidance scenario) and a guidance robot in comparison with the normal guidance scenario. The data of a power-saving guidance scenario (hereinafter, referred to as a power-saving guidance scenario) with little movement of the robot 3 is given from the robot controller 4 in advance. The guidance robot 3 stores and manages the normal guidance scenario and the power-saving guidance scenario for each requested store 2 in the main storage device 12 as the guidance scenario 31 of the requested store 2.

  Then, at normal times, the guide robot 3 executes the normal guidance scenario of the requested store 2 targeted at that time, and according to the normal guidance scenario, the request robot 2 of the facility visitor around the requested store 2 with respect to the facility visitor. Perform guidance. The guidance robot 3 constantly monitors the remaining energy of the battery 14, and when the remaining energy of the battery 14 becomes smaller than the above-described first remaining energy threshold, the guiding robot 3 executes a guidance scenario to be executed thereafter. Switching to the power saving guidance scenario, the facility visitor is guided to the requested store 2 according to the power saving guidance scenario.

  FIG. 9 shows a flow of a series of processes (hereinafter, referred to as a guide scenario switching process) executed by the scenario execution control unit 35 (FIG. 2) of the guide robot 3 in connection with such a guide scenario switching function. It is a flowchart shown. This process is started when the guidance robot 3 receives a guidance execution instruction from the robot control device 4 in step S6 of the guidance necessity determination process described above with reference to FIG.

  Then, based on the data of the normal guidance scenario of the requested store 2 stored in the main storage device 12 (FIG. 2), the scenario execution control unit 35 first guides the requested store 2 according to the normal guidance scenario. Control unit 33 (FIG. 2) and the dialogue control unit 34 (FIG. 2) are performed so as to perform the above for the facility visitors around the requested store 2 (S10).

  When the one-time guidance of the requested store 2 according to the normal guidance scenario is completed, the scenario execution control unit 35 determines the remaining energy level of the battery 14 at that time detected by the battery level detection unit 27 (FIG. 2). Is obtained (S11), and it is determined whether or not the obtained remaining energy is less than the above-mentioned first remaining energy threshold (S12).

  Then, if a negative result is obtained in this determination, the scenario execution control unit 35 returns to step S10, and thereafter repeats the processing of steps S10 to S12.

  On the other hand, when the affirmative result is obtained in step S12 due to the remaining energy of the battery 14 eventually being less than the first remaining energy threshold, the scenario execution control unit 35 skips the guidance scenario to be used thereafter. Switch to the power guidance scenario (S13).

  Thereafter, the scenario execution control unit 35 determines that the remaining energy level of the battery 14 is equal to the minimum remaining energy level (hereinafter referred to as the second energy level) at which the guiding robot 3 can operate according to the power saving guidance scenario. The drive control unit 33 and the dialogue control unit 34 are controlled so as to execute the guidance of the requested store 2 (S14) until the required store amount is reached (S14). When it becomes less than the remaining amount threshold, the guidance scenario switching process ends.

  FIG. 10 shows specific processing contents of the scenario execution control unit 35 in step S14 of the above-described guidance scenario switching processing. When the scenario execution control unit 35 proceeds to step S14 of the guidance scenario switching process, the scenario execution control unit 35 starts the power saving guidance scenario execution process shown in FIG. 10, and first activates the drive mechanism 25 (FIG. 2) via the drive control unit 33. By controlling, the guide robot 3 is moved to a position before the entrance 2A (FIG. 3) of the request store 2 (S20).

  Subsequently, the scenario execution control unit 35, based on the data of the power saving guide scenario of the requested shop 2 stored in the main storage device 12 (FIG. 2), stores the requested shop 2 in accordance with the power saving guide scenario. The drive control unit 33 (FIG. 2) and the dialog control unit 34 (FIG. 2) are controlled so as to provide guidance to the facility visitor (S21).

  Next, the scenario execution control unit 35 acquires the remaining energy level of the battery 14 at that time detected by the remaining battery level detection unit 27 (FIG. 2) (S22). It is determined whether it is less than the amount threshold (S23). When the scenario execution control unit 35 obtains a negative result in this determination, the process returns to step S21, and thereafter, repeats the processing from step S21.

  When the scenario execution control unit 35 eventually obtains a positive result in step S23 because the remaining energy of the battery 14 becomes smaller than the second remaining energy threshold, the scenario execution control unit 35 controls the drive control unit 33 and the dialog control unit 34. As a result, the guidance of the requested store 2 to the facility visitor is stopped (S24).

  After that, the scenario execution control unit 35 transmits a stop notice to the robot control device 4 that the self-guided robot 3 is scheduled to stop due to the lack of the remaining energy of the battery 14 (S25). Further, the scenario execution control unit 35 controls the drive control unit 33 so that the self-guided robot 3 moves away from the requesting store 2 to a predetermined standby place (S26). The scenario execution processing ends.

  After that, the battery 14 is charged or exchanged with respect to the guide robot 3 that has moved to the above-mentioned waiting place.

(4) Effects of the present embodiment As described above, in the guide robot system 1 of the present embodiment, when there are few facility visitors around the target requested store 2, the guidance of the requested store 2 is not performed. Controls the guiding robot 3. Therefore, according to the guide robot system 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the guide robot 3 from guiding the requested store 2 under the situation where the advertising efficiency is poor, and it is possible to prevent the battery 14 from being wasted.

  In addition, the guide robot system 1 controls the guide robot 3 so as not to provide guidance to the requested shop 2 even when the inside of the target requested shop 2 is crowded with facility visitors. Therefore, according to the guide robot system 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the guidance of the requested store 2 under the situation that the congestion in the store is spurred.

  Thus, according to the guide robot system 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to realize a guide robot system that can guide the requested store 2 by the guide robot 3 only in an appropriate situation that truly requires guidance. .

(5) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the map information 30 of the entire facility 7 and the map of the requested shop 2, the output of the gyro sensor 22, and the guide robot 3 are installed in the requested shop 2. The case where the robot is moved to the destination specified by the robot controller 4 based on the communication with the echo sensor 6 described above has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The guide robot 3 may move to a destination specified by the robot control device 4 based on GPS (Global Positioning System) information.

  In the above-described embodiment, the degree of congestion around the requested store 2 is detected based on the scanning data output from the range sensor 23 of the guidance robot 3, and based on the audio data output from the microphone 21. The case where the degree of congestion in the store of the requested store 2 is detected has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and both the scanning data and the voice data that use the degree of congestion around the requested store 2 and in the store are used. Alternatively, it may be detected. In addition, the congestion degree around the requested store 2 or inside the store may be detected using other data (for example, video data output from the camera 20) instead of or in addition to the scanning data and the audio data. .

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which two types of guidance scenarios 31 to be executed in accordance with the remaining amount of energy of the battery 14 of the guidance robot 3 are prepared for normal use and power saving. The invention is not limited to this, and three or more guide scenarios 31 having different energy consumptions of the guide robot 3 are prepared, and these guide scenarios 31 are switched while switching these guide scenarios 31 according to the remaining energy of the battery 14 of the guide robot 3. The guidance according to the guidance scenario 31 may be performed by the guidance robot 3.

  The present invention can be widely applied to various types of guidance robot systems for guiding stores.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Guide robot system, 2 ... Store, 3 ... Guide robot, 4 ... Robot control device, 6 ... Echo sensor, 7 ... Facility, 11, 40 ... CPU, 14 ... Battery, 20 ... ... Camera, 21 ... Microphone, 23 ... Range sensor, 24 ... Speaker, 25 ... Drive mechanism, 27 ... Battery level detection unit, 30,48 ... Map information, 31 ... Guide scenario, 32 ... I / O unit, 33 ... Drive control unit, 34 ... Dialog control unit, 35 ... Scenario execution control unit, 43 ... Input data processing unit, 44 ... Measurement data storage unit, 45 ... Congestion status judgment Section, 46... Service content transmitting section, 47... Measurement place management table.

Claims (8)

In a guidance robot system that guides the store to people around the store,
A guidance robot for guiding the store,
And a robot control device for controlling the guiding robot,
The guidance robot,
In the vicinity of the store, obtain predetermined first data for determining the degree of congestion of a person, transmit the obtained first data to the robot control device,
The robot controller,
Based on the first data transmitted from the guidance robot, the degree of congestion around the store is determined, and when it is determined that the periphery of the store is not overcrowded, the store A guidance robot system, wherein the guidance robot is controlled so as not to provide guidance. The guidance robot,
In the store of the store, obtain predetermined second data for determining the degree of congestion of a person, transmit the obtained second data to the robot control device,
The robot controller,
Based on the second data transmitted from the guide robot, the degree of congestion in the store of the store is determined, the periphery of the store is more than the predetermined amount of congestion, and the store of the store is congested. The guide robot system according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that the store has not been performed, the guide robot is controlled so as to execute the store guidance. The robot controller,
When it is determined that the periphery of the store is congested for a certain amount or more and the inside of the store is also congested, the guide robot is controlled not to execute the guidance of the store. Item 3. The guidance robot system according to Item 2. The guidance robot,
A battery as a power source,
An energy remaining amount detection unit that detects an energy remaining amount of the battery,
A storage device in which data of a first guidance scenario for normal use and a data of a second guidance scenario for power saving are stored as guidance scenarios defining the action contents of the guidance robot when guiding the store. Prepared,
Monitoring the remaining energy of the battery detected by the remaining energy detector, and performing the guidance according to the first guidance scenario when the remaining energy is equal to or greater than a preset threshold; The guidance robot system according to claim 1, wherein the guidance is performed in accordance with the second guidance scenario when is less than the threshold. In a control method of a guidance robot system that guides the shop to people around the shop,
The guidance robot system includes:
A guidance robot for guiding the store,
A robot control device for controlling the guide robot,
A first step in which the guide robot acquires predetermined first data for determining the degree of congestion of people around the store, and transmits the acquired first data to the robot control device; ,
When the robot control device determines the degree of congestion around the store based on the first data transmitted from the guide robot, and determines that the periphery of the store is not congested by a certain amount or more. And a second step of controlling the guide robot so as not to guide the store. In the first step, the guide robot includes:
In the store of the store, obtain predetermined second data for determining the degree of congestion of a person, transmit the obtained second data to the robot control device,
In the second step, the robot control device includes:
The degree of congestion in the store of the store is determined based on the second data transmitted from the guide robot, and the periphery of the store is congested for a certain amount or more, and the store of the store is congested. The control method of the guidance robot system according to claim 5, wherein when it is determined that there is no guidance, the guidance robot is controlled to execute the guidance of the store. In the second step, the robot control device includes:
When it is determined that the periphery of the store is congested for a certain amount or more and the inside of the store is also congested, the guide robot is controlled not to execute the guidance of the store. Item 7. A control method for a guidance robot system according to Item 6. In the guide robot,
Equipped with a battery as a power source,
In the second step, the guide robot includes:
Monitoring the remaining energy of the battery,
When the remaining energy is equal to or more than a preset threshold, the guidance is performed according to the first guidance scenario for normal use, and when the remaining energy is less than the threshold, the second guidance for power saving is used. The method according to claim 5, wherein the guidance is performed according to a scenario.

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