JP4919838B2 - Remote monitoring system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile robot, and more particularly to a mobile robot that travels in a monitoring area, detects an abnormality in the monitoring area, and transmits an abnormality signal to a remote monitoring center.

  In recent years, various mobile robots that autonomously move on a road surface have been put into practical use. As such a mobile robot, there is known a robot that transmits an abnormality signal to a remote monitoring device when an abnormality such as an obstacle or a fire is detected.

As a remote monitoring system using such a mobile robot, in Patent Document 1, when trouble information is taken in from an automated guided vehicle (mobile robot), a buzzer is sounded to alert a monitor in the monitor room. A remote monitoring system for an automated guided vehicle is disclosed. In the remote monitoring system for an automatic guided vehicle in Patent Document 1, a monitoring person who has been alerted by a buzzer sounds, looks at the monitor, identifies the cause of the trouble, operates the keyboard, and sends a trouble cancellation signal to the automatic guided vehicle. By transmitting the start signal, the buzzer is stopped and the operation of the automatic guided vehicle is resumed. (Paragraphs 0009 to 0011)
JP 2002-41145 A

  However, in the remote monitoring system of Patent Document 1, each time the mobile robot detects an abnormality, a buzzer sounds in the monitor room and alerts each time. Therefore, there is a problem that it is necessary to perform the operation of resuming the operation of the mobile robot, and it takes a great burden on the observer.

  In other words, the abnormality detected by the mobile robot may be a minor one that does not necessarily need to be confirmed by the monitoring person or an instantaneous false detection of an obstacle. Even in such a case, since the buzzer sounded and the monitor was requested to confirm, the monitor cannot leave the seat and take a break.

  In particular, with respect to a mobile robot for security purposes that moves day and night for the purpose of security of the monitoring target, there is a possibility that the burden on the surveillance staff will increase significantly.

  In order to solve such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile robot that can reduce the burden on the monitoring staff without prompting the monitoring staff to check for minor abnormalities or instantaneous erroneous detection.

  In order to achieve the above object, a mobile robot according to the present invention is a mobile robot that includes a detection unit that detects an abnormality in a monitoring area and moves in the monitoring area, the communication unit communicating with a monitoring center, and the monitoring area The storage unit that stores the setting information that can identify whether the abnormality is an automatic recovery prohibition abnormality or an abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality, and the current state of the monitoring area, and the storage unit when the detection unit detects an abnormality An abnormality processing unit that stores an abnormal state, a communication control unit that transmits an abnormal signal to the monitoring center when the detection unit detects an abnormality, a mode setting unit that manages a plurality of operation modes including an automatic recovery mode, When an abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality is detected when the operation mode is the automatic recovery mode, the abnormal state is prohibited while the transmission of the abnormality signal is prohibited. Is characterized by comprising a recovery processing means for executing a recovery process for releasing, the.

The mobile robot stores, as setting information, information set so as to be able to identify whether it is an automatic recovery prohibition abnormality or an automatic recovery prohibition abnormality.
The setting information includes information for which automatic recovery prohibition abnormality that prohibits automatic recovery is set, information for which automatic recovery allowable abnormality that allows automatic recovery is set, automatic recovery prohibition abnormality that prohibits automatic recovery and automatic recovery that allows automatic recovery Any of the information for which the recovery allowable abnormality is set may be used.

  When the mobile robot detects an abnormality when it is set to the automatic recovery mode, it determines whether this is an automatic recovery prohibition abnormality, and if it is an automatic recovery prohibition abnormality, it is prohibited to report an abnormality signal related to the abnormality detection. Then, the recovery process is executed. On the other hand, if the detected abnormality is an automatic recovery prohibition abnormality even if the automatic recovery mode is set, or if the automatic recovery mode is not set, an abnormality signal is reported to the monitoring center.

  As a result, in the automatic recovery mode, according to the abnormality type of the detected abnormality, the recovery process is automatically executed for the abnormality type allowed in advance without bothering the monitoring center operator. Can be reduced. In addition, even in the automatic recovery mode, for important abnormality types that are not desirable to be restored without confirmation by the supervisor, an abnormality signal is reported when an abnormality is detected. The monitoring staff can respond appropriately at the center.

  In the mobile robot according to the present invention, preferably, if the abnormal state is not canceled even after the recovery processing unit executes the recovery process a predetermined number of times, an abnormal signal is transmitted to the monitoring center.

If the mobile robot does not recover from the abnormal state after executing the recovery process a predetermined number of times, the mobile robot notifies the monitoring center of an abnormal signal. It is preferable to set the predetermined number of times sufficient to confirm that the mobile robot cannot recover from the abnormality and to determine the abnormality.
As a result, when the mobile robot cannot recover from the abnormality, the abnormality is reported, so that an abnormality that is difficult to recover can be appropriately dealt with by the judgment of the supervisor.

  Furthermore, in the mobile robot according to the present invention, preferably, if the abnormal state is not canceled within a predetermined time after the recovery processing means executes the recovery process, an abnormal signal is transmitted to the monitoring center.

If the mobile robot does not recover from the abnormal state within a predetermined time after starting the recovery process, the mobile robot notifies the monitoring center of an abnormal signal. The predetermined time is preferably set to a time sufficient for the mobile robot to execute the recovery process.
As a result, when the mobile robot cannot recover from the abnormality, the abnormality is reported, so that an abnormality that is difficult to recover can be appropriately dealt with by the judgment of the supervisor.

  The mobile robot according to the present invention preferably further includes a movement control means for stopping movement upon detection of the abnormality and resuming movement when the abnormal state is canceled.

  According to the remote monitoring system of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the monitoring center from being notified each time an abnormality is detected, and to perform recovery processing without bothering the observer and reduce the burden on the observer. Is possible.

  In addition, when the mobile robot cannot recover the abnormality, the abnormality is reported to the monitoring center, so that an abnormality that is difficult to recover can be appropriately dealt with based on the judgment of the monitor.

  In addition, for important abnormality types that are not desirable to be restored without confirmation by the monitoring staff according to the abnormality classification, an abnormality signal is reported when the abnormality is detected. It can correspond to.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a remote monitoring system using a mobile robot according to the present invention. The remote monitoring system is configured by wirelessly connecting a mobile robot 1 that moves in a monitoring area 3 and a monitoring center 2.
The mobile robot 1 is used to guard the monitoring area 3 that is the outer periphery of the building 4, and detects an abnormality in the monitoring area 3 while moving on the road surface of the monitoring area 3.

  The mobile robot 1 is wirelessly connected to the monitoring center 2 and is stopped at the reference position in the monitoring area 3. The mobile robot 1 circulates in the monitoring area 3 according to its own stored schedule or a control signal received from the monitoring center 2. To start. Then, the mobile robot 1 transmits the surrounding image and the location of the detected abnormality to the monitoring center 2.

  In FIG. 1, the periphery of the building 4 is a moving route that the mobile robot 1 circulates, and a guide 5 is fixedly provided over the entire length of the moving route. The guide 5 is made of a magnetic material, and the mobile robot 1 moves along the guide 5 along the guide 5 while detecting the guide 5 by a guide detection unit described later.

  A reference position 6 having a charging facility for charging the battery of the mobile robot 1 is disposed in the middle of the guide 5. The mobile robot 1 starts to move along the guide 5 from the reference position 6 and temporarily stops at a predetermined position on the guide 5 to perform a process such as monitoring the surroundings while traveling around the guide 5. If the reference position 6 is reached, the patrol is terminated.

  The monitoring center 2 is a facility equipped with a remote monitoring device 20 in which a monitoring person is stationed in the building 4 in the monitoring area 3, and a monitoring person who is an operator of the remote monitoring device 20 is monitored by information transmitted from the mobile robot 1. Area 3 is monitored. However, the monitoring center is not limited to this, and the monitoring center is provided in a remote facility operated by a security company or the like, and the monitoring staff uses information transmitted from the mobile robot to the remote monitoring device via the communication network and the wireless base station. The monitoring area may be monitored.

  When the remote monitoring device 20 receives an abnormality signal from the mobile robot 1, the remote monitoring device 20 sounds a buzzer to alert the monitoring personnel and requests confirmation of the abnormality. If the monitor can determine that the mobile robot 1 can be recovered from the abnormal state (the state in which the abnormality is detected) with reference to the information received from the mobile robot 1, the monitor transmits a control signal to the mobile robot 1 to Restore 1 In addition, the monitoring person confirms the information received from the mobile robot 1, and if it is recognized that an emergency has occurred in the monitoring area 3, the mobile robot 1 is remotely operated to deal with the emergency, or the guard Take measures such as rushing to the site.

  In addition, the remote monitoring device 20 transmits an automatic recovery signal to the mobile robot 1 to set the mobile robot 1 in the automatic recovery mode. When the mobile robot 1 is set to the automatic recovery mode, the mobile robot 1 automatically executes recovery processing when an abnormality is detected, and continues the patrol. Thereby, even if the monitoring center 2 becomes unmanned, the monitoring area 3 can be guarded using the mobile robot 1.

<Mobile robot>
Next, the configuration of the mobile robot 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile robot 1.
The mobile robot 1 includes a control unit 11, a detection unit 12, a communication unit 13, a moving unit 14, a self-position detection unit 15, and a storage unit 16.

  The detection unit 12 is a means for acquiring information necessary for moving the mobile robot 1 and information for monitoring the monitoring area 3, and includes an imaging unit 121, an obstacle detection unit 122, a nearby object detection unit 123, A fire detection unit 124 and a guide detection unit 125 are included.

  The imaging unit 121 is realized by a camera, an image processing board, and the like, images the surroundings of the mobile robot 1, and outputs an image to the control unit 11. The imaging unit 121 detects a moving object having a predetermined size or more by performing image processing on the captured image. Various methods for image processing have been proposed and will not be described in detail here. In addition, the imaging unit 121 detects an abnormality in the imaging device such as a camera being blocked or an image being unable to be captured. The imaging unit 121 outputs an abnormality detection signal to the control unit 11 when an abnormality of the moving object or the imaging device is detected.

  The obstacle detection unit 122 is configured by a laser sensor that scans a space ahead of the mobile robot 1 in the traveling direction, acquires information on the relative position between the mobile robot 1 and the object, and detects an obstacle. The obstacle detection unit 122 stores the position information of the existing object in the monitoring area 3, and compares the information on the relative position of the object detected according to the current position of the mobile robot 1 with the position of the existing object. The detected object is determined as an obstacle. When an obstacle is detected, an abnormality detection signal is output to the control unit 11.

The near object detection unit 123 includes a distance measuring sensor provided around the mobile robot 1 and detects an object existing in the vicinity of the mobile robot 1 (for example, within 40 cm). When a nearby object is detected, an abnormality detection signal is output to the control unit 11.
The fire detection unit 124 is composed of an ultraviolet sensor that detects ultraviolet rays generated when a flame occurs, and determines the occurrence of a fire based on the output of the sensor. When the occurrence of fire is detected, an abnormality detection signal is output to the control unit 11.

  The guide detection unit 125 is configured by a magnetic sensor provided at the bottom of the mobile robot 1, detects the guide 5 containing a magnetic material during a tour, and outputs a guide detection signal to the control unit 11. During the patrol, if the guide detection unit 125 cannot detect the guide 5, it outputs an abnormality detection signal to the control unit 11.

  Here, the abnormality detection signal output from the detection unit 12 includes at least an abnormality type such as moving object detection, imaging device abnormality, and obstacle detection.

  The control unit 11 is realized by a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls each unit of the mobile robot 1 according to various programs stored in the memory. The abnormality processing unit 112, the communication control unit 111, the recovery processing unit 113, and the mode setting unit are controlled. 115 and the movement control means 114 are executed.

When an abnormality detection signal is input from each part of the detection unit 12, the abnormality processing unit 112 determines that an abnormality has occurred for each abnormality detection signal. Then, the abnormality processing unit 112 stores the determined abnormality in the storage unit 16.
In addition, when the abnormality processing unit 112 determines the occurrence of an abnormality, the abnormality processing unit 112 instructs the communication control unit 111 to transmit an abnormality signal based on the abnormality type and the current operation mode stored in the storage unit 16, or a recovery processing unit. Performs processing such as recovery processing execution instructions for

The communication control unit 111 transmits and receives signals to and from the monitoring center 2 by controlling the deep part 13. The communication control unit 111 encodes the current position detected by the self-position detection unit 15 and the image information captured by the imaging unit 121, transmits the encoded information to the monitoring center 2 from the communication unit 13, and decodes the signal received from the monitoring center 2. And output to each part. The communication control unit 111 encodes abnormality information including the type of abnormality detected by the detection unit 12 based on the instruction output from the abnormality processing unit 112 and transmits an abnormality signal from the communication unit 13 to the monitoring center 2. . In addition, when the operation mode of the mobile robot 1 is set by the mode setting unit 115, the communication control unit 111 transmits a mode setting signal indicating the set mode to the monitoring center.

  The recovery processing unit 113 executes a recovery process to be described later based on the instruction output from the abnormality processing unit 112. The recovery processing unit 113 determines whether or not the abnormal state stored in the storage unit 16 is continued by the recovery process. If the recovery processing unit 113 does not continue, the recovery processing unit 113 cancels the abnormal state and sets the mobile robot 1 in the abnormal state. Restore from.

The mode setting unit 115 is a unit that sets the operation mode of the mobile robot 1. In the present embodiment, as an operation mode, a normal mode in which an abnormality signal is sent to the monitoring center 2 to request the monitoring person to confirm the abnormality, and a minor abnormality is reported to the monitoring person without notifying the monitoring center 2 of the abnormality. There is an automatic recovery mode that does not require confirmation of abnormalities.
When the mode setting unit 115 receives the automatic recovery signal from the monitoring center 2, the mode setting unit 115 sets the operation mode to the automatic recovery mode and stores the automatic recovery mode in the storage unit 25. Further, when the mode setting means 115 receives the automatic recovery end signal from the monitoring center 2, the mode setting means 115 sets the operation mode to the normal mode and stores the normal mode in the storage unit 25.
The mode setting means 115 may set the operation mode according to a predetermined mode setting schedule set in advance.

  The movement control means 114 drives the movement means 14 based on the tour information 162 and a guide detection signal which will be described later. The moving means 14 includes wheels provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body and motors that drive the wheels. The mobile robot 1 travels so as to follow the guide 5 by independently driving one of the front and rear left and right wheels. If the abnormality processing unit 112 determines that an abnormality has occurred, the movement control unit 114 stops driving the moving unit 14 and stops the mobile robot 1.

  The self-position detector 15 detects the rotation amounts of the motor rotation shafts of the left and right wheels, calculates the travel distance and turning angle of the mobile robot 1 from the rotation amounts of the left and right wheels, and performs dead reckoning navigation (dead) from the reference position 6. The current position is calculated by reckoning. The calculated current position is stored in the storage unit 16.

  The storage unit 16 is realized by a memory or the like, and stores information used for various processes of the mobile robot 1. The information stored in the storage unit 16 indicates whether the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 161 as the setting information, the traveling information 162 storing the traveling schedule or the traveling course, or the current abnormal state is normal. Information on the current state 163 and the current operation mode 164 are included. Although the storage unit 16 is described independently of the control unit 11 in the present embodiment for the sake of explanation, the storage unit 16 is not limited thereto, and may be realized by a memory included in the control unit 11.

The automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 161 of the storage unit 16 is a table that stores an abnormality type that prohibits execution of the automatic recovery process among a plurality of abnormality types detected by the detection unit 12. That is, among the plurality of abnormality types detected by the mobile robot 1, automatic recovery processing is permitted for the abnormality types that are not stored in this table.
As an abnormality type for which automatic recovery processing is prohibited, an abnormality type that is highly important and requires quick reporting is set in advance. For example, an abnormality type that needs to be confirmed by a monitoring person, such as a fire detection by the fire detection unit 124, a detection of a nearby object by the proximity object detection unit 123, and an abnormality detection of a guide line by the guide detection unit 125 is set.

  The information on the current state 163 stored in the storage unit 16 is a table indicating an abnormal state detected by each unit of the detection unit 12. An example of the current state 163 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, in the current state 163, when an abnormality is determined by the abnormality processing unit 112, “abnormal” is stored as the corresponding abnormality type. For example, in FIG. 4A, it is stored in the No. 03 column that the obstacle detection unit 122 is in the abnormal state of the abnormality type “obstacle detection”. Then, the “abnormality” stored as the current state is erased and the abnormal state is released (becomes “normal”) by a recovery process described later.

<Remote monitoring device>
Next, the configuration of the remote monitoring device 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the remote monitoring device 20.
The remote monitoring device 20 is provided in the monitoring center 2 and is wirelessly connected to the mobile robot 1. In the monitoring center 2, a monitoring person monitors the monitoring area 3 based on information transmitted from the mobile robot 1.
The remote monitoring device 20 includes a control unit 21, a display unit 22, a notification unit 23, an operation unit 24, a storage unit 25, and a communication unit 26.

  The control unit 21 is realized by a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls each unit of the remote monitoring device 20 according to various programs stored in the memory and executes the communication control unit 211.

The display unit 22 is configured by a liquid crystal monitor, a CRT, or the like. The display unit 22 includes a menu screen for command input by the operation unit 24, map information of the monitoring area 3, position display of the mobile robot 1, an image captured by the mobile robot 1, and information on an abnormality detected by the mobile robot 1. Etc. are displayed.
The notification unit 23 is configured with a buzzer or the like, operates when the remote monitoring device 20 receives an abnormality signal from the mobile robot 1, etc., alerts the monitoring staff, and requests confirmation of the abnormality displayed on the display unit 22. To do.

  The operation unit 24 includes a keyboard, a pointing device, a joystick, and the like. The operation unit 24 is operated by a monitor to input a command for confirming an abnormality and a predetermined command for remotely controlling the mobile robot 1. The command input from the operation unit 24 includes a command for setting the operation mode of the mobile robot 1, a command for setting the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality of the mobile robot 1, a command for confirming the abnormality information received from the mobile robot 1, and movement In addition to a command for recovering the robot 1 from an abnormal state, a command for confirming past abnormality history and images stored in the storage unit 25, a command for starting / stopping movement of the mobile robot 1, and manually manipulating the mobile robot 1 There are commands and commands for setting the tour schedule.

  The communication unit 26 is a wireless communication unit that is controlled by the communication control unit 211 to transmit and receive signals to and from the mobile robot 1. The communication control unit 211 decodes the current position, image information, abnormality signal, and the like received from the mobile robot 1 and outputs them to the control unit 21. Further, the communication control unit 211 encodes a command for remotely controlling the mobile robot 1 input from the operation unit 24 and transmits the command to the mobile robot 1 from the communication unit 26. In particular, in the present embodiment, the communication control unit 211 transmits a manual recovery signal to the mobile robot 1 when a command for recovering the mobile robot 1 from the abnormal state is input, and the operation unit 24 sends the mobile robot 1 to the mobile robot 1. When a command for setting the operation mode to the automatic recovery mode is input, an automatic recovery signal is transmitted to the mobile robot 1, and when the command for setting the operation mode of the mobile robot 1 to the normal mode is input, the automatic recovery ends. A signal is transmitted to the mobile robot 1.

  The storage unit 25 is realized by a memory or the like, and stores information used for various processes of the remote monitoring device 20. Information stored in the storage unit 25 includes a monitoring image 251, an abnormality history 252, and a robot operation mode 253. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 25 is described independently of the control unit 21 for the sake of explanation. However, the storage unit 25 is not limited to this, and may be realized by a memory included in the control unit 11.

  The monitoring image 251 is an accumulation of images captured by the imaging unit 121 received from the mobile robot 1. In the monitoring image 251, images received from the mobile robot 1 are sequentially accumulated and stored in association with the imaging time and the image number.

  The abnormality history 252 stores information on abnormality signals received from the mobile robot 1. An example of the abnormality history 252 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4B, the abnormality history 252 includes the abnormality type that is the content of the abnormality, its detection time, the position when the abnormality is detected, and the image number of the image that is captured when the abnormality is detected. Is recorded.

For example, in the No. 01 column in FIG. 4B, “obstacle detection” by the obstacle detection unit 122 is recorded as an abnormality type, and the time when such an abnormality is detected is 0:35:10, It is recorded that the coordinates of the position where the abnormality is detected in the monitoring area 3 are X1 and Y1, and the image when the abnormality is detected is Va.
In FIG. 4B, the No. 03 column records “abnormality of the imaging device” as an abnormal content such as the imaging unit 121 being shielded or being unable to capture an image. In column 05, it is recorded as a “moving object detection” abnormality in which a moving object is detected by image processing of the imaging unit 121 as an abnormality content.
In the example shown in FIG. 4B, the history table is separated for each occurrence date. However, a configuration may be adopted in which abnormal histories for a plurality of days are recorded in one table.

  The robot operation mode 253 stores the current operation mode of the mobile robot 1. The robot operation mode 253 stores the operation mode set in the mobile robot 1 when the mode setting signal is received from the mobile robot 1.

<Description of operation>
Next, the operation of the remote monitoring system of this embodiment will be described in order. First, an outline of the operation of the mobile robot 1 will be described.
When the mobile robot 1 reaches the tour start time stored in the tour information 162 or receives a control signal indicating the start of travel from the monitoring center 2, the travel control unit 114 starts driving the travel unit 14 and guides 5. Start moving along. Then, the communication control unit 111 sequentially transmits information captured by the imaging unit 121 and information on the current position detected by the self-position detection unit 15 to the monitoring center 2. If the abnormality processing unit 112 determines that an abnormality has occurred due to an input from the detection unit 12 during the movement, the current state 163 is stored as an abnormal state. At this time, the movement control means 114 stops driving by moving the movement means 14. When the abnormal state is released, the movement control unit 114 drives the movement unit 14 to resume movement.

Next, the operation mode setting process of the mobile robot 1 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation mode setting process of the mobile robot 1.
The mode setting means 115 of the mobile robot 1 refers to the operation mode 164 of the storage unit 16 and confirms the current operation mode (step ST11). If it is the normal mode, it waits for an automatic recovery signal from the monitoring center 2 (step ST12).

  When a command for setting the operation mode of the mobile robot 1 is input from the supervisor, the remote monitoring device 20 of the monitoring center 2 transmits an automatic recovery signal or an automatic recovery end signal to the mobile robot in response to the input. When receiving the automatic recovery signal (step ST12-Yes), the mode setting unit 115 sets the operation mode to the automatic recovery mode, stores the automatic recovery mode as the operation mode 164 in the storage unit 16, and further, the automatic recovery mode. Is stored as the set time (step ST13). Then, a mode setting signal indicating that the automatic recovery mode has been set is transmitted to the monitoring center 2 to notify that the setting of the automatic recovery mode has been completed (step ST14).

  If the current operation mode is the automatic recovery mode, an automatic recovery end signal from the monitoring center 2 is awaited (step ST15). When the automatic recovery end signal is received (step ST15-Yes), the mode setting unit 115 sets the operation mode to the normal mode, stores the normal mode as the operation mode 164 in the storage unit 16, and further sets the normal mode. The current time is stored as the received time (step ST16). Then, a mode setting signal indicating that the normal mode is set is transmitted to the monitoring center 2 to notify that the setting of the normal mode is completed (step ST17).

Next, processing when an abnormality is detected in the mobile robot 1 will be described.
If the abnormality processing unit 112 determines that an abnormality has occurred due to an input from the detection unit 12 during the movement, the processing of FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process when an abnormality of the mobile robot 1 is detected.
When the abnormality processing means 112 determines the presence of an abnormality by the input from the detection unit 12, the abnormality type is stored as “abnormal” in the current state 163 of the storage unit 16 and the abnormal state is stored (step ST21). At this time, the mobile robot 1 stops moving by the movement control processing of the movement control means 114 executed in parallel.
Then, the abnormality processing means 112 determines the current operation mode with reference to the operation mode 164 (step ST22).

If the operation mode is the normal mode (step ST22-No), the abnormality processing unit 112 causes the communication control unit 111 to transmit an abnormality signal including an abnormality type to the monitoring center 2 (step ST23). The manual recovery signal is awaited (step ST24).
In the monitoring center 2, when the abnormality signal is received, the notification unit 23 of the remote monitoring device 20 operates to notify the monitoring staff and information on the abnormality detected by the mobile robot 1 is displayed on the display unit 22. The monitor will take measures such as recovering abnormalities and giving instructions to guards as needed. Then, the remote monitoring device 20 transmits a manual recovery signal to the mobile robot 1 when a command for canceling the abnormal state is input by the monitor.

  In step ST24, when a manual recovery signal is received (step ST24-Yes), the recovery processing unit 113 is caused to execute manual recovery processing (step ST25). The manual recovery process will be described later. Then, when the manual recovery process ends, the process proceeds to step ST26, and it is determined whether or not the recovery from the abnormal state has occurred. If the recovery is complete (step ST26-Yes), the process is terminated. Then, the mobile robot 1 resumes movement by the movement control processing of the movement control means 114 executed in parallel. If the recovery is not completed, that is, if the abnormal state continues (No in step ST26), the process returns to step ST24 and waits for a manual recovery signal again.

On the other hand, if the current operation mode is the automatic recovery mode in step ST22 (step ST22-Yes), the abnormality type stored as the abnormal state in the current state 163 is the abnormality type classified as the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 161. It is determined whether or not there is (step ST27).
If an abnormal state in which automatic recovery is prohibited is stored (step ST27-Yes), the process proceeds to step ST23, and the communication control unit 111 transmits an abnormal signal to the monitoring center 2 (step ST23).

  As described above, when the mode is not the automatic recovery mode, it is possible to notify the monitoring staff of all the abnormalities and check them to take an appropriate action. Even in the automatic recovery mode, for important abnormality types that are not desirable to be recovered without confirmation by the supervisor, automatic recovery is prohibited and an abnormality signal is reported, so monitoring is performed while maintaining the early warning of important abnormalities. An abnormality can be reported to the staff.

  On the other hand, when an abnormal state other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 161 is stored (step ST27-No), an automatic recovery process is executed (step ST28). The automatic recovery process will be described later.

Then, when the automatic recovery process ends, the process proceeds to step ST29, and it is determined whether or not the abnormal state has been recovered. If the recovery is complete (step ST29-Yes), the process is terminated. Then, the mobile robot 1 resumes movement by the movement control processing of the movement control means 114 executed in parallel.
As described above, the mobile robot 1 executes the recovery process for the abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 161 detected during the automatic recovery mode without transmitting an abnormality signal to the monitoring center 2, and the recovery is completed. Then, patrol is automatically resumed.

If the recovery is not completed, that is, if the abnormal state continues (No in step ST29), the process proceeds to step ST23 and the communication control unit 111 transmits an abnormal signal to the monitoring center 2 (step ST23)
In this way, when the abnormal state cannot be canceled by automatic recovery processing, an abnormal signal is reported, and appropriate measures such as sending a manual recovery signal or giving an express instruction to the guard are taken at the discretion of the supervisor. Is possible.

Next, manual recovery processing by the recovery processing unit 113 of the mobile robot 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the manual recovery process executed in step ST25 of FIG.
The recovery processing unit 113 confirms the current detection state of each part of the detection unit 12 (step ST41), and determines whether or not an abnormality stored as an abnormal state in the current state 163 is detected (step ST42). .
Here, the detection state confirmation processing of the detection unit 12 differs depending on the type of the detection unit. For example, if the detection unit is a type that outputs an abnormality detection signal continuously while detecting an abnormality, it can be confirmed that no abnormality has been detected by confirming that no signal is being output. If it is a detection unit that outputs an abnormality detection signal in one shot when it is detected, output an inquiry signal to the detection unit to make the current detection state respond and check whether an abnormality is detected. To do.

If the abnormality stored in the current state 163 as an abnormal state has not been detected (step ST42-No), the abnormality stored in the current state 163 is deleted and the abnormal state of the mobile robot 1 is released (step ST43). . Then, it is determined that the restoration is completed, a restoration OK signal is transmitted from the communication control unit 111 to the monitoring center 2 (step ST44), and the process ends. As a result, it is determined in step ST26 of FIG. 6 that the restoration is complete (step ST26—Yes), and the mobile robot 1 resumes moving.
As described above, when the abnormality stored in the current state 163 is not continuously detected, the recovery processing unit 113 recovers from the abnormal state.

  On the other hand, when an abnormality stored as an abnormal state in the current state 163 is detected again in step ST42 (step ST42-Yes), it is determined that the abnormal state cannot be recovered (cancelled) and the communication control unit 111 The recovery center signal is transmitted to the monitoring center 2 (step ST45), and the process is terminated. As a result, it is determined in step ST26 of FIG. 6 that the restoration has not been completed (step ST26—No).

Next, automatic recovery processing by the recovery processing unit 113 of the mobile robot 1 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the automatic recovery process executed in step ST28 of FIG.
When executing the automatic recovery process, the recovery processing unit 113 stores 1 as the processing count N (step ST51). Then, the recovery processing unit 113 confirms the current detection state of each part of the detection unit 12 (step ST52), and detects an abnormality stored in the current state 163 as an abnormal state, similarly to the above-described steps ST41 and ST42. It is determined whether or not to be performed (step ST53).
As described above, the mobile robot 1 executes recovery processing without transmitting an abnormality signal to the monitoring center 2 for any abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 161 detected during the automatic recovery mode.

  If the abnormality stored in the current state 163 as an abnormal state has not been detected (No in step ST53), the abnormality stored in the current state 163 is deleted and the abnormal state of the mobile robot 1 is released (step ST54). . Then, it is determined that the restoration is completed (step ST55), and the process is terminated. As a result, it is determined in step ST29 of FIG. 6 that the restoration is complete (step ST29-Yes), and the mobile robot 1 resumes movement.

On the other hand, when an abnormality stored as an abnormal state in the current state 163 is detected again in step ST53 (step ST53-Yes), 1 is added to the processing count N (step ST56). Then, in step ST57, it is determined whether or not the processing number N has reached a predetermined processing end number (for example, 7 times) (step ST57).
If the processing count N has not reached the processing end count (7 times) (No in step ST57), the processing returns to step ST52 and the recovery processing is repeated again. That is, the detection state is confirmed again (step ST52), and it is determined whether or not an abnormality stored as an abnormal state in the current state 163 is detected (step ST53).

When the recovery process of steps ST52 and ST53 is repeated without being determined to be recovery OK, if it is determined in step ST57 that the processing count N reaches the processing end count (7 times) (step ST57-Yes), the step The process proceeds to ST58.
Here, the process end count is the number of times the recovery process is repeated, and is a reference value for determining that the abnormality has not been recovered in the automatic recovery process (determining the abnormality). That is, when it is determined in step ST57 that the processing number N reaches the processing end number, the recovery processing unit 113 executes the final recovery process in the automatic recovery process in steps ST58 and ST59.

  In step ST58, the recovery processing unit 113 confirms the current detection state of each part of the detection unit 12 (step ST58), and detects an abnormality stored as an abnormal state in the current state 163. It is determined whether or not it is performed (step ST59). If an abnormality stored as an abnormal state in the current state 163 is not detected (step ST59-No), the process proceeds to step ST54 to release the abnormal state of the mobile robot 1 (step ST54), and it is determined that the restoration is completed. (Step ST55), and the process ends.

  On the other hand, if an abnormality stored as an abnormal state in the current state 163 is detected again in step ST59 (step ST59-Yes), the abnormal state cannot be recovered (cancelled) even if the recovery process is repeatedly executed. Determination is made (step ST60), and the process is terminated. As a result, it is determined in step ST29 of FIG. 6 that the restoration has not been completed (step ST29-No), and an abnormal signal is transmitted from the communication control means 111 to the monitoring center 2 (step ST23).

  As described above, when the abnormal state cannot be canceled by the automatic recovery process, an abnormal signal is notified and the monitoring staff is requested to confirm the abnormality.

In the present embodiment, the mobile robot 1 uses the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 161 storing the abnormality type prohibiting the automatic recovery process as setting information, and determines whether or not the abnormality type is prohibited from the automatic recovery process. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, as the setting information, information that sets whether to allow or prohibit execution of the automatic recovery process for each abnormality type detected by the mobile robot 1 may be used.
In this case, the setting information is preferably set on the table of the current state 163 as shown in FIG. The abnormality processing unit 112 stores “abnormal” in the corresponding abnormality type of the current state 163 based on the abnormality detection signal input from the detection unit 12, and further, whether or not the abnormal state is permitted to be automatically restored is prohibited. It is determined whether it is.

  That is, in this case, in the abnormality detection process shown in FIG. 6, in step ST27, it is determined whether the abnormality type stored as the abnormal state in the current state 163 is permitted or prohibited from the automatic recovery process. (Step ST27). If the automatic recovery process is prohibited for the abnormal state, the process proceeds to step ST23, and the communication control unit 111 transmits an abnormal signal to the monitoring center 2 (step ST23). On the other hand, when the automatic recovery process is permitted for the abnormal state, the process proceeds to step ST28, and the automatic recovery process is executed (step ST28).

  In addition, information that stores the type of abnormality that allows automatic recovery processing to be executed is used as setting information, and automatic recovery processing is executed when an abnormal state is detected for the abnormality type that is allowed to perform automatic recovery processing during automatic recovery mode. You may make it do.

In the present embodiment, the example in which it is determined that the restoration cannot be performed based on the number of times the restoration process is repeated (the number of times the process is completed) has been described. You may do it. That is, in this case, time measurement is started in step ST51, and in step ST57, it is determined whether or not the time has reached a specified processing end time (for example, 30 seconds). If the specified time has not been reached in step ST57, the recovery processing in steps ST52 and ST53 is repeated, and when the specified time is reached, the process proceeds to steps ST58 and ST59, and the final recovery processing in the automatic recovery processing is executed. To do.
As a result, compared with the case where the number of repetitions is limited, even when the time required for the recovery process differs depending on the detection unit, the time required to determine that the automatic recovery process cannot be recovered can be made substantially constant. There is a merit that it becomes.

  In addition, the mobile robot 1 stores the detected abnormality type, the time when the abnormality was detected, and the time when the abnormality was detected in the storage unit 16 in the storage unit 16 during the automatic recovery mode, and the operation mode is set from the automatic recovery mode to the normal mode. The abnormality history stored during the automatic recovery mode may be transmitted to the monitoring center 2 together with the mode setting signal. As a result, the monitoring staff can later confirm any abnormality in the automatic recovery mode that has not been confirmed.

Schematic showing a remote monitoring system according to the present invention Block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile robot Block diagram showing the configuration of the remote monitoring device Diagram showing the current state of the mobile robot and the abnormality history of the remote monitoring device Flow chart showing operation mode setting process of mobile robot Flow chart showing processing at the time of abnormality detection of a mobile robot Flow chart showing manual recovery processing of mobile robot Flow chart showing automatic recovery processing of mobile robot Table showing current state in another embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile robot 2 Monitoring center 3 Monitoring area 4 Building 5 Guide 6 Reference position 11 Control part 111 Communication control means 112 Abnormality processing means 113 Recovery processing means 114 Movement control means 115 Mode setting means 12 Detection part 13 Communication part 14 Moving means 15 Self Position detection unit 16 Storage unit 161 Automatic recovery prohibition abnormality 162 Traveling information 163 Current state 164 Operation mode 20 Remote monitoring device 21 Control unit 211 Communication control means 22 Display unit 23 Notification unit 24 Operation unit 25 Storage unit 26 Communication unit

Claims (4)

A mobile robot that moves in the monitoring area with a detection unit that detects an abnormality in the monitoring area,
A communication unit communicating with the monitoring center;
Setting information that is set to identify whether the abnormality in the monitoring area is an abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality or the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality, and a storage unit that stores the current state of the monitoring area,
An abnormality processing means for storing an abnormal state in the storage unit when the detection unit detects an abnormality;
Communication control means for transmitting an abnormality signal to the monitoring center when the detection unit detects an abnormality;
Mode setting means for managing a plurality of operation modes including an automatic recovery mode;
When the operation mode is the automatic recovery mode, when an abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality is detected, the recovery for prohibiting the transmission of the abnormality signal and executing the recovery process for releasing the abnormal state Processing means;
Equipped with a,
At least the fire detection by the detection unit is set to the setting information so that it can be identified as an abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality, and the obstacle detection is set as an abnormality other than automatic recovery prohibition abnormality,
When not in the automatic recovery mode, when the detection unit detects an abnormality, it transmits an abnormality signal to the monitoring center and waits for an instruction from the center. When in the automatic recovery mode, the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality is detected. Then, an abnormality signal is transmitted to the monitoring center and an instruction from the center is awaited. When an abnormality other than the automatic recovery prohibition abnormality is detected, the abnormality state is not detected even if the recovery processing means executes the recovery process. A mobile robot characterized by transmitting an abnormal signal to the monitoring center when it is not released .
The mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein if the abnormal state is not canceled even if the recovery processing unit executes the recovery process a predetermined number of times, an abnormal signal is transmitted to the monitoring center.
The mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein an abnormal signal is transmitted to the monitoring center if the abnormal state is not canceled within a predetermined time after the recovery processing means executes the recovery process.
Further, a history of abnormality detected when the automatic recovery mode is set is stored in the storage unit, and stored during the automatic recovery mode when the operation mode is set from the automatic recovery mode to another mode. The mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality history is transmitted to the monitoring center.

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