JP4940160B2 - Mobile robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile robot that detects an abnormality by an abnormality detection means while moving in a monitoring area.

  Conventionally, security devices for the purpose of monitoring buildings and the like have become widespread. The security device is connected to a sensor that detects a moving object such as an intruder or a sensor that detects a fire provided at various locations to be monitored, and notifies the monitoring center when an abnormality is detected. In addition, while a security device is generally fixed to a building or the like, a mobile robot has been proposed as a monitoring means that is movable and highly mobile. The mobile robot includes a sensor that detects the presence of a moving object, a fire, and the like. The mobile robot monitors surrounding conditions while moving, and when an abnormality is detected, stops the movement and executes notification processing. Furthermore, a monitoring system that includes these security devices and mobile robots and that enhances the monitoring by using the functions of both has been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a building such as a factory is monitored using a security device and a mobile robot. In Patent Document 1, the mobile robot is equipped with a sensor for detecting crime prevention and disaster prevention abnormalities (intruders, fires, etc.), monitors surrounding conditions while moving, transmits camera images remotely, and detects abnormalities. Then, the movement is stopped and the abnormality is reported. Stopping when an abnormality is detected makes it easier for a remote monitor to confirm the location of the abnormality using a camera image or the like.
JP 2007-148794 A ([0072] paragraph, etc.)

  In the monitoring system of Patent Document 1, since the mobile robot moves while transmitting the camera image, the situation around the robot can be grasped remotely. On the other hand, in the case of a security device installed in a building, unless an imaging means such as a surveillance camera is arranged in a considerable number of locations, it is difficult to remotely grasp the details of the abnormality detected by each sensor. Not easy.

  Therefore, when the security device installed in the building detects an abnormality, if the mobile robot can move near the location where the abnormality occurred, the details of the abnormality detected by the security device can be confirmed using the mobile robot. This improves convenience.

  However, when the mobile robot of Patent Document 1 detects an intruder or the like with a sensor equipped by the mobile robot, the mobile robot stops in order to confirm such an abnormality. For this reason, even if the security device is moving to check for an abnormality detected, it stops moving when it detects an abnormality with its own sensor, regardless of the relationship with the abnormality of the security device. Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time to arrive at the target position (where the abnormality occurs).

  In general, an abnormality detected by a security device detects changes in an event with a fixedly installed sensor, so it is more reliable and more accurate than a mobile robot sensor that detects changes in an event while moving. It is considered high. Further, as described above, it may be difficult to grasp details of the abnormality detected by the security device from a remote location. For this reason, when the security device detects an abnormality, the mobile robot is required to promptly go to the place where the abnormality occurred and check the details of the abnormality. In particular, in a large property, the abnormality detected by the mobile robot when it is far from the place where the abnormality occurred is considered to be less relevant to the abnormality detected by the security device. It is preferable to give priority to dealing with the abnormalities.

  For example, if a fire alarm of a building is detected by a sensor of a security device, the mobile robot may move to confirm whether or not the fire is truly occurring. Desired. However, during this movement, if the mobile robot's security sensor detects a moving object at a point far from the fire detection location, the mobile robot stops moving and delays confirmation of the required fire abnormality. Problems arise.

  The present invention has been made under the above-mentioned background, and the object of the present invention is to prevent a stop regardless of the abnormality detected by the security device so as to preferentially deal with the abnormality detected by the security device. Therefore, the object is to provide a mobile robot that can be dispatched in a short time to the place where the abnormality occurs.

  One aspect of the present invention is communicably connected to a monitoring terminal that monitors the presence or absence of an abnormality in the monitoring area using a plurality of sensors installed in the monitoring area, and an abnormality has occurred when receiving abnormality information from the monitoring terminal A mobile robot that moves to a location and stops moving when the detection means detects a detection target, and detects a predetermined detection target with a communication unit that receives abnormality information generated in the monitoring area from the monitoring terminal A detection unit, a storage unit that stores map information of the monitoring area, a position detection unit that detects a current position, and a position corresponding to an abnormality that has occurred in the monitoring area is determined from the abnormality information when the abnormality information is received. Position determination means set as a movement target, movement control means for controlling the movement means to move to the movement target when the movement target is set, the map information and the current A distance calculating unit that calculates a distance from the position to the moving target, and the movement control unit detects the detection target when the distance to the moving target is less than a threshold distance. The moving means is stopped, and when the distance to the moving target is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, even if the detecting means detects the detection target, the moving means is prohibited from being stopped and is generated in the monitoring area. The control when the detection means detects the detection target is made different according to the distance to the position corresponding to the abnormality.

  According to the above invention, when the mobile robot receives the abnormality information detected using the monitoring area sensor, the mobile robot moves using the position corresponding to the generated abnormality as the movement target. At this time, the mobile robot varies the control when the detection means detects according to the distance to the movement target. That is, if the distance to the movement target is less than the threshold distance, the movement means is stopped when the detection means detects the detection target. On the other hand, if the distance to the movement target is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the movement control unit prohibits the movement unit from stopping even if the detection unit detects the detection target. The detection target by the detection means is an abnormality such as an intruding object or a fire around the robot. Therefore, even if a detection target that is considered to have a low relevance to the abnormality detected by the security device is detected at a location far from the movement target, the mobile robot will run without stopping and handle the abnormality detected by the security device. Priority. When a detection target that is likely to be highly relevant to the abnormality detected by the security device is detected at a location approaching the moving target, the mobile robot stops and reliably confirms the location of the abnormality. In this way, while using the mobile robot effectively, it is possible to prevent the stoppage regardless of the abnormality detected by the security device, and to make the mobile robot rush to the place where the abnormality occurred in a short time.

  The mobile robot of the present invention further includes a time measuring means for measuring a time after receiving the abnormality information, and a threshold for changing the threshold distance to a longer distance as the time measured by the time measuring means becomes longer. Setting means.

  As a result, the longer the elapsed time from receiving the abnormality information, the more the mobile robot stops when it detects an abnormality even at a location far from the location where the abnormality has occurred. For example, considering the positional change of the cause of the abnormality over time, such as the movement of an intruder or the spread of a fire, the threshold distance is set with the passage of time so that the mobile robot can detect the abnormal position change appropriately. It is long. Therefore, immediately after the abnormality detection, the threshold distance is set to an initial small value and the mobile robot is moved quickly to the abnormality detection location, while preferably dealing with the positional change of the abnormality cause over time, Security can be improved.

  Further, the movement control means is configured so that when the distance to the movement target is less than the threshold distance, the movement speed is lower than when the distance to the movement target is equal to or greater than the threshold distance. The moving means may be controlled.

  As a result, the mobile robot moves to the target position at a high speed when the distance to the movement target is equal to or greater than the threshold distance and the possibility of detecting the detection target related to the abnormality of the security device is low. it can. In general, when the detection process of a surrounding detection target is performed while moving, the reliability is improved as the moving speed is slower. According to the present invention, when the distance to the moving target becomes less than the threshold value and the possibility of detecting the detection target related to the abnormality of the security device increases, the mobile robot decreases the speed and increases the detection target. Travel while detecting with accuracy. Therefore, it is possible to move to the place where the abnormality occurs more quickly while reliably detecting the necessary abnormality.

  As described above, the present invention prevents a stop regardless of the abnormality detected by the security device so as to preferentially deal with the abnormality detected by the security device, and promptly accelerates to the place where the abnormality occurred. A mobile robot can be provided.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a monitoring system including a mobile robot of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a monitoring area that is a monitoring target of the monitoring system. The monitoring area A corresponds to the monitoring area of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 2, the monitoring area A is a facility including a building and the surrounding land.

  The monitoring system 1 includes a security device 3 and a mobile robot 5 provided in the monitoring area A, and a monitoring center 7 provided at a location remote from the monitoring area A. The security device 3 can wirelessly communicate with the mobile robot 5 via the signal relay device 11 provided in the monitoring area A, and can communicate with the monitoring center 7 via the communication network 13. The mobile robot 5 can communicate with the monitoring center 7 via the signal relay device 11 and the communication network 13. Thus, the security device 3, the mobile robot 5, and the monitoring center 7 are connected so as to be communicable.

  The security device 3 is installed in the monitoring area A as described above, and is connected to the security sensor 9 that detects abnormality, and monitors whether there is an abnormality in the monitoring area A. Each of the security sensors 9 is set with a unique ID number, and is installed at various locations in the monitoring area A as shown in FIG. 2, and transmits a detection signal including the ID number to the security device 3 when in a detection state. As the security sensor 9, a plurality of types of sensors are provided so as to detect intrusion, fire, and equipment abnormality. Sensors that detect intrusions include sensors that detect when the infrared beam is blocked, sensors that detect moving objects by heat rays and image processing, and sensors that detect that windows and doors are open. There is a sensor that detects a fire due to high heat or smoke, and examples of the equipment abnormality sensor include a sensor that detects the level of the water level in the water storage tank T (FIG. 2).

  When the security device 3 determines that there is an abnormality based on the detection signal input from the security sensor 9, the abnormality information including the ID number of the security sensor 9 is transmitted to the monitoring center 7 and the mobile robot 5 as a security abnormality signal. Send.

  The mobile robot 5 is wirelessly connected to the signal relay device 11 installed in the monitoring area A as described above, and is connected to the monitoring center 7 and the security device 3 via the signal relay device 11.

  The mobile robot 5 is stopped at the reference position S in the monitoring area A shown in FIG. 2, and travels in the monitoring area A according to its own stored schedule or a control instruction signal received from the monitoring center 7. To start. At the time of patrol, the mobile robot 5 travels along the magnetic guide G while detecting the magnetic guide G installed on the moving route in the monitoring area A. Then, the mobile robot 5 transmits the surrounding image and the current position to the monitoring center 7. The mobile robot 5 stops when it detects an abnormality with its own abnormality detection means, and transmits information on the detected abnormality to the monitoring center 7 as a robot abnormality signal.

  Further, when a security abnormality signal is input from the security device 3, the mobile robot 5 moves to an abnormality occurrence location determined from the security abnormality signal. At this time, the mobile robot 5 periodically calculates the distance to the place of occurrence of the abnormality, and if this distance is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the movement is continued without stopping even if an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection means. To do. Information on the detected abnormality is transmitted to the monitoring center 7 as a robot abnormality signal. Also, if the distance to the location of the abnormality is less than the threshold distance, the movement is stopped when an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection means, and the detected abnormality information is used as a robot abnormality signal. Transmit to the monitoring center 7.

  In the above description, the security device 3 sends a security abnormality signal, which is abnormality information, to the mobile robot 5, and thus the security device 3 functions as a monitoring terminal of the present invention. In another aspect, abnormality information may be sent to the mobile robot 5 from the monitoring center 7 that has received the security abnormality signal. In this case, the monitoring center 7 functions as the monitoring terminal of the present invention.

  The monitoring center 7 is a facility provided with a center device 71 operated by a security company, and displays various information received from the mobile robot 5 and the security device 3 so that a monitor constantly monitors the monitoring area A. In addition, the monitor transmits a control instruction (control command) to the mobile robot 5 to perform remote control as necessary. Even when the security device 3 detects an abnormality and the mobile robot 5 moves to the location where the abnormality has occurred, the information detected by the abnormality detection means of the mobile robot 5 or the mobile robot 5 takes an image from the mobile robot 5 to the center device 7. An image of the location where the abnormality occurred is sent.

  The outline of the monitoring system 1 of the present embodiment has been described above. Next, the configuration of each part of the monitoring system 1 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the mobile robot 5. In the mobile robot 5, the control unit 51 is configured by a computer and controls the entire mobile robot 5. The moving means 52 has left and right wheels for the front wheel and the rear wheel, and a motor for driving the front wheel and / or the rear wheel (or both). The mobile robot 5 drives the motor and travels along the magnetic guide G (FIG. 2), and scans the front in the moving direction by the laser sensor 53 provided on the front side of the main body to detect the position of the obstacle and the obstacle. Check the distance. The upper part of the main body is equipped with an imaging unit 54 that can image the entire periphery, and images the surrounding image. A guide detection unit 55 is provided on the bottom surface of the main body. The guide detection unit 55 includes a magnetic sensor, and detects the magnetic guide G based on the output of the magnetic sensor. The guide detection unit 55 sends the detected information to the control unit 51, and the movement control unit 51a of the control unit 51 drives the movement unit 52 to follow the magnetic guide G based on the output of the guide detection unit 55. In addition, the movement control unit 51a stops the movement of the moving robot 52 by stopping the driving of the moving unit 52 when the abnormality detecting unit described later determines the presence of the abnormality.

  In the mobile robot 5, the self-position detection unit 56 detects the rotation amount of the motor rotation shafts of the left and right wheels in the moving unit 52, and calculates the travel distance and turning angle of the mobile robot 5 from the rotation amount of the left and right wheels. Calculate the current position and orientation. Furthermore, the mobile robot 5 includes a communication unit 57 that is a wireless communication unit that transmits and receives signals to and from the monitoring center 7 and the security device 3, and an illumination unit 58 (FIG. 1) for notifying the presence of the mobile robot 5 to others. have.

  In addition, the mobile robot 5 includes a crime prevention abnormality detection means 59 and a disaster prevention abnormality detection means 60 as abnormality detection means (corresponding to the detection means of the present invention). The crime prevention abnormality detection means 59 is a means for detecting an intruding object such as a human body as a detection target, and the disaster prevention abnormality detection means 60 is a means for detecting a fire as a detection target. The crime prevention abnormality detection means 59 detects temporal position changes that are the characteristics of the intruding object and the heat rays of the human body, and the disaster prevention abnormality detection means 60 detects ultraviolet rays and smoke concentrations that are the characteristics of the flame. is there.

  The security abnormality detection means 59 includes a security sensor 59a and a security abnormality determination means 59b. The security sensor 59a is a detection means for detecting a human body that has entered the periphery of the mobile robot 5, and is a human body sensor that detects the heat rays emitted by the human body.

  The security abnormality determination means 59b determines whether or not the output of the security sensor 59a exceeds a threshold value for determining the presence of a human body, and if it exceeds the threshold value, determines that an abnormal situation has occurred by an intruder. .

  Further, the crime prevention abnormality determination means 59b compares the existing object information 61c indicating the position of the existing object in the monitoring area stored in the storage unit 61, which will be described later, with the output of the laser sensor 53 to determine whether there is an abnormal condition due to the intruding object. judge. That is, the crime prevention abnormality determining means 59b determines that an intruding object exists and an abnormality has occurred when an object is detected by the laser sensor 53 at a position where no existing object exists. As described above, the laser sensor 53 functions as an obstacle detection sensor and is also used as a sensor for detecting an intrusion abnormality.

  Furthermore, the crime prevention abnormality determination unit 59b performs image processing on the captured image input from the imaging unit 54 to extract a moving object, and when a moving object having a predetermined size or larger is extracted, an abnormal situation due to an intruding object occurs. It is determined that Thus, the imaging unit 54 is used not only for sending an image around the robot to the monitoring center 7, but also as a sensor for detecting an intrusion abnormality.

  On the other hand, the disaster prevention abnormality detection means 60 includes a disaster prevention sensor 60a and a disaster prevention abnormality determination means 60b. The disaster prevention sensor 60a is a detection means for detecting a fire, for example, a flame sensor that detects ultraviolet rays generated when a fire occurs. The disaster prevention abnormality determining means 60b determines whether or not the output of the disaster prevention sensor 60a exceeds a threshold value for determining that a fire has occurred, and if it exceeds the threshold value, determines that an abnormal situation due to fire has occurred. To do.

  The crime prevention abnormality determination unit 59b and the disaster prevention abnormality determination unit 60b may be realized by a computer that constitutes the control unit 51.

  In addition, the mobile robot 5 includes a storage unit 61 that stores various types of information. The storage unit 61 includes the current position 61a detected by the self-position detection unit 56, map information 61b that is information on the position coordinates and distance of the moving route indicated by the magnetic guide G laid in the monitoring area A, Existing object information 61c indicating the position of an existing object in the monitoring area A, traveling information 61d storing the time of traveling around the monitoring area A and the traveling route, and speed information storing the traveling speed during the traveling and the express 61e, express position information 61f indicating the position coordinates near each security sensor 9 on the route corresponding to the ID number of each security sensor 9 connected to the security device 3, and movement in the case of an express A threshold distance 61g indicating a distance that is a control threshold is stored. These pieces of information will be described in more detail in connection with the processing in the control unit 51 described below.

  The control unit 51 is a computer that controls the entire mobile robot 5. In addition to the movement control unit 51a already described, the mode management unit 51b, the target position determination unit 51c, the distance calculation unit 51d, the time measuring unit 51e, and the threshold value It has setting means 51f. These configurations are realized by executing a program on a computer, and the following functions are realized by processing information stored in the storage unit 61.

  The mode management means 51b controls the operation mode of the mobile robot based on various information. The mode management unit 51b refers to the time obtained from the computer built-in clock or the like, and sets the operation mode to the cyclic mode when the tour time stored as the tour information 61d in the storage unit 61 is reached. Alternatively, the mode management unit 51b sets the patrol mode in response to the control instruction received from the monitoring center 7. The current position 61 a of the storage unit 61 is sequentially updated to the latest current position detected by the self-position detection unit 56. If it is determined from the information on the current position 61a that the mobile robot 5 has returned to the reference position S and the patrol has ended, the mode management unit 51b sets the operation mode to the standby mode.

  Moreover, the mode management means 51b will set an operation mode to an express mode, if the guard abnormal signal of the guard apparatus 3 is received in the communication part 57. FIG. When the express mode is set, the mode management unit 51b prohibits the change of the operation mode until a control instruction is received from the monitoring center 7.

  The target position discriminating means 51c functions as the position discriminating means of the present invention, and refers to the express position information 61f in the storage unit 61 when the guard abnormal signal of the guard device 3 is received, and the guard included in the guard abnormal signal. The position coordinates that are in the vicinity of the security sensor 9 that has detected an abnormality on the route are determined from the ID number of the sensor 9 for use, the position coordinates are set as the movement target position, and along the magnetic guide G with reference to the map information 61b. A movement route that is the shortest distance from the current position to the movement target position is calculated.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the express position information 61 f stored in the storage unit 61. As illustrated, the express position information 61f is a table of ID numbers of the security sensors 9 and position coordinates in the vicinity of the security sensors 9 on the route. For each security sensor 9, an appropriate position on the route is determined in advance. More specifically, the position is as close as possible to the security sensor 9, and the detection target of the security sensor 9 is set as the detection target of the mobile robot 5. The position where the abnormality detection means detects or the image of the detection target with the image pickup unit 54 of the mobile robot 5 is easily determined. If it can move to the installation position of the security sensor 9, the installation position coordinates of the security sensor 9 may be stored. The target position determination means 51c reads position coordinates corresponding to the ID number of the security sensor 9 included in the security abnormality signal from the table of FIG.

  As described above, the express position information 61f is stored in the mobile robot 5 in the present embodiment. In another aspect, the express position information 61 f may be stored in the monitoring center 7 and received by the mobile robot 5 from the monitoring center 7. In this case, the means for acquiring the position to be dispatched from the monitoring center 7 functions as a position determination means for determining the position corresponding to the abnormality occurring in the monitoring area.

  Moreover, the target position discrimination | determination means 51c determines a movement target position according to the priority of time, when the guard abnormal signal is received in multiple times from the guard apparatus 3. FIG. The priority of time is new> old. This priority order is stored in the storage unit 61 in advance. As a specific process, each time a security abnormality signal is newly received, the movement target position is updated with the position coordinates corresponding to the ID number of the security sensor 9 included in the newly received security abnormality signal. Note that if the type of abnormality detected by the security device (fire, intrusion, equipment abnormality, etc.) can be determined from the security abnormality signal, the priority order may be varied depending on the type of abnormality detected by the security device. For example, if the priority of the abnormality type included in the newly received security abnormality signal is lower than the abnormality type corresponding to the current movement target position, the movement target position is not changed and is included in the newly received security abnormality signal. If the priority of the abnormality type is high or equivalent, the movement target position may be updated according to a new guard abnormality signal.

  When the target position determination unit 51c sets the movement target position and the movement path to the movement target position, the distance calculation unit 51d determines the movement target position from the current position 61a and the map information 61b in the storage unit 61 every predetermined time. The distance along the movement route to is calculated. In another aspect, a linear distance between the current position 61a and the movement target position may be calculated. The time measuring means 51e uses a computer built-in clock or the like to measure the elapsed time since the security abnormality signal was received.

  The threshold value setting means 51f sets a threshold distance used for controlling the mobile robot 5 when a security abnormality signal is received and the express mode is set. In the present embodiment, the threshold value setting means 51f is configured to update the threshold distance according to the elapsed time from the reception of the security abnormality signal timed by the time measuring means 51e.

  As will be described in detail later, the threshold distance is a movement target position (a position corresponding to the security sensor 9) at which warning is started when the mobile robot 5 rushes to the vicinity of the security sensor 9 that has detected an abnormality. It means the distance from. Usually, an intruder can move to the surroundings with time after the intrusion, and a fire can spread to the surroundings. Therefore, the threshold value setting unit 51f updates the threshold distance, that is, the distance to the movement target position where the mobile robot 5 starts to be alerted, to a larger value as time elapses after receiving the security abnormality signal. .

  FIG. 5 shows the threshold distance 61g stored in the storage unit 61 by the threshold setting process of the threshold setting means 51f. As shown in the figure, a reference value and a set value are stored as the threshold distance 61g. In the illustrated example, the reference value is 5 m and the set value is 10 m.

In FIG. 5, the reference value is a fixed value, whereas the set value is a variable value. The set value is set to the same value as the reference value at normal time, that is, before the emergency mode is set after the security abnormality signal is received. When the express mode is set, the threshold value setting means 51f updates the set value according to the elapsed time from the reception of the security abnormality signal timed by the time measuring means 51e, and the set value is increased as the elapsed time becomes longer. To do. The set value is calculated by the following formula, for example. This set value is referred to by the control unit 51 as a threshold distance and used for processing of each unit.
Setting value (threshold distance) = reference value x (1 + coefficient x elapsed time (minutes))

  FIG. 6 shows a change in the set value according to the above equation. As shown in the figure, immediately after the security abnormality signal is received, the set value is equal to the reference value. The set value increases as time elapses from reception of the security abnormality signal. The reference value is 5 m, which matches the example of FIG. The coefficient may be set appropriately. When the coefficient is large, the set value increases rapidly, and as the coefficient is small, the set value increases slowly. Therefore, the coefficient is set in consideration of the assumed speed of positional change of the detection target. The coefficient may be 1, for example.

  The set value may be obtained by calculation as in the above example, or may be obtained by using a table or the like. In this case, a table of elapsed time and set values is stored in advance, and the set values may be read from this table.

  FIG. 7 shows another example of setting value update processing. In the example of FIG. 7, the set value is equal to the reference value and constant for a predetermined period after receiving the security abnormality signal. Thereafter, the set value increases with time, and then the set value becomes constant again. As can be seen in this example, the set value only needs to increase when the time elapses from when the guard abnormality signal is received, and increases linearly with time. It does not have to be.

  Assume that a guard abnormality signal is newly received and a movement target position is set in a state where the guard abnormality signal has already been received and the express mode is set. In this case, the threshold distance is returned to the initial value. That is, the set value in FIG. 5 is updated to the same value as the reference value. Then, the set value is updated again with time.

  When the traveling mode is set by the mode management unit 51b, the movement control unit 51a controls the moving unit 52 to move the circulation route at the traveling speed (hereinafter referred to as the traveling speed) stored as the speed information 61e. To do. Further, when the security abnormality signal is received and the express mode is set, the movement control means 51a is the speed of the express movement stored in the storage unit 61 as the speed information 61e (hereinafter referred to as an abnormality confirmation speed). The moving means 52 is controlled to move along the movement route to the movement target position set by the target position determining means 51c.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the speed information 61 e stored in the storage unit 61. As shown in the figure, the patrol speed and the abnormality confirmation speed are set differently depending on the section on the movement route. Further, two types of speeds, short distance and long distance, are set as the abnormality confirmation speed. The short-range abnormality confirmation speed is the speed when the distance to the movement target position is less than the threshold distance, and the long-distance abnormality confirmation speed is the distance to the movement target position. It is the speed at the above time. The speed varies depending on the section because of deceleration in a curve or the like or deceleration in an important section.

  The reason for setting different short-range and long-range abnormality confirmation speeds is as follows. In express mode, priority should be given to arriving at a movement target position in a short time rather than surrounding abnormality confirmation. On the other hand, when approaching the movement target position, there is a possibility that the cause of the abnormality is moving to the vicinity of the abnormality occurrence point, so it is required to travel at a speed at which sufficient detection accuracy can be obtained. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the long-distance abnormality confirmation speed for a case where the distance to the movement target position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance (when the distance to the target position) is set to be larger than the traveling speed, The short-distance abnormality check speed for when the distance to the moving target position is less than the threshold distance (when it is close to the target position) is set to a normal speed equal to the traveling speed, resulting in a long-distance abnormality. The confirmation speed is set to be larger than the short distance abnormality confirmation speed.

  The movement control means 51a determines the speed corresponding to the current position by referring to the table of FIG. 8 using the current operation mode, the current position, the distance to the movement target position, and the threshold distance. If the current operation mode is the traveling mode, the traveling speed of the section including the current position is obtained. If the current operation mode is express mode, the distance to the movement target position is compared with the threshold distance, and if the distance to the movement target position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the long distance of the section including the current position An abnormality confirmation speed is required. If the distance to the movement target position is less than the threshold distance, an abnormality confirmation speed (= patrol speed) at a short distance in the section including the current position is obtained. Then, the movement control means 51a controls the movement means 52 so that the mobile robot 5 travels at the determined speed.

  Further, the movement control means 51a is configured to perform the following processing in response to its own abnormality detection in the express mode. It is assumed that the crime prevention abnormality detection means 59 or the disaster prevention abnormality detection means 60 detects an abnormality when the express mode is set. At this time, the movement control means 51a compares the distance to the movement target position with the threshold distance, and if the distance to the movement target position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the abnormality detection means 59, 60 has an abnormality. Even if it is determined, stop processing is prohibited. If the distance to the movement target position is less than the threshold distance, the movement control means 51a controls the movement means 52 to stop the mobile robot 5 in the same manner as when an abnormality is detected during patrol.

  The configuration of the mobile robot 5 has been described above. Next, the configuration of the security device 3 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the security device 3 is operated by a user in the monitoring area A to input the security state of the security device 3 and the security state input by the operation unit 31 to the security device 3. A control unit 32 to be set, a storage unit 33 for storing information necessary for controlling the security device 3 such as an ID number of the security sensor 9, and a center communication unit 34 connected to the monitoring center 7 via the communication network 13. And a transfer unit 35 connected to the mobile robot 5 through the signal relay device 11.

  The security state set by the control unit 32 includes a security set state and a security release state. In the state of the security set, when the security sensor 9 is in a detection state and a detection signal is input to the security device 3, the security device 3 determines that an abnormality has been detected and performs an abnormal output. Security release is a state in which no abnormal output is performed. For example, when the monitoring area A is unmanned, the user operates the operation unit 31 to set the security state to the security set, and when entering the monitoring area A, the user operates the operation unit 31 to cancel the security state. Set to.

  Further, when a detection signal is input during the security set, the control unit 32 sends out abnormality information including the ID number of the security sensor 9 from the center communication unit 34 and the transfer unit 35 as a security abnormality signal.

  Next, the configuration of the monitoring center 7 will be described. The monitoring center 7 includes a center device 71, and the center device 71 is used by a monitor to remotely monitor the monitoring area A using the security device 3 and the mobile robot 5. The center device 71 includes a control unit 72 that controls the entire device, a communication unit 73, a display unit 74, an operation unit 75, and a storage unit 76. The communication unit 73 communicates with the security device 3 and the mobile robot 5 via the communication network 13. The display unit 74 is a display device that displays various types of information received from the mobile robot 5 and the security device 3, so that a monitoring person constantly monitors the monitoring area A. The monitor operates the operation unit 75 as necessary, and transmits a control instruction to the mobile robot 5 to perform remote control. The storage unit 76 stores a database for storing and managing the address of the monitoring area A, the telephone number, the identification number of the security device 3, the identification number of the mobile robot 5, the name of the user, the past handling history, and the like. is doing.

  On the display unit 74 of the center device 71, information on the monitoring area A and abnormality information to be dealt with based on the robot abnormality signal received from the mobile robot 5 and the security abnormality signal received from the security device 3 are displayed. The display unit 74 displays the current position and image received from the mobile robot 5. If the monitor looks at the display on the display unit 74 and determines that an abnormality has occurred in the monitoring area A, the monitoring person takes necessary measures such as instructions for handling the guard to the monitoring area A and confirmation processing for the user. Take.

  The configuration of the monitoring system 1 provided with the mobile robot 5 of the present invention has been described above. Next, the operation of the monitoring system 1 will be described.

  First, it is assumed that the security state of the security device 3 is set to the security release state, the mobile robot 5 is located at the reference position S, and the operation mode is set to the standby mode.

  When the last user leaves the monitoring area A, in the security device 3, the operation unit 31 is operated by the user, and the security state of the security device 3 is set to the state of the security set by the control unit 32.

  On the other hand, in the mobile robot 5, when the tour time stored as the tour information 61d in the storage unit 61 is reached, the operation mode is switched from the standby mode to the tour mode by the mode management unit 51b. Alternatively, the mode management unit 51b sets the patrol mode in response to the control instruction received from the monitoring center 7. When the patrol mode is set, patrol starts and the movement control means 51a moves along the magnetic guide G based on the output of the guide detection unit 55 while referring to the map information 61b stored in the storage unit 61. Thus, the moving means 52 is controlled. The mobile robot 5 travels while checking the position of the obstacle and the distance from the obstacle by the laser sensor 53.

  While the mobile robot 5 is traveling, the current position of the mobile robot 5 is detected by the self-position detection unit 56, and the current position 61a of the storage unit 61 is sequentially updated. Then, the mobile robot 5 transmits the surrounding image captured by the imaging unit 54 and the current position to the monitoring center 7. Further, the mobile robot 5 travels at the traveling speed stored in the storage unit 61 as the speed information 61e. The speed information 61e is set differently for each section as shown in FIG. Therefore, the movement control means 51a causes the mobile robot 5 to travel at the traveling speed of the section including the current position 61a.

  In the patrol mode, the mobile robot 5 travels with the illumination unit 58 turned on, and when an abnormality is detected by the crime prevention abnormality detection means 59 or the disaster prevention abnormality detection means 60, the movement control means 51a controls the movement means 52. Then, the mobile robot 5 is stopped, and the control unit 51 transmits information on the abnormality detected by the security abnormality detection means 59 or the disaster prevention abnormality detection means 60 to the monitoring center 7 as a robot abnormality signal. The image of the imaging unit 54 is sent to the monitoring center 7 even when it is stopped. The control unit 51 waits for a control instruction from the monitoring center 7 and resumes patrol when a control instruction indicating movement is received.

  Assume that during the patrol mode, the security sensor 9 is in a detection state and the security device 3 detects an abnormality. At this time, the control unit 32 of the security device 3 sends a security abnormality signal from the center communication unit 34 to the monitoring center 7 and also sends a security abnormality signal from the transfer unit 35 to the mobile robot 5 via the signal relay device 11. . The security abnormality signal corresponds to the abnormality information of the present invention, and includes the ID number of the security sensor 9 in the detection state. As already described, the security abnormality signal may be transmitted from the security device 3 only to the monitoring center 7 and may be transmitted from the monitoring center 7 to the mobile robot 5.

  In the mobile robot 5, when a security abnormality signal is received, the mode management unit 51b sets the operation mode to the express mode, and the target determination unit 51c sets the movement target position.

  FIG. 9 shows processing by the target position determination unit 51c. When the guard abnormality signal is received, the target position discriminating means 51c sets the position coordinate corresponding to the received guard abnormality signal as the movement target position (S1). Here, the ID number of the security sensor 9 included in the security abnormality signal is specified, and the position coordinates corresponding to the ID number are read from the table of the express position information 61f in FIG. Further, the target position discriminating means 51c refers to the current position 61a and the map information 61b of the storage unit 61, obtains the shortest path from the current position to the moving target position through the path guided by the magnetic guide G, and sets the moving path. Set (S3).

  Even when the express mode is already set, the processing shown in FIG. 9 is performed when a new security abnormality signal is received. Therefore, the movement target position and the movement route are determined according to the priority of time (new> old).

  When the target position determination unit 51c sets the movement target position and the movement route to the target position, the distance calculation unit 51d moves from the current position 61a and the map information 61b of the storage unit 61 to the movement target position every predetermined time. Calculate the distance along the travel path. This distance is supplied to the movement control means 51a.

  When the abnormal alarm signal is received and the express mode is set, the time measuring means 51e starts measuring time and supplies the elapsed time from the alarm abnormal signal to the threshold value setting means 51f. The threshold value setting unit 51f updates the threshold distance 61g in the storage unit 61 according to the elapsed time. As shown in the example of FIG. 6, the set value of the threshold distance 61g is updated to a larger value as the elapsed time becomes longer.

  In the express mode, the movement control means 51a controls the movement means 52 to cause the mobile robot 5 to travel according to the movement target position and movement path set by the target position determination means 51c. At this time, the movement control is suitably performed by processing the current position, the threshold distance, and the distance to the movement target position.

  FIG. 10 shows processing by the movement control means when the security abnormality signal is received and the express mode is set. When the movement target position and the movement route are set according to the guard abnormality signal by the target position determination means 51c, the movement control means 51a controls the movement means 52 to start moving to the movement target position (S11). . The movement control means 51a determines whether or not the distance to the movement target position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance (S13). If the distance is equal to or greater than the threshold distance (S13, Yes), the stop process when abnormality is detected Is prohibited (S15), and the moving means 52 is controlled so that the moving speed becomes the speed for confirming the abnormality at a long distance (S17). Here, the table for the current position 61a and the speed information 61e (FIG. 8) in the storage unit 61 is referred to obtain the speed for confirming the long distance abnormality in the section including the current position, and set it as the target value for speed control. The The control unit 51 determines whether or not an abnormality is detected by the crime prevention abnormality detection unit 59 or the disaster prevention abnormality detection unit 60 (S19). If no abnormality is detected, the process returns to step S13. If an abnormality is detected in step S19 (S19, Yes), the control unit 51 transmits the detected abnormality information to the monitoring center 7 as a robot abnormality signal (S21), and the process returns to step S13.

  As described above, when the distance to the movement target position is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the mobile robot 5 is used for a long distance that is set to a value larger than the normal speed in order to give priority to rushing to the abnormal point. Drive at the speed for checking the abnormality. The mobile robot 5 continues to travel without stopping even though its own abnormality detection means detects an abnormality but notifies the monitoring center 7 of a robot abnormality signal. In the monitoring center 7, the monitoring person visually confirms the robot abnormality signal and the image sent from the mobile robot 5.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S13 that the distance to the movement target position is less than the threshold distance (S13, No), the movement control means 51a causes the movement speed to be a short distance abnormality confirmation speed. The moving means 52 is controlled (S23). Here, the table (FIG. 8) of the current position 61a and speed information 61e in the storage unit 61 is referred to, and the near-field abnormality confirmation speed in the section including the current position is obtained and set as a target value for speed control. The At this time, if stop processing at the time of abnormality detection is prohibited, this is canceled. The control unit 51 determines whether or not an abnormality is detected by the crime prevention abnormality detection unit 59 or the disaster prevention abnormality detection unit 60 (S25). If an abnormality is detected (S25, Yes), the movement control unit 51a is the movement unit. 52 is controlled to stop the movement of the mobile robot 5 (S27). The control unit 51 transmits detected abnormality information as a robot abnormality signal to the monitoring center 7 (S29), and waits for a control instruction from the monitoring center 7 (S31). The image of the imaging unit 54 is sent to the monitoring center 7 even when it is stopped. When the control instruction indicating the movement is received, the mobile robot 5 resumes the movement to the movement target position.

  Thus, when the distance to the movement target position is less than the threshold distance, the vehicle is approaching the abnormality occurrence point, and the cause of the abnormality may have moved to the periphery of the abnormality occurrence point. In order to obtain sufficient abnormality detection accuracy, the vehicle travels at a short-range abnormality confirmation speed that is slower than the long-distance abnormality confirmation speed and is set to the same as during normal patrols, and the abnormality detection means detects the abnormality. Then, the robot stops and transmits a robot abnormality signal to the monitoring center 7 to enable reliable abnormality confirmation.

  If it is determined in step S25 that no abnormality has been detected (S25, No), the movement control means 51a determines whether or not the mobile robot 5 has reached the movement target position (S33). Here, the current position 61a of the storage unit 61 is compared with the movement target position, and if both match, it is determined that the movement target position has been reached. If the movement target position has not been reached yet (S33, No), the process returns to step S13. When the movement target position is reached (S33, Yes), the movement control means 51a controls the movement means 52 to stop the mobile robot 5 (S35), and the control unit 51 waits for a control instruction from the monitoring center 7 (S37). . At this time, if an abnormality is detected by the crime prevention abnormality detection unit 59 or the disaster prevention abnormality detection unit 60, the control unit 51 transmits information on the detected abnormality to the monitoring center 7 as a robot abnormality signal. In addition, the video of the imaging unit 54 is sent to the monitoring center 7 even when stopped. In the monitoring center 7, the abnormal state detected by the security device 3 can be confirmed by information from the mobile robot 5.

  It is assumed that a new security abnormality signal is received when the express mode is already set and the vehicle is moving to the movement target position. In this case, the movement target position and the threshold distance are reset based on the newly received security abnormality signal. The movement control means 51a performs the process of FIG. 10 using these reset values.

  The operation of the monitoring system 1 has been described above centering on the mobile robot 5. In the above description, a case has been described in which an abnormality is detected by the security device 3 while the mobile robot 5 is patroling. On the other hand, when the standby mode is set and the abnormality is detected by the security device 3 when the mobile robot 5 is waiting at the reference position S (FIG. 2), the express mode is set and the movement target position is set. Are set in the same manner, the distance calculation process, the time measurement process, the threshold value setting process, and the movement control process are performed in the same manner, and the mobile robot 5 rushes to the place where the abnormality occurs.

  The embodiment has been described above. According to the present embodiment, when a security abnormality signal that is abnormality information is received, the mobile robot 5 moves using a position corresponding to the abnormality that has occurred as a movement target. At this time, the mobile robot 5 changes the control when an abnormality (detection target for the mobile robot) is detected according to the distance to the movement target, that is, if the distance to the movement target is less than the threshold distance. For example, when an abnormality is detected, the moving means is stopped. If the distance to the movement target is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, the stop is prohibited even if an abnormality is detected. Therefore, even if an abnormality that is considered to be less relevant to the abnormality detected by the security device is detected at a location far from the movement target, the mobile robot 5 travels without stopping, and the abnormality detected by the security device 3 is detected. Give priority to handling. When an abnormality that is likely to be highly relevant to the abnormality detected by the security device 3 is detected at a location approaching the movement target, the mobile robot 5 stops and reliably confirms the location of the abnormality. In this way, while using the mobile robot 5 effectively, it is possible to prevent the stop regardless of the abnormality detected by the security device 3 and to make the mobile robot 5 express in a short time to the place where the abnormality occurred. .

  In general, the reliability of abnormality detection of the security device 3 that is a fixed device is higher than the reliability of abnormality detection of the mobile robot 5 that performs detection processing while moving. On the other hand, the security device 3 generally cannot obtain a detected abnormality image or the like. According to the present embodiment, it is possible to cause the mobile robot 5 to obtain additional information such as an image relating to an abnormality with high reliability detected by the security device 3. In addition, by limiting the movement stop when an abnormality that is considered to be less relevant to the abnormality detected by the security device 3 is detected, additional information can be collected immediately. In this way, the monitoring capability of the monitoring system 1 can be improved by suitably utilizing the feature of the mobile robot 5 that has high mobility.

  In addition, if the vehicle is rushed to the location where the abnormality is detected simply by the security device 3, the mobile robot 5 may be controlled so as not to stop at all until it reaches the location where the abnormality has occurred. However, in this case, even if the mobile robot 5 detects a related important abnormality near the place where the security device 3 detects the abnormality, the mobile robot 5 passes before such an important abnormality is confirmed. there is a possibility. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the mobile robot 5 stops when detecting an abnormality in the vicinity of the abnormality detection place by the security device 3, so that the mobile robot 5 is effectively used to obtain necessary information. , It is possible to reduce the arrival time to the place where the abnormality occurs.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the time after the time measuring means 51e receives the abnormality information is timed, and the threshold value setting means 51f increases the threshold distance as the time measured by the time measuring means 51e increases. Change to distance. As a result, the longer the elapsed time after receiving the abnormality information, the more the mobile robot 5 stops when it detects an abnormality even at a location far from the location where the abnormality has occurred. Considering the positional change of the cause of the abnormality with the passage of time, such as the movement of the intruder and the spread of the fire, the threshold distance is increased with the passage of time so that the mobile robot 5 can suitably detect the abnormality with the changed position. ing. Therefore, immediately after the abnormality is detected, the threshold distance is set to an initial small value so that the mobile robot 5 can be moved quickly to the abnormality detection place, and the positional change of the cause of the abnormality over time can be suitably dealt with. , Security can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, when the distance to the moving target is less than the threshold distance, the moving means is controlled so that the moving speed is lower than when the distance to the moving target is equal to or greater than the threshold distance. The Thereby, the mobile robot 5 moves toward the target position at a high speed when the distance to the movement target is equal to or greater than the threshold distance and the possibility of detecting an abnormality related to the abnormality of the security device is low. it can. When the distance to the moving target becomes less than the threshold value and the possibility of detecting an abnormality related to the abnormality of the security device increases, the mobile robot 5 decreases the speed and travels while detecting the abnormality with high accuracy. . Therefore, it is possible to move to the place where the abnormality occurs more quickly while reliably detecting the necessary abnormality.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that those skilled in the art can modify the above-described embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the mobile robot according to the present invention is useful as a technique for ensuring security by detecting abnormalities in facilities including buildings.

It is a figure which shows the monitoring system containing the mobile robot in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the monitoring area which is a monitoring object. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a mobile robot. It is a figure which shows the table of the express position information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of a mobile robot. It is a figure which shows the information of the threshold distance memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of a mobile robot. It is a figure which shows the change of the threshold distance with the passage of time from reception of a security abnormality signal. It is a figure which shows another example of the change of the threshold distance with the passage of time from reception of a guard abnormal signal. It is a figure which shows the table of the speed information memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of a mobile robot. It is a flowchart which shows the process by a target position determination means. It is a flowchart which shows the movement control process by a movement control means.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Monitoring system 3 Security apparatus 5 Mobile robot 7 Monitoring center 9 Security sensor 11 Signal relay apparatus 13 Communication network 51 Control part 51a Movement control means 51b Mode management means 51c Target position discrimination means 51d Distance calculation means 51e Timing means 51f Threshold value Setting means 52 Moving means 53 Laser sensor 54 Imaging unit 55 Guide detection part 56 Self-position detection part 57 Communication part 59 Crime prevention abnormality detection means 60 Disaster prevention abnormality detection means 61 Storage part A Monitoring area

Claims (3)

A plurality of sensors installed in the monitoring area are communicatively connected to a monitoring terminal that monitors whether there is an abnormality in the monitoring area, and when abnormality information is received from the monitoring terminal, it moves to a place where an abnormality has occurred and is detected. A mobile robot that stops moving when a detection target is detected by means,
A communication unit that receives abnormality information generated in the monitoring area from the monitoring terminal;
Detection means for detecting a predetermined detection target;
A storage unit for storing map information of the monitoring area;
A position detector for detecting the current position;
Position determination means for determining a position corresponding to the abnormality occurring in the monitoring area from the abnormality information upon receiving the abnormality information, and setting as a movement target;
Movement control means for controlling the movement means to move to the movement target when the movement target is set;
The map information and a distance calculating means for calculating a distance from the current position to the moving target,
The movement control means stops the movement means when the detection means detects the detection target when the distance to the movement target is less than a threshold distance, and the distance to the movement target is the threshold value. When the distance is equal to or greater than the distance, even if the detection means detects the detection target, the movement means is prohibited from being stopped, and the detection means determines the detection target according to the distance to the position corresponding to the abnormality occurring in the monitoring area. A mobile robot characterized by different control when detected. Furthermore, time measuring means for measuring the time since the abnormality information was received,
Threshold setting means for changing the threshold distance to a longer distance as the time taken by the time measuring means becomes longer;
The mobile robot according to claim 1, further comprising:   The movement control means is configured so that when the distance to the movement target is less than the threshold distance, the movement speed is lower than when the distance to the movement target is greater than or equal to the threshold distance. The mobile robot according to claim 1, wherein the mobile robot is controlled.

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