JP7178555B2 - robot - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a mobile device having a plurality of doors in a storage section.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a method of transporting a person or a transported object by autonomously traveling a mobile device has been developed. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a security level management method for a system that automatically transports objects to a destination.

JP 2009-1425 A

The present disclosure provides a mobile device that improves convenience.

In order to solve the above problems, the robot of the present disclosure includes storage means, control means, a plurality of doors provided on the outer surface in two directions facing each other, and a self-position recognition unit, The storage means stores map information and a door opening/closing direction associated with a predetermined position in the map information, and the door opening/closing direction associated with the predetermined position corresponds to a wall side at the predetermined position. The control means compares the self-position recognized by the self-position recognition unit with the map information stored in the storage means, and the opening/closing direction of the door associated with the collated predetermined position. A door to be opened or closed is selected from the plurality of doors based on the above.

According to the mobile device of the present disclosure, convenience is improved.

Schematic configuration diagram of a mobile device according to the present embodiment (a) Schematic diagram showing an example of a moving device according to the present embodiment (b) Schematic diagram showing an example where the moving device according to the present embodiment stops along a wall (a) Schematic diagram showing an example of the coordinate system of the mobile device according to the present embodiment (b) Schematic diagram showing an example of the operation area of the mobile device according to the present embodiment Control flow chart of the mobile device according to the present embodiment

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a mobile device 100 according to this embodiment.

The mobile device 100 includes operation means 101 , storage means 104 , control means 105 , environment information acquisition means 108 , transportation means 109 , transportation means 111 and power supply device 112 .

The operating means 101 includes an operating section 201 and a drive section 202 . The operation unit 201 is configured to receive input from the outside. Information input to the operation unit 201 includes, for example, a destination, a moving speed, personal information of a passenger of the mobile device 100 and a transported object, and the like. An operation unit 201 is, for example, a touch panel or a keyboard. The drive unit 202 is configured to drive the operation unit 201 in three axial directions and rotational directions. The drive unit 202 is, for example, a motor.

The storage means 104 stores information on movement of the mobile device 100 . The storage unit 104 stores, for example, map information, speed information, the size and shape of the mobile device 100, and the like. Storage means 104 is, for example, an HDD, a memory card, or the like.

The control means 105 includes a route generation section 106 and a self-location recognition section 107 . The self-position recognition unit 107 recognizes the position of the mobile device 100 in light of the map information stored in the storage means 104, for example, by performing wireless communication. The route generation unit 106 generates a route from the self-position recognized by the self-position recognition unit 107 to the destination based on the destination information input by the operation unit 101, for example.

The environment information acquiring means 108 acquires information on the surrounding environment of the mobile device 100 . The environment information acquisition means 108 detects obstacles using, for example, an ultrasonic sensor or a sound sensor, and recognizes voice using a microphone or the like. The environment information acquired by the environment information acquisition means 108 is recognized as, for example, the presence or absence of an obstacle, and is used as a parameter for route generation by the route generation unit 106 .

The conveying means 109 includes a storage section 203 and a door section 204 . The storage unit 203 loads objects to be transported, such as people and things. The storage unit 203 has, for example, a box-like structure surrounded on all sides. The door portion 204 is used when loading and unloading objects to be transported in the storage portion 203 . The door part 204 is, for example, a door with a knob, an automatic door, a shutter, or the like.

The moving means 111 moves the moving device 100 . The moving means 111 may be automatically controlled by the control means 105, or may be controlled based on a human instruction input by a steering wheel, a joystick, or the like. The moving means 111 is, for example, a driving system such as main wheels and trailing wheels.

The power supply 112 supplies power to the mobile device 100 . The power supply device 112 can be turned on/off by a switch or wirelessly. The power supply 112 is, for example, a fuel such as a battery or a solar battery. The type of power supply 112 may vary with the design of the mobile device 100 .

FIG. 2(a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of a mobile device according to the present embodiment.

An operating unit 201 can be driven in three axial directions and in rotational directions by a driving unit 202 . In the present disclosure, the operation unit 201 should be driven at least in the rotational direction.

The conveying means is composed of storage units 203 , and the storage units on each stage can be accessed from door units 204 provided on both sides of the moving device 100 .

Not only one storage section 203 but also a plurality of storage sections 203 may be provided vertically or horizontally.

The moving device 100 has a door portion 204 arranged in two stages on its side surface. The moving device 100 also has a door portion 204 (not shown) on the opposite side as well.

A plurality of door portions 204 may be provided not only on the left and right sides, but also vertically or horizontally. The design of the door portion 204 is preferably determined in accordance with the design of the storage portion 203 .

FIG. 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing an example in which mobile device 100 is stopped along wall 205 according to the present embodiment.

When the mobile device 100 stops along the wall 205 , the operation surface of the operation unit 201 is rotated so as to face the opposite side of the wall 205 .

This is for the convenience of the person or machine providing input to mobile device 100 when mobile device 100 is parked along wall 205 .

Further, when the mobile device 100 stops along the wall 205, only the door 204 provided on the side other than the wall 205 is controlled to be openable/closable among the two doors 204 provided on the facing surfaces. That is, the door portion 204 provided on the surface that is not on the wall 205 side is in an unlocked state.

This is for the convenience of the person or machine retrieving or retrieving the goods conveyed by the mobile device 100 when the mobile device 100 is parked along the wall 205 .

Further, the door portion 204 provided on the surface on the wall 205 side is controlled so as not to be opened or closed. That is, the door portion 204 provided on the surface on the wall 205 side is locked.

This is to prevent the door provided on the surface of the wall 205 from opening unintentionally, thereby preventing objects to be conveyed from falling and the wall from being damaged.

A mechanism for selecting the door portion 204 to be controlled to be opened and closed will be described below.

The mobile device 100 stores the destination information in advance in the storage means 104 as map information. The destination information includes the stopping position (xg, yg) on two-dimensional coordinates (global coordinates) representing the operating area, the stopping direction represented by the angle (αg) on the two-dimensional coordinates, and which door to use. and the rotational direction of the operation unit 201 represented by an angle (βg) on two-dimensional coordinates.

For example, when the number of destinations is n, it has information such as the list shown in Table 1 below.

The destination name is a unique name for each destination, and may be a name displayed to the user by the operation unit 201 or the like, or may be a number assigned for internal processing. Here, it is expressed as Dx for convenience.

For example, a number is assigned to a door, and the number is stored as the used door information. Further, for example, when one surface of the mobile device 100 has a plurality of doors, by storing the directions and surfaces as use door information, control can be performed so that all of the plurality of doors existing on that surface are used. can also

It is preferable that the rotation direction of the operation part 201 is the direction corresponding to the door to be used. Specifically, it is preferable that it is oriented in the direction in which the door to be used exists. The rotation direction of the operation unit 201 may be defined within a rotation angle range including the direction in which the door to be used exists.

The direction of rotation of the operation unit 201 may be stored in moving device coordinates, which will be described later.

The destination may be displayed to the user by the operation unit 201, for example. At this time, the destination may be displayed as a certain point based on the stop position, or the destination may be displayed as an area. When the destination is displayed as an area, at least one stop position in the destination information is included in the two-dimensional coordinate area representing the area, and the destination is displayed based on the destination information included in the selected area. set.

Next, an example of setting the doors to be used will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the coordinate system of mobile device 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operating area of mobile device 100 according to the present embodiment.

For example, in a certain operating area, there are three destinations (D1 to D3) as shown in FIG. 3(b).

An appropriate door is set for each stop position and stop direction at the destination. For example, if the destination is along a wall, the door to be used is preferably a door provided on a surface that is not on the wall side. Also, for example, when the destination is set along the opening/closing means provided on the wall such as the shutter of the warehouse, the door to be used is the door provided on the side of the opening/closing means even if it is along the wall. Preferably.

The operation of the mobile device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of mobile device 100 according to the present embodiment.

The mobile device 100 selects a destination from a list of destinations displayed on the touch panel, which is the operation unit 201 (S401).

Next, based on the map information preliminarily stored in the storage unit 104 by the control unit 105, the route generation unit 106 generates a route from the current position to the designated destination coordinates (xgi, ygi, αgi) ( S402). A generally used route generating means is used to generate the route.

Further, when receiving the instruction, the control means 105 locks the door portion 204 of the conveying means 109 (S403).

Next, the drive unit 202 is controlled to turn the operation unit 201 in the direction of αr=0 (S404) and start moving (S405).

The mobile device 100 moves so that the origins xr=0, yr=0, and αr=0 of the mobile device coordinates (xr, yr, αr) set on the mobile device match (xgi, ygi, αgi), During movement, surrounding obstacles and landmarks stored in the map information are detected by environmental information acquisition means 108 such as an infrared laser or an ultrasonic sensor. If the control means 105 determines that there is an obstacle on the generated route, the control means 105 adjusts the speed. In addition, the route generation unit 106 may generate a route to avoid the obstacle and move while correcting the route. The control unit 105 recognizes the self-position by correcting the position by matching the landmarks detected by the odometry or the environment recognition means with the landmark information stored in the map information in the self-position recognition unit 107 .

Next, the mobile device 100 determines whether the destination has been reached (S406). Arrival at the destination is determined by determining that the self-position (xgr, ygr, αgr) on the global coordinates recognized by the control means 105 matches the coordinates of the destination (xgi, ygi, αgi). However, for example, it may be considered that the destination is reached when the x-direction and y-direction of the destination are within the distance m and the angle is within r. Here, m is set to 3 cm and r is set to 5 degrees. Traveling is continued until the above coincidence (No in S406).

Upon arrival (Yes in S407), the mobile device 100 stops (S407), and the control means 105 controls the drive part 202 of the operation means 101 so that the operation part 201 rotates to the stored rotational position βgi (S408). ). Assuming that the direction of the operation unit 201 is αr=0 as the running direction, the rotation on the mobile device is an angle of βgi−αr.

Next, the control means 105 enables the use of the door in the direction of the used door (S409). The method of enabling the use of the door is to unlock the door that was locked while driving, input the password to the operation unit 201, or send information authenticated by a separately provided RF-ID tag reader or the like to the operation unit 201. It may be unlocked after being transmitted to.

After carrying out the loading and unloading work of the conveyed goods, the door is closed and it is determined whether there is a destination to which the moving device is to be moved (S410). If there is a destination to move to next (Yes in S410), the operation unit 201 is used to issue a move instruction, and the process repeats from S401. If there is no destination to move to next (No in S410), the operation ends.

The mobile device of the present disclosure is used for transporting articles in storage units in facilities such as hospitals and buildings.

100 Moving Device 101 Operating Means 104 Storage Means 105 Controlling Means 106 Path Generation Part 107 Self-Position Recognition Part 108 Environmental Information Acquisition Means 109 Conveying Means 111 Moving Means 112 Power Supply Device 201 Operation Part 202 Driving Part 203 Storage Part 204 Door Part 205 Wall

Claims (4)

Storage means, control means, a plurality of doors respectively provided in two opposing directions on the outer surface, and a self-position recognition part,
The storage means stores map information and a door opening/closing direction associated with a predetermined position in the map information,
The opening and closing direction of the door associated with the predetermined position is the direction facing the wall side at the predetermined position,
The control means is
comparing the self-position recognized by the self-position recognition unit with the map information stored in the storage means;
A robot that selects a door to be opened or closed from the plurality of doors based on the door opening/closing direction associated with the collated predetermined position . The control means unlocks the selected door after the robot stops at the verified predetermined position.
The robot according to claim 1. An operation means including an operation unit having an operation surface and a driving unit for driving the operation unit,
3. The robot according to claim 1, wherein said control means drives said drive unit such that said operation surface faces in a direction corresponding to said selected door opening/closing direction. The operating means drives the driving unit after the robot stops at the checked predetermined position.
The robot according to claim 3.

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