JPS60201410A - Call managing system of mobile robot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To execute exactly a call management of a mobile robot, even if plural call devices are provided, by always checking cyclically a robot calling state and a robot standby state by a controller. CONSTITUTION:A controller 14 always checks a robot calling state of call devices 16a-16c and a robot standby state in standby stations 12a, 12b, and gives a control command for calling a robot to the standby stations 12a, 12b in accordance with a call signal from the call devices 16a-16c. The standby stations 12a, 12b give a destination code to mobile robots 13a, 13b in accordance with a control signal from the controller 14. As a result, in accordance with this destination code, the mobile robots 13a, 13b move to a designated place, receive a new command in said place and execute an operation based on its command, and thereafter, return to the standby stations 12a, 12b and are holding.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a mobile robot call management system when the mobile robot 1- is called by a plurality of calling devices in a system for a self-propelled mobile robot 1.

[Prior art and its problems] Mobile robot systems have been considered in the past, for example, in offices, factories, etc., in which articles are transported by mobile robots. However, in such a mobile robot system, when a plurality of calling devices are used to call a mobile robot, there is a problem in that the calling control becomes extremely complicated.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides call management for a mobile robot that can reliably perform call management with a simple configuration when a mobile robot I is called by a plurality of calling devices. The purpose is to provide a method.

[Summary of the Invention] The present invention includes a controller that controls a plurality of calling devices and a robot standby station, and this controller constantly controls the robot calling state in the plurality of calling devices and the robot standby state in the waiting station in a cyclical manner. is checked, and when a robot calling signal is output from the calling device, a robot calling command is output to the standby station in accordance with the robot standby state at the standby station.

[Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1st
The figure shows an example in which the present invention is implemented in an office. In the figure, 11 is an office floor, and on this floor 11, standby stations 12a and 12b for robots are provided.
Mobile robots 13a and 13b are waiting at locations a and 12b, respectively. In addition, the above-mentioned standby station 12
A controller 14 is provided near the controllers a and 12b. Furthermore, on the floor 11, the mobile robots 1 to 1 are installed.
3a, 13b travel route 15 is the above-mentioned waiting station 1
2a, 12b so as to cover a predetermined service area, and a plurality of, for example, first to third calling devices 16a, 16b,
16c is provided. Thus, the waiting stations 12a, 12b, the controller 14, the call 4! The 1[ia, 16b, 16c] are connected to indoor wiring 27 of a commercial AC N source via AC outlets 21 to 26 arranged indoors, as shown in FIG. In other words, from ]n 1 to roller 14, a call device [16a
Control signals 116b and 16c are sent. The waiting stations 12a and 12b are
A signal receiver and a charging device are provided inside, and DC power lines 28a and 28b are connected to waiting mobile robots l-13a and 13b.
In addition to supplying DC power through the signal line 29a,
, 29b.

Next, the controller 1-roller 14, standby station 12a
112b and the calling device [16a, 16b, 16c] will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the controllers 1 to 0-514, which include a 110 unit 32 that sends and receives signals to and from the standby stations 12a, 12b and the calling devices 16a, 16b, 16c; 0PU33 that performs various control processes, ROM3 that stores control programs
4. A RAM 35 for storing setting data and data sent from the outside via the 110 section 32, and a setting input section 36 for inputting the setting data are connected. The controller 14 uses four types of control data shown in FIGS. 6(a) to 6(d).

Figure (a) shows the roll data to the controller 1 used for adjusting the status of the calling devices [16a, 16b, 16c], including a header, a calling device specification code, a calling preparation code,
It consists of an end code. The same figure (b) shows the call 1l.
f16a, 16b, 16G Henoki p> Control data used for cell alignment, consisting of a header, calling device designation code, cancellation alignment code, and end code. The same figure (C) shows the waiting station 12.
This is control data used for making arrangements to a and 12b, and consists of a header, a station designation code, a standby arrangement code, and an end code. FIG. 5(d) shows control data used to specify the destination of the mobile robot I, which is composed of a header, a station specification code, a destination specification code, and an end code.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the calling devices 16a, 16b, and 16c.
Call lamp 42, robot operation start information output unit 43,
A CPU 44, a ROM 45, a RAM 46, a calling switch 47, a cancel switch 48, and a calling device code setting section 49 are connected. The E10 section 41 sends and receives signals to and from the controller 14. In addition, the call switch 47 can be used to specify a robot (for example, specify a desired robot if each robot has a different function), to reserve a time (for example, at what time and what minute the robot should come), and to make a call. Place designation (e.g. summoning measures 16)
It includes functions such as specifying that the user should go to the place indicated by ■ in FIG. 1 instead of the place of the calling device 16a while making a call using ``a''. The calling devices 16a, 16b, 76
In C, the control data shown in FIG. 6(e) is used.

This control data is used to output a -0- call code to the controller 14, and consists of a header, an individual device code, a presence/absence code (or a function code) + a reserved time code, and an end code.

The above-mentioned function-specific codes are used to identify the function of the waiting robot when the mobile robots 13a and 13b are provided with different functions such as document transportation, tea serving, etc.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the standby stations 12a and 12b, including a pass line 51, an I10 section 52, a robot standby signal destination designation signal I10 section 53, a charging circuit 54, a CP
U 55, ROM 56, RAM 57, code setting section 5
8 are connected. The 110 section 52 sends and receives signals to and from the controller 14, and the 110 section 53 gives control commands to the mobile robots h13a and 13b. Also,
The charging circuit 54 connects the indoor wiring 27 to the AC outlet 21. while the mobile robots t-13a and 13b are on standby.
22 is rectified into a DC voltage to charge the mobile robots 13a and 13b.

The standby stations 12a and 12b use the control data shown in <t> in FIG. The roll data to the controller 1 consists of a header, a station individual code, an aircraft code (presence or absence) or a function-specific code (presence or absence), and an end code.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained with reference to flowcharts 1 to 9 in FIGS. 7 to 9. First, the operation of the standby stations 12a and 12b will be explained with reference to flowchart i- in FIG. The mobile robots 13a and 13b are always on standby at the standby stations 12a and 12b. Mobile robots 13a, 13b+ in this standby state
, t, DC power lines 28a, 28b and signal line 29a
, 29b to the standby station 12a112b, and has a movement command while charging the battery.

Therefore, when the standby station 12a112b enters the operating state, in step A1, the mobile robot t-1
: It is checked whether 3a or 13b is on standby, and if it is not on standby, it is held as is until the mobile robots 1 to 13a, 13b return. mobile robot 13a,
When the mobile robot 13b returns from the destination and enters the standby state, the standby stations 12a and 12b read the individual code of the mobile robot 13a113b and R as shown in step A2.
Store in AM57.

Next, in step A3, it is determined whether an inquiry about the standby state has been received from the controller 14, and if no inquiry has been received, the process returns to step A1.

Further, if an inquiry has been received from the controller 14 in step A3 above, the charging state of the robot is checked in step A4, and if the battery is not sufficiently charged, the process returns to step A1 and the mobile robot continues to operate until charging is completed. -13a and 13b are left on standby.

If the battery is sufficiently charged in step A4, the process proceeds to step A5, where the user outputs his or her station code to the controller 14, and then proceeds to step 86 until destination designation data is sent from the controller 14. stand by. And controller 14
When the destination designation data is sent, the destination code is given to the waiting mobile robot 13a or 13b and the process returns to step A1. A mobile robot given a destination code moves to the location specified by the destination code.

Next, the operation of the calling devices f16a, 116b, 16c will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Calling devices 16a, 16b, 16c c. Operating status N'X (!: First, in step B1, the calling lamps 42 are turned off, and then the process proceeds to step B2, where it is determined whether the calling switch 47 has been operated or not. If the call switch 47 is operated in this state, the process proceeds to step B3, where the call lamp 42 is turned on, and the process proceeds to step B4.
In this step, it is determined whether or not the calling code set in the calling device code setting unit 49 matches the signal asked by the controller 14.

If it is determined that there is a mismatch in step B4,
Proceeding to step B5, it is determined whether the cancel switch 48 is on, and if it is, the process returns to step B1. However, if the cancel switch 48 is not turned on, the process returns to step B4, and the controller 14
The question from Waits until the signals match. When the interrogation signal from the controller 10 and the calling device code match, the process proceeds from step B4 to step B6, and the calling code is output to the controller 14. Thereafter, the cancellation inquiry waits in step B7 until a signal is sent from the controller 14.

When a cancel inquiry signal is sent from the controller 14 in this state, the process proceeds to step B8, where it is determined whether the cancel switch 48 is on. If the cancel switch 48 is on, a cancel code is output to the controller 14 in step B9 and the process returns to step B1. If the cancel switch 48 is not on, the process advances from step B8 to step BIO, and waits until a calling lamp off signal is sent from the controller 14. When a call lamp off signal is sent from the controller 14, the call lamp 42 is turned off and the process proceeds to step B11, where information such as "I'm about to go" is notified to the caller by voice, display, lamp, etc. , and then returns to step B1.

Next, the operations of the controllers 1 to 14 will be explained with reference to FIG. When the controller 14 starts a control operation, first,
In step C1, initial set processing is performed,
Clear all memory contents of RAM 35. Next, proceeding to step C2, the calling devices 16a, 16b, 16c
A signal to turn off the call lamp 42 is sent to the call lamp 42. Next, in step C3, the first calling device 1 is stored in the RAM 35.
Check whether data regarding 6a is stored. If the data is not stored, the calling device 16a is inquired about the calling status as shown in step C4, and in step C5 it is checked whether the calling device 16a is calling a robot or not and the presence or absence of data. If there is data, as shown in step C6, the data is fetched from the first calling device 16a and the RA
M35, and then the process advances to step C7. Further, if it is determined in step C3 that the data regarding the first calling device 16a is stored in the RAM 35, and if it is determined in step C5 that there is no data from the calling device 16a, the process also proceeds to step C7. In this step CI, it is checked whether data regarding the second calling device 16b is stored in the RAM 35.

If the data is not stored, the calling device 16b is inquired about the calling state as shown in step C8, and in step C9 it is checked whether the calling device 16b is calling a robot or not and whether there is data. If there is data, the second
The data from the calling device 116b is taken in and stored in the RAM3.
5 and then proceeds to step C11. Furthermore, if it is determined in step C7 that data regarding the second calling device 16b is stored in the RAM 35, and if it is determined in step C9 that there is no data from the calling device [16b], the process also proceeds to step C11. move on.

In this step C11, it is checked whether data regarding the third calling device 16C is stored in the RAM 35. If the data is not stored, step C1
As shown in FIG. 2, the calling device 16c is inquired about the calling state, and in step C13-13-, it is checked whether the calling device 16c is calling a robot or not and the presence or absence of data. If there is data, as shown in step C14, the third calling device 16c
The data is taken in and stored in the RAM 35, and the process then proceeds to step C15. In addition, the above step C11
In RA, the data regarding the third calling device 16c is
If it is determined that the data is stored in Ma5, or if it is determined in step C13 that there is no data from the calling device 16c, the process also proceeds to step C15. In this step C15, it is checked whether data regarding the standby station 12a is stored in the RAM 35.

If the data is not stored, the standby station 12a is inquired as to whether the robot is on standby as shown in step Q16, and it is determined in step C17 whether the mobile robot 13a or 13b is on standby.

If it is on standby, data is fetched from the standby station 12a and stored in the RAM 35 as shown in step 018, and then the process advances to step C19. Further, if it is determined in step C15 that data related to the standby station 12a is stored in the RAM 35, and in step C17, the mobile robot 13
If it is determined that a or 13b is not on standby, the process also proceeds to step 019. In this step C19, the RAM
It is checked whether data regarding the standby station 12b is stored in 35.

If the data is not stored, the standby station 12b is inquired about the robot standby state as shown in step C20, and it is determined in step C21 whether the mobile robot 13b or 13a is on standby. If it is on standby, data is fetched from the standby station 12b and stored in the RAM 35 as shown in step C22, and then the process advances to step C23. Further, if it is determined in step C19 that the data regarding the standby station 12b is stored in the RAM 35, and if it is determined in step C21 that the mobile robot 13a is not on standby, the process also proceeds to step C23. In this step C23, the first to third calling devices 16
a, 16b.

16c, the presence or absence of cancellation data is sequentially multiplied,
If there is a cancellation, the process advances to step C24, and the contents of the RAM 35 corresponding to the device with the cancellation are cleared.

If the process of step C24 is completed or if it is determined in step C23 that there is no cancellation data, the process proceeds to step C25, and the first to third calling devices 16a, 16b are called.

Call signal from 16c and waiting station 12a, 1
It is determined whether the combination with 2b is possible. If a combination is possible, data for the combination is sent to the standby station 12a or 12b as shown in step 026. Thereafter, the process advances to step C27, and the combined calling devices 116a, 16b, 16c are stored in the RAM 35.

Clear the data regarding the standby stations 12a and 12b and return to step C2. If it is determined in step C25 that the combination is not possible, the process immediately returns to step C2. In this step C2, the RAM
Calling device 16a, 1 whose memory contents have been cleared from 35
A signal to turn off the call lamp 42 is sent to 6b and 16c. The same process is repeated thereafter.

As described above, controller 14 makes calls 1116a,
The robot calling state of the robots 16b, 16c and the robot waiting state of the waiting stations 12a, 12b are constantly checked, and the waiting stations 12a, 1
2b is given a robot call control command. Then, the standby stations 12a, 12b give a destination code specifying a destination to the mobile robots 13a, 13b in response to a control command from the controller 14. Mobile robot 13
a113b indicates the calling device 16a1 that made the call according to the destination code given from the controller 14.
16b, 16c or another designated location, receives a new command there, performs an operation based on the command, and then returns to standby station 12a, 12b.
Go back and wait.

When moving the mobile robots 13a, 13b to a designated location as described above, the route to the designated location is determined independently by calculations based on data stored in advance in the memory within the mobile robots 13a, 13b. Alternatively, the robots 1-138. can be set in advance by using the controller 14 in accordance with the movement of other robots.
13b.

Therefore, even if the mobile robots 13a and 13b are called by the calling devices 16a and 116b and 16c, if all the robots or the requested robots are out, the controller 14 always periodically checks the standby state. When the mobile robot 13a113b returns and enters the standby state, and if the power supply is sufficiently charged, the standby stations 12a and 12b will output an OK signal, so in the next step, the destination data will be output from the controller 14, and the robot will move. Robot 13a or 13b
can be moved immediately. In addition, calling device 1
6a, 16b, 16c, the mobile robot 13
When calling a or 13b, it is also possible to reserve the time.

In addition, if the mobile robots on standby each have different functions, such as one for transporting documents and goods, one for serving tea, and one for copying, it is possible to use robots for each function in the calling device. It is also possible to provide a switch that can be specified and called, and to send the information of each calling device to the controller for distribution management.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the controller 1 constantly checks the robot calling state of the calling device and the robot's standby state at the standby station by the roller to the controller 1, and receives the call signal and the robot's standby state. In addition, since the robot calling control signal is given to the standby station, even if a plurality of calling devices are provided, the mobile robot calling can be managed reliably.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 1 shows the robot travel route and the arrangement of the system, Fig. 2 shows the connection relationship of the system, and Fig. 3 shows the configuration of the controller. 4 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the calling device in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the waiting station in FIG. 2; FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the calling device in FIG. Figure 7 is a flowchart 1-1 showing the operation of the waiting station. Figure 8 is a flowchart 1-1 showing the operation of the calling device. Figure 9 is con! - It is a flowchart showing the operation of the roller. 11...Floor, 12a, 12b...Waiting station, 13a, 13b...Mobile robot, 14...
Controller, 15...Robot travel path, 16a~
16c... Calling device, 21-26... Outlet, 27... AC indoor wiring, 28a128b... DC power line, 29a, 20b... Signal line. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2-111111-4 Figure 6 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Claims] A self-propelled mobile robot 1-system includes a robot standby station, a mobile robot that normally waits at the standby station and receives movement commands via the standby station, and outputs a call signal to the mobile robot *vl The robot calling state of the calling device, the robot calling state of the plurality of calling devices, and the robot waiting state at the waiting station are constantly checked, and when the robot calling signal is output from the calling device, the robot waiting state at the IIl station is checked. 1. A call management method for a mobile robot, comprising: a controller that outputs a robot call command to a standby station in accordance with the request.