JPWO2020036144A1 - Seat set and mobile device control system - Google Patents

Abstract

When printing a pattern showing coordinates on each of multiple sheets, suppress the increase of the area in the coordinate area for assigning to them. The sheet set includes a plurality of sheets. Each of the plurality of sheets has a predetermined size, a pattern in which information for identifying the sheet is encoded is printed, and a start area in which a self-propelled device for reading the pattern is first arranged and a start area. Includes a common area, which is placed around and printed with a coordinate-encoded pattern within the assigned coordinate area. A coordinate area that overlaps with at least one other sheet is allocated to the common area of any of the plurality of sheets.

Description

The present invention relates to seat sets and mobile device control systems.

There is a technique for detecting the position of the small device in the sheet by printing a pattern indicating the coordinates on the sheet on a sheet such as paper and printing the pattern on a small device equipped with a camera.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for measuring the position of a self-propelled device in a mat by printing a pattern indicating coordinates on the mat and photographing the pattern on the mat with a camera provided in the self-propelled device. ing.

International Publication No. 2018/025467

In order to ensure the detection accuracy of the position in the sheet, it is necessary to arrange the patterns at a high density, so that the size of each pattern is inevitably limited. Due to its size limitation, there is a limit to the amount of information that can be embedded in each pattern. Therefore, the coordinate space in which the coordinates can be expressed by the pattern is not always a sufficient size.

The inventors of the present invention are studying assigning a part of the coordinate space represented by a pattern to a plurality of sheets, and when the pattern is read, cause the self-propelled device to perform different operations depending on the sheet. However, since the coordinate space does not necessarily have a sufficient size as described above, there is a possibility that the area in the coordinate space may be insufficient when the coordinates in the coordinate space are assigned to each of the plurality of sheets.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for suppressing an increase in an area in a coordinate area for allocating a pattern indicating coordinates to each of a plurality of sheets when printing a pattern. To provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the sheet set according to the present invention includes a plurality of sheets. Each of the plurality of sheets has a start area in which a pattern having a predetermined size and encoded with information for identifying the sheet is printed, and a self-propelled device for reading the pattern is first arranged, and the start area. Includes a common area, which is placed around and printed with a coordinate-encoded pattern within the assigned coordinate area. A coordinate region that overlaps with at least one other sheet is assigned to the common area of each of the plurality of sheets.

Further, in the mobile device control system according to the present invention, the start area on which the pattern in which the identification information is encoded is printed, and the coordinates in the assigned coordinate area are encoded by being arranged around the start area. A moving device that includes a camera that captures a pattern printed on a sheet including a common area on which the pattern is printed, a mobile device that runs on the sheet, a decoding means that decodes information from the pattern captured by the camera, and the above. The position of the moving device based on the identification means for acquiring the identification information of the sheet based on the information decoded from the pattern printed in the start area and the information decoded from the pattern printed in the common area. Based on the position acquisition means for acquiring the acquired identification information, the map acquisition means for acquiring the map of the common area associated with the acquired identification information, and the positions of the acquired map and the acquired mobile device. , A control means for controlling the operation of the mobile device, and the like.

According to the present invention, when a pattern indicating coordinates is printed on each of a plurality of sheets, it is possible to suppress an increase in the area in the coordinate area for allocating the patterns.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a pattern in which the coordinates in the coordinate area assigned to the start area are encoded is printed on the start area of each of the plurality of sheets, and the respective start areas of the plurality of sheets are printed. The start area may be assigned a coordinate area that does not overlap with any of the other sheets.

It is a figure which shows an example of the control system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware configuration of a control system. It is a figure which shows an example of a dolly. It is a figure which shows an example of the seat in which a carriage is arranged. It is a figure which shows the outline of the allocation of the area in a coordinate space. It is a figure which shows schematicly in common allocation area. It is a figure which shows the breakdown of the start allocation area schematicly. It is a block diagram which shows the function realized by a control system. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which controls a dolly. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process which controls a dolly. It is a figure which shows an example of the map information. It is a figure which shows another example of the seat in which a carriage is arranged. It is a figure which schematically explains the pattern in which the information of an additional map is encoded. It is a figure which shows an example of correspondence of an additional pattern and map information. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between a mass attribute and a coordinate in an additional mass area. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between the additional information and a coordinate in an additional additional area. It is a figure which shows an example of the relationship between an instruction and a coordinate in an additional instruction area. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the process of reading an additional map.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Among the components that appear, those having the same function are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the embodiment of the present invention, as a control system, a user creates a training program (hereinafter referred to as "practice program") using a simple language, and executes the training program on a maze. Explain programming materials for running self-propelled devices.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control system according to the embodiment of the present invention. The control system according to the present invention includes a device control device 10, carriages 20a and 20b, a controller 17, and a cartridge 18. The carriages 20a and 20b are mobile devices having a camera 24, and both have the same function. In the following, these carriages 20a and 20b will be referred to as carriages 20 unless otherwise specified. The device control device 10 controls the carriage 20 via radio. The controller 17 is an input device that acquires an operation by the user, and is connected to the device control device 10 by a cable. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the dolly 20. FIG. 3 is a view of the dolly 20 as viewed from below. The dolly 20 further includes a power switch 250, a switch 222, and two wheels 254.

The device control device 10 includes a processor 11, a storage unit 12, a communication unit 13, and an input / output unit 14. The dolly 20 includes a processor 21, a storage unit 22, a communication unit 23, a camera 24, and two motors 25. The device control device 10 may be a dedicated device for control or a general-purpose computer.

The processor 11 operates according to the program stored in the storage unit 12, and controls the communication unit 13, the input / output unit 14, and the like. The processor 21 operates according to a program stored in the storage unit 22, and controls the communication unit 23, the camera 24, the motor 25, and the like. The program is stored and provided in a computer-readable storage medium such as a flash memory in the cartridge 18, but may be provided via a network such as the Internet.

The storage unit 12 is composed of a DRAM and a flash memory built in the device control device 10, a flash memory in the cartridge 18, and the like. The storage unit 22 is composed of a DRAM, a flash memory, and the like. The storage units 12 and 22 store the above program. Further, the storage units 12 and 22 store information and calculation results input from the processors 11, 21 and the communication units 13, 23 and the like.

The communication units 13 and 23 are composed of integrated circuits, antennas, and the like for communicating with other devices. The communication units 13 and 23 have a function of communicating with each other according to, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol. Based on the control of the processors 11 and 21, the communication units 13 and 23 input the information received from the other devices to the processors 11 and 21 and the storage units 12 and 22, and transmit the information to the other devices. The communication unit 13 may have a function of communicating with another device via a network such as a LAN.

The input / output unit 14 includes a circuit for acquiring information from an input device such as a controller 17 and a circuit for controlling an output device such as an audio output device or an image display device. The input / output unit 14 acquires an input signal from the input device, and inputs the converted information of the input signal to the processor 11 and the storage unit 12. Further, the input / output unit 14 causes the speaker to output the sound and outputs the image to the display device based on the control of the processor 11 or the like.

The motor 25 is a so-called servomotor whose rotation direction, rotation amount, and rotation speed are controlled by the processor 21. One wheel 254 is assigned to each of the two motors 25, and the motor 25 drives the assigned wheel 254.

The camera 24 is arranged so as to take a picture of the lower part of the dolly 20, and takes a picture of a pattern printed on a sheet 31 or the like (see FIG. 4) on which the dolly 20 is placed. In the present embodiment, a pattern recognized in the infrared frequency domain is printed on the sheet 31 or the like, and the camera 24 captures the infrared image.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a seat 31 on which the carriage 20 is arranged. FIG. 4 shows an example in which a plurality of sheets 31 are put together in a booklet shape. An image that can be visually recognized by the user is printed on each sheet 31, and a pattern that can be photographed by the camera 24 is printed. In the example of FIG. 4, a maze composed of 5 × 5 squares is printed as an image that can be visually recognized by the user. This maze is for programming materials. The user creates a training program, and the carriage 20 moves according to the training program. The attributes of the squares include a start square 33a, a goal square 33b, an impassable square 33i, a normal square 33n, an action square 33q, and the like.

After loading the training program into the control system, the user arranges one of the trolleys 20 on the start mass 33a, and the control system runs the trolley 20 according to the training program. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the control system controls the carriage 20 so that the carriage 20 does not travel on the impassable mass 33i by the program provided by the cartridge 18. When the carriage 20 arrives at the goal mass 33b through the normal mass 33n or the action mass 33q, the device control device 10 outputs a voice or the like indicating that the user has succeeded in creating the program.

The pattern printed on the sheet 31 or the like will be described in more detail. Unit patterns of a predetermined size (for example, 0.2 mm square) are arranged in a matrix on the sheet 31. Each of the unit patterns is an image in which the coordinates of the position where the pattern is arranged are encoded. The size of the data encoded as a pattern is predetermined, and the maximum / minimum value (size of the coordinate space) of the encoded coordinates is determined by the size of the data and the arrangement interval of the unit pattern.

In the control system according to the present embodiment, the camera 24 of the carriage 20 takes a picture of the unit pattern printed on the sheet 31 or the like, and the carriage 20 or the device control device 10 decodes the unit pattern and acquires the coordinates. As a result, the position of the carriage 20 on the seat 31 or the like is recognized. Further, the dolly 20 or the device control device 10 acquires coordinates from each of the plurality of unit patterns in the image captured by the camera 24, and the positions of the plurality of unit patterns in the captured image and the acquired. The orientation of the dolly 20 is also calculated based on the coordinates.

In the present embodiment, by using the pattern printed on the sheet 31 or the like, the position of the carriage 20 on the sheet 31 or the like can be recognized with high accuracy without using another device such as a stereo camera.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an outline of the allocation of regions in the coordinate space. The coordinate space is divided into a plurality of allocated areas according to the range of the xy coordinates, and a part of the divided allocated areas is allocated to the application of the programming teaching material (this application) in the present embodiment, and other than the divided areas. Part of (other application area) is allocated to other applications. The allocation area allocated to this application includes a common allocation area, a start allocation area, an instruction card area, an additional mass area, an additional instruction area, and an additional additional area. Details of each of these allocated areas will be described later.

In the following, of each of the plurality of sheets 31 included in the booklet, the area excluding the area (start area) of the start mass 33a is referred to as a common area. The common area is an area arranged around the start area. A part of the common allocation area is allocated to the common area. Further, a plurality of patterns are printed side by side on the sheet 31, and each of the patterns is a coded coordinate corresponding to the position of the pattern in the allocated area.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a common allocation area. The common allocation area is an area corresponding to a 9 × 9 cell centered on the start cell 33a. The size of the squares shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the size of the squares of the maze printed on the sheet 31. The alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 6 indicates an area in the coordinate space printed on the sheet 31 shown in FIG. A part of the 9 × 9 squares of the common allocation area is allocated to the common area of each sheet 31. Strictly speaking, the common area is assigned an area obtained by removing the start cell 33a from the 5 × 5 cells included in the common allocation area. Further, in the example of FIG. 6, the position of the start mass 33a in the common allocation area is fixed, and the area allocated to the seat 31 in the common allocation area changes according to the position of the start mass 33a in the sheet 31.

As a result, a pattern of coordinates indicating the relative position with respect to the start mass 33a is printed in the common area of each of the plurality of sheets 31. Further, each common area of the plurality of sheets 31 is assigned a coordinate area that overlaps with the common area of at least one other sheet.

On the other hand, in the start area corresponding to the start mass 33a, a pattern in which information for identifying the sheet is encoded is printed. More specifically, the start area is assigned a coordinate area in the start allocation area, and a pattern in which the coordinates in the coordinate area are encoded is printed. A coordinate area that does not overlap with any of the other sheets 31 is assigned to the start area.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a breakdown of the start allocation area. The start allocation area has 11 × 11 squares, and the size of each of these squares corresponds to the size of the start square 33a printed on the sheet 31. Any one of the start allocation areas is assigned to the start area of the sheet 31, and a pattern in which the coordinates of the cells are encoded is printed. Reference numerals such as "1-1" described in each cell of FIG. 7 indicate an ID associated with that cell, and the ID identifies the sheet 31.

The control system determines to which square of the start allocation region the coordinates indicated by the pattern of the start region photographed by the camera 24 belong, and acquires the ID of the sheet 31 associated with that square. Since the self-propelled trolley 20 is initially arranged on the start mass 33a by the user, it is possible to determine which seat 31 the self-propelled trolley 20 is on before starting the movement. Even if the coordinates overlapping with the other seat 31 are printed, the control system can control the movement of the carriage 20 according to the information such as the map associated with the seat 31.

Next, the operation of the control system using the sheet 31 and the like described so far will be described in more detail. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a function realized by the control system. The control system functionally includes an initial position acquisition unit 50, a current position acquisition unit 51, a start control unit 52, a training program acquisition unit 53, a training program execution unit 54, an additional information acquisition unit 56, and a map storage unit 72. The initial position acquisition unit 50, the current position acquisition unit 51, the start control unit 52, the training program acquisition unit 53, the training program execution unit 54, and the additional information acquisition unit 56 mainly store the processor 11 included in the device control device 10. This is realized by executing the program stored in the unit 12 and controlling the trolley 20 via the communication unit 13. Further, for some or all of the functions such as the initial position acquisition unit 50 and the current position acquisition unit 51, the processor 21 included in the trolley 20 executes a program stored in the storage unit 22, and the device is transmitted via the communication unit 23. This is realized by exchanging data with the control device 10 and controlling the camera 24 and the motor 25.

The map storage unit 72 is a kind of database realized by the storage unit 12 included in the device control device 10 and stores a map for each of the plurality of sheets 31 and information related to the map.

The initial position acquisition unit 50 decodes information from the image captured by the camera 24 from the pattern in which the coordinates are encoded. Specifically, the information to be decoded is the coordinates of the portion of the sheet 31 where the carriage 20 is arranged, and is information that can identify the sheet 31.

The start control unit 52 sets the operation of the training program execution unit 54 based on the coordinates of the carriage 20 acquired by the initial position acquisition unit 50. The start control unit 52 functionally includes a sheet identification unit 61 and a map identification unit 62. The seat identification unit 61 acquires information for identifying the seat 31 on which the carriage 20 is arranged, based on the information acquired by the initial position acquisition unit 50 (specifically, the coordinates of the carriage 20). The map identification unit 62 acquires the information of the map associated with the sheet 31 based on the information identified by the sheet 31. The map information includes information on the attributes of each square in the common area and the start area, an operation program of another dolly 20 that interferes with the dolly 20 moving from the start position according to the training program, and other additional information.

The current position acquisition unit 51 recognizes a pattern in which the coordinates are encoded from the image taken by the camera 24, and acquires the coordinates where the trolley 20 is located and the orientation of the trolley 20 from the coordinates indicated by the pattern. The initial position acquisition unit 50 and the current position acquisition unit 51 may be substantially the same, or may be realized by executing the same program.

The training program acquisition unit 53 is a training program for running the carriage 20 arranged at the start position, and acquires the training program created by the user.

The training program execution unit 54 executes the acquired training program and operates the trolley 20 arranged on the seat 31 based on the acquired map and the position of the trolley 20 acquired by the current position acquisition unit 51. Control. The training program execution unit 54 functionally includes a traveling mass identification unit 65, a mass attribute acquisition unit 66, and an operation control unit 67.

The traveling mass specifying unit 65 is a cell in which the carriage 20 is currently traveling among a plurality of cells in which the area on the seat 31 on which the carriage 20 is arranged is divided based on the coordinates acquired by the current position acquisition unit 51. To identify.

The mass attribute acquisition unit 66 stores the operation information associated with the mass specified by the traveling mass identification unit 65 from the map storage unit 72 that stores each of the cells in association with the operation information that identifies the operation of the trolley 20. get.

The motion control unit 67 controls the motion of the trolley 20 based on the acquired motion information and the current coordinates.

The additional information acquisition unit 56 acquires map information by reading the printed pattern with a self-propelled device, and stores the acquired map information in the map storage unit 72.

Hereinafter, the processing of the start control unit 52 and the training program execution unit 54 will be described. 9 and 10 are flowcharts showing an example of processing for controlling the carriage 20. FIG. 10 shows the process of step S208 of FIG. 9 in more detail. Before performing the processing shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the training program acquisition unit 53 has acquired the training program created by the user.

First, the initial position acquisition unit 50 included in the start control unit 52 decodes the pattern captured by the camera 24 and acquires the current coordinates and orientation of the carriage 20 on the seat 31 (step S201). Next, the map specifying unit 62 included in the start control unit 52 determines whether or not it indicates that the acquired coordinates are within the start region (step S202). More specifically, if the acquired coordinates are the coordinates in the start allocation area, the map identification unit 62 determines that the acquired coordinates are in the start area, in other words, the trolley 20 is in the start area. .. When it is determined that the carriage 20 is not in the start area based on the acquired coordinates (N in step S202), an error prompting the carriage 20 to be placed on the start mass 33a of the seat 31 is output and the process ends (the process ends. Step S203).

When it is determined that the carriage 20 is in the start region based on the acquired coordinates (Y in step S202), the map specifying unit 62 specifies the map ID indicated by the current coordinates (step S203). More specifically, the map identification unit 62 determines which of the plurality of cells in the start allocation area the coordinates acquired by the initial position acquisition unit 50 belong to, and determines the map ID associated with that cell. get.

Then, the map identification unit 62 acquires the map information corresponding to the map ID from the map storage unit 72 and stores it in the RAM of the storage unit 12 (step S205). FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of map information associated with a certain sheet 31. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the seat 31 on which the carriage 20 is arranged. The map information of FIG. 11 corresponds to the sheet 31 of FIG.

The map information includes mass information, instruction information, and additional information. The mass information indicates the attributes of each of the 5 × 5 cells arranged on the sheet 31. The instruction information indicates a program for operating a dolly 20 (another dolly) different from the dolly 20 (own dolly) that operates according to the training program. The additional information is other information, including the start orientation, the CPU orientation, the task type, and the number of turns. The starting direction is the direction of the own bogie at the start, and in the example of FIG. 11, it is represented by the direction in which the upper side of the seat 31 is north. The CPU orientation is the orientation of the other trolley at the start. The task type represents the type of operation when the training program is executed on the sheet 31, and indicates, for example, whether or not there is another trolley. The instruction information is an instruction sequence of a program for moving another trolley, and the program is executed when the task type indicates the existence of another trolley. In the following, when the description "trolley 20" is used, it means the own trolley unless otherwise specified.

The attributes of each cell included in the mass information will be described. The normal square 33n is a square in which the own vehicle can move and can be stopped or changed in direction based on the training program. On the other hand, the sliding floor 33s is a mass that imitates a slippery environment such as on ice, and the dolly can move to the mass of the sliding floor 33s, but once it moves on the sliding floor 33s, the dolly is a training program. Regardless of the command, it keeps moving in the same direction until it moves on a square with a different attribute from the sliding floor 33s or collides with a wall (for example, an impassable square 33i). As described above, the attribute of the mass is a kind of operation information that defines the operation of the carriage 20, and the predetermined type of the attribute of the mass (for example, the normal mass 33n or the sliding floor 33s) is also the type of operation. Equivalent to. The mass attributes are also associated with motion data. The motion data is information indicating the traveling mode of the trolley 20, and the motion data is, for example, a little advance and a stop (for example, on a normal mass 33n), a left and right sway, and a straight advance without clogging (for example, a sliding floor). Information that defines the details of the operation such as (on 33s). It should be noted that the mass attribute may specify an operation program that controls the operation instead of the motion data. That is, a plurality of operation programs may be prepared according to the attributes of the mass, and the operation may be defined by executing the operation programs according to the attributes of the mass.

When the map specifying unit 62 acquires the map information, the start control unit 52 starts the trolley 20 based on the start direction included in the additional information and the position and orientation of the trolley 20 acquired by the initial position acquisition unit 50. The position and orientation are adjusted (step S207).

When the start position and orientation are adjusted, the training program execution unit 54 starts executing the training program. The training program execution unit 54 executes the instructions (steps) of the training program in order, acquires the movement destination in this step, and moves the trolley to the movement destination (step S208). If this step is not the last step (N in step S210), the training program execution unit 54 sets the next step as the execution target and repeats the process from step S208. On the other hand, when this step is the last step (Y in step S210), the training program execution unit 54 finishes the execution of the training program and determines whether or not the carriage 20 has reached the goal mass 33b. Output a message (step S212). More specifically, the training program execution unit 54 outputs a voice or an image indicating that the mission was successful when the trolley 20 reaches the goal mass 33b, and if it does not reach the goal mass 33b, the user is challenged again. Outputs voices and images that prompt the user.

Here, the process of step S208 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. First, the traveling mass specifying unit 65 included in the training program execution unit 54 determines the next mass to be moved to the carriage 20 based on the training program created by the user (step S251). More specifically, the traveling mass specifying unit 65 executes the instructions of the training program in order, and when the instruction is an instruction involving the movement of the carriage 20 such as moving forward one cell, or by the sliding floor 33s. If it continues from the previous move by the command, the next square is decided according to the command. The operation control unit 67 included in the training program execution unit 54 ends the process of step S208 when the next cell is not set or is not allowed to move to the next cell (N in step S252). The process proceeds to step S210. The case where it is not allowed to move to the next square is, for example, a case where the type of the destination square is the impassable square 33i. That is, the motion control unit 67 suppresses the movement of the trolley 20 according to the type of the mass to which the trolley 20 heads next.

When it is permitted to move to the next cell (Y in step S252), the mass attribute acquisition unit 66 included in the training program execution unit 54 acquires the attribute of the current cell and the attribute of the next cell. (Step S254). Then, the motion control unit 67 included in the training program execution unit 54 determines the movement mode of the carriage 20 according to the attributes of the current and next squares (step S255). For example, when the current mass is the normal mass 33n and the next mass is the sliding floor 33s, the motion control unit 67 advances slightly on the normal mass 33n in the first half and advances while stopping, and stays constant on the sliding floor 33s in the second half. The movement mode of the carriage 20 is determined so that the carriage 20 moves at the speed of. Next, the motion control unit 67 moves the carriage 20 according to the determined movement mode (step S256). The traveling square specifying unit 65 sets the moved square (the square determined as the next square) as the current square (step S257).

In this way, by setting the attributes of the mass and providing the movement mode according to the attributes, it is possible to increase the variation of the movement of the trolley 20 without creating a dedicated program for each seat 31, for example. Become. It also makes it easier to add and change maps while increasing variations.

In the present embodiment, the additional information acquisition unit 56 can add a map for a new sheet 31 by reading a pattern printed by using the self-propelled trolley 20. Hereinafter, the details of the processing of the additional information acquisition unit 56 will be described.

FIG. 13 is a diagram schematically illustrating an additional pattern in which the information of the additional map is encoded. Further, FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of correspondence between the additional pattern and the map information. The additional pattern includes an area indicating the start of reading, an area in which the map ID is encoded, an area in which the mass information is encoded, an area in which the additional information is encoded, and an area in which the instruction information is encoded (from instruction information 1). 19) and the areas indicating the end of reading are printed side by side in a predetermined direction. The reading start area is an area in which the user arranges any of the carriages 20 before starting to read the information of the additional map. In the area where the map ID is encoded, a pattern in which the information identifying the map to be read is encoded is arranged. Specifically, this area belongs to the start allocation area shown in FIG. 7. A pattern in any area of the square is printed.

The mass information area consists of pattern areas of mass information 1 to 13. The additional information area comprises the pattern areas of the additional information 1 to 4. The command information area consists of pattern areas of command information 1 to 10. In each of the pattern regions of the mass information 1 to 13, information indicating the attributes of the two cells is encoded. Since the number of squares is 25 in this embodiment, 13 is the number of square information, which is half of the number of squares rounded up to the nearest whole number. The mass information 1 is encoded with the attribute information of the cells 1-1 and 1-2, and the mass information 2 and thereafter are also encoded with the attribute information of the two cells following the previous cell information. .. Information indicating two instructions is encoded in each of the pattern regions of instruction information 1 to 10. The instruction information 1 to 10 is decoded into 20 instructions.

Of the pattern regions included in the additional pattern, the length in the direction in which the pattern regions are lined up is shorter than the length in the orthogonal direction in the region excluding the region indicating the start of reading. As a result, the possibility that the carriage 20 deviates can be reduced while reducing the area required for reading.

The character string shown in the pattern column of FIG. 14 is a kind of identification information associated with each area in the coordinate space. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the mass attribute and the coordinates in the additional mass area. The additional mass area in the coordinate space is divided into a plurality of rectangular cells surrounded by a boundary line extending in the x-axis direction and a boundary line extending in the y-axis direction, and the coordinate area of each cell is the other for a certain mass. It is assigned so that it does not overlap with the attribute type of. The x-axis coordinates indicate the attributes of the preceding cell of the two cells belonging to the mass information, and the y-axis coordinates indicate the attributes of the following cells. The character string in the divided area of FIG. 15 corresponds to the character string shown in the pattern column of FIG.

In each of the pattern areas, unit patterns in which a plurality of coordinates belonging to the areas assigned to the data are encoded are printed so as to be lined up. By having a plurality of pieces of information in one pattern area, it becomes necessary to allocate a larger area in the coordinate space, but the number of pattern areas required for reading can be reduced.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the additional information and the coordinates in the additional additional region. The y-axis coordinates represent the types of additional information such as task type, start orientation, character behavior, additional map-related information, and winding information, and the x-axis coordinates indicate the data set for the additional information type. The data is shown in each cell of FIG. However, regarding the task types, the y-axis also indicates the major types of the task types, and the x-axis represents the minor types such as the action type. The numerical value described in the task type cell is the pattern number.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the command and the coordinates in the additional command area. Like the mass information, the x-axis coordinates indicate the preceding instruction and the y-axis coordinates indicate the following instruction. The character string in the divided area of FIG. 15 corresponds to the character string shown in the pattern column of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the process of reading the additional map. First, the additional information acquisition unit 56 acquires the coordinates and orientation of the current trolley 20 based on the pattern captured by the camera 24 (step S101). This process is the same as the process of the initial position acquisition unit 50.

Next, the additional information acquisition unit 56 adjusts the start position and orientation of the carriage 20 (step S302). More specifically, when the current start position and orientation of the trolley 20 are not within the permissible range, the trolley 20 is moved so as to be in an appropriate position and orientation as a start.

Next, the additional information acquisition unit 56 causes the carriage 20 to travel in the set direction (step S303). The set direction is initially the reading direction, but is corrected by a process described later. Then, the additional information acquisition unit 56 recognizes the pattern whose coordinates are encoded from the image taken by the camera 24, and from the coordinates indicated by the pattern, the current coordinates P where the trolley 20 is located and the orientation of the trolley 20. (Step S303). The process of step S303 is the same as the process of the current position acquisition unit 51. Here, it is assumed that the current coordinates P are (x, y) and the dolly 20 moves in the positive direction of the x-axis. Here, if the current position cannot be acquired due to reasons such as moving to an area where the pattern is not arranged (N in step S305), the additional information acquisition unit 56 is appropriate for the information read so far. It is confirmed whether the reading amount is less than necessary (step S310), and if it is not appropriate, an error message is output.

On the other hand, when the current coordinates are acquired (Y in step S305), the additional information acquisition unit 56 determines that the difference between the previous coordinate PP, which is the coordinates of the dolly 20 acquired last time, and the current coordinate P is a predetermined threshold value. It is determined whether or not it is larger (step S306). The predetermined threshold value is larger than the maximum distance that can be moved at the measurement interval of the current coordinate P and smaller than the minimum length in the reading direction of the pattern area such as mass information 1. When the difference between the previous coordinate PP and the current coordinate P is larger than a predetermined threshold value (Y in step S306), the additional information acquisition unit 56 determines that the trolley 20 has moved to another pattern area, and determines that the trolley 20 has moved to another pattern area, and the current coordinate P Is determined, and the acquired information is added to the map storage unit 72 (specifically, the memory) so as to be associated with the mass (step S307). When the difference between the previous coordinate PP and the current coordinate P is smaller than the predetermined threshold value (N in step S306), the additional information acquisition unit 56 determines that the trolley 20 is on the same pattern area as the previous time, and steps S307. To skip.

After the process of step S307 is completed or it is determined in step S306 that the difference in position is equal to or less than the threshold value, the additional information acquisition unit 56 uses the coordinates of the current position P to determine the target coordinates T that the trolley 20 targets for movement. Is calculated, and the traveling direction is set based on the target coordinate T and the current coordinate P (step S308). Then, the processes after step S303 are repeated. As a result, the additional information acquisition unit 56 reads the pattern in order from the pattern area arranged in the predetermined direction based on the image taken by the camera 24 provided on the trolley 20 that runs in the predetermined direction, and associates the pattern with the square. Information such as mass attributes and commands can be acquired. Further, even after the cartridge 18 for storing the program or data is sold, data such as a map can be added offline.

Claims (3)

Including multiple sheets
Each of the plurality of sheets
A start area in which a pattern having a predetermined size and encoded with information identifying the sheet is printed, and a self-propelled device that reads the pattern is first arranged,
A common area that is placed around the start area and prints a pattern in which the coordinates in the assigned coordinate area are encoded, and
Including
A coordinate area that overlaps with at least one other sheet is allocated to the common area of each of the plurality of sheets.
Seat set. In the sheet set according to claim 1,
A pattern in which the coordinates in the coordinate area assigned to the start area are encoded is printed on the start area of each of the plurality of sheets.
A coordinate area that does not overlap with any of the other sheets is assigned to the start area of each of the plurality of sheets.
Seat set. Print on a sheet that includes a start area where the pattern with the coded identification information is printed, and a common area where the pattern is printed around the start area and the coordinates in the allocated coordinate area are printed. A mobile device that runs on the seat, including a camera that captures the printed pattern, and
Decoding means for decoding information from the pattern captured by the camera, and
An identification means for acquiring the identification information of the sheet based on the information decoded from the pattern printed in the start area, and
A position acquisition means for acquiring the position of the mobile device based on the information decoded from the pattern printed in the common area, and
A map acquisition means for acquiring a map of the common area associated with the acquired identification information, and
A control means for controlling the operation of the mobile device based on the acquired map and the position of the acquired mobile device.
Mobile device control system including.

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