WO2021028979A1 - Control device, controlled device, and method for controlling controlled device - Google Patents

Abstract

This control device (1) comprises: a priority map generating unit (16) that generates a priority map indicating for each region cell the priority of a controlled device (100) to search the region cell, on the basis of an AGE map showing the elapsed time from the time that a controlled device (100) or an uncontrolled device last stayed in the region cell, the position of the controlled device indicated by the controlled device information acquired by a controlled device information acquisition unit (11), and the position of the uncontrolled device indicated by the uncontrolled device information acquired by an uncontrolled device information acquisition unit (12); and a control execution unit (18) that controls the controlled device (100) on the basis of the priority map generated by the priority map generating unit (16).

Description

Control device, control target device, and control method of control target device

The present invention relates to a control device that controls a device to be controlled.

In the fields of defense, disaster prevention, security, cleaning, etc., monitoring work, observation work, maintenance work, etc. are generally high-risk and long-time work. Therefore, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles is being considered for monitoring work, observation work, maintenance work, etc. in these fields. Normally, since the sensing range of an unmanned aerial vehicle is limited, development is being actively carried out for a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles to efficiently realize work by cooperative operation.

For example, Non-Patent Document 1 proposes a control device using a control algorithm that extends a bird's behavior model to control at least one unmanned aerial vehicle that constitutes a group of unmanned aerial vehicles. The control device divides the search area into minute area cells, calculates an evaluation function for each area cell to obtain a priority, and then controls the controlled device so as to search for the area cell having the highest priority. Control the target device. The variables of the evaluation function are 1) the position vector of the controlled device, 2) the position vector from the controlled device to the area cell, and 3) the elapsed time from the time when the controlled device, etc. last stayed in the area cell. There are three.

In the control by the control device described in Non-Patent Document 1 described above, when the controlled device and the non-controlled device controlled by another control device approach each other, these devices simultaneously search for the same region cell. There is a problem that the search mission cannot be performed efficiently.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a technique for suppressing the simultaneous search of the same region cell between the controlled target device and the non-controlled target device. With the goal.

The control device according to the present invention is based on the control target device information regarding the control target device to be controlled and the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device controlled by another control device. A control device that controls the control target device so as to search a search area divided into a plurality of area cells, and a control target device information acquisition unit that acquires control target device information including at least the position of the control target device. , The uncontrolled device information acquisition unit that acquires the non-controlled device information including at least the position of the uncontrolled device, and the area elapsed from the time when the controlled device or the uncontrolled device last stayed in the area cell. The AGE map shown for each cell, the position of the control target device indicated by the control target device information acquired by the control target device information acquisition unit, and the non-control target indicated by the non-control target device information acquired by the non-control target device information acquisition unit. Based on the priority map generation unit that generates a priority map that shows the priority for the controlled device to search for the area cell for each area cell based on the position of the device, and the priority map generated by the priority map generation unit. It also includes a control execution unit that controls the device to be controlled.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the controlled target device and the non-controlled target device from simultaneously searching for the same region cell.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control target apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the control method of the control target device by the control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of step ST4 in the control method of the control target device by the control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of step ST8 in the control method of the control target apparatus by the control device which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the AGE map of the search area which the controlled object apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 searches. It is a figure which shows the state in which the communication part of the control target device and the communication part of a non-control target device perform wireless communication with each other according to Embodiment 1. It is a figure which shows the priority map generated by the control target apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the system which includes the control target device and a plurality of non-control target devices which concern on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating a specific example in the case where the control apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 calculates priority using an evaluation function. FIG. 10A is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration that realizes the functions of the control device. FIG. 10B is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration for executing software that realizes the functions of the control device.

Hereinafter, in order to explain the present invention in more detail, a mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a controlled target device 100 including the control device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the control target device 100 includes a sensor 2, a communication unit 3, a storage unit 4, a control device 1, and a drive unit 5. The control device 1 includes a control target device information acquisition unit 11, a non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, an information processing unit 13, an information output unit 14, an AGE map generation unit 15, a priority map generation unit 16, and a control vector calculation unit 17. , And a control execution unit 18.

In the control device 1, the control target device 100 searches for a search area based on the control target device information regarding the control target device 100 that is the control target and the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device controlled by another control device. Control to search for.

In the first embodiment, the search area to be searched by the control target device 100 is divided into a plurality of area cells. Further, the plurality of area cells are individually associated with the AGE and the priority described later in the AGE map described later. Further, in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the position vector of each region cell is stored in the storage unit 4.

The sensor 2 acquires the control target device information related to the control target device 100 by detecting the environment around the control target device 100. The sensor 2 outputs the acquired control target device information to the control target device information acquisition unit 11. The sensor 2 is, for example, a GPS that detects the position of the control target device 100, a speed detector that detects the speed of the control target device 100, or the like. The control target device information includes at least the position of the control target device 100.

In this specification, for simplification, "position information regarding the position of the controlled device 100" is simply referred to as the position of the controlled device 100. Further, the control target device information further includes, for example, the speed of the control target device 100 and the like.

The communication unit 3 wirelessly communicates with the communication unit of a control device other than the control device 1 to send and receive information. The other control devices here may be plural. More specifically, the communication unit 3 receives the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device controlled by the other control device from the communication unit of the other control device. The uncontrolled device information includes at least the position of the uncontrolled device.

In addition, the communication unit 3 includes not only the position of the non-control target device at the present time, but also the position acquired by the sensor of the non-control target device in the past and the information indicating how many steps before the sensor acquired the position. The combined information may be received from the communication unit of another control device.

Further, in the first embodiment, the communication unit 3 further receives the AGE map generated by the other control device from the communication unit of the other control device. The communication unit 3 outputs the received non-control target device information and the received AGE map to the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12.

In this specification, the AGE map received by the communication unit 3 is referred to as a received AGE map. The “AGE” in the received AGE map and the generated AGE map described later means the elapsed time from the time when the controlled target device 100 or the non-controlled target device last stayed in the region cell. The "AGE map" in the received AGE map and the generated AGE map described later means information indicating the AGE for each of the above-mentioned area cells.

More specifically, AGE is a value set in each region cell in the AGE map, and for example, a sensor mounted on either the controlled target device 100 or the non-controlled target device is finally set in the region cell. It is a value indicating the elapsed time from the time when the position was observed. In the first embodiment, the value is a value in units of one time step. One time step means a unit of a time interval in which the AGE map generation unit 15 described later updates the AGE map. One time step is, for example, a preset time interval.

Further, the communication unit 3 acquires the control target device information from the control target device information acquisition unit 11 described later, and transmits the acquired control target device information to the communication unit of another control device. As described above, the control target device information includes at least the position of the control target device 100.

In addition, the communication unit 3 combines not only the position of the control target device 100 at the present time but also the position acquired by the sensor 2 in the past with the information indicating how many steps before the sensor 2 acquired the position, and buffers the position. Etc., and may be appropriately transmitted to the communication unit of another control device. Further, in the first embodiment, the communication unit 3 further transmits the AGE map generated by the AGE map generation unit 15 described later to the communication unit of another control device.

The control target device information acquisition unit 11 acquires the control target device information from the sensor 2. The control target device information acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired control target device information to the communication unit 3 and the information processing unit 13.

The non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 acquires the non-control target device information from the communication unit 3. The non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 outputs the acquired non-control target device information to the information processing unit 13. Further, in the first embodiment, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 acquires the received AGE map from the communication unit 3. The non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 outputs the acquired received AGE map to the AGE map generation unit 15.

The information processing unit 13 has an AGE map generation unit 15 which will be described later with respect to the control target device information acquired from the control target device information acquisition unit 11 and the non-control target device information acquired from the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12. , The priority map generation unit 16 and the control vector calculation unit 17 perform processing in a format that can be calculated, respectively.

More specifically, the information processing unit 13 calculates the position vector of the control target device 100 based on the position of the control target device 100 indicated by the control target device information. The information processing unit 13 outputs the processed control target device information including at least the position vector of the control target device 100 to the AGE map generation unit 15, the priority map generation unit 16, and the control vector calculation unit 17, respectively.

Further, the information processing unit 13 calculates the position vector of the non-control target device 101 based on the position of the non-control target device indicated by the non-control target device information acquired from the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12. The information processing unit 13 outputs the processed non-control target device information including the position vector of the non-control target device to the priority map generation unit 16 and the control vector calculation unit 17, respectively.

The AGE map generation unit 15 generates an AGE map based on the control target device information acquired by the control target device information acquisition unit 11. As described above, the AGE map shows the elapsed time from the time when the controlled target device 100 or the non-controlled target device last stayed in the area cell for each area cell. The AGE map generation unit 15 stores the generated AGE map in the storage unit 4. In the present specification, the AGE map generated by the AGE map generation unit 15 is referred to as a "generated AGE map".

More specifically about the configuration of the AGE map generation unit 15, in the first embodiment, the AGE map generation unit 15 includes information indicating the passage of time, a position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13, and a position vector. Based on the received AGE map acquired from the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 and the generated AGE map one time step before acquired from the information output unit 14 described later, the AGE is calculated for each area cell and the generated AGE is generated. Generate a map.

Further, in the first embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the communication unit 3 receives the received AGE map from the communication unit of another control device, and the AGE map generation unit 15 generates the generated AGE map based on the received AGE map. , The communication unit 3 may not receive the received AGE map, and the AGE map generation unit 15 may generate the generated AGE map without being based on the received AGE map. That is, the control device 1 may generate the AGE map independently without sharing it with other control devices.

More specifically about the configuration of the AGE map generation unit 15, in the first embodiment, the AGE map generation unit 15 has a plurality of control target devices 100 described above based on the position of the control target device 100 indicated by the control target device information. It is determined whether or not the user has stayed in any of the area cells of. Then, when the AGE map generation unit 15 determines that the control target device 100 has stayed in any of the plurality of area cells, the AGE map generation unit 15 lowers the AGE value of the corresponding area cell in the generation AGE map to generate the AGE map. To update. More specifically, the AGE map generation unit 15 has the corresponding AGE value in the generated AGE map from the time when the controlled device 100 last stayed in the corresponding area cell to the AGE value corresponding to the elapsed time from the current time. Decrease the AGE value of the region cell.

Further, in the first embodiment, the AGE map generation unit 15 determines whether or not any AGE of the plurality of area cells is updated in the received AGE map. When the AGE map generation unit 15 determines that the AGE of any of the plurality of area cells has been updated, the AGE map generation unit 15 determines the AGE value of the corresponding area cell in the generated AGE map based on the updated AGE. The generated AGE map is updated by lowering it.
Further, in the first embodiment, the AGE map generation unit 15 adds "1" to the value of each AGE of all the area cells in each time step in the generated generated AGE map.

The information output unit 14 reads the generated AGE map stored in the storage unit 4 and outputs the read AGE map to the AGE map generation unit 15. Further, the information output unit 14 outputs the read generated AGE map to the communication unit of another control device via the communication unit 3. The timing at which the information output unit 14 outputs the generated AGE map to the communication unit of another control device via the communication unit 3 can be appropriately set. Examples of the timing include preset timings, timings requested by other control devices, and the like.

The priority map generation unit 16 includes an AGE map, a position of the control target device 100 indicated by the control target device information acquired by the control target device information acquisition unit 11, and a non-control target acquired by the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12. Based on the position of the non-control target device indicated by the device information, a priority map showing the priority for the control target device 100 to search for the area cell is generated for each area cell. In the first embodiment, the higher the priority, the higher the degree to which the controlled device 100 should search for the corresponding area cell.

More specifically, in the first embodiment, the priority map generation unit 16 is a generation AGE map stored in the storage unit 4 by the AGE map generation unit 15, and a position vector of each region cell stored in the storage unit 4. , And the priority map is generated based on the position vector of the control target device 100 and the position vector of the non-control target device 101 acquired from the information processing unit 13.

More specifically, the priority map generation unit 16 sets the output value of the evaluation function as the priority. The output value of the evaluation function increases as the AGE increases for each region cell, and the output value increases as the first distance from the position of the controlled device 100 to the position of the region cell decreases. To explain this concretely, the output value of the evaluation function increases as the elapsed time from the time when the controlled target device 100 or the non-controlled target device last stayed in the corresponding area cell increases, and the controlled device device The output value increases as 100 approaches the corresponding region cell.

Further, in the evaluation function, the influence of the first distance on the output value changes relatively based on the second distance from the position of the controlled target device 100 to the position of the non-controlled target device 101. For example, in the evaluation function, as the second distance becomes smaller, the influence of the first distance on the output value becomes larger, so that the influence of the first distance on the output value becomes relatively larger. Alternatively, for example, in the evaluation function, as the second distance becomes smaller, the influence of AGE on the output value becomes smaller, so that the influence of the first distance on the output value becomes relatively larger.

More specifically, in the evaluation function, the degree to which the output value increases as the first distance decreases is adjusted. In the following, for simplification, "the degree to which the output value increases as the first distance decreases" is simply referred to as "the above degree".

More specifically, the evaluation function increases the above degree as the second distance decreases, and decreases as the second distance increases. To explain this concretely, in the evaluation function, as the control target device 100 approaches the non-control target device, the output value becomes larger as the control target device 100 approaches the corresponding area cell, and the control is performed. As the target device 100 moves away from the non-control target device, the degree to which the output value of the evaluation function increases as the control target device 100 approaches the corresponding region cell decreases.

More specifically, the merit function is a power whose numerator is AGE and whose denominator is the base of the first distance and the function based on the second distance as the power exponent.
More specifically, in the first embodiment, the priority map generation unit 16 uses a predetermined evaluation function J when calculating the priority for each area cell.
The evaluation function J is represented by the following equation (1).

In the above equation (1), A indicates the AGE of a certain area cell, X indicates the position vector of the area cell, x indicates the position vector of the controlled device 100, and x _N indicates a communicable uncontrolled device. Among the target devices, the position vector of the nearest uncontrolled target device having the closest distance to the control target device 100 is shown, and || || indicates the Euclidean norm. That is, || Xx || indicates the first distance from the position of the controlled device 100 to the position of the region cell, and || x _N -x || indicates the non-controlled device from the position of the controlled device 100. Indicates the second distance to the position of. In the above equation (1), g () of g (|| x _N -x ||) is a broadly monotonous decreasing function. In addition, X and x are standardized respectively, and || Xx || shall satisfy the condition of the following equation (2).
0 <|| X --x || <1… Equation (2)

The output value of the evaluation function J as described above increases as A increases and the output value increases as the first distance || Xx || decreases for each region cell. Further, in the evaluation function J, the influence of the first distance || Xx || on the output value changes relatively based on the second distance || x _N -x ||.
More specifically, the evaluation function J adjusts the degree to which the output value increases as the first distance || Xx || decreases. More specifically, the evaluation function J increases the above degree as the second distance || x _N -x || decreases, and increases as the second distance || x _N -x || increases. , The above degree becomes smaller.
More specifically, the merit function J has a numerator of AGE and a denominator based on the first distance || Xx || and the second distance || x _N -x ||. || x _N -x ||) is a power with a power index.

To specifically explain the evaluation function J as described above, as the controlled device 100 and the nearest non-controlled device 101 approach each other and the second distance || x _N -x || becomes smaller, g ( || x _N -x ||) is large because it is a broadly monotonous decreasing function. As a result, the evaluation function J has a large degree of the above. Therefore, as the control target device 100 and the nearest non-control target device 101 approach each other, the closer each area cell shown in the priority map is to the control target device 100, the higher the priority tends to be. That is, the control target device 100 preferentially searches for a region cell closer to itself.

Then, when the non-controlled device also receives the same control as the control based on the evaluation function J as described above, the area cell closer to itself is preferentially searched. In this way, when the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device approach each other, each of them preferentially searches for a region cell closer to itself, so that it is possible to search for the same region cell. The sex becomes low.

On the other hand, as the controlled device 100 and the nearest non-controlled device 101 move away from each other and the second distance || x _N -x || increases, g (|| x _N -x ||) becomes. Since it is a monotonous decrease function in a broad sense, it becomes smaller. As a result, the evaluation function J has a smaller degree than the above. Therefore, as the controlled target device 100 and the nearest non-controlled target device 101 move away from each other, the larger the AGE, the higher the priority of each region cell. That is, the control target device 100 preferentially searches for a region cell having a larger AGE.

If the communication unit 3 cannot detect the non-control target device that can communicate and cannot receive the non-control target device information indicating the position of the non-control target device, the priority map generation unit 16 of the evaluation function J You may replace g (|| x _N -x ||) with a value small enough to have a relatively small effect of the first distance || Xx || on the output value of the merit function J. The value is, for example, the value of g (|| x _N -x ||) when the distance between the controlled device 100 and the drone which is the nearest non-controlled device matches the limit of the communicable distance. When, it can be a value less than or equal to α.

Further, the second distance || x _N -x || of x _N which is input to the evaluation function J is set to the position vector of the uncontrolled devices nearest other uncontrolled evaluation function J Any number of device position vectors may be added as variables.

The control vector calculation unit 17 calculates the control vector for the control target device 100 based on the priority map generated by the priority map generation unit 16. The control vector means a vector indicating a direction and a distance in which the drive unit 5 moves the control target device 100 under the control of the control execution unit 18, which will be described later.

First, in order to calculate the control vector, the control vector calculation unit 17 refers to the priority map generated by the priority map generation unit 16, and has a priority among a plurality of area cells included in the priority map. Detect the largest region cell. Further, the control vector calculation unit 17 sets the detected area cell as the target area cell to which the controlled device 100 should go.

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 controls based on the derived position vector of the target area cell and the position vector of the control target device 100 indicated by the processed control target device information acquired from the information processing unit 13. A search direction vector indicating the direction and distance from the position of the target device 100 to the position of the target area cell is calculated. More specifically, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates a vector from the position of the control target device 100 to the position of the target area cell by subtracting the position vector of the control target device 100 from the position vector of the target area cell. The search direction vector is calculated by calculating and setting the length of the vector to 1.

Further, the control vector calculation unit 17 includes a position vector of the control target device 100 indicated by the processed control target device information acquired from the information processing unit 13 and a position vector of the non-control target device indicated by the processed non-control target device information. Based on the above, a repulsive force vector indicating an acting force for avoiding a collision between the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device is calculated.

More specifically, when the communication unit 3 can detect a communicable non-control target device, the control vector calculation unit 17 applies a repulsive force according to the distance between the control target device 100 and the communicable non-control target device. Set. The repulsive force is calculated as the output value of a function such as Hooke's law F = -kx (k is a constant) with the distance as x. The control vector calculation unit 17 determines the control target device 100 and the non-control target device based on the set repulsive force, the processed control target device information acquired from the information processing unit 13, and the processed non-control target device information. The repulsive force vector is calculated based on the positional relationship.

Further, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates an obstacle vector indicating an acting force for the controlled device 100 to move away from the obstacle based on the information about the obstacle. The obstacle is, for example, a wall existing in the search area or a no-entry area. The information about the obstacle may be registered in advance in the AGE map together with the position of the obstacle, or may be stored in advance in the storage unit 4.

More specifically, the control vector calculation unit 17 refers to the obstacle information and determines whether or not the controlled device 100 has approached the position where the obstacle exists. Then, when the control vector calculation unit 17 determines that the control target device 100 has approached the position where the obstacle exists, the control target device 100 fails based on the same method as the above-described repulsive force vector calculation method. Calculate an obstacle vector that indicates the acting force to move away from the object.

Further, the control vector calculation unit 17 determines the speed of the control target device 100 based on the position vector of the control target device 100 or the speed vector of the control target device 100 indicated by the processed control target device information acquired from the information processing unit 13. Calculates a speed adjustment vector indicating the acting force for suppressing the excessiveness of.

The acting force indicated by the speed adjustment vector is calculated as the output value of a function such as F = -kv (k is a constant) with the speed as v. Alternatively, the control vector calculation unit 17 may calculate the acting force by referring to a discrete table showing the correspondence between the velocity and the acting force.

In addition to the above vectors, the control vector calculation unit 17 may calculate an adjustment vector for adjusting the search direction searched by the control target device 100. Then, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates the control vector by multiplying each of the calculated search direction vector, repulsive force vector, obstacle vector, and speed adjustment vector by a weighting coefficient and adding each of the multiplied vectors. .. The weighting coefficient is preset depending on which of the search direction vector, the repulsive force vector, the obstacle vector, and the speed adjustment vector is emphasized. The control vector calculation unit 17 outputs the calculated control vector to the control execution unit 18.

The control execution unit 18 controls the control target device 100 based on the control vector acquired from the control vector calculation unit 17. More specifically, the control execution unit 18 controls the drive unit 5 so that the drive unit 5 moves the control target device 100 by the distance indicated by the control vector in the direction indicated by the control vector.

Next, a method of controlling the controlled device 100 by the control device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control method of the control target device 100 by the control device 1 according to the first embodiment. Before the control method of the control target device 100 shown in FIG. 2 is performed, the sensor 2 acquires the control target device information regarding the control target device 100 by detecting the environment around the control target device 100, and the communication unit 3 receives the control target device information. , It is assumed that the non-control target device information and the received AGE map regarding the non-control target device controlled by the other control device are received from the communication unit of the other control device. The control target device information acquired by the sensor 2 includes the position of the control target device 100 and the image around the control target device 100, and the non-control target device information received by the communication unit 3 is the non-control target device. It shall include the position.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, the control target device information acquisition unit 11 acquires the control target device information from the sensor 2 (step ST1). The control target device information acquisition unit 11 outputs the acquired control target device information to the communication unit 3 and the information processing unit 13.

Next, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 acquires the non-control target device information and the received AGE map from the communication unit 3 (step ST2). The non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 outputs the acquired non-control target device information to the information processing unit 13, and outputs the acquired received AGE map to the AGE map generation unit 15.

Next, in step ST3, the information processing unit 13 calculates the position vector of the control target device 100 based on the position of the control target device 100 indicated by the control target device information acquired from the control target device information acquisition unit 11. Further, in step ST3, the information processing unit 13 calculates the position vector of the non-control target device based on the position of the non-control target device indicated by the non-control target device information acquired from the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12. ..

The information processing unit 13 outputs the processed control target device information including the position vector of the control target device 100 to the AGE map generation unit 15, the priority map generation unit 16, and the control vector calculation unit 17, respectively, and the non-control target device. The processed non-control target device information including the position vector of is output to the priority map generation unit 16 and the control vector calculation unit 17, respectively. Further, before the next step ST4, it is assumed that the information output unit 14 reads the generated AGE map one time step before from the storage unit 4 and outputs it to the AGE map generation unit 15.

Next, the AGE map generation unit 15 outputs information, the passage of time information, the position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13, the received AGE map acquired from the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12. Based on the generated AGE map one time step before acquired from the unit 14, the AGE is calculated for each area cell, and the generated AGE map of the current time step is generated (step ST4).

Next, the AGE map generation unit 15 stores the generated generated AGE map in the storage unit 4 (step ST5).
Next, the information output unit 14 outputs the generated AGE map stored in the storage unit 4 by the AGE map generation unit 15 to the communication unit of another control device via the communication unit 3 (step ST6).

Next, the priority map generation unit 16 starts with the generation AGE map stored in the storage unit 4 by the AGE map generation unit 15, the position vector of each area cell stored in the storage unit 4, and the information processing unit 13. A priority map is generated based on the acquired position vector of the control target device 100 and the position vector of the non-control target device 101 (step ST7). The priority map generation unit 16 outputs the generated priority map to the control vector calculation unit 17.

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates the above-mentioned search direction vector based on the position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13 and the priority map generated by the priority map generation unit 16. (Step ST8).

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates the above-mentioned repulsive force vector, obstacle vector, and speed adjustment vector, respectively, based on the position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13 (step ST9).

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates the above-mentioned control vector based on the calculated search direction vector, repulsive force vector, obstacle vector, and speed adjustment vector (step ST10). The control vector calculation unit 17 outputs the calculated control vector to the control execution unit 18.

Next, the control execution unit 18 controls the control target device 100 based on the control vector acquired from the control vector calculation unit 17 (step ST11). Next, the control device 1 returns to the process of step ST1 and repeatedly executes the processes after step ST1.

Next, the detailed processing operation of step ST4 described above by the AGE map generation unit 15 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the details of step ST4 in the control method of the control target device 100 by the control device 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the AGE map generation unit 15 reads the generated AGE map generated in the previous step ST4 and stored in the storage unit 4 in the previous step ST5 from the storage unit 4, and the read generated AGE map is generated. It is determined whether or not a preset one time step has elapsed since the generation or update (step ST21).

When the AGE map generation unit 15 determines that one time step has elapsed (YES in step ST21), "1" is added to the value of each AGE of all the area cells in the generated AGE map (step ST22). On the other hand, when it is determined that one time step has not elapsed (NO in step ST21), the AGE map generation unit 15 proceeds to the process of step ST23.

As a next step of step ST21 or step ST22, the AGE map generation unit 15 recognizes the position where the control target device 100 exists based on the position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13, and controls the control target. It is determined whether or not the device 100 has stayed in any of the plurality of region cells described above (step ST23).

When the AGE map generation unit 15 determines that the controlled device 100 has stayed in any of the plurality of region cells described above (YES in step ST23), "1" is added to the value of each AGE in step ST22. In the generated AGE map generated or the generated AGE map read from the storage unit 4 in step ST21, the AGE value of the corresponding area cell is lowered (step ST24). On the other hand, when the AGE map generation unit 15 determines that the control target device 100 does not stay in any of the plurality of region cells described above (NO in step ST23), the process proceeds to the process of step ST25.

As the next step of step ST23 or step ST24, the AGE map generation unit 15 refers to the information of the received AGE map acquired from the information processing unit 13, and whether any AGE of the plurality of area cells is updated. It is determined whether or not (step ST25).

When the AGE map generation unit 15 determines that the AGE of any of the plurality of area cells has been updated (YES in step ST25), the generated AGE map in which the AGE value is lowered in step ST24, in step ST22. In the generated AGE map in which "1" is added to the value of each AGE, or in the generated AGE map read from the storage unit 4 in step ST21, the AGE value of the corresponding area cell is lowered (step ST26).
On the other hand, when the AGE map generation unit 15 determines that none of the AGEs in the plurality of region cells has been updated (NO in step ST25), the AGE map generation unit 15 proceeds to the process of step ST5 described above.

In step ST5 described above as the next step of step ST25 or step ST26, the AGE map generation unit 15 has a generated AGE map in which the AGE value is lowered in step ST26, and a generated AGE map in which the AGE value is lowered in step ST24. The storage unit 4 stores the generated AGE map obtained by adding "1" to the value of each AGE in step ST22, or the generated AGE map read from the storage unit 4 in step ST21.

Next, the detailed processing operation of step ST8 described above by the control vector calculation unit 17 will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the details of step ST8 in the control method of the control target device 100 by the control device 1 according to the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, the control vector calculation unit 17 refers to the priority map acquired from the priority map generation unit 16, and has the highest priority among the plurality of area cells included in the priority map. A large region cell is detected (step ST31).

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 sets the detected region cell to the target region cell to which the controlled device 100 should go (step ST32).
Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 subtracts the position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13 from the derived position vector of the target area cell to obtain the target area from the position of the control target device 100. Calculate the vector up to the cell position (step ST33).

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates the search direction vector by setting the calculated vector length to 1 (step ST34). Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 proceeds to the process of step ST9 described above.

Next, a specific example of the control method of the control target device 100 by the control device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the specific example, a case where the control target device 100 and the plurality of non-control target devices 101 coordinately patrol one search area A will be described as an example. It is assumed that the plurality of non-control target devices 101 each have the same configuration as the control target device 100.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an AGE map of the search area A. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the communication unit 3 of the control target device 100 and the communication unit of the non-control target device 101 shown in FIG. 5 are wirelessly communicating with each other. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a priority map generated by the controlled device 100 shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a system including a controlled target device 100 and a plurality of non-controlled target devices 101 that search the search area A, respectively. In FIG. 8, unlike the total number of the controlled target device 100 and the plurality of uncontrolled target devices 101 shown in FIG. 5, the total number of the controlled target device 100 and the plurality of non-controlled target devices 101 is 6. is there. That is, the total number of the controlled target device 100 and the plurality of non-controlled target devices 101 is not particularly limited.

As shown in FIG. 5, the search area A is divided into a plurality of area cells in a grid pattern. In FIG. 5, the dots indicate the position of the control target device 100 or the position of the non-control target device 101, and the dotted line around the dots can communicate with the communication unit 3 of the control target device 100 or the communication unit of the non-control target device 101. Indicates a range.

Further, in FIG. 5, the shade of color of each region cell indicates AGE, which is the elapsed time from the time when the sensor 2 of the control target device 100 or the sensor of the non-control target device 101 last observed the position of the region cell. .. The shade of the color indicates that the darker the color, the larger the AGE, and the lighter the color, the smaller the AGE. For example, comparing the shades of the colors of the region cell B and the region cell C shown in FIG. 5, the color of the region cell B is darker than the color of the region cell C. This means that the region cell B has a longer time than the region cell C since the position of the region cell was observed by the sensor 2 of the control target device 100 or the sensor of the non-control target device 101. Shown.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device 101 are within a communicable range, the communication unit 3 of the controlled target device 100 sets the received AGE map D on the non-controlled target device 101. Received from the communication unit of the control device of. At that time, the communication unit 3 of the control target device 100 further receives the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device 101 from the communication unit of the control device of the non-control target device 101.

Further, the communication unit 3 of the control target device 100 transmits the generated AGE map E generated by the above-mentioned AGE map generation unit 15 to the communication unit of the control device of the non-control target device 101. At that time, the communication unit 3 of the control target device 100 further transmits the control target device information regarding the control target device 100 to the communication unit of the control device of the non-control target device 101. On the other hand, the sensor 2 of the control target device 100 acquires the control target device information regarding the control target device 100 by detecting the environment around the control target device 100.

Then, in step ST1 described above, the control target device information acquisition unit 11 acquires the control target device information from the sensor 2. Next, in step ST2 described above, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 acquires the reception AGE map D from the communication unit 3. Next, in step ST3, the information processing unit 13 calculates the position vector of the control target device 100 based on the position of the control target device 100 indicated by the control target device information acquired from the control target device information acquisition unit 11.

Next, in step ST4 described above, the AGE map generation unit 15 receives the time passage information, the position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13, and the reception acquired from the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12. Based on the AGE map D and the generated AGE map E one time step before acquired from the information output unit 14, the AGE is calculated for each area cell, and the generated AGE map F of the current time step is generated.

In the specific example, as shown by the shade of color of each region cell in the generated AGE map F in FIG. 6, each region cell of the generated AGE map F is a corresponding region cell of the generated AGE map and a received AGE map. Among the corresponding area cells of D, the area cells having a smaller AGE are selected and updated.

Next, in step ST5 described above, the AGE map generation unit 15 stores the generated generated AGE map F in the storage unit 4. Next, in step ST6 described above, the information output unit 14 communicates the generated AGE map F stored in the storage unit 4 by the AGE map generation unit 15 with the control device of the non-control target device 101 via the communication unit 3. Output to the unit.

Next, in step ST6 described above, the priority map generation unit 16 includes the generated AGE map F stored in the storage unit 4 by the AGE map generation unit 15, and the position vector of each region cell stored in the storage unit 4. In addition, the priority map G shown in FIG. 7 is generated based on the position vector of the control target device 100 and the position vector of the non-control target device 101 acquired from the information processing unit 13. In FIG. 7, the shade of the color of each region cell indicates that the darker the color, the higher the priority.

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 7 based on the position vector of the control target device 100 acquired from the information processing unit 13 and the priority map G generated by the priority map generation unit 16. Calculate the search direction vector. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the control vector calculation unit 17 sets the region cell having the highest priority among the plurality of region cells included in the priority map G as the target region cell H. .. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the search direction vector calculated by the control vector calculation unit 17 is a vector in the direction from the position of the controlled device 100 to the position of the target region cell H.

Next, the control vector calculation unit 17 calculates the above-mentioned control vector by performing the above-mentioned steps ST9 and ST10. Next, in step ST11 described above, the control execution unit 18 controls the control target device 100 based on the control vector acquired from the control vector calculation unit 17. As a result, the control target device 100 is controlled to move to the position of the target area cell.

Note that each step as described above is also performed in each control device of the plurality of non-controlled target devices 101. As described above, in step ST6, the priority map generation unit 16 generates the priority map G based on the position of the non-control target device 101. The control device of the uncontrolled device 101 also generates a priority map based on the position of a device other than itself.

Therefore, in the system as shown in FIG. 8, the control device 1 of the control target device 100 and each control device of the plurality of non-control target devices 101 have a priority map based on the positions of devices other than themselves. And control its own equipment based on the priority map. As a result, the control device 1 of the control target device 100 and each control device of the plurality of non-control target devices 101 become the control target device 100 and the non-control target device 101, respectively, based on the positions of devices different from their own. Can suppress the search for the same area cell at the same time, and the search mission can be performed efficiently.

Next, a specific example of the case where the priority map generation unit 16 calculates the priority using the evaluation function in step ST6 described above will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example in the case where the priority map generation unit 16 calculates the priority using the evaluation function.

In the explanation of the evaluation function J shown by the above equation (1), the first distance || Xx || gives the output value of the evaluation function J as the second distance || x _N -x || becomes smaller. The configuration was described in which the influence of AGE on the output value of the evaluation function J becomes relatively large as the influence becomes relatively large and the second distance || x _N -x || becomes large. In the following, the configuration will be described more specifically with reference to FIG.

FIG. 9 (1) shows an example in which the non-control target device 101 exists outside the communication range of the communication unit 3 of the control target device 100. In this example, the value of AGE is 1, and the first distance || Xx || from the position of the controlled device 100 to the position of the region cell is 0.1. Further, since the second distance || x _N -x || from the position of the controlled target device 100 to the position of the non-controlled target device 101 is unknown, g (|| x _N -x ||) is 1. Is set to.

FIG. 9 (2) shows an example in which the non-control target device 101 exists within the communication range of the communication unit 3 of the control target device 100 and outside the sensing range of the sensor 2 of the control target device 100. Also in this example, the value of AGE is 1, and the first distance from the position of the control target device 100 to the position of the region cell || Xx || is 0.1, but from the position of the control target device 100. G (|| x _N -x ||) is set to 2 based on the second distance || x _N -x || to the position of the uncontrolled device 101.

FIG. 9 (3) shows an example in which the non-control target device 101 exists within the sensing range of the sensor 2 of the control target device 100. Also in this example, the value of AGE is 1, and the first distance from the position of the control target device 100 to the position of the region cell || Xx || is 0.1, but from the position of the control target device 100. G (|| x _N -x ||) is set to 3 based on the second distance || x _N -x || to the position of the uncontrolled device 101.

That is, in these examples, the AGE value and the first distance || Xx || are common, but the second distance || x _N -x || is different. As described above, since g (|| x _N -x ||) is a monotonous decreasing function in a broad sense, the second distance in the example of (1) of FIG. 9 is the second distance in the example of (2) of FIG. It is larger than the distance of 2, and the second distance in the example of FIG. 9 (2) is larger than the second distance in the example of FIG. 9 (3).

When each parameter of the evaluation function J is set as described above, the output value of the evaluation function J is 10 in the example of (1) of FIG. 9, and the output value of the evaluation function J is 10 in the example of (2) of FIG. The output value is 100, and in the example of (3) of FIG. 9, the output value of the evaluation function J is 1000. That is, it can be seen that the output value of the evaluation function J increases as the second distance || x _N -x || decreases.

Here, assuming that the first distance || Xx || in these examples changes from 0.1 to 0.01, in the example of (1) of FIG. 9, the output value of the evaluation function J is It goes from 1 to 100, and the difference is 99. In the example of (2) of FIG. 9, the output value of the evaluation function J is from 100 to 10000, and the difference is 9900. In the example of (3) of FIG. 9, the output value of the evaluation function J is from 1000 to 1000000. The difference is 999000.

That is, as the second distance || x _N -x || becomes smaller, the influence of the first distance || Xx || on the output value of the evaluation function J becomes relatively large, and the first distance becomes smaller. It can be seen that the degree to which the output value of the evaluation function J increases increases as it decreases. Conversely, as the second distance || x _N -x || increases, the influence of the first distance || Xx || on the output value of the evaluation function J becomes relatively small. It can be seen that the degree to which the output value of the evaluation function J increases decreases as the first distance || Xx || decreases.

That is, when the priority map generation unit 16 calculates the priority using the evaluation function J as described above in step ST6 described above, the priority map is generated as the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device 101 approach each other. The closer each region cell shown is to the control target device 100, the higher the priority tends to be. That is, the control target device 100 preferentially searches for a region cell closer to itself.

Then, when the non-controlled device 101 also receives the same control as the control based on the evaluation function J as described above, the area cell closer to itself is preferentially searched. In this way, when the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device approach each other, each of them preferentially searches for a region cell closer to itself, so that it is possible to search for the same region cell. The sex becomes low.

On the other hand, as the control target device 100 and the nearest non-control target device 101 move away from each other, such as when there is no communicable non-control target device 101, the larger the AGE, the higher the priority of each area cell. It tends to be expensive. That is, the control target device 100 preferentially searches for a region cell having a larger AGE.

Control target device information acquisition unit 11, non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, information processing unit 13, information output unit 14, AGE map generation unit 15, priority map generation unit 16, control vector calculation unit 17 in the control device 1. , And each function of the control execution unit 18 is realized by the processing circuit. That is, the control device 1 performs the processing from step ST1 to step ST11 shown in FIG. 2, the processing from step ST21 to step ST26 shown in FIG. 3, and the processing from step ST31 to step ST34 shown in FIG. It has a processing circuit to execute. This processing circuit may be dedicated hardware, or may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes a program stored in the memory.

FIG. 10A is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration that realizes the function of the control device 1. FIG. 10B is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration for executing software that realizes the functions of the control device 1. The detection device 111 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B functions as the sensor 2 described above. The transmission / reception device 112 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B functions as the communication unit 3 described above. The storage device 113 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B functions as the storage unit 4 described above. The drive device 114 shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B functions as the drive unit 5 described above.

When the processing circuit is the processing circuit 110 of the dedicated hardware shown in FIG. 10A, the processing circuit 110 may be, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated). Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof is applicable.

Control target device information acquisition unit 11, non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, information processing unit 13, information output unit 14, AGE map generation unit 15, priority map generation unit 16, control vector calculation unit 17 in the control device 1. , And each function of the control execution unit 18 may be realized by a separate processing circuit, or these functions may be collectively realized by one processing circuit.

When the processing circuit is the processor 115 shown in FIG. 10B, the control target device information acquisition unit 11, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, the information processing unit 13, the information output unit 14, and the AGE map generation unit in the control device 1 The functions of 15, the priority map generation unit 16, the control vector calculation unit 17, and the control execution unit 18 are realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware.
The software or firmware is described as a program and stored in the memory 116.

By reading and executing the program stored in the memory 116, the processor 115 reads and executes the control target device information acquisition unit 11, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, the information processing unit 13, and the information output unit 14 in the control device 1. , AGE map generation unit 15, priority map generation unit 16, control vector calculation unit 17, and control execution unit 18 are realized. That is, when the control device 1 is executed by the processor 115, the processes from step ST1 to step ST11 shown in FIG. 2, the processes from steps ST21 to ST26 shown in FIG. 3, and the steps shown in FIG. 4 A memory 116 for storing a program in which the processes from ST31 to step ST34 are executed as a result is provided.

These programs include the control target device information acquisition unit 11, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, the information processing unit 13, the information output unit 14, the AGE map generation unit 15, and the priority map generation unit 16 in the control device 1. Have the computer execute the procedure or method of the control vector calculation unit 17 and the control execution unit 18. The memory 116 uses the computer as a control target device information acquisition unit 11, a non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, an information processing unit 13, an information output unit 14, an AGE map generation unit 15, a priority map generation unit 16, and a control vector calculation. It may be a computer-readable storage medium in which a program for functioning as the unit 17 and the control execution unit 18 is stored.

The memory 116 includes, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (Electrically-volatile) semiconductor, or an EPROM (Electrically-EROM). This includes magnetic disks, flexible disks, optical disks, compact disks, mini disks, DVDs, and the like.

Control target device information acquisition unit 11, non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, information processing unit 13, information output unit 14, AGE map generation unit 15, priority map generation unit 16, control vector calculation unit 17, and control execution unit A part of each function of 18 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and a part may be realized by software or firmware.

For example, the control target device information acquisition unit 11, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12, the information processing unit 13, the information output unit 14, and the AGE map generation unit 15 realize the functions by a processing circuit as dedicated hardware. The functions of the priority map generation unit 16, the control vector calculation unit 17, and the control execution unit 18 may be realized by the processor 115 reading and executing the program stored in the memory 116.
In this way, the processing circuit can realize each of the above functions by hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

As described above, the control device 1 according to the first embodiment includes the control target device information regarding the control target device 100 to be controlled and the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device controlled by another control device. Control device 1 that controls the control target device 100 so that the control target device 100 searches for a search area divided into a plurality of area cells based on the above, and controls including at least the position of the control target device 100. The control target device information acquisition unit 11 that acquires the target device information, the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 that acquires the non-control target device information including at least the position of the non-control target device 101, and the control target device 100 or the non-control An AGE map showing the elapsed time from the time when the target device 101 last stayed in the area cell for each area cell, the position of the control target device 100 indicated by the control target device information acquired by the control target device information acquisition unit 11, and the control target device 100. Priority map showing the priority of the control target device 100 to search for the area cell based on the position of the non-control target device 101 indicated by the non-control target device information acquired by the non-control target device information acquisition unit 12 for each area cell. A priority map generation unit 16 for generating the above device and a control execution unit 18 for controlling the control target device 100 based on the priority map generated by the priority map generation unit 16 are provided.

According to the above configuration, a priority map is generated based on the position of the non-controlled device, and the controlled device 100 is controlled based on the priority map. As a result, the control target device 100 is appropriately generated by generating a priority map having a priority different from the priority of the priority map used by the control device of the non-control target device based on the position of the non-control target device. It is possible to prevent the uncontrolled device from searching for the same area cell at the same time. Therefore, the search mission can be performed efficiently.

Further, the priority map generation unit 16 of the control device 1 according to the first embodiment uses the output value of the evaluation function as the priority, and the output value of the evaluation function increases as the elapsed time increases for each area cell. The output value increases as the first distance from the position of the controlled device 100 to the position of the region cell decreases, and is based on the second distance from the position of the controlled device 100 to the position of the non-controlled device 101. Therefore, the influence of the first distance on the output value changes relatively.

According to the above configuration, the output value of the evaluation function increases as the elapsed time from the time when the controlled target device 100 or the non-controlled target device last stayed in the corresponding area cell becomes longer, and the controlled target device 100 increases. The output value increases as it approaches the corresponding region cell. Further, in the evaluation function, as the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device 101 approach each other, the influence of the first distance from the position of the controlled target device 100 to the position of the region cell on the output value changes relatively. .. As a result, when the control target device 100 and the non-control target device 101 approach each other as appropriate, a priority map whose priority is different from the priority of the priority map used by the control device of the non-control target device is generated. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device from simultaneously searching for the same region cell. Therefore, the search mission can be performed efficiently.

Further, in the evaluation function used by the priority map generation unit 16 of the control device 1 according to the first embodiment, the degree to which the output value increases as the first distance decreases is adjusted based on the second distance. As the second distance decreases, the degree increases, and as the second distance increases, the degree decreases.

According to the above configuration, as the control target device 100 approaches the non-control target device, the degree to which the output value increases as the control target device 100 approaches the corresponding area cell increases. As a result, as the control target device 100 and the nearest non-control target device approach each other, the closer each area cell shown in the priority map is to the control target device 100, the higher the priority tends to be. That is, the control target device 100 preferentially searches for a region cell closer to itself. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device from simultaneously searching for the same region cell, and the search mission can be efficiently performed.

Further, the evaluation function used by the priority map generation unit 16 of the control device 1 according to the first embodiment is a function in which the numerator is the elapsed time and the denominator is the base of the first distance and is based on the second distance. Is a power that should be an exponent.
According to the above configuration, each configuration and each effect related to the above evaluation function can be suitably realized.

Further, the control device 1 according to the first embodiment further includes a control vector calculation unit 17 that calculates a control vector for the control target device 100 based on the priority map generated by the priority map generation unit 16, and controls execution. The unit 18 controls the control target device 100 based on the control vector generated by the control vector calculation unit 17.

According to the above configuration, the control target device 100 can be controlled based on the control vector reflecting the priority map in each of the above configurations. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device from simultaneously searching for the same region cell, and the search mission can be efficiently performed.

Further, the control device 1 according to the first embodiment further includes an AGE map generation unit 15 that generates an AGE map based on the control target device information acquired by the control target device information acquisition unit 11.
According to the above configuration, the priority map in each of the above configurations can be generated based on the generated AGE map. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the controlled target device 100 and the non-controlled target device from simultaneously searching for the same region cell, and the search mission can be efficiently performed.

Further, the control target device 100 according to the first embodiment includes a control device 1 having any one of the above configurations.
According to the above configuration, the effect of each configuration of the control device 1 described above can be realized in the control target device 100.

Further, the control method of the control target device 100 according to the first embodiment is the control target device information regarding the control target device 100 which is the control target and the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device controlled by another control device. Based on the above, the control target device 100 is a control method of the control target device 100 that controls the control target device 100 so that the control target device 100 searches for a search area divided into a plurality of area cells. The control target device information acquisition step for acquiring the control target device information including at least the position of the non-control target device, the non-control target device information acquisition step for acquiring the non-control target device information including at least the position of the non-control target device, and the control target device 100. Alternatively, an AGE map showing the elapsed time from the time when the non-control target device last stayed in the area cell for each area cell, the position of the control target device 100 indicated by the control target device information acquired in the control target device information acquisition step, and , A priority map showing the priority of the control target device 100 to search for the area cell based on the position of the non-control target device indicated by the non-control target device information acquired in the non-control target device information acquisition step is provided for each area cell. It includes a priority map generation step to be generated, and a control execution step to control the controlled target device 100 based on the priority map generated in the priority map generation step.
According to the above configuration, the same effect as that of each configuration of the control device 1 described above is obtained.
In the present invention, within the scope of the invention, it is possible to modify any component of the embodiment or omit any component of the embodiment.

The control device according to the present invention can be used for the controlled device because it can prevent the controlled device and the non-controlled device from searching for the same area cell at the same time, and can be used for monitoring work and observation. It is preferable to apply it to a control system or the like that controls the device group in a field where unmanned devices are utilized such as work or maintenance work.

1 Control device, 2 Sensor, 3 Communication unit, 4 Storage unit, 5 Drive unit, 11 Control target device information acquisition unit, 12 Non-control target device information acquisition unit, 13 Information processing unit, 14 Information output unit, 15 AGE map generation Unit, 16 priority map generation unit, 17 control vector calculation unit, 18 control execution unit, 100 control target device, 101 non-control target device, 110 processing circuit, 111 detection device, 112 transmission / reception device, 113 storage device, 114 drive device , 115 processor, 116 memory.

Claims (8)

1. The control target device is divided into a plurality of region cells based on the control target device information regarding the control target device that is the control target and the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device controlled by another control device. A control device that controls the controlled device so as to search the search area.
   A control target device information acquisition unit that acquires control target device information including at least the position of the control target device,
   The non-control target device information acquisition unit that acquires the non-control target device information including at least the position of the non-control target device, and
   An AGE map showing the elapsed time from the time when the control target device or the non-control target device last stayed in the area cell for each area cell, and the control indicated by the control target device information acquired by the control target device information acquisition unit. Based on the position of the target device and the position of the non-control target device indicated by the non-control target device information acquired by the non-control target device information acquisition unit, the priority for the control target device to search the area cell is set as an area. A priority map generator that generates a priority map shown for each cell,
   A control device including a control execution unit that controls the controlled device based on a priority map generated by the priority map generation unit.
2. The priority map generator sets the output value of the evaluation function as the priority.
   In the evaluation function, the output value increases as the elapsed time increases for each region cell, and the output value increases as the first distance from the position of the controlled device to the position of the region cell decreases. Therefore, the influence of the first distance on the output value changes relatively based on the second distance from the position of the controlled target device to the position of the non-controlled target device. The control device according to claim 1.
3. Based on the second distance, the evaluation function adjusts the degree to which the output value increases as the first distance decreases, and increases the degree as the second distance decreases. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the degree decreases as the second distance increases.
4. The evaluation function is characterized in that the numerator is the elapsed time and the denominator is a power with the first distance as the base and the function based on the second distance as the power index. The control device according to 3.
5. A control vector calculation unit that calculates a control vector for the controlled device based on the priority map generated by the priority map generation unit is further provided.
   The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control execution unit controls the control target device based on a control vector generated by the control vector calculation unit.
6. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising an AGE map generation unit that generates the AGE map based on the control target device information acquired by the control target device information acquisition unit.
7. A device to be controlled, characterized in that the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is provided.
8. The control target device is divided into a plurality of region cells based on the control target device information regarding the control target device that is the control target and the non-control target device information regarding the non-control target device controlled by another control device. A control method for a controlled device that controls the controlled device so as to search the search area.
   A control target device information acquisition step for acquiring control target device information including at least the position of the control target device, and
   The non-control target device information acquisition step for acquiring the non-control target device information including at least the position of the non-control target device, and
   An AGE map showing the elapsed time from the time when the control target device or the non-control target device last stayed in the area cell for each area cell, and a control target indicated by the control target device information acquired in the control target device information acquisition step. Based on the position of the device and the position of the non-control target device indicated by the non-control target device information acquired in the non-control target device information acquisition step, the priority for the control target device to search for the area cell is set for each area cell. The priority map generation step to generate the priority map shown in
   A control method for a control target device, which comprises a control execution step for controlling the control target device based on the priority map generated in the priority map generation step.

Images