JP7547294B2 - MOBILE COMMUNICATION CONTROL DEVICE, MOBILE COMMUNICATION CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile communication control device , a mobile communication control method, and a computer program.

In recent years, in wireless communication systems that use high frequency bands such as millimeter waves, beamforming has been studied to efficiently control the beam direction in response to the movement of the terminal by concentrating the emission of radio waves in a specific beam direction.
The technology described in Patent Document 1 involves the network equipment of the current serving cell exchanging beamforming information with its adjacent network equipment, and when the terminal moves, the currently serving network equipment pre-configures the terminal based on beam measurement-related information of the adjacent network equipment.
The technology described in Patent Document 2 involves a terminal receiving a predefined signal from a base station, calculating at least one of the terminal's vertical beamforming direction moving speed and horizontal beamforming direction moving speed based on the predefined signal, and reporting the at least one of the moving speed information to the base station.
The technology described in Patent Document 3 involves a millimeter wave ground station corresponding to a data transmission device performing beamforming processing between the millimeter wave on-board station corresponding to a terminal installed in a vehicle, detecting a beam angle based on the results of the beamforming processing, estimating the position of the vehicle from the detected beam angle and installation location information of the millimeter wave ground station, and transmitting content data in a spot manner to the vehicle whose position has been estimated.

Special Publication No. 2020-500443 Special Publication No. 2016-528778 JP 2020-28055 A

However, with the conventional technology described above, there was a possibility that communication would not necessarily be established without problems at the future location to which the terminal moved.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to improve the reliability of establishing communication at a future position for a mobile object such as an autonomously moving robot.

One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication control device that includes a future mobile object position estimation unit that estimates a future position of a mobile object that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network, and a beamforming control unit that controls beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile object and a base station of the wireless communication network within the range that the mobile object will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile object estimated by the future mobile object position estimation unit, wherein the future mobile object position estimation unit determines whether to perform a fine future position estimation using operation plan information of the mobile object based on the frequency band used by the base station that performs beamforming .
One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication control device comprising a future mobile body position estimation unit that estimates a future position of a mobile body that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network; a beamforming control unit that controls beamforming of the base station so as to establish communication between the mobile body and a base station of the wireless communication network within the range in which the mobile body will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile body estimated by the future mobile body position estimation unit; a mobile body task determination unit that determines a task of the mobile body based on information regarding transmission data transmitted by the mobile body to an external device; and a communication resource amount determination unit that determines a required amount of communication resources based on the task of the mobile body determined by the mobile body task determination unit, wherein the beamforming control unit determines whether to control the beamforming of the base station based on the required amount of communication resources determined by the communication resource amount determination unit.
One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication control device as described above, wherein the mobile task determination unit determines the tasks of operational monitoring and remote control for the mobile body based on information regarding transmission data sent by the mobile body to an external device.
One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication control device in which, in the above-mentioned mobile communication control device, the communication resource amount determination unit changes the amount of units used to determine the required communication resource amount depending on the situation of the location where the mobile task determined by the mobile task determination unit is executed.
One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication control device in which, in the above-mentioned mobile communication control device, the communication resource amount determination unit determines an acceptable communication quality based on the situation of the location where the task of the mobile body determined by the mobile task determination unit is executed, and determines the required communication resource amount to satisfy the determined acceptable communication quality.
One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communication control device comprising: a future mobile unit position estimation unit that estimates a future position of a mobile unit that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network; a beamforming control unit that controls beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile unit and a base station of the wireless communication network within the range in which the mobile unit will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile unit estimated by the future mobile unit position estimation unit; and a mobile radio information storage unit that stores information on a wireless communication method and wireless frequency band supported by a wireless transceiver provided in the mobile unit, wherein the mobile radio information storage unit compares the wireless communication method and wireless frequency band supported by the wireless transceiver provided in the mobile unit with the wireless communication method and wireless frequency band supported by a base station performing beamforming, and determines whether the mobile unit can wirelessly connect to a base station performing beamforming, and the beamforming control unit determines, based on the determination result by the mobile radio information storage unit, that only mobile units that can wirelessly connect to a base station performing beamforming are to be subject to control of the beamforming of the base station .

One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communications control method including a future mobile body position estimation step in which a mobile communications control device estimates a future position of a mobile body that communicates with an external device via a wireless communications network, and a beamforming control step in which the mobile communications control device controls beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile body and a base station of the wireless communications network within a range in which the mobile body will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile body estimated by the future mobile body position estimation step, wherein the future mobile body position estimation step determines whether to perform a fine future position estimation using operation plan information of the mobile body based on the frequency band used by the base station that performs beamforming.
One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communications control method including a future mobile unit position estimation step in which a mobile communications control device estimates a future position of a mobile unit communicating with an external device via a wireless communications network; a beamforming control step in which the mobile communications control device controls beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile unit and a base station of the wireless communications network within a range in which the mobile unit will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile unit estimated by the future mobile unit position estimation step; a mobile unit task determination step in which the mobile communications control device determines a task of the mobile unit based on information regarding transmission data transmitted by the mobile unit to an external device; and a communication resource amount determination step in which the mobile communications control device determines a required amount of communication resources based on the task of the mobile unit determined by the mobile unit task determination step, wherein the beamforming control step determines whether to control beamforming of the base station based on the required amount of communication resources determined by the communication resource amount determination step.
One aspect of the present invention is a mobile communications control method including: a future mobile unit position estimation step in which a mobile communications control device estimates a future position of a mobile unit that communicates with an external device via a wireless communications network; a beamforming control step in which the mobile communications control device controls beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile unit and a base station of the wireless communications network within a range in which the mobile unit will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile unit estimated by the future mobile unit position estimation step; a mobile radio information storage step in which the mobile communications control device stores information on a wireless communications method and a wireless frequency band supported by a wireless transceiver provided in the mobile unit; and a determination step in which the mobile communications control device compares the wireless communications method and the wireless frequency band supported by the wireless transceiver provided in the mobile unit with the wireless communications method and the wireless frequency band supported by a base station performing beamforming, and determines whether the mobile unit can wirelessly connect to a base station performing beamforming, and the beamforming control step determines, based on a result of the determination by the determination step, that only mobile units that can wirelessly connect to a base station performing beamforming are to be subject to beamforming control of the base station.

One aspect of the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to execute any one of the above mobile communication control methods .

The present invention has the effect of improving the reliability of establishing communication at a future position for a moving object such as an autonomously moving robot.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a mobile robot communication control method according to an embodiment; 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a mobile robot communication control method according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a robot system according to an embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a robot system in a delivery service system that uses an autonomously moving robot (hereinafter referred to as a mobile robot) to perform delivery will be described as an example. In the delivery service system, the mobile robot moves around the city to a destination specified by a delivery service user, and delivers packages such as goods.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment. In Fig. 1, a mobile robot 2 communicates with a navigation device 3 via a wireless communication network MNW. The mobile robot 2 is an example of a moving body. The navigation device 3 provides route information showing the route from the starting point to the destination of the mobile robot 2. In addition to the navigation function, the navigation device 3 also has a remote monitoring function and a remote operation function.

The navigation device 3 uses a remote monitoring function to remotely monitor the mobile robot 2 via wireless communication. For example, the navigation device 3 receives images captured by the mobile robot 2 and sounds picked up by the mobile robot 2 via the wireless communication network MNW, and displays and plays the received images and sounds. A monitor can view the images and sounds, thereby monitoring the movement status of the mobile robot 2 in real time.

The navigation device 3 also uses a remote operation function to switch the operation mode of the mobile robot 2 from autonomous mode to remote operation mode, or from remote operation mode to autonomous mode. In the autonomous mode, the mobile robot 2 operates autonomously. On the other hand, in the remote operation mode, the navigation device 3 transmits remote operation commands to the mobile robot 2, whereby the mobile robot 2 is operated remotely.

In the delivery service system according to this embodiment, the navigation device 3 remotely monitors and remotely controls the mobile robot 2 via the wireless communication network MNW. For this reason, it is preferable to realize stable wireless communication of the mobile robot 2 via the wireless communication network MNW.

The navigation device 3 communicates with the mobile robot communication control device 4. The mobile robot communication control device 4 controls the beam of a base station (not shown) of the wireless communication network MNW that communicates with the mobile robot 2 to be emitted in a concentrated manner in a specific direction. In this embodiment, the mobile robot communication control device 4 controls the beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile robot 2 and the base station in the range in which the mobile robot 2 will move in the future. This aims to improve the reliability of establishing communication with the mobile robot 2 at its future position.

The configuration of the robot system according to this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to Figure 1.

[User terminal]
The user terminal 1 is a terminal used by a user (delivery service user) of the delivery service system according to this embodiment. The delivery service user requests delivery by specifying a destination to which a package is to be delivered. The user terminal 1 may be a mobile communication terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet computer (tablet PC), or may be a stationary communication terminal device (e.g., a stationary personal computer).

The user terminal 1 includes a product ordering unit 101 and a destination information input unit 102. The product ordering unit 101 selects a product and places an order for the selected product in response to operations performed by the delivery service user.

The product ordering unit 101 may manage the remaining quantity of items owned by the delivery service user in real time, and automatically order replenishment products when the remaining quantity of items falls below a preset threshold.

The destination information input unit 102 inputs destination information indicating the destination, such as an address, when the product ordering unit 101 orders a product. The destination information may be specified by the delivery service user each time, or the destination information input unit 102 may record destination information previously specified by the delivery service user and automatically reuse the recorded destination information.

The destination information input unit 102 may use a positioning function of the GPS (Global Positioning System) provided in the user terminal 1 to set the current location acquired by the GPS as the destination. The destination information input unit 102 may also add an image of the scenery around the user terminal 1 captured by a camera of the user terminal 1 to the destination information as reference information for the destination.

[Mobile robot]
The mobile robot 2 is a robot capable of autonomous travel and includes a wireless communication unit 201, a route information storage unit 202, a current position acquisition unit 203, a status acquisition unit 204, an imaging unit 205, an operation planning unit 206, an operation control unit 207, a remote operation switching unit 208, and a remote operation unit 209.

The wireless communication unit 201 performs wireless communication with the navigation device 3 via the wireless communication network MNW. The wireless communication unit 201 wirelessly connects to a base station of the wireless communication network MNW and establishes communication with the base station. The wireless communication unit 201 supports wireless communication methods such as 4G (fourth generation mobile communication system) and 5G (fifth generation mobile communication system), and performs wireless communication via a base station of the wireless communication method that it supports. Note that 6G (sixth generation mobile communication system), which is expected to be put to practical use in the future, may also be used as the wireless communication method.

The wireless communication unit 201 receives route information transmitted from the route distribution unit 306 of the navigation device 3 and stores it in the route information storage unit 202. The route information stored in the route information storage unit 202 indicates the route from the starting point to the destination of the mobile robot 2, and is used to determine the operation of the mobile robot 2.

The current position acquisition unit 203 acquires position information indicating the current position by a positioning system such as GPS.
The status acquisition unit 204 acquires data (status information) such as the remaining battery level, temperature, and moving speed from various sensors provided in the mobile robot 2 .
The imaging unit 205 captures an image of the surroundings of the mobile robot 2. The imaging unit 205 captures an image of the traveling direction of the mobile robot 2, for example.

The motion planning unit 206 plans the motion of the mobile robot 2. When moving along a route indicated in the route information in the route information storage unit 202, the motion planning unit 206 plans motion according to the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 2 based on the position information acquired by the current position acquisition unit 203, the status information acquired by the status acquisition unit 204, and the captured image captured by the imaging unit 205. For example, when an obstacle is present on the route indicated in the route information ahead in the direction of travel from the position indicated in the position information as a result of image recognition in the captured image, the motion planning unit 206 plans motion to move along a route that avoids the obstacle at a predetermined speed for obstacle avoidance.

In the autonomous mode, the operation control unit 207 controls the operation of the mobile robot 2 according to the planned operation planned by the operation planning unit 206. On the other hand, in the remote operation mode, the operation control unit 207 controls the operation of the mobile robot 2 according to operation instructions from the remote operation unit 209. The operation control unit 207 controls the traveling type and traveling speed of the mobile robot 2, such as moving forward, backward, and turning right or left, as well as the type of operation other than traveling, such as changing the imaging direction of the imaging unit 205.

The remote operation switching unit 208 switches the operation mode of the mobile robot 2 from the autonomous mode to the remote operation mode or from the remote operation mode to the autonomous mode in accordance with a remote operation switching command issued from the remote operation command issuing unit 308 of the navigation device 3.

In the remote operation mode, the remote operation unit 209 instructs the operation control unit 207 to perform an operation corresponding to a remote operation command. The remote operation command is transmitted from the remote operation command issuing unit 308 of the navigation device 3 in response to an operation by a remote operator. Examples of remote operation commands include commands to move forward, backward, turn right, turn left, etc.

The wireless communication unit 201 transmits various information to the navigation device 3, such as the location information acquired by the current location acquisition unit 203, the status information acquired by the status acquisition unit 204, the captured images captured by the imaging unit 205, and the planned operations planned by the operation planning unit 206.

[Navigation device]
The navigation device 3 navigates one or more mobile robots 2 from a starting point to a destination. The navigation device 3 also performs operational monitoring and remote control of one or more mobile robots 2.

The navigation device 3 includes an operation monitoring unit 301, an order information storage unit 302, a destination acquisition unit 303, a map information storage unit 304, a route search unit 305, a route distribution unit 306, a video receiving unit 307, and a remote operation command issuing unit 308.

The functions of the navigation device 3 are realized by the navigation device 3 being equipped with computer hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memory, and the CPU executing computer programs stored in the memory. Note that the navigation device 3 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device.

The operation monitoring unit 301 performs operation monitoring of one or more mobile robots 2. The operation monitoring unit 301 performs operation monitoring by associating position information, status information, etc. received in real time from the mobile robot 2 with information that identifies the individual mobile robot 2 (mobile robot ID). The operation monitoring unit 301 performs operation monitoring based on information (position information, status information, etc.) that is updated periodically, for example, at one-second intervals. The operation monitoring unit 301 analyzes the position information, status information, etc. received from the mobile robot 2, and if it detects a fault in the mobile robot 2, it issues an alarm, for example, to a supervisor.

The operation monitoring unit 301 transmits various information received from the mobile robot 2 to the mobile robot communication control device 4.

The order information storage unit 302 receives order information for ordering products from the user terminal 1 and stores the received order information. The order information storage unit 302 works in conjunction with a purchasing system (not shown) to process purchases and formulate a product delivery plan. The order information storage unit 302 stores planned delivery information such as the departure point, destination, and time period for the mobile robot 2 to deliver the products according to the formulated product delivery plan.

The destination acquisition unit 303 acquires destination information from the order information or scheduled delivery information stored in the order information storage unit 302.

The map information storage unit 304 stores nationwide road map data and associated facility data such as various facilities and shops. The road map data is provided as link data in which roads on a map are divided into multiple parts with intersections and the like as nodes, and the parts between each node are defined as links. This link data includes data such as a link-specific identifier (link ID), link length, position information (longitude, latitude) of the start and end points (nodes) of the link, angle (direction) data, road width, and road type. The road map data may also include lane information indicating lanes that the mobile robot 2 can travel on. The map information storage unit 304 may also store indoor map data.

The route search unit 305 uses the map information in the map information storage unit 304 to search for a route from the starting point of the mobile robot 2 to the destination.

The destination of the mobile robot 2 is the location indicated by the destination information acquired by the destination acquisition unit 303. The starting point of the mobile robot 2 is set in advance. For example, a product distribution base (e.g., a logistics warehouse where the products are stored or a distribution store nearest to the destination) is set in advance as the starting point of the mobile robot 2. In addition, when the mobile robot 2 is transported to the vicinity of the destination by a vehicle, the location of the transport destination of the mobile robot 2 is set in advance as the starting point of the mobile robot 2.

The route search unit 305 can use, for example, the Dijkstra algorithm, the A* algorithm, or a genetic algorithm as a route search method. Here, we will explain a method of performing a route search using the Dijkstra algorithm as an example of a route search method.

The route search unit 305 sequentially calculates (accumulates) the cost of the roads (links) from the starting point to the destination to the next reachable intersection (node), and selects the route from the starting point to the destination with the smallest cost. The cost of each link is smaller the shorter the link distance.

The cost of each link may also be weighted based on safety, wireless communication quality, etc.

For example, links on roads with widths less than a certain threshold value may be weighted to have a higher cost since it is difficult for the mobile robot 2 to move safely along those links.

For example, when mobile robots 2 are classified according to size, structure, etc., it is conceivable that some types of mobile robots 2 may have difficulty overcoming road bumps. For this reason, when searching for a route for that type of mobile robot 2, weighting may be applied so that the cost is increased for links of roads that have bumps.

For example, if mobile robots 2 are classified according to the wireless communication methods and wireless frequency bands that they can use, it is conceivable that there will be variation in wireless communication quality in the area in which the robots move depending on the type of mobile robot 2. For this reason, when searching for a route for that type of mobile robot 2, weighting may be applied so that the cost is increased for links of roads where the wireless communication quality is likely to deteriorate.

The route distribution unit 306 transmits route information indicating the route searched by the route search unit 305 to the mobile robot 2. The route distribution unit 306 also transmits the route information to the mobile robot communication control device 4.

The video receiving unit 307 receives real-time video (captured image) captured by the imaging unit 205 and transmitted from the mobile robot 2. The video received by the video receiving unit 307 is used, for example, by a remote operator to remotely control the mobile robot 2 while viewing the video.

The remote control command issuing unit 308 transmits to the mobile robot 2 remote control switching commands and remote control commands input by the remote operator to a controller (not shown).

[Mobile robot communication control device]
The mobile robot communication control device 4 comprises a future robot position estimating unit 401 , a robot task determining unit 402 , a communication resource amount determining unit 403 , a robot radio information storage unit 404 , and a beamforming control unit 405 .

The functions of the mobile robot communication control device 4 are realized by the mobile robot communication control device 4 being equipped with computer hardware such as a CPU and memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory. The navigation device 3 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device.

Here, an outline of the mobile robot communication control method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the mobile robot communication control method according to this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the mobile robot 2 moves along a route 70 from a starting point SP to a destination EP. The route 70 is a route searched by the route search unit 305 of the navigation device 3. The mobile robot 2 moves along the route 70 from the starting point SP to the destination EP based on the route information transmitted from the route distribution unit 306.

Four base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 are located in an area including the route 70 along which the mobile robot 2 moves. Each base station 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 is equipped with an antenna that transmits and receives radio waves to form its own communication range. The wireless communication unit 201 of the mobile robot 2 performs wireless communication on the route 70 by transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from each of the base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4.

Figure 2 shows an example of beamforming performed by the base station 6-2. The mobile robot communication control device 4 estimates the future position of the mobile robot 2 based on the current position and route information of the mobile robot 2, and controls the beamforming of the base station 6-2 based on the estimated future position so that communication can be established between the mobile robot 2 and the base station 6-2 in the range (candidate coordinate range) in which the mobile robot 2 will move in the future.

In FIG. 2, the mobile robot 2 establishes communication with the base station 6-2 at its current position on the path 70 by the current beam 60-1 of the base station 6-2. The mobile robot communication control device 4 controls the beamforming of the base station 6-2 so as to cover a candidate coordinate range based on the future position of the mobile robot 2 estimated from the current position of the mobile robot 2 and the path 70. This beamforming control forms the beam 60-2 of the base station 6-2. The mobile robot 2 moves on the path 70, and establishes communication with the base station 6-2 by the beam 60-2 of the base station 6-2 on the path 70 of the candidate coordinate range. Thus, according to this embodiment, the beam direction of the base station 6-2 can be changed from the beam 60-1 to the beam 60-2 so as to follow the movement of the mobile robot 2 on the path 70 from its current position to its future position. This improves the reliability of establishing communication with the mobile robot 2 at its future position.

Returning to FIG.
The future robot position estimation unit 401 estimates the future position of the mobile robot 2 based on the route information transmitted from the route distribution unit 306 of the navigation device 3 and the position information indicating the current position of the mobile robot 2 transmitted from the operation monitoring unit 301.

The future robot position estimation unit 401 may determine whether or not to perform a detailed estimation of the future position of the mobile robot 2 using the motion plan information based on the frequency band used by the base station performing beamforming. Since the size of the communication area of the base station performing beamforming varies depending on the frequency band used by the base station, the degree to which the beam needs to be accurately tracked by the beamforming control in response to the movement of the mobile robot 2 also varies.

For example, if a base station uses a millimeter wave band of about 28 GHz or a frequency band close to that, it is highly likely that a single beam can cover the entire width of the road along which the mobile robot 2 travels. Therefore, it is thought that it is not necessary to have the beam follow the small movements of the mobile robot 2, such as when it is avoiding an obstacle.

On the other hand, if the base station uses a terahertz wave band of about 300 GHz, it is considered that a single beam cannot cover the entire width of the road on which the mobile robot 2 travels. Therefore, it is preferable to have the beam follow even the small movements of the mobile robot 2 when it is avoiding an obstacle.

Therefore, when the frequency band used by the base station performing beamforming is, for example, the terahertz wave band, it is difficult to cover the entire width of the road on which the mobile robot 2 travels with a single beam from the base station, so a precise estimation of the future position is performed to more accurately direct the base station beam to the mobile robot 2. To estimate the precise future position, in addition to the route information and the current position of the mobile robot 2, the planned operation planned by the operation planning unit 206 of the mobile robot 2 is used. Operation plan information indicating the planned operation planned by the operation planning unit 206 of the mobile robot 2 is transmitted from the operation monitoring unit 301 to the mobile robot communication control device 4.

On the other hand, if the frequency band used by the base station performing beamforming is, for example, the millimeter wave band, it is highly likely that a single beam can cover the entire width of the road on which the mobile robot 2 is traveling, so a precise estimation of the future position is not performed.

Here, a method of tracking the movement of the mobile robot 2 with a beam by beamforming of the base station will be described.
A communicable range for each beam formed by the base station is set in advance as a beam coverage coordinate range in the mobile robot communication control device 4. The beam coverage coordinate range is indicated by latitude and longitude.

The future robot position estimation unit 401 expresses the estimation result of the future position of the mobile robot 2 as a candidate coordinate range. The candidate coordinate range is indicated by latitude and longitude. The future robot position estimation unit 401 calculates the estimation result of the future position of the mobile robot 2 as combined data of time (e.g., in units of one second) and the candidate coordinate range based on the route information and the coordinates (latitude, longitude) of the current position of the mobile robot 2.

By controlling the beamforming of the base station so that the beam coverage coordinate range covered by the base station's beam covers all of the candidate coordinate ranges of the mobile robot 2 in the estimated future position at the time of the estimated future position of the mobile robot 2, it is possible to continue to establish communication between the mobile robot 2 and the base station by following the movement of the mobile robot 2, even when the mobile robot 2 turns a corner, for example.

The candidate coordinate range that the future robot position estimation unit 401 calculates based on the route information is coarse. On the other hand, the candidate coordinate range that the future robot position estimation unit 401 calculates by further using the motion plan information is fine. This is because the route information indicates a global route from the starting point to the destination, whereas the motion plan information indicates a local route that avoids obstacles, etc.

The robot task determination unit 402 determines the task of the mobile robot 2 based on information related to the transmission data transmitted by the mobile robot 2 to the navigation device 3. More specifically, the robot task determination unit 402 determines the task of the mobile robot 2 based on the type and frequency of the transmission data transmitted by the mobile robot 2. For example, if the mobile robot 2 transmits position information and status information periodically (e.g., once per second), it determines that the task is an operational monitoring task. For example, if the mobile robot 2 constantly transmits high-quality video information, it determines that the task is a remote control task.

The communication resource amount determination unit 403 determines the required amount of communication resources based on the task of the mobile robot 2 determined by the robot task determination unit 402. For example, if the task of the mobile robot 2 is remote operation, the mobile robot 2 transmits video information with a large amount of data, and the communication resource amount determination unit 403 determines the required amount of communication resources to be large. On the other hand, if the task of the mobile robot 2 is operational monitoring, the mobile robot 2 transmits position information and status information with a small amount of data, and the communication resource amount determination unit 403 determines the required amount of communication resources to be small.

The communication resource amount determination unit 403 may change the amount of units for determining the required communication resource amount according to the situation of the location where the task of the mobile robot 2 determined by the robot task determination unit 402 is executed. For example, even if the task of the mobile robot 2 is remote operation, the narrower the road on which the mobile robot 2 travels, the denser the number of people on the road, and the faster the moving speed of the mobile robot 2, the higher the resolution of the images and the lower the delay of the remote operation commands required to avoid people and obstacles. For this reason, the communication resource amount determination unit 403 reduces the amount of units for determining the required communication resource amount based on statistical information such as road width and outdoor population density associated with the route information, thereby determining the required communication resource amount in a finer manner, or increases the amount of units for determining the required communication resource amount to roughly determine the required communication resource amount.

The communication resource amount determination unit 403 may also determine the allowable communication quality based on the situation of the location where the task of the mobile robot 2 determined by the robot task determination unit 402 is executed, and determine the required communication resource amount to satisfy the determined allowable communication quality. For example, when the task of the mobile robot 2 is remote operation and transmission of higher resolution video or remote operation commands with lower latency is required, the communication resource amount determination unit 403 determines the allowable communication quality to be higher than normal and determines the required communication resource amount to be larger than normal. On the other hand, when the task of the mobile robot 2 is remote operation and transmission of higher resolution video or remote operation commands with lower latency is not required, the communication resource amount determination unit 403 determines the allowable communication quality to be normal quality and determines the required communication resource amount to be normal capacity.

The robot radio information storage unit 404 stores information such as the wireless communication method (e.g., 5G or 4G) and wireless frequency band supported by the wireless transceiver equipped in each mobile robot 2 (wireless communication unit 201). The robot radio information storage unit 404 compares the wireless communication method and wireless frequency band supported by the wireless transceiver equipped in each mobile robot 2 with the wireless communication method and wireless frequency band supported by the base station performing beamforming, and determines whether each mobile robot 2 can wirelessly connect to the base station performing beamforming.

The beamforming control unit 405 controls the beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile robot 2 and the base station of the wireless communication network MNW within the range in which the mobile robot 2 will move in the future, based on the future position of the mobile robot 2 estimated by the future robot position estimation unit 401.

The future position of the mobile robot 2 estimated by the future robot position estimation unit 401 is represented by a candidate coordinate range. The beam forming control unit 405 represents the range in which communication is possible with each beam of the base station as a beam cover coordinate range. The beam cover coordinate range is set in advance in the mobile robot communication control device 4. The beam forming control unit 405 controls the beam forming of the base station so that the beam cover coordinate range of each beam of the base station covers the candidate coordinate range of the mobile robot 2. More specifically, the beam forming control unit 405 controls the beam forming of the base station so that at the time corresponding to the candidate coordinate range, the beam cover coordinate range covered by the beam of the base station covers the entire candidate coordinate range.

In addition, based on the result of the judgment made by the robot radio information storage unit 404, the beamforming control unit 405 determines that only the mobile robots 2 that can wirelessly connect to the base station performing beamforming are to be subject to the beamforming control of the base station.

The beamforming control unit 405 also determines whether or not to control the beamforming of the base station based on the amount of required communication resources determined by the communication resource amount determination unit 403. It is considered that the need for a wireless connection with a base station that uses a high frequency band such as the millimeter wave band and performs beamforming may change depending on the communication requirements necessary for the mobile robot 2. When high-speed, large-capacity communication is required, a wireless connection with a base station that uses a high frequency band and performs beamforming is required, but when high-speed, large-capacity communication is not required, a wireless connection with a base station that uses a low frequency band and has a wide communication area will suffice, and therefore a wireless connection with a base station that uses a high frequency band and performs beamforming is not required.

For example, when the mobile robot 2 is remotely operated, the mobile robot 2 transmits video information with a large amount of data, so it is preferable to connect wirelessly to a base station that uses a high frequency band and performs beamforming. On the other hand, when the mobile robot 2 is monitored for operation, the mobile robot 2 transmits position information and status information with a small amount of data, so a wireless connection to a base station that uses a high frequency band and performs beamforming is not necessary. Therefore, it is preferable for the beamforming control unit 405 to determine whether or not to control the beamforming of the base station based on the amount of required communication resources determined by the communication resource amount determination unit 403.

Next, the mobile robot communication control method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of the procedure of the mobile robot communication control method according to this embodiment.

(Step S1) The navigation device 3 acquires the departure point and destination.

(Step S2) The navigation device 3 searches for a route from the departure point obtained in step S1 to the destination. The navigation device 3 transmits route information indicating the route resulting from the search to the mobile robot 2 and the mobile robot communication control device 4.

(Step S3) The mobile robot communication control device 4 acquires information about the mobile robot 2 (route information, position information, operation plan information, etc.).

(Step S4) The mobile robot communication control device 4 estimates the future position of the mobile robot 2 based on the information acquired in step S3.

(Step S5) Based on the future position of the mobile robot 2 estimated in step S4, the mobile robot communication control device 4 controls the beamforming of the base station so that communication can be established between the mobile robot 2 and the base station of the wireless communication network MNW within the range in which the mobile robot 2 will move in the future.

(Step S6) If the mobile robot communication control is to end, the process in FIG. 3 ends. If the mobile robot communication control is to continue, the process returns to step S3.

Next, an example of the robot system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the robot system according to this embodiment. In FIG. 4, the base station of the wireless communication network MNW is separated into an accommodation station 22 having a signal processing function and a base station 6 having an antenna, using Radio over Fiber (RoF) technology. One accommodation station 22 accommodates multiple base station devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-p.

The accommodating station device 22 is connected by communication with the aggregation station device 20 via the backhaul network BNW. The aggregation station device 20 accommodates multiple accommodating station devices 22. Regarding beamforming, the aggregation station device 20 may be equipped with a remote beamforming function that remotely controls the beam formed by the base station device 6.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the mobile robot communication control device 4 is provided in the accommodation station device 22. At least one of the multiple base station devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-p accommodated in the accommodation station device 22 has an antenna for providing wireless connection in the area in which the mobile robot 2 moves. This makes it possible to minimize delays in beamforming control for the mobile robot 2.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the navigation device 3 is provided in the central station 20. This is to provide a common navigation device 3 for multiple mobile robot communication control devices 4 provided in multiple accommodation station devices 22 accommodated by the central station 20. Note that if the navigation device 3 corresponds to only one mobile robot communication control device 4, the navigation device 3 and the mobile robot communication control device 4 may be provided in the same accommodation station device 22.

The above-described embodiment has the effect of improving the reliability of establishing communication with the mobile robot 2 at its future position.

Furthermore, this will make it possible to improve the overall service quality in, for example, delivery service systems, thereby contributing to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment and includes design modifications within the scope of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, the robot system is applied to a delivery service system, but it may also be applied to systems other than delivery service systems. For example, the robot system according to the above-described embodiment may be applied to a road inspection service system that inspects roads using a mobile robot.

In the above-described embodiment, a mobile robot is given as an example of a mobile body, but the present invention is not limited to this. As a mobile body, a vehicle that performs automatic driving (automatic driving vehicle) or an autonomous flying object called a drone may be used.

In addition, a computer program for implementing the functions of each of the above-mentioned devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed. Note that the term "computer system" may include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.
In addition, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a storage device such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a writable non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, a portable medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), or a hard disk built into a computer system.

Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" includes devices that retain a program for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory (e.g., DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) within a computer system that serves as a server or client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line.
The program may be transmitted from a computer system in which the program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium, or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line.
The program may be a program for implementing some of the above-mentioned functions, or may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

1...user terminal, 2...mobile robot, 3...navigation device, 4...mobile robot communication control device, 20...aggregation station device, 22...accommodation station device (base station), 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-p...base station device (base station), 201...wireless communication unit, 202...route information storage unit, 203...current position acquisition unit, 204...status acquisition unit, 205...imaging unit, 206...operation planning unit, 207...operation control unit, 208...remote operation switching unit, 2 09...Remote control unit, 301...Operation monitoring unit, 302...Order information storage unit, 303...Destination acquisition unit, 304...Map information storage unit, 305...Route search unit, 306...Route distribution unit, 307...Video reception unit, 308...Remote control command issuing unit, 401...Future robot position estimation unit, 402...Robot task determination unit, 403...Communication resource amount determination unit, 404...Robot radio information storage unit, 405...Beam forming control unit

Claims (10)

a future moving object position estimating unit for estimating a future position of a moving object that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network;
a beamforming control unit that controls beamforming of the base station so as to establish communication between the moving object and a base station of the wireless communication network in a range in which the moving object will move in the future based on the future position of the moving object estimated by the future moving object position estimation unit;
Equipped with
the future moving object position estimating unit determines whether or not to perform a precise estimation of the future position of the moving object using the operation plan information based on a frequency band used by the base station that performs beamforming;
Mobile communication control device. a future moving object position estimating unit for estimating a future position of a moving object that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network;
a beamforming control unit that controls beamforming of the base station so as to establish communication between the moving object and a base station of the wireless communication network in a range in which the moving object will move in the future based on the future position of the moving object estimated by the future moving object position estimation unit;
a mobile object task determination unit that determines a task of the mobile object based on information about transmission data transmitted by the mobile object to an external device;
a communication resource amount determination unit that determines a required communication resource amount based on the task of the mobile body determined by the mobile body task determination unit;
The beamforming control unit determines whether or not to control beamforming of the base station based on the required communication resource amount determined by the communication resource amount determination unit.
Mobile communication control device. the mobile object task determination unit determines a task of operational monitoring and remote control for the mobile object based on information regarding transmission data transmitted by the mobile object to an external device;
The mobile communication control device according to claim 2 . the communication resource amount determination unit changes a unit amount for determining a required communication resource amount according to a situation of a location where the task of the mobile body is executed, the situation being determined by the mobile body task determination unit;
The mobile communication control device according to claim 2 . the communication resource amount determination unit determines an acceptable communication quality based on the situation of a location where the task of the mobile body is executed determined by the mobile body task determination unit, and determines a required communication resource amount so as to satisfy the determined acceptable communication quality.
The mobile communication control device according to claim 2 . a future moving object position estimating unit for estimating a future position of a moving object that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network;
a beamforming control unit that controls beamforming of the base station so as to establish communication between the moving object and a base station of the wireless communication network in a range in which the moving object will move in the future based on the future position of the moving object estimated by the future moving object position estimation unit;
a mobile radio information storage unit that stores information on a wireless communication system and a wireless frequency band supported by a wireless transceiver provided in the mobile object;
the mobile radio information storage unit compares a wireless communication method and a wireless frequency band supported by a wireless transceiver provided in the mobile unit with a wireless communication method and a wireless frequency band supported by a base station that performs beamforming, and determines whether or not the mobile unit can wirelessly connect to the base station that performs beamforming;
The beamforming control unit determines, based on a result of the determination by the mobile radio device information storage unit, only mobile units that can be wirelessly connected to a base station that performs beamforming as targets for the beamforming control of the base station.
Mobile communication control device. a future moving object position estimating step in which the mobile object communication control device estimates a future position of a moving object that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network;
a beamforming control step of controlling beamforming of the base station by the mobile communication control device so that communication between the mobile object and a base station of the wireless communication network can be established in a range in which the mobile object will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile object estimated by the future mobile object position estimation step ,
the future moving object position estimating step determines whether to perform a precise estimation of the future position of the moving object using operation plan information based on a frequency band used by the base station that performs beamforming;
A mobile communication control method. a future moving object position estimating step in which the mobile communication control device estimates a future position of a moving object that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network;
a beamforming control step of controlling beamforming of the base station so that the mobile communication control device can establish communication between the mobile object and a base station of the wireless communication network in a range in which the mobile object will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile object estimated by the future mobile object position estimation step;
a mobile object task determination step of the mobile object communication control device determining a task of the mobile object based on information regarding transmission data transmitted by the mobile object to an external device;
a communication resource amount determination step in which the mobile communication control device determines a required communication resource amount based on the task of the mobile body determined in the mobile task determination step;
Including,
The beamforming control step determines whether or not to control beamforming of the base station based on the required communication resource amount determined in the communication resource amount determination step.
A mobile communication control method. a future moving object position estimating step in which the mobile communication control device estimates a future position of a moving object that communicates with an external device via a wireless communication network;
a beamforming control step of controlling beamforming of the base station so that the mobile communication control device can establish communication between the mobile object and a base station of the wireless communication network in a range in which the mobile object will move in the future based on the future position of the mobile object estimated by the future mobile object position estimation step;
a mobile radio device information storage step in which the mobile communication control device stores information on a wireless communication system and a wireless frequency band supported by a wireless transceiver provided in the mobile device;
a determination step in which the mobile communication control device compares a wireless communication method and a wireless frequency band supported by a wireless transceiver provided in the mobile object with a wireless communication method and a wireless frequency band supported by a base station performing beamforming, and determines whether or not the mobile object can wirelessly connect to the base station performing beamforming;
Including,
The beamforming control step determines, based on a result of the determination step, only a mobile object that can be wirelessly connected to a base station that performs beamforming as a target of the beamforming control of the base station.
A mobile communication control method. A computer program for causing a computer to execute the mobile communication control method according to any one of claims 7 to 9 .

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