JP7568381B2 - Guidance System - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a guidance system that guides a target person using an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a projection unit that projects an image onto the ground is known. This unmanned aerial vehicle is equipped with multiple propellers, a control unit that controls flight using the propellers, and a human presence sensor, and when the human presence sensor detects a person, it projects an image such as an arrow or letters onto the ground.

Incidentally, when guiding an outsider, such as a visitor, to a destination within a facility where transport vehicles such as forklifts travel, it is preferable to guide the visitor along a predetermined path from among multiple paths in order to avoid collisions between the visitor and the transport vehicle. However, the unmanned aerial vehicle simply indicates a direction, and does not take into consideration avoiding collisions between the guided person and the transport vehicle. In addition, since the unmanned aerial vehicle only presents information at a predetermined position, there is a risk that the guided person will proceed in the presented direction and then lose sight of the destination. Furthermore, when guiding an outsider, such as a visitor, to a destination, it is preferable to guide the visitor while providing information such as precautions to take within the facility.

Patent No. 6239567

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to provide a guidance system that can properly guide a person to a destination using an unmanned aerial vehicle and can also provide information to the person.

In order to solve the above problems, the guidance system according to the present invention comprises:
A guidance system for guiding a guidance target person to a destination within a facility,
A plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles capable of hovering;
A management device;
A guidance storage unit that stores various guidance messages,
The unmanned aerial vehicle has a projection unit that projects light or an image or both;
The management device
a map storage unit that stores a facility map;
a route determination unit that determines a route for guiding the person to be guided to the destination based on a location of the person to be guided, a location of the destination, and a facility map;
A location determination unit that determines the location of each unmanned aerial vehicle on the determined route;
A person information acquisition unit that acquires person information of a person to be guided;
a guidance determination unit that determines guidance corresponding to the person information based on the acquired person information;
A projection control unit,
The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles guide a target person by projecting light or an image or both while hovering at the arranged positions;
The projection control unit is characterized by projecting the guidance determined by the guidance determination unit onto the projection unit of at least one unmanned aerial vehicle.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
The guidance determination unit further determines guidance corresponding to each position on the route based on the determined route;
The projection control unit causes the projection unit to display the determined guidance based on the position of the person to be guided.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
The management device further includes a light emission control unit,
The unmanned aerial vehicle further has a light-emitting unit capable of emitting light of multiple colors,
The light emission control unit determines a light emission color based on the person information, and causes the light emitting unit to emit light in the determined light emission color.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
Equipped with an automated guided vehicle,
The unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a stop command unit that stops the unmanned guided vehicle from traveling.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
The route determination unit further determines the route based on the person information.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
The projection control section causes the projection section to project light or images with different colors based on the person information.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
The projection control unit causes the projection unit to project different colors of light or images depending on the bend position, the destination position, and other positions on the route.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
The projection control unit stops the projection of the unmanned aerial vehicle when it comes within a predetermined distance of the person to be guided.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
the unmanned air vehicle further comprises a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit,
The voice control unit causes the speaker to notify either or both of the bend position and the destination position.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
the unmanned air vehicle further comprises a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit,
The audio control unit causes the speaker to output a predetermined audio based on the facility map and the acquired person information.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
the unmanned air vehicle further comprises a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit,
The voice control unit causes the speaker to notify one or both of the bend position and the destination position,
The projection control unit does not project the image onto the unmanned aerial vehicle within a predetermined distance of the target person,
The audio control unit issues an alert through a speaker of the unmanned flying object that is not performing projection.

The guidance system preferably comprises:
Equipped with a microphone,
the unmanned air vehicle further comprises a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit,
The voice control unit outputs the voice collected by the microphone to the guidance target person through a speaker.

The guidance system of the present invention can properly guide a person to a destination and also provide information to that person.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a guidance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2A and 2B show the guidance system shown in FIG. 1, in which A is a side view and B is a plan view. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the guidance system shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the unmanned aerial vehicle shown in FIG. 1 . 4A to 4F are diagrams showing examples of images projected by an unmanned aerial vehicle. This is a diagram showing how unmanned aerial vehicles are guided in each area. A shows an example of a light image projected from an unmanned aerial vehicle, and B shows another example of a light image projected from an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the guidance system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In this embodiment, the guided persons P are three general visitors who are guided to the forklift manufacturing process and forklift products. The final destination of these guided persons P is a "viewing area" where the forklift manufacturing area E1 can be viewed from above, but the intermediate destination of the guided persons P is the "product introduction area E2". The destination to which the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 guides is the intermediate destination (product introduction area E2). However, this is merely an example, and the destination may be another area or another room, for example. In addition, although the guided persons P are three, this is also merely an example, and the number of guided persons P may be one or four or more, and is not particularly limited. In this specification, the guided persons P are described as the first guided persons P among the three.

In this embodiment, the person P to be guided has a security card to which an RFID tag is attached. The RFID tag stores information about the person P to be guided, such as his/her destination.

Figures 1 and 2 show a guidance system S according to one embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a perspective view, Figure 2A being a side view, and Figure 2B being a plan view. In each figure, the X-axis and Y-axis indicate the horizontal direction, the Z-axis indicates the vertical direction, and the axes are mutually orthogonal. Also, Figure 3 is a block diagram of the guidance system S.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the guidance system S includes a reader 1, a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles 2 (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d), an unmanned guided vehicle 3, a management device 5, and a first microphone 6. Although nine unmanned aerial vehicles 2 are shown in Fig. 1, the number of unmanned aerial vehicles according to the present invention is not limited to this. Forklifts are manufactured in the manufacturing area E1, and forklifts are introduced in the product introduction area E2. Guides G are positioned in the manufacturing area E1, product introduction area E2, and viewing area (see Fig. 6), but this is merely an example, and the guides G may not be present. In the following, the position just before the destination is referred to as the "destination position". In addition, the guide G is wearing the first microphone 6 (see Fig. 3). The voice collected by the first microphone 6 is configured to be transmitted to the unmanned aerial vehicle 2.

<Reader>
As shown in FIG. 3 , the reader 1 includes a person information acquisition unit 10 , a destination acquisition unit 11 , and a position detection unit 12 .

The reader 1 is placed at multiple predetermined positions within the facility. In this embodiment, the reader 1 is configured as an RFID reader. The reader 1 is also configured to be able to communicate with the management device 5.

The personal information acquisition unit 10 acquires personal information of the guided person P. The personal information of the guided person P may be, for example, the name, the department to which the guided person P belongs, whether the guided person P is a person within the facility, the security level of the guided person P, etc. In this embodiment, the personal information includes information such as whether the guided person P is an internal company associate, a contractor, a general visitor, or a company visitor. A contractor here is a supplier involved in the manufacture and delivery of forklift parts, etc., a general visitor is a customer involved in product negotiations, etc., and a visitor to the company is a citizen, a student, a job seeker, etc., but these are merely examples and the guided person P of the present invention is not limited to these. As described above, the guided person P in this embodiment is a general visitor.

The personal information acquisition unit 10 acquires personal information of the person to be guided P by reading the RFID tag. The acquired personal information of the person to be guided P is sent to the management device 5. The personal information acquisition unit 10 is included in the reader 1, but this is merely an example and is configured separately from the RFID reader, and may have, for example, an input unit that receives input of the person to be guided P, and may acquire the personal information of the person to be guided P from the input information.

The destination acquisition unit 11 acquires information about the destination of the person to be guided P by reading the RFID tag of the person to be guided P. The destination information may be location information such as the coordinates of the destination. The acquired destination information is transmitted to the management device 5. The destination acquisition unit 11 is included in the reader 1, but this is merely an example, and may be configured separately from the RFID reader, and may have, for example, an input unit that receives input from the person to be guided P, and may acquire destination information from the input information.

The position detection unit 12 detects the position of the person to be guided P by using known technology by reading the RFID tag of the person to be guided P. Note that although the position detection unit 12 is included in the reader 1, this is merely an example and it may be configured separately from the RFID reader and may be configured as a device that detects the position of the person to be guided P from differences in the strength and arrival time of radio waves from a mobile terminal held by the person to be guided P by using known technology. The detected position of the person to be guided P is transmitted to the management device 5.

<Unmanned Aerial Vehicles>
As shown in Figure 4, the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 is an aerial vehicle commonly referred to as a drone, and has a main body 20, four propellers 21 arranged on all four sides of the main body 20, a power unit (not shown) that rotates the propellers 21, and a light-emitting unit 22.

The light-emitting unit 22 is composed of multiple light-emitting members having LEDs, and is arranged on the side of the main body 20. The light-emitting unit 22 is configured to be able to emit light of multiple colors. Note that this configuration of the light-emitting unit 22 is merely one example, and the light-emitting unit 22 of the present invention is not limited to this. The brightness of the light-emitting unit 22 is adjusted sufficiently so that the person P to be guided can see the color of the light-emitting unit 22 even from a distance.

As shown in FIG. 3, the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 further includes a flight control unit 23, a first memory unit 24, a projection unit 25, a speaker 26, and a stop command unit 27. The unmanned aerial vehicle 2 is configured to be able to communicate with the management device 5.

The flight control unit 23 detects the position of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 using publicly known technology and controls the rotation of the propeller 21 to fly the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 to the placement position received from the management device 5 or to hover at the placement position.

The first storage unit 24 stores guidance images for guiding the guidance target P. As shown in FIG. 2B, the guidance images include a first image D1 indicating the straight-ahead direction, a second image D2 indicating the direction to turn (corresponding to the "bend position" of the present invention) and the travel direction, and a third image D3 indicating the destination. Hereinafter, the first, second and third images D1, D2 and D3 may be collectively referred to as guidance images D.

The arrows in the first and second images D1, D2 indicate the direction of travel, and the arrow in the third image D3 indicates the direction of the destination. It is preferable that the shapes, sizes, and colors of the first, second, and third images D1, D2, D3 are different from each other, but for example, any one of the shapes, sizes, and colors may be different. The first, second, and third images D1, D2, D3 according to this embodiment are composed of circles of different colors and arrows of different colors arranged within the circles.

The first storage unit 24 may store, for example, multiple colors of the guidance image D for each security level. In this case, the security level may be different depending on whether or not the person is inside the facility. This allows people inside the facility other than the guidance target person P to recognize whether or not the person being guided is inside the facility by looking at the guidance image D.

The first storage unit 24 further stores a first voice V1 for guiding the guidance target person P. The first voice V1 includes, for example, "○ meters," "Turn left ahead," "Destination ahead," "There is an obstacle ahead," "Please be careful," and "Entry into XX is prohibited." The first storage unit 24 also stores a second voice V2 for stopping the automated guided vehicle 3, which will be described later. The second voice V2 includes, for example, "Please stop."

In this embodiment, the projection unit 25 is configured by a projector. The projection unit 25 is disposed on the underside of the main body 20, and projects a guidance image D downward as shown in Figs. 1 and 2A. The projected guidance image D is displayed on the floor surface as shown in Fig. 2B. In this embodiment, the projection unit 25 projects the guidance image D directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle 2. The projection unit 25 also projects a guidance GI as will be described later.

The speaker 26 is disposed on the main body 20 and outputs the first sound V1 and the second sound V2 toward the person P to be guided and the automated guided vehicle 3, respectively.

The stop command unit 27 receives the position of the unmanned guided vehicle 3 from the management device 5, which will be described later, and outputs a stop command to the unmanned guided vehicle 3 that has entered within a predetermined distance of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2. In this embodiment, the stop command unit 27 outputs the second voice V2 of "Please stop" to the speaker 26. However, this configuration of the stop command unit 27 is merely an example, and for example, the stop command unit 27 may be configured to directly transmit a stop signal to the unmanned guided vehicle 3 to stop the unmanned guided vehicle 3 without going through the speaker 26.

<Automated Guided Vehicle>
As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the automated guided vehicle 3 is configured as a forklift automated guided vehicle 3 having wheels, a vehicle body, and forks arranged in front of the vehicle body. However, this configuration is merely an example, and the automated guided vehicle 3 of the present invention is not limited to this. The automated guided vehicle 3 is configured to be able to communicate with the management device 5. The automated guided vehicle 3 is configured to perform loading and unloading work within a facility.

As shown in FIG. 3, the automated guided vehicle 3 further includes a vehicle position detection unit 30, a drive unit 31, a drive control unit 32, and a stop command receiving unit 33.

The vehicle position detection unit 30 detects the position of the automated guided vehicle 3 and transmits the detected position of the automated guided vehicle 3 to the management device 5.

The drive control unit 32 controls the drive unit 31 to rotate or stop the wheels.

In this embodiment, the stop command receiving unit 33 has a second microphone (not shown), and upon receiving the second sound V2 from the speaker 26, transmits a stop signal to the drive control unit 32. Upon receiving the stop signal, the drive control unit 32 controls the drive unit 31 to stop the rotation of the wheels, thereby stopping the travel of the automated guided vehicle 3. When the stop command unit 27 is configured to transmit a stop signal without going through the speaker 26, the stop command receiving unit 33 is configured as a simple receiver, and transmits the received stop signal to the drive control unit 32.

The automated guided vehicle 3 is a forklift equipped with only an unmanned mode in which it operates autonomously, but this is merely one example, and the automated guided vehicle 3 according to the present invention is not limited to this forklift. The automated guided vehicle 3 may be, for example, a forklift that can be used both manned and unmanned, in which case the automated guided vehicle 3 has an unmanned mode in which it operates autonomously, and a manned mode in which it operates in response to the operation of an operator.

<Management Device>
The management device 5 is, for example, a server computer, and includes a storage unit and a computing unit (not shown). The storage unit stores a program for causing the server computer to function as the management device 5 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the management device 5 includes a second memory unit 50, a route determination unit 51, a placement determination unit 52, a guidance determination unit 53, a projection control unit 54, a sound control unit 55, and a light emission control unit 56.

The second memory unit 50 stores a facility map, various guides, and a loading schedule for the automated guided vehicle 3. The second memory unit 50 serves as both the guide memory unit and the map memory unit of the present invention.

The facility map includes the location of the passageway, the location of obstacles, and area information for each security level. The facility map also stores the width of the passageway. In this embodiment, the management device 5 manages multiple unmanned guided vehicles 3, and the second storage unit 50 stores the loading schedule for each unmanned guided vehicle 3. Furthermore, the second storage unit 50 may store the name of the person P to be guided in association with the security level of the person P to be guided.

The various types of information include, for example, greetings for the person P to be guided, such as "Thank you for visiting our company today," as well as precautions to take at the facility, explanations for each product, details for each product and part, the latest technology, and so on. The second storage unit 50 stores these types of information as text data or image data. In this embodiment, the second storage unit 50 stores the information as image data. These types of information are stored in association with personal information, such as vendors, general visitors, and company visitors. This association may be determined by a judgment based on the personal information as to how much product-related information should be disclosed.

The route determination unit 51 determines the route (hereinafter simply referred to as the "route") that the person to be guided P will take to the destination based on the position of the person to be guided P, the position of the destination, and the facility map.

The route determination unit 51 may, for example, determine the shortest route connecting the guidance target P and the destination, or, based on the acquired personal information, determine a route so that the guidance target P does not pass through confidential areas within the facility, or determine a route that avoids zones that are dangerous for outsiders.

The route determination unit 51 also determines the route so that the route of the person P to be guided does not overlap with the travel routes of the multiple automated guided vehicles 3. The route determination unit 51 may determine the route taking into consideration the times at which the multiple automated guided vehicles 3 are traveling based on a loading and unloading schedule, for example, or may update the route in real time based on the current positions of the multiple automated guided vehicles 3.

The placement determination unit 52 determines the placement position of each unmanned aerial vehicle 2 on the determined route. More specifically, the placement determination unit 52 places the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 at each bend position on the route and at the destination position, and also places the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 at other positions. The placement determination unit 52 also determines the placement positions so that the horizontal distance between the multiple unmanned aerial vehicles 2 and the hovering height H (hereinafter simply referred to as "height H") are constant. It is preferable that the height H of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 be higher than the head position of the person to be guided P so as not to obstruct the forward view of the person to be guided P. The horizontal distance between the unmanned aerial vehicles 2 may be fixed, for example, between 1 m and 10 m. In this embodiment, the horizontal distance Q1 is configured to be 5 m.

The guidance determination unit 53 determines guidance for the guidance target P based on the acquired personal information and the determined route. Furthermore, this guidance is determined to correspond to each position on the route. For example, when the guidance target P is an outsider, the guidance determination unit 53 may determine guidance regarding precautions at the guidance start position, determine manufacturing-related guidance or parts-related guidance near the manufacturing area E1, and determine product-related guidance near the product introduction area E2. Furthermore, when the guidance target P is an insider, the guidance determination unit 53 may determine not to provide guidance regarding precautions or products, or may determine to provide different guidance.

The projection control unit 54 projects the first, second and third images D1, D2, D3 shown in FIG. 2B onto the unmanned aerial vehicles 2 that are equally spaced at a predetermined distance Q1, as shown in FIG. 2A. This allows the guidance system S to display the guidance images D on the floor surface at equal intervals at a predetermined distance Q2. Furthermore, since the guidance system S fixes the distance Q2 at a predetermined distance, the number of guidance images D allows the guidance recipient P to intuitively recognize the bend position and the distance to the destination.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the projection control unit 54 causes the projection unit 25 to project the first, second, and third images D1, D2, and D3 according to the straight-line position, bend position, and destination position on the route. Since the first, second, and third images D1, D2, and D3 have different colors, the guidance system S can allow the guidance target P to recognize the straight-line position, bend position, and destination position, respectively, by the color of the guidance image D displayed at each position, and each position can be recognized more intuitively than guidance images D that simply have different shapes. In this embodiment, the first, second, and third images D1, D2, and D3 corresponding to each position are stored in advance in the first storage unit 24 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2, so the projection control unit 54 controls the projection unit 25 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 arranged at the straight-line position, bend position, and destination position to project the guidance image D corresponding to each position.

The projection control unit 54 may also periodically blink the first, second, and third images D1, D2, and D3 in a flowing manner in the direction of travel, and guide the guided person P by the flowing blinking effect. Alternatively, the projection control unit 54 may only blink the first image D1 in a flowing manner and keep the second image D2 and the third image D3 lit. Furthermore, the projection control unit 54 may only blink the second and third images D2 and D3. In this way, the projection control unit 54 can make the first, second, and third images D1, D2, and D3 as a whole blink in a specific pattern, or light or blink the first, second, and third images D1, D2, and D3 in different patterns, thereby allowing the guided person P to intuitively recognize the direction of the route, the relative positions of each image, and the like.

Furthermore, the projection control unit 54 projects the guidance GI determined by the guidance determination unit 53 onto at least one unmanned aerial vehicle 2 based on the position of the guidance target person P. Specifically, the projection control unit 54 projects the guidance image D onto the projection unit 25 as shown in FIG. 5A while the guidance target person P is at a predetermined distance or more from the position where the guidance GI is displayed (hereinafter referred to as the "guidance position"). When the distance between the guidance target person P and the guidance position is within a predetermined distance, the projection control unit 54 projects the guidance GI corresponding to each position of the route onto the projection unit 25 as shown in FIG. 5B to FIG. 5F. For example, the projection control unit 54 may project the guidance GI of FIG. 5B at the guidance start position, the guidance GI of FIG. 5C at a position related to the guidance start position or a note, the guidance GI of FIG. 5D at the manufacturing area E1, and the guidance GI of FIG. 5E and FIG. 5F at the product introduction area E2. Also, for example, the projection control unit 54 may cause the projection unit 25 to project the guidance GI when the distance between the guidance target person P and the guidance position is within 5 m.

The projection control unit 54 also provides an image-free space Q3 several meters ahead of the person to be guided P, and does not project the guidance image D onto the unmanned aerial vehicle 2a above the image-free space Q3. This is to prevent the person to be guided P from concentrating his/her gaze downward and becoming unable to see what is ahead. In other words, by providing the image-free space Q3, the projection control unit 54 directs the gaze of the person to be guided P forward, improving safety while walking. Note that as the person to be guided P moves, the image-free space Q3 also moves with him/her, so the projection control unit 54 further stops the projection of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 that is now located above the image-free space Q3. However, the projection control unit 54 projects the guidance GI onto the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 even if it is above the image-free space Q3.

Furthermore, the projection control unit 54 may change the color of the guidance image D or the blinking pattern of the guidance image D based on the security level of the guidance target person P. This makes it possible to indirectly notify people other than the guidance target person P that someone from outside the facility has arrived.

The voice control unit 55 controls the speaker 26 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 arranged above the image-free space Q3 to notify the guided person P of either or both of the bend position and the destination, as well as other information. The first voice V1 to be notified may be, for example, "Turn left 15 m ahead," "Destination 30 m ahead," "There is an obstacle ahead. Please be careful," and the like. The first voice V1 may be generated by appropriately combining "○ m," "Turn left ahead," "Destination ahead," "There is an obstacle ahead," "Please be careful," and the like stored in the first storage unit 24. The guidance system S can make the guided person P more intuitively recognize the bend position, destination, and the like by notifying them with the first voice V1.

The voice control unit 55 also causes the speaker 26 to output a predetermined first voice V1 based on the facility map and the acquired person information. For example, if the person P to be guided is outside the facility and the left side of the route is off-limits, the voice control unit 55 may cause the speaker 26 to output the first voice V1 saying, "Off-limits to the left side."

Furthermore, the audio control unit 55 outputs the audio V3 collected by the first microphone 6 to the guided person P via the speaker 26. This allows the audio control unit 55 to deliver the voice of the guide G to the guided person P. As a result, the guided person P can hear explanations of parts and products without having to get close to the guide G, so the guidance system S is also effective as a countermeasure against infectious diseases and can also give the guided person P a sense of security.

The audio control unit 55 may also be configured to output audio V3 from the first microphone 6 to the guided person P via the speaker 26 of at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicles 2 when the distance between the guided person P and the guidance position is within a predetermined distance.

Furthermore, for example, the management device 5 may be configured to store voice guidance (hereinafter referred to as "guidance voice") in the guidance memory unit (second memory unit 50) and output the guidance voice from the speaker 26 of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2. The guidance voice is, for example, a voice corresponding to guidance regarding parts or products, and is a voice for providing guidance to the person to be guided P on behalf of the guide G. In this case, the voice control unit 55 outputs the guidance voice to the person to be guided P from the speaker 26 based on the position of the person to be guided P, the facility map, and person information. In this case, the guide G does not need to be present.

The light emission control unit 56 determines the light emission color based on the person information, and causes the light emission unit 22 to emit the determined light emission color. The light emission control unit 56 may vary the light emission color based on the security level of the person P to be guided. This makes it possible to indirectly notify people other than the person P to be guided that someone from outside the facility has arrived. The light emission control unit 56 may also vary the light emission color depending on the straight position, bend position, and destination position on the route. This allows the guidance system S to allow the person to be guided to intuitively recognize the bend position, destination, etc., not only from the guidance image D but also from the color of the light emission.

Referring to Figures 1 and 6, the role of each unmanned aerial vehicle 2 placed by the placement determination unit 52 will be explained again. The two unmanned aerial vehicles 2a in front of the person to be guided P do not project a guidance image D, but guide the person to be guided P by the first sound V1. The unmanned aerial vehicle 2b placed between the unmanned aerial vehicle 2a and the bend position, and between the bend position and the destination, projects the first image D1 to guide the person to be guided P. The unmanned aerial vehicles 2c and 2d placed at the bend position and the destination, respectively, project the second and third images D2 and D3 to indicate the bend position and the destination, respectively, to guide the person to be guided P.

As a result, the guidance system S can properly guide the guided person P to the destination, and can also allow the guided person P to intuitively recognize the distance and direction to the destination. Furthermore, the guidance system S positions the unmanned aerial vehicles 2 at fixed distances Q1, thereby displaying the guidance image D on the floor surface at fixed distances Q2, thereby improving the visibility of the guided person P. In addition, the guidance system S can prevent collisions between the unmanned guided vehicle 3 and the guided person P by determining the route based on the loading schedule of the unmanned guided vehicle 3 and stopping the unmanned guided vehicle 3 just before the route.

As shown in FIG. 6, the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 projects information GI such as details about each part and manufacturing method in the manufacturing area E1, projects an overview of the product and information GI about the latest technology in the product introduction area E2, and projects information GI about the manufacturing process in the observation area where the manufacturing area E1 can be viewed from above. Furthermore, the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 can also appropriately convey the guidance of the guide G to the person P to be guided by the guide, by collecting the voice of the guide G and outputting the audio V3 through the speaker 26.

In addition, the guidance system S eliminates the need for manned guidance to the destination, which can help alleviate the current labor shortage and reduce labor costs. Furthermore, the guidance system S can also provide a sense of security to the person P being guided, as a measure against infectious diseases, by eliminating the need for manned guidance.

Although the guidance system S according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the guidance system S according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the above embodiment may be modified as follows, and may be implemented in combination with the following modified examples.

<Modification>
(1) As shown in Figures 7A and 7B, the guidance system S may project simple round light images D4, D5, D6 or arrow light images D7, D8, D9 as guidance images D on the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 instead of the first, second, and third images D1, D2, and D3. In this case, the guidance system S may vary the size, color, and shape of the light images according to the bend position, destination, and other positions on the route, as shown in Figures 7A and 7B. The light images D4 and D7 indicate the direction of travel, the light images D5 and D8 indicate the bend position and the direction of travel, and the light images D6 and D9 indicate the destination and the placement position, respectively.

(2) The guidance system S may recognize the position of the person P to be guided by a camera installed in the facility or a camera installed on the unmanned aerial vehicle 2. In this case, the guidance system S does not need to include a position detection unit 12.

(3) The guidance system S may configure the guidance image D, for example, only with the first image D1, and allow the guided person P to recognize the bend position and the destination by flashing the first image D1 projected on the bend position and the destination. Furthermore, the guidance system S may configure the sound output by the speaker 26 as a buzzer, chime, etc., and notify the guided person P of the bend position and the destination by the sound.

(4) The projection control unit 54 does not necessarily have to provide the image-free space Q3. In this case, the projection control unit 54 stops the projection by the projection unit 25 when the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 finishes its role and moves on. This allows the guidance system S to prevent the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 from interfering with guidance by other unmanned aerial vehicles 2 and confusing the person P to be guided when the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 finishes its role and moves on.

(5) The unmanned aerial vehicle 2 has a camera for recognizing persons other than the guided person P, and the stop command unit 27 may output a voice message saying "Please be careful" to the speaker 26 when a person other than the guided person P enters within a specified distance of the unmanned aerial vehicle 2. This prevents people from entering directly below the unmanned aerial vehicle 2, and prevents the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 from falling on people in the event of an accident causing the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 to fall.

(6) The automated guided vehicle 3 may have a camera and be configured to recognize the guidance image D projected onto the floor surface, and may be configured to transmit a stop signal to the stop command receiving unit 33 when the guidance image D is recognized. This allows the transport system to prevent the automated guided vehicle 3 from crossing the route and to prevent a collision between the guided person P and the automated guided vehicle 3.

(7) The first memory unit 24 may also function as a guidance memory unit. In this case, the second memory unit 50 does not have to also function as a guidance memory unit.

1 Reading device 10 Person information acquisition unit 11 Destination acquisition unit 12 Position detection unit 2 Unmanned aerial vehicle 20 Main body 21 Propeller 22 Light emitting unit 23 Flight control unit 24 First memory unit 25 Projection unit 26 Speaker 27 Stop command unit 3 Unmanned guided vehicle 30 Vehicle position detection unit 31 Driving unit 32 Driving control unit 33 Stop command receiving unit 5 Management device 50 Second memory unit (guidance memory unit, map memory unit)
51 Route determination unit 52 Placement determination unit 53 Guidance determination unit 54 Projection control unit 55 Audio control unit 56 Light emission control unit 6 First microphone (microphone)
D1 First image D2 Second image D3 Third image H Hovering height P Guidance target G Guide GI Guidance E Manufacturer Q1 Horizontal distance between unmanned aerial vehicles Q2 Distance between guidance images Q3 Space without images E1 Manufacturing area E2 Product introduction area S Guidance system V1 First voice V2 Second voice

Claims (12)

A guidance system for guiding a guidance target person to a destination within a facility,
A plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles capable of hovering;
A management device;
A guidance storage unit that stores various guidance messages,
The unmanned aerial vehicle is
A projection unit that projects light or an image or both,
The management device includes:
a map storage unit that stores a facility map;
a route determination unit that determines a route for guiding the person to be guided to the destination based on a position of the person to be guided, a position of the destination, and the facility map;
A placement determination unit that determines a placement position of each of the unmanned aerial vehicles on the determined route;
A person information acquisition unit that acquires person information of the person to be guided;
a guidance determination unit that determines guidance corresponding to the acquired personal information based on the acquired personal information;
A projection control unit,
The plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles guide the target person by projecting light or an image or both while hovering at the placement positions;
A guidance system in which the projection control unit projects the guidance determined by the guidance determination unit onto the projection unit of at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicles. The guidance determination unit further determines the guidance corresponding to each position on the route based on the determined route,
The guidance system according to claim 1 , wherein the projection control unit causes the projection unit to display the determined guidance based on a position of the person to be guided. The management device further includes a light emission control unit.
The unmanned aerial vehicle further has a light-emitting unit capable of emitting light of multiple colors,
The guidance system according to claim 1 , wherein the light emission control unit determines the light emission color based on the person information, and causes the light emission unit to emit the determined light emission color. Equipped with an automated guided vehicle,
The guidance system according to claim 1 , wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle further comprises a stop command unit that stops the unmanned guided vehicle from traveling. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the route determination unit further determines the route based on the person information. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the projection control unit causes the projection unit to project different colors of light or images based on the person information. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the projection control unit causes the projection unit to project different colors of light or images depending on the bend position on the route, the location of the destination, and other locations. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the projection control unit stops the projection of the unmanned aerial vehicle when the unmanned aerial vehicle comes within a predetermined distance of the guidance target. The unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit.
The guidance system according to claim 1 , wherein the voice control unit causes the speaker to notify one or both of a bend position and a position of the destination. The unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit.
The guidance system according to claim 1 , wherein the voice control unit causes the speaker to output a predetermined voice based on the facility map and the acquired person information. The unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit.
The voice control unit causes the speaker to notify one or both of the bend position and the destination position,
The projection control unit does not project the image onto the unmanned aerial vehicle within a predetermined distance of the target person,
The guidance system of claim 1 , wherein the voice control unit issues an alert through the speaker of the unmanned aerial vehicle that does not project. Equipped with a microphone,
The unmanned aerial vehicle further includes a speaker;
The management device further includes a voice control unit.
The guidance system according to claim 1 , wherein the voice control unit outputs a voice collected by the microphone to the person to be guided through the speaker.

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