JP7607738B2 - Control Systems and Toy Systems - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control system and a toy system.

A sheet is printed with a pattern that encodes position information. A moving device placed on the sheet reads the pattern printed on the sheet, and the movement of the moving device is controlled based on the position recognized by the pattern.

Patent document 1 discloses that a self-propelled device recognizes a pattern printed on a mat and travels on the mat based on the position indicated by the pattern.

International Publication No. 2018/025467

By placing pieces on a sheet on which patterns encoding position information are printed, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in controlling the operation of a moving device. The inventors are considering using cards as these pieces. For example, unlike stickers, cards are easy to move, but problems with movement can easily arise, such as the card becoming misaligned when a moving device passes over it.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to reduce the occurrence of problems when a self-propelled device travels over a sheet on which pieces are arranged and on which a pattern in which position information is encoded is printed.

To solve the above problem, the control system of the present invention includes a sheet having a pattern in which encoded position information is printed and including a plurality of depressions, a card having a planar shape corresponding to the depressions and capable of being placed on the depressions, a moving device having a moving part that runs over the sheet and the card placed on the depressions, and a camera that photographs the pattern printed on the sheet, and a control means that controls the moving device based on the position of the moving device detected based on the photographed pattern.

The sheet of the present invention includes a depression having a shape in which a card can be placed, and a pattern printed on the surface in which positional information is encoded, and a mobile device can travel over the depression, regardless of whether a card is placed therein or not, and the mobile device photographs the pattern and travels according to the positional information decoded from the photographed pattern.

The toy system of the present invention includes a card and a sheet, the sheet including a recess and a pattern in which position information is encoded and printed on the surface, the card has a planar shape corresponding to the recess and can be placed on the recess, and a mobile device can travel on the recess, regardless of whether the card is placed there or not, and the mobile device photographs the pattern and travels according to the position information decoded from the photographed pattern.

The present invention can reduce the occurrence of problems when a self-propelled device travels over a sheet on which pieces are placed and on which a pattern with encoded position information is printed.

In one embodiment of the invention, the depth of the recess may be less than the thickness of the card.

In one embodiment of the invention, the pattern may be printed on the surface of the recess and on the outside of the recess.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a control system. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a sheet. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a sheet on which pieces are arranged. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a comparative example of a sheet on which pieces are arranged. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of allocation of regions to a coordinate space. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the control system. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of processing of the control system.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Among the components that appear, those that have the same function are given the same reference numerals and their description is omitted. In the embodiment of the present invention, a self-propelled moving device runs on a sheet and pieces on the sheet.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control system according to the present invention includes a device control device 10, carts 20a and 20b, a controller 17, and a cartridge 18. The carts 20a and 20b are self-propelled moving devices having a camera 24, and both have the same functions. In the following, unless there is a need to distinguish between them, these carts 20a and 20b will be referred to as carts 20. The device control device 10 controls the cart 20 wirelessly. The device control device 10 has a recess 32, and when the cart 20 is fitted into the recess 32, the device control device 10 charges the cart 20. The controller 17 is an input device that acquires operations by a user, and is connected to the device control device 10 by a cable. The cartridge 18 has a built-in non-volatile memory.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The device control device 10 includes a processor 11, a memory unit 12, a communication unit 13, and an input/output unit 14. The trolley 20 includes a processor 21, a memory unit 22, a communication unit 23, a camera 24, and two motors 25. The device control device 10 may be a dedicated device optimized for controlling the trolley 20, or may be a general-purpose computer.

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

The memory unit 12 is composed of DRAM and non-volatile memory built into the device control device 10, and non-volatile memory in the cartridge 18. The memory unit 22 is composed of DRAM and non-volatile memory. The memory units 12 and 22 store the above programs. The memory units 12 and 22 also store information and calculation results input from the processors 11 and 21 and the communication units 13 and 23, etc.

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

The input/output unit 14 includes a circuit that acquires information from an input device such as the controller 17, and a circuit that controls an output device such as an audio output device or an image display device. The input/output unit 14 acquires an input signal from an input device, and inputs information into which the input signal has been converted to the processor 11 or the memory unit 12. The input/output unit 14 also outputs audio to a speaker and outputs images to a display device based on the control of the processor 11, etc.

The motors 25 are so-called servo motors whose rotation direction, amount of rotation, and rotation speed are controlled by the processor 21. Each of the two motors 25 is assigned to one wheel 254, and the motors 25 drive the assigned wheel 254.

The camera 24 is positioned to capture an image of the area below the cart 20, and captures an image of a pattern printed on the sheet 31 or piece 33 (see Figures 4 and 15) on which the cart 20 is placed. In this embodiment, a pattern that can be recognized in the infrared frequency domain is printed on the sheet 31 and piece 33, and the camera 24 captures an infrared image of the pattern.

Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the trolley 20. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the trolley 20 as viewed from below. The trolley 20 further includes a power switch 250, a switch 222, and two wheels 254.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sheet 31. An image visible to the user is printed on the sheet 31, and further a pattern readable by the camera 24 is printed on the sheet 31. The sheet 31 includes a plurality of depressions 41 and a frame region 42 that contacts the periphery of each of the depressions 41 in a plan view. The bottom of the depressions 41 on the sheet 31 is located lower than the frame region 42. In the example of Figure 4, the plurality of depressions 41 are lined up in the horizontal and vertical directions. A plurality of sheets 31 may be lined up in a plane. In this case, an engaging portion and an engaged portion may be provided on the outer periphery of the sheet 31 in order to fix another sheet 31 next to it.

Pieces 33 can be placed in the recesses 41. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the sheet 31 on which the pieces 33 are placed, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 5. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pieces 33 are plate-shaped cards having a thickness t, and the outer shape of the pieces 33 corresponds to the inner circumference of the recesses 41 in a plan view. More specifically, the outer shape of the pieces 33 is similar to the inner circumference of the recesses 41 in a plan view, and the size of the pieces 33 is slightly smaller than the recesses 41, and the size of the pieces 33 is determined so that when the pieces 33 are placed on the recesses 41, the distance between the edge of the pieces 33 and the inner circumference of the recesses 41 is smaller than a predetermined value (e.g., the radius of the wheels 254). The cart 20 can run on the recesses 41 regardless of whether the pieces 33 are placed thereon.

The bottom of the recess 41 is flat, and the depth Dp of the bottom is almost constant. When the piece 33 is placed in the recess 41, the flat part of the bottom contacts the back surface of the piece 33. The depth Dp is smaller than the thickness t of the piece 33. Here, the height difference s (the size of the step) between the frame region 42 and the piece 33 is (t-Dp).

Figure 7 is a diagram showing a comparative example of sheet 31e on which piece 33e is placed. In the example of Figure 7, sheet 31e has a flat shape and does not include recess 41. In this case, since there is nothing to impede the horizontal movement of piece 33e, the position of piece 33 is likely to shift when cart 20 runs over sheet 31e and piece 33e. On the other hand, in this embodiment, by placing piece 33 in recess 41, it is possible to prevent the position of piece 33 from shifting when cart 20 runs over it.

In the example of FIG. 7, the size of the step when the cart 20 moves from sheet 31e onto piece 33e is the thickness t of piece 33. In this embodiment, the depth Dp of recess 41 is smaller than the thickness t of piece 33, so that the size s of the step when the cart 20 moves from sheet 31e onto piece 33e is (t-Dp), and the step can be made smaller. Furthermore, if the depth Dp is the thickness t, the step when the cart 20 moves from sheet 31e onto piece 33e is minimized, but the size of the step when the cart 20 enters recess 41 where no piece 33 is placed is the thickness t (same as depth Dp). If the thickness t of piece 33 is constant, this step will be larger than in this embodiment.

By providing the recess 41 and making the depth Dp of the recess 41 smaller than the thickness t of the piece 33, it is possible to reduce the step when the trolley 20 moves from the sheet 31e onto the piece 33e, and the step when the trolley 20 enters a recess 41 where no piece 33 is placed. This makes it possible to ensure the thickness t of the piece 33 even if the trolley 20 has low step-crossing performance due to constraints such as the size of the wheels 254.

Now, we will explain in more detail the patterns printed on sheet 31 and piece 33. Unit patterns of a predetermined size (e.g., 0.2 mm square) are arranged in a matrix on sheet 31 and piece 33. Each unit pattern is an image in which the coordinates of the position where the pattern is to be placed are encoded.

The sheet 31 and the piece 33 are assigned an area in the coordinate space in which the encoded coordinates can be expressed that corresponds to the size of the sheet 31 and the piece 33.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the allocation of regions to a coordinate space. In the example of Figure 8, the coordinate region assigned to the sheet 31 is different from the coordinate region assigned to the piece 33. In addition, consistent coordinate regions are assigned to the frame region 42 and the bottom of the recess 41 so that no discontinuity in coordinates occurs during running.

In the control system of this embodiment, the camera 24 of the cart 20 captures an image of a unit pattern printed on a sheet 31 or the like, and the cart 20 or the device control device 10 decodes the unit pattern to obtain coordinates. This allows the position of the cart 20 on the sheet 31 or the like to be recognized. The cart 20 or the device control device 10 also calculates the orientation of the cart 20 by detecting the orientation of the unit pattern in the image captured by the camera 24.

In this embodiment, by utilizing a pattern printed on the sheet 31, etc., the position of the cart 20 on the sheet 31, etc. can be recognized with high accuracy without using other devices such as a stereo camera.

Here, because the coordinate area assigned to sheet 31 and the coordinate area assigned to piece 33 are different, when cart 20 moves from sheet 31 onto piece 33, the resulting coordinates move discontinuously, which interferes with the control of cart 20. The operation of the control system to reduce the occurrence of this problem is described below.

Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the functions realized by the control system. Functionally, the control system includes a current position acquisition unit 51, a coordinate conversion unit 52, and a driving control unit 53. These functions are mainly realized by the processor 11 included in the device control device 10 executing a program stored in the memory unit 12 and controlling the trolley 20 via the communication unit 13. In addition, some of the functions such as the current position acquisition unit 51 are realized by the processor 21 included in the trolley 20 executing a program stored in the memory unit 22, exchanging data with the device control device 10 via the communication unit 23, and controlling the camera 24 and motor 25.

The current position acquisition unit 51 recognizes a pattern in which coordinates are encoded from the image captured by the camera 24, and detects the coordinates at which the trolley 20 is located and the orientation of the trolley 20 from the coordinates indicated by the pattern.

When the detected coordinates of the trolley 20 are not within the sheet 31, the coordinate conversion unit 52 converts the coordinates into coordinates based on the sheet 31 based on the conversion rules, and also converts the orientation based on the conversion rules.

The travel control unit 53 controls the operation of the trolley 20 based on the coordinates and orientation of the trolley 20.

The processing executed by this control system is described in more detail below. Figure 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of the processing executed by the control system.

First, the current position acquisition unit 51 acquires (detects) the current coordinates and orientation of the trolley 20 based on the pattern captured by the camera 24 of the trolley 20 (step S201).

Next, the coordinate conversion unit 52 determines whether the coordinates detected based on the pattern are coordinates on the sheet 31 (step S202). If the detected coordinates are coordinates on the sheet 31 (Y in step S202), the coordinates are not converted and the processing of the coordinate conversion unit 52 ends. On the other hand, if the coordinates are not on the sheet 31 (N in step S202), the coordinate conversion unit 52 identifies the piece 33 to which an area including the acquired coordinates is assigned (step S203).

Then, the coordinate conversion unit 52 determines whether the coordinate conversion rule has already been determined (step S204). For example, if the previously detected coordinates were coordinates on the sheet 31 and the currently detected coordinates are coordinates on the piece 33, the coordinate conversion unit 52 may determine that the coordinate conversion rule has not been determined.

If the coordinate conversion rule has not been determined (N in step S204), the coordinate conversion unit 52 determines a conversion rule for converting the coordinates on the piece 33 to coordinates on the sheet 31 based on the most recent coordinates on the sheet 31 and the current coordinates on the piece 33 (step S205). Note that if the coordinate conversion rule for this piece 33 has already been determined (Y in step S204), the processing of step S205 is skipped.

The determination of the conversion rule in step S205 will be further explained. In the following, it is assumed that the source coordinates are the last detected coordinates on the sheet 31, and the destination coordinates are the coordinates on the piece 33 that was first obtained. The coordinate conversion unit 52 calculates the predicted coordinates of the current position when it travels on the sheet 31 based on the position indicated by the source coordinates, the orientation of the cart 20, and the amount of rotation of the motor 25 from when the source coordinates are obtained to when the destination coordinates are obtained. The coordinate conversion unit 52 generates a conversion formula for the coordinates so that the position indicated by the predicted coordinates and the position indicated by the destination coordinates match, and reflects the inclination of the piece 33 with respect to the sheet 31 calculated based on the change in orientation from the orientation in the source coordinates to the orientation in the destination coordinates, and determines the conversion formula as the conversion rule.

Once the conversion rule has been determined, the coordinate conversion unit 52 converts the current coordinates into coordinates on the sheet 31 based on the determined conversion rule (step S206).

When the processing by the coordinate conversion unit 52 is completed, the driving control unit 53 controls the driving of the cart 20 based on the converted coordinates and orientation of the cart 20 (step S207).

By the process shown in FIG. 10, when the trolley 20 is on piece 33, the coordinate conversion unit 52 converts the coordinates on piece 33 acquired by the current position acquisition unit 51 into coordinates on sheet 31, and inputs the converted coordinates as coordinates used by the driving control unit 53 to control the movement of the trolley 20. This makes it possible for the driving control unit 53 to appropriately control the driving. For example, even when driving on piece 33, it becomes possible to control the movement of the trolley 20 taking into account other objects on sheet 31.

Here, the determination of the transformation rule in step S205 may be performed by other methods. For example, since the degree of freedom of the relative position and orientation of the piece 33 is limited due to the shape of the depression 41 and the piece 33, the coordinate conversion unit 52 may determine the transformation rule by selecting parameters of a transformation formula based on the source coordinates and the destination coordinates. For example, depending on which piece 33 the destination coordinates are assigned to, the coordinate conversion unit 52 may determine the coordinates of the reference position within the piece 33 as parameters of the transformation formula corresponding to the piece 33, and further detect the direction of the end of the piece 33 closest to the destination coordinates, and determine parameters of the transformation of the coordinates and orientation to eliminate the difference in the orientation in which the piece 33 is inserted based on the detected end.

8, a unified coordinate area is assigned to the bottom of the recess 41 and the frame area 42, but an area that is not continuous with the frame area 42 may be assigned to the bottom of the recess 41. In this case, when the coordinates read by the cart 20 are the coordinates of the bottom of the recess 41, the coordinate conversion unit 52 may convert the coordinates into coordinates on the sheet 31 by increasing or decreasing a fixed value for the coordinate values.

Claims (5)

A card having a number of patterns printed thereon, each of which is a coordinate-encoded image;
a restricting member for restricting a position where the card is placed;
a moving device having a moving part that runs on the card placed at a position regulated by the regulating member, and a camera that photographs a pattern printed on the card,
the coordinates indicate a location within the card of the image in which they are encoded ;
A movement of the moving device is controlled based on the coordinates of the moving device detected based on the photographed pattern.
Control system. 2. The control system of claim 1,
and controlling the movement of the moving device based on the orientation of the moving device detected based on the photographed pattern.
Control system. 3. The control system according to claim 1,
The card is assigned an area in a coordinate space, and the patterns are printed with coordinates that encode the coordinates of corresponding locations within the area.
Control system. 2. The control system of claim 1,
An image visible to a user is printed on the restricting member.
Control system. Cards,
a restricting member that restricts a position at which the card is placed,
The card has a plurality of patterns printed on its surface, the patterns being images in which coordinates indicating positions within the card are encoded;
A mobile device that photographs the pattern and moves according to the coordinates of the photographed pattern decoded can travel on the card placed at the position regulated by the regulating member.
Toy system.

Images