JP7620520B2 - MOBILE BODY CONTROL DEVICE, MOBILE BODY SYSTEM, MOBILE BODY CONTROL METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

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

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a technique for controlling an autonomously moving robot via a communication network.
The technology described in Patent Document 1 involves a moving object identifying whether or not to discontinue the autonomous control processing during the autonomous control processing of the moving object by using information related to the surroundings of the moving object acquired by an information acquisition unit, and if it determines not to continue the autonomous control processing as a result of the autonomous control identification processing, it notifies the terminal.
The technology described in Patent Document 2 involves a server calculating the position of the robot based on the installation position of a light-emitting element mounted on an autonomously moving robot, the installation position and orientation of a camera installed in the area the robot moves through, and image data of the robot captured by the camera when the light-emitting element emits light, and transmitting location information indicating that position to the robot.
The technology described in Patent Document 3 involves a platform communicating with a robot capable of autonomous movement that provides personal services in a service area, storing congestion history information that is information indicating the degree of congestion in the service area at each specified time in the past, generating congestion forecast information that is information predicting the degree of congestion at each specified time based on the congestion history information, and the robot setting itself to one of a number of operation modes that have different effects on the degree of congestion in the service area, which are selected depending on the current or future degree of congestion in the service area obtained from the congestion forecast information received from the platform.

JP 2021-064147 A JP 2020-194485 A JP 2019-000940 A

However, in the conventional technology described above, the robot itself needs to plan the next action adapted to the current situation and execute it autonomously. This requires the information processing device installed in the robot to have a certain level of information processing capability, which can be an obstacle to reducing the cost of the robot.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to reduce the cost of autonomously moving objects such as robots.

(1) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control device that controls a mobile body via a wireless communication network, comprising: an environmental map information storage unit that stores environmental map information related to an area in which the mobile body moves; a position identification unit that acquires position information indicating the position of the mobile body; a direction identification unit that acquires movement direction information indicating the movement direction of the mobile body; a surrounding environment recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding environment of the mobile body based on an image in which the surroundings of the mobile body are captured; and an action planning unit that plans an action for the mobile body based on route information indicating the route along which the mobile body will move, the environmental map information, the position information, the movement direction information, and the recognition results of the surrounding environment, and instructs the moving body to carry out the planned action.
(2) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control device as described above in (1), in which the operation planning unit adjusts the timing of instructing the mobile body to perform the planned operation via the wireless communication network based on the timing at which the planned operation should be executed by the mobile body, a communication delay between the mobile body and the mobile body, and a processing delay in the mobile body, so that the mobile body may execute the planned operation immediately upon receiving instruction information for the planned operation.
(3) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control device as described above in (2), wherein the operation planning unit retains actual historical data of communication delays when variable factors related to the communication delay are changed, calculates a predicted value of communication delay as the communication delay between the mobile body that is the target of the planned operation based on actual historical data corresponding to the variable factors related to the communication delay of the mobile body, retains actual historical data of processing delays when variable factors related to the processing delay are changed, and calculates a predicted value of processing delay as the processing delay at the mobile body that is the target of the planned operation based on actual historical data corresponding to the variable factors related to the processing delay of the mobile body.
(4) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control device according to any of (1) to (3) above, further comprising a beam reachability storage unit that stores beam reachability information indicating the reachability of each beam of a base station performing beamforming in the wireless communication network, and a beam scanning unit that issues a beam switching request to the base station to switch the beam direction, wherein the position determination unit determines the position of the mobile body based on the reachability of the beam received by the mobile body.
(5) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control device of any of (1) to (4) above, in which the position identification unit identifies the position of the mobile body using a Visual Positioning Service (VPS) based on three-dimensional environmental map information and an image of the area around the mobile body.
(6) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control device of any of (1) to (5) above, further comprising a leading determination unit that determines a leading mobile body for a plurality of mobile bodies moving in formation based on route information indicating a route along which the plurality of mobile bodies will move and the position information of each of the mobile bodies, and a QOS control unit that issues a wireless resource priority allocation request to a base station of the wireless communication network so that wireless resources are allocated preferentially to the wireless communication performed by the leading mobile body.
(7) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control device of any of (1) to (6) above, wherein the mobile body control device is provided in a base station of the wireless communication network, in a accommodating station that accommodates a base station having an antenna for providing a wireless communication connection in an area in which the mobile body moves.

(8) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body system comprising a mobile body control device according to any one of (1) to (7) above, and a mobile body that communicates with the mobile body control device via a wireless communication network, the mobile body having an operation control unit that controls the operation of the mobile body according to a planned operation instructed by the mobile body control device.

(9) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile operation system comprising a mobile control device according to any one of (1) to (7) above and a mobile operation management device, the mobile operation management device comprising: a beamforming-compatible base station information storage unit that stores beamforming-compatible base station information indicating the placement of base stations having a beamforming function in a wireless communication network; and a route search unit that, based on the beamforming-compatible base station information, preferentially searches for a route that passes through the communication area of a base station having a beamforming function as a route for a mobile unit to travel,
(10) One aspect of the present invention is the mobile object operation system of (9) above, wherein the mobile object is a mobile object that performs delivery, and the route search unit searches for a delivery route for the mobile object.

(11) One aspect of the present invention is a mobile body control method executed by a mobile body control device that controls a mobile body via a wireless communication network, the mobile body control method including a step in which the mobile body control device stores environmental map information related to an area in which the mobile body moves in an environmental map information storage unit, a position identification step in which the mobile body control device acquires position information indicating the position of the mobile body, a direction identification step in which the mobile body control device acquires movement direction information indicating the movement direction of the mobile body, a surrounding environment recognition step in which the mobile body control device recognizes the surrounding environment of the mobile body based on an image in which the periphery of the mobile body is captured, and an action planning step in which the mobile body control device plans an action for the mobile body based on route information indicating the route along which the mobile body will move, the environmental map information, the position information, the movement direction information, and the recognition result of the surrounding environment, and instructs the mobile body to carry out the planned action.

(12) One aspect of the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer of a mobile body control device that controls a mobile body via a wireless communication network to execute the steps of: storing environmental map information relating to an area in which the mobile body moves in an environmental map information storage unit; acquiring position information indicating the position of the mobile body; acquiring movement direction information indicating the movement direction of the mobile body; recognizing a surrounding environment of the mobile body based on an image of the periphery of the mobile body; and planning an action for the mobile body based on route information indicating the route along which the mobile body will move, the environmental map information, the position information, the movement direction information, and the recognition result of the surrounding environment, and instructing the mobile body to carry out the planned action.

The present invention has the effect of reducing the cost of autonomously moving robots and other mobile objects.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a relationship between a moving robot and a beam ID according to an embodiment. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure of a mobile robot 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 one embodiment. In FIG. 1, mobile robots 2 and 3 communicate with a robot control device 4 via a wireless communication network. The mobile robots 2 and 3 are examples of mobile bodies. The robot control device 4 controls the mobile robots 2 and 3 via the wireless communication network. The robot control device 4 instructs the mobile robots 2 and 3 to perform planned operations (planned operations). The mobile robots 2 and 3 execute the planned operations instructed by the robot control device 4.

As an example of this embodiment, the mobile robots 2 and 3 form a group of robots that move in a convoy, with the mobile robot 2 at the front of the convoy and the mobile robot 3 following the leading mobile robot 2. In one convoy, there may be one or more following mobile robots 3. In the delivery service system, the mobile robots 2 and 3 are smaller than general delivery vehicles and can carry a smaller amount of goods. Therefore, by having multiple mobile robots 2 and 3 make deliveries in a convoy, the amount of goods that can be delivered in one delivery can be increased.

As another example of this embodiment, the mobile robots 2 may move independently without forming a formation.

The robot operation management device 5 monitors the operation of the mobile robots 2 and 3 and provides route information indicating the route to the destination. The robot control device 4 and the robot operation management device 5 exchange information via communication. The robot control device 4 and the robot operation management device 5 constitute a robot operation system.

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 robots 2 and 3 are robots capable of autonomous travel. The mobile robots 2 and 3 have almost the same configuration. The mobile robot 2 includes a wireless communication unit 201, a beam identification information (beam ID) acquisition unit 202, an angle acquisition unit 203, an imaging unit 204, and an operation control unit 205. The mobile robot 3 includes a wireless communication unit 301, a beam ID acquisition unit 302, an angle acquisition unit 303, and an operation control unit 305.

In the following explanation, parts common to mobile robots 2 and 3 will be explained using mobile robot 2 as a representative, and the corresponding symbols for mobile robot 3 will be written in parentheses.

The wireless communication unit 201 (301) performs wireless communication with the robot control device 4. The wireless communication unit 201 (301) 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 beam ID acquisition unit 202 (302) acquires a beam ID from a base station with which the wireless communication unit 201 (301) establishes a wireless communication connection. The base station in question is a base station that performs beamforming in a wireless communication network. When using a high frequency band in which radio waves do not easily travel long distances, base stations such as 5G perform beamforming. In beamforming, a beam with concentrated output is formed by narrowing the irradiation range of the radio waves, and the beam is transmitted while switching rapidly between multiple different beam directions. This increases the reach of the radio waves and forms the communication range of the base station. Each beam direction has its own individual ID (beam ID). The beam ID acquisition unit 202 (302) acquires the beam ID of the beam received by the wireless communication unit 201 (301).

The relationship between the mobile robot and the beam ID according to this embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the mobile robot and the beam ID according to this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the leading mobile robot 2 and the two following mobile robots 3-1 and 3-2 move in formation on the route RT. The route RT is a route from the starting point SP to the destination EP. Four base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 are placed in an area including the route RT along which the mobile robots 2, 3-1, and 3-2 move. Each of the base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 has an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves to form its own communication range. The wireless communication unit 201 of the mobile robot 2 and the wireless communication unit 301 of the mobile robots 3-1 and 3-2 perform wireless communication by transmitting and receiving radio waves to and from each of the base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 on the route RT.

Figure 2 shows an example of beamforming performed by base station 6-3. In the beamforming performed by base station 6-3, a total of five beams BM with beam IDs of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are formed. The beam directions of the beams BM with beam IDs "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5" are set to different directions. Base station 6-3 transmits beams BM with beam IDs "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5" while switching between them at high speed.

In the mobile robot 2, the beam ID acquisition unit 202 acquires the beam ID of the beam BM received by the wireless communication unit 201 from the base station 6-3. If the beam ID acquired by the beam ID acquisition unit 202 is, for example, "5", the mobile robot 2 is present within the reach of the beam BM with beam ID "5". Therefore, the position of the mobile robot 2 can be identified by the beam ID acquired by the mobile robot 2.

Similarly, in the mobile robot 3-1, the beam ID acquisition unit 302 acquires the beam ID of the beam BM received by the wireless communication unit 301 from the base station 6-3. If the beam ID acquired by the beam ID acquisition unit 302 is, for example, "4", the mobile robot 3-1 is present within the reach of the beam BM with beam ID "4". Therefore, the position of the mobile robot 3-1 can be identified by the beam ID acquired by the mobile robot 3-1.

Similarly, in the mobile robot 3-2, the beam ID acquisition unit 302 acquires the beam ID of the beam BM received by the wireless communication unit 301 from the base station 6-3. If the beam ID acquired by the beam ID acquisition unit 302 is, for example, "3", the mobile robot 3-2 is present within the reach of the beam BM with beam ID "3". Therefore, the position of the mobile robot 3-2 can be identified by the beam ID acquired by the mobile robot 3-2.

Returning to FIG.
The angle acquisition unit 203 (303) acquires angle data from an acceleration sensor provided in the mobile robot 2 (3). The angle data acquired by the angle acquisition unit 203 (303) is movement direction information indicating the movement direction of the mobile robot 2 (3).

The imaging unit 204 captures images of the surroundings of the mobile robot 2. For example, the imaging unit 204 captures images of the direction in which the mobile robot 2 is moving.

In the mobile robot 2, the wireless communication unit 201 transmits the beam ID acquired by the beam ID acquisition unit 202, the angle data acquired by the angle acquisition unit 203, and the captured image captured by the imaging unit 204 to the robot control device 4. In the mobile robot 3, the wireless communication unit 301 transmits the beam ID acquired by the beam ID acquisition unit 302 and the angle data acquired by the angle acquisition unit 303 to the robot control device 4.

The mobile robot 2 may be equipped with a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) device and may use LiDAR technology to measure distances to objects present around the mobile robot 2 (e.g., in the direction of travel). The wireless communication unit 201 may transmit measurement data measured using LiDAR technology to the robot control device 4.

The motion control unit 205 (305) controls the motion of its own mobile robot 2 (3) in accordance with the planned motion instructed by the robot control device 4. In the mobile robot 2, the motion control unit 205 controls the running type and running speed of the mobile robot 2, such as moving forward, backward, and turning right or left, as well as the type of motion other than running, such as changing the imaging direction of the imaging unit 204. In the mobile robot 3, the motion control unit 305 controls the running type and running speed of the mobile robot 3, such as moving forward, backward, and turning right or left. As a result, the mobile robots 2 and 3 execute the planned motion instructed for each by the robot control device 4.

The mobile robot 2(3) according to this embodiment executes planned operations instructed by the robot control device 4. Therefore, the mobile robot 2(3) does not need to plan and autonomously execute the next operation adapted to the current situation. This makes it possible to keep the information processing capacity of the information processing device mounted on the mobile robot 2(3) low. This has the effect of reducing the cost of the mobile robot 2(3).

Mobile robot 3 moves by following behind mobile robot 2, which is at the front of the procession. For this reason, mobile robot 3 is not equipped with an imaging unit that captures images of the surroundings in the direction of travel, etc., or a LiDAR device that measures the surroundings. This has the effect of further reducing the costs of mobile robot 3.

In addition, multiple mobile robots 2 may move in formation.

The mobile robots 2 and 3 may also be configured to autonomously execute only those actions that require particular urgency using a simple processing flow (a processing flow that can be executed even with low information processing capabilities). For example, the mobile robots 2 and 3 may autonomously execute a simple processing flow that determines a collision based on the sensing results of their own collision sensors and stops.

[Robot control device]
The robot control device 4 includes an environmental map information storage unit 401, a beam scanning unit 402, a beam reachable range storage unit 403, a position identification unit 404, a direction identification unit 405, a route information storage unit 406, a surrounding environment recognition unit 407, an operation planning unit 408, a head judgment unit 409, and a QOS control unit 410.

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

The environmental map information storage unit 401 stores environmental map information for the area covered by the robot control device 4 (the area including the area in which the mobile robots 2 and 3 move). The environmental map information includes road map data and associated facility data such as various facilities and stores.

The road map data is provided as link data in which, for example, 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 robots 2 and 3 can travel on.

The environmental map information may further include indoor map data. The environmental map information may also be three-dimensional map information (3D map).

The beam scanning unit 402 issues a beam switching request to the base station to switch the beam direction. The base station switches the beam direction in response to the beam switching request. For example, in FIG. 2, base station 6-3 transmits beam BMs with beam IDs "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5" at high speed in response to the beam switching request.

The beam reach storage unit 403 stores beam reach information indicating the reach of each beam of a base station performing beamforming in a wireless communication network. For example, for each beam BM (beam IDs "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5") of base station 6-3 shown in FIG. 2, each beam ID "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5" is associated with the reach of the corresponding beam BM and stored in the beam reach information.

The position identification unit 404 acquires position information indicating the position of the mobile robot 2 (3).
An example of a method for acquiring position information will be described. The position identification unit 404 identifies the position of the mobile robot 2 (3) based on the reach of a beam received by the mobile robot 2 (3). Using a beam ID transmitted from the mobile robot 2 (3) to the robot control device 4, the position identification unit 404 acquires the reach associated with the beam ID from the beam reach information in the beam reach storage unit 403 as the reach of the beam received by the mobile robot 2 (3).

The position identification unit 404, for example, uses the beam scanning unit 402 to quickly switch the beam to all beam directions for the base station. The beam ID acquired by the mobile robot 2 (3) by switching the beam direction is transmitted from the mobile robot 2 (3) and received by the robot control device 4. The position identification unit 404 uses the received beam ID to acquire the reach range corresponding to the beam ID from the beam reach range information in the beam reach range storage unit 403. The position identification unit 404 identifies the position of the mobile robot 2 (3) from the acquired reach range. For example, the position identification unit 404 determines the representative position (e.g., the center position) of the acquired reach range as the position of the mobile robot 2 (3).

It should be noted that other methods may be used as the method for acquiring the location information.
For example, the mobile robot 2(3) may have a GPS positioning function, and position information indicating the position acquired by the GPS may be transmitted from the mobile robot 2(3) to the robot control device 4. For example, the position identification unit 404 may identify the position of the mobile robot 2(3) using a Visual Positioning Service (VPS) based on a 3D map stored in the environmental map information storage unit 401 and a captured image of the periphery of the mobile robot 2(3). The VPS makes it possible to obtain highly accurate position information.

The position identification unit 404 may also identify the positions of the mobile robots 2 and 3 by combining the results of multiple position information acquisition methods.

The direction identification unit 405 acquires movement direction information indicating the movement direction of the moving robot 2 (3). The direction identification unit 405 acquires the angle data received by the robot control device 4 from the moving robot 2 (3) as movement direction information of the moving robot 2 (3).

The route information storage unit 406 stores route information indicating the route along which the mobile robot 2 (3) moves. For example, route information indicating the route RT along which the mobile robots 2, 3-1, and 3-2 shown in FIG. 2 move in formation is stored in the route information storage unit 406. The route information is provided by the robot operation management device 5.

The surrounding environment recognition unit 407 recognizes the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 2 (3) based on the captured image of the surroundings of the mobile robot 2 (3). The surrounding environment recognition unit 407 acquires the captured image received by the robot control device 4 from the mobile robot 2 as an image of the surroundings of the mobile robot 2. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, when the mobile robots 2, 3-1, 3-2 move in a formation, the robot control device 4 acquires the captured image received from the leading mobile robot 2 as an image of the surroundings of the mobile robots 2, 3-1, 3-2 in the formation.

The surrounding environment recognition unit 407 recognizes non-fixed obstacles such as people, bicycles, and automobiles as the surrounding environment of the mobile robot 2 (3). Fixed obstacles such as buildings and signs are shown in the environmental map information in the environmental map information storage unit 401.

The motion planning unit 408 plans motion for the mobile robot 2 (3) based on the route information in the route information storage unit 406, the environmental map information in the environmental map information storage unit 401, the position information acquired by the position identification unit 404, the movement direction information acquired by the direction identification unit 405, and the recognition results of the surrounding environment by the surrounding environment recognition unit 407, and instructs the planned motion.

For example, for the mobile robots 2, 3-1, and 3-2 shown in FIG. 2, if an obstacle is present in front of the position indicated in the position information in the direction of movement indicated in the movement direction information on the route RT indicated in the route information, the motion planning unit 408 plans the motion so that the robot moves along a route that avoids the obstacle at a specified obstacle avoidance speed.

The motion planning unit 408 instructs the mobile robot 2 (3) to execute the planned motion via wireless communication. This planned motion instruction information is transmitted from the robot control device 4 to the mobile robot 2 (3) via a wireless communication network.

For example, the motion planning unit 408 may include execution time information indicating the time when the planned motion should be executed in the planned motion instruction information. In the mobile robot 2 (3), the motion control unit 205 (305) performs control so that the planned motion of the planned motion instruction information is executed at the time indicated in the execution time information of the planned motion instruction information.

For example, the action planning unit 408 may adjust the timing of instructing the mobile robot 2(3) to perform a planned action via a wireless communication network based on the timing at which the planned action should be executed by the mobile robot 2(3), a communication delay between the mobile robot 2(3) and the mobile robot 2(3), and a processing delay in the mobile robot 2(3), so that the mobile robot 2(3) may execute the planned action of the planned action instruction information immediately upon receiving the planned action instruction information. This allows the action control unit 205(305) in the mobile robot 2(3) to perform control so that the planned action of the planned action instruction information is executed immediately upon receiving the planned action instruction information.
The operation planning unit 408 holds historical data on communication delays when variable factors related to communication delays are changed, and calculates a predicted value of communication delay between the mobile robot 2 (3) that is the target of the planned operation, based on historical data on communication delays corresponding to the variable factors related to communication delays of the mobile robot 2 (3). Variable factors related to communication delays include, for example, the communication method, the configuration and parameters of the base station (e.g., the optical fiber length between the storage station and the base station, the up/down time ratio, etc.), and communication congestion.
The operation planning unit 408 also holds historical data on actual processing delays when variable factors related to processing delays are changed, and calculates a predicted value of the processing delay in the mobile robot 2 (3) that is the target of the planned operation based on historical data on actual processing delays corresponding to the variable factors related to the processing delay of the mobile robot 2 (3). Examples of variable factors related to processing delays include the model of the mobile robot 2 (3) and the content of the next operation to be performed.

The leader determination unit 409 determines which moving robot 2 is at the front of a group of moving robots 2, 3 based on route information indicating the route along which the moving robots 2, 3 will move and on the position information of each moving robot 2, 3.
For example, for the moving robots 2, 3-1, and 3-2 shown in FIG. 2, the leading determination unit 409 determines which moving robot is moving at the front based on the route information indicating the route RT and the position information of each of the moving robots 2, 3-1, and 3-2.

When multiple mobile robots 2, 3 move in a formation, the leading mobile robot 2 is required to act more quickly than the following mobile robots 3 in the formation, for example to detect unknown obstacles or to deal with a person suddenly appearing. Therefore, it is preferable to perform motion control with less delay on the leading mobile robot 2. For this reason, the leading mobile robot 2 is judged by the leading judgment unit 409.

The QOS control unit 410 issues a wireless resource priority allocation request to the base station of the wireless communication network, based on the result of the judgment of the leading mobile robot 2 by the leading judgment unit 409, so that wireless resources are preferentially allocated to the wireless communication performed by the leading mobile robot 2. In response to the wireless resource priority allocation request, the base station preferentially allocates wireless resources to the wireless communication performed by the mobile robot 2 specified in the wireless resource priority allocation request. This realizes low-latency communication for the mobile robot 2 moving at the front.

[Robot operation management device]
The robot operation management device 5 includes an operation monitoring unit 501, an order information storage unit 502, a destination acquisition unit 503, an overall map information storage unit 504, a robot wireless equipment information storage unit 505, a beamforming-compatible base station information storage unit 506, a route search unit 507, and a route distribution unit 508.

The functions of the robot operation management device 5 are realized by the robot operation management device 5 being equipped with computer hardware such as a CPU and memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory. The robot operation management device 5 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device.

The operation monitoring unit 501 monitors the operation of the mobile robot 2 (3). The operation monitoring unit 501 receives real-time position information and status information (e.g., the recognition results of the surrounding environment) of the mobile robot 2 (3) from the robot control device 4. The operation monitoring unit 501 associates the received information with information that identifies the individual mobile robot 2 (3) (mobile robot ID) and performs operation monitoring. The operation monitoring unit 501 may also monitor whether the robot control device 4 is operating normally.

The order information storage unit 502 receives order information for ordering products from the user terminal 1 and stores the received order information. The order information storage unit 502 works in conjunction with a purchasing system (not shown) to process purchases and formulate a product delivery plan. The order information storage unit 502 stores scheduled delivery information such as the departure point, destination, and time period for the mobile robot 2 (3) to deliver the products according to the formulated product delivery plan.

The destination acquisition unit 503 acquires destination information from the order information or scheduled delivery information stored in the order information storage unit 502.

The overall map information storage unit 504 stores overall map information. The overall map information includes nationwide road map data and associated facility data such as various facilities and stores.

The robot wireless device information storage unit 505 stores information about the wireless device provided in the wireless communication unit 201 (301) of the mobile robot 2 (3). Information about the wireless device is, for example, information about the wireless communication method and wireless frequency band supported by the wireless device.

The beamforming-compatible base station information storage unit 506 stores beamforming-compatible base station information indicating the arrangement of base stations having a beamforming function in a wireless communication network. For example, if all base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 shown in FIG. 2 have a beamforming function, the arrangement of all base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 is indicated by the beamforming-compatible base station information. On the other hand, if only some of the base stations 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4 shown in FIG. 2 have a beamforming function, the arrangement of only those some base stations is indicated by the beamforming-compatible base station information.

The route search unit 507 searches for a route from the starting point SP to the destination point of the mobile robot 2 (3) using the overall map information in the overall map information storage unit 504. For example, the route search unit 507 searches for a route from the starting point SP to the destination point EP of the mobile robots 2, 3-1, and 3-2 shown in FIG. 2.

The destination of the mobile robot 2(3) is the location indicated by the destination information acquired by the destination acquisition unit 503. The starting point of the mobile robot 2(3) 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(3). In addition, when the mobile robot 2(3) is transported to the vicinity of the destination by a vehicle, the location of the transport destination of the mobile robot 2(3) is set in advance as the starting point of the mobile robot 2(3).

The route search unit 507 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 route search using the Dijkstra algorithm as an example of a route search method.

The route search unit 507 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 (3) to travel safely along those links.

For example, if the mobile robots 2(3) are classified according to size, structure, etc., it may be difficult for some types of mobile robots 2(3) to overcome steps on the road. For this reason, when searching for a route for that type of mobile robot 2(3), weighting may be applied to increase the cost of links on roads that have steps.

For example, if the mobile robots 2 (3) are classified according to the wireless communication methods and wireless frequency bands that they can use, it is conceivable that there will be variations in the quality of wireless communication in the area in which the mobile robots 2 (3) move, depending on the type of mobile robot 2 (3). For this reason, when searching for a route for that type of mobile robot 2 (3), weighting may be applied so that the cost is increased for links of roads where the wireless communication quality is likely to deteriorate.

Furthermore, the route search unit 507 may preferentially search for a route that passes through the communication area of a base station having a beam forming function as a route for the mobile robot 2 (3) to travel, based on the beam forming-compatible base station information in the beam forming-compatible base station information storage unit 506. In this case, the route search unit 507 weights, among the roads present within the route search range, the links of the roads that pass through the communication area of the base station having a beam forming function so as to reduce the cost.
When the position determination unit 404 in the robot control device 4 determines the position of the mobile robot 2(3) based on the range of a beam received by the mobile robot 2(3), it is preferable that the path of the mobile robot 2(3) passes through the communication area of a base station having a beamforming function.

The route distribution unit 508 transmits route information indicating the route searched by the route search unit 507 to the robot control device 4. The robot control device 4 stores the route information transmitted from the route distribution unit 508 in the route information storage unit 406.

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

(Step S1) The robot operation management device 5 acquires the starting point and destination.

(Step S2) The robot operation management device 5 searches for a route from the starting point obtained in step S1 to the destination. The robot operation management device 5 transmits route information indicating the route resulting from the search to the robot control device 4.

(Step S3) The robot control device 4 acquires information about the mobile robot 2 (3) (position information, movement direction information, recognition results of the surrounding environment, etc.).

(Step S4) The robot control device 4 plans an operation for the mobile robot 2 (3) based on the route information, the environmental map information, and the information acquired in step S3.

(Step S5) The robot control device 4 instructs the mobile robot 2 (3) to carry out the planned operation planned in step S4. The mobile robot 2 (3) executes the planned operation instructed by the robot control device 4.

(Step S6) If robot control is to end, the process in FIG. 3 ends. If robot 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 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 robot control device 4 is provided in the accommodation station device 22. At least one of the multiple station devices 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-p accommodated in the accommodation station device 22 has an antenna for providing a wireless communication connection in the area in which the mobile robot 2 (3) moves. This is to minimize communication delays between the mobile robot 2 (3) and the robot control device 4. In this embodiment, the mobile robot 2 (3) executes planned operations instructed by the robot control device 4, eliminating the need for the mobile robot 2 (3) to plan and autonomously execute the next operation adapted to the current situation. For this reason, it is preferable to minimize communication delays between the mobile robot 2 (3) and the robot control device 4.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the robot operation management device 5 is provided in the central station device 20. This is to provide a common robot operation management device 5 for multiple robot control devices 4 provided in each of multiple accommodation station devices 22 accommodated by the central station device 20. Note that when the robot operation management device 5 accommodates only one robot control device 4, the robot control device 4 and the robot operation management device 5 may be provided in the same accommodation station device 22.

The above-described embodiment has the effect of reducing the cost of the mobile robot 2 (3).

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 addition, in the above-described embodiment, a mobile robot is given as an example of a mobile body, but this is not limited to this. A vehicle that performs automatic driving (automatic driving vehicle) or the like may also be applied as a mobile body.

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, 3...mobile robot, 4...robot control device, 5...robot operation management device, 20...aggregation station device, 22...accommodation station device (base station), 6-1, 6-2, ..., 6-p...base station device (base station), 201, 301...wireless communication unit, 202, 302...beam ID acquisition unit, 203, 303...angle acquisition unit, 204...imaging unit, 205, 305...operation control unit, 401...environmental map information storage unit, 402...beam scanning unit, 403...beam Reachable range storage unit, 404...position identification unit, 405...direction identification unit, 406...route information storage unit, 407...surrounding environment recognition unit, 408...operation planning unit, 409...leading determination unit, 410...QOS control unit, 501...operation monitoring unit, 502...order information storage unit, 503...destination acquisition unit, 504...overall map information storage unit, 505...robot wireless device information storage unit, 506...beamforming compatible base station information storage unit, 507...route search unit, 508...route distribution unit

Claims (5)

A mobile object control device for controlling a mobile object via a wireless communication network,
an environment map information storage unit for storing environment map information relating to an area in which the moving object moves;
a position identification unit that acquires position information indicating a position of the moving object;
a direction identification unit that acquires moving direction information indicating a moving direction of the moving object;
a surrounding environment recognition unit that recognizes a surrounding environment of the moving object based on a captured image of the surroundings of the moving object;
an action planning unit that plans an action for the moving object based on route information indicating a route that the moving object will take, the environmental map information, the position information, the moving direction information, and a result of the recognition of the surrounding environment, and instructs the planned action;
Equipped with
the operation planning unit adjusts a timing of instructing the mobile body to perform the planned operation via the wireless communication network based on a timing at which the planned operation should be performed by the mobile body, a communication delay between the mobile body and the mobile body, and a processing delay in the mobile body, so that the mobile body may immediately perform the planned operation upon receiving instruction information for the planned operation.
Mobile control device. The motion planning unit is
retaining actual historical data of communication delays when variable factors related to the communication delays are changed, and calculating a predicted value of communication delay as a communication delay between the mobile unit and the mobile unit that is the target of the planned operation based on the actual historical data corresponding to the variable factors related to the communication delay of the mobile unit;
retaining actual history data of the processing delay when a variable factor related to the processing delay is changed, and calculating a predicted value of the processing delay as the processing delay in the mobile object that is the target of the planned operation based on the actual history data corresponding to the variable factor related to the processing delay of the mobile object;
The mobile object control device according to claim 1 . A mobile object control device according to claim 1 or 2 ,
a mobile object that communicates with the mobile object control device via a wireless communication network;
The moving body includes an operation control unit that controls an operation of the moving body according to a planned operation instructed by the moving body control device.
Mobile systems. A mobile object control method executed by a mobile object control device that controls a mobile object via a wireless communication network, comprising:
a step of the mobile object control device storing, in an environment map information storage unit, environment map information relating to an area in which the mobile object moves;
a position specifying step in which the mobile object control device acquires position information indicating a position of the mobile object;
a direction specifying step in which the mobile object control device acquires moving direction information indicating a moving direction of the mobile object;
a surrounding environment recognition step in which the mobile object control device recognizes a surrounding environment of the mobile object based on a captured image of the surroundings of the mobile object;
an action planning step in which the mobile object control device plans an action for the mobile object based on route information indicating a route along which the mobile object will move, the environmental map information, the position information, the moving direction information, and a result of the recognition of the surrounding environment, and instructs the mobile object to execute the planned action;
Including,
The operation planning step adjusts a timing of instructing the mobile body to perform the planned operation via the wireless communication network based on a timing at which the planned operation should be performed by the mobile body, a communication delay between the mobile body and the mobile body, and a processing delay in the mobile body, so that the mobile body may immediately perform the planned operation upon receiving instruction information for the planned operation.
A method for controlling a moving object. A computer of a mobile object control device that controls a mobile object via a wireless communication network
storing environmental map information relating to an area in which the moving object moves in an environmental map information storage unit;
a position identification step of acquiring position information indicating a position of the moving object;
a direction specifying step of acquiring moving direction information indicating a moving direction of the moving object;
a surrounding environment recognition step of recognizing a surrounding environment of the moving body based on a captured image of the surroundings of the moving body;
an action planning step of planning an action for the moving object based on route information indicating a route that the moving object will take, the environmental map information, the position information, the moving direction information, and a result of the recognition of the surrounding environment, and instructing the planned action;
Run the command ,
The operation planning step adjusts a timing of instructing the mobile body to perform the planned operation via the wireless communication network based on a timing at which the planned operation should be performed by the mobile body, a communication delay between the mobile body and the mobile body, and a processing delay in the mobile body, so that the mobile body may immediately perform the planned operation upon receiving instruction information for the planned operation.
Computer program.

Images