JP7740035B2 - Transport robot and control method - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a transport robot and a control method.

Robots that transport objects in production sites have been developed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2021-20301 (Patent Document 1) discloses a robot that moves an object from each of a plurality of first possible placement locations to each of a plurality of second possible placement locations.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-20301 Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 05-35647

In recent years, production sites may include processes in which people (workers) and machines such as robots work together. In such processes, there may be cases where an object placed by a worker needs to be transported. The position and orientation of an object placed by a worker is not constant. As a result, there is a possibility that the robot may fail to transport the object.

This disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a transport robot and control method that can reduce the frequency of failures in transporting objects.

According to one example of the present disclosure, a transport robot performs a target action that is at least one of retrieving an object placed at a designated location and distributing the object in a stacked manner at the designated location. The transport robot includes an autonomous mobile robot, a gripper mounted on the autonomous mobile robot for gripping the object, a distance sensor mounted on the autonomous mobile robot, a rotation mechanism that rotates the distance sensor and the gripper about a first rotation axis provided on the autonomous mobile robot, and one or more control devices that control the autonomous mobile robot and the rotation mechanism. The one or more control devices perform first to fourth steps. The first step is a step of controlling the autonomous mobile robot to move to a target position and orientation corresponding to the designated location. The second step is a step of controlling the rotation mechanism to rotate the distance sensor in response to the autonomous mobile robot moving to the target position and orientation. The third step is a step of detecting the position and orientation of an object present at the designated location based on a change in the distance measured by the distance sensor due to the rotation angle and the shape of the object. The fourth step is to adjust the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of the gripper according to the detected position and orientation of the object so that the gripper can perform the target action.

According to this disclosure, the change in the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor due to the rotation angle depends on the position and orientation of the object. Therefore, the position and orientation of the object are detected with high accuracy based on the change in the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor due to the rotation angle and the shape of the object. Then, depending on the detection result of the position and orientation of the object, the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of the gripper are adjusted so that the gripper can grip the object. This reduces the frequency of failures in transporting objects.

In the above disclosure, the step of detecting the position and orientation of the object is performed using parameters for defining the position of the distance measurement sensor relative to the first rotation axis. The one or more control devices further perform the step of acquiring a change in the measured distance of the distance measurement sensor due to the rotation angle for an object whose position and orientation relative to the first rotation axis is known, and determining the parameters based on the acquired change.

The above disclosure makes it possible to accurately detect the position and orientation of an object regardless of individual differences in the mounting position of the distance measurement sensor on the transport robot.

In the above disclosure, the transport robot further includes a parallel link mechanism that translates the gripper. The rotation mechanism rotates the parallel link mechanism together with the gripper about the first rotation axis. The adjusting step includes the steps of: adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot so that the gripper is positioned on a reference plane that includes a vertical reference line passing through the center of the object present at the designated location and is parallel to a predetermined direction relative to the object present at the designated location; and adjusting the attitude of the gripper so that the direction of translational movement is parallel to the reference plane.

According to the above disclosure, it is possible to transport objects using a parallel link mechanism that has a simpler configuration than, for example, an articulated robot, and to reduce the frequency of failures in transporting objects.

In the above disclosure, the transport robot further includes a platform provided on the autonomous mobile robot on which an object is placed. The one or more control devices further execute a fifth step. The fifth step is a step of controlling the gripper, the rotation mechanism, and the parallel link mechanism to move the object from a designated location onto the platform.

According to the above disclosure, the transport robot can travel with an object placed on the platform. This prevents the object from falling.

In the above disclosure, objects can be stacked at a designated location. The transport robot further includes a lifting mechanism that raises and lowers the distance measurement sensor and the gripper. One or more control devices further execute steps five to seven. The fifth step is a step of controlling the lifting mechanism to raise and lower the distance measurement sensor. The sixth step is a step of detecting the number of stacked objects present at the designated location based on a change in the measured distance of the distance measurement sensor due to the height of the distance measurement sensor. The seventh step is a step of determining the number of objects to be moved to the loading platform based on the number of stacked objects and the number of objects present on the loading platform. The fifth step above includes a step of controlling the gripper, rotation mechanism, parallel link mechanism, and lifting mechanism to move the determined number of objects from the designated location onto the loading platform.

According to the above disclosure, the number of items that can be transported is automatically determined, and only that determined number can be transported.

In the above disclosure, the transport robot further includes a platform provided on the autonomous mobile robot on which an object is placed, and a position sensor that detects the relative positional relationship between the platform and the gripper. The one or more control devices further execute a step of permitting the autonomous mobile robot to travel in response to the relative positional relationship detected by the position sensor being the reference relationship.

According to the above disclosure, the autonomous mobile robot moves only when the relative positional relationship between the platform and the gripper is in a reference relationship. This prevents the gripper, whose relative positional relationship with the platform is not in a reference relationship, from colliding with surrounding objects (including people) while moving.

In the above disclosure, the object has a first side and a second side behind the first side. The first side and the second side have different characteristics. The transport robot further includes a camera mounted on the autonomous mobile robot for capturing images of the object. The one or more control devices further perform the steps of determining, based on the image capture results by the camera, which of the first side and the second side of the object present at the designated location faces the gripper, and outputting a notification that the orientation of the object present at the designated location is abnormal in response to determining that the second side faces the gripper. According to the above disclosure, the worker can recognize abnormalities in the orientation of the object placed at the designated location.

In the above disclosure, the object has a first side and a second side behind the first side. The first side and the second side have different characteristics. The transport robot further includes a camera mounted on the autonomous mobile robot for capturing an image of the object, and an inversion mechanism for rotating the object 180 degrees around a second rotation axis along the vertical direction. The one or more control devices further perform the steps of determining, based on the image captured by the camera, which of the first side and the second side of the object present at the specified location faces the gripper, and operating the inversion mechanism in response to determining that the second side faces the gripper.

According to the above disclosure, even if a worker places an object in a designated location in a different orientation than normal, the transport robot will automatically align the object's orientation.

In the above disclosure, the object is a container that stores the target object. The transport robot further includes a measuring instrument that measures the weight of the object while the gripper is gripping the object. The one or more control devices further perform the steps of monitoring the measurement results by the measuring instrument and, when the amount of variation in the measurement results exceeds a threshold, notifying that the target object has fallen.

The above disclosure allows workers to immediately recognize when an object has fallen from a container.

According to another example of the present disclosure, a control method executes a target action that is at least one of retrieving an object placed at a designated location and distributing objects in a stack at the designated location. The transport robot includes an autonomous mobile robot, a gripper mounted on the autonomous mobile robot for gripping the object, a distance sensor mounted on the autonomous mobile robot, and a rotation mechanism that rotates the distance sensor and gripper about a first rotation axis provided on the autonomous mobile robot. The control method includes first to fourth steps. The first step is a step of controlling the autonomous mobile robot to move to a target position and orientation for gripping the object placed at the designated location. The second step is a step of controlling the rotation mechanism to rotate the distance sensor in response to the autonomous mobile robot moving to the target position and orientation. The third step is a step of detecting the position and orientation of an object present at the designated location based on a change in the distance measured by the distance sensor due to the rotation angle and the shape of the object. The fourth step is a step of adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of the gripper in response to the detection result of the position and orientation of the object so that the gripper can execute the target action.

The above disclosure also helps reduce the frequency of failures in transporting objects.

This disclosure makes it possible to reduce the frequency of failures in transporting objects.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of an object to be conveyed. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the transport robot illustrated in FIG. 1 . 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of a travel controller, an integrated control device, and an upper object control device provided in the transport robot. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing state transitions in a transport robot. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow when a transport robot receives a collection instruction. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of steps S21 to S28 included in a subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a part of the upper structure device and its surroundings in the search reference state. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a part of the upper structure device and its surroundings in the search reference state. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform acquired in step S23. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating the coordinates (Xi, Yi) of a feature point Pi. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S29 to S34 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a first example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for each of the position and the orientation of the gripper of an autonomous mobile robot. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S35 to S38 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a second example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of the gripper. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S39 to S42 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a third example of a method for calculating the position of an autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of a gripper. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S43 to S46 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a fourth example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for the position of an autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of a gripper. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S47 to S50 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a fifth example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for the position of an autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of the gripper. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of steps S51 to S60 included in a subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform acquired in step S53. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a deviation amount J. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the maximum opening width Wa of the gripping portion and the amount of deviation J. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S61 to S65 included in a subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform acquired in step S61. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method for calculating the number of items in stock. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a calibration method. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an angle deviation θc. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in a subroutine of step S10 shown in FIG. 6. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow when a transport robot receives a distribution instruction. 33 is a flowchart showing the process flow of a subroutine of step S88 shown in FIG. 32. 33 is a flowchart showing the process flow of a subroutine of step S90 shown in FIG. 32. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of an object. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing yet another example of an object. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to a second modification. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to a third modified example. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to a fourth modified example. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating examples of objects to be transported in Modification 4. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to a sixth modified example.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that identical or equivalent parts in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated.

§1 Application Example An example of a situation in which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a transport system according to an embodiment. A transport system 5 illustrated in Fig. 1 is applied to a production site. The transport system 5 includes a transport robot 1 and a host system 4. The transport robot 1 and the host system 4 transmit and receive data to and from each other using wireless communication.

The host system 4 issues instructions (collection instructions) to the transport robot 1 to collect the object 3 placed at the designated location 2, and instructions (distribution instructions) to distribute the collected object 3 to another designated location.

The transport robot 1 performs the target operation of at least one of retrieving the object 3 placed at the designated location 2 and stacking and distributing the object 3 at the designated location 2, in accordance with retrieval instructions and distribution instructions received from the host system 4. The object 3 is placed at the designated location 2 by a worker. Therefore, the position and orientation of the object 3 are not constant. The object 3 includes containers used in production sites that store objects, parts, components, and other items to be produced. The object 3 shown in Figure 1 is a container that is rectangular in plan view and can be stacked.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transport robot 1 includes an autonomous mobile robot 100, an upper structure device 200, and one or more control devices 300.

The autonomous mobile robot 100 moves forward and backward along a specified direction. The specified direction is the positive direction of the Y axis in the figure. The X axis is included in a horizontal plane that includes the Y axis and is perpendicular to the Y axis. The Z axis is along the vertical direction. Furthermore, the autonomous mobile robot 100 is capable of changing direction. By changing direction, the direction of travel (i.e., the positive direction of the Y axis) changes.

The upper structure device 200 is mounted on the autonomous mobile robot 100. The upper structure device 200 includes a gripping unit 210, a distance measurement sensor 220, a rotation mechanism 230, a parallel link mechanism 240, a lifting mechanism 250, and a loading platform 260.

The gripping unit 210 grips the object 3. The gripping unit 210 is, for example, a two-fingered hand and has two fingers. The gripping unit 210 grips the object 3 by changing the distance between the two fingers.

The distance measurement sensor 220 outputs light, ultrasound, or radio waves, and measures the distance to surrounding objects based on the reflected signals. The following explanation uses as an example a distance measurement sensor 220 that uses light to measure the distance to an object. The distance measurement sensor 220 has a point where light is emitted (hereinafter referred to as the "light irradiation point"), and measures the distance between the light irradiation point and the point where the light is reflected by the object.

The distance measurement sensor 220 is attached to the grip part 210 so that the direction of light travel is parallel to the horizontal plane. Therefore, the relative positional relationship between the distance measurement sensor 220 and the grip part 210 is constant.

The parallel link mechanism 240 supports the gripping portion 210 and moves the gripping portion 210 in a translational manner while maintaining the two fingers of the gripping portion 210 parallel to the horizontal plane.

The lifting mechanism 250 supports the parallel link mechanism 240 and raises and lowers the parallel link mechanism 240, the gripping portion 210, and the distance measurement sensor 220.

The rotation mechanism 230 supports the lifting mechanism 250 and rotates the lifting mechanism 250 around the rotation shaft 231. As the lifting mechanism 250 rotates, the parallel link mechanism 240, the gripping unit 210, and the distance measuring sensor 220 rotate. In other words, the rotation mechanism 230 rotates the gripping unit 210, the distance measuring sensor 220, and the parallel link mechanism 240 around the rotation shaft 231.

The parallel link mechanism 240, lifting mechanism 250, and rotation mechanism 230 each have one or more drive shafts and operate when the drive shafts are operated.

The object 3 is placed on the loading platform 260 by the gripper 210. This allows the transport robot 1 to move to another designated location with the object 3 retrieved from the designated location 2 placed on the loading platform 260.

One or more control devices 300 control the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the upper structure device 200 (including the rotation mechanism 230). The one or more control devices 300 execute the following first to fourth steps.

The first step is to control the autonomous mobile robot 100 to move to a target position and orientation corresponding to the specified location 2. This causes the autonomous mobile robot 100 to move to the target position and orientation. The target position and orientation is a predetermined position at which the gripper 210 can grip the object 3 placed in an ideal position and orientation at the specified location 2. However, the position and orientation of the object 3 placed by the operator may deviate from the ideal position and orientation. Therefore, one or more control devices 300 execute steps 2 to 4.

The second step is to control the rotation mechanism 230 to rotate the distance measurement sensor 220 in response to the autonomous mobile robot 100 moving to the target position and orientation. The change in the measured distance of the distance measurement sensor 220 due to the rotation angle depends on the position and orientation of the object 3. Therefore, the third step is executed.

The third step is to detect the position and orientation of the object 3 based on the change in the measured distance of the distance measuring sensor 220 due to the rotation angle and the shape of the object 3. One or more control devices 300 store information about the shape of the object 3 in advance, and detect the position and orientation of the object 3 based on this information and the above waveform. Next, the fourth step is executed.

The fourth step is to adjust the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 so that the gripping unit 210 can grip the object 3, based on the detection results of the position and orientation of the object 3. This allows the gripping unit 210 to grip the object 3. As a result, the frequency of failures in transporting the object 3 can be reduced.

§2 Specific examples <Examples of objects>
2 is a perspective view showing an example of an object to be transported. As shown in Fig. 2, the object 3 is, for example, a rectangular box-like object in a plan view, and has a base 3a including a bottom plate, a body 3b provided on the base 3a, and a flange 3c provided at the upper end of the body 3b.

The side walls of the base 3a are inclined relative to the bottom plate so that the size of the top end of the base 3a is larger than the size of the bottom plate. The side walls of the body 3b are perpendicular to the bottom plate. Therefore, when an object 3 is stacked on top of another object 3, the base 3a of the upper object 3 is inserted into the internal space of the body 3b and base 3a of the lower object 3.

The height of object 3 is H. The vertical and horizontal widths of body 3b are L and W, respectively.

The body 3b is rectangular in plan view and has four side surfaces. The areas of the pair of side surfaces 3b1, which are opposite each other, are identical. Similarly, the areas of the pair of side surfaces 3b2, which are opposite each other, are identical. The area of side surface 3b1 is larger than the area of side surface 3b2. In other words, the width of side surface 3b1 is vertical width L, and the width of side surface 3b2 is horizontal width W.

At least one of the one or more control devices 300 shown in FIG. 1 stores shape data indicating the shape of the object 3 in advance. The shape data indicates at least the height H of the object 3, the vertical width L of the body 3b, and the horizontal width W of the body 3b.

The gripping portion 210 grips the body portion 3b. This allows the flange portion 3c to catch on the gripping portion 210, preventing the object 3 from falling from the gripping portion 210.

The gripping portion 210 is designed so that two fingers come into contact with a pair of side surfaces 3b2 to grip the object 3.

<Hardware configuration of the transport robot>
Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the transport robot shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the transport robot 1 includes an integrated control device 310 and an upper object control device 320 as one or more control devices 300 (see Fig. 1).

The autonomous mobile robot 100 has a communication unit 110, a travel controller 120, a drive unit 130, a position and orientation sensor 140, and wheels 150-152. The communication unit 110 sends and receives data to and from the integrated control device 310.

The driving controller 120 controls the drive unit 130 in accordance with driving instructions from the integrated control device 310. The driving instructions include target values for the position or speed of the autonomous driving robot 100. The driving controller 120 calculates the amount of operation corresponding to the target value included in the driving instructions, and outputs the calculated amount of operation to the drive unit 130.

The driving controller 120 is typically a computer with a general-purpose architecture, and executes pre-installed programs (instruction codes) to perform the processing according to this embodiment. Note that some or all of the functions provided by executing the programs may be implemented as dedicated hardware circuits such as ASICs.

The drive unit 130 drives the wheels 150 and changes the orientation of the wheels 151 and 152 in accordance with the amount of operation from the driving controller 120. By driving the wheels 150, the autonomous mobile robot 100 moves forward or backward along the Y axis. By changing the orientation of the wheels 151 and 152, the traveling direction of the autonomous mobile robot 100 (the direction of the Y axis) is changed.

The position and orientation sensor 140 measures the position and orientation of the autonomous mobile robot 100 using known technology. For example, GPS, beacon positioning techniques, and orientation sensors may be used for the position and orientation sensor 140. Data indicating the position and orientation measured by the position and orientation sensor 140 is sent to the mobile controller 120.

The upper structure device 200 includes a gripping unit 210, a distance measurement sensor 220, a parallel link mechanism 240, a lifting mechanism 250, a rotation mechanism 230, and a loading platform 260, as well as a sensor 270.

Sensor 270 is used to determine whether the gripper 210 is in its home position. The home position of the gripper 210 is a position where, in a plan view, the gripper 210 does not extend beyond the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the tip of the gripper 210 faces the platform 260.

Sensor 270 has a light-emitting unit 271 and a light-receiving unit 272. The light-emitting unit 271 and the light-receiving unit 272 are attached to the tip of the gripping unit 210 and the loading platform 260, respectively, so that light emitted from the light-emitting unit 271 is incident on the light-receiving unit 272 when the tip of the gripping unit 210 faces the loading platform 260. Sensor 270 outputs an ON signal when the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit 272 exceeds a threshold, and outputs an OFF signal when the amount of light received by the light-receiving unit 272 is equal to or less than the threshold. Therefore, when an ON signal is output from sensor 270, the gripping unit 210 is located in the home position.

The loading platform 260 includes a plate 261 on which the objects 3 are placed, a support member 266 positioned above the plate 261, and a distance measurement sensor 262 attached to the underside of the support member 266 and measuring the distance to objects located below the support member 266. The light receiving unit 272 is attached to the support member 266. The measurement results of the distance measurement sensor 262 are used to calculate the number of objects 3 placed on the plate 261.

The integrated control device 310 executes control to coordinate the operation of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the operation of the upper structure device 200. The upper structure control device 320 controls the operation of the upper structure device 200.

Each of the integrated control device 310 and the overhead control device 320 is typically a computer with a general-purpose architecture, and performs the processing related to this embodiment by executing a pre-installed program (instruction code). Such programs are typically distributed in a state stored on various recording media, or are installed in each of the integrated control device 310 and the overhead control device 320 via a network, etc.

When using such a general-purpose computer, an OS (Operating System) for executing basic computer processing may be installed in addition to an application for executing the processing according to this embodiment. In this case, the program according to this embodiment may execute processing by calling the necessary modules, among the program modules provided as part of the OS, in a predetermined sequence at a predetermined timing. In other words, the program according to this embodiment itself may not include the modules described above, and may execute processing in cooperation with the OS. The program according to this embodiment may also be in a form that does not include some of these modules.

Furthermore, the program according to this embodiment may be provided as part of another program. In this case, the program itself does not include the modules included in the other program with which it is combined, and processing is executed in cooperation with the other program. In other words, the program according to this embodiment may be in a form that is incorporated into such other program. Note that some or all of the functions provided by the execution of the program may be implemented as a dedicated hardware circuit such as an ASIC.

As shown in FIG. 3, the integrated control device 310 has a communication unit 311, a processor 312, and a storage device 313.

The communication unit 311 mediates data transmission between the host system 4, the autonomous mobile robot 100, and the overhead equipment control device 320. The communication unit 311 transmits data to the host system 4 using a wireless local area network (LAN), and transmits data between the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the overhead equipment control device 320 using a local bus (not shown).

The storage device 313 is configured, for example, by a semiconductor storage device such as a hard disk, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or flash memory, and stores the program group 314 and various data related to the execution of the program group 314. The processor 312 executes the program group 314 stored in the storage device 313.

As shown in FIG. 3, the overhead control device 320 has a communication unit 321, a processor 322, and a storage device 323.

The communication unit 321 mediates data transmission between the integrated control device 310. The communication unit 321 transmits data between the integrated control device 310 using a local bus (not shown).

The storage device 323 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor storage device such as a hard disk, RAM, ROM, or flash memory, and stores the program group 324 and various data related to the execution of the program group 324. The processor 322 executes the program group 324 stored in the storage device 323.

<Functional configuration of the transport robot>
4 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the travel controller, integrated control device, and upper structure control device provided in the transport robot. In FIG. 4, dashed arrows indicate the flow of data or signals for safety control. Solid arrows indicate the flow of data or signals for control related to the operation of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the upper structure device 200.

The driving controller 120 includes a driving permission acceptance unit 121, a driving control unit 122, and a status output unit 123.

The travel permission acceptance unit 121 accepts a travel permission signal from the integrated control device 310. If the travel permission signal is in the ON state, the travel permission acceptance unit 121 permits control by the travel control unit 122. If the travel permission signal is in the OFF state, the travel permission acceptance unit 121 prohibits control by the travel control unit 122.

The driving control unit 122 calculates the amount of operation to be output to the drive unit 130 (see Figure 3) in accordance with driving instructions received from the integrated control device 310. The driving instructions are instructions to move to the target position and orientation. When the current position and orientation measured by the position and orientation sensor 140 (see Figure 3) reaches the target position and orientation, the driving control unit 122 stops the operation of the drive unit 130 and reports arrival at the target position and orientation to the integrated control device 310.

The status output unit 123 outputs a signal indicating the status of the autonomous mobile robot 100 to the integrated control device 310. The signal indicating the status of the autonomous mobile robot 100 indicates whether the autonomous mobile robot 100 is moving or stopped. For example, the status output unit 123 generates a signal indicating the status of the autonomous mobile robot 100 by monitoring the operation amount output from the driving control unit 122 to the drive unit 130. Alternatively, the status output unit 123 may generate a signal indicating the status of the autonomous mobile robot 100 by monitoring the rotational speed of the wheels 150.

The integrated control device 310 includes a position confirmation unit 331, an operation transition management unit 332, and a transport instruction processing unit 333.

The position confirmation unit 331 confirms whether the relative positional relationship between the platform 260 and the gripper 210 is a reference relationship, and outputs a signal indicating the confirmation result to the operation transition management unit 332. The reference state is a state in which the gripper 210 faces the platform 260, i.e., a state in which the gripper 210 is located at the home position. Therefore, when the signal from the sensor 270 is in an ON state, the position confirmation unit 331 outputs a signal indicating that the gripper 210 is located at the home position, and when the signal from the sensor 270 is in an OFF state, it outputs a signal indicating that the gripper 210 is not located at the home position.

The operation transition management unit 332 manages the operation transitions of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the upper structure device 200.

The operation transition management unit 332 outputs a transfer permission signal to the upper equipment control device 320 in response to a signal from the status output unit 123. If the upper equipment device 200 operates while the autonomous mobile robot 100 is traveling, there is a possibility that the gripper 210, parallel link mechanism 240, etc. may collide with surrounding objects (including people). Therefore, the operation transition management unit 332 outputs an operation permission signal in the OFF state in response to a signal from the status output unit 123 indicating that the autonomous mobile robot 100 is traveling. The operation transition management unit 332 outputs a transfer permission signal in the ON state in response to a signal from the status output unit 123 indicating that the autonomous mobile robot 100 is stopped.

The motion transition management unit 332 outputs a travel permission signal to the autonomous mobile robot 100 in response to a signal from the position confirmation unit 331. If the autonomous mobile robot 100 travels when the gripper 210 is not in the home position, there is a possibility that the gripper 210, parallel link mechanism 240, etc. may collide with surrounding objects (including people). Therefore, in response to a signal from the position confirmation unit 331, the motion transition management unit 332 outputs an ON travel permission signal when the gripper 210 is in the home position, and outputs an OFF travel permission signal when the gripper 210 is not in the home position. In this way, the motion transition management unit 332 permits the autonomous mobile robot 100 to travel in response to the sensor 270 detecting that the gripper 210 is in the home position.

The transport instruction processing unit 333 executes processing in response to transport instructions from the host system 4. The transport instructions include a collection instruction to collect a specified number of objects 3 from a specified location 2, and a distribution instruction to distribute a specified number of objects 3 to another specified location.

When the transport instruction processing unit 333 receives a collection instruction, it generates a driving instruction to move from the current position and orientation measured by the position and orientation sensor 140 of the autonomous mobile robot 100 to the target position and orientation, and outputs the generated driving instruction to the autonomous mobile robot 100. The target position and orientation is determined in advance depending on the specified location.

When the autonomous mobile robot 100 reaches the target position and orientation, the transport instruction processing unit 333 outputs an instruction to start the retrieval operation to the upper object control device 320. The retrieval operation includes a retrieval preparation operation and a main retrieval operation.

During the collection preparation operation, the transport instruction processing unit 333 outputs position adjustment instructions to the autonomous mobile robot 100 based on data received from the upper object control device 320 (data indicating the adjustment amount, described below). The position adjustment instructions are one form of driving instructions.

If the recovery preparation operation fails, the transport instruction processing unit 333 receives first result data from the upper object control device 320 indicating that the recovery preparation operation has failed. Upon receiving the first result data, the transport instruction processing unit 333 outputs a notification to the upper system 4 indicating that recovery is not possible.

If the collection preparation operation is successful, the transport instruction processing unit 333 receives second result data from the upper object control device 320 indicating the results of the actual collection operation performed after the collection preparation operation, and transfers the results of the collection operation to the upper system 4 based on the second result data.

When the transport instruction processing unit 333 receives a distribution instruction, it generates a driving instruction for moving from the current position and orientation measured by the position and orientation sensor 140 of the autonomous mobile robot 100 to the target position and orientation, and outputs the generated driving instruction to the autonomous mobile robot 100. The target position and orientation is determined in advance depending on the specified location.

When the autonomous mobile robot 100 reaches the target position and orientation, the transport instruction processing unit 333 outputs an instruction to start a distribution operation to the object control device 320. The distribution operation includes a distribution preparation operation and a main distribution operation.

During the distribution preparation operation, the transport instruction processing unit 333 outputs position adjustment instructions to the autonomous mobile robot 100 based on data received from the upper object control device 320 (data indicating the adjustment amount, described below). The position adjustment instructions are one form of driving instructions.

If the distribution preparation operation fails, the transport instruction processing unit 333 receives third result data from the facility control device 320 indicating that the distribution preparation operation has failed. Upon receiving the third result data, the transport instruction processing unit 333 outputs a notification to the host system 4 indicating that distribution is not possible.

If the distribution preparation operation is successful, the transport instruction processing unit 333 receives fourth result data from the upper object control device 320 indicating the results of the main distribution operation executed after the distribution preparation operation, and transfers the results of the distribution operation to the upper system 4 based on the fourth result data.

The upper cargo control device 320 includes an access rule database 340, a cargo presence confirmation unit 341, an information acquisition unit 342, a transfer permission acceptance unit 343, an upper cargo operation control unit 344, and an axis controller 345.

The access rule database 340 is a collection of data indicating rules regarding collection or distribution operations. The access rule database 340 includes object 3 shape data, collection operation procedure data, distribution operation procedure data, data indicating the number of objects 3 currently placed on the loading platform 260 (hereinafter referred to as "number of objects on hand") (hereinafter referred to as "number of objects on hand data"), data indicating the values of parameters for defining the position of the ranging sensor 220, and the like.

The preparation operation procedure data indicates the drive procedure for each drive shaft of the upper unit 200 to perform collection preparation operations and distribution preparation operations.

The recovery operation procedure data indicates the drive procedure for each drive shaft of the upper object device 200 to perform the main operation of recovering the object 3. As described above, the objects 3 are stacked. The gripping unit 210 grips the objects 3 one by one in order from the top, even when multiple objects 3 are stacked. Therefore, the drive procedure for each drive shaft of the upper object device 200 is different when gripping the topmost object 3 of three stacked objects 3 and when gripping the topmost object 3 of two stacked objects 3. Therefore, the access rule database 340 includes recovery operation procedure data for each combination of the number of objects 3 stacked at the specified location and the number of objects on the loading platform 260.

The distribution operation procedure data indicates the drive procedure for each drive shaft of the upper equipment device 200 for performing the main distribution operation of the object 3. The access rule database 340 contains distribution operation procedure data for each combination of the number of objects 3 piled up at a specified location and the number of objects on the loading platform 260.

The inventory confirmation unit 341 confirms the inventory quantity based on the distance measured by the distance sensor 262. The inventory confirmation unit 341 updates the inventory quantity data contained in the access rule database 340 based on the confirmation results.

The information acquisition unit 342 periodically acquires information indicating the status of each drive shaft included in the upper structure device 200 and the distance measured by the distance measurement sensor 220. The information acquisition unit 342 outputs the acquired information to the upper structure operation control unit 344.

The transfer permission receiving unit 343 receives a transfer permission signal from the integrated control device 310. If the transfer permission signal is in the ON state, the transfer permission receiving unit 343 allows control by the upper goods operation control unit 344. If the transfer permission signal is in the OFF state, the transfer permission receiving unit 343 prohibits control by the upper goods operation control unit 344.

The facility operation control unit 344 determines target values for each drive axis of the facility device 200 in response to an operation start instruction received from the integrated control device 310, and outputs the determined target values to the axis controller 345. The operation start instruction received from the integrated control device 310 includes an instruction to start the collection operation and an instruction to start the distribution operation.

The upper facility operation control unit 344 executes the collection preparation operation in response to receiving an instruction to start the collection operation. If the collection preparation operation is successful, the upper facility operation control unit 344 executes the main collection operation.

The upper facility operation control unit 344 determines the target values for each drive axis for performing the recovery preparation operation based on the preparation operation procedure data, and outputs the determined target values to the axis controller 345. As a result, the information acquisition unit 342 acquires information related to the recovery preparation operation and outputs the acquired information to the upper facility operation control unit 344. Based on this information, the upper facility operation control unit 344 determines whether the recovery preparation operation was successful. If the recovery preparation operation fails, the upper facility operation control unit 344 generates first result data indicating that the recovery preparation operation failed, and outputs the generated first result data to the integrated control device 310.

In addition, the upper object operation control unit 344 determines the amount of adjustment to each of the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the attitude of the gripping unit 210 in order to grasp the object 3 placed in the specified location, based on information regarding the collection preparation operation. The upper object operation control unit 344 outputs data indicating the determined amount of adjustment to the integrated control device 310.

Furthermore, the object operation control unit 344 calculates the number of objects placed in the designated location 2 based on information regarding the collection preparation operation.

If the retrieval preparation operation is successful, the upper object operation control unit 344 determines the target values of each drive axis for performing the actual retrieval operation. Specifically, the upper object operation control unit 344 reads appropriate retrieval operation procedure data from the access rule database 340 based on the number of objects piled up and the number of objects present at the designated location 2, and determines the target values of each drive axis based on the read retrieval operation procedure data. The upper object operation control unit 344 outputs the determined target values to the axis controller 345.

The instruction to start the collection operation is accompanied by data indicating the specified number of objects. Therefore, the upper object operation control unit 344 repeats the main collection operation for the specified number of objects. However, depending on the number of objects 3 piled up and the number of objects present at the specified location 2, it may not be possible to collect the specified number of objects 3. In that case, the upper object operation control unit 344 repeats the main collection operation for the number of objects that can be collected.

The floor structure operation control unit 344 generates second result data indicating the results of the collection operation and outputs the generated second result data to the integrated control device 310. The second result data indicates the number of items that were collected out of the specified number.

The object operation control unit 344 executes a distribution preparation operation in response to receiving an instruction to start a distribution operation. If the distribution preparation operation is successful, the object operation control unit 344 executes a main distribution operation.

The facility operation control unit 344 determines the target values for each drive axis for performing the distribution preparation operation based on the preparation operation procedure data, and outputs the determined target values to the axis controller 345. As a result, the information acquisition unit 342 acquires information related to the distribution preparation operation and outputs the acquired information to the facility operation control unit 344. Based on this information, the facility operation control unit 344 determines whether the distribution preparation operation was successful. If the distribution preparation operation fails, the facility operation control unit 344 generates third result data indicating that the distribution preparation operation failed, and outputs the generated third result data to the integrated control device 310.

In addition, based on information about the distribution preparation operation, the upper object operation control unit 344 determines the amount of adjustment to be made to the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the attitude of the gripper 210 in order to stack the object 3 on top of the object 3 already placed in the designated location. The upper object operation control unit 344 outputs data indicating the determined amount of adjustment to the integrated control device 310.

Furthermore, the stacked object operation control unit 344 calculates the number of objects 3 already placed in the designated location 2 based on information regarding the distribution preparation operation.

If the distribution preparation operation is successful, the object operation control unit 344 determines the target values of each drive axis for performing the actual distribution operation. Specifically, the object operation control unit 344 reads appropriate distribution operation procedure data from the access rule database 340 based on the number of stacked objects 3 already placed at the designated location 2 and the number of objects currently in use, and determines the target values of each drive axis based on the read distribution operation procedure data. The object operation control unit 344 outputs the determined target values to the axis controller 345.

The instruction to start the distribution operation is accompanied by data indicating the specified number of objects. Therefore, the object operation control unit 344 repeats the main distribution operation for the specified number of objects. However, depending on the number of objects piled up and the number of objects currently in the specified location 2, it may not be possible to distribute the specified number of objects 3. In that case, the object operation control unit 344 repeats the main distribution operation for the number of objects that can be distributed.

The facility operation control unit 344 generates fourth result data indicating the results of the distribution operation and outputs the generated fourth result data to the integrated control device 310. The fourth result data indicates the number of items that were successfully distributed out of the specified number.

The axis controller 345 determines the operation amount of each drive axis included in the upper structure device 200 so that the control amount of each drive axis matches the target value received from the upper structure operation control unit 344, and outputs the determined operation amount to the upper structure device 200.

<Operation transition>
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing state transitions in the transport robot 1. The operations of the transport robot 1 include traveling and transfer operations (collection and distribution operations). In FIG. 5, state 10 is a state in which neither traveling nor transfer operations are being performed. State 11 is a state in which traveling is being performed, but transfer operations are not being performed. State 12 is a state in which transfer operations are being performed, but traveling is not being performed. As shown in FIG. 5, the states that the transport robot 1 can be in are limited to states 10, 11, and 12. In other words, traveling and transfer operations are not performed simultaneously in the transport robot 1. In other words, the upper equipment device 200 does not move while the autonomous mobile robot 100 is traveling. As a result, a situation in which the upper equipment device 200 collides with surrounding objects (including people) is avoided.

In State 10, the autonomous mobile robot 100 is stopped and the gripper 210 is located in the home position. In State 10, the integrated control device 310 can output an instruction to start either a traveling operation or a transfer operation.

When a driving command is output in State 10, the autonomous mobile robot 100 begins driving. As a result, the state of the transport robot 1 transitions to State 11.

When the autonomous mobile robot 100 arrives at the designated location and stops in State 11, the state of the transport robot 1 transitions to State 10.

When an instruction to start a transfer operation is output in State 10, the upper goods control device 320 starts operation of the upper goods device 200. As a result, the state of the transport robot 1 transitions to State 12.

In State 12, when the transfer operation is completed and the gripper 210 returns to the home position, the state of the transport robot 1 transitions to State 10.

<Processing flow when collection instructions are received>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing when the transport robot receives a collection instruction.

First, the processor 312 of the integrated control device 310 receives a collection instruction from the host system 4 (step S1). The collection instruction includes data indicating the designated location 2 and data indicating the number of items to be collected ("A items").

Next, the processor 312 outputs an instruction to the autonomous mobile robot 100 to start moving toward the target position and posture determined according to the specified location 2 (step S2).

The driving controller 120 of the autonomous driving robot 100 determines whether the driving permission signal is in the ON state (step S3). If the driving permission signal is in the OFF state (NO in step S3), the driving controller 120 returns the process to step S3.

If the driving permission signal is on (YES in step S3), the driving controller 120 controls the drive unit 130 to start movement to the target position and attitude (step S4).

Upon reaching the target position and attitude, the driving controller 120 reports arrival at the target position and attitude to the integrated control device 310 (step S5).

Next, the processor 312 outputs an instruction to start the collection operation to the overhead control device 320 (step S6). The instruction to start the collection operation includes data indicating the number of items to be collected, "A items."

Next, upon receiving the instruction to start the recovery operation, the processor 322 of the upper equipment control device 320 determines whether the transfer permission signal is in the ON state (step S7). If the transfer permission signal is in the OFF state (NO in step S7), the processor 322 returns the process to step S7.

If the transfer permission signal is in the ON state (YES in step S7), the processor 322 executes control for the retrieval preparation operation (step S8). Details of the retrieval preparation operation will be described later.

Next, processor 322 determines whether the collection preparation operation was successful (step S9). Processor 322 determines whether the collection preparation operation was successful by checking the failure flag. In other words, processor 322 determines that the collection preparation operation failed when the failure flag is on.

If the collection preparation operation fails (NO in step S9), the processor 312 generates first result data indicating that the collection preparation operation failed and outputs the generated first result data to the integrated control device 310. As a result, the processor 312 of the integrated control device 310 notifies the upper system 4 that collection is not possible (step S14).

If the collection preparation operation is successful (YES in step S9), the processor 312 executes control of the actual collection operation (step S10).

When the main recovery operation is completed, the processor 312 executes control to return the gripper 210 to its home position (step S11). Specifically, the processor 312 calculates the amount of operation of each drive shaft to return the gripper 210 to its home position, and outputs the calculated amount of operation to the upper structure device 200. This causes the gripper 210 to return to its home position.

Next, processor 312 reports the completion of the collection operation to integrated control device 310 (step S12). Specifically, processor 312 generates second result data indicating the results of the main collection operation and outputs the generated second result data to integrated control device 310.

Next, the processor 312 of the integrated control device 310 notifies the host system 4 of the collection results (step S13). For example, if the second result data indicates the number of items collected, the processor 312 simply transfers the second result data to the host system 4.

<Collection preparation operation>
The recovery preparation operation will be described in detail with reference to Figures 7 to 28. Figure 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of steps S21 to S28 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in Figure 6.

First, the processor 322 of the facility control device 320 controls the facility device 200 so that the facility device 200 is in a search reference state (step S21). The search reference state is defined by the preparatory operation procedure data contained in the access rule database 340.

Figure 8 is a plan view showing a portion of the upper structure equipment and its surroundings in the search reference state. Figure 9 is a side view showing a portion of the upper structure equipment and its surroundings in the search reference state. Step S21 is executed after step S5 shown in Figure 6. Therefore, the autonomous mobile robot 100 has reached the target position and posture determined according to the specified location 2. Therefore, Figures 8 and 9 show the upper structure equipment 200 mounted on the autonomous mobile robot 100 in the target position and posture.

Figures 8 and 9 show an object 3 placed in a predetermined position (ideal position) and in a predetermined posture (ideal posture) at a specified location 2. Note that the flange 3c of the object 3 is not shown in Figure 8.

The parallel link mechanism 240 of the upper structure device 200 can be in a first state in which the gripping unit 210 is closest to the rotation axis 231 of the rotation mechanism 230, and a second state in which the gripping unit 210 is farthest from the rotation axis 231. When the upper structure device 200 is in the search reference state, the parallel link mechanism 240 is in the first state.

8 and 9, the target position and posture and search reference state are determined in advance for each specified location so as to satisfy the following conditions A to F. The X axis is perpendicular to the Y axis and perpendicular to the rotation axis 231 of the rotation mechanism 230. In other words, the origin of the XY plane exists on the rotation axis 231.
Condition A: The traveling direction (direction along the Y axis) of the autonomous mobile robot 100 is parallel to the side surface 3b1 of the body 3b of the object 3 placed in the ideal position and ideal posture at the specified location.
Condition B: The parallel link mechanism 240, which is in the search reference state, translates the gripper 210 along the X axis.
Condition C: The center Pw of the trunk 3b of the object 3 placed in the ideal position and ideal posture at the specified location is included in a plane including the X axis and the rotation axis 231.
Condition D: The opening direction of the two fingers of the gripping portion 210 is along the Y axis.
Condition E: When the parallel link mechanism 240 of the upper object device 200, which is in the search reference state, is changed to the second state, the gripping unit 210 can grip the object 3 placed in the ideal position and with the ideal posture.
Condition F: The height of the axis of the light output from the distance measurement sensor 220 is included in the height range of the body 3b of the object 3 placed in the ideal position and with the ideal posture.

The distance measurement sensor 220 is attached at any location on the gripping unit 210. Figure 8 shows points E1 to E3 as examples of light irradiation points of the distance measurement sensor 220 attached to the gripping unit 210. The propagation directions F1 to F3 of the light emitted from points E1 to E3 are parallel to the direction of translational movement of the gripping unit 210 by the parallel link mechanism 240. When the upper structure device 200 is in the search reference state, the propagation directions F1 to F3 of the light are parallel to the X-axis. In the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state, point E3 is located on the X-axis. That is, in the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state, the coordinates of point E3 are expressed as (r3, 0). Note that r3 > 0. On the other hand, in the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state, points E1 and E2 are not located on the X-axis. That is, in the upper structure device 200, which is in the search reference state, the coordinates of points E1 and E2 are expressed as (r1, a1) and (r2, a2), respectively. Note that r1 > 0, r2 > 0, a1 < 0, and a2 > 0.

Returning to Figure 7, the processor 322 then turns on the distance measurement sensor 220 (step S22).

Next, the processor 322 sets the search reference state as the reference attitude and rotates the distance measurement sensor 220 so that the rotation angle θ from the reference attitude changes from -Ψ to Ψ. Note that in the search reference state, the angle between the X axis and the direction of travel of the light emitted from the distance measurement sensor 220 is 0. Therefore, the rotation angle θ is the same as the angle between the X axis and the direction of travel of the light emitted from the distance measurement sensor 220. Note that, when viewed from above, the rotation angle θ takes a positive value when rotating clockwise from the reference attitude, and a negative value when rotating counterclockwise from the reference state. The processor 322 then acquires a waveform showing the change in the measured distance n of the distance measurement sensor 220 due to the rotation angle θ (step S23).

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of a waveform acquired in step S23. Figure 10 shows a waveform obtained from the distance measurement sensor 220 when the light irradiation point is point E3 (see Figure 8). The upper part of Figure 10 shows the positional relationship between the object 3, the rotation axis 231, and the light irradiation point (point E3) of the distance measurement sensor 220, and the lower part of Figure 10 shows the waveform. Also, in Figure 10, the left column shows the positional relationship and waveform when the object 3 is placed at the ideal position and in the ideal orientation, while the middle and right columns show the positional relationship and waveform when the object 3 is placed at a position different from the ideal position and in an orientation different from the ideal orientation. As shown in Figure 10, the waveform differs depending on the position and orientation of the object 3. Therefore, the processor 322 determines the position and orientation of the object 3 based on the waveform.

Returning to Figure 7, the processor 322 then extracts distances n1 to n3 from the waveform (step S24).

The method for extracting distances n1 to n3 will be explained with reference to Figure 10. When no object is present in the direction of travel of light 41 emitted from distance measurement sensor 220, the measured distance n output from distance measurement sensor 220 will indicate a value greater than the upper limit of the measurable range or an error value. Therefore, processor 322 identifies the range of rotation angle θ indicating measured distance n that falls within the measurable range from the waveform. Processor 322 extracts the measured distance n with the smallest rotation angle θ within the identified range as distance n1. Processor 322 extracts the measured distance n with the largest rotation angle θ within the identified range as distance n3. Furthermore, processor 322 extracts the smallest measured distance n as distance n2.

As shown in the right column of Figure 10, depending on the position and orientation of object 3, distances n1 and n2 may be the same. Similarly, depending on the position and orientation of object 3, distances n2 and n3 may be the same.

Returning to Figure 7, the processor 322 then calculates the coordinates (Xi, Yi) of the point on the object 3 where the light was irradiated when the distance ni (i = 1, 2, 3) was measured (hereinafter referred to as the "feature point Pi") (step S25).

The method for calculating the coordinates (Xi, Yi) of feature point Pi will be explained with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

As described above, in the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state, point E3 is located on the X-axis. Furthermore, in the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state, the axis of light emitted from point E3 is parallel to the X-axis. Therefore, the axis of light emitted from point E3 overlaps with the line connecting point E3 and the rotation axis 231. This is maintained even if the rotation mechanism 230 is rotated. Furthermore, in the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state, the coordinates of point E3 are expressed as (r3, 0). Therefore, when the rotation mechanism 230 is operated, point E3 rotates with a rotation radius r3.

Therefore, in the case of the distance measuring sensor 220 whose light irradiation point is point E3 (see FIG. 8), as shown in FIG. 10, when the measurement distance n is measured, the distance between the point P on the object 3 where the light is irradiated and the rotation axis 231 is the sum of the measurement result n and the rotation radius r3 of point E3, i.e., n+r3. The rotation axis 231 is the origin of the XY plane. Furthermore, the rotation angle θ is the same as the angle between the X axis and the line connecting point P and the rotation axis 231. The coordinates (Xp, Yp) of point P are expressed by the following equations.
Xp=(n+r3)cosθ
Yp=(n+r3)sinθ
The coordinates (r3, 0) of point E3 are determined in advance according to the position of distance measurement sensor 220. Data indicating the coordinates (r3, 0) of point E3 is included in advance in access rule database 340. Therefore, processor 322 can use the turning radius r3 indicated by this data to calculate the coordinates (Xp, Yp) of point P on object 3 where light is irradiated when measurement distance n is measured.

Therefore, the processor 322 may calculate the coordinates (Xi, Yi) of the feature point Pi according to the following equation: θi is the rotation angle when the distance ni is measured.
Xi=(ni+r3)cos(θi)
Yi=(ni+r3)sin(θi)

Figure 11 is a diagram explaining how to calculate the coordinates (Xi, Yi) of feature point Pi. Figure 11 shows how to calculate the coordinates (Xi, Yi) of feature point Pi when using a distance measurement sensor 220 whose light irradiation point is point E1 (see Figure 8).

As described above, in the upper structure device 200, which is in the search reference state, the coordinates of point E1 are expressed as (r1, a1). Note that r1 > 0 and a1 < 0. Therefore, when the rotation mechanism 230 is activated, point E1 rotates with a rotation radius R (= (r1 ² + a1 ² ) ^1/2 ).

In Figure 11, virtual line 42 is parallel to the direction of travel of light 41 emitted from point E1 and intersects with rotation axis 231. The angle between virtual line 42 and the X-axis is the same as rotation angle θ. The length of the perpendicular line dropped from point E1 to virtual line 42 is |a1|, and the distance between the foot of this perpendicular line and rotation axis 231 is r1.

Therefore, in the case of a distance measuring sensor 220 whose light irradiation point is point E1, as shown in Figure 11, the coordinates (Xp, Yp) of point P on object 3 where light is irradiated when the measurement distance n is measured are expressed by the following equation.
Xp=Rcos(θ+β)+ncosθ
Yp=Rsin(θ+β)+nsinθ
In the above formula, β is expressed by the following formula:
β=tan ^-1 (a1/r1)
The coordinates (r1, a1) of point E1 are determined in advance according to the position of the distance measurement sensor 220. Data indicating the coordinates (r1, a1) of point E1 is included in advance in the access rule database 340. Therefore, the processor 322 can use r1 and a1 indicated by this data to calculate the coordinates (Xp, Yp) of point P on the object 3 that is irradiated with light when the measurement distance n is measured.

Therefore, the processor 322 may calculate the coordinates (Xi, Yi) of the feature point Pi according to the following formula:
Xi=Rcos(θi+β)+(ni)cos(θi)
Yi=Rsin(θi+β)+(ni)sin(θi)

7, the processor 322 then calculates the length D1 between the feature points P1 and P2 (step S26). The length D1 is calculated using the following formula:
D1={(X2-X1) ² +(Y2-Y1) ² } ^1/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates the length D2 between the feature points P2 and P3 (step S27). The length D2 is calculated using the following formula:
D2 = {(X3-X2) ² + (Y3-Y2) ² } ^1/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates the length D3 between the feature points P1 and P3 (step S28). The length D3 is calculated using the following formula:
D3={(X3-X1) ² +(Y3-Y1) ² } ^1/2

Next, processor 322 detects the position and orientation of object 3 and, based on the detection results, calculates the amount of adjustment for each of the position of autonomous mobile robot 100 and the orientation of parallel link mechanism 240. There are four patterns in how object 3 appears from the light irradiation point of distance measurement sensor 220. In the first appearance pattern, only side surface 3b1, which has a larger area, is visible for torso 3b of object 3. In the second appearance pattern, only side surface 3b2, which has a smaller area, is visible for torso 3b of object 3. In the third appearance pattern, side surface 3b1 is visible on the left side and side surface 3b2 is visible on the right side for torso 3b of object 3. In the fourth appearance pattern, side surface 3b2 is visible on the left side and side surface 3b1 is visible on the right side for torso 3b of object 3. Processor 322 calculates the amount of adjustment depending on the pattern.

The processor 322 calculates the amount of adjustment for each of the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the attitude of the parallel link mechanism 240 according to steps S29 to S34 shown in FIG. 12. Steps S29 to S32 correspond to the first pattern.

Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S29 to S34, which are included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in Figure 6.

First, in step S29, the processor 322 determines whether the length D3 matches or approximates the vertical width L of the torso 3b of the object 3. Specifically, the processor 322 determines that the length D3 matches or approximates the vertical width L if the absolute value of the difference between D3 and L is less than a threshold value.

Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the posture of the gripper. Figure 13 shows a method for calculating the amount of adjustment when step S29 returns YES. Furthermore, when step S29 returns YES, feature points P1 and P3 are located at the left and right ends, respectively, of side surface 3b1 facing distance measurement sensor 220.

As described above, the gripping unit 210 is designed so that two fingers come into contact with a pair of side surfaces 3b2 to grip the object 3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13 , it is preferable that the gripping unit 210 be positioned on an imaginary plane 43 that includes a vertical reference line 46 passing through the center Pw of the object 3 and is parallel to a predetermined direction relative to the object 3, and that the gripping unit 210 be translated along this imaginary plane 43. In this embodiment, the predetermined direction relative to the object 3 is a direction perpendicular to the side surface 3b1. Therefore, it is necessary to rotate the parallel link mechanism 240 by the inclination angle φ of the object 3 so that the rotation axis 231 of the rotation mechanism 230 is positioned on the imaginary plane 43 and the gripping unit 210 translates along the imaginary plane 43. Therefore, the processor 322 calculates the inclination angle φ of the object 3 as the amount of adjustment to the attitude of the gripping unit 210.

The tilt angle φ of object 3 coincides with the tilt angle of imaginary plane 43 relative to the X axis. When imaginary plane 43 is tilted toward the positive side of the Y axis relative to the X axis, the tilt angle φ takes a positive value, and when imaginary plane 43 is tilted toward the negative side of the Y axis relative to the X axis, the tilt angle φ takes a negative value. In the example shown in Figure 13, imaginary plane 43 is tilted toward the negative side of the Y axis relative to the X axis.

As shown in FIG. 12, if the answer is YES in step S29, the processor 322 calculates the tilt angle φ of the object 3 using the X coordinates of the feature points P1 and P3 and the vertical width L according to the following equation (step S30).
φ=sin ^-1 {(X1-X3)/L}

Next, the processor 322 calculates the coordinates (Xm, Ym) of the midpoint Pm between the feature points P1 and P3 according to the following equation (step S31).
Xm=(X1+X3)/2
Ym=(Y1+Y3)/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates the offset amounts Xo, Yo of the center Pw of the object 3 relative to the midpoint Pm according to the following equations (step S32): As described above, W represents the width of the body 3b of the object 3.
Xo = (W/2) cos φ
Yo = (W/2) sin φ

Next, the processor 322 calculates the coordinates (Xw, Yw) of the center Pw of the object 3 according to the following equation (step S33).
Xw = Xm + Xo
Yw = Ym + Yo

Next, the processor 322 calculates the required correction movement amount Ya according to the following formula (step S34).
Ya=Yw-(Xw)tanφ
The required correction movement amount Ya is the amount of movement in the Y-axis direction that is required for positioning rotation axis 231 of rotation mechanism 230 on virtual plane 43, and corresponds to the amount of adjustment to the position of the autonomous mobile robot. Furthermore, the tilt angle φ corresponds to the amount of adjustment to the attitude of gripper 210. Therefore, processor 322 outputs data indicating the required correction movement amount Ya and tilt φ to integrated control device 310.

If the answer is NO in step S29, the processor 322 proceeds to step S35 shown in FIG. 14.

Figure 14 is a flowchart showing steps S35 to S38 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in Figure 6. Steps S35 to S38 correspond to the fourth appearance pattern.

In step S35, the processor 322 determines whether the length D1 matches or approximates the width W of the body 3b of the object 3. Specifically, the processor 322 determines that the length D1 matches or approximates the width W if the absolute value of the difference between D1 and W is less than a threshold value.

Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the attitude of the gripper. Figure 15 shows a method for calculating the amount of adjustment when step S35 returns YES. As shown in Figure 15, in the case of the fourth appearance pattern, the tilt angle φ of the object 3 takes a negative value. Furthermore, when step S35 returns YES, feature points P1 and P2 are located at the left and right ends, respectively, of the side surface 3b2 facing the distance measurement sensor 220.

If the answer is YES in step S35, the processor 322 calculates the tilt angle φ of the object 3 using the Y coordinates of the feature points P1 and P2 and the width W according to the following formula (step S36).
φ=sin ^-1 {(Y1-Y2)/W}

Next, the processor 322 calculates the coordinates (Xm, Ym) of the midpoint Pm between the feature points P1 and P2 according to the following equation (step S37).
Xm=(X1+X2)/2
Ym=(Y1+Y2)/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates offset amounts Xo, Yo of the center Pw of the object 3 relative to the midpoint Pm of the feature points P1, P2 according to the following equations (step S38).
Xo=-(L/2)sinφ
Yo = (L/2) cos φ
After step S38, the processor 322 returns the process to step S33 in FIG.

If the answer is NO in step S35, the processor 322 proceeds to step S39 shown in FIG. 16.

Figure 16 is a flowchart showing steps S39 to S42 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in Figure 6. Steps S39 to S42 correspond to the third appearance pattern.

In step S39, the processor 322 determines whether the length D1 matches or approximates the vertical width L of the body 3b of the object 3. Specifically, the processor 322 determines that the length D1 matches or approximates the horizontal width L if the absolute value of the difference between D1 and L is less than a threshold value.

Figure 17 is a diagram illustrating a third example of a method for calculating the position of an autonomous mobile robot and the orientation of the gripper. Figure 17 shows a method for calculating the adjustment amount when step S39 returns YES. As shown in Figure 17, in the case of the third appearance pattern, the tilt angle φ of the object 3 takes a positive value. Furthermore, when step S39 returns YES, feature points P1 and P2 are located at the left and right ends, respectively, of the side surface 3b1 facing the distance measurement sensor 220.

If the answer is YES in step S39, the processor 322 calculates the tilt angle φ of the object 3 using the Y coordinates of the feature points P1 and P2 and the vertical width L according to the following formula (step S40).
φ=sin ^-1 {(Y2-Y1)/L}

Next, the processor 322 calculates the coordinates (Xm, Ym) of the midpoint Pm between the feature points P1 and P2 according to the following equation (step S41).
Xm=(X1+X2)/2
Ym=(Y1+Y2)/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates offset amounts Xo, Yo of the center Pw of the object 3 relative to the midpoint Pm of the feature points P1, P2 according to the following equations (step S42).
Xo = (W/2) cos φ
Yo = (W/2) sin φ
After step S47, the processor 322 returns the process to step S33 in FIG.

If the answer is NO in step S39, the processor 322 proceeds to step S43 shown in FIG. 18.

Figure 18 is a flowchart showing steps S43 to S46 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in Figure 6. Steps S43 to S46 correspond to the third appearance pattern.

In step S43, the processor 322 determines whether the length D2 matches or approximates the width W of the body 3b of the object 3. Specifically, the processor 322 determines that the length D2 matches or approximates the width W if the absolute value of the difference between D2 and W is less than a threshold value.

Figure 19 is a diagram illustrating a fourth example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the posture of the gripper. Figure 19 shows a method for calculating the amount of adjustment when step S43 is YES. When the side surface 3b1 facing the distance measurement sensor 220 is approximately parallel to the direction of travel of light from the distance measurement sensor 220, the measurement error of the distance n1 is likely to be large. As a result, the length D1 between feature points P1 and P2 will no longer match or be close to the width of the side surface 3b1 (i.e., the vertical width L). In this case, step S39 in Figure 16 is NO, but step S43 in Figure 18 is YES. When step S43 is YES, feature points P2 and P3 are located at the left and right ends, respectively, of the side surface 3b2 facing the distance measurement sensor 220.

If the answer is YES in step S43, the processor 322 calculates the tilt angle φ of the object 3 using the Y coordinates of the feature points P2 and P3 and the width W according to the following formula (step S44).
φ=sin ^-1 {(Y3-Y2)/W}

Next, the processor 322 calculates the coordinates (Xm, Ym) of the midpoint Pm between the feature points P2 and P3 according to the following equation (step S45).
Xm=(X2+X3)/2
Ym=(Y2+Y3)/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates offset amounts Xo, Yo of the center Pw of the object 3 relative to the midpoint Pm of the feature points P2, P3 according to the following equations (step S46).
Xo = (L/2) sinφ
Yo=-(L/2)cosφ
After step S46, the processor 322 returns the process to step S33 in FIG.

If the result of step S43 is NO, the processor 322 proceeds to step S47 shown in FIG. 20.

Figure 20 is a flowchart showing steps S47 to S50 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in Figure 6. Steps S47 to S50 correspond to the fourth appearance pattern.

In step S47, the processor 322 determines whether the length D2 matches or approximates the vertical width L of the torso 3b of the object 3. Specifically, the processor 322 determines that the length D2 matches or approximates the vertical width L if the absolute value of the difference between D2 and L is less than a threshold value.

Figure 21 is a diagram illustrating a fifth example of a method for calculating the amount of adjustment for the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the posture of the gripper. Figure 21 shows a method for calculating the amount of adjustment when step S47 is YES. When the side surface 3b2 facing the distance measurement sensor 220 is approximately parallel to the direction of travel of light from the distance measurement sensor 220, the measurement error of the distance n1 is likely to be large. As a result, the length D1 between feature points P1 and P2 will no longer match or be close to the width of the side surface 3b2 (i.e., the horizontal width W). In this case, step S35 in Figure 14 is NO, but step S47 in Figure 20 is YES. When step S47 is YES, feature points P2 and P3 are located at the left and right ends, respectively, of the side surface 3b1 facing the distance measurement sensor 220.

If the answer is YES in step S47, the processor 322 calculates the tilt angle φ of the object 3 using the Y coordinates of the feature points P2 and P3 and the vertical width L according to the following formula (step S48).
φ=sin ^-1 {(X2-X3)/L}

Next, the processor 322 calculates the coordinates (Xm, Ym) of the midpoint Pm between the feature points P2 and P3 according to the following equation (step S49).
Xm=(X2+X3)/2
Ym=(Y2+Y3)/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates offset amounts Xo and Yo of the center Pw of the object 3 relative to the midpoint Pm of the feature points P2 and P3 according to the following equations (step S50).
Xo=-(W/2)sinφ
Yo=-(W/2)cosφ
After step S50, the processor 322 returns the process to step S33 in FIG.

In this way, the tilt angle φ is calculated in one of steps S30, S36, S40, S44, or S48, and the required correction movement amount Ya is calculated in step S34. After step S34, the transport robot 1 proceeds to step S51 in Figure 22.

If the answer is NO in step S47 of Figure 20, processing proceeds to step S60 of Figure 22. If the answer is NO in step S47, this corresponds to the second appearance pattern. In the case of the second appearance pattern (a pattern in which only the side surface 3b2 is visible from the light irradiation point of the distance measurement sensor 220), the posture of the object 3 deviates significantly from the ideal posture. Therefore, simply adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the posture of the gripper 210 will not allow the object 3 to be grasped. Therefore, the amount of adjustment is not calculated, and processing proceeds to step S60.

Figure 22 is a flowchart showing the process of steps S51 to S60 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in Figure 6.

When the processor 312 of the integrated control device 310 receives the data indicating the adjustment amount, it outputs a position adjustment instruction to the autonomous mobile robot 100 to move the required correction movement amount Ya (step S51). As a result, the autonomous mobile robot 100 moves the required correction movement amount Ya. Note that if the required correction movement amount Ya is positive, the autonomous mobile robot 100 moves forward along the Y axis (moves in the positive direction of the Y axis). If the required correction movement amount Ya is positive, the autonomous mobile robot 100 moves backward along the Y axis (moves in the negative direction of the Y axis).

Next, the processor 312 outputs a rotation instruction for the tilt angle φ to the upper structure control device 320 (step S52). As a result, the processor 322 of the upper structure control device 320 controls the rotation mechanism 230 to rotate the workpiece by the tilt angle φ from the search reference state.

Next, the processor 322 sets the current state as the reference attitude and rotates the distance measurement sensor 220 so that the rotation angle θ from the reference attitude changes from -Ψ to Ψ. The processor 322 then acquires a waveform showing the change in the measured distance n of the distance measurement sensor 220 due to the rotation angle θ (step S53).

Figure 23 shows an example of a waveform acquired in step S53. Because the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the attitude of the rotation mechanism 230 have been adjusted, as shown in Figure 23, the waveform acquired in step S53 is generally the same as or similar to the waveform in the left column of Figure 10. Note that, because adjustment errors occur in the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the attitude of the rotation mechanism 230, the waveform acquired in step S53 does not necessarily match the waveform in the left column of Figure 10.

Next, the processor 322 extracts distances n2' and n3' from the waveform obtained in step S53, and calculates the coordinates (X2', Y2') and (X3', Y3') of feature points P2' and P3' corresponding to the extracted distances n2' and n3' (step S54). The method for extracting distances n2' and n3' is the same as the method for extracting distances n2 and n3.

Next, the processor 322 calculates the amount of deviation J in the opening direction of the two fingers of the gripping part 210 according to the following formula (step S55).
J=|L/2-D3'|
In the above formula, D3' is the distance between the feature point P2' and the feature point P3', and is calculated in the same manner as in step S28.

Figure 24 is a diagram showing the deviation amount J. As described above, adjustment errors can occur in the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 and the attitude of the rotation mechanism 230. In this case, as shown in Figure 24, the virtual plane 44 including the rotation axis 231 and feature point P2' does not pass through the center Pw of the object 3. The deviation amount J corresponds to the distance between the virtual plane 44 and the center Pw of the object 3.

Next, the processor 322 calculates the distance D' between the feature point P2' and the rotation axis 231 (step S56). The coordinates of the rotation axis 231 are represented as (0, 0). Therefore, the processor 322 calculates the distance D' according to the following formula.
D' = {(X2') ² + (Y2') ² } ^1/2

Next, the processor 322 determines whether the gripper 210 can reach the object 3 (step S57). The movable range of the gripper 210 depends on the specifications of the parallel link mechanism 240. Therefore, the processor 322 compares the distance D' with a threshold value determined in accordance with the specifications of the parallel link mechanism 240, and determines that the gripper 210 can reach the object 3 if the distance D' is less than the threshold value.

If the answer is YES in step S57, the processor 322 determines whether the displacement amount J is less than (Wa - L)/2 (step S57), where Wa is the maximum opening width of the two fingers of the gripping portion 210.

Figure 25 shows the relationship between the maximum opening width Wa of the gripping portion and the amount of displacement J. As shown in Figure 25, if the amount of displacement J is (Wa - L)/2 or greater, one of the two fingers of the gripping portion 210 will collide with the object 3 while the gripping portion 210 is moving translationally toward the object 3.

If the answer is NO in step S57 or NO in step S58, the processor 322 determines whether step S51 has been executed three times (step S59). If the answer is NO in step S59, the process proceeds to step S51.

If the answer is YES in step S60 or NO in step S47 of FIG. 20, the processor 322 switches the failure flag to the ON state (step S60). After step S60, the process returns to step S9 of FIG. 6.

If the answer is YES in step S58, the process proceeds to step S61 in FIG.
FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing the flow of steps S61 to S65 included in the subroutine of step S8 shown in FIG.

In step S61, the processor 322 controls the lifting mechanism 250 to raise the distance measurement sensor 220 to its upper limit. The processor 322 then acquires a waveform showing the change in the measured distance n of the distance measurement sensor 220 depending on the height h of the distance measurement sensor 220.

Figure 27 shows an example of the waveform acquired in step S61. As shown in Figure 27, the waveform includes one or more valleys 40. The valleys 40 correspond to the distance n when light from the distance measurement sensor 220 is irradiated onto the flange 3c of the object 3.

Returning to FIG. 26, the processor 322 then calculates the number Q1 of piled objects 3 placed at the specified location 2 based on the waveform acquired in step S61 (step S62). Specifically, the processor 322 counts the number of valleys 40 in the waveform shown in FIG. 27 as the number Q1 of piled objects.

Next, the processor 322 calculates the quantity Q2 of objects on hand (step S63). As described above, the quantity Q2 of objects on hand is the number of objects 3 placed on the loading platform 260.

Figure 28 is a diagram explaining how to calculate the inventory quantity. As shown in Figure 28, the distance sensor 262 measures the distance Nz to the topmost object 3 of one or more objects 3 on which the plate 261 is placed.

The processor 322 calculates the inventory quantity Q2 according to the following formula:
Q2=(N0-Nz-H)Hn+1
In the above formula, N0 is the distance between the distance measuring sensor 262 and the plate 261. H is the height of the object 3 as described above. Hn is the pitch between two objects 3 when the objects 3 are stacked. N0 is determined in advance according to the shape of the object 3. Hn is determined in advance according to the specifications of the loading platform 260.

Next, the processor 322 calculates the number of collectible items Qc according to the following formula (step S64).
Qc = Q0 - Q2
In the above formula, Q0 is the maximum number of items on the loading platform 260, and is determined in advance according to the specifications of the loading platform 260.

The processor 322 then adds data indicating the various parameters acquired during the collection preparation operation to the access rule database 340 (step S65). The data added to the access rule database 340 in step S65 includes, for example, data indicating the tilt angle φ, the required correction movement amount Ya, the number of stacked items Q1, the number of items in stock Q2, and the number of collectable items Qc. After step S65, processing returns to step S9 in FIG. 6.

<Calibration>
The light irradiation point of the distance measuring sensor 220 is determined by the design of the upper object device 200. Therefore, the parameters for defining the position of the light irradiation point (i.e., r3, r1, a1, r2, a2 that define the coordinates of the light irradiation point of the upper object device 200 in the search reference state) are basically constant. Therefore, the processor 322 only needs to perform control for the recovery preparation operation (i.e., processing for detecting the position and orientation of the object 3) using the parameter values determined in advance by the design of the upper object device 200.

However, due to dimensional errors of the distance measurement sensor 220, errors in attaching the distance measurement sensor 220 to the gripping portion 210, etc., the position of the light irradiation point may vary from one object device 200 to another. Taking these individual differences into account, calibration of the parameters that define the position of the light irradiation point may be performed. A method for calibrating the parameters that define the position of the light irradiation point is described below.

Figure 29 is a diagram explaining the calibration method. Figure 29 shows an example of calibration for a distance measuring sensor 220 designed so that the light irradiation point is point E1 (see Figure 8). Furthermore, the coordinates of the light irradiation point (point E1) of the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state are designed to be (r1, a1) (see Figure 8), but are shifted to (r1', a1') due to individual differences.

The distance measurement sensor 220 is attached to the finger portion of the grip portion 210. The extension direction of the finger portion has a significant impact on gripping. Therefore, the accuracy of the extension direction of the finger portion is relatively high. Therefore, individual differences in the direction of travel of light emitted from the light irradiation point of the distance measurement sensor 220 are usually small enough to be ignored.

In calibration, the object 3 is placed in the ideal position and ideal posture at the designated location 2, and when the autonomous mobile robot 100 is in the target position and posture corresponding to the designated location 2, the processor 322 executes steps S21 to S23 shown in FIG. 7. That is, steps S21 to S23 are executed for the object 3 whose position and posture with respect to the rotation axis 231 are known. When the upper structure device 200 is set to the search reference state by executing step S21, the rotation axis 231 and X axis of the rotation mechanism 230 pass through the center Pc(Xc,0) of the side surface 3b1 of the body 3b of the object 3.

From the waveform obtained by executing step S23, the processor 322 identifies the distance nc at which the measured distance n is shortest and the rotation angle θm when the distance nc is measured.

The distance nc is measured when the light from the distance measurement sensor 220 is irradiated onto the center Pc. Therefore, the processor 322 calculates the coordinates (Xd, Yd) of the light irradiation point when the distance nc is measured according to the following equation.
Xd=Xc-(nc)cos(θm)
Yd=-(nc)sin(θm)

Next, the processor 322 calculates the slope ε of the line connecting the point at coordinates (Xd, Yd) and the center Pc(Xc, 0) according to the following formula:
ε=(Yd-0)/(Xd-Xc)

The distance between the virtual line 45 that passes through the rotation axis 231 and has a slope ε and the point at coordinates (Xd, Yd) corresponds to a1′. Therefore, the processor 322 calculates a1′ according to the following formula.
a1'=|ε(Xd)-Yd|/{(ε ² +1) ^1/2 }

Next, the processor 322 calculates the distance R' between the point at coordinates (Xd, Yd) and the origin (0, 0) (i.e., the distance between the point at coordinates (Xd, Yd) and the rotation axis 231) according to the following formula:
R' = {(Xd) ² + (Yd) ² } ^1/2

Next, the processor 322 calculates the angle β' between the imaginary line 45 and the straight line connecting the point at coordinates (Xd, Yd) and the origin (0, 0) according to the following formula:
β'=sin ^-1 (a1'/R')

Next, processor 322 calculates r1' according to the following formula:
r1' = R' cos β'

Next, the processor 322 calculates the angle deviation θc due to individual differences in the upper structure device 200 (i.e., the deviation between (r1, a1) and (r1', a1')).

Fig. 30 is a diagram showing the angle deviation θc. In Fig. 30, θ0 is the rotation angle at which the measured distance n is shortest when the coordinates of the light irradiation point of the upper structure device 200 in the search reference state are (r1, a1) as designed. θ0 is determined in advance from the values of design parameters such as r1 and a1. The processor 322 calculates the angle deviation θc according to the following formula.
θc = θm - θ0

The processor 322 compares the angular deviation θc with a predetermined threshold. The threshold is set to the upper limit of a range that does not affect gripping, taking into account factors such as the maximum open width Wa of the two fingers of the gripping unit 210. Therefore, if the angular deviation θc exceeds the threshold, the processor 322 prompts the user to reattach the distance measurement sensor 220.

If the angular deviation θc is less than or equal to the threshold value, the processor 322 updates the data indicating (r1, a1) in the access rule database 340 to data indicating (r1', a1'). Furthermore, the processor 322 includes the data indicating the angular deviation θc in the access rule database 340. When acquiring the waveform in steps S23 and S52, the processor 322 corrects the rotation angle θ by the angular deviation θc.

In this way, the processor 322 of the overhead object control device 320 acquires the change in the measured distance n of the ranging sensor 220 due to the rotation angle for the object 3 whose position and orientation relative to the rotation axis 231 are known, and determines the parameters for defining the position of the ranging sensor 220 based on the acquired change.

<Main collection operation>
FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing the flow of the subroutine processing of step S10 shown in FIG.

The processor 322 determines whether the number of collectible items Qc is equal to or greater than the specified number "A" (step S71).

If step S71 is YES, the processor 322 determines whether the number of stacked objects Q1 at the designated location 2 is equal to or greater than the designated number "A" (step S72). If step S72 is YES, the processor 322 repeatedly executes control of the main recovery operation A times, causing the upper facility device 200 to recover A objects 3 (step S73). That is, the processor 322 of the upper facility control device 3202 controls the gripper 210, the pivoting mechanism 230, the parallel link mechanism 240, and the lifting mechanism 250 to move A objects 3 from the designated location 2 onto the loading platform 260. If step S72 is NO, the processor 322 repeatedly executes control of the main recovery operation Q1 times, causing the upper facility device 200 to recover Q1 objects 3 (step S74). After steps S73 and S74, the process returns to step S11 in FIG. 6 .

If the answer is NO in step S71, the processor 322 determines whether the number of collectable objects Qc is equal to or greater than the number of objects stacked at the designated location 2, Q1 (step S75). If the answer is YES in step S75, the process proceeds to step S74. If the answer is NO in step S75, the processor 322 repeats the control of the main collection operation Qc times and causes the upper object device 200 to collect Qc objects 3 (step S76). After step S76, the process returns to step S11 in FIG. 6.

In this way, the processor 322 of the upper object control device 320 determines the number of objects 3 to be moved to the loading platform 260 based on the number of stacked objects Q1 and the number of objects 3 present on the loading platform 260 (number of objects present Q2). The processor 322 then controls the gripping unit 210, the rotation mechanism 230, the parallel link mechanism 240, and the lifting mechanism 250 to move the determined number of objects 3 from the designated location 2 onto the loading platform 260.

<Processing flow when receiving distribution instructions>
FIG. 32 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing when the transport robot receives a distribution instruction.

First, the processor 312 of the integrated control device 310 receives a distribution instruction from the host system 4 (step S81). The distribution instruction includes data indicating the specified location and data indicating the number of items to be distributed (B units).

Next, the processor 312 outputs an instruction to the autonomous mobile robot 100 to start moving toward the target position and posture determined according to the specified location (step S82).

The driving controller 120 of the autonomous driving robot 100 determines whether the driving permission signal is in the ON state (step S83). If the driving permission signal is in the OFF state (NO in step S83), the driving controller 120 returns the process to step S83.

If the travel permission signal is on (YES in step S83), the travel controller 120 controls the drive unit 130 to start movement to the target position and attitude (step S84).

Upon reaching the target position and attitude, the driving controller 120 reports arrival at the target position and attitude to the integrated control device 310 (step S85).

Next, the processor 312 outputs a command to start the distribution operation to the equipment control device 320 (step S86). The command to start the distribution operation includes data indicating the number of items to be distributed, "B items."

Next, upon receiving the instruction to start the distribution operation, the processor 322 of the facility control device 320 determines whether the transfer permission signal is in the ON state (step S87). If the transfer permission signal is in the OFF state (NO in step S87), the processor 322 returns the process to step S87.

If the transfer permission signal is in the ON state (YES in step S87), the processor 322 executes control for the distribution preparation operation (step S88). Details of the distribution preparation operation will be described later.

Next, processor 322 determines whether the distribution preparation operation was successful (step S89). Processor 322 determines whether the distribution preparation operation was successful by checking the failure flag. In other words, processor 322 determines that the distribution preparation operation failed when the failure flag is on.

If the distribution preparation operation fails (NO in step S89), the processor 312 generates third result data indicating that the distribution preparation operation failed and outputs the generated third result data to the integrated control device 310. As a result, the processor 312 of the integrated control device 310 notifies the upper system 4 that distribution was not possible (step S94).

If the distribution preparation operation is successful (YES in step S89), the processor 312 executes control of the distribution book operation (step S90).

When the book distribution operation is completed, the processor 312 executes control to return the gripper 210 to the home position (step S91). Specifically, the processor 312 calculates the amount of operation of each drive axis to return the gripper 210 to the home position, and outputs the calculated amount of operation to the upper structure device 200. As a result, the gripper 210 returns to the home position.

Next, processor 312 reports the completion of the distribution operation to integrated control device 310 (step S92). Specifically, processor 312 generates fourth result data indicating the results of the distribution operation and outputs the generated fourth result data to integrated control device 310.

Next, the processor 312 of the integrated control device 310 notifies the host system 4 of the distribution result (step S93). For example, if the fourth result data indicates the number of items distributed, the processor 312 simply transfers the fourth result data to the host system 4.

<Distribution preparation operation>
FIG. 33 is a flowchart showing the process flow of the subroutine of step S88 shown in FIG.

First, the processor 322 of the overhead structure control device 320 controls the overhead structure device 200 so that the overhead structure device 200 is in the search reference state (step S101). Step S101 is the same process as step S21 shown in Figure 7. Next, the processor 322 turns on the distance measurement sensor 220 (step S102).

Next, the processor 322 sets the search reference state as the reference state and rotates the distance measurement sensor 220 so that the rotation angle θ from the reference state changes from -Ψ to Ψ. The processor 322 then acquires a waveform showing the change in the measured distance n of the distance measurement sensor 220 due to the rotation angle θ (step S103).

Next, processor 322 determines whether distances n1, n2, and n3 can be extracted from the waveform (step S104). When performing a distribution operation, there may be cases where object 3 is not present at the specified location. If object 3 is not present at the specified location, the measured distance of distance measuring sensor 220 indicates a value that exceeds the upper limit of the measurable range or an error value. In such cases, processor 322 determines that distances n1, n2, and n3 cannot be extracted from the waveform.

If step S104 is NO, the processor 322 determines that the number Q1 of objects 3 piled up in the specified location is 0 (step S105). In this case, objects 3 can be distributed in any position and in any orientation in the specified location, so there is no need to adjust the position of the autonomous mobile robot 100 or the orientation of the gripper 210. After step S105, steps S62 and S63 shown in Figure 26 are executed. After steps S63 and S64 are executed, the process proceeds to step S106.

If the answer is YES in step S104, steps S24 to S63 in Figures 7, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, and 26 are executed. After steps S24 to S64 are executed, processing proceeds to step S106.

In step S106, the processor 322 calculates the number of pieces that can be distributed Qh according to the following formula.
Qh = Qm - Q1
Qm is the maximum number of objects that can be stacked by the upper object device 200, and is determined in advance according to the height of the designated location, the specifications of the object 3, and the specifications of the lifting mechanism 250.

Next, the processor 322 includes data indicating the various parameters acquired during the distribution preparation operation in the access rule database 340 (step S107. The data included in the access rule database 340 in step S107 includes, for example, data indicating the tilt angle φ, the required correction movement amount Ya, the number of stacked items Q1, the number of items in stock Q2, and the number of items available for distribution Qh. After step S107, processing returns to step S89 in FIG. 32.

<Distribution book operation>
FIG. 34 is a flowchart showing the process flow of the subroutine of step S90 shown in FIG.

The processor 322 determines whether the number of items that can be distributed Qh is equal to or greater than the specified number "B" (step S111).

If the answer is YES in step S111, the processor 322 determines whether the inventory quantity Q2 is equal to or greater than the specified quantity "B" (step S112). If the answer is YES in step S112, the processor 322 executes control of the distribution book operation B times, causing the upper structure device 200 to distribute B objects 3 (step S113). If the answer is NO in step S112, the processor 322 executes control of the distribution book operation Q2 times, causing the upper structure device 200 to distribute Q2 objects 3 (step S114). After steps S113 and S114, the process returns to step S91 in FIG. 32.

If the answer is NO in step S111, the processor 322 determines whether the number of objects that can be distributed Qh is equal to or greater than the number of objects in stock Q2 (step S115). If the answer is YES in step S115, the process proceeds to step S114. If the answer is NO in step S115, the processor 322 repeats the control of the distribution book operation Qh times and causes the upper equipment device 200 to collect Qh objects 3 (step S116). After step S116, the process returns to step S91 in FIG. 32.

<Modification 1>
The object 3 is not limited to a rectangular box shape in a plan view, and may have other shapes. For example, the object 3 may be a cylindrical or polygonal prism shape.

Figure 35 is a diagram showing another example of an object. Figure 35 shows a cylindrical object 3. When steps S21 to S25 shown in Figure 7 are performed on the cylindrical object 3, the coordinates of feature points P1 to P3 contained on the side of the cylindrical object 3 are calculated, as shown in Figure 35. The coordinates of the center of the object 3 are calculated based on the coordinates of feature points P1 to P3. This allows the position of the object 3 to be detected.

Figure 36 is a diagram showing yet another example of an object. Figure 36 shows a hexagonal prism-shaped object 3. When steps S21 to S25 shown in Figure 7 are performed on the hexagonal prism-shaped object 3, the coordinates of feature points P1 to P3 contained in the boundary between the side surfaces of the hexagonal prism-shaped object 3 are calculated, as shown in Figure 36. The position and orientation of the object 3 are detected based on the coordinates of feature points P1 to P3.

<Modification 2>
Fig. 37 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to Modification 2. As shown in Fig. 37, a transport robot 1A according to Modification 2 differs from the transport robot 1 shown in Fig. 4 in that it includes an upper structure device 200A instead of the upper structure device 200. The upper structure device 200A differs from the upper structure device 200 in that it includes a loading platform 260A instead of the loading platform 260. The loading platform 260A differs from the loading platform 260 in that it includes an object detection sensor set 263 instead of the distance measurement sensor 262.

The object detection sensor set 263 has multiple object detection sensors. The multiple object detection sensors are arranged vertically at intervals equal to the height pitch of the multiple objects 3 to be stacked. Therefore, when k objects 3 are stacked on the plate 261, the kth object detection sensor from the bottom will detect the presence of an object 3, while object detection sensors placed above the kth sensor will not detect the presence of an object 3. Therefore, the inventory confirmation unit 341 of the upper object control device 320 can determine the number of sensors in the object detection sensor set 263 that detect the presence of an object 3 as the inventory count.

<Modification 3>
Fig. 38 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to Modification 3. As shown in Fig. 38, a transport robot 1B according to Modification 3 differs from the transport robot 1 shown in Fig. 4 in that it includes an upper structure device 200B instead of the upper structure device 200. The upper structure device 200B differs from the upper structure device 200 in that it includes a platform 260B instead of the platform 260. The platform 260B differs from the platform 260 in that it includes a plurality of plates 265 and a plurality of object detection sensors 264 instead of the plate 261, the distance measurement sensor 262, and the support member 266.

The multiple plates 265 are arranged vertically at predetermined intervals. One object 3 is placed on each of the multiple plates 265. In this way, in the transport robot 1B of variant 3, objects 3 are not piled up on the loading platform 260B.

An object detection sensor 264 is provided on each of the multiple plates 265. The object detection sensor 264 detects the presence or absence of an object 3 on the corresponding plate 265. Therefore, the inventory confirmation unit 341 of the upper cargo control device 320 can determine the number of sensors among the multiple object detection sensors 264 that detect the presence of an object 3 as the inventory quantity.

<Modification 4>
39 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to Modification 4. As shown in FIG. 39, the transport robot 1C according to Modification 4 differs from the transport robot 1B according to Modification 3 in that it includes an upper facility unit 200C instead of the upper facility unit 200B, and an upper facility control device 320C instead of the upper facility control device 320. The upper facility unit 200C differs from the upper facility unit 200B in that it includes a loading platform 260C instead of the loading platform 260B, and includes a camera 280. The upper facility control device 320C differs from the upper facility control device 320 in that it includes an upper facility operation control unit 344C instead of the upper facility operation control unit 344, and further includes an inversion confirmation unit 346.

The camera 280 is attached to the gripper 210 or a member near the gripper 210 so that its optical axis is parallel to the direction of translational movement of the gripper 210 by the parallel link mechanism 240. The camera 280 captures an image of the object 3 placed at the designated location 2. The image captured by the camera 280 is output to the overhead object control device 320C.

Platform 260C differs from platform 260B in that it includes an inversion mechanism 267 on each of the multiple plates 265. The inversion mechanism 267 rotates 180° around a rotation axis that runs vertically. Therefore, an object 3 placed on the inversion mechanism 267 rotates 180° around the rotation axis that runs vertically.

Figure 40 is a diagram showing an example of an object to be transported in Variation 4. As shown in Figure 40, object 3 has different visibility when rotated 180 degrees around a vertical axis. Specifically, side 3d of object 3 and side 3e behind side 3d have different characteristics. For example, side 3d is color-coded left and right, with the right side being a first color and the left side being a second color. On the other hand, side 3e is color-coded left and right, with the right side being the second color and the left side being the first color.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 40, nesting and stacking can be used interchangeably depending on how the objects 3 are stacked. In the example shown in Figure 40, stacking occurs when objects of the same color are stacked, and nesting occurs when objects of different colors are stacked. Technology related to objects 3 is described, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Publication No. 05-35647 (Patent Document 2).

Since nesting and stacking can be used interchangeably depending on the orientation of the sides 3d and 3e, it is preferable that the object 3 be transported taking into account the orientation of the sides 3d and 3e. Therefore, in variant 4, the object 3 retrieved from the designated location 2 and placed on the loading platform 260C is controlled so that the orientation of the sides 3d and 3e remains constant.

Specifically, the inversion confirmation unit 346 of the upper object control device 320C determines which of side surface 3d and side surface 3e faces the gripper 210 based on the image captured by the camera 280. The result of the determination by the inversion confirmation unit 346 is output to the upper object operation control unit 344C.

The upper object operation control unit 344C controls the inversion mechanism 267 in addition to performing the same control as the upper object operation control unit 344. Specifically, the upper object operation control unit 344C operates the inversion mechanism 267 in response to a determination result indicating that the side surface 3e faces the gripping unit 210. This aligns the orientation of the sides 3d and 3e of the object 3 placed on the loading platform 260C.

<Modification 5>
Variation 5 is a further variation of Variation 4. In Variation 5, the reversing mechanism 267 is omitted. Therefore, when the side surface 3e of the object 3 placed at the designated location 2 faces the gripper 210, the object 3 cannot be placed on the loading platform 260C so that the side surface 3d faces the gripper 210. Therefore, the upper object operation control unit 344C outputs a notification that the orientation of the object 3 is abnormal in accordance with the determination result indicating that the side surface 3e faces the gripper 210. For example, the upper object operation control unit 344C may turn on an indicator (not shown) or output a notification to a higher-level system via the integrated control device 310.

<Modification 6>
Fig. 41 is a diagram showing the configuration of a transport robot according to Modification 6. As shown in Fig. 41, a transport robot 1D according to Modification 6 differs from the transport robot 1 shown in Fig. 4 in that it includes an upper structure device 200D instead of the upper structure device 200. The upper structure device 200D differs from the upper structure device 200 in that it includes a measuring instrument 290.

The measuring device 290 measures the weight of the object 3 while the gripping unit 210 is gripping the object 3. The measuring device 290 may measure the weight of the object 3 directly. Alternatively, the measuring device 290 may measure the total weight of the rotation mechanism 230, the lifting mechanism 250, the parallel link mechanism 240, the gripping unit 210, and the object 3, and indirectly measure the weight of the object 3 by subtracting the weights of the rotation mechanism 230, the lifting mechanism 250, the parallel link mechanism 240, and the gripping unit 210 from the total weight.

The information acquisition unit 342 of the upper structure control device 320 acquires the measurement results from the measuring device 290. The upper structure operation control unit 344 monitors the measurement results from the measuring device 290 and, when the amount of variation in the measurement results exceeds a threshold, notifies that an object contained in object 3 has fallen. For example, the upper structure operation control unit 344C may turn on an indicator (not shown), or may output a notification to a higher-level system via the integrated control device 310.

This allows the worker to immediately check for fallen objects. The transport robot 1D according to variant 6 can be applied to production sites where the object stored in the container 3 is likely to spill, such as a liquid.

<Other Modifications>
In the above description, the transport robots 1, 1A to 1D are described as being equipped with two control devices (an integrated control device and an upper facility control device). However, the transport robots 1, 1A to 1D may be equipped with a single control device that combines the integrated control device and the upper facility control device, or may be equipped with one or more additional control devices that perform some of the functions of the integrated control device and the upper facility control device.

§3 Supplementary Note As described above, the present embodiment includes the following disclosure.

(Configuration 1)
A transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) that performs a target operation, which is at least one of collecting an object (3) placed in a designated location (2) and distributing the object (3) in a stacked manner to the designated location,
An autonomous traveling robot (100);
a gripping unit (210) mounted on the autonomous mobile robot (100) for gripping the object (3);
a distance measurement sensor (220) mounted on the autonomous mobile robot (100);
a rotation mechanism (230) that rotates the distance measuring sensor (220) and the gripping portion (210) around a first rotation axis (231) provided on the autonomous traveling robot (100);
one or more control devices (300, 310, 320) that control the autonomous mobile robot (100) and the rotation mechanism (230);
The one or more control devices (300, 310, 320, 320C)
controlling the autonomous mobile robot (100) to move to a target position and posture corresponding to the specified location;
a step of controlling the rotation mechanism (230) to rotate the distance measuring sensor (220) in response to the autonomous mobile robot (100) moving to the target position and posture;
detecting the position and orientation of the object (3) present at the specified location based on a change in the measured distance of the distance measuring sensor (220) due to a rotation angle and the shape of the object (3);
A transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) that executes a step of adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot (100) and the attitude of the gripping unit (210) so that the gripping unit (210) can perform the target operation according to the detection results of the position and attitude of the object (3).

(Configuration 2)
The step of detecting the position and orientation of the object (3) is performed using parameters for defining the position of the distance measuring sensor (220) relative to the first rotation axis (231);
The one or more control devices (300, 310, 320, 320C)
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) described in configuration 1 further performs a step of acquiring a change in the measured distance of the distance measuring sensor (220) due to the rotation angle for the object (3) whose position and orientation relative to the first rotation axis (231) is known, and determining the parameters based on the acquired change.

(Configuration 3)
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) further includes a parallel link mechanism (240) that translates the gripping part (210),
The rotation mechanism (230) rotates the parallel link mechanism (240) together with the gripping portion (210) around the first rotation axis (231),
The adjusting step includes:
adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot (100) so that the gripping unit (210) is located on a reference plane (43) that includes a vertical reference line passing through the center of the object (3) present at the designated location and is parallel to a predetermined direction with respect to the object (3) present at the designated location;
and adjusting the attitude of the gripping portion (210) so that the direction of the translational movement is parallel to the reference plane (43).

(Configuration 4)
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) further includes a loading platform (260, 260A, 260B, 260C) provided on the autonomous traveling robot (100) and on which the object (3) is placed,
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) described in configuration 3 further performs a step in which the one or more control devices (300, 310, 320, 320C) control the gripping unit (210), the rotation mechanism (230), and the parallel link mechanism (240) to move the object (3) from the designated location (2) onto the loading platform (260, 260A, 260B, 260C).

(Configuration 5)
The object (3) is stackable at the designated location (2);
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) further includes an elevating mechanism (250) that elevates the distance measuring sensor (220) and the gripping part (210),
The one or more control devices (300, 310, 320, 320C)
A step of controlling the lifting mechanism (250) to lift and lower the distance measuring sensor (220);
Detecting the number of piled up objects (3) present at the specified location based on a change in the measured distance of the distance measuring sensor (220) depending on the height of the distance measuring sensor (220);
and further performing a step of determining the number of the objects (3) to be moved to the loading platform (260, 260A, 260B, 260C) based on the number of the piled objects and the number of the objects (3) present on the loading platform (260, 260A, 260B, 260C);
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) described in configuration 4, wherein the step of moving the objects (3) includes a step of controlling the gripping unit (210), the rotation mechanism (230), the parallel link mechanism (240), and the lifting mechanism (250) to move a determined number of the objects (3) from the designated location (2) onto the loading platform (260, 260A, 260B, 260C).

(Configuration 6)
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D)
a loading platform (260, 260A, 260B, 260C) provided on the autonomous mobile robot (100) and on which the object (2) is placed;
a position sensor (270) that detects a relative positional relationship between the loading platform (260, 260A, 260B, 260C) and the gripping portion (210),
The one or more control devices
A transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) described in any of configurations 1 to 3, further performing a step of allowing the autonomous mobile robot (100) to move depending on whether the relative positional relationship detected by the position sensor (270) is a reference relationship.

(Configuration 7)
The object (3) has a first side surface (3d) and a second side surface (3e) on the reverse side of the first side surface (3d),
The first side surface (3d) and the second side surface (3e) have different characteristics from each other,
The transport robot (1C) further includes a camera (280) mounted on the autonomous mobile robot (100) for capturing an image of the object (3),
The one or more control devices (320C)
a step of determining, based on the imaging results of the camera (280), which of the first side surface (3d) and the second side surface (3e) of the object present at the specified location faces the gripping portion (210);
The transport robot (1C) described in any one of configurations 1 to 6 further executes a step of outputting a notification that the orientation of the object (3) present at the specified location is abnormal in response to determining that the second side (3e) faces the gripping portion (210).

(Configuration 8)
The object (3) has a first side surface (3d) and a second side surface (3e) on the reverse side of the first side surface (3d),
The first side surface (3d) and the second side surface (3e) have different characteristics from each other,
The transport robot (1C) includes a camera (280) mounted on the autonomous mobile robot (100) for capturing an image of the object (3);
and an inversion mechanism (267) that rotates the object (3) 180° around a second rotation axis along the vertical direction;
The one or more control devices (320C)
a step of determining, based on the imaging results of the camera (280), which of the first side surface (3d) and the second side surface (3e) of the object present at the specified location faces the gripping portion (210);
A transport robot described in any one of configurations 1 to 6, further performing a step of operating the inversion mechanism (267) in response to determining that the second side (3e) faces the gripping portion (210).

(Configuration 9)
The object (3) is a container for containing an object,
The transport robot (1D) further includes a measuring instrument (290) that measures the weight of the object (3) when the gripping unit (210) grips the object (3),
The one or more control devices (320)
monitoring the measurement results from the measuring instrument;
A transport robot (1D) described in any one of configurations 1 to 8, further performing a step of notifying that the object has fallen when the amount of variation in the measurement result exceeds a threshold.

(Configuration 10)
A control method for a transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D) that performs a target operation, which is at least one of collecting an object (3) placed in a designated location (2) and distributing the object (3) in a stacked manner to the designated location, comprising:
The transport robot (1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D)
An autonomous traveling robot (100);
a gripping unit (210) mounted on the autonomous mobile robot (100) for gripping the object (3);
a distance measurement sensor (220) mounted on the autonomous mobile robot (100);
a rotation mechanism (230) that rotates the distance measuring sensor (220) and the gripping portion (210) around a first rotation axis (231) provided on the autonomous traveling robot (100),
The control method includes:
controlling the autonomous mobile robot (100) to move to a target position and posture corresponding to the specified location;
a step of controlling the rotation mechanism (230) to rotate the distance measuring sensor (220) in response to the autonomous mobile robot (100) moving to the target position and posture;
detecting the position and orientation of the object (3) present at the specified location based on a change in the measured distance of the distance measuring sensor (220) due to a rotation angle and the shape of the object (3);
A control method comprising a step of adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot (100) and the attitude of the gripping unit (210) according to the detection results of the position and attitude of the object (3) so that the gripping unit (210) can perform the target action.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D Transport robot, 2 Designated location, 3 Object, 3a Base, 3b Body, 3b1, 3b2, 3d, 3e Side, 3c Flange, 4 Upper system, 5 Transport system, 10, 11, 12 State, 40 Valley, 41 Light, 42, 45 Virtual line, 43, 44 Virtual surface, 46 Reference line, 100 Autonomous traveling robot, 110, 311, 321 Communication unit, 120 Travel controller, 121 Travel permission acceptance unit, 122 Travel control unit, 123 State output unit, 130 Drive unit, 140 Position and orientation sensor, 150, 151, 152 Wheels, 200, 200A, 200B, 200C, 200D Upper object device, 210 Grip unit, 220, 262 Distance measurement sensor, 230 Rotation mechanism, 231 Rotation axis, 240 Parallel link mechanism, 250 Lifting mechanism, 260, 260A, 260B, 260C Platform, 261, 265 Plate, 263 Object detection sensor set, 264 Object detection sensor, 266 Support member, 267 Reversing mechanism, 270 Sensor, 271 Light emitting unit, 272 Light receiving unit, 280 Camera, 290 Measuring instrument, 300 Control device, 310 Integrated control device, 312, 322 Processor, 313, 323 Storage device, 314, 324 Program group, 320, 320C Upper object control device, 331 Position confirmation unit, 332 Operation transition management unit, 333 Transport instruction processing unit, 340 Access rule database, 341 Inventory confirmation unit, 342 Information acquisition unit, 343 Permission acceptance unit, 344, 344C upper structure operation control unit, 345 axis controller, 346 inversion confirmation unit.

Claims (10)

A transport robot that performs a target operation that is at least one of collecting an object placed at a designated location and distributing the object in a stacked manner at a designated location,
An autonomous robot,
a gripping unit mounted on the autonomous mobile robot for gripping the object;
a distance measurement sensor mounted on the autonomous mobile robot;
a rotation mechanism that rotates the distance measuring sensor and the gripper around a first rotation axis provided on the autonomous mobile robot;
one or more control devices that control the autonomous traveling robot and the rotation mechanism,
The one or more control devices
controlling the autonomous mobile robot to move to a target position and orientation corresponding to the specified location;
controlling the rotation mechanism to rotate the distance measuring sensor in response to the autonomous mobile robot moving to the target position and orientation;
detecting a position and orientation of the object present at the specified location based on a change in the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor due to a rotation angle and a shape of the object;
and adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the attitude of the gripping unit according to the detection results of the position and attitude of the object so that the gripping unit can perform the target action. the step of detecting the position and orientation of the object is performed using parameters for defining a position of the distance measuring sensor with respect to the first rotation axis;
The one or more control devices
2. The transport robot according to claim 1, further comprising a step of acquiring a change in the measured distance of the distance measuring sensor due to the rotation angle for the object whose position and orientation with respect to the first rotation axis is known, and determining the parameters based on the acquired change. the transport robot further includes a parallel link mechanism that translates the gripper;
the rotation mechanism rotates the parallel link mechanism together with the gripper about the first rotation axis;
The adjusting step includes:
adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot so that the gripping unit is located on a reference plane that includes a vertical reference line passing through the center of the object present at the designated location and is parallel to a predetermined direction with respect to the object present at the designated location;
The transfer robot according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a step of adjusting the attitude of the gripping unit so that the direction of the translational movement is parallel to the reference plane. the transport robot further includes a platform provided on the autonomous traveling robot on which the object is placed;
The transport robot according to claim 3 , wherein the one or more control devices further perform a step of controlling the gripper, the rotation mechanism, and the parallel link mechanism to move the object from the designated location onto the loading platform. the objects are stackable at the designated locations;
the transport robot further includes an elevating mechanism that elevates the distance measuring sensor and the gripper;
The one or more control devices
controlling the lifting mechanism to lift and lower the distance measuring sensor;
detecting the number of piled-up objects present at the specified location based on a change in the measured distance of the distance measuring sensor depending on the height of the distance measuring sensor;
determining the number of objects to be moved to the loading platform based on the number of objects stacked and the number of objects present in the loading platform;
5. The transport robot according to claim 4, wherein the step of moving the objects includes a step of controlling the gripping unit, the rotation mechanism, the parallel link mechanism, and the lifting mechanism to move a determined number of the objects from the designated location onto the loading platform. The transport robot is
a loading platform provided on the autonomous mobile robot on which the object is placed;
a position sensor for detecting a relative positional relationship between the platform and the gripping portion,
The one or more control devices
The transport robot according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of permitting the autonomous mobile robot to travel when the relative positional relationship detected by the position sensor is a reference relationship. the object has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side,
the first side and the second side have different characteristics;
the transport robot further includes a camera mounted on the autonomous mobile robot for capturing an image of the object;
The one or more control devices
determining, based on an image captured by the camera, which of the first side surface and the second side surface of the object present at the specified location faces the gripping portion;
7. The transport robot according to claim 1, further comprising: a step of outputting a notification that the orientation of the object present at the specified location is abnormal in response to determining that the second side surface faces the gripping portion. the object has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side,
the first side and the second side have different characteristics;
The transport robot is
a camera mounted on the autonomous robot for capturing an image of the object;
an inversion mechanism that rotates the object 180° around a second rotation axis along a vertical direction,
The one or more control devices
determining, based on an image captured by the camera, which of the first side surface and the second side surface of the object present at the specified location faces the gripping portion;
The transport robot according to claim 1 , further comprising: a step of operating the reversing mechanism in response to determining that the second side surface faces the gripping portion. the object is a container for containing an object,
the transport robot further includes a measuring instrument that measures a weight of the object when the gripping unit is gripping the object;
The one or more control devices
monitoring the measurement results from the measuring instrument;
The transport robot according to claim 1 , further comprising: a step of notifying that the object has fallen when an amount of variation in the measurement result exceeds a threshold. A control method for a transport robot that performs a target operation, which is at least one of collecting an object placed at a designated location and distributing the object in a stacked manner at a designated location, comprising:
The transport robot is
An autonomous robot,
a gripping unit mounted on the autonomous mobile robot for gripping the object;
a distance measurement sensor mounted on the autonomous mobile robot;
a rotation mechanism that rotates the distance measuring sensor and the gripper around a first rotation axis provided on the autonomous mobile robot,
The control method includes:
controlling the autonomous mobile robot to move to a target position and orientation corresponding to the specified location;
controlling the rotation mechanism to rotate the distance measuring sensor in response to the autonomous mobile robot moving to the target position and orientation;
detecting a position and orientation of the object present at the specified location based on a change in the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor due to a rotation angle and a shape of the object;
and adjusting the position of the autonomous mobile robot and the attitude of the gripping unit according to the detection results of the position and attitude of the object so that the gripping unit can perform the target action.