JP7797283B2 - Driving operation information processing system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile work information processing system equipped with an autonomous mobile work device that can perform automated mobile work by autonomously traveling and working according to a pre-entered program.

Conventionally, autonomous mobile work devices have the ability to create or set and store environmental maps, travel routes, travel settings, and work settings (cleaning settings) according to pre-entered programs, and then perform autonomous mobile work (autonomous mobile cleaning) by traveling autonomously and performing work (cleaning) automatically based on the stored results. For example, autonomous mobile work devices are used as industrial (commercial) autonomous mobile work devices (autonomous mobile cleaning devices) that clean floors in work areas such as commercial facilities, offices, hotels, and hospitals.

One operational method that utilizes the functions of an autonomous mobile work device is to perform teaching driving (learning driving and cleaning) in advance in the work area to record data such as an environmental map, driving route, driving settings, and cleaning settings, and then perform tracing driving (automatic driving and cleaning) according to the recorded data, allowing cleaning work to be carried out under automatic control. Furthermore, if a problem occurs during automatic driving and cleaning, the cleaning management company or cleaning contractor can sometimes resolve the issue by remotely operating the autonomous mobile work device from outside.

Autonomous mobile work devices used as commercial cleaning robots are sometimes operated outside of facility opening hours, and some are equipped with cameras that record the surrounding area, allowing them to function as dashcams. Therefore, autonomous mobile work devices are expected to be used for a variety of purposes, not just cleaning, such as security. In this case, when multiple users with different purposes remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device simultaneously, various problems arise, and it becomes necessary to address these issues.

According to Patent Document 1, the robot control system includes a remote-controlled robot having multiple functions, a permission means for permitting remote operation of a specific function only by multiple users who remotely control the remote-controlled robot and who have the operation authority for that specific function, a reception means for receiving a permission request to remotely control the specific function from a user who remotely controls the remote-controlled robot but does not have the operation authority for that specific function, and an authorization means for granting the operation authority for the specific function to the user who made the permission request when the permission request is received and the request satisfies predetermined conditions.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-8585

The conventional technology described in Patent Document 1 can also be applied to autonomous mobile work devices such as cleaning robots. Cleaning work involves a variety of users, including facility owners, managers, mobile operators, cleaning operators, and security personnel, each with their own unique goals. However, with the technology described in Patent Document 1, in a configuration consisting of an autonomous mobile work device and an operation terminal, login control is performed on the autonomous mobile work device itself, meaning that login control by multiple users is concentrated on the autonomous mobile work device. Furthermore, when multiple users with different goals remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device simultaneously, high-load processing is concentrated on the autonomous mobile work device. Thus, with conventional technology, the problem of concentrated loads occurs when multiple users remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device.

The present invention was developed in consideration of the problems described above, and aims to provide a mobile work information processing system that can distribute the load when multiple users remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device, without concentrating the load on the autonomous mobile work device or the operating terminal.

In order to solve the above problems, the first mobile work information processing system of the present invention is a mobile work information processing system comprising an autonomous mobile work device that is capable of performing autonomous mobile work, which travels autonomously and works automatically, a plurality of operation terminals for a plurality of users to respectively operate the autonomous mobile work device, and a management server for managing the autonomous mobile work device, wherein when each operation terminal logs in to the management server, it sends a selection request to the management server to select the autonomous mobile work device to remotely operate, and the management server pre-stores a plurality of pieces of authority information indicating the authority each of the plurality of users has to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device, and when it receives the selection request for the autonomous mobile work device from each logged-in operation terminal and associates that operation terminal with that autonomous mobile work device, Based on the authority information of the user corresponding to the terminal, a remote operation screen for remotely operating the autonomous driving work device is created and presented to the operation terminal so that it can be viewed ; the autonomous driving work device is equipped with a photographing unit and transmits photographed data photographed by the photographing unit to the management server; the management server determines whether the user corresponding to each logged-in operation terminal is an outsider based on the authority information of the user, and also determines whether a private object to the outsider is included in the photographed data; if the user is an outsider and the private object is included in the photographed data, the photographed data is processed so that the private object cannot be recognized, and is displayed on the remote operation screen specific to the operation terminal corresponding to the user .

According to the first mobile work information processing system of the present invention, when remotely operating an autonomous mobile work device, a remote operation screen with operation content restricted according to each user's authority information is displayed on each user's operation terminal, thereby making it possible to appropriately manage remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device and improve convenience even when users with different interests simultaneously remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device.In this way, according to the present invention, it is possible for multiple users to appropriately remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device.
Furthermore, according to the first mobile work information processing system of the present invention, if an item in a cleaning area is a confidential object that is restricted from disclosure to outsiders, the photographed data can be processed to make the confidential object confidential according to the user's authority information, thereby making it possible to properly manage confidential information in the cleaning area and improving convenience.

In order to solve the above problem, in the second mobile work information processing system of the present invention, the management server determines whether the user corresponding to each logged-in operating terminal is a facility manager, and also determines whether a no-entry area is photographed in the shooting data. If the user corresponding to one operating terminal that remotely operates the autonomous mobile work apparatus is a person corresponding to the authority information that is prohibited from entering the no-entry area, and the no-entry area is photographed in the shooting data, the management server determines whether the other operating terminal corresponding to the facility manager is logged in. If the other operating terminal corresponding to the facility manager is not logged in, the management server generates a mobile stop error for the autonomous mobile work apparatus and sends a forced stop command to the autonomous mobile work apparatus. Also, the remote operation screen specific to one operating terminal is made unavailable for remote operation, and the autonomous mobile work apparatus forcibly stops mobile work in response to the forced stop command and becomes unable to accept remote operation.

According to the second mobile work information processing system of the present invention, when a remotely operated autonomous mobile work device is predicted to enter a restricted area where entry by anyone other than authorized personnel is prohibited, the system checks whether the operation terminal of the facility manager who has the authority to grant permission to enter the restricted area is logged in, and if not, the system forcibly stops the autonomous mobile work device. This makes it possible to suppress unnecessary and unforeseen entry into restricted areas, prevent the leakage of confidential information from restricted areas, improve security, and increase convenience.

In order to solve the above problem, in the third mobile work information processing system of the present invention, when the management server detects login of another operating terminal corresponding to the facility manager after the autonomous mobile work device has generated a mobile stop error, it cancels the mobile stop error and sends a stop release command to the autonomous mobile work device, and also makes the remote operation screen specific to one of the operating terminals remotely operable, and the autonomous mobile work device is able to accept remote operation in response to the stop release command.

According to the third mobile work information processing system of the present invention, even if the autonomous mobile work device is forcibly stopped because it is prohibited from entering a restricted area because the facility manager's operation terminal is not logged in to the management server, the forced stop of the autonomous mobile work device can be canceled when the facility manager's operation terminal logs in to the management server. At this time, the autonomous mobile work device can be changed to a state where it can be remotely controlled, and it can also be remotely controlled to enter the restricted area. This allows the autonomous mobile work device to continue cleaning while maintaining appropriate security, improving convenience.

In order to solve the above problem, in the fourth mobile work information processing system of the present invention, the management server makes it possible to accept mobile operations of the autonomous mobile work device on the remote operation screen, and when mobile operations of the autonomous mobile work device are performed on the remote operation screen by one of the operation terminals, the management server sets an operation authority flag indicating the mobile operation authority for the mobile operation of the autonomous mobile work device for one of the users corresponding to one of the operation terminals, and makes it impossible to accept mobile operations of the autonomous mobile work device on the remote operation screens specific to the other operation terminals.

According to the fourth mobile work information processing system of the present invention, even if the operation terminals of users with the same authority information are logged in to the management server at the same time and select the same autonomous mobile work device, only one operation terminal can be given the right to operate the device. Therefore, the autonomous mobile work device only accepts remote control from one operation terminal and not from the other, preventing overlapping or crosstalk between remote operations from two or more operation terminals. This prevents the autonomous mobile work device from becoming inoperable inappropriately and from performing cleaning tasks that are different from those remotely controlled, thereby preventing problems such as the autonomous mobile work device colliding with obstacles.

In order to solve the above problem, in the fifth mobile work information processing system of the present invention, when the mobile operation of the autonomous mobile work device by one of the operating terminals that has set the operation authority flag is completed, the management server cancels the setting of the operation authority flag and inquires of the other operating terminals as to whether or not to acquire the mobile operation authority, and if the acquisition of the mobile operation authority is agreed to by the other operating terminal, the remote operation screen unique to the other operating terminal makes it possible to accept the mobile operation of the autonomous mobile work device.

According to the fifth mobile work information processing system of the present invention, even if the mobile operation authority is given to one operating terminal once, the mobile operation authority can be efficiently and appropriately transferred to the other operating terminal thereafter without stopping the operation of the autonomous mobile work device.

According to the present invention, when multiple users remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device, the mobile work information processing system can distribute the load without concentrating it on the autonomous mobile work device or the operating terminal.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a traveling operation information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous traveling and work device in a traveling and work information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an autonomous traveling and work device in a traveling and work information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a management server in a traveling work information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an operation terminal in a traveling work information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of first image capture data obtained by capturing images of the traveling situation of an autonomous traveling work device in a traveling work information processing system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an example of second image capture data of a cleaning operation situation of an autonomous mobile work device in the mobile work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a table showing an example of personal registration information of each user in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a table showing an example of device registration information for each autonomous mobile work device in the mobile work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a table showing an example of manager information for each facility manager in a cleaning area in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a table showing an example of authority information related to remote operation of an autonomous mobile work device by each user in the mobile work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a table showing an example of object registration information for identifying non-disclosure objects in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a table showing an example of area registration information that identifies no-entry areas in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a login screen of an operation terminal in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of a remote operation screen for remotely operating an autonomous mobile work device in the mobile work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation for displaying a remote operation screen on an operation terminal in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the autonomous mobile work device in the mobile work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a management server in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of an operation terminal in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the management server when processing photographed data for a non-disclosure target in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the autonomous mobile work device when forcibly stopping mobile cleaning when a no-entry area is detected in the mobile work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the management server when forcibly stopping traveling cleaning when a no-entry area is detected in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the management server when a forced stop of traveling cleaning is released in the traveling work information processing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of operation for setting an operation right flag for remote operation of an autonomous mobile work device for one operation terminal in a mobile work information processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an operation in which an operation right flag set in one operation terminal is released and set in the other operation terminal in a traveling work information processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are preferred specific examples of the present invention and disclose various preferred technologies, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these aspects.

A mobile work information processing system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will now be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile work information processing system 1 comprises an autonomous mobile work device 2, a management server 3, and multiple operation terminals 4. The autonomous mobile work device 2 is configured to be able to perform automated mobile work, whereby the device travels autonomously and performs work automatically. The management server 3 is configured to manage the autonomous mobile work device 2, and each operation terminal 4 is configured to operate the autonomous mobile work device 2. The autonomous mobile work device 2 is connected to the management server 3 via a specified network 5 so that it can communicate with them, and each operation terminal 4 is connected to the management server 3 via the specified network 5 so that it can communicate with them.

The mobile work information processing system 1 may be provided with multiple autonomous mobile work devices 2 with similar functions for one management server 3, but this embodiment will describe an example in which one autonomous mobile work device 2 is provided. The mobile work information processing system 1 may be provided with multiple operation terminals 4 with similar functions for one management server 3, but this embodiment will describe an example in which two operation terminals 4 are provided. The multiple operation terminals 4 are used by multiple users, including not only operators such as cleaning companies, but also security guards and managers.

First, we will explain the autonomous mobile work device 2. As shown in Figure 2, the autonomous mobile work device 2 comprises a device main body 10 for housing each component, and a travel unit 11 that propels the device main body 10. The autonomous mobile work device 2 functions as an autonomous mobile cleaning device, equipped with a cleaning unit 12 that performs predetermined tasks, such as cleaning the floor surface FL below the device main body 10. The autonomous mobile work device 2 uses all or part of an area of a commercial facility such as a shopping mall, office, hotel, hospital, school, factory, etc. as a cleaning area (work area), and the floor surface FL of the cleaning area as the cleaning target (work target).

The autonomous mobile work device 2 also includes a measurement unit 13 that measures the positional relationship between the device main body 10 and non-work objects such as surrounding walls and obstacles (e.g., ornaments), and an obstacle detection unit 14 that detects walls and obstacles within a predetermined distance. The autonomous mobile work device 2 also includes a first imaging unit 15 that captures images in front of the device main body 10, and a second imaging unit 16 that captures images behind the device main body 10. The autonomous mobile work device 2 also includes an operation and display unit 17 consisting of a touch panel or the like for operating and displaying various functions of the autonomous mobile work device 2, and a power supply unit 18 that supplies power to each unit of the autonomous mobile work device 2 and controls the remaining charge and charging of the battery (not shown).

Furthermore, the autonomous mobile work device 2 includes a device-side control unit 20 that provides overall control of each unit and function of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (traveling by the traveling unit 11, cleaning by the cleaning unit 12, measurement by the measuring unit 13, photography by the first photographing unit 15 and second photographing unit 16, etc.), a device-side memory unit 21 that stores a cleaning plan (work plan) consisting of traveling data from the traveling unit 11 and cleaning data (work data) from the cleaning unit 12, and a device-side communication unit 22 for communicating with external devices such as the management server 3 and each operation terminal 4.

Next, we will provide an overview of the operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2.

The autonomous mobile work device 2 is a vehicle capable of both manual and automatic autonomous driving, and operates in one of three operating modes: learning mode, reproduction (automatic) mode, manual mode, and remote control mode. The autonomous mobile work device 2 can switch between operating modes in response to operation of the operation terminal 4 or operation display unit 17.

In learning mode and manual mode, the autonomous mobile work device 2 performs learning driving and cleaning (learning driving work) and manual driving and cleaning (manual work) in response to manual operation of the operation display unit 17 by the operator or manager. During learning driving and cleaning, an environmental map of the cleaning area is created and stored as the learning driving takes place, and driving data indicating the driving route and driving status during learning driving and cleaning data indicating the cleaning status during learning cleaning are acquired, and a cleaning plan including the driving data and cleaning data is stored. In remote control mode, the autonomous mobile work device 2 performs remote controlled driving and cleaning (remote controlled driving work) in response to remote operation of the operation terminal 4 by the operator or manager.

In reproduction mode, the autonomous mobile work device 2 performs automatic traveling and cleaning (automatic traveling work), and performs automatic traveling and automatic cleaning (automatic work) in accordance with automatic operation by the device-side control unit 20 based on the selected cleaning plan and the corresponding environmental map, so as to reproduce the cleaning plan selected by the operator from the cleaning plans stored in the learning traveling and cleaning.

A cleaning plan consists of multiple steps along a travel route, with each step associated with travel data and cleaning data. The step interval may be set to a predetermined time interval (e.g., 25 ms) when performing learning travel cleaning, or may be set to a predetermined travel distance (e.g., 0.5 m) of the autonomous mobile work device 2. In addition to the above, the cleaning plan may also store the elapsed time from the start of learning travel cleaning in association with each step.

The driving data may include, for example, data on the driving unit's 11 position on the driving route (X and Y coordinates indicating the driving unit's position on the environmental map, and the angle relative to the starting position), a steering flag (straight ahead, left turn, right turn), driving speed in the direction of travel [m/s], and turning speed [deg/s], and the driving route can be plotted based on the driving data. Alternatively, the driving speed may be switched to one of multiple speed levels, and the driving data may be stored by converting the driving speed levels into numbers (e.g., eight levels from 0 to 7).

The cleaning data includes, for example, the pad pressure of the cleaning member 24, the amount of water supplied by the cleaning liquid supply unit 25, and the suction volume of the suction unit 26. The pad pressure is the force pressing the cleaning member 24 against the floor surface FL, the amount of water supplied is the amount of cleaning liquid (working liquid) supplied to the floor surface FL by the cleaning liquid supply unit 25, and the suction volume is the operating strength of the suction blower (not shown) when the suction unit 26 sucks the dirty water from the floor surface FL after cleaning. The pad pressure, amount of water supplied, and amount of suction may be switched to one of multiple levels of strength, and the cleaning data may be stored by converting the levels of strength of the pad pressure, amount of water supplied, and amount of suction into numbers (e.g., three levels from 0 to 2, or five levels from 0 to 4). The cleaning data may also include the operation/stop and rotation speed of the cleaning member 24.

Next, we will explain each part of the autonomous mobile work device 2.

The travel unit 11 is located at the bottom of the device body 10 and has one front wheel 11a as a drive wheel and a pair of rear wheels 11b as auxiliary wheels, with tires attached to each of the front wheel 11a and the pair of rear wheels 11b. The front wheel 11a is located at the front of the device in the direction of travel, in the center of the device's width, and is equipped with a travel drive motor (not shown) and a front wheel rotation encoder (not shown). The travel unit 11 drives the travel drive motor to rotate the front wheel 11a to move the device body 10 forward, and stops the device body 10 by stopping the rotation of the front wheel 11a. The travel speed (acceleration/deceleration) of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (travel unit 11) is adjusted by controlling the drive of the travel drive motor. Note that the travel unit 11 may also move the device body 10 backward by having the travel drive motor rotate the front wheel 11a in the reverse direction.

The front wheels 11a are equipped with a steering shaft (not shown), a steering motor (not shown), and a steering rotation encoder (not shown). The travel unit 11 drives the steering motor to rotate the steering shaft, changing the direction of the front wheels 11a and steering the device main body 10. By moving the device main body 10 forward while changing the direction of the front wheels 11a, the autonomous mobile work device 2 (travel unit 11) turns left (left turn) or right (right turn). The steering angle of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (travel unit 11) is adjusted by controlling the drive of the steering motor. For example, by rotating the steering shaft and controlling the steering motor to tilt the steering angle 90 degrees to the left or right relative to the direction of travel, the device main body 10 turns forward or backward, causing it to make a pivot turn to the left or right.

The pair of rear wheels 11b are spaced apart in the device width direction (left-right direction) at the rear of the traveling direction, and each is equipped with an encoder (not shown) for determining the traveling distance from the amount of rotation. The pair of rear wheels 11b rotate in response to the movement of the device main body 10 driven by the front wheels 11a. The traveling speed (acceleration/deceleration) and steering of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (travel unit 11) may be adjusted (acceleration/deceleration) by controlling the traveling drive motor and steering motor while feeding back the amount of rotation of each of the rear wheels 11b using the encoders provided on the rear wheels 11b. Note that while this embodiment has been described with an example having front driving wheels 11a and rear auxiliary wheels 11b, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, in other embodiments, a front auxiliary wheel 11a and a pair of rear driving wheels 11b may be provided.

When the operating mode is set to learning mode or manual mode, the traveling unit 11 operates in response to manual operation of the operating terminal 4 or operation display unit 17 by the operator or administrator. Furthermore, when the operating mode is set to reproduction mode, the traveling unit 11 operates in response to control by the device-side control unit 20 (reproduction control unit 34) based on the travel data and environmental map of the cleaning plan selected by the operator.

The cleaning unit 12 is provided below the device main body 10 and is configured to clean the floor surface FL below the device main body 10. When the operation mode is set to learning mode or manual mode, the cleaning unit 12 operates in response to manual operation of the operation terminal 4 or operation display unit 17 by an operator or administrator. When the operation mode is set to reproduction mode, the cleaning unit 12 operates in response to control (automatic operation) of the device-side control unit 20 (reproduction control unit 34) based on the cleaning data of the cleaning plan selected by the operator.

The cleaning unit 12 is composed of a wet cleaning mechanism that cleans the floor surface FL using, for example, a cleaning liquid as a detergent, and includes a cleaning member 24 (working member) that comes into contact with the floor surface FL to clean it, a cleaning liquid supply unit 25 that supplies cleaning liquid to the floor surface FL, and a suction unit 26 that sucks up the cleaning liquid, i.e., wastewater, used to clean the floor surface FL. The cleaning unit 12 includes a cleaning member motor (not shown) that rotates the cleaning member 24 on the floor surface FL, and a cleaning member actuator (not shown) that moves the cleaning member 24 up and down relative to the floor surface FL. The cleaning unit 12 also includes a wastewater collection unit (not shown) that collects the wastewater sucked up by the suction unit 26. Note that if the floor surface FL is carpeted, the cleaning unit 12 may be configured to perform dry cleaning work without using cleaning liquid.

The cleaning member 24 is composed of a pair of cleaning pads or a pair of cleaning brushes attached side by side in the width direction (left and right direction) of the device, approximately in the center of the direction of travel. The left cleaning pad or cleaning brush rotates clockwise when viewed from above, and the right cleaning pad or cleaning brush rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above, rotating from front to rear at the center of the width direction. This allows dirty water and dust in front of the pair of cleaning pads or pair of cleaning brushes to be collected in the center of the width direction and discharged to the rear.

The cleaning liquid supply unit 25 is configured to supply and spray cleaning liquid from a cleaning liquid tank (not shown) onto the floor surface FL using a supply pump (not shown).

The suction unit 26 is composed of a suction blower or the like, and collects the sucked-in wastewater into the wastewater collection unit (not shown). The wastewater collection unit uses a squeegee 27, which is installed behind the cleaning member 24 and in contact with the floor surface FL, to receive and collect the wastewater discharged rearward from the cleaning member 24. The collected wastewater is then sucked in by a wastewater duct (not shown) connected to the suction unit 26 using the suction force of the suction unit 26, and the sucked-in wastewater is collected in a wastewater tank connected to the wastewater duct.

The measurement unit 13 includes a laser range finder (LRF) 13a that measures position information (e.g., the angle and distance relative to the direction of travel of the device main body 10) between the device main body 10 and non-work objects such as surrounding walls and obstacles. The measurement unit 13 measures the position information of non-work objects, for example, at predetermined intervals (e.g., every 25 ms) while the device main body 10 is traveling. The LRF 13a is configured to have a detection range that extends to the front and both left and right sides of the device main body 10.

The obstacle detection unit 14 includes a plurality of proximity sensors 14a (detection units), such as ultrasonic sensors, that detect the presence or absence of walls or obstacles within a predetermined distance from the device main body 10, a step sensor, such as an infrared sensor, that detects steps on the floor surface FL near the device main body 10, and a bumper sensor attached to the bumper (not shown) on the lower front side of the device main body 10 that detects contact with walls or obstacles. The obstacle detection unit 14 may operate continuously while the device main body 10 is traveling.

The first imaging unit 15 photographs the traveling conditions of the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2 and includes a first imaging device 15a such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera. The first imaging device 15a is attached, for example, to the upper front side of the apparatus main body 10 and photographs the area in front of the apparatus main body 10, thereby photographing the traveling conditions of the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2 and acquiring first imaging data 60, as shown in FIG. 6 .

The second imaging unit 16 photographs the cleaning work status (work status) of the autonomous mobile work device 2 and includes a second imaging device 16a such as a CCD camera. The second imaging device 16a is a CCD camera that photographs the area behind the device main body 10. The second imaging device 16a is attached, for example, to the lower rear of the device main body 10 and photographs the area behind and below the device main body 10, thereby photographing the cleaning work status of the autonomous mobile work device 2 and acquiring second imaging data 61, as shown in FIG. 7 .

The operation display unit 17 is provided on the upper rear side of the device main body 10 and is configured to include a touch panel, and each section of the operation display unit 17 is connected to the device-side control unit 20. The operation display unit 17 has, for example, a key switch (not shown) for operating/stopping the autonomous mobile work device 2, and an emergency stop button (not shown) for operating the autonomous mobile work device 2 in an emergency.

The touch panel of the operation display unit 17 displays various screens in response to control signals from the device-side controller 20, and transmits operation signals based on touch operations on each screen to the device-side controller 20. For example, the touch panel of the operation display unit 17 displays a mode selection screen (not shown) on which the operation mode can be selected, and a setting screen (not shown) on which the travel speed of the travel unit 11, the cleaning start/stop and pad pressure of the cleaning member 24, the start/stop of the cleaning liquid supply unit 25 and the amount of water supplied, the suction start/stop and suction amount of the suction unit 26, etc. can be set in learning mode and manual mode. The mode selection screen allows the operation mode to be selected from learning mode, reproduction (automatic) mode, and manual mode, and the remote operation mode is switched in response to remote operation of the operation terminal 4.

The power supply unit 18 includes a battery (power source) and charging circuit installed inside the device main body 10. When connected to an external power source, the battery is charged and power is supplied to each component of the autonomous mobile work device 2. The power supply unit 18 may output a signal indicating the remaining battery charge to the device-side control unit 20.

The device-side control unit 20 is composed of a computer such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, is connected to a device-side memory unit 21, which includes ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, flash memory, etc., and a device-side communication unit 22. The device-side control unit 20 is also connected to each part of the autonomous mobile work device 2, such as the traveling unit 11, cleaning unit 12, measuring unit 13, obstacle detection unit 14, first photographing unit 15, second photographing unit 16, operation display unit 17, and power supply unit 18.

The device-side control unit 20 is also connected to external devices via the device-side communication unit 22 so that it can communicate with them. The device-side communication unit 22 communicates wirelessly with external devices such as the management server 3 and multiple operation terminals 4 using communication standards such as Wi-Fi and wireless LAN. For example, while the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performing automatic cleaning, the device-side communication unit 22 transmits to the management server 3 first captured data 60 of the autonomous mobile work device 2's driving status captured by the first capture unit 15, second captured data 61 of the autonomous mobile work device 2's cleaning status captured by the second capture unit 16, and measurement results obtained by the measurement unit 13.

The device-side memory unit 21 stores programs and data for controlling the various parts and functions of the autonomous mobile work device 2, and the device-side control unit 20 performs calculations based on the programs and data stored in the device-side memory unit 21 to provide overall control of the various parts and functions. For example, by executing the programs stored in the device-side memory unit 21, the device-side control unit 20 operates as a mode switching unit 30, a learning control unit 31, a map creation unit 32, a cleaning plan creation unit 33, a reproduction control unit 34, and a remote operation control unit 35, as shown in FIG. 3. This allows the autonomous mobile work device 2 to travel autonomously and work automatically according to pre-stored programs. The device-side memory unit 21 also stores one or more cleaning plans, as well as environmental maps corresponding to each cleaning plan.

The mode switching unit 30 switches the operating mode between learning mode, reproduction mode, manual mode, and remote operation mode in response to operation of each operation terminal 4 or operation display unit 17. Note that learning mode, reproduction mode, and manual mode are switched by selection operation using each operation terminal 4 or operation display unit 17, and remote operation mode is switched in response to remote operation of the operation terminal 4.

For example, when the operation mode is reproduction mode, the mode switching unit 30 switches the operation mode to remote operation mode when it detects an error that makes the vehicle unable to travel, or when the device-side communication unit 22 receives a remote operation command from an external device such as the management server 3 or each operation terminal 4. Alternatively, the mode switching unit 30 switches the operation mode to remote operation mode in response to operation of a remote operation start button (not shown) provided on the operation display unit 17 or each operation terminal 4, or switches the operation mode from remote operation mode to the original mode in response to operation of a remote operation end button (not shown) provided on the operation display unit 17 or each operation terminal 4.

In learning mode, while learning travel and cleaning is being performed, the learning control unit 31 acquires travel data from the travel unit 11 and cleaning data from the cleaning unit 12 at predetermined step intervals and stores them in the device-side memory unit 21.

The learning control unit 31 acquires, for example, self-position data (X and Y coordinates, angle) as driving data based on the position information measured by the measurement unit 13. It also detects the driving rotation speed of the front wheel 11a using the front wheel rotation encoder of the front wheel 11a of the driving unit 11, and acquires the driving speed of the driving unit 11 based on the detection result. It also detects the steering rotation speed of the front wheel 11a using the steering rotation encoder of the front wheel 11a of the driving unit 11, and acquires the turning speed of the driving unit 11 based on the detection result. The learning control unit 31 acquires, for example, cleaning data such as cleaning on/off and pad pressure set for the cleaning member 24, cleaning liquid supply on/off and water supply volume set for the cleaning liquid supply unit 25, and suction on/off and suction volume set for the suction unit 26.

While learning driving and cleaning is being performed in learning mode, the map creation unit 32 estimates the robot's own position and creates an environmental map in real time using techniques such as SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping).

Specifically, during learning driving cleaning of a specified cleaning area, the map creation unit 32 acquires position information of the device main body 10 and non-work objects around the device main body 10 as measurement results from the measurement unit 13, and creates a local map of the area around the device main body 10 at predetermined time intervals or predetermined distance intervals based on the measurement results from the measurement unit 13. The map creation unit 32 also estimates the self-position (coordinates) of the autonomous mobile work device 2 within the local map based on the local map and the detection results (amount of movement of the traveling unit 11) from each encoder of the traveling unit 11.

When the learning driving cleaning is completed, the map creation unit 32 creates an environmental map of the cleaning area by stitching (combining) each local map. The map creation unit 32 also creates a driving route by stitching (combining) the self-position (each position information measured by the measurement unit 13) in the local map. By using this environmental map, the driving range along the driving route can be determined based on the self-position in the local map and the position information of non-work objects measured by the measurement unit 13, and the road width at each position (each step) on the driving route can be calculated based on this driving range.

When the learning driving and cleaning is completed, the cleaning plan creation unit 33 creates a cleaning plan (work plan) by associating the driving data and cleaning data that the learning control unit 31 stored in the device-side memory unit 21 during the learning driving and cleaning.

The cleaning plan creation unit 33 accepts input of a plan name for the created cleaning plan on a specified input screen (not shown) on the touch panel of the operation display unit 17, and adds the plan name entered by the operator to the created cleaning plan. The cleaning plan creation unit 33 associates the created cleaning plan with the environmental map created by the map creation unit 32 during the same learning driving cleaning, and stores it in the device-side memory unit 21. Note that if the environmental map, driving data, and cleaning data have been created in advance by using the autonomous mobile work device 2 as a computer, by an external device such as the management server 3 or each operation terminal 4, or by automatically creating a driving route according to a program entered in advance, without performing learning driving cleaning, the cleaning plan creation unit 33 may create a cleaning plan for this environmental map, driving data, and cleaning data.

When the operating mode is reproduction mode, the reproduction control unit 34 accepts the selection of a cleaning plan on a predetermined cleaning plan selection screen (not shown) on the touch panel of the operation display unit 17, reads the selected cleaning plan from the device-side memory unit 21, and controls the traveling unit 11 and cleaning unit 12 to perform automatic traveling and cleaning based on the traveling data and cleaning data of this cleaning plan and the environmental map corresponding to the cleaning plan. It is preferable that the reproduction control unit 34 make the management server 3 aware of the cleaning plan and environmental map for automatic traveling and cleaning by transmitting them to the management server 3 via the device-side communication unit 22.

At this time, the reproduction control unit 34 performs autonomous cleaning while estimating the self-position of the autonomous mobile work device 2 on an environmental map corresponding to the cleaning plan. For example, the reproduction control unit 34 uses the map creation unit 32 to create a local map using technology such as SLAM, estimates the self-position of the autonomous mobile work device 2 in the local map, and matches the local map with the environmental map to estimate its self-position on the environmental map.

The reproduction control unit 34 then controls the traveling unit 11 by matching the self-position data for each step of the traveling data in the cleaning plan with the self-position estimated on the environmental map, while controlling the cleaning work for each step based on the cleaning data of the cleaning unit 12.

Furthermore, during automatic cleaning, the reproduction control unit 34 detects non-work objects such as obstacles using the laser range finder 13a of the measurement unit 13 and the proximity sensor 14a of the obstacle detection unit 14, and controls the traveling unit 11 to decelerate when the distance to the non-work object approaches a predetermined safe distance, and controls the traveling unit 11 to stop when the distance to the non-work object falls below the predetermined safe distance.

While autonomous traveling and cleaning is being performed, the reproduction control unit 34 automatically transmits, at predetermined time intervals, first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographing unit 15 of the traveling status of the autonomous traveling work device 2, second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographing unit 16 of the cleaning status of the autonomous traveling work device 2, and measurement results from the measuring unit 13 to the management server 3 via the device-side communication unit 22.

When the autonomous mobile work device 2 detects an error during autonomous traveling and cleaning, the reproduction control unit 34 sends an error notification to the management server 3 via the device-side communication unit 22. The reproduction control unit 34 may send an error notification indicating the inability to travel or clean that the autonomous mobile work device 2 has detected as an error. For example, if the reproduction control unit 34 detects an unknown obstacle that does not exist on the environmental map in the direction of travel based on the measurement results of the measurement unit 13, it sends an error notification indicating the inability to travel due to the obstacle. Note that when the autonomous mobile work device 2 approaches the unknown obstacle until the distance to the obstacle is equal to a predetermined stopping distance, the reproduction control unit 34 stops autonomous traveling and cleaning, and enters a state of waiting for manual operation or remote operation.

When the operation mode is switched from reproduction mode to remote control mode, the reproduction control unit 34 suspends the automatic traveling and cleaning. Thereafter, the reproduction control unit 34 resumes the automatic traveling and cleaning in response to a resume operation (e.g., operation of the resume button) using the operation display unit 17 or each operation terminal 4, or when the operation mode is switched from remote control mode to reproduction mode and the remote control traveling and cleaning has ended. At this time, the reproduction control unit 34 may resume the automatic traveling and cleaning from the position on the traveling route closest to the position of the autonomous mobile work device 2.

When the operating mode is remote operation mode and the device-side communication unit 22 receives a remote operation command from an external device such as the management server 3 or each operating terminal 4, the remote operation control unit 35 performs remote operation traveling and cleaning (remote operation traveling work). When the operating mode is switched from remote operation mode to another mode, the remote operation control unit 35 ends the remote operation traveling and cleaning. During remote operation traveling and cleaning, the remote operation control unit 35 controls the traveling unit 11 and cleaning unit 12 so that the autonomous mobile work device 2 travels and cleans in accordance with the remote operation corresponding to the remote operation command.

For example, if remote control commands forward movement, stopping, or turning right or left, the remote control control unit 35 may control the traveling unit 11 so that the autonomous mobile work device 2 moves forward, stops, turns right or turns left, and may also accept a setting for the traveling speed of the traveling unit 11 via remote control. The remote control control unit 35 may also accept a setting for running/stopping cleaning work by the cleaning unit 12 via remote control, and may also accept individual settings such as the cleaning start/stop and pad pressure of the cleaning member 24, the cleaning liquid supply start/stop and water supply volume of the cleaning liquid supply unit 25, and the suction start/stop and suction volume of the suction unit 26. Note that the remote control control unit 35 may also control the cleaning unit 12 to always stop cleaning work when remotely operated traveling is performed in response to remote control.

During remote-controlled cleaning, the remote operation control unit 35 automatically transmits, at predetermined time intervals, first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographing unit 15 of the driving status of the autonomous mobile work device 2, second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographing unit 16 of the cleaning status of the autonomous mobile work device 2, and measurement results from the measuring unit 13 to the management server 3 via the device-side communication unit 22. Note that the remote operation control unit 35 may also transmit the first photographed data 60, second photographed data 61, and measurement results from the measuring unit 13 in response to any operation using the operation terminal 4.

Furthermore, when remote control instructs the first image capture unit 15 or the second image capture unit 16 to perform a photographing operation, the remote control unit 35 controls the photographing by the first image capture unit 15 or the second image capture unit 16, and the transmission of the first photographed data 60 photographed by the first image capture unit 15 and the second photographed data 61 photographed by the second image capture unit 16. The remote control unit 35 may also control the photographing direction and zoom for photographing by the first image capture unit 15 or the second image capture unit 16. The remote control unit 35 is not limited to the remote control described above, and may accept various remote controls for each part of the autonomous mobile work device 2 and control each part.

Furthermore, when the remote operation control unit 35 receives a forced stop command as a remote operation command from the management server 3, it controls the traveling unit 11 and the cleaning unit 12 to forcibly stop the remote-operated traveling and cleaning. When the management server 3 detects a restricted entry area, such as an access point for personnel other than authorized personnel (unauthorized personnel), it generates a traveling stop error and sends a forced stop command to the autonomous mobile work device 2. It is preferable that the autonomous mobile work device 2 send the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 to the management server 3 even during a forced stop. The remote operation control unit 35 does not accept remote operation commands from the management server 3 based on remote operation from the operation terminal 4 until the traveling stop error is cleared. On the other hand, when the remote operation control unit 35 receives a stop release command to clear the traveling stop error as a remote operation command from the management server 3 after the traveling stop error has occurred, it will accept remote operation commands from the management server 3 based on remote operation from the operation terminal 4.

When a driving stop error occurs, the remote operation control unit 35 may cancel the driving stop error in response to an error cancellation operation using the operation display unit 17. At this time, the remote operation control unit 35 notifies the management server 3 that the driving stop error has been canceled.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the autonomous mobile work device 2 forcibly stops remotely operated traveling and cleaning when it receives a forced stop command while performing remotely operated traveling and cleaning, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, in another example, the autonomous mobile work device 2 may forcibly stop automatic traveling and cleaning, learning traveling and cleaning, or manual traveling and cleaning when it receives a forced stop command while performing automatic traveling and cleaning, learning traveling and cleaning, or manual traveling and cleaning.

Furthermore, when the remote operation control unit 35 receives a specified work operation as a remote operation command from the management server 3, it determines whether the work action corresponding to that work operation is appropriate, and if the work action is inappropriate, it generates a cleaning stop error (work stop error) that prohibits the autonomous mobile work device 2 from cleaning while traveling (traveling work). At this time, the remote operation control unit 35 notifies the management server 3 of the cleaning stop error.

Some floor surfaces FL, on which the autonomous mobile work device 2 performs mobile cleaning, are suitable for wet cleaning, while others are not. If the floor surface FL is a resin-based floor such as ceramic, the autonomous mobile work device 2 can perform wet cleaning by spraying a detergent such as a cleaning liquid onto the floor surface FL using the cleaning liquid supply unit 25. However, if the floor surface FL is a fibrous floor such as carpet, the autonomous mobile work device 2 cannot perform wet cleaning by spraying a detergent onto the floor surface FL. Therefore, when the remote operation control unit 35 receives a remote operation command from the management server 3 to spray a cleaning liquid (detergent), it determines whether the cleaning liquid spraying operation by the cleaning liquid supply unit 25 is appropriate based on the type and material of the floor surface FL, and generates a cleaning stop error if the cleaning liquid spraying operation is inappropriate.

When the remote operation control unit 35 detects vibrations from the floor surface FL while the autonomous mobile work device 2 is traveling using a vibration sensor, the remote operation control unit 35 detects changes in the level of the floor surface FL or the material of the floor surface FL based on changes in the vibration magnitude, and identifies the level difference type, level difference size, or floor surface type based on the detection results. For example, the vibration sensor detects levels on the floor surface FL by detecting vibrations when descending from the floor surface FL onto a level difference such as a groove or recess, vibrations when ascending from the floor surface FL onto a level difference such as a protrusion, and vibrations when traveling in a sinking motion. It also detects the material of the floor surface FL by detecting vibrations due to an increase in the traveling load when moving onto a fiber-based floor such as carpet, and vibrations due to a decrease in the traveling load when moving onto a resin-based floor such as ceramic. In addition to the detection results of vibrations from the floor surface FL, the remote operation control unit 35 may also detect the material of the floor surface FL based on the detection results of infrared light reflected from the floor surface FL using an infrared sensor provided in the autonomous mobile work device 2.

When a cleaning stop error occurs, the remote operation control unit 35 controls the traveling unit 11 and cleaning unit 12 to forcibly stop remote-controlled traveling and cleaning. The remote operation control unit 35 notifies the management server 3 of the cleaning stop error and does not accept remote operation commands from the management server 3 based on remote operation from the operation terminal 4 until the cleaning stop error is cleared. On the other hand, if the cleaning stop error is cleared after the cleaning stop error occurs, the remote operation control unit 35 will accept remote operation commands from the management server 3 based on remote operation from the operation terminal 4.

When a cleaning stop error occurs, the remote operation control unit 35 may cancel the cleaning stop error in response to an error cancellation operation using the operation display unit 17 or an error cancellation command received from the operation terminal 4. At this time, the remote operation control unit 35 notifies the management server 3 that the cleaning stop error has been canceled.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which a cleaning stop error occurs when the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performing remotely controlled cleaning while the work operation is invalid, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, in another example, the autonomous mobile work device 2 may generate a cleaning stop error when the work operation is invalid while performing automatic cleaning, learning cleaning, or manual cleaning.

Next, we will explain the management server 3. The management server 3 manages the autonomous mobile work device 2 and also manages users such as operators and administrators who use each operation terminal 4. As shown in FIG. 4, the management server 3 includes a server-side control unit 40, a server-side memory unit 41, and a server-side communication unit 42.

The server-side control unit 40 controls all parts and functions of the management server 3, and is composed of a computer such as a CPU, and is connected to a server-side memory unit 41, which includes ROM, RAM, a hard disk, flash memory, etc., and a server-side communication unit 42.

The server-side control unit 40 is also connected to external devices via the server-side communication unit 42 so that it can communicate with them. The server-side communication unit 42 communicates wirelessly with external devices, such as the autonomous mobile work device 2 and each operation terminal 4 owned by a user, such as an operator or administrator, using communication standards such as Wi-Fi or wireless LAN. The server-side communication unit 42 receives, for example, first captured data 60 captured by the first capture unit 15 of the autonomous mobile work device 2 of the autonomous mobile work device 2's driving status, second captured data 61 captured by the second capture unit 16 of the autonomous mobile work device 2's cleaning work status, and measurement results from the measurement unit 13 of the autonomous mobile work device 2 from the autonomous mobile work device 2, and causes each operation terminal 4 to view and display a remote operation screen 70 (see FIG. 15 ) displaying the first captured data 60 and the second captured data 61. The server-side communication unit 42 receives remote operations from each operation terminal 4 and transmits remote operation commands corresponding to the remote operations to the autonomous mobile work device 2.

The server-side memory unit 41 stores programs and data for controlling the various parts and functions of the management server 3, and the server-side control unit 40 performs arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the server-side memory unit 41, thereby providing overall control of the various parts and functions. For example, by executing programs stored in the server-side memory unit 41, the server-side control unit 40 operates as a device-to-terminal linking unit 45, a screen control unit 46, a remote operation command unit 47, and an error control unit 48.

The management server 3 manages users such as operators and administrators of each operation terminal 4, and the server-side memory unit 41 stores personal registration information for each user, such as personal identification information (personal code), name, affiliation, user type, and password, as shown in FIG. 8. The personal registration information may also include an operation level indicating the level at which each user can operate the autonomous mobile work device 2. The management server 3 manages the autonomous mobile work device 2, and the server-side memory unit 41 stores device registration information for each autonomous mobile work device 2, such as device identification information (robot identification code) and name, as shown in FIG. 9. The management server 3 also receives, via the server-side communication unit 42, cleaning plans and environmental maps created by the autonomous mobile work device 2 during learning mobile cleaning, as well as the operation details of the operation terminal 4 by the worker, and stores this history in the server-side memory unit 41.

The management server 3 can set one or more users as facility managers for each cleaning area, and as shown in FIG. 10, area identification information that identifies each cleaning area is associated with the personal identification information of each user and registered in the server-side memory unit 41 as manager information. Note that each user can not only be set as facility manager for one cleaning area, but can also be set as facility manager for two or more cleaning areas. The management server 3 also sets the authority information for each user when remotely operating each autonomous mobile work device 2, and as shown in FIG. 11, the server-side memory unit 41 stores the authority information, such as each user's personal code, the device identification information of each autonomous mobile work device 2, and the type of remote operation authority, in association with each other.

Furthermore, private objects that are restricted from disclosure to outsiders may be placed in the cleaning area. In this case, the management server 3 registers in the server-side storage unit 41, as object registration information identifying the private objects, object identification information unique to each private object and private object data that allows the autonomous mobile work device 2 and management server 3 to recognize the private object, as shown in FIG. 12. The private object data may include, for example, an image of the private object, a sign that indicates to those around it that it is a private object (e.g., a two-dimensional code, text, symbol, etc.), or location information of the private object (e.g., area identification information that identifies the cleaning area in which the private object is placed, or location information of the private object within the cleaning area). The sign for the private object data may be attached to the private object itself, or to the surrounding walls or floor.

The target registration information may include the affiliation, user type, and operation level set in the user's personal registration information as an outsider who is restricted from disclosing private targets, or personal identification information may be set individually. The target registration information may be registered in advance when a cleaning area or private target is registered, or may be registered or changed in response to an arbitrary operation using the operation terminal 4 by an authorized administrator, etc. Alternatively, the management server 3 may set a disclosure flag indicating whether each user is an outsider who is restricted from disclosing each private target, and associate each user's personal identification information, the target registration information for each private target, and the disclosure flag, and register them individually for each user in the server-side storage unit 41.

In addition, cleaning areas may have restricted entry areas, such as entrances and exits for personnel other than authorized personnel (unauthorized personnel), that are prohibited from entering. In such cases, the management server 3 registers in the server-side memory unit 41 area registration information identifying the restricted entry areas, as shown in FIG. 13 . This information associates area identification information specific to each restricted entry area with restricted entry area data that allows the autonomous mobile work device 2 and management server 3 to recognize the restricted entry area. The restricted entry area data may include, for example, signs (e.g., two-dimensional codes, characters, symbols, etc.) that indicate to the surrounding area that the restricted entry area is a restricted entry area, and location information for the restricted entry area (e.g., area identification information that identifies the cleaning area in which the restricted entry area is located, and location information for the restricted entry area within the cleaning area). The restricted entry area data signs may be attached to doors that separate the restricted entry areas, or to the surrounding walls and floors.

The area registration information may include the affiliation, user type, and operation level set in the user's personal registration information as a person (unauthorized person) who is prohibited from entering a restricted area, or personal identification information may be set individually. The area identification information may be registered in advance when a cleaning area or restricted area is registered, or may be registered or changed in response to an arbitrary operation using the operation terminal 4 by an authorized administrator, etc. Alternatively, the management server 3 may set an entry permission flag indicating whether each user is an unauthorized person prohibited from entering a restricted area, and associate each user's personal identification information with the area registration information of each restricted area and the entry permission flag, and register them individually for each user in the server-side storage unit 41.

The management server 3 receives and authenticates the user's personal identification information (personal code) and password from the operation terminal 4, thereby allowing the operation terminal 4 to log in to the management server 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the management server 3 presents a login screen 65 to the operation terminal 4 that has accessed the management server 3 and accepts the personal identification information and password.

The device-terminal linking unit 45 links the autonomous mobile work device 2 with the operation terminal 4 so that the autonomous mobile work device 2 can be remotely operated by the operation terminal 4. For example, the device-terminal linking unit 45 receives a selection request from an operation terminal 4 logged in to the management server 3 for the autonomous mobile work device 2 that the user wishes to remotely operate, and links the autonomous mobile work device 2 with the operation terminal 4. The device-terminal linking unit 45 can not only link one operation terminal 4 to one autonomous mobile work device 2, but can also link two or more operation terminals 4 to one autonomous mobile work device 2 if there are selection requests from two or more operation terminals 4 for one autonomous mobile work device 2.

While the operating terminal 4 is logged in to the management server 3, the device-to-terminal linking unit 45 stores linking information associating the operating terminal 4 with the autonomous mobile work device 2 linked to the operating terminal 4 in the server-side storage unit 41. When the device-to-terminal linking unit 45 links the operating terminal 4 with the autonomous mobile work device 2, it sends a success notification of the selection request to the operating terminal 4. Furthermore, when the operating terminal 4 logs out of the management server 3, cancels the selection request for the autonomous mobile work device 2, or makes a selection request to another autonomous mobile work device 2, the device-to-terminal linking unit 45 deletes the linking information between the operating terminal 4 and the autonomous mobile work device 2 from the server-side storage unit 41.

The screen control unit 46 creates a remote operation screen 70 (see FIG. 15) that displays the first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographing unit 15 and the second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographing unit 16 in the autonomous mobile work device 2, and presents the remote operation screen 70 for viewing and display on the operation terminal 4. The remote operation screen 70 may be a screen on which the user remotely checks the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 when the operating mode of the autonomous mobile work device 2 is learning mode, reproduction mode, or manual mode, or a screen on which the user remotely operates the autonomous mobile work device 2 while checking the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 when the operating mode is remote operation mode.

The screen control unit 46 basically displays videos of the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 on the remote control screen 70, but may also display still images extracted from the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 in response to any operation performed by the user using the operation terminal 4. The screen control unit 46 may create the remote control screen 70 as a screen on a website managed by the management server 3, and make the remote control screen 70 corresponding to each operation terminal 4 accessible only to that operation terminal 4.

The following describes an example of creating a remote operation screen 70 for remotely operating the autonomous mobile work device 2 when the screen control unit 46 is in remote operation mode.

Specifically, in order to create a remote operation screen 70 for each of one or more operation terminals 4 linked to each autonomous mobile work device 2, the screen control unit 46 reads from the server-side storage unit 41 the personal registration information of the user when each of the one or more operation terminals 4 logged in to the management server 3. The screen control unit 46 reads from the server-side storage unit 41 the authority information corresponding to the personal identification information of each read personal registration information, creates a remote operation screen 70 unique to each user based on each user's personal registration information and authority information, and displays it for viewing on the operation terminal 4 corresponding to that user.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the screen control unit 46 displays, on the remote operation screen 70 displayed on the operation terminal 4, a login name 71 indicating the user who has logged in to the operation terminal 4 and a device name 72 indicating the autonomous mobile work device 2 linked to the operation terminal 4. Furthermore, on the remote operation screen 70, the screen control unit 46 displays an image display field 73 that displays captured data based on each user's authority information, and also displays a camera operation field 74, a driving operation field 75, and a cleaning operation field 76 as operation fields corresponding to the type of remote operation authority indicated in each user's authority information.

The camera operation field 74 accepts shooting operations for the first and second shooting units 15 and 16, which capture the shooting data displayed in the image display field 73. A zoom button 77 for controlling the zoom of the first and second shooting units 15 and 16 and a shooting direction button 78 for controlling the shooting direction of the first and second shooting units 15 and 16 are displayed in an operable manner. The travel operation field 75 accepts travel operations for the travel unit 11, enabling remote control of the travel speed of the travel unit 11, as well as forward movement, stopping, and right or left turns of the travel unit 11. The cleaning operation field 76 accepts cleaning operation operations for the cleaning unit 12, enabling remote control of the start/stop and pad pressure of the cleaning member 24 of the cleaning unit 12, the start/stop and water supply amount of the cleaning liquid supply unit 25 of the cleaning unit 12, and the start/stop and suction amount of the suction unit 26 of the cleaning unit 12.

Furthermore, if the first photographed data 60 or second photographed data 61 displayed in the image display field 73 contains a private subject that is restricted from disclosure to outsiders, the screen control unit 46 processes the first photographed data 60 or second photographed data 61 so that the private subject cannot be recognized.

First, the screen control unit 46 reads from the server-side memory unit 41 the target registration information for each private target set for the cleaning area where the autonomous mobile work device 2 will perform mobile cleaning, and determines whether or not a private target has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 based on each target registration information.

For example, the screen control unit 46 determines whether a private object has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 by comparing (matching) feature points of the image of the private object in the read object registration information with feature points of the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61. If the indicator of the private object is a two-dimensional code, the screen control unit 46, upon detecting the two-dimensional code from the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, reads the two-dimensional code to determine whether a private object has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 at the position indicated by the two-dimensional code. Alternatively, if the indicator of the private object is a character or symbol, the screen control unit 46, upon extracting the character or symbol from the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, performs character recognition processing on the character or symbol to determine whether a private object has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 at the position indicated by the character or symbol.

Alternatively, the screen control unit 46 acquires the position information of the autonomous mobile work device 2 based on the environmental map acquired from the autonomous mobile work device 2 and the measurement results of the measurement unit 13, and also acquires the shooting direction of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16. The screen control unit 46 acquires position information of the shooting range of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16 based on the position information of the autonomous mobile work device 2 and the shooting direction of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16. The screen control unit 46 then determines whether the position information of the private target in the read target registration information is included in the shooting range of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16, thereby determining whether the private target is captured in the first imaging data 60 or the second imaging data 61.

Furthermore, when the screen control unit 46 determines that a private object is captured in the first captured data 60 or the second captured data 61, and if the autonomous mobile work device 2 that captured the first captured data 60 or the second captured data 61 is linked to the operation terminal 4 of a single user, the screen control unit 46 determines whether the private object is restricted from disclosure to the single user as an outsider, based on the single user's personal registration information (affiliation, user type, operation level) and the object registration information of the private object. Then, if the screen control unit 46 determines that the private object is restricted from disclosure to the single user as an outsider, it processes the first captured data 60 or the second captured data 61 so that the private object cannot be recognized.

For example, the screen control unit 46 acquires the coordinate systems of the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 using Visual SLAM or the like. The screen control unit 46 acquires feature points of the environmental map and feature points of the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, and matches and associates them to associate each coordinate between the environmental map and the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61. Based on this association, the screen control unit 46 determines the location information in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 of the private target on the environmental map. The screen control unit 46 then restricts the disclosure of the private target by performing processing such as blurring or mosaic processing on the position of the private target in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61.

When the remote operation command unit 47 receives a remote operation from the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 42, it generates a remote operation command corresponding to the remote operation and transmits it to the autonomous mobile work device 2 via the server-side communication unit 42. For example, when the remote operation command unit 47 receives an error notification from the autonomous mobile work device 2, it transmits a remote operation request to the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 42 and receives the remote operation transmitted from the operation terminal 4 in response to the remote operation request. Alternatively, the remote operation command unit 47 receives the remote operation transmitted from the operation terminal 4 when the operating mode of the autonomous mobile work device 2 has switched to remote operation mode in response to operation of a remote operation start button (not shown) provided on the operation terminal 4.

For example, when the remote operation command unit 47 receives an error notification from the autonomous mobile work device 2 that has detected an unknown obstacle, indicating that the device is unable to travel due to the obstacle, the remote operation command unit 47 sends a remote operation request to the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 42. Furthermore, when the remote operation command unit 47 receives a remote operation from the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 42, it generates a remote operation command corresponding to the remote operation. Specifically, when an obstacle is detected in the traveling direction of the autonomous mobile work device 2 based on the first photographed data 60 photographed by the first photographing unit 15 and the measurement data measured by the measurement unit 13 in the autonomous mobile work device 2, and the remote operation is an instruction to avoid the obstacle, the remote operation command unit 47 generates a remote operation command instructing the device to travel while avoiding the obstacle.

Furthermore, if the remote operation is a driving instruction such as moving forward, stopping, turning right or left, the remote operation instruction unit 47 generates a remote operation command for the driving instruction. If the remote operation is a driving setting instruction such as the driving speed of the driving unit 11, the remote operation instruction unit 47 generates a remote operation command for the driving setting instruction. If the remote operation is a work instruction such as starting/stopping cleaning work by the cleaning unit 12, the remote operation instruction unit 47 generates a remote operation command for the work instruction. If the remote operation is an individual setting instruction such as starting/stopping cleaning and pad pressure of the cleaning member 24, starting/stopping cleaning liquid supply and water supply amount of the cleaning liquid supply unit 25, or starting/stopping suction and suction amount of the suction unit 26, the remote operation instruction unit 47 generates a remote operation command for the individual setting instruction.

When the remote control is a photographing operation instruction for the first photographing unit 15 or the second photographing unit 16, the remote operation command unit 47 generates a remote operation command for the photographing operation instruction. For example, the remote operation command unit 47 receives a photographing operation instruction indicating a photographing direction operation or a zoom-in or zoom-out operation for the first photographing unit 15 or the second photographing unit 16, and generates a remote operation command. Note that the remote operation command unit 47 may receive a photographing operation instruction and generate a remote operation command only when only the first photographing data 60 or only the second photographing data 61 is displayed singly in the image display field 73 of the remote operation screen 70 based on each user's image viewing settings.

Furthermore, the remote operation command unit 47 is not limited to the remote operations described above, and may accept various remote operations for each part of the autonomous mobile work device 2 and generate remote operation commands for controlling each part.

In addition, when the autonomous mobile work device 2 ends remotely controlled traveling, the remote operation command unit 47 receives a notification of the end of remotely controlled traveling from the autonomous mobile work device 2 via the server-side communication unit 42, and then transmits the notification of the end of remotely controlled traveling to the operation terminal 4 via the server-side communication unit 42.

The error control unit 48 controls errors that occur during cleaning by the autonomous mobile work device 2 on the management server 3 side.

For example, if the first photographed data 60 or second photographed data 61 displayed in the image display field 73 of the remote operation screen 70 includes an image of a restricted entry area, such as an access point for personnel other than authorized personnel (unauthorized personnel), the error control unit 48 generates a travel stop error for the autonomous mobile work device 2. When a travel stop error is generated, the error control unit 48 sends a forced stop command to the autonomous mobile work device 2, and also causes the screen control unit 46 to disable remote operation of the remote operation screen 70.

First, the error control unit 48 reads from the server-side storage unit 41 area registration information for no-entry areas set for the cleaning area where the autonomous mobile work device 2 will perform cleaning while traveling, and determines whether or not a no-entry area has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 based on each area registration information. For example, the error control unit 48 determines whether or not a no-entry area has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 by comparing (matching) feature points of the image or sign of the no-entry area in the read area registration information with feature points of the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61.

If the no-entry area sign is a two-dimensional code, and the error control unit 48 detects the two-dimensional code in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, it reads the two-dimensional code and determines whether or not a no-entry area has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 at the position indicated by the two-dimensional code. Alternatively, if the no-entry area sign is a character or symbol, and the error control unit 48 extracts the character or symbol from the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, it performs character recognition processing on the character or symbol and determines whether or not a no-entry area has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 at the position indicated by the character or symbol.

Alternatively, the error control unit 48 acquires the position information of the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2 based on the environmental map acquired from the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2 and the measurement results of the measurement unit 13, and also acquires the imaging direction of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16. The error control unit 48 acquires position information of the imaging range of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16 based on the position information of the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2 and the imaging direction of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16. The error control unit 48 then determines whether the position information of the no-entry area in the read area registration information is included in the imaging range of the first imaging unit 15 and the second imaging unit 16, thereby determining whether the no-entry area is captured in the first imaging data 60 or the second imaging data 61.

Furthermore, when the error control unit 48 determines that a no-entry area is included in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, and if the autonomous mobile work device 2 that captured the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 is linked to the operation terminal 4 of a user, the error control unit 48 determines whether the user is an unauthorized person who is prohibited from entering the no-entry area based on the user's personal registration information (affiliation, user type, operation level) and the area registration information of the no-entry area. If the error control unit 48 determines that the user is an unauthorized person, it reads from the server-side memory unit 41 information on the person in charge of the cleaning area where the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performing cleaning while traveling, and determines based on the person in charge information whether the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager of the cleaning area is logged in to the management server 3.

Here, if it is determined that a no-entry area is captured in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 and that the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager of the cleaning area is not logged in to the management server 3, the error control unit 48 generates an error to stop the autonomous mobile work device 2 from traveling. Note that the error control unit 48 may generate an error to stop the autonomous mobile work device 2 from traveling not only when it is determined that a no-entry area is captured in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, but also when it is determined, using the various determination methods described above, that the autonomous mobile work device 2 has approached within a predetermined distance of the no-entry area. Furthermore, the error control unit 48 may generate an error to stop the autonomous mobile work device 2 from traveling not only when the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager of the cleaning area is not logged in to the management server 3, but also when the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager is not linked to an autonomous mobile work device 2.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the facility manager of the cleaning area is logged in to the management server 3, the error control unit 48 may not issue an error to stop the autonomous mobile work device 2 from traveling. At this time, the error control unit 48 may notify the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager that an autonomous mobile work device 2 linked to the operation terminal 4 of a user is approaching a prohibited area. The error control unit 48 may also inquire of the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager as to whether or not to allow the autonomous mobile work device 2 linked to the operation terminal 4 of the user to enter the prohibited area. For example, the screen control unit 46 may cause the inquiry screen (not shown) to be operable and displayed on the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager. Here, if the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager allows entry into the prohibited area, the error control unit 48 may not issue an error to stop the autonomous mobile work device 2 from traveling. However, if the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager does not allow entry into the prohibited area, the error control unit 48 may issue an error to stop the autonomous mobile work device 2 from traveling.

When a travel stop error occurs in the autonomous mobile work device 2, the error control unit 48 sends a forced stop command to the autonomous mobile work device 2 to forcibly stop the autonomous mobile work device 2. The error control unit 48 may also notify the autonomous mobile work device 2 of the occurrence of a travel stop error. The error control unit 48 also causes the screen control unit 46 to disable remote operation of the remote operation screen 70 of each operation terminal 4 used to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device 2, and notifies the operation terminal 4 of the occurrence of a travel stop error. At this time, the screen control unit 46 hides the travel operation column 75 and cleaning operation column 76 on the remote operation screen 70, or displays them as inoperable. The screen control unit 46 may also enable operation of the camera operation column 74 on the remote operation screen 70.

Furthermore, if the error control unit 48 determines that the facility manager of the cleaning area is logged in to the management server 3 after a travel stop error occurs for the autonomous mobile work device 2, it cancels the travel stop error for the autonomous mobile work device 2. At this time, the error control unit 48 sends a stop cancellation command to the autonomous mobile work device 2 to cancel the forced stop of the autonomous mobile work device 2. The error control unit 48 may also notify the autonomous mobile work device 2 that the travel stop error has been canceled. The error control unit 48 also causes the screen control unit 46 to enable remote operation of the remote operation screen 70 of the operation terminal 4 that has been disabled for remote operation, and notifies the operation terminal 4 that the travel stop error has been canceled. At this time, the screen control unit 46 displays the travel operation column 75 and cleaning operation column 76 on the remote operation screen 70 so that they can be operated. As a result, when the facility manager is logged in, the autonomous mobile work device 2 can be remotely operated to enter even a restricted area. Note that a restricted area may be separated by a swing door or curtain that can be pushed open by the autonomous mobile work device 2 traveling. On the other hand, if the facility manager is logged in, the travel stop function based on the detection results of the obstacle detection unit 14, such as a bumper sensor, is turned off when entering or leaving a no-entry area, or while traveling in a no-entry area, allowing travel in the no-entry area.

Furthermore, the error control unit 48 receives a cleaning stop error notification from the autonomous mobile work device 2 when the autonomous mobile work device 2 generates a cleaning stop error (work stop error) that prohibits cleaning while traveling (traveling work). In response to the cleaning stop error notification, the error control unit 48 causes the screen control unit 46 to disable remote operation of the remote operation screen 70 of each operation terminal 4 used to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device 2, and notifies the operation terminal 4 of the occurrence of a cleaning stop error. At this time, the screen control unit 46 hides the travel operation column 75 and cleaning operation column 76 on the remote operation screen 70, or displays them as inoperable. Note that the screen control unit 46 may also enable operation of the camera operation column 74 on the remote operation screen 70.

Furthermore, when notifying the operation terminal 4 of the occurrence of a cleaning stop error, the error control unit 48 may cause the screen control unit 46 to pop up a cancellation operation screen (not shown) on the operation terminal 4. The cancellation operation screen has a message indicating the occurrence of a cleaning stop error and an operation button for accepting an operation to cancel the cleaning stop error. When an operation to cancel the cleaning stop error is performed on the cancellation operation screen, the error control unit 48 sends an error cancellation command to the autonomous mobile work device 2, causing the autonomous mobile work device 2 to cancel the cleaning stop error.

Next, we will explain the operation terminal 4. The operation terminal 4 is composed of a personal computer or tablet terminal owned by a user such as an operator, administrator, or security guard who uses the autonomous mobile work device 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the operation terminal 4 includes a terminal control unit 50, a terminal memory unit 51, a terminal communication unit 52, and a display unit 53 composed of a touch panel or the like.

The terminal-side control unit 50 controls all the parts and functions of the operation terminal 4 and is composed of a computer such as a CPU. It is connected to the terminal-side memory unit 51, which includes ROM, RAM, a hard disk, flash memory, etc., the terminal-side communication unit 52, and the display unit 53.

The terminal-side control unit 50 is also connected to external devices via the terminal-side communication unit 52 so that it can communicate with them. The terminal-side communication unit 52 communicates wirelessly with external devices such as the autonomous mobile work device 2 and the management server 3 using communication standards such as Wi-Fi and wireless LAN. For example, the terminal-side communication unit 52 sends a selection instruction for the autonomous mobile work device 2 to the management server 3 in order to link the autonomous mobile work device 2 that the user wishes to remotely operate. The terminal-side communication unit 52 accesses a website managed by the management server 3 to obtain a remote operation screen 70 for operating the autonomous mobile work device 2 linked to the operation terminal 4, and also sends remote operation instructions using the remote operation screen 70 to the management server 3.

The terminal-side memory unit 51 stores programs and data for controlling the various parts and functions of the operation terminal 4, and the terminal-side control unit 50 performs arithmetic processing based on the programs and data stored in the terminal-side memory unit 51, thereby providing overall control of the various parts and functions. For example, by executing the programs stored in the terminal-side memory unit 51, the terminal-side control unit 50 operates as a login processing unit 55, a device selection unit 56, a display control unit 57, and an operation input unit 58.

The login processing unit 55 accepts login processing to the management server 3 by an operator or administrator using the operation terminal 4. As shown in FIG. 14 , the login processing unit 55 displays a login screen 65 for performing the login processing on the display unit 53, and accepts input of personal identification information (personal code) and passwords of each user, such as an operator or administrator, on the login screen 65. The login screen 65 may be configured as a screen on a website managed by the management server 3. The personal identification information and passwords are managed by the management server 3. The login processing unit 55 transmits a login request including the input personal identification information and password to the management server 3 via the terminal-side communication unit 52.

When the management server 3 authenticates the personal identification information and password based on the login request and sends a successful login to the operation terminal 4, the device selection unit 56, in response to the successful login, displays a device selection screen (not shown) on the display unit 53 for selecting the autonomous mobile work device 2 to be remotely operated, and accepts the selection of the autonomous mobile work device 2 on the device selection screen. The device selection screen may be configured as a screen on a website managed by the management server 3. The device selection unit 56 sends a selection instruction for the selected autonomous mobile work device 2 to the management server 3 via the terminal-side communication unit 52. As a result, the autonomous mobile work device 2 and the operation terminal 4 are linked by the management server 3.

When the operation terminal 4 logs in to the management server 3 and selects an autonomous mobile work device 2, or when the autonomous mobile work device 2 linked to the operation terminal 4 performs automatic cleaning, the display control unit 57 acquires a remote operation screen 70 for remotely operating the autonomous mobile work device 2 via the terminal-side communication unit 52 and displays it on the display unit 53, as shown in FIG. 15. As described above, the remote operation screen 70 displays the first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographed data 15 and the second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographed data 16 of the autonomous mobile work device 2 selected by the operation terminal 4.

In addition, when the autonomous mobile work device 2 detects an unknown obstacle and a remote operation request is received from the management server 3 via the terminal-side communication unit 52, the display control unit 57 displays a notification recommending remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 on the remote operation screen 70. Furthermore, when the autonomous mobile work device 2 ends remote-controlled traveling and a remote-controlled traveling end notification is received from the management server 3 via the terminal-side communication unit 52, the display control unit 57 displays a remote-controlled traveling end notification on the remote operation screen 70.

The operation input unit 58 accepts input operations on various screens, such as the remote operation screen 70, and transmits remote operations input using the remote operation screen 70 to the management server 3 via the terminal-side communication unit 52. For example, if the autonomous mobile work device 2 performing automatic cleaning detects an error that makes it unable to travel or work and transmits an error notification, and the management server 3 transmits a remote operation request to the operation terminal 4, the operation input unit 58 makes it possible to accept remote operations on the remote operation screen 70 to avoid the error.

The remote operations accepted by the operation input unit 58 on the remote operation screen 70 may be operations of the traveling unit 11 and cleaning unit 12 in the traveling operation field 75 and cleaning operation field 76 on the remote operation screen 70, allowing the operation input unit 58 to accept remote operations such as operations to avoid unknown obstacles and operations to restart cleaning. Furthermore, the remote operations may be operations of the first image capturing unit 15 and second image capturing unit 16 in the camera operation field 74 on the remote operation screen 70, allowing the operation input unit 58 to accept remote operations to control zoom, image capturing direction, etc.

Next, an example of the operation of displaying the remote control screen 70 of the autonomous mobile work device 2 on the operation terminal 4 in the mobile work information processing system 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 16.

First, in the mobile work information processing system 1, the autonomous mobile work device 2 is placed at the cleaning start position (start position) in the cleaning area to perform automatic mobile cleaning of the cleaning area (step S1).

Operated by the operator of the autonomous mobile work device 2, the operation terminal 4 accesses the management server 3 and displays the login screen 65 (step S2). When the operator enters personal identification information and a password on the login screen 65 on the operation terminal 4 to perform the login process (step S3), the entered login information is sent to the management server 3, and the management server 3 authenticates the personal identification information and password to accept the login from the operation terminal 4 (step S4).

When the operation terminal 4 successfully logs in to the management server 3, it accesses the management server 3 and displays a device selection screen (not shown). At this time, in response to successful login, the management server 3 switches from the login screen 65 to a device selection screen and presents it to the operation terminal 4 (displays it for viewing). Furthermore, when the operation terminal 4 selects an autonomous mobile work device 2 on the device selection screen (step S5), a selection request for the autonomous mobile work device 2 is sent to the management server 3, and the management server 3 associates and manages the operation terminal 4 and the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S6).

When the operation terminal 4 receives a success notification in response to the selection request from the management server 3, it sends a screen request for the remote operation screen 70 to the management server 3 in order to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S7). In response to this screen request, the management server 3 sends a data request for various data, such as the photographed data required to create the remote operation screen 70, to the autonomous mobile work device 2 linked to the operation terminal 4 (step S8).

In response to this data request, the autonomous mobile work device 2 acquires various data, such as the first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographing unit 15 and the second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographing unit 16, and transmits this data to the management server 3 (step S9). The management server 3 creates a remote control screen 70 based on the various data, such as the first photographed data 60 and second photographed data 61, received from the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S10), and makes it accessible from the operation terminal 4 corresponding to the user.

At this time, in response to the screen request, the management server 3 switches from the device selection screen to the remote operation screen 70 and presents it (displays it for viewing) on the operation terminal 4 (step S11). Note that while the operation terminal 4 is selecting an autonomous mobile work device 2, the management server 3 may present the remote operation screen 70 of that autonomous mobile work device 2 on the operation terminal 4.

Next, an example of the operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 in the mobile work information processing system 1 for automatic traveling and cleaning will be described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 17 to 19. Figure 17 shows the operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2, Figure 18 shows the operation of the management server 3, and Figure 19 shows the operation of the operation terminal 4.

First, when the autonomous mobile work device 2 starts autonomous traveling and cleaning (step S21 in FIG. 17), while the autonomous traveling and cleaning is being performed, it acquires various data, such as the first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographing unit 15 and the second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographing unit 16, and transmits this data to the management server 3 (step S22 in FIG. 17).

At this time, in this example operation, the process proceeds to step A in FIG. 18(a), where the management server 3 receives the first image capture data 60 and the second image capture data 61 from the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S31 in FIG. 18(a)). Based on the first image capture data 60 and the second image capture data 61, the management server 3 creates a remote control screen 70 corresponding to each operating terminal 4 (step S32 in FIG. 18(a)). The management server 3 makes the created remote control screen 70 accessible to the corresponding operating terminal 4 so that it can be viewed and displayed (step S33 in FIG. 18(a)).

At this time, in the operation example, the process proceeds to step B in Figure 19, and the operation terminal 4 accesses the management server 3 to display and view the remote operation screen 70 (step S41 in Figure 19). As a result, while the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performing automatic traveling and cleaning, the operation terminal 4 can check, on the remote operation screen 70, the first photographed data 60 that captures the traveling status of the autonomous mobile work device 2 and the second photographed data 61 that captures the cleaning status of the autonomous mobile work device 2.

If the autonomous mobile work device 2 does not detect an error that would make it unable to travel or work (e.g., an unknown obstacle that does not exist on the environmental map) while performing autonomous mobile cleaning (step S23 in FIG. 17: No), it continues autonomous mobile cleaning, and when autonomous mobile cleaning is finished (step S24 in FIG. 17: Yes), it terminates the operation of the mobile work information processing system 1. On the other hand, if the autonomous mobile work device 2 detects an error that would make it unable to travel or work while performing autonomous mobile cleaning (step S23 in FIG. 17: Yes), it sends an error notification to the management server 3 (step S25 in FIG. 17), stops autonomous mobile cleaning, and waits (step S26 in FIG. 17).

At this time, in this example operation, the process proceeds to step C in Figure 18(b), and when the management server 3 receives an error notification from the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S34 in Figure 18(b)), it sends a remote operation request to the operation terminal 4 (step S35 in Figure 18(b)).

In addition, in this example operation, the process proceeds to step D in Figure 19, and when the operation terminal 4 receives a remote operation request from the management server 3 (step S42 in Figure 19), it displays a notification recommending remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S43 in Figure 19).

On the operating terminal 4, an approval response is made to the remote operation recommendation notification on the remote operation screen 70 (step S44 in FIG. 19), and if remote operation is performed to avoid an error in the autonomous mobile work device 2, for example, the remote operation is sent to the management server 3 (step S45 in FIG. 19).

At this time, in this example operation, the process proceeds to step E in Figure 18(c), and when the management server 3 receives a remote operation from the operation terminal 4 (step S36 in Figure 18(c)), it transmits a remote operation command corresponding to that remote operation to the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S37 in Figure 18(c)).

In addition, in this example operation, the process proceeds to step F in Figure 17, where the autonomous mobile work device 2 stops automatic traveling and cleaning and waits. When it receives a remote control command from the management server 3 (step S27 in Figure 17: Yes), it operates to avoid errors in accordance with the remote control, for example, traveling while avoiding obstacles (step S28 in Figure 17).

When remote operation by the operation terminal 4 is terminated, the autonomous mobile work device 2 will end remotely operated traveling. Thereafter, when a resume operation to resume autonomous mobile cleaning is performed, the operation terminal 4 sends a resume command to the management server 3, and the management server 3 further sends such a resume command to the autonomous mobile work device 2. The autonomous mobile work device 2 resumes autonomous mobile cleaning in response to the resume command, and in the example operation, proceeds to step S22 in Figure 17.

Next, an example of the operation of the management server 3 of the mobile work information processing system 1 to process photographed data for non-disclosure targets will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 20. In this example, after the autonomous mobile work device 2 transmits various data such as the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 to the management server 3 (step S22 in Figure 17), the process transitions to the flow in Figure 20 instead of the flow in Figure 18(a).

At this time, in this example operation, the process proceeds to step A in FIG. 20, where the management server 3 receives the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 from the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S51 in FIG. 20). The management server 3 determines whether or not a private object has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, based on the object registration information for each private object set for the cleaning area where the autonomous mobile work device 2 will perform cleaning while traveling (step S52 in FIG. 20).

If a private object has not been photographed (step S52 in FIG. 20: No), the management server 3 creates a remote operation screen 70 corresponding to the operation terminal 4 without processing the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 (step S55 in FIG. 20). On the other hand, if a private object has been photographed (step S52 in FIG. 20: YES), the management server 3 determines whether the private object is restricted from disclosure to the user based on the personal registration information of the user of the operation terminal 4 and the object registration information of the private object (step S53 in FIG. 20).

If the private target is not restricted from disclosure to the user (step S53 in FIG. 20: No), the management server 3 creates a remote operation screen 70 corresponding to the operation terminal 4 without processing the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 (step S55 in FIG. 20). On the other hand, if the private target is restricted from disclosure to the user (step S53 in FIG. 20: Yes), the management server 3 processes the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 to restrict disclosure of the private target (step S54 in FIG. 20), and creates a remote operation screen 70 corresponding to the operation terminal 4 based on the processed first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61 (step S55 in FIG. 20).

The management server 3 then makes the created remote control screen 70 accessible to the operation terminal 4 and displays it for viewing (step S56 in Figure 20). In this example operation, the process then proceeds to step B in Figure 19, where the same operations as described above are performed.

Next, an example of the operation of forcibly stopping traveling cleaning when a no-entry area is detected in the traveling work information processing system 1 will be described with reference to the flowcharts in Figures 21 and 22. Figure 21 shows the operation of the autonomous traveling work device 2, and Figure 22 shows the operation of the management server 3. With regard to the autonomous traveling work device 2, the operation of steps S61 to S62 in Figure 21 is the same as steps S21 to S22 in Figure 17, so a description thereof will be omitted. After the autonomous traveling work device 2 transmits various data such as the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 to the management server 3 (step S62 in Figure 21), the flow proceeds to the flow in Figure 22 instead of the flow in Figure 18(a).

At this time, in this example operation, the process proceeds to step A in FIG. 22, where the management server 3 receives the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 from the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S81 in FIG. 22). The management server 3 determines whether a no-entry area has been photographed in the first photographed data 60 or the second photographed data 61, based on the area registration information for the no-entry area set for the cleaning area where the autonomous mobile work device 2 will perform cleaning while traveling (step S82 in FIG. 22).

If no no-entry area has been photographed (step S82 in FIG. 22: No), mobile cleaning can continue without being forced to stop, and the management server 3 creates a remote operation screen 70 corresponding to the operation terminal 4 based on the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 (step S83 in FIG. 22). On the other hand, if a no-entry area has been photographed (step S82 in FIG. 22: Yes), the management server 3 determines whether the user of the operation terminal 4 is an unauthorized person who is prohibited from entering the no-entry area based on the personal registration information of the user and the area registration information of the no-entry area (step S84 in FIG. 22).

If the user is not an unauthorized person (step S84: No in FIG. 22), the mobile cleaning can continue without being forced to stop, and the management server 3 creates a remote operation screen 70 corresponding to the operation terminal 4 based on the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 (step S83 in FIG. 22). On the other hand, if the user is an unauthorized person (step S84: Yes in FIG. 22), the management server 3 determines whether the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager of the cleaning area where the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performing mobile cleaning is logged in to the management server 3 based on the manager information of the cleaning area (step S85 in FIG. 22).

If the facility manager's operation terminal 4 is logged in to the management server 3 (step S85 in FIG. 22: Yes), the facility manager can monitor the autonomous mobile work device 2's cleaning operation, allowing it to continue without being forced to stop. Therefore, the management server 3 creates a remote operation screen 70 corresponding to the operation terminal 4 based on the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 (step S83 in FIG. 22). On the other hand, if the facility manager's operation terminal 4 is not logged in to the management server 3 (step S85 in FIG. 22: No), the facility manager cannot monitor the autonomous mobile work device 2's cleaning operation. Therefore, the management server 3 generates a stop error for the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S86 in FIG. 22), sends a forced stop command to the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S87 in FIG. 22), and creates a remote operation screen 70 corresponding to the operation terminal 4 that disables remote operation (step S88 in FIG. 22).

The management server 3 then makes the created remote control screen 70 accessible to the operation terminal 4 and displays it for viewing (step S89 in Figure 22). In this example operation, the process then proceeds to step B in Figure 19, where the same operations as described above are performed.

In addition, in this operational example, the management server 3 sends a forced stop command to the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S87 in Figure 22), and the process proceeds to step S68 in Figure 21.

If the autonomous mobile work device 2 detects an error that prevents it from traveling or working while performing autonomous mobile cleaning, the operations of steps S63: Yes and S64 to S62 in Figure 21 are the same as steps S23: Yes and S25 to S28 in Figure 17, and therefore will not be described here.

Furthermore, if the autonomous mobile work device 2 does not detect an error (step S63 in Figure 21: No) and has not received a forced stop command from the management server 3 (step S68 in Figure 21: No), it continues autonomous mobile cleaning, and when the autonomous mobile cleaning ends (step S69 in Figure 21: Yes), it terminates the operation of the mobile work information processing system 1.

On the other hand, if the autonomous mobile work device 2 does not detect an error (step S63 in FIG. 21: No) and receives a forced stop command from the management server 3 (step S68 in FIG. 21: Yes), it controls the traveling unit 11 and cleaning unit 12 to forcibly stop traveling and cleaning (step S70 in FIG. 21), and also prevents the autonomous mobile work device 2 from accepting remote operation commands from the management server 3 based on remote operation from the operation terminal 4 (step S71 in FIG. 21). Thereafter, when the forced stop is released (step S72 in FIG. 21: Yes), it resumes autonomous traveling and cleaning, and when the autonomous traveling and cleaning ends (step S69 in FIG. 21: Yes), it terminates the operation of the mobile work information processing system 1.

Next, an example of operation in which the management server 3 cancels the forced stop of traveling cleaning when the autonomous traveling work device 2 has forcibly stopped traveling cleaning in the traveling work information processing system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 23. In this example, it is assumed that the autonomous traveling work device 2 continues to send various data, such as the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61, to the management server 3 even while traveling cleaning is forcibly stopped.

First, the management server 3 receives the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 from the autonomous mobile work device 2 in step B (step S91 in Figure 23). Based on the information about the person in charge of the cleaning area where the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performing cleaning while traveling, the management server 3 determines whether the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager of that cleaning area is logged in to the management server 3 (step S92 in Figure 23).

If the facility manager's operation terminal 4 is not logged in to the management server 3 (step S92 in FIG. 23: No), the facility manager cannot monitor the autonomous mobile work device 2's cleaning operation, so the management server 3 maintains the autonomous mobile work device 2's stop error and creates a remote operation screen 70 for the operation terminal 4 that does not allow remote operation based on the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61 (step S93 in FIG. 23). On the other hand, if the facility manager's operation terminal 4 is logged in to the management server 3 (step S92 in FIG. 23: Yes), the facility manager can monitor the autonomous mobile work device 2's cleaning operation, so the management server 3 cancels the stop error for the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S94 in FIG. 23), sends a stop cancellation command to the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S95 in FIG. 23), and creates a remote operation screen 70 for the operation terminal 4 that allows remote operation (step S96 in FIG. 23). In response to the stop release command, the autonomous mobile work device 2 will determine in step S72 of Figure 21 that the forced stop has been released.

The management server 3 then makes the created remote control screen 70 accessible to the operation terminal 4 for viewing and display (step S97 in Figure 23). The management server 3 repeats steps S91 to S97 above while the driving stop error remains.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the mobile work information processing system 1 includes an autonomous mobile work device 2 capable of performing autonomous mobile cleaning (autonomous mobile work), which travels autonomously and performs cleaning work automatically; multiple operation terminals 4 for multiple users to operate the autonomous mobile work device 2; and a management server 3 for managing the autonomous mobile work devices 2. When each operation terminal 4 logs in to the management server 3, it sends a selection request to the management server 3 to select the autonomous mobile work device 2 to remotely operate. The management server 3 pre-stores multiple pieces of authority information indicating the authority of each of the multiple users to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device 2. When it receives a selection request for an autonomous mobile work device 2 from each logged-in operation terminal 4 and associates that operation terminal 4 with that autonomous mobile work device 2, it creates a remote operation screen 70 for remotely operating that autonomous mobile work device 2 based on the authority information of the user corresponding to that operation terminal 4 and presents it to the operation terminal 4 so that it can be viewed.

With this configuration, when remotely operating the autonomous mobile work device 2, the mobile work information processing system 1 displays a remote operation screen 70 on each user's operation terminal 4, with operation content restricted according to each user's authority information. This makes it possible to appropriately manage remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2, even when multiple users with different interests simultaneously remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device 2, thereby improving convenience. In this way, the present invention makes it possible for multiple users to appropriately remotely operate a single autonomous mobile work device 2.

In the first embodiment, the autonomous mobile work device 2 in the mobile work information processing system 1 is equipped with a photographing unit such as a first photographing unit 15 or a second photographing unit 16, and transmits photographed data such as first photographed data 60 and second photographed data 61 photographed by the photographing unit to the management server 3. The management server 3 determines whether the user corresponding to each logged-in operation terminal 4 is an outsider based on the user's authority information, and also determines whether a private object not disclosed to outsiders is included in the photographed data. If the user is an outsider and a private object is included in the photographed data, the management server 3 processes the photographed data so that the private object cannot be recognized, and displays it on the remote operation screen 70 specific to the operation terminal 4 corresponding to that user.

With this configuration, in the mobile work information processing system 1, if something in the cleaning area is a confidential object that is restricted from disclosure to outsiders, the photographed data is processed to make the confidential object confidential in accordance with the user's authority information and personal registration information, thereby allowing for appropriate management of confidential information in the cleaning area and improving convenience.

In the first embodiment, the autonomous mobile work device 2 in the mobile work information processing system 1 is equipped with a camera such as a first camera 15 or a second camera 16, and transmits the first captured data 60 and second captured data 61 captured by the camera to the management server 3. The management server 3 determines whether the user corresponding to each logged-in operation terminal 4 is the facility manager and whether a restricted area is captured in the captured data. If the user corresponding to one operation terminal 4 remotely operating the autonomous mobile work device 2 is a person (unauthorized person) corresponding to the authority information that prohibits entry into the restricted area, and if the restricted area is captured in the captured data, the management server 3 determines whether another operation terminal 4 corresponding to the facility manager is logged in. If the other operation terminal 4 corresponding to the facility manager is not logged in, the management server 3 generates a travel stop error for the autonomous mobile work device 2, sends a forced stop command to the autonomous mobile work device 2, and disables remote operation of the remote operation screen 70 specific to the one operation terminal 4. In response to the forced stop command, the autonomous mobile work device 2 forcibly stops its mobile operation and becomes unable to accept remote control.

With this configuration, in the mobile work information processing system 1, when a remotely operated autonomous mobile work device 2 is predicted to enter a restricted area where entry by unauthorized persons is prohibited, the system checks whether the operation terminal 4 of the facility manager with the authority to grant permission to enter the restricted area is logged in, and if not, the system forcibly stops the autonomous mobile work device 2. This makes it possible to suppress unnecessary and unplanned entry into restricted areas, prevent confidential information from leaking from restricted areas, improve security, and increase convenience.

In addition, in the first embodiment, in the mobile work information processing system 1, if the management server 3 detects login of another operation terminal 4 corresponding to the facility manager after a mobile stop error occurs in the autonomous mobile work device 2, it cancels the mobile stop error and sends a stop cancellation command to the autonomous mobile work device 2, and also makes the remote operation screen 70 specific to one operation terminal 4 available for remote operation. The autonomous mobile work device 2 becomes able to accept remote operation in response to the stop cancellation command.

With this configuration, in the mobile work information processing system 1, even if the autonomous mobile work device 2 is forcibly stopped and prohibited from entering a restricted area because the facility manager's operation terminal 4 is not logged in to the management server 3, the forced stop of the autonomous mobile work device 2 can be canceled when the facility manager's operation terminal 4 logs in to the management server 3. At this time, the autonomous mobile work device 2 can be changed to a state where it accepts remote operation, and the autonomous mobile work device 2 can also be remotely operated to enter the restricted area. This allows the autonomous mobile work device 2 to continue cleaning while maintaining appropriate security, improving convenience.

Also, in the first embodiment, the autonomous mobile work device 2 in the mobile work information processing system 1 includes a cleaning unit 12 that sprays detergent onto the floor to clean it. The management server 3 enables the detergent spraying operation to be accepted on the remote operation screen 70. When a detergent spraying operation is performed on the remote operation screen 70 by one operation terminal 4, the autonomous mobile work device 2 determines whether the detergent spraying operation is appropriate, and if the detergent spraying operation is inappropriate, generates a work stop error for the autonomous mobile work device 2, forcibly stops the mobile work and disables remote operation, and notifies the management server 3 of the work stop error. In response to the notification of the work stop error, the management server 3 disables remote operation of the remote operation screen 70 specific to the one operation terminal 4.

With this configuration, the mobile work information processing system 1 determines the validity of the work content of the autonomous mobile work device 2 in response to remote operation before the work is carried out, and if there is a problem with the work content, the autonomous mobile work device 2 is forcibly stopped without carrying out the work. This makes it possible to prevent problematic work from occurring and ensure appropriate operation.

Next, we will explain the second embodiment of the traveling work information processing system 1. In the following explanation of the second embodiment, components similar to those in the traveling work information processing system 1 of the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations will be omitted.

In particular, in the second embodiment, when one operation terminal 4 remotely operates the autonomous mobile work device 2, the mobile work information processing system 1 disables remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 by other operation terminals 4.

In the second embodiment, when two or more operating terminals 4 are linked to one autonomous mobile work apparatus 2, the device-terminal linking unit 45 in the management server 3 sets an operation right flag indicating the driving operation right for the driving operation of one autonomous mobile work apparatus 2 for one user corresponding to one operating terminal 4 when the driving operation of one autonomous mobile work apparatus 2 is performed on the remote operation screen 70 of one operating terminal 4. For example, the device-terminal linking unit 45 stores operation right flag information associating one autonomous mobile work apparatus 2, one operating terminal 4, and one user in the server-side memory unit 41.

In this case, the device-terminal linking unit 45 uses the screen control unit 46 to accept driving operations for the autonomous mobile work device 2 only on the remote operation screen 70 of one operating terminal 4, while disabling acceptance of driving operations for the autonomous mobile work device 2 on the remote operation screen 70 of the other operating terminals 4, for example by hiding the driving operation field 75 or displaying it as inoperable. Note that for other operating terminals 4 that are subsequently linked to the one autonomous mobile work device 2, the screen control unit 46 also disables acceptance of driving operations for that autonomous mobile work device 2 on the remote operation screen 70. The screen control unit 46 may also disable camera operation and cleaning operations on the remote operation screen 70 of the other operating terminals 4, but may also enable operation depending on the affiliation, user type, and operation level of the user of the other operating terminals 4.

The device-terminal linking unit 45 notifies one operating terminal 4 that it has the right to operate the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2, and notifies other operating terminals 4 that one operating terminal 4 (i.e., one user) has the right to operate the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2, or that the other operating terminals 4 do not have the right to operate the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2. For example, the device-terminal linking unit 45 may cause the screen control unit 46 to display on the remote operation screen 70 of the other operating terminal 4 that one operating terminal 4 (i.e., one user) has the right to operate the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2.

Furthermore, when the operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 by an operating terminal 4 that set the operation authority flag ends, the device-terminal linking unit 45 cancels the setting of the operation authority flag and deletes the operation authority flag information stored in the server-side memory unit 41. For example, the device-terminal linking unit 45 may determine that the operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 has ended when the operating terminal 4 that set the operation authority flag logs out of the management server 3, when it deselects the autonomous mobile work device 2 and releases the link, or when it operates a button to resume automatic cleaning (not shown) or a button to end remote operation (not shown).

Furthermore, when the device-terminal linking unit 45 cancels the setting of the operation right flag for one operation terminal 4 (i.e., one user), it inquires of the other operation terminals 4 as to whether they wish to obtain driving operation rights for the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2, and, for example, causes the screen control unit 46 to display the inquiry screen (not shown) in an operable manner on the other operation terminal 4. When the other operation terminal 4 that received the inquiry replies agreeing to obtain driving operation rights, the device-terminal linking unit 45 sets an operation right flag for the other user corresponding to that other operation terminal 4, indicating driving operation rights for driving operation of the autonomous mobile work apparatus 2.

In this case, the device-terminal linking unit 45, via the screen control unit 46, accepts driving operations for the autonomous mobile work device 2 only on the remote control screen 70 of the other operating terminal 4 for which the operation right flag has been set, while disallowing driving operations for the autonomous mobile work device 2 from being accepted on the remote control screen 70 of the one operating terminal 4 or the other operating terminals 4.

When two or more operating terminals 4 are linked to the autonomous mobile work device 2 in addition to one operating terminal 4, the device-terminal linking unit 45 queries the other operating terminals 4 in a predetermined query order as to whether or not to obtain driving operation authority. For example, the screen control unit 46 may set the query order based on the order in which the other operating terminals 4 are linked, or may set the query order based on the affiliation, user type, or operation level of the users of the other operating terminals 4.

In another embodiment, when two or more operating terminals 4 are linked to the autonomous mobile work device 2, even if an operation authority flag is set for one operating terminal 4, an interrupt remote operation input may be accepted on the remote operation screen 70 for another operating terminal 4 that has a higher remote operation priority than the first operating terminal 4. For example, the device-terminal linking unit 45 may set the priority of remote operation based on the affiliation, user type, and operation level of each user. Then, when an interrupt remote operation input is made on the remote operation screen 70 of another operating terminal 4 with a higher priority, the device-terminal linking unit 45 cancels the setting of the operation authority flag for the first operating terminal 4 and sets an operation authority flag for the other operating terminal 4. At this time, the device-terminal linking unit 45 notifies the first operating terminal 4 that an operation authority flag will be set for the other operating terminal 4 and that the setting of the operation authority flag for the first operating terminal 4 will be canceled.

Next, an example of the operation of setting the operation authority flag for remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 for the first operation terminal 4a out of the first operation terminal 4a and the second operation terminal 4b in the mobile work information processing system 1 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 24.

First, in the mobile work information processing system 1, the autonomous mobile work device 2 is placed at the cleaning start position (start position) of the cleaning area to perform autonomous mobile cleaning of the cleaning area (step S101). The first operation terminal 4a is operated by the operator operating the autonomous mobile work device 2, similar to steps S2, S3, and S5 shown in Figure 16 of the first embodiment, to log in to the management server 3 and select the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S102). The management server 3 authenticates the login of the first operation terminal 4a and links the autonomous mobile work device 2 with the first operation terminal 4a, similar to steps S4 and S6 shown in Figure 16 of the first embodiment (step S103).

The autonomous mobile work device 2 also acquires various data, such as the first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographing unit 15 and the second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographing unit 16, and transmits this data to the management server 3 (step S104). Based on the various data, such as the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61, received from the autonomous mobile work device 2, the management server 3 creates a remote operation screen 70 that enables remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S105) and presents this screen on the first operation terminal 4a.

At this time, the first operation terminal 4a displays the remote operation screen 70 presented by the management server 3, which allows the autonomous mobile work device 2 to be remotely operated (step S106). Furthermore, when the operator operating the autonomous mobile work device 2 operates the remote operation screen 70 to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device 2, the first operation terminal 4a transmits the remote operation to the management server 3 (step S107).

The management server 3 transmits a remote operation command to the autonomous mobile work device 2 based on the remote operation received from the first operation terminal 4a (step S108). Upon receiving the remote operation from the first operation terminal 4a, the management server 3 sets an operation authority flag for the autonomous mobile work device 2 in the first operation terminal 4a to grant the first operation terminal 4a the right to operate the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S109). The autonomous mobile work device 2 then performs remote cleaning based on the remote operation command received from the management server 3 (step S110).

Furthermore, in the same way as the first operation terminal 4a, the second operation terminal 4b is operated by the operator operating the autonomous mobile work device 2, and performs a login process to the management server 3 and selects the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S111). In the same way as the first operation terminal 4a, the management server 3 authenticates the login of the second operation terminal 4b and links the autonomous mobile work device 2 with the second operation terminal 4b (step S112).

The autonomous mobile work device 2 also acquires various data, such as the first image data 60 captured by the first image capture unit 15 and the second image data 61 captured by the second image capture unit 16, and transmits this to the management server 3 (step S113). When the management server 3 confirms that the operation authority flag has already been set on the first operation terminal 4a (step S114), it creates a remote operation screen 70 that disables remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S115) and presents it to the second operation terminal 4b.

At this time, the first operation terminal 4a displays the remote operation screen 70 presented by the management server 3, which allows remote control of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S116).

Next, an example of the operation of the traveling work information processing system 1 of the second embodiment, in which the operation authority flag set on the first operation terminal 4a is released and set on the second operation terminal 4b, will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 25.

First, in the mobile work information processing system 1, the first operating terminal 4a is operated by the operator operating the autonomous mobile work device 2 to perform a logout process to the management server 3 (step S121). The management server 3 authenticates the logout of the first operating terminal 4a, releases the association between the autonomous mobile work device 2 and the first operating terminal 4a (step S122), and releases the operation authority flag set on the logged-out first operating terminal 4a (step S123).

The management server 3 also queries the second operation terminal 4b as to whether or not to acquire driving operation authority for the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S124). When the second operation terminal 4b replies in response to the inquiry from the management server 3 that it agrees to acquire driving operation authority (step S125), the management server 3 sets an operation authority flag for the autonomous mobile work device 2 for the second operation terminal 4b (step S126).

The autonomous mobile work device 2 also acquires various data, such as the first photographed data 60 captured by the first photographing unit 15 and the second photographed data 61 captured by the second photographing unit 16, and transmits this data to the management server 3 (step S127). Based on the various data, such as the first photographed data 60 and the second photographed data 61, received from the autonomous mobile work device 2, the management server 3 creates a remote operation screen 70 that enables remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S128) and presents this screen on the second operation terminal 4b.

At this time, the second operation terminal 4b displays the remote operation screen 70 presented by the management server 3, which allows remote operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 (step S129).

As described above, according to the second embodiment, in the mobile work information processing system 1, the management server 3 allows the mobile operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 to be accepted on the remote operation screen 70. When the mobile operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 is performed on the remote operation screen 70 by one operation terminal 4, the management server 3 sets an operation authority flag indicating the mobile operation authority for the mobile operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 for one user corresponding to the one operation terminal 4, and makes it impossible to accept the mobile operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2 on the remote operation screen 70 specific to other operation terminals 4.

With this configuration, the mobile work information processing system 1 can grant mobile operation authority to only one of the operation terminals 4, even if the operation terminals 4 of users with equivalent authority information are logged in to the management server 3 at the same time and select the same autonomous mobile work device 2. As a result, the autonomous mobile work device 2 only accepts remote operation from one operation terminal 4 and not from the other operation terminal 4, preventing overlapping or crosstalk between remote operations from two or more operation terminals 4. This prevents the autonomous mobile work device 2 from becoming inoperable inappropriately and prevents the autonomous mobile work device 2 from performing mobile cleaning that is different from the remote control, thereby preventing problems such as the autonomous mobile work device 2 colliding with obstacles.

In addition, in this embodiment, in the traveling work information processing system 1, when the traveling operation of the autonomous traveling work device 2 by one operating terminal 4 that has set the operation authority flag ends, the management server 3 cancels the setting of the operation authority flag and inquires of the other operating terminals 4 about whether or not to acquire the traveling operation authority, and if the acquisition of the traveling operation authority is agreed to by the other operating terminals 4, the remote operation screen 70 specific to the other operating terminals 4 becomes available to accept the traveling operation of the autonomous traveling work device 2.

With this configuration, in the mobile work information processing system 1, even if mobile operation authority is once granted to one operating terminal 4, the mobile operation authority can then be efficiently and appropriately transferred to the other operating terminal 4 without stopping operation of the autonomous mobile work device 2.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the screen control unit 46 of the management server 3 creates the remote control screen 70, presents it as a screen on a website, and causes the operation terminal 4 logged in to the management server 3 to view and display the remote control screen 70, but the present invention is not limited to this example. In other embodiments, the screen control unit 46 may be configured to transmit imaging data such as the first imaging data 60 and the second imaging data 61, as well as each user's viewing settings, to the operation terminal 4, and the operation terminal 4 may be configured to create and display the remote control screen 70 based on these.

Furthermore, the present invention may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the spirit or concept of the invention as can be read from the entire specification, and a mobile work information processing system incorporating such modifications is also included within the technical concept of the present invention.

The present invention can be suitably used in mobile work information processing systems equipped with industrial (business) work robots, such as automated floor washing and cleaning devices that perform floor cleaning work in commercial facilities such as shopping malls, or automated work in work areas such as factories and railway terminals, using autonomous mobile work devices that can perform autonomous mobile work by traveling and working automatically, or security devices that monitor with cameras. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to mobile work information processing systems equipped with autonomous mobile work devices such as cleaning robots that travel and clean a cleaning area, but can also be applied to mobile work information processing systems equipped with security robots that travel around a work area in response to remote control and monitor and guard the surroundings.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Traveling work information processing system 2 Autonomous traveling work device 3 Management server 4 Operation terminal 11 Traveling unit 12 Cleaning unit (working unit)
13 Measurement unit 15 First photographing unit 16 Second photographing unit 20 Device-side control unit 34 Reproduction control unit 35 Remote operation control unit 40 Server-side control unit 45 Device-terminal linking unit 46 Screen control unit 47 Remote operation command unit 48 Error control unit 50 Terminal-side control unit 53 Display unit 57 Display control unit 58 Operation input unit 60 First photographed data 61 Second photographed data 70 Remote operation screen

Claims (5)

A traveling work information processing system including an autonomous traveling work device that can perform autonomous traveling work by traveling autonomously and working automatically, a plurality of operation terminals for a plurality of users to respectively operate the autonomous traveling work device, and a management server for managing the autonomous traveling work device,
when logging in to the management server, each of the operation terminals transmits to the management server a selection request for selecting the autonomous mobile work device to be remotely operated;
the management server pre-stores a plurality of pieces of authority information indicating the authorities of the plurality of users to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device,
When the selection request for the autonomous mobile work device is received from each of the logged-in operation terminals and the operation terminal is associated with the autonomous mobile work device, a remote operation screen for remotely operating the autonomous mobile work device is created based on the authority information of the user corresponding to the operation terminal, and the screen is presented to the operation terminal so that it can be viewed;
the autonomous mobile work device includes a photographing unit, and transmits photographed data photographed by the photographing unit to the management server;
The management server determines whether the user corresponding to each of the logged-in operation terminals is an outsider based on the authority information of the user, and determines whether an object that is not to be disclosed to the outsider is included in the photographed data;
If the user is an outsider and the private object is photographed in the photographed data, the photographed data is processed so that the private object cannot be recognized, and the processed data is displayed on the remote operation screen specific to the operation terminal corresponding to the user.
A traveling operation information processing system characterized by: A traveling work information processing system including an autonomous traveling work device that can perform autonomous traveling work by traveling autonomously and working automatically, a plurality of operation terminals for a plurality of users to respectively operate the autonomous traveling work device, and a management server for managing the autonomous traveling work device,
when logging in to the management server, each of the operation terminals transmits to the management server a selection request for selecting the autonomous mobile work device to be remotely operated;
the management server pre-stores a plurality of pieces of authority information indicating the authorities of the plurality of users to remotely operate the autonomous mobile work device,
When the selection request for the autonomous mobile work device is received from each of the logged-in operation terminals and the operation terminal is associated with the autonomous mobile work device, a remote operation screen for remotely operating the autonomous mobile work device is created based on the authority information of the user corresponding to the operation terminal, and the screen is presented to the operation terminal so that it can be viewed;
the autonomous mobile work device is equipped with a photographing unit, and transmits photographed data photographed by the photographing unit to the management server;
the management server determines whether the user corresponding to each of the operation terminals who has logged in is a facility manager, and also determines whether a no-entry area is included in the photographed data;
if the user corresponding to one of the operation terminals that remotely operates the autonomous mobile work device is a person corresponding to the authority information that prohibits entry into the no-entry area, and the no-entry area is photographed in the photographic data, determine whether or not another of the operation terminals corresponding to the facility manager is logged in;
If the other operation terminal corresponding to the facility manager is not logged in, a travel stop error is generated for the autonomous mobile work device, a forced stop command is sent to the autonomous mobile work device, and the remote operation screen specific to one of the operation terminals is made unavailable for remote operation;
a driving operation information processing system, wherein the autonomous driving operation device forcibly stops driving operation in response to the forced stop command and becomes unable to accept remote control. when the management server detects login of another operation terminal corresponding to the facility manager after the travel stop error of the autonomous mobile work device occurs, the management server cancels the travel stop error and sends a stop cancellation command to the autonomous mobile work device, and also makes the remote operation screen specific to one of the operation terminals remotely operable;
3. The traveling work information processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the autonomous traveling work device is capable of accepting remote operation in response to the stop release command. the management server enables the remote operation screen to accept driving operations of the autonomous mobile work device;
The mobile work information processing system described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the autonomous mobile work device is operated to travel on the remote control screen by one of the operating terminals, the management server sets an operation authority flag indicating the user's right to operate the autonomous mobile work device for the user corresponding to the operating terminal, and makes it impossible to accept operation of the autonomous mobile work device on the remote control screen specific to the other operating terminals. When the driving operation of the autonomous mobile work device by one of the operating terminals for which the operation right flag has been set is completed, the management server cancels the setting of the operation right flag and inquires of the other operating terminals as to whether or not they wish to acquire the driving operation right;
The traveling work information processing system of claim 4, characterized in that, when the acquisition of the traveling operation authority is accepted by the other operating terminal, the traveling operation of the autonomous traveling work device can be accepted on the remote operation screen specific to the other operating terminal.