Robot procurement apparatus and robot procurement method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11007650-B2
Application number	US-201815934290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2018
Priority date	Aug 23, 2017
Publication date	May 18, 2021
Grant date	May 18, 2021

Abstract

A robot procurement apparatus stores a deficient or surplus number of robots in each of service areas where robots provide services and performs a procurement process of determining a procurement target robot to a dispatch destination service area that is the service area to which the robot is to be dispatched based on the deficient or surplus number of robots in the dispatch destination service area and the deficient or surplus number of robots in any service area other than the dispatch destination service area. The robot procurement apparatus sets the deficient or surplus number of robots in each of the service areas based on load of the robot in the service area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot procurement apparatus comprising:
a memory configured to store a deficient number of a plurality of robots or a surplus number of the plurality of robots in each of multiple service areas where the plurality of robots provide services; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to
acquire the deficient number of the plurality of robots or the surplus number of the plurality of robots in each of the multiple service areas,
calculate a total deficient number or a total surplus number of the plurality of robots in all of the multiple service areas,
receive a procurement request from a dispatch destination service area, the procurement request contains at least a total number of robots being requested,
compares the total number of robots being requested with the calculated total deficient number or the total surplus number of the plurality of robots in all of the multiple service areas,
when the calculated total surplus number of the plurality of robots in all of the multiple service areas is greater than the total number of robots being requested the processor selects a number of procurement target robots from at least one of the multiple service areas, the at least one of the multiple service areas contains the surplus number of the plurality of robots which is greater than the total number of robots being requested,
when the calculated total surplus number of the plurality of robots in all of the multiple service areas is less than the total number of robots being requested the processor selects as the number of procurement target robots, a respective surplus number of the plurality of robots from each of the multiple service areas that each contains a surplus number of the plurality of robots, and
dispatches the number of procurement robots to the dispatch destination service area,
wherein the dispatch destination service area is one service area of the multiple service areas to which at least one of the plurality of robots is to be dispatched based on the total deficient number of the plurality of robots in the dispatch destination service area and the total surplus number of the plurality of robots in any of the multiple service areas other than the dispatch destination service area, and
wherein the number of procurement target robots is equal to the total number of robots being requested by the dispatch destination service area.

2. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to
calculate the surplus number of the plurality of robots in each of the multiple service areas based on load of the plurality of robots in each of the multiple service areas.

3. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor determines which of the multiple service areas to dispatch the number of procurement target robots by prioritizing a robot present in one of the multiple service areas close to the dispatch destination service area among other of the multiple service areas where surplus robots are present.

4. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor determines which of the multiple service areas to dispatch the number of procurement target robots by prioritizing a robot present in one of the multiple service areas where a large number of the surplus robots are present.

5. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor determines which of the multiple service areas to dispatch the number of procurement target robots by prioritizing a robot having high battery level among the surplus robots.

6. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor selects a charged robot present in a robot dock configured to charge a robot, as a candidate for the number of procurement target robots.

7. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processor is configured to communicate via a network, and
the processor receives the procurement request or an event occurrence notice.

8. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
a camera connected to the network transmits, to the processor, the event occurrence notice based on shot images of states in the multiple service areas.

9. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
a robot communicatively coupled to the network transmits the event occurrence notice based on a signal outputted from a sensor to the processor.

10. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
an information processor communicatively coupled to the network transmits the procurement request based on an instruction received through a user interface, to the processor.

11. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein
the information processor is installed in a robot dock configured to charge at least one of the plurality of robots.

12. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
if there is a service area among the multiple service areas that is deficient in the plurality of robots and there is a different service area among the multiple service areas where the surplus robots are present, the processor calculates the total deficient number and the total surplus number of the plurality of robots in all of the multiple service areas.

13. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein
if there are a plurality of service areas among the multiple service areas that are each deficient in the plurality of robots, the processor determines a degree of urgency for each of the plurality of service areas that are deficient in the plurality of robots and determines procurement target robots preferentially for each of the plurality of service areas in descending order of the degree of urgency.

14. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
the processor determines the degree of urgency by using as a parameter at least any of battery consumption of robots in each of the plurality of service areas that are deficient in the plurality of robots, size of load of the plurality of robots, procurement time of the plurality of robots, and priority set for each of the plurality of service areas.

15. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein
the memory stores a weight coefficient set for each of the parameters, and
the processor determines the degree of urgency by weighting the parameters with the weight coefficients.

16. The robot procurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
each of the plurality of robots comprises a different processor that controls each of the plurality of robots according to an instruction sent from the processor, and
the processor transmits an instruction to move to the dispatch destination to the at least one of the plurality of robots determined to be the procurement target.

17. A robot procurement method implemented by an information processor, comprising:
storing, via a memory, a deficient number of a plurality of robots or a surplus number of a plurality of robots in each of a plurality of service areas where the plurality of robots provide services;
acquiring, from the memory, the deficient number of the plurality of robots or the surplus number of the plurality of robots in each of the multiple service areas,
calculating, via the information processor, a total deficient number or a total surplus number of the plurality of robots in all of the multiple service areas,
receiving, via the information processor, a procurem

Assignees

• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Dai Jingze
• Yoshiuchi Hideya

Classifications

• B25J9/0084 Primary

  comprising a plurality of manipulators · CPC title

• B25J11/008

  Manipulators for service tasks · CPC title

• B25J13/006 Primary

  by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators · CPC title

• B25J9/161

  Hardware, e.g. neural networks, fuzzy logic, interfaces, processor · CPC title

• B25J19/005

  using batteries, e.g. as a back-up power source · CPC title