Autonomous mobile apparatus control system, control method thereof, and control program thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12025980-B2
Application number	US-202117306007-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2021
Priority date	May 15, 2020
Publication date	Jul 2, 2024
Grant date	Jul 2, 2024

Abstract

When an autonomous mobile robot is acquires enters a stuck state in which the autonomous mobile robot cannot autonomosly move, an autonomous mobile apparatus control system according to the present disclosure transmits an autonomous cancel notification for notifying the higher-level management apparatus that the autonomous mobile robot cannot autonomosly move, waits for an operation instruction from the higher-level management apparatus after the transmission of the autonomous cancel notification. The higher-level management apparatus gives an operation instruction to the autonomous mobile robot in response to receiving the autonomous cancel notification based on information acquired from at least one of the plurality of environment cameras. The autonomous mobile robot is configured to resume autonomous driving in response to safety confirmation based on a proximity sensor provided in the autonomous mobile robot after operating in accordance with the operation instruction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An autonomous mobile apparatus control system comprising:
an autonomous mobile robot having on-board the autonomous mobile robot: (i) a plurality of sensors including a proximity sensor configured to detect a distance between the autonomous mobile robot and an object around the autonomous mobile robot, (ii) a memory storing map data, and (iii) a processor that controls the autonomous mobile robot to travel autonomously using outputs of the sensors and the map data;
a higher-level management apparatus that is separate from the autonomous mobile robot and that is configured to manage the autonomous mobile robot; and
a plurality of environment cameras that are separate from the autonomous mobile robot and that are provided at locations in an environment in which the autonomous mobile robot operates, the plurality of environment cameras configured to photograph a moving range of the autonomous mobile robot and transmit a photographed image to the higher-level management apparatus, wherein
the processor of the autonomous mobile robot is configured to:
acquire a movement target position from the higher-level management apparatus, and control the autonomous mobile robot to autonomously move toward the movement target position; and
when the autonomous mobile robot enters a stuck state in which the autonomous mobile robot cannot autonomously move, transmit an autonomous cancel notification for notifying the higher-level management apparatus that the autonomous mobile robot cannot autonomously move; and

after the transmission of the autonomous cancel notification:
the higher-level management apparatus is configured to determine, based on information acquired from at least one of the plurality of environment cameras, whether or not the autonomous mobile robot can avoid an obstacle that has caused the autonomous mobile robot to enter the stuck state,
the higher-level management apparatus is configured to notify, when the higher-level management apparatus has determined that the autonomous mobile robot can avoid the obstacle, the autonomous mobile robot that the autonomous mobile robot can avoid the obstacle,
the processor of the autonomous mobile robot is configured to request the higher-level management apparatus to supply the environmental information around the autonomous mobile robot to the autonomous mobile robot in response to the higher-level management apparatus notifying that the autonomous mobile robot can avoid the obstacle, the environmental information including image information which is photographed by the plurality of environment cameras and that enables recognition of the situation around the autonomous mobile robot, and
the processor of the autonomous mobile robot is configured to determine a moving direction of the autonomous mobile robot and control the movement of the autonomous mobile robot based on the environmental information acquired from the higher-level management apparatus, which causes the autonomous mobile robot to recover to the autonomous drive mode.

2. The autonomous mobile apparatus control system according to claim 1 , wherein the autonomous mobile robot enters the stuck state when the proximity sensor determines that there is the obstacle in a safety range set around the autonomous mobile robot.

3. A method of controlling an autonomous mobile apparatus control system comprising:
an autonomous mobile robot having on-board the autonomous mobile robot: (i) a plurality of sensors including a proximity sensor configured to detect a distance between the autonomous mobile robot and an object around the autonomous mobile robot, (ii) a memory storing map data, and (iii) a processor that controls the autonomous mobile robot to travel autonomously using outputs of the sensors and the map data;
a higher-level management apparatus that is separate from the autonomous mobile robot and that is configured to manage the autonomous mobile robot; and
a plurality of environment cameras that are separate from the autonomous mobile robot and that are provided at locations in an environment in which the autonomous mobile robot operates, the plurality of environment cameras configured to photograph a moving range of the autonomous mobile robot and transmit a photographed image to the higher-level management apparatus, the method comprising:
the processor of the autonomous mobile robot controlling the autonomous mobile robot to acquire a movement target position from the higher-level management apparatus, and the processor controlling the autonomous mobile robot to autonomously move toward the movement target position;
when the autonomous mobile robot enters a stuck state in which the autonomous mobile robot cannot autonomously move, the processor of the autonomous mobile robot controlling the autonomous mobile robot to transmit an autonomous cancel notification to the higher-level management apparatus for notifying the higher-level management apparatus that the autonomous mobile robot cannot autonomously move;
after the transmission of the autonomous cancel notification:
the higher-level management apparatus determining, based on information acquired from at least one of the plurality of environment cameras, whether or not the autonomous mobile robot can avoid an obstacle that has caused the autonomous mobile robot to enter the stuck state;
the higher-level management apparatus notifying, when the higher-level management apparatus has determined that the autonomous mobile robot can avoid the obstacle, the autonomous mobile robot that the autonomous mobile robot can avoid the obstacle;
the processor of the autonomous mobile robot requesting the higher-level management apparatus to supply the environmental information around the autonomous mobile robot to the autonomous mobile robot in response to the higher-level management apparatus notifying that the autonomous mobile robot can avoid the obstacle, the environmental information including image information which is photographed by the plurality of environment cameras and that enables recognition of the situation around the autonomous mobile robot; and
the processor of the autonomous mobile robot determining a moving direction of the autonomous mobile robot and controlling the movement of the autonomous mobile robot based on the environmental information acquired from the higher-level management apparatus, which causes the autonomous mobile robot to recover to the autonomous drive mode.

4. A non-transitory computer readable medium control program of an autonomous mobile robot executed by a higher-level management apparatus in an autonomous mobile apparatus control system comprising:
an autonomous mobile robot having on-board the autonomous mobile robot: (i) a plurality of sensors including a proximity sensor configured to detect a distance between the autonomous mobile robot and an object around the autonomous mobile robot, (ii) a memory storing map data, and (iii) a processor that controls the autonomous mobile robot to travel autonomously using outputs of the sensors and the map data;
a higher-level management apparatus that is separate from the autonomous mobile robot and that is configured to manage the autonomous mobile robot; and
a plurality of environment cameras that are separate from the autonomous mobile robot and that are provided at locations in an environment in which the autonomous mobile robot operates, the plurality of environment cameras configured to photograph a moving range of the autonomous mobile robot and transmit a photographed image to the higher-level management apparatus, the control program:
causes the processor of the autonomous mobile robot to acquire a movement target position from the higher-level management apparatus, and causes the processor to control the autonomous mobile robot to autonomously move toward the moveme

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takai Tomohisa
• Yamaguchi Yuhei
• Toyoshima Satoshi
• Watanabe Yuta
• Taira Tetsuya
• Honda Mikio
• Oda Shiro
• Otsuki Nobuhisa

Classifications

• G05D1/617

  Safety or protection, e.g. defining protection zones around obstacles or avoiding hazards (arrangements for controlling the position or course of two or more vehicles for avoiding collisions therebetween G05D1/693; arrangements for reacting to or preventing system or operator failure G05D1/80) · CPC title

• G05D1/247

  using signals provided by artificial sources external to the vehicle, e.g. navigation beacons · CPC title

• G05D1/81

  Handing over between on-board automatic and on-board manual control · CPC title

• G05D1/249

  from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras · CPC title

• G05D1/0276

  using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle (involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058) · CPC title