Article control system ,article control server, article control method

• US 20060047361A1
• Filed: 05/21/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nobori, Kunio, Matsukawa, Yoshihiko, Sato, Satoshi, Yamada, Osamu, Nakagawa, Masamichi, Okamoto, Shusaku, Aoki, Katsuji, Nakata, Mikiya, Naruoka, Tomonobu, Morinaka, Yasuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,515,990 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39107 Pick up article, object, measure, test it during motion path, place it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40298 Manipulator on vehicle, wheels, mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0238 using obstacle or wall sensors G05D1/0246 and G05D1/0289 take precedence; lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S17/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal

Abstract

The system includes sensing means 120 for detecting a state of a space; a robot 102 for executing a handling job for an article; an article identifying part 32 for identifying, when an article is handled by a movable body, the article in response to a detection result obtained by the sensing means 120; and an article handling subject identifying part 33 for identifying an article handling subject that handles the article. When the movable body that handles the article is the robot 102, the article handling subject identifying part 33 identifies a subject having issued a job instruction to the robot 102 as the article handling subject.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. (canceled)

4. An article management system for managing articles in a given space, comprising:

a robot for executing a handling job for an article;

robot controlling means for making said robot execute the handling job in accordance with a job instruction;

sensing means for detecting a state of the space;

article identifying means for identifying, when an article is handled by a movable body, said handled article in response to a detection result obtained by said sensing means;

article handling subject identifying means for identifying when an article is handled by a movable body, an article handling subject that handles said article in response to the detection result obtained by said sensing means;

a database for storing information of handling rights set with respect to the articles;

handling right determining means for determining, on the basis of said information stored in said database whether or not said article handling subject has a handling right of said article in response to an identification result about said article obtained by said article identifying means and an identification result about said article handling subject obtained by said article handling subject identifying means; and

handling right setting/changing means for setting and/or changing the handling rights and storing the handling rights in said database,

wherein when said movable body that handles said article is said robot, said article handling subject identifying means identifies a subject having issued the job instruction as said article handling subject that handles said article.

3. The system of claim 4,

wherein said robot controlling means stops the handling job of said robot when it is found, on the basis of a determination result obtained by said handling right determining means, that said subject having issued the job instruction does not have a handling right of said article.

5. The system of claim 4,

wherein said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes the handling rights on the basis of the detection result obtained by said sensing means.

6. The system of claim 5,

wherein said database stores handling history information of the articles on the basis of the detection result obtained by said sensing means, and

said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes the handling rights of the articles on the basis of said handling history information of the articles stored in said database.

7. The system of claim 5,

wherein said sensing means detects a position of an article present in the space, and

said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes a handling right of said article in accordance with the position of said article detected by said sensing means.

8. The system of claim 7,

wherein when an article is contained in a container, said handling right setting/changing means makes a handling right of said article accord with a handling right of said container.

9. The system of claim 5,

wherein said sensing means detects a temperature of an article, and

said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes a handling right of said article in accordance with the temperature of said article detected by said sensing means.

10. The system of claim 5,

wherein said sensing means detects shape change of an article, and

said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes a handling right of said article in accordance with the shape change of said article detected by said sensing means.

11. The system of claim 5,

wherein said sensing means detects a weight of an article, and

said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes a handling right of said article in accordance with the weight of said article detected by said sensing means.

12. The system of claim 5,

wherein said sensing means detects a position of a movable body, and

said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes a handling right of an article in accordance with a detection result obtained by said sensing means whether or not there is a movable body in the vicinity of said article.

13. The system of claim 5,

wherein said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes a handling right of an article when a given state is attained in the space.

14. The system of claim 4,

wherein said robot controlling means makes said robot automatically execute the handling job by issuing the job instruction on the basis of a state of the space and the handling rights set and/or changed by said handling right setting/changing means.

15. The system of claim 4,

wherein said handling right setting/changing means sets a handling right of an article to a movable body and/or a movable body group consisting of a plurality of movable bodies.

16. The system of claim 4,

wherein said handling right setting/changing means sets a handling right with respect to each article and/or each article group consisting of articles having the same attribute.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. An article management server for managing articles in a given space, comprising:

a database for storing information of handling rights set with respect to the articles;

robot controlling means for making a robot execute a handling job in accordance with a job instruction;

article identifying means for identifying when an article is handled by a movable body, said handled article in response to a detected state of the space;

article handling subject identifying means for identifying, when an article is handled by a movable body an article handling subject that handles said article in response to said detected state;

handling right determining means for determining, on the basis of said information stored in said database whether or not said article handling subject has a handling right of said article in response to an identification result about said article obtained by said article identifying means and an identification result about said article handling subject obtained by said article handling subject identifying means; and

handling right setting/changing means for setting and/or changing the handling rights and storing the handling rights in said database,

wherein when said movable body that handles said article is said robot, said article handling subject identifying means identifies a subject having issued the job instruction as said article handling subject that handles said article.

21. The server of claim 20,

wherein said handling right setting/changing means sets and/or changes the handling rights in accordance with a state of the space.

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. An article management method for managing articles in a given space, comprising:

a detecting step of detecting a state of the space;

an article identifying step of identifying, when an article is handled by a movable body, said handled article in response to a detection result obtained in the detecting step;

an article handling subject identifying step of identifying, when an article is handled by a movable body, an article handling subject that handles said article in response to the detection result obtained in the detecting step;

a handling right determining step of determining whether or not said article handling subject has a handling right of said article in response to an identification result obtained in the article identifying step and an identification result obtained in the article handling subject identifying step; and

a handling right setting step of setting a handling right in accordance with the detected state of the space,

wherein when said movable body that handles said article is a robot, a subject having issued a job instruction to said robot is identified as said article handling subject that handles said article in the article handling subject identifying step.

25. An article management method for managing articles in a given space, comprising:

a detecting step of detecting a state of the space;

an article identifying step of identifying, when an article is handled by a movable body, said handled article in response to a detection result obtained in the detecting step;

an article handling subject identifying step of identifying, when an article is handled by a movable body, an article handling subject that handles said article in response to the detection result obtained in the detecting step;

a handling right determining step of determining whether or not said article handling subject has a handling right of said article in response to an identification result obtained in the article identifying step and an identification result obtained in the article handling subject identifying step; and

a handling right changing step of changing a handling right in accordance with the detected state of the space,

wherein when said movable body that handles said article is a robot, a subject having issued a job instruction to said robot is identified as said article handling subject that handles said article in the article handling subject identifying step.