MOBILE DEVICE, MOVING SYSTEM, MOVING METHOD, AND MOVING PROGRAM

• US 20090012667A1
• Filed: 10/25/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: MORIYA, Toshio, Matsumoto, Kosei
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/26
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0216 Vehicle for transporting goods in a warehouse, factory or similar

Abstract

A technology is provided that easily acquires the location where an article is placed and then moves to that location, even in cases where the article was originally placed in a location shielded from GPS radio wave, and subsequently moved to another location. Marks and RFID tags are affixed to a movable tray. A transfer robot includes a camera, a reader, and a sensor. The transfer robot detects the tray location from the location of a region in an image photographed by the camera that matches mark information. Furthermore, the reader in the transfer robot detects the tray location from the intensity of a radio wave whose information, when read, matches an ID retained in the RFID tag. The transfer robot moves with the camera and the reader, detecting the tray that is the target destination.

Claims

1. A mobile device that moves to a movable target object, the mobile device comprising:

a target object detection unit that detects the target object;

a driving device that causes the mobile device to move;

a storage device that stores environment map information including target object location information and map information;

a present location acquisition unit for acquiring the present location of the mobile device from the map information;

a search unit for searching for a route from the present location of the mobile device to the location of the target object, using the map information, the present location of the mobile device, and the target object location information; and

a drive control unit for controlling the driving device so as to move along the route found by the search;

wherein the search unit searches for a route from the present location of the mobile device to the target object location information included in the environment map information, and in a case where the target object is detected by the target object detection unit while moving along the route found by the search, the search unit searches for a new route from the present location of the mobile device at the time of detection to the detected location of the target object;

and wherein the drive control unit causes the mobile device to move along the new route found by the search.

2. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reader that reads a signal from an RFID tag affixed to the target object,

wherein the target object detection unit detects the location of the target object from radio wave intensity when the signal was read by the reader.

3. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a camera that photographs a mark affixed to the target object,

wherein the target object detection unit detects the location of the target object from the location of a region matching the mark, in the image photographed by the camera.

4. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein

the storage device additionally stores past location information of the target object;

the search unit, in a case where the target object is not present at the location indicated by the target object location information included in the environment map information, extracts past location information of the target object from the storage device, and searches for a new route from the present location of the mobile device to a location indicated by the extracted location information; and

the drive control unit causes the mobile device to move along the new route found by the search.

5. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an updating unit for causing the location of the target object acquired by the target object detection unit to be stored in the storage device as new location information of the target object.

6. The mobile device according to claim 1, wherein:

the present location acquisition unit extracts, from the map information, map information for a predetermined region that includes the location of the target object acquired by the target object detection unit, determines whether or not the present location of the mobile device is within the region of the extracted map information, and in a case where the determination result is such that the mobile device is not within the region of the extracted map information, acquires the present location of the mobile device from the map information of another region.

7. The mobile device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a handling device that is able to perform at least one of;

placing a held object at the target object, and taking an object placed at the target object;

wherein the handling device, in a case where it is determined that the present location of the mobile device is the location of the target object, performs one of;

placing a held object at the target object, and taking and holding an object placed at the target object.

9. The mobile device according to claim 3, wherein:

multiple different marks are respectively affixed to target objects at a plurality of different locations;

multiple mark information indicating respective characteristics of the multiple marks is included in the environment map information;

the target object detection unit further acquires positioning of the target object by determining which among the multiple mark information matches a region included in the image photographed by the camera; and

the search unit, in a case where the location and the positioning of the target object are acquired by the target object detection unit, searches for a route to move to a location facing in a predetermined direction with respect to the target object.

10. The mobile device according to claim 5, further comprising:

an environment information acquisition unit which acquires environment information indicating surrounding conditions, wherein

the storage device stores environment map information, including location information of the target object, map information, and environment information for respective locations upon the map; and

the updating unit further causes the environment information for respective locations that was acquired by the environment information acquisition unit to be stored in the storage device as new environment information for those locations.

8. A mobile device that moves to one of a plurality of movable target objects (hereinafter, destination object), the mobile device comprising:

a first reader that reads a signal from a first RFID tag that is able to communicate within a predetermined region, and is affixed to each of the target objects;

a second reader that reads a signal from a second RFID tag that is able to communicate within a region that is wider than that of the first RFID tag, and is affixed to each of the target objects;

a driving device that moves the mobile device;

a storage device that stores environment map information, including, for each target object, a first ID retained by the first RFID tag, a second ID retained by the second RFID tag, location information, and map information;

a present location acquisition unit for acquiring the present location of the mobile device;

a target object detection unit for detecting the location of the destination object from a respective radio wave intensity of a signal that matches the first ID of the destination object read by the first reader, and a signal that matches the second ID of the destination object read by the second reader;

a search unit for searching for a route from the acquired present location of the mobile device to the location of the destination object; and

a drive control unit for controlling the driving device so as to move along the route found by the search;

and wherein

the search unit searches for a route from the present location of the mobile device to the location indicated by the target object location information included in the environment map information, and in a case where the destination object is detected by the target object detection unit while mobile along the route found by the search, the search unit searches for a route to move to the detected location;

in a case where the second reader reads the plurality of second IDs that include the second ID of the destination object, and the target object detection unit acquires the plurality of target object locations that include the location of the destination object, the search unit searches for a new route to move to one of the acquired locations, and the drive control unit moves following the new route;

in a case where the signal read by the first reader does not match the first ID of the destination object at the location that was the movement destination according to the new route, the search unit searches for a new route to move to another one of the acquired locations, and the drive control unit moves along the new route found by the search; and

the searching for routes and moving is repeated until the signal read by the first reader matches the first ID of the destination object at the location that was the movement destination according to the new route.

11. A system wherein a plurality of mobile devices that move to a movable target object are mutually connected to each other, wherein:

each mobile device is a mobile device that moves to a movable target object and includes;

a target object detection unit for detecting the target object;

a driving device that causes the mobile device to move;

a storage device that stores environment map information including target object location information and map information;

a present location acquisition unit for acquiring the present location of the mobile device from the map information;

a search unit that searches for a route from the present location of the mobile device to the location of the target object, using the map information, the present location of the mobile device, and the location of the target object;

a drive control unit that controls the driving device so as to move along the route found by the search;

an updating unit;

an environment map information acquisition unit; and

an output unit; and

wherein

the search unit searches for a route from the present location of the mobile device to the location indicated by the target object location information included in the environment map information, and in a case where the target object is detected by the target object detection unit while moving along the route found by the search, the search unit searches for a new route from the present location of the mobile device at the time of detection, to the detected location of the target object;

the drive control unit causes the mobile device to move along the new route found by the search;

the updating unit causes the target object location acquired by the target object detection unit to be stored in the storage device as new location information;

the output unit outputs to other mobile devices environment map information that includes the updated location information; and

the environment map information acquisition unit causes the environment map information input from the other mobile devices to be stored in the storage device as new environment map information.

12. A moving method for moving a mobile device to a movable target object, the mobile device including a driving device that causes the mobile device to move, a storage device that stores environment map information including location information and map information of the target object, and a calculating device, and wherein the calculating device executes the steps of:

searching for a route from the present location of the mobile device to a location indicated by the target object location information included in the environment map information;

controlling the driving device so as to move along the route found by the search;

detecting the target object while moving along the route found by the search;

searching for a new route from the present location of the mobile device to the location of the target location when the target object is detected; and

controlling the driving device so as to move along the new route found by the search.

13. A moving program for a mobile device that causes the mobile device to move to a movable target object, the mobile device including a driving device that causes the mobile device to move, a storage device that stores environment map information including location information and map information of the target object, and a calculating device, and wherein the calculating device executes the steps of:

searching for a route from the present location of the mobile device to the location indicated by the target object location information included in the environment map information;

controlling the mobile device so as to move along the route found by the search;

detecting the target object while moving along the route found by search;

searching for a new route from the present location of the mobile device to the location of the target location when the target object is detected; and

controlling the mobile device so as to move along the new route found by the search.