Robot

• US 20100094463A1
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Okabayashi, Miwa, Okabayashi, Keiju
• Granted Patent: US 8,565,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• 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: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing

Abstract

A robot includes: a moving mechanism; a position recognition section that recognizes a current position of the robot within a guide zone having at least one guide location; and a movement control section that moves the robot to each of guide locations in the guide zone by using the moving mechanism, while causing the position recognition section to recognize the current position. The robot further includes a transmission section that transmits, every time the robot moves to each of the guide locations, contents information corresponding to the guide location to a mobile receive terminal held by a person to be guided near the robot.

Claims

1. A robot comprising:

a moving mechanism;

a position recognition section that recognizes a current position of the robot within a guide zone having at least one guide location;

a movement control section that moves the robot to each of guide locations in the guide zone by using the moving mechanism, while causing the position recognition section to recognize the current position; and

a transmission section that transmits, every time the robot moves to each of the guide locations, contents information corresponding to the guide location to a mobile receive terminal held by a person to be guided near the robot.

2. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the transmission section transmits a weak radio wave receivable only in a region around the robot where the person to be guided by the robot is assumed to be present.

3. The robot according to claim 1, wherein the mobile receive terminal receives a signal of any selected from a plurality of channels between which radio interference is avoided, and

the transmission section transmits, by using the plurality of channels, a plurality of pieces of contents information corresponding to the guide location and being different from each other.

4. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the mobile receive terminal receives a signal of any selected from a plurality of channels between which radio interference is avoided, and

the transmission section transmits, by using the plurality of channels, a plurality of pieces of contents information corresponding to the guide location and being different from each other.

5. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the position recognition section recognizes the current position of the robot, and also recognizes a current position of other robot movable and independent of the robot, when the other robot, which transmits a weak radio wave receivable only in a region around the other robot where a person to be guided by the other robot is assumed to be present, is within the guide zone,

the movement control section moves, when there is the other robot in one of the guide locations to which the movement control section intends to move the robot, the robot to a position being in the guide location and avoiding radio interference with the weak radio wave transmitted by the other robot, and

the transmission section transmits, in a state in which the robot is at the position after moved to the position, contents information corresponding to the guide location.

6. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the position recognition section recognizes the current position of the robot, and also recognizes a current position of other robot movable and independent of the robot, when the other robot, which transmits a weak radio wave receivable only in a region around the other robot where a person to be guided by the other robot is assumed to be present, is within the guide zone,

the transmission section is capable of increasing and reducing the region where the weak radio wave is receivable, by changing intensity of the weak radio wave, and

the transmission section transmits, when there is the other robot in one of the guide locations to which the movement control section intends to move the robot, the contents information, by making the intensity of the weak radio wave weaker than the intensity of a situation where the other robot is absent in the guide location.

7. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the mobile receive terminal receives a signal of any selected from a plurality of channels between which radio interference is avoided,

the position recognition section recognizes the current position of the robot, and also recognizes a current position of other robot movable and independent of the robot, when the other robot, which transmits by using any of the plurality of channels a weak radio wave receivable only in a region around the other robot where a person to be guided by the other robot is assumed to be present, is within the guide zone,

the robot further comprises:

a channel determination section that recognizes a channel used by the other robot and determines whether the recognized channel is same as a channel currently used by the robot; and

an overlap detection section that detects that at least part of the region where the person to be guided by the other robot is assumed to be present overlaps the region where the person to be guided by the robot is assumed to be present, and

when the channel determination section determines that the recognized channel used by the other robot is the same as the channel currently used by the robot and the overlap detection section detects that at least part of the region where the person to be guided by the other robot is assumed to be present overlaps the region where the person to be guided by the robot is assumed to be present, the transmission section transmits the contents information by using, in stead of the channel currently used by the robot, a channel different from the channel currently used by the robot among the plurality of channels.

8. The robot according to claim 2, wherein the position recognition section recognizes the current position of the robot, and also recognizes a current position of other robot movable and independent of the robot, when the other robot, which transmits a weak radio wave receivable only in a region around the other robot where a person to be guided by the other robot is assumed to be present, is within the guide zone, and

the movement control section causes, when there is the other robot in one of the guide locations to which the movement control section intends to move the robot, the robot to wait at a position that avoids radio interference with the other robot.