Article handling system and method and article management system and method

• US 7,206,668 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsukawa, Yoshihiko, Sato, Satoshi, Yamada, Osamu, Okamoto, Shusaku, Naruoka, Tomonobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc; McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US11/293,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20060112034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0003 Home robots, i.e. small robots for domestic use
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/041 Camera
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39387 Reflex control, follow movement, track face, work, hand, visual servoing
• 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 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30

Abstract

A camera or other sensing unit senses the conditions of articles and mobile entities, including humans within a living space. An article management/operation server manages, within an article database, attribute information about the articles, including operators, according to the information from the sensing unit. The server receives a user'"'"'s instruction, input through a console unit, and refers to the article database to convert this instruction into a control command, which is then transmitted to a life-support robot.

Claims

1. A system for handling an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising:

a robot for handling the article;

an input section for inputting a task instruction, the task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article; and

a task plan generator for generating a task plan according to the task instruction,

wherein the task plan generator generates a task plan for transfer of the subject article to the transfer destination by the robot such that the task plan additionally includes an operation of an appliance provided at the transfer destination.

2. A system for handling an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising:

a robot for handling the article;

an input section for inputting a task instruction, the task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article; and

a task plan generator for generating a task plan according to the task instruction,

wherein the task plan generator generates a task plan for transfer of the subject article to the transfer destination by the robot such that the task plan additionally includes an operation of an appliance provided at a transfer origin of the subject article.

3. A system for handling an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising:

a robot for handling the article;

an operation database in which details of an operation of an appliance existing in the life space are accumulated;

an input section for inputting a task instruction, the task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article; and

a task plan generator for generating, according to the task instructions, a task plan for transfer of the subject article included in the task instruction to the transfer destination by the robot with reference to the operation database.

4. A server for handling of an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising a task plan generator for generating a task plan for a robot which handles the article according to a task instruction, the task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article,

wherein the task plan generator generates a task plan for transfer of the subject article included in the task instructions to the transfer destination by the robot such that the task plan additionally includes an operation of an appliance provided at the transfer destination.

5. A server for handling of an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising a task plan generator for generating a task plan for a robot which handles the article according to a task instruction, the task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article,

wherein the task plan generator generates a task plan for transfer of the subject article included in the task instruction to the transfer destination by the robot such that the task plan additionally includes an operation of an appliance provided at a transfer origin of the subject article.

6. A server for handling of an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising a task plan generator for generating, according to a task instruction which includes a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article, a task plan for transfer of the subject article included in the task instruction to the transfer destination by the robot with reference to an operation database in which details of an operation of an appliance existing in the life space are accumulated.

7. A system for handling an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising:

a robot for handling the article;

an environment map for storing environment information in the life space, the environment information including position information of an appliance in the life space;

an article/mobile existence database for storing information which includes position information of the article and the robot;

an appliance operation command database for storing information about an appliance operation command to the article;

an input section for inputting a task instruction, the task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article;

a travel plan generator for generating a travel plan of the robot when transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the environment map and the position information of the article and the robot stored in the article/mobile existence database;

a task plan generator for generating a task plan comprising a robot control command for transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the task instruction and the travel plan of the robot; and

a controller for controlling the robot according to the task plan,

wherein the task plan generator determines whether the transfer destination is in an appliance or not with reference to the environment map, and when the transfer destination is in the appliance, the task plan generator preliminarily adds a command to the task plan with reference with the appliance operation command database, the command being for transmitting an appliance operation command corresponding to the subject article to the appliance.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein an ID of the robot is added to the command, and

wherein the system receives the ID of the robot from the appliance when the appliance receives the appliance operation command.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a display section for displaying an article icon indicative of the article handled by the robot and an appliance icon indicative of the appliance,

wherein the task instruction is inputted into the input section by an input operation of moving the article icon to the appliance icon.

10. A system for handling an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising:

a robot for handling the article;

an environment map for storing environment information in the life space, the environment information including position information of an appliance in the life space;

an article/mobile existence database for storing information which includes position information of the article and the robot;

an appliance operation command database for storing information about an appliance operation command to the article;

an input section for inputting a task instruction, the task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article;

a travel plan generator for generating a travel plan of the robot when transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the environment map and the position information of the article and the robot stored in the article/mobile existence database;

a task plan generator for generating a task plan comprising a robot control command for transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the task instruction and the travel plan of the robot; and

a controller for controlling the robot according to the task plan,

wherein the task plan generator determines whether a transfer origin of the subject article is in an appliance or not with reference to the environment map, and when the transfer origin is in the appliance, the task plan generator preliminarily adds a command to the task plan with reference with the appliance operation command database, the command being for transmitting an appliance operation command corresponding to the subject article to the appliance.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein an ID of the robot is added to the command, and

wherein the system receives the ID of the robot from the appliance when the appliance receives the appliance operation command.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a display section for displaying an article icon indicative of the article handled by the robot and an appliance icon indicative of the appliance,

wherein the task instruction is inputted into the input section by an input operation of moving the article icon to the appliance icon.

13. A server for handling of an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising:

an environment map for storing environment information in the life space, the environment information including position information of an appliance in the life space;

an article/mobile existence database for storing information which includes position information of the article and the robot;

a travel plan generator for receiving a task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article, and generating a travel plan of the robot when transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the environment map and the position information of the article and the robot stored in the article/mobile existence database; and

a task plan generator for generating a task plan comprising a robot control command for transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the task instruction and the travel plan of the robot,

wherein the server transmits the task plan to the robot, and

wherein the task plan generator determines whether the transfer destination is in an appliance or not with reference to the environment map, and when the transfer destination is in the appliance, the task plan generator preliminarily adds a command to the task plan with reference with an appliance operation command database for storing information about an appliance operation command to the article, the command being for transmitting an appliance operation command corresponding to the subject article to the appliance.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein an ID of the robot is added to the command, and

wherein the server receives the ID of the robot from the appliance when the appliance receives the appliance operation command.

15. The server of claim 13, further comprising:

a display section for displaying an article icon indicative of the article handled by the robot and an appliance icon indicative of the appliance,

wherein the task instruction is inputted by an input operation of moving the article icon to the appliance icon.

16. A server for handling of an article which exists in a predetermined life space, comprising:

an environment map for storing environment information in the life space, the environment information including position information of an appliance in the life space;

an article/mobile existence database for storing information which includes position information of the article and the robot;

a travel plan generator for receiving a task instruction including a subject article for a task of the robot and a transfer destination of the subject article, and generating a travel plan of the robot when transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the environment map and the position information of the article and the robot stored in the article/mobile existence database; and

a task plan generator for generating a task plan comprising a robot control command for transferring the subject article to the transfer destination based on the task instruction and the travel plan of the robot,

wherein the server transmits the task plan to the robot, and

wherein the task plan generator determines whether a transfer origin of the subject article is in an appliance or not with reference to the environment map, and when the transfer origin is in the appliance, the task plan generator preliminarily adds a command to the task plan with reference with an appliance operation command database for storing information about an appliance operation command to the article, the command being for transmitting an appliance operation command corresponding to the subject article to the appliance.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein an ID of the robot is added to the command, and

wherein the server receives the ID of the robot from the appliance when the appliance receives the appliance operation command.

18. The server of claim 16, further comprising:

a display section for displaying an article icon indicative of the article handled by the robot and an appliance icon indicative of the appliance,

wherein the task instruction is inputted by an input operation of moving the article icon to the appliance icon.