Robot control apparatus

• US 7,765,028 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Orita, Atsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Behncke; Christine M
• Application Number:
  US11/108,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,925 Days
• Field of Search: 700/248, 700/249, 700/247, 700/101, 700/102, 700/100, 700/103, 700/99, 700/245, 700/264, 718/103, 718/104, 705/1, 705/9
• US Class Current: 700/248
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• 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 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room

Abstract

The robot control apparatus has an input-output section, a control section including a priority data generation section, a schedule data generation section, an execution command generation section, and a task data dividing section, a map information database, individual information database, a robot information database, and a task information database. The priority data generation section generates priority data for task data, stored in a task control database that that has not been executed. The schedule data generation section generates schedule data by assigning tasks to the robots on the basis of the priority data to generate schedule data. The execution command generation section generates execution commands for causing the robots to execute the tasks.

Claims

1. A robot control apparatus, communicable with a plurality of robots that include locomotive functions, for executing one or more tasks, comprising:

an input-output section for receiving the tasks as task data;

a task data storing section for storing the tasks from the input-output section;

individual data storing section for storing individual data regarding human beings who communicate with the robots, wherein the robot control apparatus commands the robots to communicate with one of the human beings on the basis of the individual data;

a priority data generation section for generating priority data indicating values of priorities regarding execution of the stored tasks at least in accordance with the tasks;

a schedule data generation section for generating, in accordance with the priority data, schedule data indicating which one of robots is commanded to execute each of the tasks and execution order of the tasks;

an execution command generation section for generating an execution command for commanding a one of the robots to execute one of the tasks with a highest ranking of the execution order; and

a transmitting section for transmitting the execution command to the one of robots through the input-output section.

2. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the task data of each task includes a value of scheduled task start time indicating start time of the task, and the priority data is generated such that the closer to the scheduled task start time when the priority data is generated is, the higher the priority becomes.

3. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein when a new task is stored in the task data storing section as the task, when any of the tasks has been executed, and when any of the tasks is cancelled, the priority data generating section generates the priority data again.

4. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tasks are grouped into a plurality of groups on the basis of the priority data, wherein the schedule data is generated for each group.

5. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 4, the schedule data generation section determines the number of the groups on the basis of at least one of the number of the robots and the number of the tasks.

6. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the task data of each task selectively includes a value of scheduled task completion time, and the priority data generation section generates the priority data on the basis of at least one of the values of the scheduled task start time and the scheduled task completion time.

7. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the task data of each task includes at least one of a task start location and a task completion location, and the priority data generation section generates the priority data on the basis of at least one of the task start location and the task completion location.

8. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the tasks data of each task includes at least one of a start location and a task completion location, and the schedule data generation section generates the schedule data in accordance with at least one of the task start location and the task completion location.

9. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the task data of each task includes a degree of importance of the task, and the priority data generating section generates the priority data on the basis of the degree of the importance.

10. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a robot data storing section for storing robot data including locations of the robots supplied from the robots through the input-output section, wherein the priority data generating section generates the priority data such that the smaller the distance between the task start location and the location of the robot closest to the task start location is, the higher the priority is.

11. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising robot data storing section for storing robot data including locations of the robots supplied from the robots through the input-output section, wherein the task data of each task includes a task start location and a task completion location, wherein the schedule data generating section generates the schedule data on the basis of at least one of the locations of the robots, the task start locations, and the task completion locations.

12. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the schedule data is generated such that a task completion location of one of the tasks having n^th ranking of the execution order is a location of the robot having executed the one of the tasks for another one of the tasks having (n+1)^th ranking of the execution order and generate the schedule data.

13. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the schedule data generation section generates the schedule data either such that traveling distances of the robots are made smaller or such that the tasks complete earlier.

14. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, comprising a task data dividing section for determining whether one of the tasks is to be divided into a plurality of tasks and dividing the one of the tasks into a plurality of tasks when it is determined that the one of the tasks is to be divided into a plurality of the tasks.

15. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the task data of one of the tasks includes a task start location and a task completion location, and the task data dividing section determines whether or not the task data is divided on the basis of the task start location and the task completion location.

16. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the robots are located at least two floors of a building, and the task data dividing section generates the divided task data for each of the floors when the task start location and the task completion location indicates at least two of different floors.

17. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein a cover area is assigned to each of the robots, and the task data dividing section generates the divided task data for each cover area, when the task start location is different from the task completion location.

18. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a robot data storing section for storing robot data including the locations of the robots entered through the input-output section from the robots, wherein the task data of one of the tasks includes a task start location and a task completion location, and the task data dividing section determines whether or not the task data is divided on the basis of the task start location and the task completion location.

19. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 18, further comprising a map information storing section for storing map information regarding an area where the robots are movable, wherein the robots can travel on the basis of the map information.

20. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising individual data storing section for storing individual data regarding human beings who possibly communicate with the robots, and wherein the robot control apparatus commands the robot to communicate with one of the human beings on the basis of the individual data.

21. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the priority data generation section obtains degrees of importance of the tasks from the individual data and generates the priority data on the basis of the degrees of importance of the tasks.

22. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the task data is entered through the input-output section from one of the robots and stored in the task data storing section.

23. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a new task is stored in the task data storing section as the task, when any of the tasks has been completed, and when any of the tasks is cancelled, the priority data generating section generates the priority data.

24. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tasks are grouped into a plurality of groups on the basis of the priority data, wherein the schedule data is generated for each group.

25. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the schedule data generation section determines the number of the groups on the basis of at least one of the number of the robots and the number of the tasks.

26. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the task data of each task includes at least one of values of scheduled task start time and scheduled task completion time, and the priority data generation section generates the priority data on the basis of at least one of the values of the scheduled task start time and the scheduled task completion time.

27. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the task data of each task includes at least one of a task start location and a task completion location, and the priority data generation section generates the priority data on the basis of at least one of the task start location and the task completion location.

28. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tasks data of each task includes at least one of a start location and a task completion location, and the schedule data generation section generates the schedule data in accordance with at least one of the task start location and the task completion location.

29. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the task data of each task includes a degree of importance of the task, and the priority data generating section generates the priority data on the basis of the degree of the importance.

30. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a robot data storing section for storing robot data including locations of the robots supplied from the robots through the input-output section, wherein the priority data generating section generates the priority data such that the smaller the distance between the task start location and the location of the robot closest to the task start location is, the higher the priority is.

31. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising robot data storing section for storing robot data including locations of the robots supplied from the robots through the input-output section, wherein the task data of each task includes a task start location and a task completion location, wherein the schedule data generating section generates the schedule data on the basis of at least one of the location of the robot, the task start location, and the task completion location.

32. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein the schedule data is generated such that a task completion location of one of the tasks having n^th ranking of the execution order is a location of the robot having executed the one of the tasks for another one of the tasks having (n+1)^th ranking of the execution order and generate the schedule data.

33. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein the schedule data generation section generates the schedule data either such that traveling distances of the robots are made smaller or such that the tasks complete earlier.

34. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, comprising a task data dividing section for determining whether one of the tasks is to be divided into a plurality of tasks and divides the one of the tasks into a plurality of tasks when it is determined that the one of the tasks is to be divided into a plurality of the tasks.

35. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the task data of one of the tasks includes a task start location and a task completion location, and the task data dividing section determines whether or not the task data is divided on the basis of the task start location and the task completion location.

36. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 35, wherein the robots are located at least two floors of a building, and the task data dividing section generates the divided task data for each of the floors when the task start location and the task completion location indicate at least two of different floors.

37. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 35, wherein a cover area is assigned to each of the robots, and the task data dividing section generates the divided task data for each cover area, when the task start location is different from the task completion location.

38. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 35, further comprising a robot data storing section for storing robot data including the location of the robot entered through the input-output section from the robot, wherein the task data of one of the tasks includes a task start location and a task completion location, and the task data dividing section determines whether or not the task data is divided on the basis of the task start location and the task completion location.

39. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 38, further comprising map information storing section for storing map information regarding an area where the robots are movable, wherein the robots are can travel on the basis of the map information.

40. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the priority data generation section obtains degrees of importance of the tasks from the individual data and generates the priority data on the basis of the degrees of importance of the tasks.

41. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the task data is entered through the input-output section from one of the robots and stored in the task data storing section.

42. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the tasks includes scheduled task start time indicating the start time of the task, the priority data is generated such that one of the tasks has first and second priorities at first and following second timings of generation of the priority data before the scheduled task start time, respectively, and the second priority is higher than the first priority.

43. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second of the tasks include first and following second scheduled task start time indicating the start timing of the first and second of the tasks, respectively, the priority data is generated before the first scheduled task start time such that the first and second of the tasks have first and second priorities, respectively, and the first priority being higher than the second priority.

44. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the tasks includes scheduled task start time indicating the start time of the task, the priority data is generated such that one of the tasks has first and second priorities at first and following second timing of generation of the priority data, respectively, before the scheduled task start time, and the second priority is higher than the first priority.

45. The robot control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second of the tasks include first and following second scheduled task start time indicating the start timing of the first and second of the tasks, respectively, the priority data is generated before the first scheduled task start time such that the first and second of the tasks have first and second priorities, respectively, and the first priority being higher than the second priority.