System including base stations connectable with mobile bodies, base station in system, and control method for controlling base station in system

• US 10,832,499 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2018
• Issued: 11/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Naito, Eiichi, Aoshima, Takenobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ismail, Mahmoud S
• Application Number:
  US15/912,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20180286147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 701 2, 320109
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4091 Storing or parking devices, arrangements therefor; Means allowing transport of the machine when it is not being used
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/02 Docking stations; Docking operations
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A system includes a controller and base stations each including first and second transmitters and a detector. The controller, when a first base station is not connected with any mobile body, causes the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit a first signal and the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit a second signal, thereby guiding a mobile body around the first base station toward the first base station. The controller, when the first base station is connected with a mobile body and a second base station closest to the first base station is not connected with any mobile body, causes the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second signal and/or the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first signal, thereby guiding the mobile body around the first base station toward the second base station.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of base stations each being connectable with one of a plurality of mobile bodies, each of the plurality of base stations including

a first transmitter that transmits, in a forward-left direction of an own base station, a first guidance signal for causing a course of each of the plurality of mobile bodies to change to a left side with respect to an advancing direction, or a second guidance signal for causing the course of each of the plurality of mobile bodies to change to a right side with respect to the advancing direction;

a second transmitter that transmits the first guidance signal or the second guidance signal in a forward-right direction of the own base station, and

a detector that detects whether or not the own base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies; and

a controller that,

(A) when a first base station of the plurality of base stations is not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station toward the first base station by

(a1) causing the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal, and

(a2) causing the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal, and,

(B) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and a second base station, which is a closest base station to the first base station, of the plurality of base stations is not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station toward the second base station by

(b1) causing the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal, and/or

(b2) causing the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where the second base station is located at a left side of the first base station, the controller, in the (B), executes at least the (b1).

3. The system according to claim 2,

wherein, in a case where a third base station of the plurality of base stations is another closest base station to the first base station and is located at a right side of the first base station, the controller, in the (B), executes the (b1) and (b2) further when the third base station is not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies.

4. The system according to claim 3,

wherein the controller further,

(C) when the first base station and the second base station each are connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and the third base station is not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station toward the third base station by

(c1) causing each of the first transmitter and the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal.

5. The system according to claim 3,

wherein, in a case where fronts of the plurality of base stations all face an inner side or an outer side of an imaginary polygon formed by joining the plurality of base stations, and a fourth base station of the plurality of base stations is located in a corner opposite to the first base station in the imaginary polygon, the controller further,

(D) when the fourth base station is not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, and each remaining base station of the plurality of base stations is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station away from the first base station by

(d1) causing the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal, and

(d2) causing the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal.

6. The system according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where fronts of the plurality of base stations all face an inner side or an outer side of an imaginary polygon formed by joining the plurality of base stations, the controller,

(X) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and a first distance from the first base station to a first non-connected base station in a counterclockwise direction along the imaginary polygon is less than a second distance from the first base station to a second non-connected base station in a clockwise direction along the imaginary polygon, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station away from the first base station by

(x1) causing the first transmitter and the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal,

(Y) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and the first distance is greater than the second distance, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station away from the first base station by

(y1) causing the first transmitter and the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal, and

(Z) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and the first distance is equal to the second distance, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station away from the first base station by

(z1) causing the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal, and

(z2) causing the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal,

wherein the first non-connected base station is one, which is closest to the first base station in the counterclockwise direction along the imaginary polygon, of the plurality of base stations that are not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, and

wherein the second non-connected base station is one, which is closest to the first base station in the clockwise direction along the imaginary polygon, of the plurality of base stations that are not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies.

7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a storage that stores distance information indicating distances among the plurality of base stations,

wherein the controller further calculates the first distance and the second distance, based on the distance information and connection information indicating connection states of the plurality of base stations.

8. The system according to claim 1,

wherein, in a case where fronts of the plurality of base stations all face an inner side or an outer side of an imaginary polygon formed by joining the plurality of base stations, the controller,

(U) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and a number of first connected base stations, which exist from the first base station to a first non-connected base station in a counterclockwise direction along the imaginary polygon, of the plurality of base stations is less than a number of second connected base stations, which exist from the first base station to a second non-connected base station in a clockwise direction along the imaginary polygon, of the plurality of base stations, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station away from the first base station by

(u1) causing the first transmitter and the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal,

(V) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and the number of the first connected base stations is greater than the number of the second connected base stations, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station away from the first base station by

(v1) causing the first transmitter and the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal, and

(W) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and the number of the first connected base stations is equal to the number of the second connected base stations, guides at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station away from the first base station by

(w1) causing the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal, and

(w2) causing the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal,

wherein the first non-connected base station is one, which is closest to the first base station in the counterclockwise direction along the imaginary polygon, of the plurality of base stations that are not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, and

wherein the second non-connected base station is one, which is closest to the first base station in the clockwise direction along the imaginary polygon, of the plurality of base stations that are not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies.

9. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a storage that stores quantity information indicating a number of base stations present between two of the plurality of base stations,

wherein the controller further calculates the number of the first connected base stations and the number of the second connected base stations, based on the quantity information and connection information indicating connection states of the plurality of base stations.

10. The system according to claim 7,

wherein the storage is communicable with the plurality of mobile bodies via a network,

and the controller further acquires the connection information via the network.

11. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the system is implemented as a composite device in which the plurality of base stations are arranged in a radial form with respect to a main body including the controller and are physically connected with the main body.

12. The system according to claim 1,

wherein, in each of the plurality of base stations, a first transmission region where the first guidance signal or the second guidance signal transmitted from the first transmitter reaches, and a second transmission region where the first guidance signal or the second guidance signal transmitted from the second transmitter reaches partially overlap in front of the own base station.

13. The system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of base stations further including

a third transmitter that transmits, in front of the own base station, a third guidance signal for guiding at least one, which is located at a front of the own base station, of the plurality of mobile bodies toward the own base station.

14. The system according to claim 1,

wherein each of the plurality of mobile bodies is a robot that travels autonomously.

15. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the detector includes a contact sensor including a pair of electrodes, with which a pair of electrodes of each of the plurality of mobile bodies are connectable.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller includes:

a processor; and

a memory that stores a program for causing the processor to execute the (A) and (B).

17. The system according to claim 1,

wherein, in each of the plurality of base stations, the first transmitter and the second transmitter include an infrared emitter,

and each of the plurality of mobile bodies includes an infrared sensor.

18. A base station for the system according to claim 1,

wherein the base station is the first base station provided with the controller.

19. A control method for controlling a first base station of a plurality of base stations, each of which is connectable with one of a plurality of mobile bodies,

each of the plurality of base stations including:

a first transmitter that transmits, in a forward-left direction of an own base station, a first guidance signal for causing a course of each of the plurality of mobile bodies to change to a left side with respect to an advancing direction, or a second guidance signal for causing the course of each of the plurality of mobile bodies to change to a right side with respect to the advancing direction;

a second transmitter that transmits the first guidance signal or the second guidance signal in a forward-right direction of the own base station; and

a detector that detects whether or not the own base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and

the control method including;

(A) when the first base station is not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, guiding at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station toward the first base station by

(a1) causing the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal, and

(a2) causing the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal; and

,

(B) when the first base station is connected with one of the plurality of mobile bodies, and a second base station, which is a closest base station to the first base station, of the plurality of base stations is not connected with any of the plurality of mobile bodies, guiding at least one of the plurality of mobile bodies located around the first base station toward the second base station by

(b1) causing the first transmitter of the first base station to transmit the second guidance signal, and/or

(b2) causing the second transmitter of the first base station to transmit the first guidance signal.