JP-7856616-B2 - Industrial vehicles, alarm sound volume estimation system, and alarm sound volume estimation program

JP7856616B2JP 7856616 B2JP7856616 B2JP 7856616B2JP-7856616-B2

Inventors

寺尾良平

Assignees

三菱ロジスネクスト株式会社

Dates

Publication Date: 20260511
Application Date: 20230927

Claims (13)

A speaker that emits a notification sound to people, A trained model having a volume estimation unit, A volume control unit for changing the volume of the aforementioned speaker, A registration section where person information corresponding to multiple people is registered, It includes a person identification unit that identifies the person information corresponding to the person to be notified, The volume estimation unit has been pre-trained using training data in which the notification distance from the speaker to the person, the person's information, and the volume of the notification sound are input data, and the person 's level of surprise upon notification is output data. When the person's information and the notification distance are input, the unit estimates the volume at which the person corresponding to the input person information will have a predetermined level of surprise or less. The volume adjustment unit adjusts the volume of the speaker to a level below the estimated volume in an industrial vehicle.
It also features a camera that photographs people and generates images of people, The aforementioned registration unit further registers facial images corresponding to each of the aforementioned person information. The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the person identification unit identifies the person information corresponding to the person to be notified by referring to the face image included in the person image and the face image corresponding to each of the person information.
It also features a camera that photographs people and generates images of people, The aforementioned trained model further comprises a distance estimation unit, The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the distance estimation unit is pre-trained using training data that takes the person image as input data and the notification distance from the speaker to the person as output data, and when the person image is input, it estimates the notification distance from the speaker to the person.
It also features a camera that photographs people and generates images of people, The speaker has directionality, The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the volume estimation unit identifies the person image closest to the speaker based on the notification distance corresponding to each person image, and outputs the estimated volume corresponding to that person image to the volume changing unit.
It also features a camera that photographs people and generates images of people, The aforementioned trained model further comprises a posture estimation unit, The posture estimation unit has been pre-trained using training data in which the human image is input data and the type of human posture is output data, and when the human image is input, it estimates the type of human posture. The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the volume estimation unit, upon input of the type of posture of the person, further estimates a volume that will be less than or equal to a predetermined level of surprise based on the type of posture of the person.
It also features a camera that photographs people and generates images of people, The aforementioned trained model further includes a direction estimation unit, The orientation estimation unit has been pre-trained using training data in which the human image is input data and the orientation of the human face is output data, and when the human image is input, it estimates the orientation of the human face. The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the volume estimation unit, upon input of the direction of the person's face, further estimates a volume that will be less than or equal to a predetermined level of surprise based on the direction of the person's face.
It is further equipped with an ambient sound acquisition unit that acquires ambient sounds, The industrial vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the volume estimation unit, upon input of the ambient sound, further estimates a volume that will be less than or equal to a predetermined level of surprise based on the ambient sound.
It also features a camera that photographs people and generates images of people, The aforementioned trained model further includes a surprise level estimation unit, The surprise level estimation unit has been pre-trained using training data that takes the person image and the person information of the person being notified as input data and the surprise level as output data. When the person image and the person information of the person being notified by the notification sound are input, the unit estimates the surprise level corresponding to the person information. The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the volume estimation unit relearns a volume that is less than or equal to a predetermined level of surprise, based on the person image of the person before notification, the person information of the person who was notified, the notification distance, the volume of the notification sound at the time of notification, and the level of surprise of the person who was notified.
A tone memory unit that stores multiple timbres, The system further includes a tone control unit that determines the tone of the speaker to be used for notification based on the person information identified by the person identification unit, and switches the tone of the speaker to the determined tone. The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the volume estimation unit has been pre-machine-trained for each tone and is configured to estimate, in accordance with the determined tone, the volume at which a person corresponding to the input person information will fall below a predetermined level of surprise.
A tone memory unit that stores multiple timbres, A position detection unit that detects its own position, The system further includes a tone control unit that determines the tone of the speaker to be used for notification based on the detected position, and switches the tone of the speaker to the determined tone. The industrial vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the volume estimation unit has been pre-machine-trained for each tone and is configured to estimate for each tone the volume at which a person corresponding to the input person information will fall below a predetermined level of surprise.
The stored sounds include buzzer sounds, beeps, and melodies, as described in claim 9 or 10 of the industrial vehicle.
A notification sound volume estimation system used in industrial vehicles equipped with speakers that emit notification sounds to people, A trained model having a volume estimation unit, Volume adjustment section, A registration section where information on multiple individuals is registered, It includes a person identification unit that identifies the person information corresponding to the person to be notified, The volume estimation unit has been pre-trained using training data in which the notification distance from the speaker to the person, the person's information, and the volume of the notification sound are input data, and the person 's level of surprise upon notification is output data. When the person's information and the notification distance are input, the unit estimates the volume at which the person corresponding to the input person information will have a predetermined level of surprise or less. The volume adjustment unit is a notification sound volume estimation system that adjusts the volume of the speaker to a level below the estimated volume.
A notification sound volume estimation program used in a notification sound volume estimation system, The aforementioned notification sound volume estimation system is a system used in industrial vehicles that have a speaker that outputs a notification sound to people, and comprises a computer. The aforementioned notification sound volume estimation program is provided to the computer, A sound volume estimation program is executed by a sound volume estimation unit that has been pre-machine-trained using training data in which the notification distance from the speaker to a person, the person's information, and the volume of the notification sound are input data, and the person's level of surprise upon notification is output data, and when the person's information and the notification distance are input, the unit estimates the volume at which the person corresponding to the input person information will have a predetermined level of surprise or less.

Description

This invention relates to a sound volume estimation system for use in industrial vehicles, an industrial vehicle equipped with the system, and a notification sound volume estimation program. In recent years, the proportion of workers aged 60 and over among those injured or killed in work-related accidents has been increasing. One common type of work-related accident involving older workers is falls during work. Therefore, it is necessary to create a work environment that reduces falls among older workers. Industrial vehicles such as forklifts are equipped with speakers that alert pedestrians of their approach while in motion, using the sound to avoid contact with pedestrians (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). However, many elderly people have hearing impairments and tend to have difficulty hearing the alert sound. Therefore, increasing the volume of the alert sound could be considered, but if the sound is too loud, it could startle pedestrians and cause them to fall. Furthermore, the degree of surprise in response to the volume of the alert sound (hereinafter referred to as "degree of surprise") varies from person to person. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-149373Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-139495 This is a schematic diagram showing an industrial vehicle and its surroundings according to one embodiment of the present invention.This is a block diagram of the control unit of an industrial vehicle.This diagram shows the operation of each estimation unit in the trained model.This figure shows examples of human postures.This diagram shows the machine learning process for the volume estimation unit.This diagram shows the operation of the volume estimation unit.This flowchart illustrates how industrial vehicles alert people to their approach. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention relating to an industrial vehicle, a notification sound volume estimation system, and a notification sound volume estimation program will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an industrial vehicle 1 and its surroundings according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the industrial vehicle 1 is a forklift and is moving forward along a passageway R. In front of the industrial vehicle 1 are pedestrians H (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "person H") 1, H2, and H3, and a worker H4 is working beside the passageway R. Industrial vehicle 1 is an autonomously operating unmanned transport vehicle, but this is merely an example; the industrial vehicle 1 according to the present invention may also be a manned industrial vehicle 1. Furthermore, industrial vehicle 1 does not have to be a forklift; for example, it may be an in-plant transport vehicle without forks 11, an in-plant towing vehicle, a straddle carrier, etc., and is not particularly limited. As shown in Figure 1, the industrial vehicle 1 comprises a body 10 and a fork 11. The fork 11 is configured to be able to move up and down, thereby lifting and lowering loads. As shown in Figure 2, the industrial vehicle 1 is equipped with a speaker 12, a camera 13, and a control unit 15. Speaker 12 is directional and outputs a notification sound V to person H. Speaker 12 is composed of multiple parametric speakers and is configured to expand or contract its directional range depending on the distance to person H. This prevents speaker 12 from outputting the notification sound V to anyone other than the target person H. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the notification sound V from being output to workers H4 who are not located in the direction of travel of the industrial vehicle 1, thereby preventing startling workers H4. Since the industrial vehicle 1 moves forward and backward, speaker 12 is configured to output the notification sound V at least in the forward and backward directions of the industrial vehicle 1. Furthermore, the number of speakers 12 and the configuration of their directional properties are not particularly limited. The specific sound of notification sound V is not particularly limited. For example, notification sound V may be a buzzer sound, a beep sound, a specific melody, or a human voice. The speaker 12 does not need to output the notification sound V unless a person H is detected by the industrial vehicle 1. Alternatively, the speaker 12 may be configured to output the notification sound V at a predetermined volume only at intersections of the passageway R, even if no person H is detected. In this embodiment, the speaker 12 is configured to output the notification sound V in the direction of the detected person H when the camera 13 detects a person H (i.e., when a person H is photographed). If multiple people H are detected simultaneously, the speaker 12 is configured to output the notification sound V towards the person H closest to it. Furthermore, the industrial vehicle 1 has a melody output unit (not shown) that emits a melody around th