US-20260124764-A1 - METHOD, APPARATUS, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR CONTROLLING GUIDE ROBOT

US20260124764A1US 20260124764 A1US20260124764 A1US 20260124764A1US-20260124764-A1

Abstract

In a robot guide control apparatus, a control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to acquire a communication state between a primary guide robot that guides one or more persons and a mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons. The control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to determine, based on the acquired communication state, whether a person included in the one or more persons has separated from a communication range of the primary guide robot. The control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output, upon determination that a person included in the one or more persons has separated as a separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot, separation data indicative of separation of the separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot.

Inventors

Kim Ngoc Khanh NGUYEN
Yuko Kanda
Chihiro Miyai
Kei NAKANO

Assignees

DENSO CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20260106
Priority Date: 20230707

Claims (19)

1 . A robot guide control apparatus comprising: a control circuitry configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to: acquire a communication state between a primary guide robot that guides one or more persons and a mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons, the primary guide robot being configured to connect the mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons to the Internet; determine, based on the acquired communication state, whether a person included in the one or more persons has separated from a communication range of the primary guide robot; and output, upon determination that a person included in the one or more persons has separated as a separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot, separation data indicative of separation of the separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot.
2 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to: determine, based on the acquired communication state, whether the one or more persons are located in a boundary region of the communication range of the primary guide robot; and output warning data, upon determination that at least one of the one or more persons is located in the boundary region of the communication range of the primary guide robot.
3 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the one or more persons are a plurality of persons, the primary guide robot being configured to guide the plurality of persons; and the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to adjust a size of the communication range of the primary guide robot in accordance with the number of the plurality of persons.
4 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output the separation data to the mobile terminal of the separated person.
5 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the one or more persons are a plurality of persons, the primary guide robot being configured to guide the plurality of persons; and the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output the separation data to a selected at least one person included in the plurality of persons, the selected at least one person being located inside the communication range of the primary guide robot.
6 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output the separation data to a search device for searching for the separated person located outside from the communication range of the primary guide robot.
7 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein: the search device includes an alternative guide robot located outside the communication range of the primary guide robot.
8 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein: the search device includes a camera installed in an infrastructure.
9 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein: the search device includes a server communicably connected to at least one of a camera and an alternative guide robot located outside the communication range of the primary guide robot.
10 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output, upon determination that the separated person has not been found by a search device, landmark data indicative of a selected landmark.
11 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output message data representing a message that instructs the separated member to go to a selected landmark.
12 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output message data representing a message that instructs the separated member to go to a selected landmark.
13 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output detection data in response to determination that the separated person is detected by a search device.
14 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output return data for instructing an alternative guide robot to guide the separated person, who is located outside the communication range of the primary guide robot, to return to an inside of the communication range of the primary guide robot.
15 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the one or more persons are a plurality of persons, the primary guide robot being configured to guide the plurality of persons; the plurality of persons include the separated person and one or more remaining persons located inside the communication range of the primary guide robot; and the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output notification data for causing the mobile terminal of at least one of the remaining persons to provide a notification representing that the separated person is to be guided to return to an inside of the communication range of the primary guide robot.
16 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output route data indicative of a route along which the separated person is to be guided to return to an inside of the communication range of the primary guide robot.
17 . The robot guide control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the one or more persons are a plurality of persons, the primary guide robot being configured to guide the plurality of persons; the plurality of persons include the separated person and one or more remaining persons located inside the communication range of the primary guide robot; and the control circuitry is configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output meeting data representing a meeting point at which the one or more remaining persons and the separated person are to meet.
18 . A computer-implemented guide control method comprising: acquiring a communication state between a primary guide robot that guides one or more persons and a mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons, the primary guide robot being configured to connect the mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons to the Internet; determining, based on the acquired communication state, whether a person included in the one or more persons has separated from a communication range of the primary guide robot; and outputting, upon determination that a person included in the one or more persons has separated as a separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot, separation data indicative of separation of the separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot.
19 . A guide control program product comprising: at least one non-transitory storage medium; and program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, the program instructions causing a processor to: acquire a communication state between a primary guide robot that guides one or more persons and a mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons, the primary guide robot being configured to connect the mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons to the Internet; determine, based on the acquired communication state, whether a person included in the one or more persons has separated from a communication range of the primary guide robot; and output, upon determination that a person included in the one or more persons has separated as a separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot, separation data indicative of separation of the separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This present application is a bypass continuation application of currently pending international application No. PCT/JP2024/015906 filed on Apr. 23, 2024 designating the United States of America, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, the international application being based on and claiming the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-112653 filed on Jul. 7, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and program products for controlling a guide robot. BACKGROUND Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-000656 discloses a humanoid guide robot that leads a human to a destination. The guide robot includes task setting means for setting a guidance task, and first movement control means for controlling a robot body thereof to move while orienting the robot body in a direction opposite to a moving direction of the robot body when the guidance task is intended for an unspecified number of people. SUMMARY Detailed studies conducted by the inventors have found that the above-described technology does not assume a situation in which a person being guided by the guide robot leaves or separates from the guide robot. In view of the above circumstances, the present disclosure seems to provide methods, apparatuses, and program products for controlling a guide robot, each of which is capable of detecting whether a person being guided by the guide robot has separated from the guide robot. A first exemplary aspect of the present disclosure provides a robot guide control apparatus. The robot guide control apparatus includes a control circuitry configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to acquire a communication state between a primary guide robot that guides one or more persons and a mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons, and determine, based on the acquired communication state, whether a person included in the one or more persons has separated from a communication range of the primary guide robot. The control circuitry configured to cause the robot guide control apparatus to output, upon determination that a person included in the one or more persons has separated as a separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot, separation data indicative of separation of the separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot. A second exemplary aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer-implemented guide control method. The computer-implemented guide control method includes acquiring a communication state between a primary guide robot that guides one or more persons and a mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons, and determining, based on the acquired communication state, whether a person included in the one or more persons has separated from a communication range of the primary guide robot. The computer-implemented guide control method includes outputting, upon determination that a person included in the one or more persons has separated as a separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot, separation data indicative of separation of the separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot. A third exemplary aspect of the present disclosure provides a guide control program product. The guide control program product includes at least one non-transitory storage medium, and program instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium. The program instructions cause a processor to acquire a communication state between a primary guide robot that guides one or more persons and a mobile terminal possessed by each of the one or more persons, and determine, based on the acquired communication state, whether a person included in the one or more persons has separated from a communication range of the primary guide robot. The program instructions cause a processor to output, upon determination that a person included in the one or more persons has separated as a separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot, separation data indicative of separation of the separated person from the communication range of the primary guide robot. Each of the guide control apparatus, the computer-implemented guide control method, and the guide control program product makes it possible to, when a person included in the one or more persons guided by the primary guide robot has separated from the communication range of the primary guide robot, perform various responses to the separated person, which include a process for assisting the separated person in moving toward the communication range of the primary guide robot. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the acc