Hitachi, Ltd.

Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.a.

Toshio Moriya

Kosei Matsumoto

Nobutaka Kimura

Fumiko Beniyama

Shigehiro Kinoshita

Keiji Yano

Kazuo Yano

Makoto Kato

Takashi Watanabe

Hiroaki Takatsuki

Haruo Takeda

Tsuyoshi Minakawa

Masanori Miyoshi

Koji Ara

Tsuneya Kurihara

Motoaki Satoyama

Hisaya Ishibashi

Yuzo Otsuka

Sanato Nagata

Manabu Yanagimoto

Nobuhiro Sekimoto

Kei Utsugi

Yoshihiro Mizuno

Kunihiro Yanagi

Narihiro Munemasa

Keisuke Fujimoto

Taiki Fuji

Toshiro Ishida

Nobuhiko Matsukuma

Yoshihiro Masuyama

Fumiko Shiojiri

An indicator related to work performed through a plurality of hierarchical processes is predicted efficiently with high accuracy. The information processing device stores sample data in association with each parameter representing work, the sample data including an indicator generated by execution of lower-level simulation based on a lower-level model set for a lower-level process, and the information processing device predicts an indicator related to predicted work by performing higher-level simulation using the sample data associated with a parameter similar to a parameter representing the predicted work, the higher-level simulation being based on a higher-level model which is set for a higher-level process. If sample data associated with a parameter similar to the parameter representing the predicted work is not stored, the information processing device complements sample data by performing lower-level simulation and performs higher-level simulation using the complemented sample data.

Information processing device and information processing method

An autonomous system including a plurality of autonomous bodies, each of the autonomous bodies includes a situation grasping unit that grasps situation, an operation determining unit that determines an operation based on the grasped situation, and an operation executing unit that executes the determined operation, the plurality of autonomous bodies included in the autonomous body system includes one or more first autonomous bodies and two or more second autonomous bodies, situation grasped by the situation grasping unit of the first autonomous body includes situation of the second autonomous body, the situation grasped by the situation grasping unit of the second autonomous body includes a result of an operation executed by the operation executing unit of the first autonomous body, and the operation determining unit of the second autonomous body determines an operation based on the result of the operation executed by the operation executing unit of the first autonomous body.

Autonomous body system and control method thereof

A robot is provided. A measurement unit measures an object in a space. An own-position estimation unit calculates an own position of a mobile unit moving through the space by matching measurement data acquired by the measurement unit with map data representing information about the object in the space. A classification unit acquires class-based measurement data obtained by classifying the measurement data into at least two predetermined classes. A class-based own-position estimation unit estimates an own position of the mobile unit for each of the at least two predetermined classes by matching a class-based map having a position of the objects recorded therein for each class with the class-based measurement data. An integration unit configured to integrate the own positions estimated for the respective at least two predetermined classes. A control unit controls the mobile unit based on information from the integration unit.

Mobile robot estimating own position using a class-based own-position estimation unit

The invention notifies a robot controller of the need to re-create map data. A robot control system () includes a robot () that moves along a path while detecting obstacles, and a robot control terminal () that records map data () and specifies the path of said robot (), whereby said robot () uses lasers to make measurements while in motion and sends the results as sensor data () to said robot control terminal (), which uses said sensor data to generate simulated sensor data () along the future path of said robot, and if the proportion of sections for which simulated sensor data and said map data () do not coincide exceeds a threshold value, the user is notified of a reconstruction of said map data ().

System and method for determing necessity of map data recreation in robot operation

The possibilities of collision of a mobile robot with objects can be reduced significantly in actual robot movements. In an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an autonomous mobile robot system including a mobile robot and a computing system. The mobile robot includes: a sensing section for measuring surrounding conditions of the mobile robot; a position-posture estimating section for estimating position-posture data from sensing data obtained by the sensing section and an environmental map; and a robot moving section for controlling movements of the mobile robot according to movement control data determined from the position-posture data thus estimated and movement route data.

Autonomous mobile robot system

A technology is provided that easily acquires the location where an article is placed and then moves to that location, even in cases where the article was originally placed in a location shielded from GPS radio wave, and subsequently moved to another location. Marks and RFID tags are affixed to a movable tray. A transfer robot includes a camera, a reader, and a sensor. The transfer robot detects the tray location from the location of a region in an image photographed by the camera that matches mark information. Furthermore, the reader in the transfer robot detects the tray location from the intensity of a radio wave whose information, when read, matches an ID retained in the RFID tag. The transfer robot moves with the camera and the reader, detecting the tray that is the target destination.

Mobile device, moving system, moving method, and moving program

A system recognizes an arrangement of an object and counts the number of objects, comprising: a sensor for measuring a distance between the sensor and an object; a moving mechanism for moving the sensor; and a computer that is connected with the sensor and includes an object information database, an object arrangement database; a sensor data integrating section; and the sensor an object comparison calculator adapted to create an object model based on the data.

Three-dimensional object recognition system and inventory system using the same

The system includes a mobile apparatus that moves after receiving an input of a path. The system has a path-setting unit for setting the path of a mobile apparatus according to the inputted path, a measuring unit for measuring an environment in which the mobile apparatus exists, an extracting unit for extracting an object existence region in the environment according to the values measured by the measuring unit, a judging unit that judges the validity of the path according to (1) the path set by the path setting unit and (2) the object existence region extracted by the extracting unit, a position determining unit that determines a target position to which the mobile apparatus is to move by selecting it from the portions of the path judged as valid, and a movement controller for controlling the mobile apparatus to move to the target position.

Obstacle avoidance system for a user guided mobile robot

An environment map generating apparatus is provided. The environment map generating apparatus includes: a storage unit, a cross-sectional image generating unit, a model processing unit, an obtaining unit and an environment map generating unit. The storage unit stores a model of an obstacle. The cross-sectional image generating unit generates a cross-sectional image of a model of an obstacle at a predetermined height from a reference plane in an environment. The model processing unit generates a cross-sectional image-appended model by superimposing the cross-sectional image onto the model of the obstacle. The obtaining unit obtains an obstacle map at the predetermined height from the reference plane in the environment. The environment map generating unit generates an environment map where the cross-sectional image-appended model is superimposed in a semitransparent state onto the corresponding obstacle in the obstacle map.

Environment map generating apparatus, environment map generating method, and environment map generating program

An information collection system is provided, which can automatically calculate an operation or a travel path of a tag reader for collecting information of an RF tag. The information collection system of the present invention moves, in a movable area of a two-dimensional map, the tag reader along a surface of an object by referring to a three-dimensional map to emit radio waves while moving an information collection robot, records, upon reception of tag ID from the RF tag, a position of the information collection robot at the time as a data acquisition position, and calculates a path passing through data acquisition positions of all the recorded data as a moving sequence in a movable area of the information collection robot.

Information collection system and information collection robot

Provided is an image input device which includes a laser range finder and a camera, and is capable of automatically calibrating the laser range finder and the camera at an appropriate timing without using special equipment. The image input device includes the laser range finder which measures distance information of an object by using invisible light and the camera which measures color information of the object. In order to detect a calibration error between the laser range finder and the camera, an invisible light filter which blocks visible light and transmits invisible light is automatically attached to a lens of the camera by a switching operation between two kinds of lenses. By the camera to which the invisible light filter is being attached, a pattern of the invisible light projected onto the object from the laser range finder is photographed as a visible image. By the comparison between the thus obtained invisible light pattern image and a reference image, the calibration error between the laser range finder and the camera is calculated. When the calibration error exceeds a predetermined value, a relative position and a relative posture between the laser range finder and the camera are automatically calibrated by control of a platform or the like.

Image input device and calibration method

An object of the present invention is to provide a filling apparatus capable of reliably correcting the position of an overlap portion. The filling apparatus includes a forming ring including a plurality of forming rollers and disposed at a predetermined position along the traveling direction of a packaging material () in order to deform the packaging material () from a web-like shape to a tubular shape, and a longitudinal sealing device () for longitudinally sealing opposite side edges of the tubular packaging material (). One of the forming rollers includes a flange (or) which is moved axially by means of a moving mechanism section (). In this case, even when, within the forming ring, a side edge portion of the packaging material () of a certain size impinges on the flange (or), the flange (or) is caused to move accordingly to thereby avoid interfering with correction on the position of the overlap portion (LP). Therefore, the position of the overlap portion (LP) can be reliably corrected.

Filling apparatus

A computer includes a photographing unit for photographing every time a turn table is rotated and acquiring images of the photographing target from a plurality of photographing devices; a coordinate-system setting unit for setting a coordinate system; position of an extracted feature point of the photographing target being defined as reference of the coordinate system; a viewpoint-parameter calculation unit for calculating viewpoint parameters on the basis of the coordinate system set by the coordinate-system setting unit and camera parameters such as focal lengths of the photographing devices, the viewpoint parameters including position data of the photographing devices and direction data of the photographing devices are oriented; and a correspondence-data storage unit for storing the images and the viewpoint parameters being made correlated with each other, the images being acquired by the photographing unit, the viewpoint parameters being calculated by the viewpoint-parameter calculation unit.

360-&#xb0; image photographing apparatus

A computer in a transport system includes: a shooting part for shooting a first calibration tray by controlling a camera; a tray position computing part for computing a tray position of the first calibration tray within a captured image which the shooting part shot; a hand position acquisition part for acquiring a hand position indicative of a position of the hand robot of when the hand robot installs onto the first calibration tray a first transported article used for calibration; a calibration part for computing a calibration data based on the tray position and the hand position; and a transported article installing part which, when the mobile robot reached a predetermined arrival area, controls, based on the calibration data, the hand robot so as to install a second transported article onto a second tray, the second tray which the mobile robot being provided with.

Transport system

The object of the invention is to provide a container inspection method and a container inspection device which is not container quality inspection by individual and operator's empirical approach, not influenced by operator's skillfulness, can eliminate human error such as missing when recording and error in writing, not based on operator's subjective judgment, whose result is objective, and easily and statistically stores objective data. The container inspection method and container inspection device comprises an inspection for a container formed of a web-like packaging laminated material, which includes peeling flaps from the container wall by a pre-processing unit, cutting the container wall to prepare a sampled body by a sampled body preparing unit, inspecting seal quality by a seal quality unit, inspecting seal zone by an image processing unit, and inspecting damage on the seal zone by a seal damage inspection unit.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Toshio Moriya