WO2024034639A1

WO2024034639A1 - Region inspection apparatus, region inspection method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2024034639A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/029102
Authority: WO
Inventors: 佳輝小川; 憲士朗長坂; 知弥奥野
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2022-08-10
Filing date: 2023-08-09
Publication date: 2024-02-15

Abstract

In this region inspection apparatus for inspecting a monitored region, a processor acquires a detection point group at each of a plurality of time points, recognizes a detection target object on the basis of the detection point groups, derives a nearest neighbor point that is present within an allowable difference range and is nearest to a protected region, among one or more detection points included in a target object point group included in the detection point groups, arranges the nearest neighbor points derived at the respective time points in time series on a two-dimensional plane in which the monitored region is formed, calculates the distance between the respective nearest neighbor points, determines the quality of the monitored region on the basis of the distance and a minimum detection dimension, and displays determination result information.

Description

Area inspection device, area inspection method, and program

The present disclosure relates to an area inspection device, an area inspection method, and a program.

Conventionally, an optical safety system is known that displays an editing screen for creating area designation information for designating a protection area to be protected by a safety scanner (see Patent Document 1). This optical safety system includes a safety scanner that detects an intruder in a protected area and outputs a detection signal, and a setting support device that generates area designation information that specifies the protected area. The safety scanner includes an area designation information receiving means for receiving the area designation information from the setting support device, a light projection means for projecting detection light onto the detection area, and a light projection means for projecting detection light onto the detection area, and a light projection means for projecting detection light onto the detection area. A light receiving means that receives light and generates a light reception signal, a distance calculation means that calculates the distance to the object based on the light reception signal, and a scanning means that scans the detection light in a circumferential direction around a rotation axis. and a ranging means for obtaining ranging information corresponding to the distance and the scanning angle of the detection light, area designation information received from the setting support device, and based on the ranging information obtained by the ranging means. and an intrusion detection means for determining the presence or absence of an intruder into the protected area and outputting a detection signal according to the determination result. The setting support device includes an edit screen display unit that displays an edit screen for creating the area designation information, an area designation information generation unit that generates the area designation information, and receives the ranging information from the safety scanner. determining the presence or absence of an intruder into the protected area based on the distance measurement information receiving means, the area designation information before being transmitted to the safety scanner, and the distance measurement information received from the safety scanner; and pseudo determination information generation means for generating pseudo determination information indicating the result. The edit screen display means displays a determination result corresponding to the pseudo determination information on the edit screen.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-150860

The optical safety system of Patent Document 1 can confirm that an object has entered a protected area using an indicator light or a display device (such as a computer monitor), but the optical safety system can confirm that an object has entered a protected area using a point group (detected point group) specified by each distance measurement information. The interval (distance) between them is not taken into account. Therefore, even if there is a region in which the distance between point groups is large around the protected region, it is difficult to distinguish this region, and it is also difficult to present this region. Therefore, a worker or the like cannot check the quality of the monitoring area. Further, the optical safety system of Patent Document 1 does not determine whether an object existing around the protected area is a detection target used for inspection. Therefore, even if objects other than the object to be detected are present in or around the protected area during the inspection, the safety scanner may detect and record them. Therefore, an erroneous determination may be made regarding the quality of the monitoring area including the protected area.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to reliably determine the pass/fail of the monitored area including the protected area (improve the accuracy of pass/fail determination), and to enable operators, etc. to monitor the monitored area. Provided are an area inspection device, an area inspection method, and a program that allow easy confirmation of pass/fail.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an area inspection device that inspects a monitoring area monitored by a monitoring device, the area inspection device including a processor, and the monitoring area includes a protection area and a tolerance area formed outside the protection area. The processor acquires, as a detection point group, a point group corresponding to detection light in which the projected light projected by the monitoring device is reflected or scattered at each of a plurality of time points, and At each of the plurality of time points, a detection target object is recognized based on the detection point group, and at each of the plurality of time points, one point included in the target object point group indicating the detection target object included in the detection point group is recognized. Among the above detection points, a nearest neighbor point that exists within the tolerance range and is closest to the protection area is derived, and the nearest neighbor point derived at each of the plurality of points is used to determine when the monitoring area is formed. The monitoring area is arranged in time series on a two-dimensional plane, and the distance between each nearest neighbor point is calculated, and the quality of the monitoring area is determined based on the distance and the minimum detectable dimension detectable by the monitoring device. , is an area inspection device that causes a display device to display determination result information indicating the result of the determination.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an area inspection method for inspecting a monitoring area monitored by a monitoring device, wherein the monitoring area includes a protection area and a tolerance area formed outside the protection area, and the monitoring area includes a plurality of tolerance areas formed outside the protection area. At each of the plurality of time points, acquiring a point group corresponding to the detection light where the projected light projected by the monitoring device is reflected or scattered as a detection point group; a step of recognizing a detection target based on a point cloud, and at each of the plurality of time points, one or more detection points included in the target object point group indicating the detection target included in the detection point group; , deriving a nearest neighbor point that exists within the tolerance area and is closest to the protection area; arranging them in chronological order on the top and calculating the distance between each nearest neighbor point; and determining whether the monitoring area is good or bad based on the distance and the minimum detectable dimension detectable by the monitoring device. , a step of displaying judgment result information indicating the result of the judgment on a display device.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute each step of the above-described area inspection method.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining whether the monitoring area including the protected area is good or bad, and the operator or the like can easily confirm whether the monitoring area is good or bad.

Schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the area inspection system in the first embodiment Block diagram showing a configuration example of the area inspection system Block diagram showing a configuration example of a monitoring device Block diagram showing a configuration example of a terminal device Flowchart showing an example of operation of a terminal device Flowchart showing an example of operation of the terminal device (continuation of FIG. 3A) Flowchart showing an example of operation of the terminal device (continued from FIG. 3B) Flowchart showing an example of operation of the terminal device (continued from FIG. 3C) Diagram showing an example of setting each information Diagram showing an example of specifying the protected area to be inspected Diagram showing an example of specifying the inspector point cloud A diagram showing an example of movement of a detection target around a protected area and an example of a screen of a display device of a terminal device. Diagram for explaining a target point group corresponding to a detection target detected by a monitoring device Diagram for explaining the first recognition example of the detection target Diagram for explaining the first recognition example of the detection target Diagram for explaining a second recognition example of a detection target Diagram for explaining a second recognition example of a detection target Diagram showing an example of determining whether the monitoring area is good or bad A diagram showing a first display example by a display device. Diagram showing a second display example by a display device

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of well-known matters or explanations of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter recited in the claims.

<Overview of area inspection system>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the area inspection system 5 in the first embodiment. The area inspection system 5 includes a monitoring device 10 and a terminal device 20.

The monitoring device 10 optically monitors the inside of the monitoring region MR. The monitoring device 10 is placed, for example, in a factory, and monitors whether work can be performed without intruding into dangerous areas. The monitoring device 10 is a lidar (LiDAR) device, and is, for example, an electro-optical lidar device, but may be a lidar device of other types. The monitoring device 10 monitors according to the set monitoring region MR.

The monitoring device 10 is placed at the monitoring site C1. For example, a monitoring device 10 and a robot device 30 are arranged at the monitoring site C1. The monitoring device 10 may be placed at any position, for example, at any position where it can monitor the monitoring region MR. The robot device 30 may be fixed at a fixed location without moving, or may be movable and have a variable location.

Additionally, workers and other objects may exist at the monitoring site C1. The workers include an inspector H1 who inspects the quality of monitoring in the monitoring region MR. Further, the workers may include a supervisor who visually checks the monitoring site C1, visually checks the robot device 30, or checks a product manufactured by the robot device 30, or the like. Examples of other objects include objects and vehicles necessary for work in a factory.

The terminal device 20 is a device that inspects the monitoring region MR. The terminal device 20 is a PC (Personal Computer), a mobile terminal, a tablet terminal, or the like. The terminal device 20 is operated by the user and can inspect the setting state of the monitoring region MR desired by the user. The terminal device 20 can communicate with the monitoring device 10 by wire or wirelessly.

The monitoring device 10 and the terminal device 20 cooperate to set the monitoring region MR and inspect the set monitoring region MR. For example, when a worker approaches the robot device 30, the operation of the robot device 30 may pose a danger to the worker. Therefore, the monitoring region MR can be set, for example, based on the movable range of the robot device 30 (for example, the reachable range of the robot arm). The robot device 30 is an example of a source of danger.

The monitoring region MR may include multiple regions. The monitoring region MR includes at least a protection region MR1 and a tolerance region MR11 formed outside the protection region MR1. Furthermore, the monitoring region MR may further include a warning region MR2. The protected area MR1 is an area where entry (intrusion) is prohibited in order to protect it from the robot device 30. Here, "intrusion" may also be used as "intrusion," but in this specification, it will be unified as "intrusion." The tolerance region MR11 is a region provided to increase the probability of object detection (setting only the protection region MR1 is insufficient). The warning area MR2 is an area that it is recommended not to enter. The tolerance region MR11 is one of the warning regions MR2. For example, the protection region MR1 is formed to include, for example, a part or all of the movable range of the robot device 30. For example, the warning region MR2 may be formed around the protection region MR1 because the distance from the robot device 30 is relatively short. In this way, the monitoring region MR can be divided and set.

The monitoring device 10 monitors the monitoring region MR and detects whether an object such as a worker exists within the monitoring region MR. When it is detected that an object exists in the monitoring region MR, the monitoring device 10 can output warning information (alarm output) indicating that there is an object that has entered the monitoring region MR. The monitoring device 10 can operate as an area scanner (scanner device).

Note that in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the x direction, y direction, and z direction are defined. The x direction is an arbitrary direction in the xy plane parallel to the installation surface on which the monitoring device 10 is installed. The y direction is a direction perpendicular to the x direction on the xy plane. The z direction is a direction perpendicular to the xy plane. The xy plane is, for example, parallel to the horizontal direction. The z direction is, for example, parallel to the direction of gravity. The positive side in the z direction is also referred to as upper, and the negative side in the z direction is also referred to as lower.

<Area inspection system configuration>
FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a configuration example of the area inspection system 5. As shown in FIG. The area inspection system 5 includes, for example, a monitoring device 10 that detects an object 25 (for example, a detection target 50), and a terminal device 20 that inspects a set monitoring area MR. The monitoring device 10 and the terminal device 20 are communicably connected by wire or wirelessly.

<Configuration of monitoring device>
FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the monitoring device 10. The monitoring device 10 has a configuration including a processor 110, a rotation mechanism section 120, a memory 130, a communication device 140, a light projecting section 150, and a light receiving section 160.

The processor 110 executes programs stored in the memory 130 or various types of information to control various functions of the light projection control section 112, the distance calculation section 114, the distance measurement section 115, and the approach detection section 116. Has a function. The processor may include an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), and the like. The processor 110 controls the detection operation of the object 25, the rotation operation of the rotation mechanism section 120, and the like.

The rotation mechanism unit 120 rotates an optical system (for example, a mirror or lens not shown) along an xy plane around a rotation axis. The rotation axis is, for example, an axis that passes through the center of the surface (for example, the bottom surface) of the monitoring device 10 along the xy plane and is parallel to the z-axis. The optical system changes (scans) the light projecting direction by the light projecting part 150 and the light receiving direction (detection direction) by the light receiving part 160 along the xy plane by rotating the rotation mechanism part 120. In other words, the optical system changes the direction in which the monitoring device 10 detects an object over the entire circumference or a part of the entire circumference of the monitoring device 10 . Note that the rotation mechanism section 120 may be able to freely change the light projection direction and the detection direction by rotating the light projecting section 150 and the light receiving section 160 along the xy plane together with or instead of the optical system. .

The memory 130 includes a primary storage device (eg, RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory)). The memory 130 may include a secondary storage device (eg, HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive)) or a tertiary storage device (eg, optical disk, SD card). Memory 130 may include other storage devices. The memory 130 stores various data, information, programs, etc.

The memory 130 may store area setting information (region setting information) for setting the monitoring region MR. The area setting information includes information on the form of the determined monitoring area (for example, the position, range, size, or shape with respect to the monitoring device 10), and the like. The area setting information is acquired from the terminal device 20 via the communication device 140. A plurality of monitoring areas may be set, and a plurality of area setting information may be provided. The monitoring region MR here is at least the monitoring region MR to be inspected (before the inspection), and the inspection of the monitoring region MR is possible. Further, the monitoring region MR here may be a monitored region MR that has been inspected (after the inspection), and the inspected monitoring region MR is set after the inspection, and normal monitoring is possible.

The communication device 140 communicates data, information, signals, etc. with an external device outside the monitoring device 10 by wire or wirelessly. External devices include the terminal device 20, a PLC device (Programmable Logic Controller), and the like.

The communication device 140 transmits the detection point group derived by the processor 110 to the terminal device 20. The communication device 140 receives area setting information from the terminal device 20, for example. For example, when the communication device 140 acquires the entry detection signal from the entry detection unit 116, it transmits the entry detection signal to the PLC device. Upon acquiring the intrusion detection signal from the intrusion detection unit 116, the communication device 140 may transmit an alarm output signal including warning information. The alarm output signal may be transmitted, for example, to an external device capable of notifying based on the alarm output signal (for example, a display, a speaker, or other notifying device). The safety of workers and the like can be ensured by the external device that can provide notification based on the alarm output signal.

The light projecting unit 150 includes a light emitting element such as a laser diode, and projects a predetermined light. The light projecting unit 150 may project at least invisible light (for example, infrared light) and may project visible light. The light (projection light, projection beam) projected by the light projection unit 150 may be reflected or scattered by the object 25, for example. A plurality of light projectors 150 may be provided.

The light projection control section 112 controls the light projection section 150. The light projection control unit 112 adjusts the projection timing of the projected light based on an encoder signal (for example, a pulse signal) from a rotary encoder. The light projection control section 112 generates pulsed projected light at regular time intervals, for example, in accordance with the rotation of the optical system of the rotation mechanism section 120.

The light receiving section 160 includes a light receiving element such as a photodiode, and receives predetermined light. The light receiving section 160 may receive at least invisible light (for example, infrared light) or may receive visible light. The light received by the light receiving unit 160 (received light) may include, for example, detection light that is the projected light projected by the light projecting unit 150 and reflected or scattered by the object 25. The light receiving unit 160 generates a light receiving signal from the received light.

The distance calculating unit 114 calculates the distance between the monitoring device 10 and the detection target 50 based on the light reception signal from the light receiving unit 160, for example, according to the TOF (Time Of Flight) method. In the TOF method, the time required for the projected light emitted from the light projecting section 150 to be reflected or scattered by the object 25 and returned to the monitoring device 10, and to be received as detection light by the light receiving section 160 is calculated, and this time is calculated. Detection distance is calculated based on time. In this case, the distance calculation unit 114 may measure the light reception timing of the light reception signal based on the timing of the encoder signal of the rotary encoder.

The distance measurement unit 115 calculates distance measurement information corresponding to the distance (detection distance) calculated by the distance calculation unit 114 and the angle (detection angle) corresponding to the encoder signal at the time of light projection or light reception. The two-dimensional position of the object 25 is specified by the ranging information. The distance measuring unit 115 calculates one detection point corresponding to one detection distance (distance to the monitoring device 10) and detection angle (angle to a predetermined direction) for each detected light. Therefore, the ranging unit 115 calculates point group data (detection point group) by calculating a plurality of detection points corresponding to a plurality of detection lights.

The entry detection section 116 detects entry into the monitoring region MR based on the set monitoring region MR and distance measurement information from the distance measuring section 115. In this case, the entry detection unit 116 determines whether the object 25 is located within the monitoring region MR. The entry detection unit 116 detects the entry of the object 25 into the monitoring region MR when the object 25 is located within the monitoring region MR. If the object 25 is not located within the monitoring region MR, the entry detection unit 116 detects that the object 25 has not entered the monitoring region MR.

When the entry detection unit 116 detects the entry of the object 25 into the monitoring region MR, it sends an entry detection signal indicating that the entry of the object 25 has been detected to the communication device 140. Further, the entry detection unit 116 may detect entry into the protection region MR1, and may send a protection detection signal indicating that entry into the protection region MR1 has been detected as an entry detection signal to the communication device 140. Entry detection section 116 may detect entry into warning region MR2, and may send a warning detection signal indicating that entry into warning region MR2 has been detected as an entry detection signal to communication device 140.

<Terminal device configuration>
FIG. 2C is a diagram showing a configuration example of the terminal device 20. The terminal device 20 includes a processor 210, a communication device 220, a memory 230, an operating device 240, and a display device 250.

The processor 210 implements various functions by executing programs stored in the memory 230. Processor 210 may include an MPU, CPU, DSP, GPU, etc. The processor 210 centrally controls each part of the terminal device 20 and performs various processes. The processor 210, for example, inspects the monitoring region MR including the set protection region MR1.

The communication device 220 communicates various data or information by wire or wirelessly. Communication methods by the communication device 220 include, for example, WAN (Wide Area Network), LAN (Local Area Network), power line communication, infrared communication, short-range wireless communication (for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication), and mobile communication for mobile phones. It may include communication methods such as

The memory 230 includes a primary storage device (eg, RAM or ROM). The memory 230 may include a secondary storage device (eg, HDD or SSD) or a tertiary storage device (eg, optical disk, SD card). Memory 230 may include other storage devices. The memory 230 stores various data, information, programs, etc. The program includes, for example, verification test software for inspecting the monitoring region MR.

The operating device 240 may include a mouse, keyboard, touch pad, touch panel, microphone, or other input device. The operating device 240 receives input of various data or information.

The display device 250 may include a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL device, or other display device. The display device 250 displays various data or information.

The processor 210 also includes a communication control section 211, a setting section 212, a target object recognition section 213, an object presence detection section 214, an interval calculation section 215, a quality determination section 216, and a display control section 217 as functional sections.

The communication control unit 211 controls communication by the communication device 220. The communication control unit 211 acquires the detection point group from the monitoring device 10 via the communication device 220. Each point included in the detection point group indicates each detection position (based on the detection distance and detection angle) optically detected by the monitoring device 10.

The setting unit 212 sets various information and data. The setting unit 212 sets, for example, the minimum detection dimension detectable by the monitoring device 10, the monitoring region MR (protected region MR1, tolerance region MR11) to be inspected by the terminal device 20, etc. via the operating device 240 ( specify.

The object recognition unit 213 recognizes whether or not the detection object 50 exists based on the detection point group. Details of the method for recognizing the detection target object 50 will be described later. The object presence detection unit 214 determines whether an object exists within the set tolerance range MR11 based on the detection point group. The object here may be the detection target 50 or other objects other than the detection target 50. The object presence detection unit 214 may also determine whether an object exists in another region (protection region MR1) in the monitoring region MR.

The interval calculation unit 215 calculates the interval (distance) between a plurality of points included in the detection point group. For example, the interval calculation unit 215 calculates the reference point (adjacent point ) (adjacent point interval) is calculated.

The quality determination unit 216 determines the quality of the monitoring state in the monitoring region MR. For example, the quality determination unit 216 detects an inappropriate area that is difficult to appropriately detect by the monitoring device 10 around the set protection region MR1 based on the calculated adjacent point interval. Determine the presence or absence of. The inappropriate area may be, for example, a difficult-to-detect area that is difficult to detect by the monitoring device 10, a non-detection area that is not detected by the monitoring device 10, or a low-sensitivity area or dead zone area where the detection sensitivity of the monitoring device 10 is lower than a predetermined sensitivity. I can say it. For example, if the interval between adjacent points is larger than a predetermined threshold, the quality determination unit 216 detects the area surrounded by the two nearest points forming the adjacent points as an inappropriate area. If the interval between adjacent points is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold, the quality determining unit 216 detects the area surrounded by the two nearest points forming the adjacent points as a good area. The predetermined threshold value here is, for example, the minimum detectable dimension s.

The display control unit 217 controls the display by the display device 250. For example, the display control unit 217 causes the display device 250 to display determination result information indicating the result of the determination by the quality determination unit 216.

<Operation of area inspection system>
Next, an example of the operation of the area inspection system 5 will be described.
3A to 3D are flowcharts illustrating an example of the operation of the terminal device 20. Note that the protection region MR1 has already been set before the process in FIG. ing. The protection area MR1 may be set, for example, by the terminal device 20, or the terminal device 20 may acquire protection area information generated by an external device and set the protection area MR1.

First, the setting unit 212 sets an inspection mode (test mode) for inspecting the protected region MR1 as the operation mode of the terminal device 20 (S11). For example, the setting unit 212 may set the inspection mode by, for example, pressing a button to start the inspection mode via the operating device 240. The setting unit 212 acquires the position of the protected area MR1 from the setting information regarding the protected area MR1 held in the memory 230 (S12). The setting unit 212 inputs and sets the minimum detectable dimension s via the operating device 240, for example (S13). The setting unit 212 may set s=30 (mm), for example. Note that the process in step S14 is not essential.

The minimum detection size s is the minimum size of an object that can be detected by the monitoring device 10, and is set assuming an object that is desired to be detected reliably before entering the protection region MR1. In other words, it is set assuming an object that is reliably detected within the tolerance range MR11. As an example, when the smallest object to be monitored for entry into the protection region MR1 is a human hand, the minimum detection dimension s may be set to about 30 mm. As another example, when the smallest object to be monitored for entry into the protection region MR1 is a human leg, the minimum detection dimension s may be set to about 70 mm. The minimum detection dimension s matches a test piece (test piece) of a preset shape as the detection target 50. More specifically, as in this case, it may be made to match the diameter of the cylindrical test piece. That is, the size of the detection target object 50 may be determined based on the minimum detection dimension s.

The setting unit 212 inputs and sets the number of consecutive detections n, for example via the operating device 240 (S14). The setting unit 212 may set n=3 (times), for example. Note that the process in step S14 is not essential. The number of consecutive detections n is used as part of the conditions for recognizing the detection target 50, which will be described later.

The setting unit 212 sets a point group (examiner point group PH1) indicating the examiner H1 (S15). For example, the inspector H1 goes to the monitoring site C1 during or before inspecting the protected area MR1, and the inspector point group PH1 is detected as part of the detected point group PS by being detected by the monitoring device 10. Ru. The tester point group PH1 may be, for example, a point group showing the legs of the tester H1.

The setting unit 212 sets the tolerance range MR11 (S16). In this case, the setting unit 212 may set the tolerance range dimension Tol, for example, via the operating device 240. The setting unit 212 sets, as a tolerance region MR11, an area obtained by excluding the protection region MR1 from a region expanded by the tolerance region dimension Tol outside the protection region MR1. Note that the setting unit 212 may obtain the repeatability σ of the performance of the monitoring device 10 and set the tolerance range dimension Tol=5σ. The setting unit 212 may set Tol=10 (mm), for example.

Based on the detection point group PS and the examiner point group PH1, the display control unit 217 displays the shape of the point group (examiner detected point group PH1D) indicating the examiner H1 included in the detection point group PS, for example, according to Hough transformation. is recognized (S17). The display control unit 217 recognizes the position (current position) of the examiner H1 based on the examiner detection point group PH1D (S18).

The setting unit 212 determines whether to end the inspection mode (S19). For example, if the setting unit 212 detects that the inspection mode end button is pressed via the operating device 240, the setting unit 212 determines to end the inspection mode. When the setting unit 212 does not detect pressing of the end button of the inspection mode via the operation device 240, it determines that the inspection mode is to be continued.

If the inspection mode is not ended (No in step S19), the communication control unit 211 acquires the detection point group PS from the monitoring device 10 (S20). The object recognition unit 213 recognizes the shape of the object based on the detected point group PS (S21). The object presence detection unit 214 determines whether an object having a radius equal to half (s/2) of the minimum detection dimension s has been detected (S22). If an object having a radius equal to half (s/2) of the minimum detection dimension s is detected, the object recognition unit 213 recognizes that the object is the detection object 50, and proceeds to FIG. 3B. If an object having a radius equal to half (s/2) of the minimum detection dimension s is not detected, the object recognition unit 213 recognizes that the object is not the detection object 50 and proceeds to FIG. 3C. .

In FIG. 3B, when an object having a radius of the same length as half (s/2) of the minimum detection dimension s is detected, the object recognition unit 213 detects a point group constituting the object (that is, the detection object 50). It is determined whether the nearest point PN, which is the point closest to the protection area MR1, of the object point group (object point group PO) exists within the tolerance range MR11 (S31). If the nearest point PN exists within the tolerance range MR11, the object recognition unit 213 registers (holds) the coordinates (position information) of this one nearest point PN in the monitoring site C1 in the memory 230 (S32). .

The inspector H1 sequentially moves the detection object 50 along the boundary line (outer circumference) of the protected region MR1. Then, the monitoring device 10 sequentially detects the moving detection target object 50 in time series to obtain a detection point group PS. Therefore, by repeating the processes in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a plurality of nearest neighbor points PN are obtained in order in time series and are stored in the memory 230. Based on the positions of the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN held in the memory 230, the interval calculation unit 215 calculates the nearest neighbor point PN registered in step S32, another nearest neighbor point PN having the closest distance to this nearest neighbor point PN, The interval R (adjacent point interval) is calculated and stored in the memory 230 (S33).

Incidentally, since the detection target object 50 moves in one direction, for example, making one revolution around the protected region MR1, the adjacent nearest points PN can be said to be the nearest points obtained at temporally adjacent points. Note that in step S32, the object recognition unit 213 may cause the memory 230 to hold information on the detection time at which the nearest point Pn was detected, as well as the position information of the nearest point PN. In this case, the terminal device 20 can reliably extract two nearest points PN obtained at temporally adjacent points.

The quality determination unit 216 determines whether the calculated interval R is larger than the set minimum detection dimension s, that is, whether R>s is satisfied (S34). If R>s is satisfied, the display control unit 217 displays the determination result information IR on the screen of the display device 250 (S35). As the determination result information IR here, the display control unit 217 sets, for example, the area surrounded by the two nearest neighbor points PN for which the interval R has been calculated (the area between the two nearest neighbor points PN) as an inappropriate area, and sets the area as an inappropriate area. The inappropriate area may be displayed in a different display manner from areas other than the appropriate area. Further, the display control unit 217 may emphasize and display information indicating the interval R as the determination result information IR.

In step S31, if the nearest point PN does not exist within the tolerance range MR11, the display control unit 217 displays deviation information indicating that it deviates from the tolerance range MR11 on the display device 250 as determination result information IR. (S36). Thereby, the inspector H1 can confirm that the inspection position using the detection target 50 owned by the inspector H1 deviates from the tolerance range MR11, and can adjust the position to which the detection target 50 is moved. .

After processing step S35 or S36, the process advances to step S17 in FIG. 3A. That is, by executing steps S17 to S35 or S36, the terminal device 20 determines the presence or absence of the inappropriate area BA based on the detection point group PS at the position of the detection target object 50 at time t, for example. Then, by executing steps S17 to S35 or S36 again, the detection target object 50 is detected in the inappropriate area BA based on the detection point group PS at the position of the detection target object 50 at the next time point t+1. Determine the presence or absence. Thereby, it is possible to continuously determine the inappropriate area BA while the detection target object 50 is moving.

In FIG. 3C, if an object having a radius equal to half (s/2) of the minimum detection dimension s is not detected, the object recognition unit 213 detects the outer periphery of the protection region MR1 from the detection point group PS. A nearby detection point dp is detected (S41).

The target object recognition unit 213 emits light by the light emitter 150 of the monitoring device 10 n times in a row (n consecutive points in time), including the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN stored in the memory 230 in chronological order. It is determined whether the projected light beams are adjacent to each other with a spatial interval (projected beam interval BI) between them (S42). The projected beam interval BI is obtained in advance from the monitoring device 10 and held in the memory 230. If a plurality of (in this case, n) nearest neighbor points PN are adjacent to each other with the projected beam interval BI in between n times in a row (Yes in S42), the object recognition unit 213 determines that the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN Continuously (n consecutive times), it is determined whether the position is within the tolerance range MR11 (S43). If the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN are located within the tolerance range MR11 n times in a row (Yes in S43), the object recognition unit 213 stores position information such as the coordinates of the n nearest neighbor points PN in the memory 230. Register (retain) (S44). In this case, the object recognition unit 213 recognizes the detection object 50 corresponding to the nearest point PN located within the n tolerance ranges MR11 for n consecutive times.

Based on the positions of the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN held in the memory 230, the interval calculation unit 215 combines two nearest neighbor points PN among the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN, and calculates the interval R between each two nearest neighbor points PN. is calculated and held in the memory 230 (S45). Note that, as described above, in step S44, the interval calculation unit 215 stores information on the detection time at which each of the plurality of nearest neighbor points Pn was detected, as well as the position information of each of the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN, from the memory 230. It may be held at

The quality determination unit 216 determines whether the calculated interval R is larger than the set minimum detection dimension s, that is, whether R>s is satisfied (S46). If R>s is satisfied (Yes in S46), the display control unit 217 displays the determination result information IR on the screen of the display device 250 (S47). The contents of the determination result information IR here are the same as those in step S35.

In step S42, if the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN are not adjacent to each other at the projection beam interval BI n times in a row (No in S42), or if the plurality of nearest neighbor points PN are located within the tolerance range MR11 n times in a row. If not (No in S43), the display control unit 217 causes the screen of the display device 250 to display deviation information indicating that the deviation is from the tolerance range MR11 (S47). Thereby, the inspector H1 can confirm that the inspection position using the detection target 50 owned by the inspector H1 deviates from the tolerance range MR11, and can adjust the position to which the detection target 50 is moved. .

After the processing in step S47 or S48, the process advances to step S17 in FIG. 3A. That is, by executing steps S17 to S47 or S48, the terminal device 20 determines the presence or absence of the inappropriate area BA based on the detection point group PS at the position of the detection target object 50 at time t. Then, by executing steps S17 to S35 or S36 again, the detection target object 50 is detected in the inappropriate area BA based on the detection point group PS at the position of the detection target object 50 at the next time point t+1. Determine the presence or absence. Thereby, it is possible to continuously determine the inappropriate area BA while the detection target object 50 is moving.

In step S19 in FIG. 3A, if the inspection mode is to be ended (Yes in S19), the process proceeds to FIG. 3D. In FIG. 3D, when ending the inspection mode, the display control unit 217 selects the two most recent intervals that constitute the largest interval among the intervals less than or equal to the minimum detection dimension s among the one or more intervals R held in the memory 230. The area between the neighboring points PN is displayed (eg, highlighted) as a low-density area BA2 (S51). As a result, the inspector H1 can confirm the nearest points PN at relatively sparse intervals among the adjacent nearest points PN around the protected area MR1, that is, the inspector H1 can confirm the area where there is a possibility of entry into the protected area MR1. .

According to the processing shown in FIGS. 3A to 3D, the terminal device 20 performs inspection by moving the detection target 50 around the protection region MR1 after setting the protection region MR1 of the monitoring device 10. I do. In this case, if the interval R between adjacent points is larger than the minimum detection dimension s, that is, the diameter of the detection target object 50, the terminal device 20 can detect it as an inappropriate area BA (gap). In this case, the terminal device 20 can present that if there is even one inappropriate area BA, there is a possibility that an object such as a person may enter the protected area MR1 without being detected by the monitoring device 10. . The terminal device 20 can visualize this inappropriate area BA. That is, the terminal device 20 can display the inappropriate area BA on the screen to make the inspector H1 aware of it. Therefore, the inspector H1 can quickly take measures against the inappropriate area BA. Furthermore, the inspector H1 can move freely around the protected area MR1. Even in this case, the inspector H1 can check the display of the inspector's own current position at a predetermined point of time, and can quickly reach the inappropriate area BA.

Next, each process in the area inspection system 5 will be supplementarily explained using each figure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of setting each information. In FIG. 4, the minimum detection dimension s, the number of consecutive detections n, and the tolerance range dimension Tol are displayed on the screen of the display device 250 and set. Furthermore, when the test start button B1 is pressed via the operating device 240, the processing from step S17 onward in FIG. 3A, for example, is performed. Note that after the test start button B1 is pressed, the minimum detection dimension s, the number of consecutive detections n, and the tolerance range dimension Tol may be displayed on the display device 250 and set.

Next, with reference to FIG. 1, additional information will be given regarding the monitoring site C1.

At the monitoring site C1, a monitoring device 10 and a robot device 30 as an example of a danger source are arranged. A protected area MR1 is set at the monitored site C1, but the protected area MR1 is not visible at the monitored site C1 because it has no landmark. Therefore, as a mark of the protected region MR1, it may be made visible using a tab tape or the like. Note that the inspection itself is possible if the inspector H1 memorizes the position of the protected area MR1, and it is not essential to visualize the protected area MR1. Furthermore, at the monitoring site C1, the detection target object 50 is movable for inspection. For example, the inspector H1 holds the terminal device 20 and the detection target object 50 and causes the monitoring device 10 to detect the detection target object 50 while moving near the boundary (near the outer periphery) of the protected region MR1. That is, the inspector H1 brings a test piece as the detection target 50 to the monitoring site C1, and the inspector H1 places the detection target 50 at an arbitrary location on the boundary line of the set protection region MR1. Once the detection point group PS including the point group of the detection target object 50 is obtained by the monitoring device 10, the detection target object 50 is moved and the detection point group PS including the point group of the detection target object 50 is obtained by the monitoring device 10 again. is obtained. Such acquisition of the point group of the detection target object 50 and movement of the detection target object 50 are repeated. Note that when the monitoring region MR also includes the warning region MR2, the warning region MR2 is also not visible. Further, the detectable area (field of view of the monitoring device 10) that can be detected by the monitoring device 10 is also not visible. The invisible area may be made visible by some means (for example, by installing a tiger tape).

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of specifying the protected region MR1 to be inspected. In FIG. 5A, a plurality of protected regions MR1 (MR1A, MR1B) that have already been set are displayed on the display device 250. The setting unit 212 specifies the protected region MR1 (for example, MR1A) to be inspected by selecting the protected region MR1 to be inspected via the operating device 240. Note that the setting unit 212 may specify the protected region MR1 to be inspected using another method. Note that the designation of the protection area MR1 may be executed before or after the detection target object 50 is brought to the monitoring site C1.

FIG. 5B is a diagram showing an example of specifying the inspector point group PH1. When the inspector point group PH1 is designated, the inspector H1 is located within the monitoring site C1 and is detected by the monitoring device 10. Thereby, the inspector H1 is detected as a point group included in the detected point group PS. The tester point group PH1 indicating the tester H1 is, for example, a point group showing the legs of the tester H1. In FIG. 5B, a plurality of detection point groups PS (PS1, PS2, PS3) are displayed on the display device 250. The setting unit 212 specifies the examiner point group PH1 by selecting the point group corresponding to the position where the examiner H1 is located from the plurality of detection point groups PS as the examiner point group PH1 via the operation device 240. You may. For example, the setting unit 212 may designate the extracted point group as the inspector point group PH1 by extracting points that match a circle having a predetermined radius by Hough transformation. The predetermined radius here depends on the characteristics of the inspector H1. Note that the shape of the inspector point group PH1 is not a part of a circle, but may have another shape.

FIG. 5C is a diagram showing an example of movement of the detection target object 50 around the protected region MR1 and an example of the screen of the display device 250 of the terminal device 20. For example, the inspector H1 goes to the monitoring site C1 carrying both the detection target object 50 and the terminal device 20, and while moving the detection target object 50 along the outer periphery of the protected area MR1, displays the display on the terminal device 20. While checking the detection status of the detection target object 50, the monitoring status of the monitoring region MR can be confirmed.

Next, recognition of the detection target object 50 will be explained.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the object point group PO corresponding to the detection object 50 detected by the monitoring device 10. As shown in FIG. 6, in the vicinity of the monitoring device 10, the projected light beam LB does not spread from the base point of the monitoring device 10, and a large number of projected light beams LB hit the detection target 50. , a large number of detection lights can be received, and a large number of detection points dp can be obtained. In FIG. 6, seven detection points dp are included in the object point group PO in the vicinity of the monitoring device 10. On the other hand, in a far place far from the monitoring device 10, the projected light beam LB spreads out from the base point of the monitoring device 10, the number of projected light beams LB hitting the detection target 50 is small, and the number of detected detection lights received is small. , and the number of detection points dp is small. In FIG. 6, three detection points dp far from the monitoring device 10 are included in the object point group PO. Although not shown, when the detection target object 50 is located further away from the monitoring device 10, the number of detection points dp may become one. Therefore, when the detection target object 50 is observed by such a monitoring device 10, the object point group PO of the detection target object 50 will inevitably become dense near the monitoring device 10, and the object point group PO of the detection target object 50 will inevitably become dense in the vicinity of the monitoring device 10. In this case, the object point group PO of the detection object 50 has a low density. Note that in the monitoring device 10, the rotation mechanism unit 120 detects objects by high-speed scanning, for example, about 30 times per second, so that, for example, the movement of a moving person or the object to be detected 50 appears to be almost stationary.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining a first recognition example of the detection target object 50.

When condition A or condition B is satisfied, the object recognition unit 213 determines that the point group included in the detection point group PS is the object point group PO indicating the detection object 50, and detects the detection object 50. recognize. Condition A is a condition when the object point group PO indicating the detection object 50 includes a plurality of detection points dp. Under condition A, the object recognition unit 213 recognizes the detection object 50 according to Hough transformation, for example. In the Hough transformation, points that match the circle c1 having a specified radius, that is, points on the circumference of the circle c1 are extracted. The designated radius here is s/2, which is half of the minimum detection dimension s, and is the radius of the installation surface of the cylindrical test piece as the detection target 50. When a point group including a plurality of points extracted by Hough transformation is detected in the detection point group PS, the object recognition unit 213 recognizes the detection object 50 corresponding to this point group. As a result, the object recognition unit 213 identifies a point group consisting of nonconforming points with a radius different from the designated radius as a foreign object that is not the detection object 50 (for example, an insect, welding spark, or metal powder). Can be judged. Note that the detection target object 50 may be recognized using a matching method other than Hough transformation.

The object recognition unit 213 extracts the nearest neighbor point PN closest to the protection area MR1 from the object point group PO based on the coordinates of the protection area MR1 and the object point group PO. For example, the target object recognition unit 213 calculates the nearest point PN based on a mathematical formula of a boundary line indicating a part of the outer periphery of the protection region MR1 and the coordinates of each detection point dp included in the target object point group PO. do. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, the distance D1 between the equation L1 (ax+by+c=0) representing the coordinate relationship of the boundary line and the point A (x ₁ , y ₁ ) included in the object point group PO is as follows: It is calculated by (Equation 1).

As shown in FIG. 7B, when the extracted nearest point PN is located within the tolerance range MR11, the object recognition unit 213 registers (retains) the nearest point information regarding the nearest point PN in the memory 230. Permission is given, and the nearest neighbor point information is registered in the memory 230. The display control unit 217 displays information IR1 indicating that the nearest point PN is located within the tolerance range MR11 as the determination result information IR.

Further, when the extracted nearest neighbor point PN is located outside the tolerance region MR11 and outside the protection region MR1, the target object recognition unit 213 does not permit the nearest neighbor point information to be registered in the memory 230, and the nearest neighbor point Information is not registered in memory 230. The display control unit 217 displays information IR2 indicating that the nearest point PN is located outside the tolerance range MR11 and outside the protection region MR1.

Further, when the extracted nearest neighbor point PN is located outside the tolerance region MR11 and within the protection region MR1, the target object recognition unit 213 does not permit the nearest neighbor point information to be registered in the memory 230, and the nearest neighbor point information is not registered in the memory 230. The display control unit 217 displays information IR3 indicating that the nearest point PN is located outside the tolerance region MR11 and within the protection region MR1.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining a second recognition example of the detection target object 50.

Condition B is a condition in which an object indicated by a point group that coincides with a circle c1 having a specified radius is not detected. That is, when the detection target 50 is not detected under condition A, recognition of the detection target 50 under condition B is attempted. Note that the object recognition unit 213 may determine whether condition B is satisfied independently of whether condition A is satisfied.

In FIG. 8A, the detection point group PS detected at a predetermined time point includes only one detection point dp. The object recognition unit 213 determines whether one detection point dp that can indicate the detection object 50 is continuously located within the tolerance range MR11. The light beam LB projected by the monitoring device 10 is rotating along the xy plane with the reference position as the base point. Further, the projected light beam LB is sequentially projected at regular time intervals. Therefore, after one detection point dp has been detected, the next detection point dp is detected with an interval between adjacent projected light beams LB (projected beam interval BI) in time series. That is, in principle of the monitoring device 10, the next detection point dp exists on the optical path (on the next beam line) along which the projected light beam LB that can be projected by the light projecting unit 150 travels. Note that if there is one detection point dp included in the detection point group PS and this detection point dp is included in the tolerance range MR11, it is determined that this detection point dp is the nearest point PN.

When the currently acquired nearest point PN and the past nearest point PN stored in the memory 230 are arranged on the xy plane, the object recognition unit 213 emits light n times in a row (n consecutive points in time). It is determined whether the beams are arranged at a beam interval BI and are located within the tolerance range MR11 n times in a row. The object recognition unit 213 determines that the n nearest points PN are the detection object 50 when they are adjacent to each other at the projected beam interval BI n times in a row and are located within the tolerance range MR11 n times in a row. recognize. Then, the object recognition unit 213 allows the nearest neighbor point PN that is not held in the memory 230 to be registered in the memory 230 among the n nearest neighbor points PN, and registers it in the memory 230. On the other hand, if the number of consecutive times that the projected beams are adjacent to each other at the interval BI is less than n times, or the number of consecutive times that the nearest point PN is located within the tolerance region MR11 is less than n times, the object recognition unit 213 recognizes that It is recognized that the n nearest points PN are not the detection target object 50. Then, the object recognition unit 213 does not permit this nearest point PN to be registered in the memory 230 and does not register it in the memory 230.

As shown in FIG. 8B, for example, three times in chronological order, time t-2, time t-1, and time t, are consecutive. The projection direction dr (search direction) of the projection beam LB by the monitoring device 10 changes to become the projection direction at time t-2, time t-1, and time t. At time t-2, the nearest point PN(t-2) is detected, at time t-1 the nearest point PN(t-1) is detected, and at time t, the nearest point PN(t) is detected. . Since these three nearest points PN are all located in the tolerance range MR11, when the number of consecutive detections n=3, the object recognition unit 213 determines that these nearest points PN have moved in time series. It is determined that it is the detection target object 50, and these nearest neighbor points PN are registered in the memory 230. Note that even if a foreign object exists in a direction different from each light projection direction dr (for example, a direction between each light projection direction dr), this foreign object is not detected as a detection point dp. Further, the display control unit 217 may display information IR4 indicating that each nearest neighbor point PN is located within the tolerance range MR11.

Furthermore, if the number of consecutive detections n=3, the object recognition unit 213 detects these It is determined that the nearest points PN are not the detection object 50 that has moved in time series, and these nearest points PN are not registered in the memory 230. In other words, the object recognition unit 213 discards information on all the unregistered nearest points PN in the memory 230 because at least some of these nearest points PN are outside the tolerance range MR11. The display control unit 217 may display information IR5 indicating that at least a portion of the nearest point PN is outside the tolerance range MR11.

In this way, under condition B, if the distance between the monitoring device 10 and the detection target 50 is long, and the detection point group PS corresponding to the detection target 50 which is far away from the viewpoint of the monitoring device 10 is only one detection point dp. In this case, under condition A, the shape of the detection target 50 cannot be estimated and the detection target 50 cannot be recognized. Even in this case, according to condition B, the terminal device 20 searches for the nearest point PN closest to the protection region MR1 along the light projection direction dr by the monitoring device 10. Then, when a plurality of nearest neighbor points PN along the light projection direction dr, including the nearest neighbor point PN acquired in the past, are continuously located within the tolerance range MR11, the terminal device 20 determines that these nearest neighbor points PN are The detection target object 50 is detected as an indicator of the moving detection target object 50. Therefore, the terminal device 20 can recognize the detection target 50 even if the detection target 50 is located far from the monitoring device 10.

Next, safety using the tolerance range MR11 will be explained.

Approximately 100% of the objects need to be detected before an object entering the protection region MR1 from the outside comes into contact with the boundary (outer circumference) of the protection region MR1 to be protected. Therefore, an extra region called a tolerance region MR11 is provided outside the protection region MR1. The terminal device 20 allows the monitoring device 10 to detect the object when it enters the tolerance range MR11. The variation σ of the measurement values (distance information) measured by the monitoring device 10 depends on the designed performance of the monitoring device 10. For example, by expanding the protection region MR1 outward by 5σ, a tolerance region MR11 is provided.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of determining whether the monitoring region MR is good or bad.

The quality determination unit 216 compares the distance R between adjacent nearest points PN located within the tolerance range MR11 at a certain time t and the time t-1 immediately before that with the minimum detection dimension s, and determines the quality of the distance R. judge. The interval R may be derived, for example, by simply calculating the norm of the Euclidean distance. In the case of R≦s, even if the detection target 50 whose diameter is the minimum detection dimension s tries to enter the protection region MR1, it is detected by the monitoring device 10 within the tolerance range MR11 before entering the protection region MR1. . Therefore, when R>s is satisfied, the quality determining unit 216 determines that the area is good, and determines that the area between the two nearest points PN having this interval R is not an inappropriate area BA. On the other hand, in the case of R>s, when the detection target 50 whose diameter is the minimum detection dimension s tries to enter the protection region MR1, the detection target 50 can pass between the two nearest points PN having the interval R. There is sex. Therefore, when R>s is satisfied, the quality determining unit 216 determines that the quality is not good, and determines that the area between the two nearest points PN having this interval R is the inappropriate area BA.

Note that in FIG. 9, only the two nearest neighbor points PN (PN(t-1), PN(t)) are shown for easy explanation. Actually, the quality determination unit 216 performs quality determination based on the interval R for all the nearest points PN along the outer periphery of the protection region MR1, and for each of two adjacent nearest points PN in turn.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first display example by the display device 250.

The display control unit 217 causes the display device 250 to display the inspection results of the monitoring region MR based on the detection point group PS detected by the monitoring device 10 during or after the inspection. The display device 250 determines, based on data registered in the memory 230 (for example, one or more nearest points PN), an inappropriate area BA where the interval R is larger than the minimum detection size s, or a density smaller than the minimum detection size s. Low-density areas BA2 and the like having a larger interval R than the threshold THR are highlighted. The display device 250 may display the inappropriate area BA and the low density area BA2 together with the protected area MR1. Furthermore, the display device 250 may display information indicating what kind of area the inappropriate area BA is. Furthermore, the display device 250 may display information indicating what kind of area the low density area BA2 is. For example, as the determination result information IR, message information IR6 indicating that the interval between adjacent nearest neighbor points PN is large, or message information IR7 indicating that the density of the nearest neighbor points PN is low density that is less than or equal to a predetermined density, may be used. may be included. Further, the display device 250 may perform the display shown in FIG. 10 in the test mode during the test, or may perform the display shown in FIG. 10 in the detected point group display mode after the test. The display device 250 may display the value of the minimum detectable dimension s and the position of the monitoring device 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the determination result information IR may include information IR8 in which the protection region MR1 and a plurality of nearest neighbor points PN derived at each of a plurality of time points are mapped. Further, the display device 250 may display each detection point dp.

By displaying the determination result information IR on the display device 250 during the inspection, the inspector H1 can, for example, recognize that the nearest point PN displayed during the inspection deviates from the tolerance range MR11, and can continue the inspection. You can start over. By displaying the determination result information IR on the display device 250 after the inspection, the inspector H1 can confirm whether or not there is an inappropriate area BA and the position of the inappropriate area BA as a whole around the protected area MR1. Therefore, the inspector H1 can also check whether the shape of the monitoring region MR has been set correctly by displaying the determination result information IR. In other words, the quality determination unit 216 not only performs a quality determination to determine whether an inappropriate area BA exists within the monitoring region MR, but also performs a quality determination to determine whether the shape of the monitoring region MR is appropriately set. May include.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second display example by the display device 250. Here, matters that are different from the display in FIG. 10 will be mainly explained.

The display control unit 217 causes the display device 250 to display the inspection results of the monitoring region MR based on the detection point group PS detected by the monitoring device 10 during or after the inspection. The display device 250 may display inspector position information IH1 indicating the position of the inspector H1 based on the inspector detection point group PH1D indicating the inspector H1. The examiner position information IH1 may be a figure imitating the examiner H1 (for example, a humanoid illustration), the examiner detection point group PH1D itself, or a symbol indicating the position of the examiner H1. (for example, an arrow) or a message indicating the position of the examiner H1.

The terminal device 20 allows the display device 250 to display the inspector position information IH1 during the inspection, so that, for example, when there is a moving object other than the detection target 50 around the protected region MR1, the terminal device 20 can detect the inspector H1. and other moving objects can be easily distinguished and identified. Furthermore, since the display device 250 displays the examiner position information IH1 during the inspection, the examiner H1 can confirm the position of the examiner H1 during the inspection, and can confirm the position during the inspection in real time. Furthermore, since the display device 250 displays the inspector position information IH1 after the inspection, the inspector H1 can easily recognize the positional relationship between the inspector H1's location and the inappropriate area BA or low-density area BA2. It is possible to quickly go to the inappropriate area BA or low density area BA2 and visually check it.

In this way, the terminal device 20 of the present embodiment can determine the interval R between the point groups included in the detected point group PS, can determine the presence or absence of the inappropriate area BA based on the interval R, and can transmit the determination result information IR. Can be displayed. Therefore, the inspector H1 who has confirmed the determination result information IR can recognize that there is an inappropriate area BA that may allow entry into the protected area MR1. Further, the terminal device 20 can identify whether the detection point group PS is the object point group PO indicating the detection target object 50 or not. Therefore, even if another object other than the detection target object 50 enters the vicinity of the protection area MR1 during the inspection, the terminal device 20 distinguishes it from the detection target object 50 and performs an operation for determining the inappropriate area BA etc. Can be excluded from the data.

In addition, the terminal device 20 not only displays the inspection mode and the entry determination result into the protected area MR1, but also displays the detection point group PS detected by the monitoring device 10 and the detection point group PS detected at multiple points in time. Detection point group tracking based on a plurality of detection point groups PS is possible. The terminal device 20 also determines the interval between adjacent points, recognizes the detection target 50, visualizes an undetected area (inappropriate area BA) that is difficult to monitor by the monitoring device 10, and determines the current state of the inspector H1 at the monitoring site C1. It is possible to display the location, etc.

Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that those skilled in the art can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, and these naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood. Further, each component in the above embodiments may be arbitrarily combined without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In this embodiment, the monitoring device 10 may include various functions (each component) that the processor 210 of the terminal device 20 has. Further, at least one of the operating device 240 and the display device 250 of the terminal device 20 may be provided as a device independent of the terminal device 20.

In this embodiment, the detection target object 50 is a cylindrical test piece, but the detection target object 50 is not limited to this. The detection target object 50 may be a test piece having a shape other than a cylinder (for example, a square prism).
In other words, the cylindrical test piece serving as the detection target object 50 has the minimum object size (minimum detection dimension s) that can be detected by the monitoring device 10, and is reliably detected before entering the protection area MR1. It may have any shape as long as it is set assuming the object to be detected, or it may be a test piece that is freely set by the user. However, it is easier to handle (recognize the shape) a three-dimensional shape with the same cross-sectional shape, such as a cylinder or a polygonal prism, or more specifically, a perfect circular or regular polygonal cross-sectional shape.

Note that the detection target object 50 may include a display device. In this case, the detection target object 50 may have a communication device, communicate with the terminal device 20, acquire the determination result information IS, and display the inspection results.

In the above embodiments, the processor such as the CPU may be physically configured in any manner. Further, if a programmable processor is used, the processing content can be changed by changing the program, so the degree of freedom in designing the processor can be increased. A processor may be composed of one semiconductor chip, or may be physically composed of a plurality of semiconductor chips. When configured with a plurality of semiconductor chips, each control of the above embodiments may be implemented with separate semiconductor chips. In this case, these multiple semiconductor chips can be considered to constitute one processor. Furthermore, the processor may be constructed of a member (such as a capacitor) that has a function different from the semiconductor chip. Furthermore, one semiconductor chip may be configured to implement the functions of the processor and other functions. Furthermore, a plurality of processors may be configured with one semiconductor chip.

The execution order of each process such as operation, procedure, step, and stage in the apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, specification, and drawings is specifically defined as "before" or "before". ” etc., and unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process, it can be implemented in any order. Even if the claims, specifications, and operational flows in the drawings are explained using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that it is essential to implement them in this order. isn't it.

As described above, the area inspection device (for example, the terminal device 20) of the above embodiment inspects the monitoring area MR monitored by the monitoring device 10. The area inspection device includes a processor 210. The monitoring region MR includes a protection region MR1 and a tolerance region MR11 formed outside the protection region MR1. The processor 210 detects, at each of a plurality of time points (for example, . . . , time t-1, time t), a point group corresponding to the detection light that is the reflected or scattered light emitted by the monitoring device 10. Obtain as a point group PS. The processor 210 recognizes the detection target 50 based on the detection point group PS at each of a plurality of time points. At each of a plurality of time points, the processor 210 determines whether one or more detection points dp included in the object point group PO indicating the detection object 50 included in the detection point group PS exist within the tolerance range MR11. In addition, the nearest neighbor point PN, which is the point closest to the protected region MR1, is derived. The processor 210 arranges the nearest points PN derived at each of a plurality of time points in time series on a two-dimensional plane (for example, an xy plane) on which the monitoring region MR is formed, and calculates the distance ( For example, the interval R) is calculated. The processor 210 determines whether the monitoring region MR is good or bad based on the distance and the minimum detectable dimension s that can be detected by the monitoring device 10. The processor 210 causes the display device 250 to display determination result information IR indicating the determination result.

Thereby, the area inspection device can determine the interval R between the point groups included in the detection point group PS, can determine the presence or absence of the inappropriate area BA based on the interval R, and can display the determination result information IR. Therefore, the inspector H1 who has confirmed the determination result information IR can recognize that there is an inappropriate area BA that may allow entry into the protected area MR1. Further, the terminal device 20 can identify whether the detection point group PS is the object point group PO indicating the detection target object 50 or not. Therefore, even if another object other than the detection target object 50 enters the vicinity of the protection area MR1 during the inspection, the terminal device 20 distinguishes it from the detection target object 50 and performs an operation for determining the inappropriate area BA etc. Can be excluded from the data. In this way, the area inspection device can improve the accuracy of determining the quality of the monitoring area MR including the protected area MR1, and allows an operator or the like (for example, the inspector H1) to easily confirm the quality of the monitoring area MR.

Furthermore, if the distance is less than or equal to the minimum detection dimension s, the processor 210 determines that the area between the two nearest points PN for which the distance has been calculated is not an inappropriate area BA, and the distance is less than the minimum detection dimension s. If it is long, it may be determined that the area between the two nearest points PN for which the distance has been calculated is the inappropriate area BA.

Thereby, when the distance (that is, the detection interval that can be detected by the monitoring device 10) is larger than the minimum detection dimension s, the area inspection device can detect the presence of the inappropriate area BA in the monitoring area MR. It can be shown that there is a possibility that entry from the inappropriate area BA with a large interval cannot be prevented. When the distance is smaller than the minimum detection dimension s, it can be shown that entry into the protected area MR1 can be prevented by displaying that the inappropriate area BA does not exist.

Further, the determination result information IR may include inappropriate area information that is information indicating an inappropriate area BA in the monitoring region MR. The processor 210 acquires inspector position information IH1 indicating the position of the inspector H1 who moves the detection target object 50 along the outer periphery of the protected region MR1, and displays the inappropriate area information and the inspector position information IH1 on the display device 250. may be displayed.

Thereby, the area inspection device can visualize the position of the inspector H1 himself located at the monitoring site C1. Therefore, the inspector H1 can easily grasp his or her current position and can easily determine the inappropriate area BA for the inspector H1's position. Therefore, the inspector H1 can quickly arrive at the inappropriate area BA. Furthermore, even if there are other moving objects around the protected region MR1, the area inspection device can distinguish between the inspector H1 and the other objects.

Furthermore, the processor 210 may set an examiner point group PH1 that is a point group indicating at least a portion of the examiner H1. When the detection point group includes an inspector detection point group PH1D that is a point group that matches the inspector point group PH1, the processor 210 estimates the position of the inspector H1 based on the inspector detection point group PH1D. Thus, the inspector position information IH1 is acquired.

Thereby, the area inspection device can acquire the inspector detection point group PH1D using the monitoring device 10, and can estimate the location of the inspector H1 without using other position detection means (eg, GPS).

Furthermore, the minimum detection dimension s may be the diameter of the detection target 50. When the detection point group PS includes a plurality of detection points dp located on the circumference of a circle c1 having a radius matching the minimum detection dimension s, the processor 210 detects the detection target object corresponding to the plurality of detection points dp. 50 may be recognized.

Thereby, the area inspection device can recognize the detection target object 50 based on the shape formed by the plurality of detection points dp, and can determine the presence of the detection target object 50 with high accuracy.

In addition, the processor 210 detects that there is one detection point dp included in the detection point group PS continuously detected at a predetermined number of points in time, and that the processor 210 sequentially places the detection point dp on the two-dimensional plane in which the monitoring region MR is formed. When arranged in series, the detection points dp at adjacent points in time are adjacent on a two-dimensional plane with the projected beam interval BI from the monitoring device 10 interposed therebetween, and both detection points dp are located within the tolerance range MR11. In this case, the detection target object 50 is recognized corresponding to a plurality of detection points dp that are consecutively detected at a predetermined number of time points, and each detection point dp that is consecutively detected at a predetermined number of time points is recognized. , may be the nearest neighbor point PN at each time point.

As a result, the area inspection device can detect the detection target 50 in a temporal and planar manner, for example, even if the detection target 50 is far away from the monitoring device 10 and the multiple detection points dp indicating the detection target 50 cannot be detected by the monitoring device 10. The detection target object 50 can be estimated based on consecutive detection points.

Furthermore, the processor 210 may designate the protection region MR1 to be inspected from among the plurality of protection regions MR1, and determine whether the monitoring region MR including the designated protection region MR1 is good or bad.

Thereby, the area inspection device can designate the desired protection area MR1 and inspect the monitoring area MR including this protection area MR1.

Furthermore, the detection target object 50 may be movable along the outer periphery of the protection region MR1. The processor 210 may display the determination result information IR after the detection target object 50 has moved one round along the outer periphery of the protected region MR1. Thereby, the inspector H1 can confirm the determination results all at once after completing the inspection, and can confirm the inappropriate area BA, etc. in the entire monitoring area MR at a glance.

Furthermore, the detection target object 50 may be movable along the outer periphery of the protection region MR1. The processor 210 may display the determination result information IR while the detection target object 50 is moving along the outer periphery of the protection region MR1. Thereby, the inspector H1 can sequentially confirm the determination results while inspecting, and can quickly confirm inappropriate areas BA, etc. in the monitoring area MR.

Further, the determination result information IR may include information in which the protection region MR1 and a plurality of nearest neighbor points PN derived at each of a plurality of time points are mapped. Thereby, the area inspection device can clearly indicate the positional relationship between the derived nearest neighbor point PN and the protection region MR1 and display each nearest neighbor point PN. Therefore, the inspector H1 can quickly and intuitively confirm which position in the monitoring area MR is the inappropriate area BA.

Furthermore, when the distance is longer than the minimum detectable dimension s, the determination result information IR may include information indicating that the distance is longer than the minimum detectable dimension s. Thereby, the inspector H1 can confirm that there are places where the distance as a detectable interval by the monitoring device 10 is large, and there are places where the monitoring region MR is not well monitored.

In addition, the determination result information IR indicates that when the distance is less than or equal to the minimum detection dimension s and longer than the predetermined density determination threshold THR, the density of the detection point dp is low in the vicinity of the two nearest points PN from which the distance was obtained. It may also include information indicating. Thereby, the inspector H1 can confirm that although it is not undetectable by the monitoring device 10, there is a location where the distance as a detectable interval is relatively large, and the safety in the monitoring region MR may be reduced.

Further, the determination result information IR may include information indicating whether the derived nearest neighbor point PN is located within the tolerance range MR11.

As a result, the inspector H1 can, for example, confirm that the nearest point is valid while moving during the inspection and the nearest point PN is located within the tolerance range MR11, and move the detected object 50 to the next one. The inspection can be continued by moving it to the position shown below. Further, for example, while moving during the inspection, the inspector H1 can confirm that the nearest point PN is invalid and move the detection target 50 forward if the nearest point PN is not located within the tolerance range MR11. You can return to the position, re-find the nearest point, and continue testing.

Note that this application is based on a Japanese patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-128369) filed on August 10, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated as a reference in this application.

The present disclosure is useful for an area inspection device, an area inspection method, a program, etc. that can improve the accuracy of determining the acceptability of a monitoring area including a protected area, and allow an operator etc. to easily check the acceptability of the monitored area.

5 Area inspection system 10 Monitoring device 20 Terminal device 30 Robot device 50 Detection target 210 Processor 211 Communication control unit 212 Setting unit 213 Object recognition unit 214 Object presence detection unit 215 Interval calculation unit 216 Quality determination unit 217 Display control unit 220 Communication Device 230 Memory 240 Operation device 250 Display device C1 Monitoring site DP Detection point H1 Inspector IH1 Inspector position information IR Judgment result information MR Monitoring area MR1 Protection area MR2 Warning area MR11 Tolerance range PS Detection point group PH1 Inspector point group PH1D Inspector detection point group PO Target point group

Claims

An area inspection device for inspecting a monitoring area monitored by a monitoring device,
Equipped with a processor,
The monitoring area includes a protection area and a tolerance area formed outside the protection area,
The processor includes:
At each of a plurality of time points, a group of points corresponding to detection light from which the light projected by the monitoring device is reflected or scattered is acquired as a group of detection points,
Recognizing a detection target based on the detection point group at each of the plurality of time points,
At each of the plurality of time points, among one or more detection points included in the object point group indicating the detection object included in the detection point group, the detection point that exists within the tolerance range and is the closest to the protection area. Derive the nearest neighbor point, which is the closest point,
arranging the nearest neighbor points derived at each of the plurality of time points in time series on a two-dimensional plane in which the monitoring area is formed, and calculating the distance between each of the nearest neighbor points;
Determining whether the monitoring area is good or bad based on the distance and the minimum detection dimension that can be detected by the monitoring device,
displaying judgment result information indicating the result of the judgment on a display device;
Area inspection device.
The processor includes:
If the distance is less than or equal to the minimum detection dimension, it is determined that the area between the two nearest points for which the distance was calculated is not an inappropriate area,
If the distance is longer than the minimum detection dimension, determining that the area between the two nearest neighbor points for which the distance was calculated is an inappropriate area;
The area inspection device according to claim 1.
The determination result information includes inappropriate area information that is information indicating the inappropriate area in the monitoring area,
The processor includes:
acquiring inspector position information indicating the position of an inspector who moves the detection target along the outer periphery of the protection area;
displaying the inappropriate area information and the inspector position information on the display device;
The area inspection device according to claim 2.
The processor includes:
setting an examiner point cloud that is a point cloud indicating at least a portion of the examiner;
When the detection point group includes an inspector detection point group that is a point group that matches the inspector point group, the inspection obtain person location information,
The area inspection device according to claim 3.
The minimum detection dimension is the diameter of the detection target,
When the detection point group includes a plurality of detection points located on the circumference of a circle having a radius that matches the minimum detection dimension, the processor detects the detection target according to the plurality of detection points. recognize,
The area inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.
The processor includes:
The detection point included in the detection point group continuously detected at a predetermined number of points in time is one, and the detection points are arranged in chronological order on a two-dimensional plane in which the monitoring area is formed. , when the detection points at adjacent times are adjacent on the two-dimensional plane with an interval between the beams projected by the monitoring device, and both of the detection points are located within the tolerance range,
Recognizing the detection target corresponding to the plurality of detection points consecutively detected at the predetermined number of points in time;
each one of the detection points consecutively detected at the predetermined number of time points is set as the nearest neighbor point at each time point;
The area inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.
The processor includes:
Specify the protection area to be inspected from among multiple protection areas,
determining the quality of the monitoring area including the specified protection area;
The area inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.
The detection target is movable along the outer periphery of the protection area,
The processor causes the determination result information to be displayed after the detection target has moved one round along the outer periphery of the protection area.
The area inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.
The detection target is movable along the outer periphery of the protection area,
The processor displays the determination result information while the detection target is moving along the outer periphery of the protection area.
The area inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.
The determination result information includes information in which the protected area and a plurality of nearest neighbor points derived at each of the plurality of time points are mapped.
The area inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.
When the distance is longer than the minimum detectable dimension, the determination result information includes information indicating that the distance is longer than the minimum detectable dimension.
The area inspection device according to claim 1 or 2.
The determination result information includes information indicating that when the distance is less than or equal to the minimum detection dimension and longer than a predetermined density determination threshold, the density of detection points is low in the vicinity of the two nearest points from which the distance was obtained. include,
The area inspection device according to claim 11.
The determination result information includes information indicating whether the derived nearest neighbor point is located within the tolerance range.
The area inspection device according to claim 9.
An area inspection method for inspecting a monitoring area monitored by a monitoring device, the method comprising:
The monitoring area includes a protection area and a tolerance area formed outside the protection area,
At each of a plurality of time points, acquiring a point group corresponding to detection light from which the projected light projected by the monitoring device is reflected or scattered as a detected point group;
recognizing a detection target based on the detection point group at each of the plurality of time points;
At each of the plurality of time points, among one or more detection points included in the object point group indicating the detection object included in the detection point group, the detection point that exists within the tolerance range and is the closest to the protection area. deriving a nearest neighbor point that is a close point;
arranging the nearest neighbor points derived at each of the plurality of time points in time series on a two-dimensional plane in which the monitoring area is formed, and calculating a distance between each of the nearest neighbor points;
determining whether the monitoring area is good or bad based on the distance and a minimum detectable dimension detectable by the monitoring device;
Displaying judgment result information indicating the result of the judgment on a display device;
An area inspection method having
A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the area inspection method according to claim 14.