By combining operational flows that involve staying in one place (such as greetings and reception) and operational flows that involve movement (such as patrols and inspections) using the scheduling function, it is possible to automate ugo's operation throughout the day.
Set the schedule according to the type of operational flow.
◆ Table of Contents
- Example of creating an operational schedule
- 09:00 - 12:00: [Type A] Morning reception greetings
- 12:00 - 12:30: [Type B] Midday floor patrol
- 12:30 - 17:00: [Type A] Afternoon reception greetings
- 17:00 - 17:05: [Type A] Return ugo to its default facial expression and arm posture.
- Limitations of the scheduling function
◆ Example of creating an operational schedule
We will create a schedule for ugo to greet customers at the reception desk and patrol the floor during business hours.
09:00 - 12:00: [Type A] Morning reception greetings 12:00 - 12:30: [Type B] Midday floor patrol (The scheduled end time for Type B (operating schedule) should be estimated with sufficient time.) 12:30 - 17:00: [Type A] Afternoon reception greetings 17:00 - 17:05: [Type A] Return ugo to its default facial expression and arm posture.
◆ 09:00 - 12:00: [Type A] Morning reception greetings
Using the "Object Detection" command, we will run a Flow that repeatedly executes throughout the morning, where the AI greets people when it detects them.
For instructions on how to create this Flow, please refer to "[ugo Pro] How to create a Flow that greets people".
This Flow does not include commands in the "Move" category and allows the use of the "Stop at Flow End Time" function, so we will set the greeting Flow to automatically end at 12:00.
For details, please refer to the Schedule Function Guide: [Type A] Operations that involve staying in one place (greetings, reception, etc.) .
◆ 12:00 - 12:30: [Type B] Midday floor patrol
We will have Ugo leave the charging station and perform a patrol of the floor.
■Regarding Flow end time
Because Type B (patrol) Flows include commands in the "Movement" category, the "Automatic End" setting for the schedule is not available; therefore, it will only show the "Scheduled End Time (Operation Schedule)".
For details, please refer to the Schedule Function: [Type B] Operations Involving Movement (Patrol, Inspection, etc.).
Normally, the floor patrol flow takes about 10 minutes to complete, but in Type B (patrol), the arrival time may vary depending on the surrounding conditions (crowds, etc.), due to temporary stops by the collision avoidance function and actions to avoid people and obstacles (route-specified movement, destination-specified movement only).
Therefore, a "sufficient buffer" is included, and the completion time is set to 12:30.
When scheduling a Type A (patrol) after a Type B (patrol) (regularly scheduled), a key to ensuring stable operation is to allow a "sufficient buffer" of 15 to 30 minutes in the scheduled start time of Type A so that the patrol flow is not running at the scheduled start time.
*This may vary depending on the size of the floor being patrolled.
■Facial expression and arm posture at the start of Flow
To ensure that recovery is possible regardless of the arm position or facial expression at the end of the [Type A] morning reception greeting flow, which was running until 12:00, the facial expression on the face display is reset to "default" and the arm position is also changed to the default "standby position" at the beginning of the patrol flow.
◆ 12:30 - 17:00: [Type A] Afternoon reception greetings
Similar to the morning session, we will repeatedly run a Flow throughout the morning that will greet people when the AI detects them.
For instructions on how to create this Flow, please refer to "[ugo Pro] How to create a Flow that greets people".
This Flow does not include commands in the "Move" category and allows the use of the "Stop at Flow End Time" function, so we will set the greeting Flow to automatically end at 5 PM.
For details, please refer to the Schedule Function: [Type A] Operations that involve staying in one place (greetings, reception, etc.).
◆ 17:00 - 17:05: [Type A] Return ugo to its default facial expression and arm posture.
I will revert ugo to its default state at the end of each workday.
To ensure that recovery is possible regardless of the arm position or facial expression at which the [Type A] Afternoon Reception Greeting Flow, which was running until 5 PM, ends, the facial expression on the face display has been reset to "default," and the arm position has also been changed to the default "standby position."
Based on the above, please begin using the scheduling function to operate ugo in a way that suits your operating environment.
🚫 Limitations of the scheduling function
This feature has the following limitations:
Behavior and countermeasures when the previous flow stops due to an error
- The execution of a Flow in the scheduling function does not depend on the completion status (success or failure) of the previous Flow. Therefore, even if the previous flow is stopped due to an error, once the next flow reaches its scheduled time... A new Flow will be automatically executed.
[Specific examples of problems]
1. Error occurred:
During floor patrol (Type B), the collision avoidance function activated due to crowds and other factors, causing the robot to temporarily stop midway through its route.
Because the robot remained stopped for an extended period, Flow itself experienced a timeout error and stopped due to an error.
2. Neglected state:
Normally, this situation would require on-site verification or remote operation by an operator to restart or restore service, but ugo remained stuck in the middle of its path until the next scheduled time.
3. Starting in an unexpected location:
The "Greeting Flow (Type A)," which is supposed to be performed at a charging station after completing the patrol, is being initiated at an inappropriate location along the patrol route.
💡 Countermeasures: For safe operation
To prevent unintended behavior due to "mismatched starting positions," please consider the following operational procedures.
Utilizing notification features and rapid recovery:
- Utilize the notification function of ugo Portal to detect errors in the patrolling flow in real time. In the event of an error, the robot's position will be restored by on-site personnel, or the patrol will be resumed by an operator via remote control. Please promptly return to the charging station. How to setup the notification function
Consider using a feature that guarantees the starting position:
- If you require Flow to start only if the user is in a specific location (such as a charging station),
please consider using the [Start Location Guarantee Function]. Enabling this feature prevents unexpected scheduled flows from starting if you are not in the correct location. - In the starting position guarantee function, ugo uses the starting position image and the surrounding environment visible from the current camera, based on color and brightness information. We are checking if the current location matches. Therefore, in environments where the brightness of lighting or ambient light changes depending on the time of day or weather, even if ugo is placed in the correct starting position, The Flow may not execute if it is determined that the starting position is different from the correct starting position set in advance. • Scheduling function (overwrite execution of Flow) • Guaranteed start position function