Travel map creating apparatus, travel map creating method, and recording medium

A travel map creating method, performed by a travel map creating apparatus, for creating a travel map for an autonomous mobile robot that autonomously travels in a predetermined floor, the travel map creating method comprising:

• detecting an object around the travel map creating apparatus and obtaining a positional relationship of the object relative to the travel map creating apparatus;
• creating a floor map representing the predetermined floor based on the positional relationship obtained in the obtaining;
• calculating a self-position that is a position of the travel map creating apparatus on the floor map created in the creating;
• identifying a marker around the travel map creating apparatus;
• calculating a relative position of the marker to the travel map creating apparatus;
• switching a mode of the travel map creating apparatus between a floor map creation mode in which the floor map is created and a marker identification mode in which the marker is identified;
• based on the floor map, the self-position, and the relative position of the marker, defining a boundary of a restricted area to which entry of the autonomous mobile robot is prohibited and generating restricted access information including boundary information that indicates the defined boundary;
• and
• creating a travel map including the defined restricted area based on the restricted access information generated in the generating, wherein
• in the creating of the floor map, the relative position of the marker identified in the identifying is not reflected in the floor map when the travel map creating apparatus is traveling, whereas the relative position of the marker identified in the identifying is reflected in the floor map when the travel map creating apparatus is at rest.

A travel map creating apparatus that creates a travel map for an autonomous mobile robot that autonomously travels in a predetermined floor, the travel map creating apparatus comprising:

• a position sensor that detects an object around the travel map creating apparatus and that obtains a positional relationship of the object relative to the travel map creating apparatus;
• a floor map creator that creates a floor map representing the predetermined floor based on the positional relationship obtained by the position sensor;
• a self-position calculator that calculates a self-position that is a position of the travel map creating apparatus on the floor map created by the floor map creator;
• a marker identifier that identifies a marker around the travel map creating apparatus;
• a marker position calculator that calculates a relative position of the marker to the travel map creating apparatus;
• and
• a mode switcher that switches a mode of the travel map creating apparatus between a floor map creation mode in which the floor map is created and a marker identification mode in which the marker is identified, wherein
• the floor map creator does not reflect the relative position of the marker identified by the marker identifier in the floor map when the travel map creating apparatus is traveling, whereas the floor map creator reflects the relative position of the marker identified by the marker identifier in the floor map when the travel map creating apparatus is at rest.