Control system, control method, and non-transitory storage medium

A control method for controlling a system that includes an autonomously movable mobile robot that includes (a) a control computer, (b) a platform that includes a lifting stage, a part of the lifting stage being housed inside the platform, the lifting stage having a loading surface that is configured to contact a lower surface of a transport object that is to be transported by the mobile robot to support the transport object from below the transport object, the lifting stage being controlled by the control computer to raise and lower the loading surface to load and unload the transport object, (c) a stand that projects upwardly from the platform and includes a control member configured to be operated by a user of the mobile robot, and (d) light-emitting units that include a first light-emitting unit and second light-emitting unit, the first light-emitting unit being disposed on the platform at a position surrounding and adjacent to the lifting stage, and the second light-emitting unit being disposed on the stand at a position surrounding and adjacent to the control member, the control method being executed by the control computer and comprising:

• determining a traveling state of the mobile robot associated with a traveling environment of the mobile robot;
• controlling the light-emitting units to emit light in different light emission patterns depending at least on whether a determination result of the traveling state indicates that there is an abnormality or that there is no abnormality, and
• stopping movement of the mobile robot in response to the determination result indicating that there is the abnormality, wherein
• the method further includes the control computer
• controlling the first light-emitting unit to emit light in an alert light emission pattern in response to the lifting stage being raised or lowered while in autonomous movement mode, the alert light emission pattern being different from the light emission patterns that are emitted (1) in response to the determination result indicating that there is the abnormality and (2) in response to the determination result indicating that there is no abnormality while the mobile robot is moving autonomously in the autonomous movement mode, and
• controlling the second light-emitting unit to emit light in a same light emission pattern in response to the determination result indicating that there is no abnormality while the mobile robot is in the autonomous movement mode.

A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors and that cause the one or more processors to perform a process of controlling a system that includes an autonomously movable mobile robot that includes (a) the one or more processors, (b) a platform that includes a lifting stage, a part of the lifting stage being housed inside the platform, the lifting stage having a loading surface that is configured to contact a lower surface of a transport object that is to be transported by the mobile robot to support the transport object from below the transport object, the lifting stage being controlled by the one or more processors to raise and lower the loading surface to load and unload the transport object, (c) a stand that projects upwardly from the platform and includes a control member configured to be operated by a user of the mobile robot, and (d) light-emitting units that include a first light-emitting unit and a second light-emitting unit, the process being executed by the one or more processors and comprising:

• a determination process of determining a traveling state of the mobile robot associated with a traveling environment of the mobile robot,
• a light emission process of controlling the light-emitting units to emit light in different light emission patterns depending at least on whether a determination result of the traveling state in the determination process indicates that there is an abnormality or that there is no abnormality, and
• a stopping process of stopping movement of the mobile robot in response to the determination result indicating that there is the abnormality, wherein
• the light emission process further includes
• controlling the first light-emitting unit to emit light in an alert light emission pattern in response to the lifting stage being raised or lowered while in autonomous movement mode, the alert light emission pattern being different from the light emission patterns that are emitted (1) in response to the determination result indicating that there is the abnormality and (2) in response to the determination result indicating that there is no abnormality while the mobile robot is moving autonomously in the autonomous movement mode, and
• controlling the second light-emitting unit to emit light in a same light emission pattern in response to the determination result indicating that there is no abnormality while the mobile robot is in the autonomous movement mode.