Patent ID: 7409266

Claim:
A group robot system comprising a plurality of sensing robots, and a control apparatus controlling (i) an operation of each of said plurality of sensing robots, and (ii) a definition of areas in which of each of said plurality of sensing robots are respectively located relative to said control apparatus, wherein each of said plurality of sensing robots is equipped with the same sensor function and a predetermined sensor function level relative to the others of said plurality of sensing robots, and, wherein said control apparatus responds to a detection of an object by one of said plurality of sensing robots (a) by providing a control such that another of said plurality of sensing robots that is equipped with a function level differing from the function level of said one of said plurality of sensing robots that detected said object conducts a further search for said object, and (b) by providing a control such that at least one of said plurality of sensing robots other than said one of said plurality of sensing robots that detected the object and said sensing robot conducting said further search moves outside of a respective area relative to said control apparatus in which it was located prior to the detection of the object.