KR101162982B1

KR101162982B1 - Remote control system for Robot

Info

Publication number: KR101162982B1
Application number: KR20100007897A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 강양구; 백지훈
Original assignee: (주)유비쿼터스사이언스테크놀러지
Priority date: 2010-01-28
Filing date: 2010-01-28
Publication date: 2012-07-09
Also published as: KR20110088136A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for remotely controlling a robot, the robot 10 having a short-range communication module and the data transmitted from the robot 10 is processed and output through the communication module and input through the differential input unit. Or the data collected from the robot 10 processed by the repeater 20 and the repeater 20 for transmitting the control signal to or from the robot 10 to the robot 10 is output. Provides a robot remote control system comprising a remote controller (30) which is a mobile communication terminal that can give a control command of), while using a mobile communication terminal to smoothly control a remote robot, many-to-many method Control is also possible.

Description

Robot remote control system {Remote control system for Robot}

The present invention relates to a system for remotely controlling a robot, and more particularly, a robot that can be controlled in a many-to-many manner while smoothly controlling a remote robot using a mobile communication terminal. It relates to a remote control system.

In the case of firefighting / military robots, information is obtained through various types of sensors such as cameras and microphones through exploration and movement through the purpose of on-site exploration and purpose fulfillment.

Current systems control the robot remotely from the site and process all data and commands from the site commander or user via a control terminal such as a computer.

However, the direct control through such a control terminal has a problem in that the control distance is restricted because the robot cannot control when the robot goes out of the control distance of the control terminal.

Accordingly, a long distance wireless communication network (Wifi, 3G) is used to increase the control distance between the robot and the control terminal. When the long distance wireless communication network is used, a module for long distance communication and a hardware device for data transmission and processing in the robot itself. Due to the attachment of the battery consumption increases, it is difficult to transfer large amounts of data.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, it is an object to allow a remote user to control using a separate communication network (WiFi, 3G communication network) after building the control system in the field.

Then, the information obtained through video, sound data and sensor is processed through data processing, and after being compressed and converted into data for easy transmission, it is supplied to a remote controller through a communication network so that the user can use it in the field, Another purpose is to allow users to check the same data at high speed.

In addition, the repeater sets the access authority of the remote user according to the channel assigned to each robot in the repeater, so that several people can control each robot at the same time without malfunction due to confusion of control commands in accordance with the command priority.

A feature of the present invention for achieving the above object is a robot equipped with a short-range communication module, and processing the data transmitted from the robot to output through the communication module and control the robot is input through the input unit or transmitted from the outside In the robot remote control system consisting of a repeater for transmitting a signal to the robot, and a remote controller that is a mobile communication terminal that outputs data collected from the robot processed in the repeater and allows the user to give a control command to the robot.

In the above, when the signal is not received through the communication module, the robot 10 terminates the existing command and performs backward operation to search for the connection signal. The robot 10 and the repeater 20 are based on RF communication. If RF communication is not possible, Bluetooth (Bluetooth) communication is used, and the communication between the repeater 20 and the remote controller 30 basically uses the WiFi network, and when the WiFi network is not available, the data is switched to the 3G network. Allow communication.

In addition, the repeater 20 allocates a channel to the robot 10, and when the connection request of the robot 10 is received from the remote controller 30, the remote controller 30 currently connected to the robot 10 is connected. By determining whether there is a remote controller 30 is connected to the remote controller 30 is connected to the remote controller 30 to enable many-to-many control.

According to the present invention having the configuration as described above it is possible to reduce the cost by minimizing the number of emergency waiting personnel, it is possible to control by using a smart phone enables the authority or the person in charge in the event handling immediately control in the event site and control When the robot control itself, it is possible to control precisely and quickly while receiving various data.

In addition, since the remote control is easy, in the case of a fire site, the robot can enter and extinguish the fire instead of a firefighter, and in the case of military use, remote control such as control of a military robot sent from South Korea to Africa is possible. In addition, it is possible to control several robots through a repeater, and when applied to a home network, robot cleaners, washing machines, and other home appliances can be controlled remotely through a communication network.

1 is a block diagram showing a robot control system according to the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing an example of using a communication network of the robot control system according to the present invention.
3 is a view showing a robot control screen of the robot control system according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention is largely composed of a robot 10, a repeater 20, and a remote controller 30.

In the above, the repeater 20 refers to a computer including a PC mounted in a mobile vehicle such as a field command car, a command headquarters, and the remote controller 30 is a smart phone and an embedded board as a mobile communication terminal. board) and the like.

In addition, the robot 10 includes various devices capable of collecting data about the surroundings, such as an ultrasonic sensor, a human body sensor, an infrared thermal sensor, a camera, and a motor for driving the robot 10. The DC motor for driving the wheel and the servo motor for driving the arm for movement is provided, the communication module for RF, Bluetooth communication and a control unit for controlling their operation is provided.

In addition, the repeater 20 uses a conventional computer and has a memory, RF, and a communication module (codec), a controller for Bluetooth communication therein.

The operation of the robot control system having such a configuration will be described.

First, the communication network between the robot 10, the repeater 20, and the remote controller 30 will be described.

The robot 10 and the repeater 20 are connected through two communication networks such as RF and Bluetooth. At the same time, data communication is not performed through the two communication networks, but data communication is basically performed through the RF communication. If the RF communication with is lost, it switches to Bluetooth and attempts to connect.

When the two communication networks are disconnected, the controller constituting the robot attempts to connect to the communication network by driving the DC motor through its reverse driving system when there is no signal input from the communication module. Afterwards, the obstacles from all directions are detected by ultrasonic sensors attached to four directions of left and right, and the vehicle can move backwards in the field.

The robot 10 and the repeater 20 transmit and receive data using RS232 (serial communication) using an RF communication network, and the control unit configuring the robot 10 controls the DC motor according to a control signal transmitted from the repeater 20. The robot moves according to the control command inputted and controls the robot arm and the camera angle by using a servo motor.

In addition, digital data obtained through a sensor attached to the robot 10 such as a front human body detection through a human body sensor and a thermal sensor through an infrared thermal sensor, and analog image data obtained through a camera may also be used as a repeater using an RF communication network. 20).

At this time, since the data acquired through the camera is analog, the power consumption is lower than when the image is converted by the robot during transmission, but due to the large data capacity when receiving input from the computer, the capacity is directly transferred to the remote controller 30 due to the capacity. There is a problem with the use. Due to this problem, the image compression and image processing through the codec are performed in the repeater 20 with a smooth power supply.

For example, in the image transmitted from the robot 10 in the repeater 20, the screen is brightened or when an object is detected through an image processing algorithm, the object is clearly displayed on the screen and transmitted to the remote controller 30. The remote controller 30 outputs the data transmitted from the repeater 20 as it is.

This is because, when the image processing is performed in the remote controller 30, the system performance is slow and high-speed and large-capacity calculation is difficult. (For example, it is difficult to edit a 3D movie on a general computer, but there is no difficulty in playing it. This is because image processing requires high speed operation, but simple screen display does not require high speed operation.)

As such, all of the data processing requiring high-speed operation, such as image processing, is performed in the repeater 20, and is simply displayed on the remote controller 30, and simple image display and sensor value output and control for the remote controller 30 are displayed. Only because it is made, it is possible to process a larger amount of information faster than when the control as it is without going through the repeater 20. For this reason, it is possible to process a greater amount of data and to reduce the load on the controller when the user goes through the repeater than when directly controlling the remote controller (smart phone).

Meanwhile, the communication between the repeater 20 and the remote controller 30 basically uses a WiFi network, and when the use of the WiFi network is not possible, data communication is performed by switching to a 3G network. When using a WiFi network, a large amount of data communication can be performed smoothly, but it is restricted in use where the communication network is not provided. On the other hand, if 3G network is used, it can be connected in most regions except for extreme terrain, but high-speed large-capacity data communication has a problem that is relatively limited compared to WiFi. Can be used.

A conceptual diagram of such a communication network can be easily seen through FIG. 2.

The part indicated in blue is the RF communication network range, which is the activity range of the robot 10 and the repeater 20, and the control of the robot 10 can be performed within this range.

When the repeater 20 and the remote controller 30 cross the WiFi communication network range indicated in yellow, data communication is performed through the WiFi network. When the communication network is not smooth, data communication is performed through the 3G communication network.

Then, look at the data communication between the robot 10 and the repeater 20.

The repeater 20 performs data processing for fast communication with the role of the connector of the robot 10 and the remote controller 30.

Since the data acquired through the robot 10 is basically digitized, there is a problem that a user cannot immediately recognize. Therefore, it is easily processed and provided to the user.

For example, in case of motor, if the current output value is 30, it is difficult to measure the exact speed. Therefore, convert it to 20Km / h or detect the value displayed by human body sensor as 255 or 0. It reproduces in a form that is easy to understand.

Most importantly, the role of the repeater 20 is to process video and audio data.

When the image data is wirelessly transmitted directly from the remote controller 30, the processor has an environment in which image processing is difficult to be performed smoothly. In addition, since the data storage and transmission to other equipment can not be processed at the same time, the repeater (computer) 20 goes through the process. The received image data is reduced by compressing data using a codec to reduce the volume of the human body and detect objects according to the image processing algorithm. The processed video and audio are stored and stored in the memory of the repeater 20 and simultaneously transmitted to the remote controller 30 to provide information.

Since the distance between the robot 10 and the repeater 20 in the transmission is limited to some extent, more precise control is performed between the robot 10 and the remote controller 30 which reduces the delay time such as accuracy and data conversion by short range communication. It reduces the delay time of the control command so that it can be processed more quickly.

In addition, the repeater 20 allows to build a many-to-many robot control system network away from the existing 1: 1 robot control system. When two or more robots 10 are driven within the range of the repeater 20, a confusion may occur in command signal transmission and data acquisition due to overlapping communication bands. In the repeater 20, as shown in Table 1, the frequency band of the RF communication module is adjusted, and a channel can be allocated to each robot 10 so as to be connected to the controller 30 so that crosstalk does not occur.

In case of using the same frequency band at the same time in the field, the robot 10 which adjusts the frequency band in advance is inputted, and with the repeater 20, the robot 10 is divided according to the frequency band for each channel and the remote controller. Make connection with (30).

The remote controller 30 accesses the relay system network, selects the desired robot 10, and controls the system. If there is a controller connected first by the priority of work, the other controller is denied access and can only be connected to the disconnected robot 10, which means that the user sends a connection request for the specific robot 10 to the relay 20. Repeater 20 determines whether there is a connection of the pre-controller, that is, the other remote controller 30 to the robot 10, and notifies that the connection is impossible when there is a connection of the other remote controller 30. Whether to connect to the robot 10 without a connection of the remote controller 30 is transmitted to the remote controller 30. Accordingly, the user of the remote controller 30 can select and control the robot 10. Therefore, it is possible to drive a many-to-many robot control system.

Look at the control in the repeater 20 and the remote controller 30.

Basically, even if the repeater 20 can give a command, it is possible to control if only the communication network is provided at a long distance (the other side of the earth) according to the absence of a field expert and a special situation. The information received from the remote controller 30 is displayed in the same manner as that processed and displayed by the repeater 20, and it is possible to select whether or not to display the information under the control of the user.

Control is intuitively performed through a touch panel attached to the display unit (LCD monitor) of the repeater 20 or the remote controller 30, which will be described with reference to FIG.

When the image of the scene transmitted from the robot 10 is displayed on the monitor screen of the repeater 20 or the remote controller 30 as a whole, the user may move the robot 10 in a corresponding direction by clicking an arrow on the screen. When the user presses the left arrow, the user turns left. When the user presses the forward button, the user moves straight. In this way, a command such as rotating the camera attached to the robot 10 through a separate menu selection can be controlled by an intuitive method such as clicking the image as it is.

10: robot 20: repeater
30: remote controller

Claims

The near field communication module is provided, and when a signal is not received through the near field communication module, the robot 10 terminates the existing command and performs backward operation to search for a connection signal,
A repeater 20 which processes the data transmitted from the robot 10 and outputs it through a communication module and transmits a control signal of the robot 10 inputted through a vehicle input unit or transmitted from the outside to the robot 10;
The data collected from the robot 10 processed by the repeater 20 is output, characterized in that it is composed of a remote controller 30 that is a mobile communication terminal that allows a user to give a control command of the robot 10 Robot remote control system.

delete

According to claim 1, wherein the robot 10 and the repeater 20 is based on the RF communication when the RF communication is not possible using Bluetooth (Bluetooth) communication, the communication between the repeater 20 and the remote controller 30 Is basically a WiFi network, when the use of the WiFi network robot remote control system, characterized in that switching to 3G network data communication is made.

The remote controller of claim 1, wherein the repeater 20 allocates a channel to the robot 10, and when the connection request of the robot 10 is received from the remote controller 30, the remote controller currently connected to the robot 10. (30) by determining whether there is a remote controller 30 is connected to the remote controller 30, the robot remote control system, characterized in that the many-to-many control is possible.