KR101482209B1 - Method for providing networked robot services - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of providing a robot service, the method comprising: switching a control mode of a robot and requesting a remote control of the robot via a network; Receiving a response to the remote control request from the server, transmitting the sensing information in the service area to the server, receiving the remote control signal from the server, and extracting the operation control command included in the remote control signal to control the operation of the robot It is possible to provide a network robot service with low cost and high efficiency while overcoming the technical limit of artificial intelligence.

Robot, Network, Service

Description

[0001] METHOD FOR PROVIDING NETWORK ROBOT SERVICE [0002]

The present invention relates to a method of providing a robot service, and more particularly, to a method of providing a network robot service.

An intelligent robot (Intelligence Robot) is an intelligent robot that can understand a human voice and determine the size and position of an object. An intelligent robot is an industrial robot that is used for relatively simple repetitive tasks such as assembly, welding, , Which corresponds to the second generation.

The intelligent robot senses the external environment (Sensing), judges information based on the sensed environment information, and has a function of Acting according to the determined result. That is, the intelligent robot receives environment information such as image information and voice information by using a sensor such as a camera sensor, an infrared sensor, or a microphone corresponding to a human eye or an ear, and receives the current situation through a processor equipped with an artificial intelligence And performs appropriate operations on the basis thereof. In addition, it is possible to understand the voice of a person, judge the size and position of the object, and autonomously perform an appropriate operation corresponding to the detected environment information.

However, due to the technical limitations of artificial intelligence and the cost of applying it to robots, intelligent robot products with the performance level expected by humans are not developed yet.

Accordingly, the present invention overcomes the technical limitations of artificial intelligence and proposes a low cost, high efficiency network robot service providing method.

A method of providing a network robot service according to an aspect of the present invention is a method of providing a service of a network robot system including a robot and a server connected by a network, Transmitting sensing information in a service area to a server when receiving a response to a remote control request from a server; and receiving an operation control command included in a remote control signal when receiving a remote control signal from the server, .

At this time, the remote control signal may be input through the remote control interface connected to the server.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing a service of a network robot system including a robot and a server connected to a network, the method comprising: switching a control mode of the robot, A step of transmitting specification information about the robot to the server upon receiving a response to the download request from the server, and downloading the service module corresponding to the specification information from the server and activating the service module .

Here, the service module may include a series of control commands for controlling the operation of the robot to provide an application service.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In addition, the terms described below are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, which may vary depending on the intention of the user, the operator, or the custom. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

1 is a block diagram of a network robot service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a network robot service provision system according to the present invention includes a service server 1, a remote control interface 2, and a service robot 5. The service server 1 and the service robot are connected through a network 3 and may further include a gateway 4. [

The service server 1 remotely controls the service robot 5 according to a remote control request from the service robot 5. [ That is, when receiving a remote control request from the service robot 5 via the network 3, the robot 1 monitors status information around the service robot 5 and determines the operation of the robot based on the monitoring result, thereby performing remote control. In addition, the service server 1 can perform remote control to provide the service requested by the user through the service robot 5.

The remote control interface 2 is provided as means for an external expert to control the service robot 5 via the service server 1. [ The remote control interface 2 includes a joystick, a button, a touch screen, and the like for generating a robot control command for remotely controlling the service robot 5. An external expert recognizes the internal situation around the service robot 5 A device for feeding back sensing information such as force, sound, image, and the like. The external expert can recognize the internal situation around the service robot 5 through the remote control interface 2 and remotely control the service robot 5 to provide the necessary service to the user through the remote control interface 2 .

The remote control interface 2 is connected to the service server 1 in the present embodiment, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The remote control interface 2 may be connected to a separate remote control terminal (not shown) connected to the service server, And connected to an external expert server (not shown).

The service robot 5 is equipped with a sensor unit for detecting the surrounding situation, a driving unit for movement, and an embedded processor, so as to grasp the situation around the service robot, and perform appropriate operations to perform the autonomous operation. That is, the user's voice or other command can be recognized, the user's request can be determined, and appropriate operation corresponding to the user's request can be performed.

In addition, the service robot 5 is connected to the service server 1 through the network 3, and can perform a specific service operation by remote control from the service server. At this time, the service robot 5 transmits the situation information detected through the sensor unit to the service server 1, receives the remote control command signal for the determined service operation based on the situation information monitored by the service server, have.

That is, the service robot 5 can switch the control mode to a networked control mode that can be remotely controlled from an autonomous mode using its own processor according to a user's request.

The service robot 5 is interconnected with the service server 1 through a wired / wireless network 3 including the Internet and uses an access point providing a gateway 4 or a high-speed Internet access, For example.

More specifically, FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a network robot service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, a network robot service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a service server 1 and a service robot 5.

First, the service robot 5 includes a mode setting unit 51, an autonomic mode control unit 51, a network mode control unit 53, a communication unit 59, a SoC that performs basic control of the robot, A sensor unit 55, and a driving unit 56, which are embodied as an embedded processor 54,

The mode setting unit 51 receives the input from the user and switches the control mode of the service robot 5. The service robot 5 includes an automatic control mode for performing sensing, judgment, and operation itself, a networked control mode for receiving operation control information from the service server 1 and performing necessary operations, . When the control mode of the service robot is switched to the autonomous mode, the autonomic mode control unit 52 controls the operation of the sensor unit 55, the driving unit 56 and the embedded processor 54 of the service robot 5. When the control mode of the service robot is switched to the network mode, the network mode control unit 53 receives the remote control signal received through the communication unit 59 and transmits the remote control signal to the sensor unit 55, the driving unit 56, And controls the operation of the processor 54. The embedded processor 54 is a processing unit that provides basic functions of a general-purpose robot that processes sensing information sensed through a sensor unit and controls a driving unit according to a robot control command signal, and can be designed in a chip form such as SoC. Accordingly, even the service robot 5 having a limited resource can provide various high-performance service functions through remote control of the experts through the service server.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the service robot 5 may further include a service module 58 provided separately from the embedded processor 54 and downloadable from the service server 1. The service module 58 mounts an application program that can be operated through the embedded processor 54. According to the service function implemented in the service module, the service robot 5 can provide various application services. For example, the service module 58 may be configured to provide services such as a silver care service, a babysitting service, a pet care service, a housekeeping service, an edutainment service, a multimedia playback service, or a security service Can be installed. In the network mode, various service modules can be downloaded from the service server 1, so that the service robot 5 can provide various services according to the downloaded service modules using limited resources.

The service server 1 includes a remote control unit 11, a remote monitoring unit 12, and a communication unit 14 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The remote control unit 11 provides a remote control service according to a service request received from the service robot 5 through the communication unit 14. [ The remote monitoring unit 12 controls the output of sensing information received from the service robot 5 through the communication unit 14. [ Various sensing information such as sound, image, temperature, and humidity can be output through a display screen or a speaker. The expert can recognize the surrounding situation information of the service robot using the sensing information outputted through the remote monitoring unit 12 and accordingly can transmit an appropriate control operation command to the service robot 5 using the remote control interface 2, Lt; / RTI > Accordingly, even a service robot 5 that performs basic operations without a high-performance resource such as a complex artificial intelligence can provide a high-performance application service under the control of an expert.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the service server 1 may further include a service module download unit 13 for providing various application service functions. The service module is a software module for providing a specific application service, and includes a series of robot operation control commands. For example, the service module 58 may be an application service such as a silver care service, a babysitting service, a pet care service, a household assistance service, an edutainment service, a multimedia playback service, or a security service Can be provided. The above-described service module is merely an example, and various application services implemented by software may be further included.

Accordingly, the required application service module can be downloaded according to the request of the service robot 5, and even the service robot 5 having the limited resources and providing the basic functions can provide the required service using the downloaded service module . Further, the service server may be connected to the remote control interface 2, the external expert server 7, or the service module database 6 according to various embodiments.

Hereinafter, a service providing method based on the configuration of the network robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

3 is a communication flowchart of a method for providing a remote control service using a network robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the service robot 5 sets a control mode to a network mode (S100) and transmits a remote control service request to a server (S101) if there is a request from the user.

At this time, it is assumed that the service robot 5 completes the registration procedure in advance in the service server 1, and a general network initialization process such as network session establishment with respect to the service server 1, authentication, and exchange of data necessary for security It is assumed that it is preceded. Of course, the network initialization process described above may be performed before transmitting the remote control service request after setting the network mode. The remote control service request may include identification information on the service robot 5, desired application service identification information, and the like.

The service server 1 having received the remote control service request transmits a response message for allowing the remote control service to the service robot 5 (S102). The service robot, which is permitted to perform the remote control service, collects surrounding sensing information through the sensor unit (S103), and transmits the collected sensing information to the service server (S104). The service server 1 outputs the received sensing information to various output devices through a remote monitoring unit. That is, the sensing information received through the feedback device that transmits force, sound, image, and the like so that the user can feel the sensing information as it is, as well as the display screen and the speaker are output. The expert can recognize the situation around the service area of the service robot 5 through the outputted sensing information. When the robot control operation suitable for the recognized situation is inputted through the remote control interface 2, the inputted robot control operation is converted and the remote control signal corresponding to the robot control command interpretable by the service robot (S105).

The service robot 5 receiving the generated remote control signal executes the robot operation control command in accordance with the remote control signal (S107). The service robot 5 extracts the robot operation control command from the received remote control signal and controls the driver through the embedded processor according to the extracted robot operation control command to perform a desired service operation. The above-described operations in steps S103 to S107 can be repeated as many times as necessary. When the service requested by the user is completed, the service robot 5 releases the network mode and switches the control mode to the autonomous mode. Now, the service robot 5 can control the driving unit to perform an operation corresponding to the information sensed through the embedded processor.

In the above-described embodiment, the network mode is set according to the user's request (S100). However, the network mode can be modified in various ways.

That is, as another embodiment of the present invention, when sensing information that the service robot 5 can not autonomously determine during service execution in the autonomous control mode is inputted, that is, when the service robot 5 autonomously Or if an event that can not be determined occurs, the service robot 5 can switch the control mode to the network control mode by itself and receive the remote control service. When the remote control service is terminated, the network control mode can be released and the mode can be switched to the autonomous control mode.

For example, when the service robot 5 can not recognize a voice command input during service execution in the autonomous control mode, or when the service robot 5 can not determine an object among a plurality of similar objects while the service for carrying the object is being performed, Or when situation information that is not learned in advance by artificial intelligence mounted on the service robot 5 is sensed or the service robot 5 can not autonomously recognize or judge it, Mode is switched to the network mode and the problem situation can be solved by remote control of the external expert through the service server 1. [

Accordingly, the service robot 5 can adaptively respond to unexpected situations by requesting the service server 1 to perform remote control when an event that can not be handled autonomously is generated.

In the above embodiment, the remote control signal is transmitted to the service robot 5 in response to the sensing information under the remote control of the expert through the remote control interface 2, thereby providing a necessary service.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, instead of generating and transmitting each remote control signal, a service module including a series of commands necessary for providing a specific application service may be downloaded to the service robot 5 to provide necessary services have.

4 is a communication flowchart of a download service providing method using a network robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the service robot 5 sets a control mode to a network mode if there is a request from the user (S200), and transmits a download service request to the server (S201). At this time, it is assumed that the service robot 5 completes the registration procedure in advance in the service server 1, and a general network initialization process such as network session establishment with respect to the service server 1, authentication, and exchange of data necessary for security It is assumed that it is preceded. Of course, the network initialization process may be performed before the remote control service request is transmitted after the network mode is set. The remote control service request may include identification information on the service robot 5, desired application service identification information, and the like.

Upon receiving the download service request, the service server 1 transmits a response message for allowing the download service to the service robot 5 (S202). The service robot that has accepted the download service collects the specification information including the version of the robot (S203), and transmits the collected specification information together with the desired service module identification information to the service server 1 (S204).

The service server 1 searches the service module database 6 for an application service module downloadable to the service robot 5 based on the received specification information and the service module identification information (S205) And downloads it to the robot 5 (S206). The service robot 5 that has downloaded the service module activates the corresponding service module (S207), releases the network mode, and switches the control mode to the autonomous mode. The service robot 5 can control the self-embedded processor through the downloaded application service module and control the driving unit to perform a specific application service operation suited to the sensed information. Accordingly, even a service robot 5 of a limited resource that does not support a specific application service can download a specific application service module from the service server 1 via the network, and use a series of robot operation control commands included therein to perform self- The processor can be controlled to support a specific application service.

5 is a reference diagram illustrating an example of application of a network robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5, the service robot 5 providing one application service in the autonomous mode switches to the network mode according to the user input, and the service robot 1 is controlled by the expert through the remote control interface 2 connected to the service server 1 And receiving and operating a remote control signal for a more complex application service under the control of the control unit, thereby providing a highly efficient application service with limited resources.

So far, household robots are at the level of cleaning robots because of the limitation of artificial intelligence to do various things. However, as shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an external expert can remotely control a service robot through a remote control interface connected to an on-demand service server at a user's request, Can be provided.

For example, even when the service robot 5 providing basic functions switches to the network mode, an external expert monitors the circumference of the robot and remotely controls the service robot to observe whether the elderly people eat the medicine well when the user goes out Or an external specialist can remotely operate a service robot to perform a babysitting operation, or go around the house to check security expenses. In addition, it is possible to provide complicated and various application services such as pet care, edutainment service that provides information and entertainment at the same time, and multimedia playback service without adding resources.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, an application service module including a series of operation control commands of a service robot for providing a specific application service is downloaded from the service server 1, and the application service downloaded through the embedded processor is executed Thus, various application functions can be provided at low cost, and various functions can be easily added.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, by distributing the application service providing function of the robot to the external server according to the request of the user, it is possible to provide the remote control service specialized under the control of the external experts. In addition, the hardware configuration of the robot can be simplified to reduce the size and cost. Furthermore, various service modules can be easily downloaded and provided in real time, so that various application services can be provided using a robot having a limited resource.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents thereof should be construed as being included in the present invention.

1 is a configuration diagram of a network robot service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a network robot service providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a communication flowchart of a method for providing a remote control service using a network robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a communication flow diagram of a download service providing method using a network robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a reference diagram illustrating an example of application of a network robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (6)

A service providing method of a network robot system comprising a networked robot and a server, The robot automatically switches the control mode to the network control mode and requests remote control from the server through the network when an event that can not be recognized or determined autonomously is generated during the service execution in the autonomous control mode; Transmitting a sensing information in a service area to the server upon receiving a response to the remote control request from the server; Receiving a remote control signal input through a remote control interface connected to the server from the server, extracting an operation control command included in the remote control signal and controlling the operation of the robot to perform a remote control service; And And releasing the network control mode by itself and switching to an autonomous control mode when the remote control service is terminated. delete The method according to claim 1, The remote control interface And a feedback device for feedbacking sensing information received by the server to at least one of force, sound, and image so that an external expert can recognize the internal situation around the robot. delete A service providing method of a network robot system comprising a network-connected robot and a server, Switching the control mode to a network control mode by itself and requesting the server to download a specific service module through the network when an event that can not be autonomously recognized or determined during service execution in an autonomous control mode occurs; Transmitting specification information including version information about the robot to the server upon receiving a response to the download request from the server; Downloading a service module corresponding to specification information from the server and activating the service module; And And when the service module is activated, releasing the network control mode by itself and switching to an autonomous control mode. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the service module comprises a series of control commands for controlling an operation of the robot to provide an application service.

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