KR101920620B1 - Robot for providing information and method for providing information using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a robot for providing information and a method for providing information using the same. According to the present invention, the robot comprises: a body; at least one display provided on the external side surface of the body to form a three-dimensional frame of the robot; and a content controller controlling contents having at least one of a shape, a form, and a color of one side surface of the robot to be displayed on a display to which the contents are individually correspond, and controlling appearance of the robot to be three-dimensionally designed in accordance with the three-dimensional frame formed by the display and combination of the contents.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an information providing robot,

The present invention relates to a robot, and more particularly, to a robot capable of providing information and a method of providing information using the same.

Robots are being used as a means to replace human resources in various fields such as industry, public places, and homes, and the use of robots is increasing because it increases productivity and convenience of living. However, the use of robots also has negative aspects such as threats to human jobs, crimes, and so forth. Therefore, in providing various services using robots, there is a need for a method that can provide more familiarity to users.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an information providing robot capable of providing entertainment and intimacy to a user at a low cost through a robot equipped with a stereoscopic display, And a method of providing information using the same.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an information providing robot which can be moved autonomously according to a situation and a method of providing information using the same.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot capable of providing information, including a main body, at least one display provided on an outer surface of the main body to form a stereoscopic form of the robot, and at least one of a shape, And a content controller for controlling the appearance of the robot to be three-dimensionally designed according to a combination of the stereoscopic pattern formed by the at least one display and the content have.

In one aspect, the robot includes a plurality of wheels provided at a lower portion of the main body, a motor coupled to a shaft of the plurality of wheels, a steering device for adjusting a moving direction of the robot, And a drive controller for controlling movement of the robot.

In another aspect, the drive controller may control movement of the robot based on a sensor used to recognize the position of the robot.

In another aspect, the at least one display includes a first display provided on a front surface of the main body, a second display provided on a rear surface of the main body, a third display provided on a left surface of the main body, And a fifth display provided on the main body and including a touch panel.

In yet another aspect, the content includes a first content displayed on the first display, a second content displayed on the second display, a third content displayed on the third display, and a fourth content displayed on the fourth display, Content, and the first to fourth contents may constitute front, rear, left, and right views of the robot, respectively.

In another aspect, the robot further includes a camera provided on at least one of an upper portion and a front portion of the main body, and a microphone provided on at least one of an upper portion and a front portion of the main body, and the content controller includes: And the fifth display, and can change the appearance of the robot based on information about the user.

According to another aspect, the robot further includes a tilting device provided in the main body and adapted to adjust a tilting angle of the fifth display based on information about a user recognized by at least one of the camera and the microphone .

In another aspect, the information about the user may be information on at least one of the age, sex, dress, and language of the user.

In yet another aspect, the content controller may control to display an object corresponding to a face of the robot through the fifth display.

In another aspect, the content controller may vary the appearance of the robot based on at least one of information about a location of the robot, weather information of an area where the robot is located, date information, and time information.

In another aspect, the content controller controls an object corresponding to an arm of the robot to be displayed on the at least one display, and when the robot is moving, each of the objects corresponding to arms of the robot moves to a moving speed And can be controlled to move on the corresponding display according to the direction.

In another aspect, the robot may further include a communication unit for transmitting the information request input from the user and for receiving information corresponding to the information request.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a robot-based information providing method.

The method may further include displaying at least one display on the outer surface of the robot, the display including at least one of the outer shape, shape, and color of one side of the robot on at least one display forming a stereoscopic form of the robot, Controlling the stereoscopic shape of the robot in accordance with a combination of the stereoscopic pattern formed by the at least one display and the contents, a camera, a microphone, and the at least one display Recognizing information about the user using the robot and changing the appearance of the robot based on the information about the user.

In one aspect, the content includes a first content displayed on a first display, a second content displayed on a second display, a third content displayed on a third display, and a fourth content displayed on a fourth display, The first, second, and third contents may constitute front, rear, left, and right views of the robot.

In another aspect, the method further comprises adjusting the tilting angle of the at least one display using a tilting device provided on the main body based on information about the user, after the step of recognizing information about the user .

In another aspect, the information about the user may be information on at least one of the age, sex, dress, and language of the user.

In another aspect, the method may further include controlling to display an object corresponding to a face of the robot through the at least one display.

In another aspect, the step of controlling the outline of the robot to be three-dimensionally designed may include a step of controlling the three-dimensional design of the robot based on at least one of information about a place where the robot is located, weather information of an area where the robot is located, So that the outer shape of the first and second electrodes is formed to be three-dimensionally formed.

In another aspect, the step of controlling the outline of the robot to be three-dimensionally designed may include controlling at least one display to display an object corresponding to the arm of the robot, and, when the robot is moving, And controlling each of the corresponding objects to move on the corresponding display according to the moving speed and direction of the robot.

In another aspect, the method further comprises: after the step of recognizing information about the user, transmitting an information request input from a user, receiving information corresponding to the information request, and receiving information corresponding to the information request To the at least one display through the at least one display.

Since the outer shape of the robot can be designed by using a combination of a stereoscopic outline (or a mold) formed by a display provided on the outer surface of the robot and a content displayed on the display, it is possible to provide an intimacy to the user .

Since the movement of the robot can be controlled based on the recognized information through the sensor provided in the robot, effective information can be provided while moving autonomously.

1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an information providing robot according to an example of the present specification.
2 is a block diagram showing an information providing robot according to an example of the present specification.
3 is a bottom view of an information providing robot according to an example of the present specification.
FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the appearance of an information providing robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention being variable through a plurality of displays.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an information providing method according to an example of the present specification.

Various embodiments are disclosed with reference to the drawings. For the purpose of illustration, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. It should be appreciated, however, that such embodiment (s) may be practiced without the specific details. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of one or more embodiments. However, these implementations are exemplary and some of the various methods may be utilized in the principles of various implementations, and the description set forth is intended to include all such implementations and their equivalents.

Various embodiments and features will be presented by means of an apparatus which may comprise a plurality of components. It should also be understood and appreciated that the various embodiments may include additional features and / or may not include all of the features discussed in connection with the drawings. As used herein, the terms " an embodiment, " " an embodiment, " " an example, " etc. should not be construed as advantageous or advantageous over other aspects or designs described. .

It is also to be understood that the term " comprises " and / or " comprising " means that a feature, component and / or device is present, but that the presence of one or more other features, components, Or < / RTI > additions. Also, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise or to the contrary, the singular forms in this specification and claims should generally be construed to mean " one or more. &Quot;

1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an information providing robot according to an example of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 1, the information providing robot 10 may include at least one display 110, 120, and 130. Each display may be provided on each side of the main body 100. In other words, a display may be provided on a surface exposed to the outside of the information providing robot 10. For example, when the information providing robot 10 is implemented in the form of a square pillar as shown in FIG. 1, four displays may be provided on the side surface of the main body 100. If the information providing robot 10 is implemented as a hexagonal column, six displays may be provided on the side of the main body. If the information providing robot 10 is implemented as a cylinder, one or more curved displays may be provided on the side of the main body.

1, when the information providing robot 10 is implemented as a square pillar, the first display is provided on the front surface of the main body 100, and the second display is provided on the front surface of the main body 100 A third display may be provided on the left side of the main body 100 and a fourth display may be provided on the right side of the main body 100. [ A fifth display 130 may be provided on the upper portion (head) of the main body 100 for interaction with the user. Here, the fifth display 130 may include a touch panel for interaction with a user.

A tilting device 140 may be provided between the main body 100 and the head to adjust the tilting angle of the fifth display 130. The tilting device 140 may adjust the tilting angle of the fifth display 130 based on information about the user so that a smooth interaction with the user can be performed. Here, the information about the user may mean information about the height at which the user's face (or eyes) is located.

A driving device 150 may be provided on the lower portion of the main body 100 so that the information providing robot 10 can move. The driving device 150 may be driven in response to a command from the server, or may be autonomously driven according to a preset program.

Meanwhile, the main body 100 may include at least one camera 160, 160 'and at least one microphone 170. In FIG. 1, two cameras and one microphone are shown on the front surface of the main body 100, but the positions and the numbers of the cameras and the microphones are not limited thereto. The information providing robot 10 can recognize information about the user based on the image information input through the cameras 160 and 160 'and / or the sound information input through the microphone 170, Information can be provided through at least one display, a speaker, and the like.

2 is a block diagram showing an information providing robot according to an example of the present specification.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the robot capable of providing information will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

The robot 10 includes a plurality of displays 110, 120 and 130, a content controller 210, a communicator 220, at least one sensor 230, a tilting device 140, a drive controller 240, 150). Here, the number of displays may vary depending on the shape of the robot. For example, when the robot 10 is implemented in the shape of a quadrangular prism, displays may be provided on the outer sides of the main body, for example, front, rear, left, (Or a mold) can be formed. At this time, the robot 10 may include a touch panel for interaction with a user. Such a touch panel may be provided on either the display provided on the robot 10 or the display forming the main body.

The displays 110 and 120 provided in the main body 100 of the robot 10 may display information for collectively exposing a plurality of persons or may decorate the shape, shape, or color of the robot virtually and / or stereoscopically The user can display content (e.g., virtual clothes of the robot, virtual body parts (arms, legs), virtual appearance, etc.) of the robot. For example, when a plurality of displays 110 and 120 mounted on the main body 100 are provided in the shape of a quadrangular pillar, the front display 110 may include a plurality of displays 110 and 120, And the side display 120 displays the second content corresponding to the shape, shape, or color of the side surface of the robot 10, and the rear display (not shown in the drawing) indicates the shape of the rear surface of the robot 10 , Shape or color of the first content.

The first to third contents can maintain correlation, contiguousness and synchronization with each other in terms of their contents. For example, when the first to third contents constitute the garment of the robot, the clothes of the robot 10 are not broken or spaced around the boundary where the front display 110 and the side display 120 are in contact with each other, Content can be prepared (see Fig. 4).

Thus, based on the displays forming the three-dimensional outline (or the frame) of the robot and the combination of the first to third contents exposed in each display, the front, rear, left, and right (or appearance) It can be freely designed by shape, shape and color.

In the display provided in the upper portion of the robot 10, information necessary for a specific user may be displayed or a content for shaping the face of the robot may be displayed.

The content controller 210 may control contents displayed on the plurality of displays 110, 120, and 130 to control the appearance or contour of the robot to be three-dimensionally formed. Content controller 210 may be implemented in hardware, such as a machine and / or electronic circuitry, or in a combination of hardware and software (e.g., chip, processor, RAM, etc.).

For example, the content controller 210 may include a plurality of displays 110, 120, and 120 based on at least one of the location of the robot 10, the weather information of the area where the robot 10 is located, 130 are changed so that the appearance of the robot 10 can be varied. Alternatively, the sensor 230 may be used to recognize information about the user, and the appearance or appearance of the robot 10 may be varied based on the information. Here, the information on the user may be information on at least one of the age, sex, dress, and language of the user. For this, the content controller 210 can control the display of the objects on the left arm and the right arm of the robot through the displays provided on the left and right of the plurality of displays 110, 120, and 130, respectively. When the robot 10 is moving, it is possible to control the objects corresponding to the left arm and the right arm of the robot to move on the corresponding display according to the moving speed and / or direction of the robot, respectively. Meanwhile, the content controller 210 can control an object corresponding to the face of the robot 10 (e.g., eye nose, mouth, etc.) to be displayed through the display provided on the upper part of the body. At this time, the content controller 210 may change the position, angle, size, and the like of the object corresponding to the face on the display so that the user can read various facial expressions on the face of the robot according to the interaction with the user.

The communicator 220 can perform transmission of an information request input from a user and reception of information corresponding to the information request. For example, when a user requests information on a movement path to a specific position by voice, touch, or the like using a microphone, a display, or the like provided in the robot, the communicator 220 transmits the information to the server, The information about the movement route to the specific location can be received. As another example, when a user requests location information on a specific restaurant by using a camera, a microphone, or the like provided in the robot, the robot 10 transmits position information on the specific restaurant through the communicator 220 From the server and display the corresponding information through the display.

The sensor 230 is used for recognizing the environment of the robot 10 or a user or recognizing the position of the robot 10. The sensor 230 may be a laser sensor, a vision sensor, a 3D sensor, a camera, a microphone, a GPS Global Positioning System), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) module, and the like.

The drive controller 240 controls the drive controller 240 based on the information about the environment and / or the user recognized by the sensor 230 such as a laser sensor, a vision sensor, a 3D sensor, a camera, a microphone, a GPS module, The movement of the robot can be controlled autonomously based on the movement control information received from the server through the communicator 220. [ For example, the drive controller 240 determines the position of the robot 10 based on GPS information, WiFi information, vision information, laser information, and 3D camera information acquired through the sensor 230, 150 to move the robot 10 to a destination.

2, a case where the driving controller 240 and the content controller 210 are implemented as separate components is shown, but the driving controller 240 may be integrated with the content controller 210 to be implemented as a single processor It is possible.

The tilting device 140 is provided on the upper side of the robot 10 and tilts the upper display (the head of the robot) based on the user's positional information recognized by the sensor (e.g., camera, microphone) ) The angle can be adjusted. For example, the processor of the robot calculates the coordinate value of the area where the user's face is located based on the information of the face of the user recognized by the camera, the direction of the sound input to the microphone, The tilting device 140 can be controlled to read the screen of the upper display.

The driving device 150 can drive the robot under the control of the driving controller 240. [

3 is a bottom view of an information providing robot according to an example of the present specification.

Hereinafter, the driving apparatus 150 in the case where the information providing robot is implemented in the form of a square pillar will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

The driving device 150 includes a plurality of wheels 151, a motor 152 coupled to the axle of the wheel, a steering device 153 for controlling the moving direction of the robot, a controller for controlling the motor and the steering device, And a support portion 155 provided to support the main body of the robot.

The display of the robot is respectively mounted by a mounting frame (not shown) projecting upward from the supporting portion 155, and the display can be mounted with the screen oriented in different directions with respect to the mounting frame. At this time, the vertical boundary surfaces between the displays may be adjacently placed next to each other to form a polyhedral structure as a whole.

If the information providing robot is implemented in a cylindrical shape, the support part 155 may be implemented in a circular shape, and at least one curved display may be mounted on the upper part of the circular support part.

FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the appearance of an information providing robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention being variable through a plurality of displays.

4A and 4B, content corresponding to the external appearance (costume, body, etc.) of the robot can be displayed through a display provided on the side surface among a plurality of displays provided on the robot, The contents corresponding to the face suitable for the contour can be displayed through the display provided on the upper part. Thus, according to the present specification, the appearance or appearance of a robot is thus configured in a software (or hypothetical) manner through a plurality of displays rather than by structural and physical means (e.g., actual arms of the robot, Therefore, the shape, shape, and color of the robot can be variously expressed freely and stereoscopically at a low cost, and it is possible to change the outer shape such as the front, back, left and right of the robot in real time as needed.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an information providing method according to an example of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 5, the robot controls each of contents displayed through a plurality of displays provided in the main body, so that the external shape of the robot can be controlled to be three-dimensionally formed (S510). At this time, an object corresponding to the robot's face can be controlled to be displayed through the display provided on the main body among the plurality of displays. In at least one of the plurality of displays, an object corresponding to an arm of the robot may be displayed. If the robot is moving, each object corresponding to the arm of the robot can be controlled to move on the corresponding display according to the moving speed and direction of the robot.

If the user who needs to provide information in such a situation approaches the robot, the robot can recognize information about the user using at least one of the camera, the microphone, and the plurality of displays provided in the main body (S520). Here, the information on the user may include information on at least one of the age, sex, dress, and language of the user. The robot can acquire image information for a user by scanning the user using a camera provided in the main body, and can acquire voice information of the user by collecting surrounding sound information using the microphone. And, by performing feature point matching on the image information and the voice information, it is possible to acquire information on the age, sex, dress, and language of the user.

When the information about the user is recognized, the robot adjusts the tilting angle of the display provided on the main body to allow the user to easily see the screen displayed on the upper display, and can display the appearance The external shape of the robot can be varied (S530). Here, the appearance of the robot may be varied based on at least one of information on the acquired user, information on the place where the robot is located, weather information on the area where the robot is located, date information, and time information.

Then, when a request for specific information is input from the user, the robot transmits a request received from the user to the server, receives information about the request, and displays the request through at least one of the plurality of displays (for example, can do. If the user requests route guidance to a specific place, the robot may drive the driving device to accompany the user to the specific place.

The foregoing description of embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. The present invention, therefore, should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features presented herein.

10: Robot
100:
110, 120, 130: Display
140: tilting device
150:
160, 160 ': camera
170: microphone

Claims (23)

In a robot capable of providing information,
A body of a three-dimensional mold;
A plurality of displays provided on an outer surface of the body and each constituting at least two different sides of the stereoscopic form; And
Controlling a display of at least one of a shape, a shape, and a color representing two or more different sides of the robot to be displayed on a corresponding one of the plurality of displays, And a content controller for controlling the appearance of the robot to be three-dimensionally designed according to a combination of the content and the content. The method according to claim 1,
A plurality of wheels provided at a lower portion of the main body;
A motor coupled to an axis of the plurality of wheels;
A steering device for adjusting a moving direction of the robot; And
And a drive controller for controlling the movement of the robot by controlling the motor and the steering device. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the drive controller comprises:
Wherein the movement of the robot is controlled based on a sensor used to recognize the position of the robot. The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of displays comprising:
A first display provided on a front surface of the main body and configured to display a front view of the robot or first information;
A second display provided on a rear surface of the main body, the second display being configured to display a shape of a rear surface of the robot or second information;
A third display provided on a left side surface of the main body and configured to display a left side surface or third information of the robot;
A fourth display provided on the right side of the main body and configured to display a right side view or fourth information of the robot; And
And a fifth display provided on the main body and including a touch panel. The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of displays comprising:
Wherein the vertical interfaces of the displays are adjacently placed next to each other to form a polyhedral structure as a whole. 5. The method of claim 4,
A camera provided on at least one of an upper portion and a front portion of the main body; And
And a microphone provided on at least one of an upper portion and a front portion of the main body,
Wherein the content controller comprises:
Wherein the robot recognizes information about the user using at least one of the camera, the microphone, and the fifth display, and varies the appearance of the robot based on the information about the user. The method according to claim 6,
Further comprising a tilting device provided in the main body for adjusting a tilting angle of the fifth display based on information about a user recognized by at least one of the camera and the microphone, . The method according to claim 6,
The information about the user includes:
And information on at least one of the age, sex, dress, and language of use of the user. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the content controller comprises:
And an object corresponding to a face of the robot is displayed through the fifth display. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the content controller comprises:
Wherein the robot changes the appearance of the robot on the basis of at least one of information about a place where the robot is located, weather information of an area where the robot is located, date information, and time information. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the content controller comprises:
When the robot is moving, each of the objects corresponding to the arm of the robot is controlled according to the moving speed and direction of the robot so that the object corresponding to the arm of the robot is displayed on the third display and the fourth display, And controls the robot to move on the corresponding display. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a communicator for performing transmission of an information request input from a user and reception of information corresponding to the information request. A robot-based information providing method,
Shape and color expressing two or more different sides of the robot through a plurality of displays provided on an outer surface of the robot and constituting two or more different sides of the stereoscopic form of the robot, Controlling the content to be displayed on a corresponding one of the plurality of displays so that the outline of the robot is designed to be three-dimensionally designed according to a combination of the stereoscopic pattern and the content formed by the plurality of displays;
Recognizing information about a user using a camera, a microphone, and at least one display of the plurality of displays provided in the main body of the robot; And
Varying the appearance of the robot based on the information about the user
/ RTI > 14. The method of claim 13,
The plurality of displays comprising:
A first display provided on a front surface of the main body and configured to display a front view or first information of the robot, a second display provided on a rear surface of the main body and configured to display a rear view of the robot, A third display provided on the left side surface of the main body and configured to display the left side surface or the third information of the robot, and a third display configured to display the right side surface or the fourth information of the robot, 4 < / RTI > display. 14. The method of claim 13,
After recognizing the information about the user,
Further comprising adjusting a tilting angle of a display provided on the main body using a tilting apparatus provided on the main body based on information about the user. 14. The method of claim 13,
The information about the user includes:
And information on at least one of the age, sex, dress, and language of use of the user. 14. The method of claim 13,
Further comprising: controlling an object corresponding to a face of the robot to be displayed through a display provided on an upper portion of the body. 14. The method of claim 13,
The step of controlling the outer shape of the robot to be three-
And controlling the stereoscopic appearance of the robot on the basis of at least one of information about a location of the robot, weather information of an area where the robot is located, date information, and time information . 15. The method of claim 14,
The step of controlling the outer shape of the robot to be three-
When the robot is moving, each of the objects corresponding to the arm of the robot is controlled according to the moving speed and direction of the robot so that the object corresponding to the arm of the robot is displayed on the third display and the fourth display, And control to move on the corresponding display. 14. The method of claim 13,
After recognizing the information about the user,
Transmitting an information request input from a user;
Receiving information corresponding to the information request; And
And displaying information corresponding to the information request through the at least one display. 14. The method of claim 13,
The plurality of displays comprising:
Wherein the vertical interfaces of each display are adjacently placed next to each other to form an overall polyhedral structure. 14. The method of claim 13,
The plurality of displays comprising:
RTI ID = 0.0 > 1, < / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of displays comprising:
Characterized in that it comprises at least one curved surface display.

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