TWI640750B - Robot system and method for controlling robot - Google Patents

Abstract

A robot system and a method of controlling the same. The robot system includes a signal transmitting device and a robot body. The signal transmitting device emits a light source signal in a ring shape, and the light source signal includes at least a long distance signal and a short distance signal. The robot body determines that the received light source signal is a long distance signal or a short distance signal. When the received light source signal is a long distance signal, the position of the signal transmitting device is determined. When the received light source signal is a short distance signal, the robot body is driven to move away from the prescribed forbidden area. The forbidden area is an area set based on a short distance signal.

Description

Robot system and method of controlling the same

The present invention relates to an autonomous mobile device, and more particularly to a robotic system and a method of controlling the same.

In the case of an automatic sweeper, the current U.S. Patent No. 6,78,338 proposes the use of a beam-type infrared emission signal in conjunction with an omnidirectional receiver on the body of the robot to achieve a wall-to-wall exclusion zone. However, the omnidirectional receiver on the robot body must be located at the commanding height of the robot body, protruding from other structures of the body, and often stuck to the bottom of various furniture when moving. Another type of robot, using ultrasonic emission and reception technology, can reach the forbidden area of the wall, but it can not achieve the effect of the circular area forbidden area, and greatly reduce the versatility of the separation.

In addition to increasing the probability of machine jam, the use of an omnidirectional receiver will also affect the appearance of the product. The most popular infrared receiving module has a limitation of the receiving angle (generally less than 180 degrees), and it is easy to receive a dead angle when installed on the robot. Even if more than one infrared receiving module is installed in different areas of the robot body, the relative angle of the transmitting and receiving will be different, and the distance that the machine senses the transmitting module will be greatly different, and the forbidden area becomes difficult. Controlled in an approximately circular area, this is also impossible for consumers to know the boundaries of the real forbidden area.

The invention provides a robot system and a method for controlling the same, which use a signal transmitting device to set a predetermined forbidden region and effectively limit the moving range of the robot.

The robot system of the present invention comprises: a signal transmitting device and a robot body. The signal transmitting device comprises a light emitter, and the light emitter emits a light source signal, and the light source signal comprises at least a long distance signal and a short distance signal. The robot body includes a light receiver, a moving mechanism, and a control circuit. The optical receiver detects whether a light source signal is received. The moving mechanism drives the robot body to move. The control circuit is coupled to the optical receiver and the moving mechanism, and determines that the light source signal received by the optical receiver is a long distance signal or a short distance signal. When the control circuit determines that the received light source signal is a long distance signal, the control circuit determines the position of the signal transmitting device. When the control circuit determines that the received light source signal is a short distance signal, the control circuit controls the moving mechanism to move the robot body in a direction away from the prescribed forbidden area. The forbidden area is set based on a short distance signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, the robot body further includes a plurality of light receivers. When the control circuit determines that the received light source signal is a long-distance signal, the control circuit drives the moving mechanism to perform steering based on the set position of the optical receiver that receives the long-distance signal, so that the designated receiver of the plurality of optical receivers is transmitted toward the signal. The device receives a long distance signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, after the designated receiver is facing the signal transmitting device, the control circuit drives the moving mechanism to rotate leftward and rightward to the first position and the second position at which the designated receiver does not receive the long distance signal, based on The first position and the second position determine the relative position of the signal transmitting device relative to the robot body.

In an embodiment of the invention, the light emitter comprises a single light emitter. The signal transmitting device comprises: a light diffusing element, and a ring-shaped emitting light source signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, the light emitter comprises: a plurality of light emitters disposed annularly on the body of the signal emitting device to use the light emitters to emit the light source signals in a ring shape.

In an embodiment of the invention, the signal transmitting device further includes: a power control circuit coupled to the light emitter, and the control light emitter respectively emitting the light source signals by using at least two intensity powers.

In an embodiment of the invention, the signal transmitting device further includes: a frequency control circuit coupled to the light emitter, and the control light emitter respectively transmitting the light source signal by using at least two carrier frequencies.

In an embodiment of the invention, the distance signal carries a first code, and the short range signal carries a second code.

In an embodiment of the invention, the signal transmitting device is configured as follows: when the robot body receives the long-distance signal at various angles, the signal transmission distance of the long-distance signal is greater than the signal transmission distance of the short-distance signal.

The method for controlling a robot of the present invention comprises: transmitting a long-distance signal and a short-distance signal in a ring through a signal transmitting device; and driving the robot body to move, and performing the following steps. Detecting whether a long-distance signal is received; when the control circuit receives the long-distance signal, driving the robot body to perform steering so that the designated receiver of the plurality of optical receivers receives the long-distance signal toward the signal transmitting device; In the case of a long-distance signal, it is detected whether a short-distance signal is received; and when a long-distance signal is continuously received, when the short-distance signal is received, the robot body is driven to move away from the prescribed forbidden area.

Based on the above, the present invention utilizes the forbidden area set by the signal transmitting device to limit the moving range of the robot body to block the robot body from entering the forbidden area and improve the use experience.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

Nowadays, the application of automatic mobile robots is becoming more and more extensive, and the sweeping robots have already become homeless and become a new generation of white goods. However, the space on the ground in the home is not necessarily suitable for the robot to move autonomously, such as the game area of a child, the feeding space of a pet, and the like. This proposal uses the signal transmitting device and the control logic to set the prescribed forbidden area, effectively limiting the range of movement of the robot and improving the experience of the robot. In order to clarify the content of the present invention, the following specific examples are given as examples in which the present invention can be implemented.

1 is a block diagram of a robotic system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the robot system 100 includes a signal transmitting device 110 and a robot body 120 . In the present embodiment, the predetermined prohibited area set by the signal transmitting device 110 is used to limit the moving range of the robot body 120 to block the robot body 120 from entering the prescribed forbidden area. For example, placing the signal transmitting device 110 in an area such as a pet feeding area or a child playing area to restrict the entrance and exit of the robot body 120 can effectively block the robot body 120 from entering a predetermined prohibited area.

The signal transmitting device 110 can emit at least two light source signals having different signal transmission distances. Here, the light source signal with a long signal transmission distance is called a long distance signal, and the light source signal with a short signal transmission distance is called a short distance signal. In the present embodiment, the description is made by using two kinds of light source signals, but it is not limited thereto.

The signal transmitting device 110 includes a light emitter 111 and a control circuit 113. The control circuit 113 is coupled to the light emitter 111, and is driven by the control circuit 113 to drive the light emitters 111 to respectively transmit long-distance signals and short-range signals in a ring shape based on different signal transmission distances. Here, the control circuit 113 may be a power control circuit that controls the light emitters 111 to transmit long distance signals and short distance signals respectively with at least two intensity powers. In addition, the control circuit 113 may also be a frequency control circuit that controls the optical transmitter 111 to transmit long-distance signals and short-distance signals respectively at at least two carrier frequencies.

The signal transmitting device 110 may include only a single light emitter 111, or may have multiple light emitters 111 at the same time. The light emitter 111 is, for example, a red light module.

For example, Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a signal emitting device having a single light emitter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, in the case that the signal transmitting device 110 includes a single light emitter 111, the signal emitting device 110 further includes a light diffusing element 201, and the light diffusing element 201 is used to ring-transmit the light source signal. Moreover, in the case of a single light emitter 111, the control circuit 113 can further control the light emitters 111 to alternately emit different light source signals. For example, the control light emitter 111 alternately emits long distance signals and short distance signals.

3 is a schematic diagram of a signal emitting device having a plurality of light emitters in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, in the case where the signal transmitting device 110 includes a plurality of light emitters 111, the light emitters 111 are annularly disposed on the body of the signal emitting device 110 to utilize the light emitters 111 to emit light in a ring shape. Signal. In the case of a plurality of light emitters 111, the control circuit 113 can control a portion of the light emitters 111 to emit long distance signals and control another portion of the light emitters 111 to emit short range signals.

The robot body 120 is, for example, a sweeping robot or any electronic device that can move autonomously, and includes a light receiver 121, a moving mechanism 123, and a control circuit 125. The control circuit 125 is coupled to the light receiver 121 and the moving mechanism 123. The optical receiver 121 is configured to detect whether a light source signal is received. The moving mechanism 123 is used to drive the robot body 120 to move. For example, the moving mechanism 123 includes a drive wheel and a motor. The light receiver 121 is provided, for example, inside the casing of the robot body 120.

The signal transmitting device 110 transmits the long distance signal and the short distance signal to set two virtual ranges, and the long distance signal forms a long distance range, and the short distance signal forms a short distance range. The short range is the prescribed prohibited area. In order to enable the control circuit 125 to distinguish the received light source signal from a long distance signal or a short distance signal, the light source signal emitted by the light emitter 111 is encoded in the signal transmitting device 110 to be carried in the long distance signal. The first code is sent, and the second code is carried in the short range signal. Wherein the first code is different from the second code.

When the robot body 120 moves into the long distance range, it indicates that the robot body 120 has been relatively close to the prescribed forbidden area. Therefore, the control circuit 125 will lower the moving speed of the robot body 120 to avoid moving too fast to reach the short distance range. It’s too late to react. While the robot body 120 is moved to a short range, the control circuit 125 drives the robot body 120 away from the forbidden region.

Here, when the control circuit 125 determines that the received light source signal is a long distance signal, the control circuit 125 first determines the location of the signal transmitting device 110. Additionally, control circuit 125 may further drive moving mechanism 123 to reduce the speed of movement. When the control circuit 125 determines that the received light source signal is a short distance signal, the control circuit 125 controls the moving mechanism 123 to move the robot body 120 in a direction away from the prescribed forbidden area.

In addition, the robot body 120 may further include a plurality of light receivers 121. For example, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a robot body 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the light receiver 121a is disposed on the front surface of the robot body 120, the light receiver 121c is disposed on the back surface of the robot body 120, and the light receivers 121b, 121d are respectively disposed on both sides of the robot body. Here, it is defined that the forward movement is performed on the front surface of the robot body 120, and the backward movement is performed on the back surface of the robot body 120.

When the control circuit 125 determines that the received light source signal is a long distance signal, the control circuit 125 drives the moving mechanism 123 to perform steering so that the specified reception in the light receivers 121a to 121d is based on the set position of the light receiver that receives the long distance signal. The device receives the long distance signal toward the signal transmitting device 110. Here, it is assumed that the designated receiver is the light receiver 121a provided on the front side.

After the optical receiver 121a is turned to the position where the long distance signal can be received, the control circuit 125 can further correct the angle of the robot body 120 to adjust the robot body 120 to the optimal receiving angle. For example, after the designated receiver (light receiver 121a) is facing the signal transmitting device 110, the control circuit 125 calculates the accurate angle of the light emitter 111 by driving the robot body 120 to swing left and right until no long distance signal is received. That is, the control circuit 125 drives the moving mechanism 123 to rotate leftward and rightward until the first position and the second position at which the light receiver 121a does not receive the long distance signal, and the center point position is calculated based on the first position and the second position. The relative position of the signal transmitting device 110 relative to the robot body 120 is determined.

5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing the movement of a robot system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5A, the signal transmitting device 110 transmits a long distance signal to form a long distance range 510, and transmits a short distance signal to form a short distance range 520. While the robot body 120 is traveling in the forward direction M, when the light receiver 121d receives the long distance signal, it indicates that the light receiver 121d enters into the long distance range 510. At this time, the control circuit 125 notifies the moving mechanism 123 to steer toward the rotational direction R so that the optical receiver 121a is directed to the signal transmitting device 110 as shown in FIG. 5B.

In this embodiment, the signal transmitting device 110 can be further configured as follows: when the robot body 120 receives the long-distance signal at various angles, the signal transmission distance of the long-distance signal is greater than the signal transmission distance of the short-distance signal. Accordingly, it can be ensured that the robot body 120 does not enter the short distance range 520 when the long distance signal is detected.

6 is a flow chart of a method of controlling a robot in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is a method implemented in conjunction with the above-described robot system 100. Here, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 simultaneously, and the signal transmitting device 110 is disposed in a predetermined forbidden region, and the signal transmitting device 110 respectively transmits the long-distance signal and the short-distance signal in a ring shape based on different signal transmission distances. After the signal emitting device 110 is set, the robot body 120 is driven to move in step S605.

Next, in step S610, the control circuit 125 of the robot body 120 detects whether the optical receiver 121 receives the long distance signal. If the long distance signal has not been received, the process returns to step S605. When the long distance signal is received, as shown in step S615, the control circuit 125 drives the robot body 120 to perform steering so that the designated receiver receives the long distance signal toward the signal transmitting device 110.

Next, in step S620, the control circuit 125 determines whether the long distance signal is continuously received. If the long distance signal is not continuously received, it indicates that the robot body 120 has left the range formed by the long distance signal (such as the long distance range 510 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B), and therefore returns to step S605. If the long distance signal is continuously received, then in step S625, the control circuit 125 determines whether a short distance signal is received. If the short distance signal is not received, the process returns to step S620. When the short distance signal is received while continuously receiving the long distance signal, in step S630, the control circuit 125 drives the robot body 120 to move in a direction away from the predetermined prohibited area.

In summary, the signal transmitting device of the present invention can separately transmit the light source signal based on at least two different signal transmission distances in addition to the ring-shaped transmitting light source signal, thereby setting at least two virtual ranges (short distance range). And the long distance range), when the robot body reaches the long distance range, the relative position between the signal transmitter and the signal transmitting device can be known early, and the moving speed can be reduced to avoid the moving speed too fast to reach the short distance range. .

Moreover, when the robot body reaches a long distance range, the robot body faces the light emitter, and the relative position between the two is determined, and then continues to advance to avoid the distance after receiving the short distance signal. In other words, the long-distance signal is suitable for the receiving angle correction of the robot body, so that the robot body is adapted to the specified receiver and the receiving angle, so that the distance of the short-distance signal is received regardless of whether the robot body is located at any 360 degrees of the signal transmitting device. Will become very consistent.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Robot system
110‧‧‧Signal launcher
111‧‧‧Light emitter
113‧‧‧Control circuit
120‧‧‧Robot body
121, 121a~121d‧‧‧Optical Receiver
123‧‧‧Mobile agencies
125‧‧‧Control circuit
201‧‧‧Light diffusing elements
510‧‧‧Long range
520‧‧‧Short range
M‧‧‧ Forward direction
R‧‧‧Rotation direction
S605~S630‧‧‧Methods for controlling robots

1 is a block diagram of a robotic system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic diagram of a signal emitting device having a single light emitter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic diagram of a signal emitting device having a plurality of light emitters in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a schematic diagram of a robot body 120 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 5A and 5B are schematic diagrams showing the movement of a robot system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a flow chart of a method of controlling a robot in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A robot system, comprising: a signal transmitting device, comprising: a light emitter, wherein the light emitter emits a light source signal in a ring shape, the light source signal comprises at least a long distance signal and a short distance signal; and a robot body, including : at least one optical receiver detects whether the light source signal is received; a moving mechanism drives the robot body to move; and a control circuit coupled to the light receiver and the moving mechanism, and determines the light receiver The received light source signal is the long distance signal or the short distance signal, wherein when the control circuit determines that the received light source signal is the long distance signal, the control circuit determines the position of the signal transmitting device; when the control When the circuit determines that the received light source signal is the short distance signal, the control circuit controls the moving mechanism to move the robot body in a direction away from a predetermined prohibited area, wherein the prohibited area is based on the short distance signal. set up. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the robot body further comprises a plurality of the light receivers, and when the control circuit determines that the received light source signal is the long distance signal, the control circuit is based on receiving And at a position where the one of the light receivers of the long distance signal is disposed, the moving mechanism is driven to perform steering so that a designated one of the plurality of light receivers receives the long distance signal toward the signal transmitting device. The robot system of claim 2, wherein after the designated receiver faces the signal transmitting device, the control circuit drives the moving mechanism to rotate leftward and rightward until the designated receiver does not receive the long distance. A first position and a second position of the signal determine a relative position of the signal transmitting device relative to the robot body based on the first position and the second position. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the light emitter comprises: a single light emitter, the signal emitting device comprises: a light diffusing element, and the light source signal is emitted in a ring shape. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the light emitter comprises: a plurality of light emitters disposed annularly on the body of the signal emitting device to emit the light source in a ring shape by using the light emitters Signal. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting device further comprises: a power control circuit coupled to the light emitter, and controlling the light emitter to respectively emit the light source with at least two intensity powers Signal. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting device further comprises: a frequency control circuit coupled to the light emitter, and controlling the light emitter to respectively emit the light source at at least two carrier frequencies Signal. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the long distance signal carries a first code, and the short distance signal carries a second code. The robot system of claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting device is configured as follows: when the robot body receives the long distance signal at various angles, the signal transmission distance of the long distance signal is greater than the short The signal transmission distance of the distance signal. A method for controlling a robot includes: transmitting a long distance signal and a short distance signal through a signal transmitting device; and driving a robot body to move, and performing the following steps: detecting whether the long distance signal is received; When the control circuit receives the long distance signal, driving the robot body to perform steering so that a designated one of the plurality of optical receivers receives the long distance signal toward the signal transmitting device; and continuously receiving the long distance signal In the case of a signal, detecting whether the short-range signal is received; and in the case of continuously receiving the long-distance signal, receiving the short-distance signal, driving the robot body to move away from a predetermined prohibited area Moving, wherein the forbidden area is set based on the short distance signal.