KR100863187B1 - A controlling system of intelligent robot apparatus and the method of controlling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for controlling intelligent robots and a method for controlling the same are provided to recognize exactly lifting by users by implementing a touch sensor in the intelligent robots. A system for controlling intelligent robots includes a sensor(140), a driving unit(150), and a controller(110). The sensor includes a detecting unit, which detects whether or not user contact is detected through at least one touch sensor and outputs a contact signal when the user contact is detected. The controller receives the contact signal from the sensor and transmits a control signal to the driving unit. When the lifting of the robots by users is generated based on detection of user contact, the controller transmits the control signal to control the driving unit according to a signal outputted from the detecting unit such that driving output of the driving device is lowered.

Description

Control system of intelligent robot device and its control method {A CONTROLLING SYSTEM OF INTELLIGENT ROBOT APPARATUS AND THE METHOD OF CONTROLLING THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a control system of an intelligent robot device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to minimize the impact received by the robot device even when the robot device is impacted or stopped while crashing or crashing into the ground. A method of controlling a robot device and a family type robot device for providing psychological satisfaction through emotional interaction with a user.

In general, intelligent robots such as pet robots and cleaning robots travel by themselves without specific direction control, and driving control is generally performed through various sensor devices such as an obstacle detecting device, a fall prevention sensor, and a pressure sensor.

In addition, these intelligent robots are designed to frequently and indirectly interact with users when compared to industrial robots, and in particular, the pet robots can emphasize emotional interaction with users as a technical feature. Doing. Accordingly, there is a need for a defensive design that can protect the robot's external device or internal system by assuming that the robot is lifted or hugged.

As an example of recognizing a case in which the magnetic state of the intelligent robot is lifted, the case of the conventional cleaning robot shown in FIG. 5 will be described.

As shown in Figure 5a, the conventional intelligent robot is connected to the compression spring (2) to the driving wheel (1) to facilitate driving in uneven terrain to increase the grip with the ground, while the compression spring (2) By installing the lift switch 3 in this maximum tensioned position, it is sensed to be lifted from the ground by the user.

When the intelligent robot is lifted up, as shown in FIG. 5B, the lifting switch 3 is pressed by the drive module 4 provided at the end of the compression spring 2, and the lifting switch 3 is again stopped by the stopper 5. ), The robot stops running by the stopper 5.

This method is easy to implement, but it does not distinguish between the case where the wheel is naturally lifted and the user lifts, regardless of the user's intention, such as when the robot device travels a narrower road than its own width depending on the shape of the terrain. There is this.

In addition, although the lift switch is also used in the case of a self-contained mobile robot such as a pet robot, it may not be properly pressed according to the movement of the robot, and thus it is not easy to determine whether it is lifted by the user.

In order to solve the above problem, an acceleration sensor has been introduced. The acceleration sensor operates by sensing a change in the movement acceleration of the robot, and has a mechanism for recognizing the state lifted by the user according to the change in acceleration at a specific time by storing the change in acceleration as a time-series signal.

However, even in the case of employing the acceleration sensor, as described above, it is necessary to timely database the change of acceleration, and if such a database is inadequate or insufficient, there is a possibility of misrecognizing the state of the robot device itself.

For example, when the mass is expressed as m and the acceleration is expressed as a, the force F is usually expressed by a formula such as F = ma, and the acceleration sensor is changed when the force applied by the acceleration change is changed. There is no problem in the operation of, but on the contrary, when the acceleration changes according to the externally applied force change, the acceleration sensor may misinterpret it.

That is, for example, the robot device should assume a case in which the acceleration in the forward direction becomes zero, and recognize it as being lifted by the user. However, the robot apparatus lifts it even when stopped by an obstacle in the forward direction. There is a problem of misrecognition such as discrimination in true state. In addition, if it is determined that the acceleration in the vertical direction is lifted when the time series has a sine curve, it may have a similar time series distribution by sitting and standing motion, and may have a similar time series distribution due to unevenness of the ground or an external impact. Can be. In order to distinguish all these cases, a large database and a controller with excellent computing power must be used, which increases the manufacturing cost of the system.

In addition, when the lifting switch or the acceleration sensor adopts the lifting switch or the acceleration sensor to determine the lifted state of the robot device, the robot device is generally operated to stop completely for the safe use of the user. .

However, when the robot device is completely lifted by the user when it is lifted by the user, it is difficult not only to form an emotional communion with the user in the user's arms, but also when the robot device falls to the ground due to the user's minor surroundings. Due to the rigidity of the operating shaft of the cause a big shock.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to minimize the malfunction and misunderstanding of the lifting switch and acceleration sensor used in an intelligent robot as a means of discriminating the conventional lifting by the user, between the user and the robot An object of the present invention is to provide an intelligent robot device control system that maximizes emotional communication.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a control method of an intelligent robot device that minimizes the impact when the robot falls, by minimizing the operation gain value of the operating shaft when the robot is lifted.

The control system of the intelligent robot device according to the present invention for solving the above problems is a sensor comprising a sensing means for detecting the user's contact by at least one touch sensor and outputting it as a signal when a touch by the user is detected. Wealth; A driving unit unit for operating the robot unit by moving; And a control unit which receives a signal output from the sensor unit and transmits a control signal to the driving unit. When it is determined that the robot apparatus is lifted by the user from the user's contact, the control unit is configured by the sensing means. According to the output signal, the drive unit transmits a control signal to have a fine movement, characterized in that to lower the drive output of the drive unit.

Here, the sensing means is preferably installed on the bottom surface of the robot device further includes a lifting switch for detecting when the robot device is lifted from the ground and outputting it as a signal to prevent the misunderstanding of the sensor.

The sensing means may further include an acceleration sensor for sensing an acceleration change and outputting the signal as a signal, wherein the sensor unit stores the signal output by the sensing means as a time-series signal; Calculating means for calculating specific information from the time-series signal stored by the storage means; Recognizing means for recognizing the state of the magnetic body from the specific information calculated by the calculating means, wherein the control unit is the state in which the magnetic state recognized by the recognition means is lifted from the ground, the drive unit Lowering the drive output of the drive unit by transmitting a control signal to have a fine movement is preferable in order to more accurately recognize the motion of the robot by applying an acceleration sensor to calculate a time series signal.

In addition, the control method of the intelligent robot device according to the present invention, the sensing step of detecting the user's contact by the at least one touch sensor and outputs as a signal; And an output step of outputting an action according to the output signal output by the sensing step, wherein if it is determined that the robot device is lifted by the user from the user's contact in the sensing step, the output step is driven. The control unit transmits a control signal to have a fine movement, characterized in that to lower the drive output of the drive unit.

In this case, the sensing step may further include a lifting detection step of detecting when the robot device is lifted from the ground by a lifting switch installed on the bottom of the robot device and outputting the signal as a signal. desirable.

The sensing step may further include an acceleration sensing step of sensing an acceleration change by an acceleration sensor and outputting the signal as a signal, and the control method of the robot device may store the acceleration signal output in the sensing step as a time series signal. Steps; Calculating specific information from the time series signal; And a recognition step of recognizing the state of the self from the calculated specific information, wherein the outputting step outputs a behavior according to the state of the self recognized by the recognition step by applying an acceleration sensor to calculate a time series signal. By doing so, it is preferable to perform motion recognition of the robot more accurately.

According to the control system and the control method of the intelligent robot device according to the present invention, by applying the touch sensor to the intelligent robot, there is an advantage that can be accurately recognized that the lifting by the user.

In addition, when the robot device is lifted by the user, the motion axis does not stop completely and maintains movement at the minimum speed, thereby maximizing communication with the user and minimizing impact when the robot falls. There is an advantage.

Hereinafter, a control system of an intelligent robot device and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 is a view showing the appearance of an intelligent robot device according to the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, the intelligent robot device 10 according to the present invention is made in the form of a multi-pedal walking robot. In particular, the intelligent robot device 10 according to the present invention is most frequently contacted when the user lifts the robot device 10, such as the back portion 21, the flank portion 22, the leg portion 23, and the like. The touch sensor 20 is provided at the site. Since the touch sensor 20 may also be used for a user interface, it is generally a combination of the touch sensor 20 operated when judging lifted by distinguishing a part that is generally contacted with a part for lifting the user and the interface. Judge the lifting up reliably.

Next, with reference to Figure 2 will be described with respect to the overall control system for operating the intelligent robot device according to the present invention.

2 is a view showing a control system of an intelligent robot device according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the control system 100 of the intelligent robot apparatus according to the present invention includes a main module 110, an image recognition unit 120, a voice recognition unit 130, a sensor unit 140, and a driving unit. Wire / wireless communication means such as an I / O bus, USB, RS232C, etc. for connecting the device unit 150, the control unit 110, each of the recognition units 120 and 130, the sensor unit 140, and the driving unit 150. And made up of 160.

The main module 110 is typically installed inside the body of the robot device 10, the microprocessor 111 for controlling the operation of the entire robot, and a RAM for storing the operating system and application programs (RAM: Memory 112 such as a random access memory (ROM) and a read only memory (ROM).

The image recognition unit 120 performs image recognition processing or feature extraction, such as face recognition or indexing, based on a captured image input through an image input device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) camera. Do it.

The voice recognition unit 130 recognizes voice data input through a voice input device such as a microphone, and extracts a specific voice or outputs a word through a voice output device such as a speaker.

The sensor unit 140 is a key component of the present invention. The sensor unit 140 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes only the sensing unit 141. As the sensing unit 141, the touch sensor 20 is used. ).

The touch sensor 20 uses a touch switch. Touch switches are switches that respond only to human hands, and are commonly seen around us, the most common being the elevator floor buttons. The human body is equivalent to a resistance of about 2MΩ. When the user touches the touch switch, the human body becomes a part of the electronic circuit, and the human body is grounded to the ground. Therefore, when applied to the present invention, when the object other than the human hand is in contact with the robot device 10, the touch sensor 20 does not recognize it can minimize the recognition of the lifting.

When the touch sensor 20 having the touch switch is applied to the back portion 21, the flank portion 22, the leg portion 23, or the like of the intelligent robot device 10 and used as the detection means 141, the user Detects when the touch switch is touched by hand and converts it into a predetermined signal and supplies it to the microprocessor 111 through the wired / wireless communication means 160. At this time, the microprocessor 111, as described above, by combining the contact signal from the touch sensor 20 of the various parts, and determines whether the user's contact is for a general user interface or lifted from the user do.

By using the touch sensor 20 as the sensing means 141, a problem of misrecognition of the magnetic state when using only the conventional acceleration sensor, a storage means for storing the change of acceleration as a time series signal, etc. Problems such as complicated operations can be solved. In addition, it is possible to solve problems such as misunderstanding caused by the terrain change when using the conventional lifting switch and inadequateness of the case of the pedestrian walking robot when using the lifting switch.

As the sensing means 141 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a lifting switch is used in addition to the touch sensor 20. As described above, the lifting switch is installed on the bottom of the robot device 10, and consists of a contact sensor for detecting contact with the outside or a pressure sensor for detecting pressure. Due to the application of the lifting switch, when the robot device 10 is lifted, the lifting switch is turned off, thereby minimizing the operation of the driving unit 150 and being lifted through the on / off state of the LED of the eye area. Can be designed to respond to In this way, by providing the lift switch on the bottom part (foot part) of the robot device together with the touch sensor 20, the robot device 10 can be operated more reliably by the combination of both.

As the sensing means 141 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the touch sensor 20 and the lifting switch, the sensing means 141 may be utilized as a configuration including an acceleration sensor. The acceleration sensor is a sensor for detecting whether the movement acceleration of the robot is changed and controlling the state of the robot based on the acceleration change information.

Specifically, the acceleration sensor processes an output signal to measure dynamic force such as acceleration, vibration, and impact of an object. There are several types of acceleration sensors. The detection methods can be broadly classified into inertial, gyro, and silicon semiconductor formulas, and the present invention is not limited to a specific one of the general acceleration sensors.

In this case, in addition to the sensing means 141, in order to utilize the acceleration sensor as the sensing means 141, storage means 142 and storage means 142 such as a memory for storing the acceleration information detected from the acceleration sensor as a time-series signal. Calculation means 143 for calculating specific information from the " time series signal " stored by the " time " signal, and recognition means 144 for recognizing its state from the specific information calculated by the calculation means 143.

The driving unit 150 is responsible for the movement of the robot device 10 and serves to operate or stop the robot device by receiving a predetermined signal from the microprocessor 111. The drive unit 150 can be simply implemented using a technique such as a gear coupling structure, a small motor, or a magnetic actuator.

For example, as the driving unit 150, a step motor may be embedded in the robot device 10, and the motor shaft may be connected to the joint portion of the robot device 10 to control the controller. Movement can be realized by controlling various rotation speeds and rotation angles.

Next, a control method for controlling the robot device 10 and the control system 100 of the robot device having the above configuration will be described.

First, the control method of the robot device having the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention includes a sensing step of detecting a user's contact by the at least one touch sensor 20 and outputs it as a signal; And an output step of outputting a behavior according to the output signal output by the sensing step.

Since the control system 100 of the robot device having the configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention has only the touch sensor 20 as the sensing unit 141 as the sensor unit 140, If a contact is detected (a sensing step), the microprocessor 111 of the controller 110 recognizes that its state is lifted immediately or after a contact state of several seconds is maintained, and controls the driving unit 150. By lowering the drive output of the drive unit 150 to output a fine movement. In other words, the movement of each leg of the robot device 10 is minimized.

The method of controlling the movement of each leg of the robot device 10 is performed by minimizing a control gain value for the actuator of the joint mechanism corresponding to each leg, thereby lowering the rotation speed of the joint.

The reason for minimizing the movement of the robot device without completely stopping the robot device is to make the user feel emotional rapport with the robot device by giving the user a feeling of wiggle in the user's arms. That is, if the emotional state of the robot is positive, it expresses a wobble in the user's arms with low control gain, or if the robot emotional state is negative, it expresses the rebellious tendency with higher control gain. At the same time, the lifted state is set to operate with a lower control gain than usual, so that when the robot device falls to the ground in the product inadvertently by the user, the movement of the driving unit 150 may cause a spring or This is to minimize the impact by acting as a damper.

In the case of the control system 100 of the robot apparatus having the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention, the sensing means 141 further includes a touch sensor 20 and a lift switch (that is, a 'lift detection step'). Minimizing the error by allowing the mechanism to be controlled by the mechanism only when both are determined to be 'lifted' at the same time as part of the sensing step) has been discussed above.

Next, a case of the control system 100 of the robot device having the configuration of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. 3A and 3B are flowcharts illustrating a control method of a robot apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 3a, the control method of the robot device having a configuration of a third embodiment of the present invention, by detecting the user's contact and acceleration by the at least one touch sensor 20, the lifting switch and the acceleration sensor and outputs as a signal Sensing step S10; The control method of the robot device includes a storage step (S20) of storing the acceleration signal output in the sensing step as a time series signal; A calculation step (S30) of calculating specific information from the time series signal; A recognition step (S40) of recognizing a state of the self from the calculated specific information; And an output step (S50) of outputting an action according to the state of the self recognized by the recognition step.

In the detecting step S10, when the microprocessor 111 detects the walking of the robot device 10, the sensing means 141 such as the touch sensor 20, the lifting switch, and the acceleration sensor has a contact by the user. Detect the change of the touch by the touch switch, the lift by the lifting switch and the acceleration by the acceleration sensor, and outputs it as a constant signal and transmits it to the microprocessor 111.

Here, the detection step (S10) is, as shown in Figure 3b, the touch detection step (S11) using the touch sensor 20, the lifting detection step (S12) by the lifting switch, the acceleration detection step by the acceleration sensor (S13).

The storage step S20 is a step in which the microprocessor 111 stores the acceleration change by the acceleration sensor among the information received in the sensing step S10 in the storage means 142 such as a memory in time series. Since the acceleration is a value that changes in time series, it is to be stored by using the storage means 142 in order to detect a matter of whether the user is lifted or not.

The calculating step S30 is also a step which is applied when the acceleration sensor is used as the sensing means 141, and calculates specific information from the time series signal stored in the storing step S20. The method of calculating the time series signal collected by the acceleration sensor, that is, the change in acceleration varies depending on the type of acceleration sensor. When using a three-axis acceleration sensor, which is in the spotlight recently, three axes (X-axis, Y-axis) are used. , Z-axis) to calculate the representative dispersion value of the acceleration change value.

Recognition step (S40) is the touch detection step (S11) using the touch sensor 20, the lifting detection step (S12) by the lifting switch, the acceleration detection step (S13) by the acceleration sensor (S13) In the step of recognizing, specifically, it is a step of determining whether the user's state is a walking state, a state heard by the user, or vice versa.

For example, in the case of using the above-described three-axis acceleration sensor, using a representative dispersion value of the calculated acceleration change value is subjected to an algorithm for determining, by a predetermined program, what state the value is in any particular range. .

However, in the case of the accelerometer, there is a possibility of misrecognizing its own state near the threshold of a specific range set by the program. You can get the result.

The output step S50 is a step of outputting an action according to the self state determined in the recognition step S40 as shown in FIG. 3C. If the recognition result indicates that the user's state is walking, control is performed to continue walking. When it is recognized as being in contact with the user, as described above, by controlling the driving unit 150, the driving output is lowered to minimize the movement of each leg of the robot apparatus 10.

4 is a graph showing a drive output value that changes according to the control method of the robot control apparatus according to the present invention. For the convenience of illustration, only one axis driver 151 is represented. As can be seen from the graph, the rotation angle θ of the one-axis drive unit 151 is constant in the desired trajectory indicated by the dotted line, as in the normal actual trajectory indicated by the solid red line. Follow well with errors. On the other hand, when lifted, the desired trajectory is followed by a low drive output, such as a Lifted Actual Trajectory indicated by a solid blue line. The shape of the lifted actual trajectory may vary depending on the magnitude of the control gain. That is, by minimizing the control gain value when the robot apparatus is lifted up, the driving output value of the robot apparatus 10 is significantly lower than when walking.

In addition, when the touch sensor 20 is installed on the back portion or the head portion of the robot device 10 as the sensing means 141, when it is determined that the user's touch is limited to any one of the above portions, Recognizing this as a stroking behavior, by controlling the drive unit 150 of the robot device 10 can output a behavior such as nodding or generating a certain cry by controlling the voice recognition unit 130. have.

In the above, this invention was demonstrated in detail with reference to an Example and a comparative example centering on a structure. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but may be embodied in various forms of embodiments within the appended claims. Without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed in the claims, any person of ordinary skill in the art is deemed to be within the scope of the claims underlying the present invention to the extent possible for various modifications.

In addition, the range limitation of the preferred range in the present invention is to maximize the effect even more, it is possible to obtain a more satisfactory technical effect by narrowing the limited range.

1 is a view showing the appearance of an intelligent robot device according to the present invention

2 is a view showing a control system of the intelligent robot device according to the present invention

3 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a robot apparatus according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the drive output value changes according to the control method of the robot apparatus according to the present invention

5 is a view showing a conventional cleaning robot

<Description of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

1: driving wheel 2: compression spring

3: lift switch 4: drive module

5: stopper 10: intelligent robotic device

20: touch sensor 100: control system

110: control unit 120: image recognition unit

130: voice recognition unit 140: sensor unit

150: drive unit 160: wired and wireless communication means

Claims (6)

In the control system of the intelligent robot device, A sensor unit including sensing means for sensing whether a user contacts by at least one touch sensor and outputting a signal when a touch by the user is detected; A driving unit unit for operating the robot unit by moving; A control unit which receives a signal output from the sensor unit and transmits a control signal to the driving unit; When it is determined that the robot device is lifted by the user from the contact of the user, the control unit transmits a control signal to have a fine movement of the driving unit according to the signal output by the sensing means, thereby driving output of the driving unit. Intelligent robot device control system, characterized in that lowering. The method of claim 1, The sensing means is installed on the bottom surface of the robot device further comprises a lifting switch for detecting when the robot device is lifted from the ground and outputs a signal as an intelligent robot device. The method of claim 2, The sensing means further includes an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration change and outputting it as a signal, The sensor section storing means for storing a signal output by the sensing means as a time series signal; Calculating means for calculating a representative dispersion value of the acceleration change value from the time series signal stored by the storage means; Recognizing means for recognizing the state of the magnetic field from at least one of the representative dispersion value of the acceleration change value calculated by the calculating means and the user touch signal by the touch sensor or the lift signal by the lifting switch, The control unit, when the state of the magnetic recognized by the recognition means is lifted from the ground, the intelligent robot, characterized in that to lower the drive output of the drive unit by transmitting a control signal so that the drive unit has a fine movement Control system of the device. In the control method of the intelligent robot device, Sensing the touch of the user by at least one touch sensor and outputting the signal as a signal; An output step of outputting a behavior according to the output signal output by the sensing step, If it is determined in the sensing step that the robot device is lifted by the user from the user's contact, the output step is characterized by lowering the drive output of the drive unit by transmitting a control signal so that the drive unit has a fine movement. Intelligent robot device control method. The method of claim 4, wherein The detecting step may further include a lifting detection step of detecting when the robot device is lifted from the ground by a lifting switch installed on the bottom of the robot device and outputting the signal as a signal. The method of claim 5, The sensing step further includes an acceleration sensing step of sensing the acceleration change by the acceleration sensor and outputting it as a signal, The control method of the robot device includes a storage step of storing the acceleration signal output in the sensing step as a time series signal; Calculating a representative dispersion value of the acceleration change value from the time series signal; And a recognizing step of recognizing a state of the self from at least one of a representative dispersion value of the acceleration change value calculated by the calculating means and a user contact signal by the touch sensor or a lift signal by the lift switch. The output step is a control method for an intelligent robot device, characterized in that for outputting a behavior in accordance with the state of the self recognized by the recognition step.

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