KR101199468B1 - Processing System of Sensor Signal for Robot And Method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sensor signal processing system and method for a robot, comprising a robot host controller for controlling a movement state of a robot mechanism part, at least one sensor disposed at at least one position of the robot mechanism part and the environment of the robot mechanism part. And a sensor signal processing system disposed between the sensor group and the robot upper controller and the sensor group to transfer the sensor signals of the sensors included in the sensor group to the robot upper controller after the sensor signals are processed or processed in common. Initiate. This invention supports to easily perform the design, manufacture and maintenance of the robotic system.

Robot, sensor, common

Description

Processing system of sensor signal for robot and method

The present invention relates to a robot, and in particular, to a sensor signal processing system and method for a robot that supports the processing of the sensor signals of various sensors arranged on the robot in common to more conveniently perform the design, manufacturing and maintenance of the robot It is about.

Robot is a mechanical device that can perform operations such as operation and movement by automatic adjustment, and is used for various tasks on behalf of humans. The robot industry has developed rapidly, and has been expanded to research on robots for industrial or special tasks, as well as for robots created for the purpose of helping humans and enjoying human life such as home and educational robots. It is true. In Korea, robots began to spread in the late 1960s, most of which were industrial robots such as manipulators or transfer robots for the purpose of automating and unmanning production operations in factories.

These robots must be preceded by an initial position adjustment in operation, and must also be able to track the movements and positions of the robots during operation. To this end, conventional sensors have been used for tracking the movement and position of robots. That is, in the conventional robot, a certain kind of sensors have been used for extremely limited purposes for navigation and the like.

On the other hand, in recent years, as the use of the robot is diversified, the movement and the position of the robot are also complicated, and various kinds of sensors have been applied accordingly. Accordingly, the design and manufacture of robots is becoming complicated due to the application of various sensors in terms of robot production and maintenance. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for a proposal of a robot operation apparatus and method that can have reliability in robot design, manufacture, and maintenance.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sensor signal processing system and method for a robot that can simplify the design and increase the reliability of the robot.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to perform the input processing, pre-processing or processing and fusion of various sensor information by using a sensor signal processing system to pass to the upper robot controller, it can be easily implemented when implementing the robot control and intelligence, It is to provide a sensor signal processing system and method for a robot that can simplify the design to increase the reliability of manufacturing and maintenance of the robot.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention discloses a sensor signal processing system for a robot including a robot host controller, a sensor group, a sensor signal processing system. The robot host controller controls the movement state of the robot mechanism part. The sensor group includes at least one sensor disposed at at least one position of the robot mechanism portion and the robot mechanism portion environment. The sensor signal processing system is disposed between the robot host controller and the sensor group and transmits the sensor signals of the sensors included in the sensor group to the robot host controller after processing or processing them in common.

In particular, the sensor signal processing system of the present invention includes a sensor signal collection unit for collecting sensor signals, a signal transmission interface for transmitting sensor signals and calculation data to the upper robot controller, and a signal processing unit for controlling calculation data generation and transmission. May include configuration. The signal processor may include a signal preprocessor, a signal post processor, a signal changer, and a signal transmission controller. The signal preprocessor performs preprocessing to simplify the sensor signal when the capacity of the sensor signal is greater than or equal to a preset value. The signal post-processing unit generates calculation data by linking or integrating at least two sensor signals, or generates calculation data by linking or integrating the preprocessed data with the at least one sensor signal, or links the generated calculation data with each other. Or merge to create new computation data. The signal changer changes at least one sensor signal into a signal form that can be processed by the upper controller of the robot, and the signal transmission controller changes the at least one of the sensor signal and the operation data to a preset period and a request of the upper controller of the robot. Control to transmit to the robot host controller according to at least one of.

The present invention also provides a method of activating at least one sensor, collecting sensor signals of the activated sensors by a sensor signal processing system which is a separate sensor signal common processing device, and processing the sensor signals by the sensor signal processing system. Or a signal processing process for processing, a process for transmitting the sensor signal or processed data to the robot upper controller by the sensor signal processing system, and the robot upper controller based on the data provided by the sensor signal processing system. Disclosed is a method for processing a sensor signal for a robot, the method including controlling an operation command of the robot.

According to the present invention, the sensor signal processing system and method for robots of the present invention reduces various problems that may occur during the development, manufacture, and maintenance of increasingly complex industrial robots and intelligent robots, and simplifies the design of complex robots. The reliability of the robot can be improved.

In addition, the present invention can easily process the input of the various sensors, it is possible to upgrade the sensor processing capability of the robot more easily by replacing only the device associated with the sensor processing while maintaining the robot upper controller.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail an embodiment of the present invention.

 In the following description, only parts necessary for understanding the operation according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described, and the description of other parts will be omitted so as not to disturb the gist of the present invention.

The terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings and the inventor is not limited to the meaning of the terms in order to describe his invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the technical ideas of the present invention are described. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a robot system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the robot system 1 of the present invention may include a robot host controller 200, a sensor signal processing system 100, and a sensor group 10, and control of the robot host controller 200. The apparatus may further include a lower controller for controlling the robot mechanism and the robot mechanism.

The robot system 1 having such a configuration performs the input processing, preprocessing or processing and fusion of information based on the sensor signal processing system 100 with information transmitted from various sensors included in the sensor group 10. It can be delivered to the upper controller 200. Accordingly, the present invention integrates the sensor signals provided by the plurality of sensors in the robot system 1 in the sensor signal processing system 100, thereby simplifying the complex robot design without the need for additional design related to the sensors. Based on the system 100, the robot system 1 may be designed, manufactured, and maintained. Hereinafter, each configuration will be described in more detail.

The upper robot controller 200 provides the administrator with information on the state of the robot, and generates various control signals to operate the robot mechanism unit according to various program routines designated by the administrator and operates the robot mechanism unit or the robot mechanism unit. It is the configuration to transfer to the lower controller. The robot host controller 200 may include a user interface, a robot program and control variable storage unit, a program sequence execution unit, a motion control unit, an input / output (I / O) control unit, a sensor control unit, a network communication unit, and a programmable unit. It may include a controller and other peripheral equipment. The upper robot controller 200 performs a function of calculating a speed command for the robot mechanism to operate, and may be configured as a personal computer or an industrial computer. In particular, the robot host controller 200 of the present invention receives the processed operational data or the raw sensor signal transmitted from the sensor signal processing system 100, and based on this, the received signals are integrated, compared and analyzed, The result can be transmitted as a control signal to the drive motor provided in the robot mechanism part. Then, the robot mechanism operates the driving motor according to the control signal transmitted from the upper robot controller 200 to perform the corresponding operation. Accordingly, the upper robot controller 200 includes only a processing module capable of processing a sensor signal or processed calculation data transmitted from the sensor signal processing system 100, and determines the position and operation state of the robot mechanism based on this. And, the operation instruction of the robot mechanism part can be generated.

The sensor group 10 includes various sensors. Here, the various sensors generate sensor signals related to various robot mechanism states such as an initialization state for the robot mechanism unit to operate, an operation state of the robot mechanism unit to be operated, and a stop state of the robot mechanism unit after the operation is completed, and the generated sensor signals are converted into sensor signals. And to the processing system 100. To this end, the sensor group 10 may be arranged at a specific position of the robot mechanism unit or the environment in which the robot mechanism unit is operated. The sensor group 10 may include an optical sensor, an image sensor, a displacement sensor, a proximity / position sensor, a dynamic sensor, and the like. The photosensors include photoemissive sensors, photoconductive sensors, junction sensors, and combinations thereof. Displacement sensors include potentiometers, differential transformers, encoders, eddy current type DSs, ultrasonic displacement sensors, optical displacement sensors, capacitive displacement sensors, etc. It may include. The dynamic sensors may include strain gauges, pressure sensors, load sensors, accelerometers, and combinations thereof. The sensor group 10 may include at least one or more of the various types of sensors described above, and may include a plurality of sensors for each type. The sensors included in the sensor group 10 transmit their information, that is, sensor ID information and sensor signals, together with the sensor signal processing system 100 during the process of transmitting the sensor signal to the sensor signal processing system 100. It can help to easily determine whether to receive a sensor signal from the sensor. Each sensor included in the sensor group 10 may have different reliability for each sensor.

The sensor signal processing system 100 receives a sensor signal from at least one sensor included in the sensor group 10, processes the received sensor signal according to a preset schedule, and transmits the processed sensor signal to the upper robot controller 200. It is a constitution. The sensor signal processing system 100 may transfer the sensor signal received from the sensor group 10 directly to the upper robot controller 200 without additional processing according to the scheduling. The configuration of the sensor signal processing system 100 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

2 is a block diagram showing in more detail the configuration of the sensor signal processing system 100 of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the sensor signal processing system 100 of the present invention may include a sensor signal collector 110, a sensor signal storage 120, a signal transmission interface 130, and a signal processor 140. have. The sensor signal storage 120 may be omitted according to design.

The sensor signal collecting unit 110 collects sensor signals from the activated sensors under the control of the upper robot controller 200 among various sensors included in the sensor group 10, and collects the collected sensor signals into a signal processor. It is a configuration to deliver to 140. The sensor signal collector 110 may provide an interface for collecting sensor signals from various sensors included in the sensor group 10. The sensor signal collection unit 110 may automatically assign an ID or recognize a connection port of the sensor through a hardware switch or a software switch when the sensor included in the sensor group 10 is connected. In addition, the sensor signal collecting unit 110 provides a Plug and Play (PnP) function for a sensor registered in advance when the sensor is connected to the sensor group 10 to recognize a connection port of the sensor without any additional setting. Can be supported.

The sensor signal storage unit 120 stores various sensor signals collected by the sensor signal collector 110 under the control of the signal processor 140. In addition, the sensor signal storage unit 120 may store the calculation data processed by the sensor group 10 and processed by the signal processor 140 or the stored various sensor signals. The sensor signal stored in the sensor signal storage unit 120 and the operation data generated by the signal processor 140 may be transferred to the robot upper controller 200 through the signal transmission interface 130. In addition, the sensor signal storage unit 120 may store specific priority information and reliability information of various sensors included in the sensor group 10. In addition, the sensor signal storage unit 120 may include an algorithm for operating various sensors. For example, the sensor signal storage unit 120 may store an image recognition algorithm, an image filtering algorithm, an algorithm for extracting a specific image from the image, and the like. In addition, the sensor signal storage unit 120 includes algorithms for calculating complex sensor signals of specific sensors, for example, dynamics calculation according to kinetic energy generation, potential energy conversion according to kinetic energy change, and distance calculation according thereto. can do.

In more detail with respect to the priority information, at the time when the various sensors are disposed in the robot mechanism, each sensor can refer to the position and the movement of the robot mechanism accurately reflects the movement of the robot mechanism due to the various characteristics of the sensor Each of them may be divided into positions. Accordingly, the robot system 1 may give priority to each of the sensors included in the sensor group 10 according to the types, characteristics, and positions of the sensors. In this case, the sensor group 10 may provide sensor ID information of each sensor so that the robot system 1 may match sensor ID information and priority information with each other and store the sensor ID information in the sensor signal storage 120. In addition, as described above, the sensors may have different reliability in measuring distance or detecting the environment of the robot system 1 due to their respective characteristics. Such reliability may vary depending on the shape of each sensor. For example, in the case of a specific sensor, it may have a high distance measuring reliability within a set distance, but if it is out of the set distance, the reliability may be sharply lowered. In addition, the specific sensor can detect the force according to the operating state of the robot mechanism part, the accuracy and reliability of the detected force may be different according to the characteristics of the manufactured sensor. Accordingly, the priority information may be adjusted based on reliability information of each sensor, and the robot system 1 of the present invention may provide the reliability information independently of the priority information. The reliability information may be used as weight information in a process in which the signal processing unit 140 performs linkage and integration operations on sensor signals.

The signal transmission interface 130 is an interface that can communicate with the robot host controller 200. The signal transmission interface 130 may transmit sensor signals and calculation data stored in the sensor signal storage unit 120 to the upper robot controller 200 under the control of the signal processor 140.

The signal processor 140 generates arithmetic data based on the sensor signals collected by the sensor signal collector 110. The signal processor 140 may control the operation data and the sensor signal to be transmitted through the signal transmission interface 130 according to a preset scheduling of the robot upper controller 200. The signal processor 140 determines weights of the sensor signals based on at least one of preset priority information and reliability information about various sensor signals collected by the sensor signal collector 110, and determines the weights of the sensor signals based on the weights. Processing such as computing the sensors in conjunction with each other can be performed. The signal processor 140 transmits the processed calculation data to the robot higher controller 200 or selectively transmits the sensor signals having high priority or reliability according to the scheduled information without additional processing. Can be delivered to. To this end, the signal processor 140 may load at least one of priority information and reliability information of each sensor signal from the sensor signal storage 120. When the sensor signal including the specific sensor ID information is transmitted, the weight of the corresponding sensor signal may be determined by comparing the sensor signal with at least one of the priority information and the reliability information stored in the sensor ID information and the sensor signal storage 120. That is, the signal processor 140 generates calculation data according to the weights of the received sensor signals when calculating the sensor signals received from the various sensor groups 10 to measure the movement or the state of the robot mechanism. It is possible to generate reliable operation data for. The sensor signal processing system may perform a change in the number of data provided by specific sensors, a change in sensor data format, pre-processing and post-processing of sensor data, and the like in the sensor signal processing.

The signal processor 140 may fuse ultrasound, IR, and laser distance sensors to create a two-dimensional or three-dimensional map of the surrounding environment of the robot, and provide the generated map to the upper robot controller 200. In this process, the signal processor 140 may fuse and select information such as an ultrasonic wave, an IR, a laser distance sensor, and derive an optimal data for each instant to provide the robot upper controller 200. On the other hand, the signal processor 140 may be in charge of preprocessing and processing in the case of the vision sensor input requiring a high calculation value to derive the object information around the robot from the vision information and provide it to the upper robot controller 200. To this end, the signal processor 140 of the present invention may include a configuration as shown in FIG. 3.

3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the signal processor 140 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure in more detail.

Referring to FIG. 3, the signal processor 140 of the present invention may include a configuration of a signal preprocessor 141, a signal postprocessor 143, a signal changer 145, and a signal transmission controller 147. .

The signal preprocessor 141 performs preprocessing on sensor signals that require a preprocessing process among the sensor signals collected by the sensor signal collector 110, and stores the result in the sensor signal storage 120. In other words, it is a configuration that supports the connection with other sensor signals. In more detail, as described above, in the case of a specific sensor, for example, a vision sensor, since the robot system 1 collects image information about an environment in which the robot system 1 is disposed, the amount of sensor signals collected is greater than or equal to a preset value. In comparison, other sensors such as piezoelectric sensors and hall sensors have relatively high capacities. Accordingly, the signal preprocessing unit 141 may need to simplify the operation of the high-capacity sensor signal so as to be able to operate with other sensor signals or to perform a fast process in the robot upper controller 200. For example, the signal preprocessor 141 processes and collects unnecessary sensor signals by applying a predetermined filter to the image collected and transmitted by the sensor signal collector 110 so that only a specific sensor signal remains. The sensor signal can be simplified.

In addition, the signal preprocessor 141 may determine the validity of various sensor signals collected by the sensor signal collector 110. In more detail, the sensor signals provided by the sensors included in the sensor group 10 may generate and transmit the sensor signals in real time according to the scheduled robot mechanism movement. In this process, the sensors generate various sensor signals. For example, in the case of a specific sensor, a time point before the robot mechanism performs a specific motion, a start time for performing a specific motion, an operation time for performing a specific motion, and a specific motion Various sensor signal values may be collected and transmitted according to completion time of completion, termination time after completing a specific operation, and the like. Then, the signal preprocessor 141 may select sensor signal values having a signal value greater than or equal to a preset reference value among sensor signal values differently transmitted according to each of the above-described time points, and process them as valid values. In addition, the various sensor signals included in the sensor group 10 should generate appropriate sensor signals according to the movement of the robot mechanism part, but generate specific sensor signal values due to a sudden change of the environment in which the robot system 1 is disposed or a momentary malfunction. Can happen. For example, in the environment where the robot system 1 is disposed, in case of a sudden change in illuminance of the illumination sensor or the optical sensor, sensor signal values may be generated and transmitted to the sensor signal processing system 100. Then, the signal preprocessor 141 determines whether a signal value transmitted by each sensor is a valid value based on various pre-stored information, and if it is determined to be a valid value, the signal preprocessor 141 stores it in the sensor signal storage unit 120. On the other hand, if it is determined that the value is invalid, it can be controlled to ignore or store. As described above, the signal preprocessing unit 141 performs preprocessing on the sensor signals collected by the sensor signal collecting unit 110 by various algorithms and routines, and outputs the calculation data on which the preprocessing is performed. Control to store at 120.

The signal post processor 143 is configured to generate new computation data by linking and integrating various sensor signals stored in the sensor signal storage 120. That is, the signal post-processing unit 143 applies weights according to the priority and reliability of the sensor signals based on the collected sensor signals and the sensor ID information as described above, and based on this, the robot for determining the movement or state of the robot mechanism unit. The higher level controller 200 may generate operation data for reference. To this end, the signal post-processing unit 143 may check priority information and reliability information for each sensor stored in the sensor signal storage unit 120, and apply weights of the received sensor signals based on this. Accordingly, the signal post processor 143 may generate calculation data through linking and collecting the collected sensor signals. The signal post processor 143 selects operation data preprocessed by the signal preprocessor 141 and stored in the sensor signal storage unit 120 according to a preset routine or algorithm, and performs linkage or integrated operation of the selected operation data. Through this, new calculation data can be created. In addition, the signal post processor 143 may generate new calculation data by linking and integrating the calculation data preprocessed by the signal preprocessor 141 with sensor signals provided by other sensors. The generation of calculation data between the sensor signals, the association of the preprocessed calculation data with the sensor signal, and the integrated calculation may be controlled by preset scheduling, and the calculation result may be controlled by the robot host controller 200 for controlling the operation of the robot mechanism. May be referred to. As described above, the signal post-processing unit 143 may generate two-dimensional or three-dimensional mapping and coordinate reference data for the robot mechanical unit based on various sensor signals, and transmit the same to the upper robot controller 200.

The signal changer 145 is configured to selectively provide an original sensor output speed to a speed suitable for the robot upper controller 200 with respect to various sensor signals provided by the sensor group 10. In more detail, in the case of specific sensors, a sensor signal generation period may not coincide with a period received by the robot upper controller 200. The signal change unit 145 may generate and receive the sensor signals. The cycle may be processed to fall within a range allowed by the robot upper controller 200, and the processed sensor signal may be controlled to be transmitted to the robot upper controller 200.

The signal transmission controller 147 is configured to transmit sensor signals and calculation data stored in the sensor signal storage unit 120 to the upper robot controller 200 in various ways. The signal transmission control unit 147 periodically transmits the sensor signal and the calculation data to the robot upper controller 200 according to a method for transmitting the corresponding sensor signal and the calculation data at a time point requested by the robot upper controller 200 and a predetermined period. The sensor signal and the calculation data transmission can be performed according to the method provided. Meanwhile, when the sensor signal processing system 100 does not provide a separate storage unit, the sensor signal processing system 100 receives a real-time sensor signal and calculates a sensor signal according to a preset schedule to generate calculation data. It can be controlled not to save sensor signal and operation data separately. In this case, the signal transmission control unit 147 activates the above-described components at the time when the robot host controller 200 requests the sensor signal and the calculation data, collects the sensor signals, and collects the collected sensor signals into the robot host controller 200. On the other hand, arithmetic data may be generated based on the sensor signals according to the scheduling, and transferred to the upper host controller 200. In this case, the sensor signal processing system 100 may be formed in a structure that supports collection in real time without accumulating and storing various sensor signals generated in the sensor group 10. In addition, the signal transmission control unit 147 may not only operate each of the above-described schemes individually but also use them in combination. That is, the signal transmission control unit 147 transmits each sensor signal and calculation data according to a predetermined period, and at the point of time requested by the upper controller 200 of the robot, the sensor signal and calculation data of the corresponding time point or a sensor signal accumulated for a predetermined time. And arithmetic data may be provided to the robot host controller 200. In this case, the signal transmission controller 147 may select and transmit sensor signals and calculation data for each type requested by the upper robot controller 200, and transmit only selected sensor signals and calculation data according to preset schedule information when there is no request. Can also be.

On the other hand, for the robot design in the above-described robot system 1, the sensor signal processing system 100 may be configured in the form of a device tool designed by software. Such a device tool may be manufactured in a substantially middleware or firmware manner and disposed between the robot host controller 200 and the sensor group 10. That is, the sensor signal processing system 100 of the present invention may be a program that can be embedded in a corresponding hardware configuration when hardware for collecting sensor signals and linking and integrating the collected sensor signals is provided. . In addition, the sensor signal processing system 100 of the present invention further provides an output port for outputting corresponding data to a specific peripheral device, for example, a display unit, so that an administrator can confirm the association and integration operation of the collected sensor signal and the sensor signal. can do.

In the above, the configuration of the robot system 1 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the roles and detailed configurations of the respective components have been described. Hereinafter, a method of processing a sensor signal for a robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a sensor signal processing method for a robot according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 4, the sensor signal processing method for robots according to the present invention may be applied to the sensor group 10 when power supply of the sensors included in the sensor group 10 is completed under the control of the upper robot controller 200. Each of the included sensors may perform initialization according to the supplied power and predetermined scheduling. The sensors of the sensor group 10 that have been initialized generate sensor signals according to the movement or state of the robot mechanism, and transmit the generated sensor signals to the sensor signal processing system 100. Accordingly, the sensor signal processing system 100 may collect sensor signals generated by the sensors of the sensor group 10 in step 401.

When the sensor signal processing system 100 receives sensor signals from various types of sensors included in the sensor group 10, the sensor signal processing system 100 may check priorities and reliability of each sensor signal based on sensor ID information transmitted by the sensors. Can be. To this end, the sensor signal processing system 100 may load priority information and reliability information stored in the sensor signal storage unit 120 and determine the weight of each sensor signal with reference to the loaded priority information and reliability information. . Each sensor signal whose weight is confirmed may be classified according to a predetermined criterion in step 403. In operation 405, the sensor signal processing system 100 may control the sensor signals to be temporarily stored in the sensor signal storage 120. Meanwhile, in the robot system 1 of the present invention, the sensor signal processing system 100 may not provide the sensor signal storage unit 120, and thus, step 405 may be omitted.

Next, in step 407, the sensor signal processing system 100 may generate calculation data based on sensor signals received from the sensor groups 10 or sensor signals temporarily stored in the sensor signal storage 120. have. Here, the calculation data refers to data in which the sensor signal processing system 100 assigns weights according to priorities and reliability, and instructs and integrates at least two weighted sensor signals with each other to indicate an operation state of the robot mechanism unit. can do. For example, the calculation data may be linked to an image sensor signal transmitted by a vision sensor included in the sensor group 10 and ultrasonic displacement values transmitted by an ultrasonic displacement sensor, and the robot mechanism may be present at a certain position to indicate a certain operating state. It can be data that can determine whether it is taken. Such calculation data may be generated by linkage or integration of sensor signals transmitted from sensors, as well as linkage and integration of calculation data generated by linkage and integration of specific sensor signals with sensor signals transmitted by other sensors. . In this process, the sensor signal processing system 100 may perform a preprocessing process, a postprocessing process, a signal change process, and the like on the received sensor signal.

As described above, when the capacity of the sensor signal provided by the sensor is relatively high as described above, the preprocessing process may be performed to simplify the sensor signal so that it can be used as reference data for substantially determining the operation state of the robot mechanism part. Can be. For example, the preprocessing process is to reduce the capacity of the signal value by filtering the corresponding image sensor signal when the sensor signal value is large, such as the image sensor signal, edge detection process to extract the shape corresponding to the robot mechanism from the image sensor signal, It may include a separation process for separating and separating the robot mechanism unit and the background. Here, the preprocessing process has been described with respect to the image sensor signal, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the preprocessing process of the present invention may be a process of simplifying a corresponding sensor signal in the case of a sensor signal having a large capacity of the sensor signal or a large amount of calculation required for detecting the operating state of the robot mechanism based on the sensor signal.

In the post-processing process, if priority is given based on sensor ID information of the sensor signals as described above, the data is applied as a weight, and the operation data for detecting the operation state of the robot mechanism part by linking and integrating the sensor signals with each other. It can be a process of generating. Here, the process of linking and integrating the sensor signals is a process of determining the position of the robot mechanism based on position information of various sensor signals and sensor signals of the robot mechanism detected by each sensor of the sensor group 10. It can be a process of generating data on the position and operation state of the robot mechanism part in the dimensional or three-dimensional form. In this case, the calculation data is calculated by at least two sensor signal values and may be coordinate values on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates. In this case, the sensor signal value may be independently applied on the two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates to support the position and operation state of the robot mechanism part.

The signal change process is a process of changing a sensor signal into a signal according to a method required by the robot upper controller 200. The generation period of the sensor signals may be different from the processing period processed by the robot upper controller 200. The sensor signal processing system 100 may adjust the sensor signal generation period to support the robot upper controller 200. Can be. For example, when a generation period of a sensor signal of a specific sensor is 2 μms and a signal processing period processed by the robot host controller 200 is 4 μms, the sensor signal processing system 100 may determine an odd number of units with respect to a sensor signal of the specific sensor. And control the control to transfer the sampled signal to the robot upper controller 200.

Meanwhile, in the above description, an operation data is generated by assigning a weight to a sensor signal based on priority information or reliability information of the sensors, and is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the sensor signal processing system 100 of the present invention may generate arithmetic data by selecting specific sensor signals according to a predetermined schedule without weighting and linking or integrating the selected sensor signals according to a specific algorithm. . The specific algorithm may be an algorithm for generating a 2D map or a 3D map for the robot mechanism, and the sensor signals may be coordinates or coordinate reference data for generating the map. In addition, the specific algorithm may be generated as a method of linking a newly designed or designed algorithm according to various sites to which the robot mechanism is applied.

Next, the sensor signal processing system 100 may check whether the sensor signal is transmitted in step 409. That is, the sensor signal processing system 100 may check whether it is a time point corresponding to a preset period or whether a request is generated from the robot host controller 200. If a request for transmitting a separate sensor signal does not occur, the sensor signal processing system 100 may branch to step 401 and control to repeatedly perform the following process.

On the other hand, when a transmission request occurs in step 409, the sensor signal processing system 100 may perform calculation on the operation data generated through linkage and integration operation of the sensor signal and sensor signals received from the sensors according to a preset schedule in step 411. The robot may be controlled to transmit to the host controller 200. In addition, the sensor signal processing system 100 may control the sensor signal and the calculation data to be transmitted at the point in time requested by the upper host controller 200. To this end, the sensor signal processing system 100 controls the robot host controller 200 to perform sensor signal collection and calculation only at the time when the robot host controller 200 requests sensor signals and calculation data, and collects the collected sensor signals and the calculated data. It can be controlled to transfer to the upper controller 200. The sensor signal processing system 100 may provide a sensor signal storage unit 120 and control to accumulate and store sensor signals and calculation data according to a preset schedule. Thereafter, the sensor signal processing system 100 may control to transmit the accumulated sensor signal and calculation data to the robot upper controller 200. Here, the sensor signal processing system 100 transmits the sensor signal and the calculation data to the upper robot controller 200 according to a predetermined period, as well as the sensor signal and the calculation at the point of time requested by the upper robot controller 200. It can also support sending data.

The sensor signal processing system 100 checks whether to continue operating the robot system 1 in step 413, and if there is no separate input signal or scheduled information for termination, branches to step 401 to perform the following process. Can be controlled to perform repeatedly.

As described above, the sensor signal processing system and method for a robot of the present invention transmits a sensor signal from at least two sensors for detecting the position and operation state of a robot mechanism part to a robot host controller, or the reliability of a received sensor signal or The signal is selectively processed based on additional information such as priority and transmitted to the robot host controller 200. In this process, the sensor signal processing system of the present invention is disposed between the robot host controller and the sensor group to process the sensor signal transmitted by each sensor according to a predetermined schedule and to transfer it to the robot host controller. Accordingly, in case of the upper controller of the robot, only the processing module related to the sensor signal processing can be used to determine the position and operation state of the robot mechanism and instruct an operation command. In the case of the sensor group, it is easy to add and remove various sensors. According to the sensor signal processing can be adaptively performed.

On the other hand, the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification and drawings are merely presented specific examples for clarity and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention may be implemented.

1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a robot system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the sensor signal processing system of FIG.

3 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration of the signal processor of FIG. 2;

Figure 4 is a flow chart for explaining a sensor signal processing method for a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

1: robot system 100: sensor signal processing system

110: sensor signal collection unit 120: sensor signal storage unit

130: signal transmission interface 140: signal processing unit

141: signal preprocessor 143: signal postprocessor

145: signal changing unit 147: signal transmission control unit

200: robot upper controller

Claims (11)

A robot upper controller for controlling a movement state of the robot mechanism part; A sensor group including at least one sensor disposed at at least one of the robot mechanism part and a specific position of an environment in which the robot mechanism part operates; And a sensor signal processing system disposed between the robot upper controller and the sensor group to collect sensor signals of sensors included in the sensor group, and to process them in common without processing or processing, and then transfer them to the robot upper controller. The sensor signal processing system And a signal processor configured to process the collected sensor signals to generate calculation data and to transmit at least one of the sensor signals and the calculation data to the upper controller of the robot. The signal processor A signal preprocessor configured to perform preprocessing to simplify the sensor signal when the capacity of the sensor signal is greater than or equal to a preset value; Calculation data is generated by linking or integrating at least two sensor signals, or generating calculation data by linking or integrating at least one sensor signal with the preprocessed data, or operation generated by linking or integrating at least two sensor signals. A signal post-processing unit generating new operation data by linking or integrating data and operation data generated by linking or integrating at least one sensor signal with each other; A signal changer configured to change at least one sensor signal into a signal form that can be processed by the upper controller of the robot; A signal transmission controller configured to transmit at least one of the sensor signal and the operation data to the robot upper controller according to at least one of a predetermined period and a request of the robot upper controller; Sensor signal processing system for a robot comprising a. The method of claim 1 The sensor signal processing system A sensor signal collector configured to provide an interface for communicating with each sensor included in the sensor group and collect sensor signals; A signal transmission interface for transmitting the sensor signal, the generated calculation data, or the generated new calculation data to the robot upper controller; Sensor signal processing system for a robot further comprising. The method according to claim 2, wherein A sensor signal storage unit for storing the sensor signal and the operation data and storing at least one algorithm for processing the sensor signal; Sensor signal processing system for a robot further comprising. delete The method according to claim 2, wherein The sensor group Transmitting sensor ID information of each sensor and sensor signals of each sensor to the sensor signal processing system, The signal post-processing unit determines a weight by checking the priority or reliability of the preset sensor signal based on the sensor ID information, and generates the calculation data using the determined weight. system. 3. The method of claim 2, The sensor signal collector The sensor signal processing system for a robot, characterized in that the ID is automatically connected when the sensor included in the sensor group is connected or the connection port of the sensor is recognized through a hardware switch or a software switch. 3. The method of claim 2, The sensor signal collector The sensor signal processing system for a robot, characterized in that the connection port of the sensor is recognized by providing a Plug and Play (PnP) function for a sensor registered in advance when the sensor is connected to the sensor group. Activating at least one sensor; Collecting sensor signals of the activated sensors by a sensor signal processing system which is a separate sensor signal common processing device; A signal processing process in which the sensor signal processing system processes or processes the sensor signal; Transmitting, by the sensor signal processing system, the sensor signal or processed data to a robot host controller; And controlling, by the robot host controller, an operation command of the robot mechanical unit based on data provided by the sensor signal processing system. The signal processing process A preprocessing step of performing preprocessing to simplify the sensor signal when the capacity of the sensor signal is greater than or equal to a preset value; Calculation data is generated by linking or integrating at least two sensor signals, or generating calculation data by linking or integrating at least one sensor signal with the preprocessed data, or operation generated by linking or integrating at least two sensor signals. A post-processing step of generating new operation data by linking or integrating data and operation data generated by linking or integrating the preprocessed data with at least one sensor signal; A signal changing process of changing at least one sensor signal into a signal form that can be processed by the upper controller of the robot; / RTI > The sensor signal processing system may transmit the sensor signal or the processed data to the robot upper controller according to at least one of a predetermined period and a request of the robot upper controller. Sensor signal processing method for a robot, characterized in that. delete The method of claim 8 Storing the sensor signal, the operation data, and at least one algorithm for processing the sensor signal in a sensor signal storage unit; Sensor signal processing method for a robot further comprising. The method of claim 8 The post-treatment process Checking sensor ID information of the sensors; Checking priority or reliability of the sensor signals and determining a weight corresponding thereto based on the sensor ID information; Generating the operation data using the determined weight value; Sensor signal processing method for a robot comprising a.

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