KR101935640B1 - Robotic apparatus and method for artistic pen drawing on an arbitrary surface - Google Patents

Abstract

To an apparatus and method for drawing a pen on any surface, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for drawing a pen on any surface with only impedance control of the robotic arm without any recognition process on the surface.
A first wireless communication module for communicating with the processor, and a storage unit for storing data in units of strokes upon receipt of a picture, a pen attached to the end of the input unit, A second wireless communication module for communicating with the robot arm, the robot arm for drawing, and a calculator for predicting the arbitrary surface using data received from the input device.

Description

≪ Desc / Clms Page number 1 > BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a robotic apparatus and method for artistic pen drawing on any surface,

To robotics devices and methods for providing pen drawing on any surface, and more particularly to robotic devices and methods for providing pen drawing on any surface with the impedance control of a robotic arm without the need to explicitly reconfigure or model the surface, and ≪ / RTI >

There are two methods of representing image information on a computer. A raster graphics method, and a vector graphics method. The raster graphic method is a method of composing images into points in the form of a two-dimensional array and combining the shapes of these points to represent one image information by using individually controllable pixels at regular intervals.

On the other hand, the vector graphics method is a method of representing and storing graphic data as a vector such as a line segment or a curve instead of a bit map. Since all the data is represented by a vector based on the geometric formula, there is a merit that it is always possible to output a clean result even if it is enlarged or reduced, which is suitable for a robot manipulator.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an input device comprising a first wireless communication module for communicating with a processor and a storage unit for receiving data and storing data in units of strokes, And a processor configured to predict the arbitrary surface using data received from the input device and a second wireless communication module that communicates with the input device and the robot arm, An apparatus for drawing a picture on any surface is disclosed.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the data received from the input device may be a device for drawing an arbitrary surface including the aggregate data of the control points including the start point, the intermediate point and the end point, the pen pressure data, and the color data.

According to yet another embodiment, the robot arm is a robot arm having a plurality of pens attached at the distal end thereof.

According to an embodiment, the calculation unit may include resetting a virtual surface by a predetermined distance when a pressing force applied to an arbitrary surface of a pen attached to an end of the robot arm exceeds or falls below a predetermined range, An apparatus for drawing a picture on any surface is disclosed. The predetermined range of the pressing force may be 0.8N to 3.2N, which is a general pressure of a person, but it is not limited thereto and may be a wider range.

According to another embodiment, the calculator discloses a device for drawing on any surface, including controlling the robot arm to move in a pre-entered curve to recognize the surface.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the input picture is divided into a stroke unit, and a set of control points including a start point, a middle point and an end point for each stroke, pen pressure data and color data are stored in a storage, Transferring data to the processor, using the set of control points to collect the positional information on the surface and predicting the surface, and determining the position of the surface on the surface while the processor senses the pressing force applied by the pen attached to the robotic arm A method of drawing a picture on an arbitrary surface including a picture drawing step is disclosed.

According to another embodiment, there may be a method of drawing a picture on any surface, which further includes recognizing the picture-drawing surface using pre-specified curve data.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method is disclosed in which a plurality of pens are mounted on the distal end of the robot arm and a picture is drawn on an arbitrary surface while changing the pen.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the step of drawing a picture on the surface while sensing the pressing force applied by the pen causes the virtual surface to be reset by a predetermined distance when the pressing force exceeds or falls below a predetermined range A method of drawing a picture on any surface further comprising steps is disclosed. The predetermined range of the pressing force may be 0.8N to 3.2N, which is a range of general pressure of a person, but it is not limited thereto and may be a wider range.

According to yet another embodiment, there is provided a computer readable recording medium embodying a program for performing a method of drawing on any surface described above.

1 shows a configuration of a drawing apparatus according to an embodiment.
2 shows a configuration of an input device according to an embodiment.
3 illustrates a configuration of a processor according to one embodiment.
4 is a specific illustration of a drawing system according to one embodiment.
5 is a flowchart of a drawing process according to an embodiment.
6 shows an operational view according to one embodiment.
Figure 7 illustrates a quadratic Bezier spline curve according to one embodiment.
Figure 8 illustrates a variation of data in accordance with one embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the rights is not limited or limited by these embodiments. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

The terms used in the following description are chosen to be generic and universal in the art to which they are related, but other terms may exist depending on the development and / or change in technology, customs, preferences of the technician, and the like. Accordingly, the terminology used in the following description should not be construed as limiting the technical thought, but should be understood in the exemplary language used to describe the embodiments.

Also, in certain cases, there may be a term chosen arbitrarily by the applicant, in which case the meaning of the detailed description in the corresponding description section. Therefore, the term used in the following description should be understood based on the meaning of the term, not the name of a simple term, and the contents throughout the specification.

1 shows a configuration of a drawing apparatus according to an embodiment. The drawing device is specifically composed of an input device 110, a processor 120, and a robot arm 130.

The detailed configuration of the input device 110 is shown in Fig. The input device receives information of a picture to be shown on an arbitrary surface from a user. The input device may generally be a Galaxy Tab series of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. or an iPad of Apple. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a communication module capable of communicating with a processor device and an apparatus capable of processing and storing input information of a user are possible. The input device stores a picture drawn by the user in units of one stroke, and stores a set of control points, pen pressure data, and color data for each stroke in a storage. The set of control points may be composed of information of a start point, an intermediate point and an end point. The stored data is transmitted to the processor via the first wireless communication module.

The processor 120 is specifically configured with a second wireless communication module and a calculator, and a detailed configuration thereof will be described with reference to FIG. The processor 120 converts the information received from the input device into the form of information available to the robot arm so that the robot arm is not moved along the individual points but is animated by one spline motion Impedance control is performed.

The robot arm 130 performs an operation to move according to a command of the processor. At the distal end of the robot arm, one or more pens are attached, and the colors of the pens may be different from each other. The robot arm includes a pressure sensor and performs a movement operation in accordance with the received pressure information.

2 shows a configuration of an input device according to an embodiment. The input device 210 comprises a first wireless communication module 220 and a storage 230. The first wireless communication module 220 communicates with the processor, and the storage 230 stores information received from the user.

More specifically, the storage unit 230 stores the pen input by the user as a set of control points, pen pressure data, and color data for each stroke. The set of control points refers to a point consisting of a start point, a middle point, and an end point in one stroke. The pen pressure data is related to the determination of the stroke thickness. In addition, the color data allows the robot arm to draw a pen while changing to a different pen according to the color data when the pen uses a plurality of pens.

The first wireless communication module 220 transmits all the data stored in the storage to the processor. And communicates with the second wireless communication module of the processor to transmit respective data.

FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration of a processor 310 according to one embodiment. The processor 310 includes a second wireless communication module 320 and a calculation unit 330. The second wireless communication module 320 communicates with the input device and the robot arm, and the calculation unit 330 performs various calculations for the transmitted information.

More specifically, the second wireless communication module 320 receives all the data stored in the storage of the input device from the first wireless communication module and transfers the data to the calculation unit. Also, the information processed in the calculation unit is transmitted to the robot arm, and the command for the impedance control of the robot arm is also transmitted.

The calculator 230 processes the information received from the input device through the second wireless communication module and converts the information into information of a usable form of the robot arm. Because the robotic arm performs smooth curved motion, it transforms the stroke data into information suitable for drawing on any surface. In some cases, the calculation unit also calculates the surface recognition process. The surface recognition process is not an indispensable process, but the surface can be scanned once by using a curve previously designated for an arbitrary surface to enhance the completeness of the pen. When a surface recognition process by a curve designated in advance is performed, the calculation unit calculates information on a curve and a surface to which a predetermined portion is previously designated, and reflects the information on the operation of the robot arm.

4 is a specific illustration of a drawing system according to one embodiment. Tablet PC 410, general PC 430 and robotic arm 450 are shown and communications 420 and 440 between the configurations are shown. However, the tablet PC and the general PC are not limited thereto, but an input device capable of receiving, storing and transmitting the user's pen, and a processor capable of processing information received from the input device are sufficient.

The tablet PC 410 receives the pen drawing to be drawn by the user, stores the information of the pen drawing on a stroke basis, and transmits the information to the general PC 430 (420). Illustratively but not exclusively, the communication 420, 440 scheme may be a WIFI scheme.

The general PC 430 functions as a processor, transmits and receives information 420 and 440 using the second wireless communication module, and the calculation unit converts the received information through a predetermined process.

The robotic arm 450 draws a picture directly on an arbitrary surface using the information received from the general PC 430 (440). Illustratively, but not exclusively, it may be the IIWA model of KUKA.

5 is a flowchart of a drawing process according to an embodiment. When performing drawing on any surface in accordance with the present teachings, a total of five steps can be performed. The present teachings include a step 510 of segmenting a stroke into stroke units, a step 520 of storing stroke unit data to be divided, a step 530 of transmitting the stored data to a processor, (Step 540) and drawing (step 550) while sensing the pressing force.

A step 510 of dividing a picture by strokes means dividing into strokes constituting a picture when a user inputs a picture to an input device. This step is performed by the input device.

The data storage step 520 is a step of storing picture data divided into each stroke in a storage unit existing in the input device. The step 520 is performed in the repository of the input device, and information stored in the repository includes a set of control points, pen pressure data, and color data.

The step 530 of forwarding to the processor is an operation of transmitting the information stored in the repository by the wireless communication method. More specifically, the step 530 refers to the first wireless communication module transmitting data to the second wireless communication module.

A step 530 of collecting and predicting surface location information operates in the processor. This step is divided into a step of collecting the position information of the surface and a step of predicting the surface. The step of collecting the position information of the surface is not necessarily performed, but may be performed in addition to drawing the penis of higher accuracy according to the user's needs. On the other hand, the prediction step of the surface is performed before drawing the robot arm's stroke.

Herein, collecting the position information of the surface refers to a step of scanning an arbitrary surface by a space filling curve. The space filling curve may be a Feyno curve that fills a planar space or a closed set without intersection.

Finally, the pressing force sensing and drawing step 550 applies a force in a vertical direction until a predetermined pressure is reached, when the pen existing at the distal end of the robot arm touches an arbitrary surface, As shown in FIG. More specifically, the drawing stage adjusts the intensity of the pressing force through impedance control, and draws a stroke on an arbitrary surface according to information received from the processor.

Figure 6 shows a concrete and illustrative example of carrying out the present teachings in a bucket. 6 shows a 20 liter water purifier water bottle 610, a virtual surface 620, a virtual contact portion 630, and an actual contact portion 640.

The water tank 620 is an exemplary article for expressing any surface, but it is not limited to this, and an object having a curved surface or surface that is difficult to predict is sufficient.

The imaginary surface 620 is any surface that is predicted by the processor. The robot arm can not contact the imaginary surface virtual surface predicted by the measurement of the pressing force. Therefore, a certain distance is generated between the point 640 where the robot arm touches the actual surface and the point 630 where the robot arm touches the virtual surface. The robotic arm is commanded by the processor to draw a picture on the virtual surface 620. The pressing force of the robot arm is generated by the interval between the point 630 to be contacted on the imaginary surface 620 and the point 640 to touch the actual surface. For example, assuming that the difference between the maximum height and the minimum height of the object surface moving in one stroke is 5 cm, the pressing force is set to be 0.8 N to 3.2 N . Impedance control is used to perform force and position control to perform an operation in accordance with the instructions of the processor. More specifically, the robot arm moves on an arbitrary surface by applying an appropriate force in the vertical direction by a control technique that puts a virtual spring at the end of the pen existing at the distal end of the robot arm.

As the robot arm moves, the pressing force changes. When the range of the pressing force exceeds or falls below a predetermined range, the virtual surface can be reset. Specifically, when the range of the pressing force exceeds the predetermined range, the virtual surface is set 5 cm higher than the initial virtual surface, and when the pressing force falls below the predetermined range, Can be set 5cm lower than the surface. However, the height to be reset is not limited to 5 cm, but it is variable depending on the difference between the maximum height and the minimum height of the object surface.

FIG. 7 illustrates a Quadratic Bezier Spline Curve used in a vector graphics engine according to one embodiment. A Bezier spline curve is a mathematical curve to represent an arbitrary curve. The equation used for the second Bezier spline curve is shown in Equation 1 below.

In Equation (1), P ₁ , P ₂ , and P ₃ are control points, and as the parameter t changes from 0 to 1, a second Bezier spline curve is generated.

The set of control points among the data stored in the repository is a set of P ₁ , P ₂ , and P ₃ , and a plurality of sets may exist for one stroke. In the case of a simple curved line with less bending, it can be represented by a single set of control points, and in the case of a complex curve in which a plurality of bends exist, a plurality of control points exist.

In Fig. 7, one stroke represented by a set of two control points is illustrated. For any stroke stored in the repository, p1, p2, and p3 are a set of control points, and p3, p4, and p5 are another set of control points. The sets of control points are each represented according to a quadratic Bezier spline curve. In the case of showing a curve according to the quadratic Bezier spline curve, the midpoints (p2, p4) of the control points do not pass.

Figure 8 illustrates the conversion of stored data in accordance with one embodiment. By the process of FIG. 7, each stroke is transformed into a form usable for a vector graphic engine. Since the robot arm is only capable of continuous motion over the Bezier spline curve, the input to the robot arm is modified by additionally modifying the Bezier spline curve data described in the process of FIG. Reference numeral 810 denotes an example of a quadratic Bezier spline curve according to stored data. Reference numeral 820 denotes a quadratic Bezier spline curve generated by applying de Casteljau's Algorithm to the input data, Represents additional control points.

810 is a form before application of the de Castellou algorithm of the input data, and a black dot means each control point for generating a Bezier spline curve. 820 is a path through which the robot arm moves in response to input data. Here, the black dot represents the start point and the end point of the control point, and the transparent point represents the midpoint of the control point. Although the intermediate points are exemplarily shown as four, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to perform a plurality of intermediate points. The number of midpoints depends on how much the order is increased by the de Castelló algorithm, and as the order is increased, the motion becomes smoother.

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the apparatus and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array (FPA) A programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions to be recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Although the embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings, various modifications and variations may be made by those skilled in the art. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (12)

A first wireless communication module for communicating with the processor, and a storage for storing data in units of strokes on receipt of a picture;
A robot arm having a pen attached to an end thereof and drawing a picture on an arbitrary surface by information received from the processor; And
A second wireless communication module for communicating with the input device and the robot arm, and a calculator for predicting the arbitrary surface using data received from the input device,
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the calculation unit resets the imaginary surface by a predetermined distance when the pressing force applied to the arbitrary surface by the pen attached to the end of the robot arm exceeds or falls below a predetermined range, Device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the data received from the input device is a set of control points consisting of a start point, a midpoint and an end point, a pen pressure data, and color data. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the robot arm is a robot arm having a plurality of pens attached to the distal end thereof. delete The method of claim 3,
Wherein the predetermined range of the pressing force is 0.8N to 3.2N. 6. The method of claim 5,
The calculation unit controls the robot arm to recognize the surface by moving it in accordance with a curve inputted in advance
A device that draws on any surface including. Storing a set of control points, pen pressure data, and color data, each of which consists of a starting point, a middle point, and an end point for each stroke, into a storage;
Transmitting data stored in the repository to a processor;
The processor collecting positional information on the surface using the set of control points and predicting the surface; And
Drawing a picture on the surface while the processor senses the pressing force applied by the pen attached to the robot arm
How to draw a picture on any surface that contains. 8. The method of claim 7,
The method further comprising the step of recognizing a surface to be drawn using predetermined curve data. 9. The method of claim 8,
A plurality of pens are mounted on the end of the robot arm, and a pen is changed to draw a picture on an arbitrary surface. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the step of drawing a picture on the surface while the processor senses a pressing force applied by the pen,
Further comprising the step of resetting the imaginary surface by a predetermined distance when the pressing force exceeds or falls below a predetermined range. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein a predetermined range of the pressing force is 0.8N to 3.2N. 12. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 11,
A computer-readable recording medium containing a program for performing a method of drawing a picture on an arbitrary surface.

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