KR102054301B1 - Method of drawing map applied by object feature and robot implementing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for creating a map to which the characteristics of an object are applied and a robot implementing the same. The robot for creating a map to which the characteristics of an object are applied according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a moving unit that controls the movement of the robot; A map storage unit that stores a map referred to when the robot moves, a sensing unit that senses one or more objects disposed outside the robot, and controls the moving unit, the map storage unit, and the sensing unit, and the position information and characteristics of the sensed object. And a controller for calculating information, wherein the controller stores the position information and the characteristic information of the sensed object in the map storage unit.

Description

METHOOD OF DRAWING MAP APPLIED BY OBJECT FEATURE AND ROBOT IMPLEMENTING THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a method of creating a map to which a property of an object is applied, and a technology related to a robot implementing the same.

In order to operate a robot in a space where human and material exchanges are actively occurring, such as an airport, a school, a public office, a hotel, an office, a factory, a map of the entire space must be provided. In particular, it is necessary to sense structures made of various materials to determine whether they are fixed structures or moving structures, and to create a map based on the fixed structures. In particular, in a space where many people move, such as airports, harbors, and train stations, glass is often used to construct walls in addition to concrete, and glass is not sensed in the process of sensing the surroundings to construct a map. The concrete behind may be sensed. In order to solve this problem, the present specification proposes a method of generating and updating a map by sensing a material of a fixed structure and analyzing the material in the process of creating or updating a map.

In this specification, in order to solve the above-described problems, the characteristics of each object in the space in which the objects of various materials are arranged to construct a map based on this and to allow the robot to move using the map.

In this specification, accurate map information is generated due to preventing a case where an incorrect value is obtained or not obtained according to the material of an obstacle.

In this specification, it is displayed differently on the map according to the material of the obstacle so that the characteristics of the objects can be reflected in the process of designing the movement of the robot.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention which are not mentioned above can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Also, it will be readily appreciated that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the claims.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a robot for creating a map to which an object characteristic is applied may include a moving unit for controlling a movement of a robot, a map storage unit for storing a map referenced when the robot moves, and at least one outside of the robot. And a control unit for sensing an object, a moving unit, a map storage unit, and a sensing unit to calculate the position information and the characteristic information of the sensed object, wherein the controller of the robot includes the position information and the characteristic information of the sensed object. Is stored in the map storage.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of creating a map to which a property of an object is applied. Identifying a first object through which the signal of the sensing unit passes and a second object through which the signal of the sensing unit is not transmitted; storing, by the controller, position information and characteristic information of the first object in the map storage unit; and And storing the location information of the two objects in the map storage unit.

When applying the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to create an accurate map by reflecting the material characteristics of the obstacle in the process of creating or modifying the map using the sensor.

In addition, when applying the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to accurately sense the information of the object according to the material of the obstacle, it is also possible to distinguish and store the information about the obstacles of different materials on the map.

In addition, when applying the embodiments of the present invention, the robot may operate differently depending on the characteristics of the adjacent objects.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects, and those skilled in the art can easily derive various effects of the present invention from the configuration of the present invention.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a LiDAR sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing the configuration of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a map stored in a map storage unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a characteristic of an object stored in the object characteristic storage 220.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process of distinguishing a robot using signal strength in a space where walls and glass are disposed according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating objects stored in FIG. 5 in the map storage unit 200 according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a process of distinguishing the glass from the objects disposed behind the glass by the robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process of distinguishing objects variously arranged in an open space without glass by a robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram illustrating a virtual boundary line stored in a map storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view showing a change in signal strength when the sensing unit 100 of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention detects the glass wall.
11 and 12 illustrate a result of sensing the signal strength and distance by the sensing unit 100 of the robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process of creating a map to which a characteristic of an object is applied by a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a diagram illustrating a process of receiving a reflection signal of an object by a lidar sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a diagram for a process of storing, by a controller, information of an external object sensed according to an embodiment of the present invention in a map storage unit.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a process in which a robot operates differently in response to characteristic information of surrounding objects according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a view illustrating a process of exchanging position and characteristic information of an object between a plurality of robots or between a robot and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. In addition, some embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, the same components may have the same reference numerals as much as possible even though they are shown in different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description may be omitted.

In describing the components of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) can be used. These terms are only to distinguish the components from other components, and the terms are not limited in nature, order, order or number of the components. When a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, that component may be directly connected to or connected to that other component, but between components It will be understood that the elements may be "interposed" or each component may be "connected", "coupled" or "connected" through other components.

In addition, in the implementation of the present invention may be described by subdividing the components for convenience of description, these components may be implemented in one device or module, or one component is a plurality of devices or modules It can also be implemented separately.

Hereinafter, in the present specification, the robot includes a device having a specific purpose (cleaning, security, monitoring, guidance, etc.) or providing a function according to the characteristics of the space in which the robot moves. Therefore, the robot in the present specification collectively refers to a device that holds a moving means that can move using predetermined information and a sensor and provides a predetermined function.

In the present specification, the robot may move while holding a map. The map refers to information about fixed walls, stairs, and glass walls that do not move in space. The robot can also store information about specific objects on the map. For example, if the object is a material that transmits a specific signal, such as glass, it can be stored separately from the wall. Similarly, information may be stored about a material that distorts a reflected signal, such as a mirror. Since the glass wall extended in the empty space transmits a sensing signal, the robot may not be able to accurately measure the distance. Therefore, information about objects having different materials such as walls and glass may be classified and stored and displayed in the moving space of the robot. Or need to use. 1 is a view showing the configuration of a LiDAR sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the robot may use a Lidar sensor to complement the map or identify a material of a fixed structure. The lidar sensor can check the position (distance) or direction to the object, the speed or temperature of the object, the material distribution and concentration, and the material through the reflection of the laser emitted toward an external obstacle or moving object. To this end, the sensing unit 100 including the lidar sensor may be configured as a laser transmitter 110 and a laser receiver 120 for emitting a laser. In addition, the sensing data analyzer 130 may analyze the received signal. It can be configured as. The laser transmitter 110 may use a laser of a specific wavelength or a laser light source capable of varying the wavelength. The sensing data analysis unit 130 may analyze information such as a distance from the sensed object, temperature, speed, or material of the sensed object and provide the same to the robot equipped with the sensing unit 100.

In FIG. 1, the laser transmitter 110 and the laser receiver 120 may be integrated to indicate a lidar sensor. In another embodiment, the lidar sensor may include both the sensing data analyzer 130, the laser transmitter 110, and the laser receiver 120.

1 illustrates a configuration of a lidar sensor using a laser as an embodiment of the sensing unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and materials or materials for external objects using various sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor and an infrared sensor may be used. The intensity of the signal reflected from these external objects can be checked. In addition, two or more sensors may be used to reflect the characteristics of the information identified by each sensor, thereby identifying the material of the external objects or the strength of the signal reflected from the external objects.

2 is a view showing the configuration of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. The robot 1000 performs a predetermined function of the sensing unit 100 for sensing an external moving object or a fixed object, a map storage unit 200 for storing a map, a moving unit 300 for controlling movement, and a robot. The functional unit 400, the communication unit 500 for transmitting and receiving information about the map or moving object and the fixed object with other robots, the interface unit 600 for displaying the information obtained by the robot 1000, and their respective components It includes a control unit 900 for controlling.

The controller 900 may collect information sensed by the sensing unit 100, analyze the material of the sensed object or the characteristics of the sensed object, and store the information in the map storage unit 200. The moving unit 300 is a means for moving the robot 1000 like a wheel, and moves the robot 1000 under the control of the controller 900. In this case, the controller 900 may check the current position of the robot 1000 in an area stored in the map storage unit 200 and provide a control signal for movement to the moving unit 300.

In addition, the controller 900 determines whether the external object sensed by the sensing unit 100 may control the movement of the moving unit 300. The functional unit 400 is meant to provide specialized functions of the robot. For example, in the case of a cleaning robot, the function unit 400 includes components necessary for cleaning. In the case of a guide robot, the function unit 400 includes components required for guidance. The function unit 400 may include various components according to functions provided by the robot.

The map storage unit 200 includes a map 210. The map means information about a space in which the robot 1000 can move. The map divides the entire space into subdivided unit areas and stores information in which fixed objects are arranged in the unit areas. The map 210 may be used to identify an object disposed around the robot 1000 at the position of the robot 1000 as the robot 1000 moves. In addition, the map 210 may provide information about a space to a person who manages the robot 1000. Accordingly, the map 210 of FIG. 3 may be information on a memory referred to by the robot 1000 in the process of moving, or may be information visually displayed through a specific display.

In addition, the map storage unit 200 includes an object characteristic storage unit 220. The object characteristic storage unit 220 stores the characteristic information of the external object acquired in the process of receiving the signal emitted from the sensing unit 100. For example, the property information such as the material of the external object checked through the received signal may be stored in the object property storage unit 220. In one embodiment of the characteristic information, the signal transmitted by the laser transmitter 110 of FIG. 1 includes the characteristics of the signal received by the laser receiver 120.

Accordingly, the map storage unit 200 stores information on a category in which the characteristic information of the object is categorized, which may be readjusted by the controller 900 as shown in FIG. 15 to be described later. The rearrangement of categories is intended to reflect the characteristics of objects in space more accurately in the process of classifying objects in the whole space according to categories. In addition, the information on the category allows the robot to change the operation mode when the robot moves in proximity to objects belonging to a specific category, so that the category can be readjusted to reflect the characteristics of the objects arranged in the space.

In an embodiment in which a lidar sensor is applied, the reflection intensity information of the received signal may vary depending on the material of the reflected material. The intensity is increased when all the lasers are reflected, and the intensity may be weakened when the laser is partially absorbed or transmitted. Therefore, even if the objects are arranged in the same position, the laser signal is received at a different intensity according to the material of the object, it can be stored as the characteristic information of the object.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a lidar sensor uses a laser to map information about an object in front and rear, that is, obstacles, and different laser signals according to materials of the obstacles (glass, concrete wall, etc.). Intensity information can be obtained. In the present specification, instead of using only the sensed distance information, mapping may be performed using all distance values for different intensities in addition to the sensed distance information, thereby obtaining information on more external objects. .

In particular, different identification symbols (colors, numbers, etc.) are assigned to obstacles, that is, objects, for each intensity section of the signal on the map, and thus may be used as reference maps for removing classification and unnecessary obstacles according to the material of the obstacle.

The moving unit 300 or the function unit 400 may operate differently in response to the characteristic information of an object disposed adjacent to the current position of the robot.

The moving unit 300 moves the robot 1000. The moving unit 300 may move under the control of the control unit 900. In particular, the moving unit 300 may move in a different manner according to the characteristics of objects arranged around the robot 1000 at the current position. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 3 to be described later, when moving to access an object (eg, a wall) corresponding to category 9, the speed is increased, and an object (eg, a glass) corresponding to category 3 is accessed. If you move, you can slow down.

The function unit 400 performs a specific operation, for example, a function such as cleaning and security, a guide function, and the like. The function unit 400 may perform different operations according to the features of the objects arranged around the robot 1000 at the current position. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 3 to be described later, a function performed adjacent to an object (for example, a wall) corresponding to category 9 and a function performed adjacent to an object (for example, glass) corresponding to category 3 Can be different.

In summary, the moving unit 300 and the function unit 400 may operate differently according to the moving direction or the characteristic information of the objects arranged adjacent to each other.

3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a map stored in a map storage unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The sensing unit 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 stores spatial information sensed by the robot 1000.

The map 210a of FIG. 3 may be configured as a kind of bitmap. Each bit in the bitmap of the image file can be configured to represent one unit area. Each unit region may indicate a lower left corner as (0, 0) and an upper right corner as (19, 19). In addition, 210a of FIG. 3 may have a data structure of 20x20 structure. For example, it may include information on whether an object is disposed for each location. Information is arranged like a matrix, and when a fixed object is arranged, the value of the matrix can be set to a preset value.

In addition, the map storage unit 200 may store property information about objects in addition to the map 210 composed of fixed objects, and the property information about the object is stored in the object property storage unit 220. And this information can also be displayed on the map 210.

The portion 211 shown in black in the map 210a of FIG. 3 represents an object made of a material through which light does not transmit at all, such as concrete. In addition, the portion indicated at 212 represents an object of a material that is partially transmitted and partially reflected, such as translucent glass. In addition, the portion indicated at 213 represents an object made of a material having high light transmittance, such as glass.

In the map 210a of FIG. 3, a category value of an object characteristic of each space may be set in a 20x20 bitmap space.

One embodiment is a method of displaying in different colors according to a category of object characteristics in a 20x20 bitmap space. For example, a black portion indicated by 211 in FIG. 3 may be displayed in black, 212 may be yellow, and 213 may be displayed in red. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 3, there is a way to display in a different pattern.

Another example is a method of displaying different numbers. The highest intensity category is set to 9 in the black areas indicated at 211, the lower intensity category is set to 7, at the points indicated at 212, and the lower intensity category 3 is set at the points indicated at 213. Can be.

4 is a diagram illustrating a characteristic of an object stored in the object characteristic storage 220.

The object property storage unit 220 is divided into a category storage unit 221 which stores information of a category of object property, and a location storage unit 225 which stores information on the position and strength of the object. The category storage unit 221 is divided into a field 221a and a data 221b, which may be variously configured according to characteristics of a space in which the robot travels.

In one embodiment, the Category field represents a category of properties of the object. In FIG. 4, four types of categories are presented as shown in FIG. Colors for displaying on the map for each category may be set. Intensity_Min and Intensity_Max mean a range of reflection intensities. This may be set according to the intensity value of the reflected signal received by the laser receiver 120 of FIG. 1, and may be a newly converted value.

For example, based on FIG. 4, the intensity of the reflected signal may actually have a value between 0 and 100. In another embodiment, the intensity of the reflected signal actually has a value between 0 and 10000 but can be converted to a value between 0 and 100. The converting method may be divided by 100, or may be converted using a predetermined hash table or a function. For example, if the intensity of the reflected signal is in the range of 0 to 10000, but the strength of the meaningful reflected signal is 3000 to 5000 as a result of the robot running, it may be converted to 0 to 100 based on this.

In addition, a process of normalizing the strength of the signal through the distance between the robot and the object may be added. That is, since the intensity of the signal when the distance from the object is 10 meters and the intensity of the signal when the distance from the object is 5 meters are different, the object characteristic storage unit 220 is converted into the intensity of the signal at the reference distance. ) Can be stored.

Material_1 to Material_3 are information on the material of the object corresponding to each category. This may be set in advance according to the reflection intensity of the laser sensor, or may be set based on information sensed or provided in advance by another sensor of the robot.

There are four types of categories in 221 of FIG. 4, where 1 means empty space. 9 indicates the properties of an object composed of concrete, opaque material, and so on. 7 indicates the property of an object composed of translucent glass or translucent acrylic. 3 indicates the property of an object composed of glass or transparent acrylic or the like.

Here, the category can be reconstructed based on information sensed by the robot while driving. For example, if a number of objects belonging to the category 7 but having a certain intensity value are sensed to exist, a separate category can be added for this object. That is, if a large number of objects belonging to the category of 7 but having a reflection intensity between 50 and 55 are sensed, a new category of 6 can be added.

The location storage unit 225 stores information about the location and characteristics of the object sensed by the sensing unit 100. According to an embodiment of the present invention, information on locations of all sensed objects, intensity and characteristics of a normalized signal is stored. In another embodiment, storing information about the position and characteristics of the objects belonging to a specific category of the sensed object.

For example, in FIG. 3, location information about objects having a category of 9 may be basically stored in the map 210a as shown in 211. In addition, only the information about the location and the characteristics of the 7 or 3 objects indicated by the categories 212 and 213 may be stored in the location storage unit 225. This can be variously applied according to the characteristics of objects that are dominantly arranged in the space.

4 shows an embodiment of a location storage unit in which location information about objects indicated by 212 and 213 of FIG. 3 is stored.

The location storage unit 225 is composed of a field 225a and data 225b. The fields include Serial, Category, Intensity of the signal, and information about the start point (StartX, StartY) and end point (EndX, EndY) of the object. The data 225b of the location storage unit 225 shows an embodiment in which information about the locations of the objects and their categories indicated by 212 and 213 of FIG. 3 is stored.

As shown in FIG. 4, the map storage unit 200 stores information of an object by distinguishing it according to a category including an intensity of an object and a signal reflected by the object. The robot can distinguish and display the stored information. That is, the interface unit 600 of the robot 1000 may display the information of the object stored in the map storage unit 200 differently according to the category including the signal strength. The embodiment of displaying differently means setting the colors differently for each category. In another embodiment, the objects may be displayed in different patterns for each category. In FIG. 3, an embodiment of distinguishing and displaying objects with different patterns or colors has been described.

The category shown in FIG. 4 may be externally set in advance, but the control unit 900 and the map storage unit 200 of the robot 1000 may regroup the stored information to include two objects included in a specific category. You can separate into more than one category, or combine objects from more than one category into a single category.

In addition, when there are a large number of spaces through which the signals transmitted by the rider sensor are transmitted, such as glass, the glass may be recognized as a wall so that an incorrect value may be obtained depending on the material of an external object such as an obstacle. It can prevent the case of being acquired or not being acquired. In addition, such a robot can be implemented to generate accurate map information.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a process of distinguishing a robot using signal strength in a space where walls and glass are disposed according to an embodiment of the present invention. It looks at the configuration in which the sensing unit 100 transmits and receives a signal within a 180 degree range forward. The sensing unit 100 sequentially or simultaneously transmits a signal within 180 degrees ahead and receives a signal reflected from an external object. In areas where the signal transmitted by the sensing unit 100 does not transmit, such as walls 11a, 11b, and 12, the signal intensity is high, and in areas where the signal transmitted by the sensing unit 100 partially transmits, such as glass, the signal is transmitted. The intensity of is low.

The intensity of the signal sensed by the sensing unit 100 is displayed as shown in the lower graph 51. For convenience of description, the intensity of the sensed signal of the object between -45 degrees and +45 degrees is shown with respect to the sensing unit 100. The signal is reflected from the wall 12 that penetrates the glass 10 and is disposed behind the glass, so that some signals are received, and some of the signals that are not transmitted through the glass 10 are received. The intensity is less than the intensity of the signal reflected from the front walls 11a and 11b.

Meanwhile, the distance of the signal sensed by the sensing unit 100 is displayed as shown in the graph 52 below. For convenience of description, the sensing distance of the object between -45 degrees and +45 degrees is shown around the sensing unit 100. The distance from the wall 12 penetrating the glass 10 and disposed behind the glass is calculated. In addition, according to the configuration of the sensing unit 100, the distance through the signal reflected by not partially transmitting the glass 10 may also be calculated as a dotted line within 10a. The distance of the signal may be displayed as 52, a value corrected by reflecting an angle with respect to the sensing unit 100 as a center.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the information about the intensity and distance of the signal sensed by the sensing unit 100 is transmitted to the controller 900, and the controller 900 senses information about external objects. Based on the information, the object information may be stored in the map storage unit 200. In the region 10a, the glass 10 may be disposed by comparing the strength and the distance of the reflected signal in the portion where the signal strength becomes weak and the signal distance becomes long.

In one embodiment, when the glass 10 is absent, if the signal strength in the region 10a is lower or higher than the expected signal strength, light is transmitted between the wall 12 and the sensing unit 100. The controller 900 may confirm that an object that distorts the intensity of the signal, such as reflecting, is disposed. In addition, a signal indicated by a dotted line at 52 through the distance of the minute signal reflected from the glass 10 in the region 10a may also be an element for confirming that the glass 10 is disposed.

In the structure as shown in FIG. 5, the controller 900 and the map storage 200 may correct and store the signal strength and the distance of the signal. In the area where the glass 10 is placed, both the glass and the back wall 12 can be stored on the map.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating objects stored in FIG. 5 in the map storage unit 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Only a portion 12a of the wall 12 of FIG. 5 is shown in the map 210b because some areas of the back wall 12 are not sensed due to the front walls 11a, 11b. Glass 10 is also stored in map 210b to be displayed differently from the walls.

In addition, walls 11a and 11b, which are objects between adjacent spaces and objects with different kinds of materials (glass in FIGS. 5 and 6) may be easily removed, so that objects belonging to a specific category may be removed. Information about the sensed time may be additionally stored.

For example, an additional field called SensingTime may be added to the location storage unit 225 of FIG. 4, and the information about the detected time of the object may be continuously updated. You can also update by sensing whether the object has been removed.

In particular, where there are many floating populations such as airports and terminals, and the compartments of the spaces are frequently changed, glass can be used to partition new spaces or to remove existing spaces. In the case of non-objects, it can be determined as a fluid object to check whether objects are arranged as they are periodically or at a specific point in time.

When it is possible to acquire intensity information and distance information of a signal at the same time in the process of sensing an external object, such as a lidar sensor, the information on the external object can be obtained in detail using these information. That is, when mapping using all distance values for different strengths according to the material of an object such as an obstacle, more obstacle information can be obtained.

In addition, as shown in Figure 4, by grouping the intervals of the signal strength into a category to give color, number, hatching pattern to the obstacle to use as a reference material for the classification and removal of unnecessary obstacles according to the material of the obstacle Accurate map generation is possible.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a process of distinguishing the glass from the objects disposed behind the glass by the robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Unlike the configuration of FIG. 5, a plurality of display stands 15 are arranged behind the glass 10. Therefore, the strength and distance of the signals reflected from the display rack 15 are different from those discussed in FIG. 5.

The intensity of the signal reflected from the display rack 15 is equal to the portion 71a in the signal strength graph 71. The distance measured on the display rack 15 is equal to the 72a portion in the signal distance graph 72. The dotted line at 72 means the distance to the glass. The controller 900 may store the glass 10 on the front side and the wall 12 on the rear side without storing the display rack 15 on the map in the process of storing the information on the map from the sensed information such as 71 and 72. . This is because when the signal suddenly changes within a short range in areas 10b of 71 and 72, the controller 900 changes the intensity and distance of the signal due to various objects arranged behind the glass. Can be stored. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of storing the objects sensed in FIG. 7 in the map storage unit 200.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a process of distinguishing objects variously arranged in an open space without glass by a robot according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Unlike the configuration of FIG. 7, a plurality of display racks 15 are arranged, but other objects such as glass or walls are not disposed on the front surface of the display rack 15. Therefore, the strength and distance of the signals reflected from the display rack 15 are different from those discussed in FIG. 7.

The intensity of the signal reflected from the display rack 15 is equal to the portion 81a in the signal strength graph 81. The distance measured on the display stand 15 is equal to the 82a portion in the signal distance graph 82. Unlike FIG. 7, the distance from the glass is not disposed in the signal distance graph 82.

The controller 900 does not store the display rack 15 in the map in the process of storing the information in the map from the sensed information such as 81 and 82, and the extended section of the adjacent walls 11a and 11b and the rear wall ( 12) can be stored. The controller 900 may confirm that there is no object that prevents the movement of the robot 1000 between the sensing unit 100 and the display rack 15 through the graphs 81 and 82.

However, if the strength of the sensed signal is different from each other even after the distance is corrected compared with the strength of the signal sensed by the walls 11a and 11b, the distance between the display rack 15 and the walls 11a and 11b is different. If it is determined that the value is within a preset value, the robot does not enter the display rack 15, and the object may be stored in the map storage unit 200 as the object exists virtually in the regions extended from the walls 11a and 11b.

In this case, the controller 900 may store the virtual glass between the wall 11a of the left front part and the wall 11b of the right front part, and store the virtual glass in the map storage unit 200. Alternatively, the map storage unit 200 may store information about the virtual boundary line instead of the glass.

9 is a diagram illustrating a virtual boundary line stored in a map storage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The area indicated by 90 indicates a virtual boundary, that is, a virtual wall, in the space between the wall 11a of the left front part and the wall 11b of the right front part of FIG. Similarly, the category storage unit 221 stores information on the category (-1) corresponding thereto. The area having the category of "-1" is recognized as a space in which objects are not arranged but not entered, so that the robot 1000 may operate in the same manner as the wall is disposed in the 90 area during the movement process.

Looking at the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the robot 1000 may distinguish the obstacle by configuring a map (color, pattern, etc.) to distinguish by the material properties of the objects disposed outside. In addition, the robot 1000 may be used in various application fields that require the use of map information by generating a map reflecting material characteristics of obstacles.

For example, when it is necessary to operate the wall and glass separately in the process of moving the robot 1000, the robot 1000 may move according to the separated information of the objects of different characteristics stored on the map.

In summary, the controller 900 of the robot 1000 may store information on the unsensed virtual object in the map storage 200. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual object is stored in the map storage unit 200 as if there is an obstacle due to adjacent objects (such as a display stand) even though the object is not disposed at a corresponding position such as a virtual wall.

10 is a view showing a change in signal strength when the sensing unit 100 of the robot according to an embodiment of the present invention detects the glass wall.

Unlike the wall arrangement (Wall) and the glass wall arrangement (Wall w / Glass) it can be seen that the signal intensity changes heterogeneously, as shown in the area indicated in 91. This shows a case where an object that reduces the strength of the signal is disposed, such as glass is disposed between walls or glass is placed in front of the wall.

When the sensing unit 100 senses as shown in FIG. 10, since the object of the material different from the concrete may be confirmed, the robot 1000 may be stored differently in the map storage unit 200. If it moves, you can refer to it.

In addition, the information reflecting the material of the object may be shared with other robots or transmitted to the central server. This can be the basis for understanding the characteristics of the objects that make up the space in the central server. In addition, the characteristics of the objects may be grouped by applying categorization as shown in FIG. 4 in consideration of an error or a range of the reflection intensity of the signal.

11 and 12 are diagrams illustrating a result of sensing the signal strength and distance by the sensing unit 100 of the robot according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 11, the region indicated by 92 represents a region where the signal strength is strong. In FIG. 11, 93 shows that the object is disposed at a long distance while the signal strength is weak. However, since the width of the region such as 93 is not large, it may be an area in which reflective material is disposed on the wall or glass is disposed. Accordingly, the controller 900 may store the wall 94 in the map storage unit 200 as shown in FIG. 12 based on the sensed data as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a process of creating a map to which a characteristic of an object is applied by a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The sensing unit 100 of the robot 1000 senses distance information and characteristic information of one or more objects within a sensing range (S1310). The controller 900 of the robot 1000 identifies the first object through which the signal of the sensing unit 100 transmits and the second object through which the signal of the sensing unit 100 is not transmitted in the distance information and the characteristic information (S1320). ). In one embodiment, the first object may be glass, and the second object may be a wall made of concrete.

Since the first object has a property of transparency, the controller 900 stores the location information and the property information of the first object in the map storage unit 200 (S1330). An embodiment in which the characteristic information is stored is as described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4.

The controller 900 stores the position information of the second object in the map storage unit 200 (S1340). In this case, the characteristic information of the second object may be selectively stored in the map storage unit 200.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a second object having a characteristic (such as a concrete wall) as a reference in the entire space may be stored as an immutable fixed object, and a first object may be stored as a variable object. When storing as a variable object, the sensing time information for the first object is stored in the map storage unit 200 according to an embodiment.

Here, an embodiment of the first object or the second object means an object disposed corresponding to a unit stored in the map storage unit. For example, when there is 1m x 1m wide glass on the front of the robot, and the robot stores information in 10cm units, the robot detects the distance information and sensing of 10 objects of 10cm size for the 1m wide glass placed on the front. Information about the strength of the signal can be stored.

In addition to the process of FIG. 13, as described above with reference to FIG. 9, the controller 900 may further include storing information on an unsensed virtual object in the map storage 200. This means that the virtual wall is stored on the map so that the robot 1000 no longer enters the space where the display rack is disposed. The imaginary wall can be placed extending from adjacent walls or objects of adjacent special material. In FIG. 9, the embodiment in which the virtual wall 90 is disposed on the extension lines 11a and 11b has been described.

14 is a diagram illustrating a process of receiving a reflection signal of an object by a lidar sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the sensing unit 100 may be a lidar sensor, and may include a laser transmitter 110, a laser receiver 120, and a sensing data analyzer 130.

The laser transmitter 110 transmits a signal, that is, a laser signal (S1311). In operation S1312, the signal transmitted from the laser receiver 120 reflects the signal reflected from the first object. In operation S1313, the laser receiver receives the signal reflected from the third object disposed on the rear surface of the first object. Since the first object transmits a part of the signal like glass, the signal reflected from the third object is a signal transmitted through the first object, and thus the strength of the signal is weak. Thus, the strength of this weakened signal can be stored as a characteristic of the first object.

That is, the sensing data analyzer of the robot transmits the intensity of the reflected signal and the distance information of the first object and the third object to the controller (S1314). Accordingly, the sensed object characteristic may include an intensity of a signal reflected by the first object or the third object and received by the laser receiver.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a process of storing, by a controller, information on an external object sensed by a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention in a map storage unit.

If the process of storing the information of the external object, that is, the step S1330 in more detail, the controller 900 distinguishes the information of the first object according to the category including the intensity of the signal of the first object map storage unit 200 Save it). Look at the flow chart of Figure 15 in more detail.

The controller 900 normalizes the signal strength of the first object provided by the sensing data analyzer 130 by using the distance information (S1331). The intensity of the signal reflected from the glass placed 10 meters in front of the robot and the signal reflected from the glass placed 5 meters in front of the robot are different. You can also refer to the distance to adjacent opaque objects during normalization.

For example, in the process of normalizing the signal strength of the glass indicated by 10 in FIG. 5, the distance to the object of 11a or 11b may be referred to. However, since a space may protrude or be depressed, the distance from an object of another material that is adjacent may be referred to by reflecting information of the surrounding space where the robot is located on the map.

Thereafter, the controller 900 checks the category including the normalized signal strength in the map storage unit 200 (S1332). It may be checked whether the signal strength normalized by the category storage unit 221 of FIG. 4 is included between Intensity_Min and Intensity_Max. If a category exists (S1333), the information of the first object is stored according to the existing category (S1337). The location information of the first object may be stored in the map 210, and the location information of the first object, information about a category, and information about a signal strength may be stored in the location storage 225.

On the other hand, the controller 900 checks whether the characteristics and the categories of the signal strengths of the signals of the objects arranged in the space correspond appropriately. In one embodiment, it is checked whether the information of the first object is arranged in the boundary or in the middle (S1338). For example, it is assumed that the normalized signal strength of the first object falls into a category called Category_6, and the category of Category_6 is between 600 and 800. If the signal strength of the first object is 601, it means that the first object is arranged in the boundary region of the category of Category_6. In this case, the signal strength of another object may be searched in the map storage unit 200 to generate a new category. This is an embodiment for distinguishing objects that need to be distinguished from each other in the process of differently displaying objects for each category on the map.

In a further embodiment of whether or not disposed at the boundary of S1338, the controller 900 may calculate an average value, a variance value, or a standard deviation of the intensity of signals of objects corresponding to the corresponding category. When objects belonging to the category Category 6 are divided into a first group having a signal strength between 600 and 650 and a second group having a signal strength between 760 and 790, the material is divided into Category_6-1 and Category_6-2 to be more precisely different materials. You can distinguish objects in.

On the other hand, if there is no category corresponding to the signal strength of the object in S1333, a new margin may be generated by including a certain margin in the signal strength of the first object (S1334). For example, if a signal intensity of 100 or more occurs in FIG. 4, a new category including the same may be added. In operation S1335, information on the first object is stored according to the created category.

Referring to FIG. 15, the controller 900 of the robot may readjust categories according to property information of an object stored in the map storage 200.

16 is a diagram illustrating a process in which a robot operates differently in response to characteristic information of surrounding objects according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Previously, the functional unit 400 or the moving unit 300 has been described to operate differently in response to the characteristic information of the object disposed adjacent to the current position of the robot. Look at this in more detail.

The controller 900 checks the property information of the object disposed in the advancing direction in the map storage unit 200 (S1610). Then, it is checked whether the category of the object is "Risk_Category" (S1620). "Risk_Category" is previously set in the controller 900 or the map storage unit 200. In an embodiment, objects having a category of 3 are included in "Risk_Category".

If the category of the object is not "Risk_Category" in S1620, the controller 900 maintains the moving unit 300 or the functional unit 400 in the normal corresponding mode (S1630). On the other hand, if the category of the object is "Risk_Category" in S1620, the control unit 900 maintains the moving unit 300 or the functional unit 400 in Risk_Category corresponding mode (S1640). According to an embodiment of the Risk_Category response mode, it is determined that an object disposed outside is a material that may be damaged, and thus the movement speed is reduced.

In addition, in the case where the function unit 400 performs the cleaning, the external object may not be damaged during the cleaning process. For example, when performing the mop function, it means to reduce the rotation speed of the mop or to keep the distance from the object in the wall-following cleaning function.

Embodiments described in the present specification are displayed by dividing the objects by color, pattern, number, etc. on the map using the intensity information of the signal acquired by the LiDAR sensor in the process of sensing an external object. To identify obstacles. Corresponding operation may be performed by using information on the intensity of a signal acquired for each obstacle. In particular, when applying the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the extraction of wrong distance information obtained from the reflective material.

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating a process of exchanging position and characteristic information of an object between a plurality of robots or between a robot and a server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The server 2000 transmits the location and characteristic information of the object to the plurality of robots 1000a,..., And 1000z (S1701, S1702). The robots 1000a,..., 1000z update the location and characteristic information of the received object to the map storage 200. The server 2000 analyzes the position and characteristic information of the objects transmitted by the plurality of robots 1000a, ..., 1000z and updates the duplicated information at the same position by newly updating the position and characteristic of one object. Can be stored as information. In addition, the sensed time information (SensingTime) may be stored in FIG. 4, and based on this, it may be checked whether an object sensed at a specific location is removed. When the wall is made of glass, after the wall is removed, the robot is moved by removing it from the map storage unit 200. Afterwards, the robots 1000a,..., 1000z update the position and characteristic information of the object during the driving process (S1710, S1720). In one embodiment, the method includes updating information on a map storage unit held by each robot. In addition, among the robots located adjacent to each other, the newly acquired object may be shared with the location and characteristic information (S1715). In this case, the sharing of the position and characteristic information of the object may be provided only to robots that are in close proximity to a certain range. Alternatively, moving to the space after the robot may be provided to the predetermined robot.

Each of the robots 1000a, ..., 1000z uploads the position and characteristic information of the object acquired while driving to the server (S1711, S1721).

The server 2000 updates the location and characteristic information of the received object (S1730). In this process, the duplicated information is organized into information about one object, or the characteristic information (normalized signal strength) of the object is changed. In this case, the location and property information of the object is newly downloaded by reflecting this (S1731 and S1732).

Although all components constituting the embodiments of the present invention have been described as being combined or operating in combination, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, and all of the components are within the scope of the present invention. It can also be combined to operate selectively. In addition, although all of the components may be implemented in one independent hardware, each or all of the components are selectively combined to perform some or all of the functions combined in one or a plurality of hardware. It may be implemented as a computer program having a. Codes and code segments constituting the computer program may be easily inferred by those skilled in the art. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer readable storage medium and read and executed by a computer, thereby implementing embodiments of the present invention. The storage medium of the computer program includes a storage medium including a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium and a semiconductor recording element. In addition, the computer program for implementing an embodiment of the present invention includes a program module that is transmitted in real time through an external device.

In the above description, the embodiment of the present invention has been described, but various changes and modifications can be made at the level of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, it will be understood that such changes and modifications are included within the scope of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1000: robot 100: sensing unit
200: map storage unit 210: map
220: object property storage unit 221: category storage unit
225: location storing unit 300: moving unit
400: function unit 500: communication unit
600: interface unit 2000: server

Claims (15)

Moving unit for controlling the movement of the robot;
A map storage unit for storing a map referenced when the robot moves;
A sensing unit which senses one or more objects disposed outside the robot and includes a laser transmitter, a laser receiver, and a sensing data analyzer; And
A control unit which controls the moving unit, the map storage unit, and the sensing unit, and calculates position information and characteristic information of the sensed object;
The controller of the robot stores position information and characteristic information of the sensed object in the map storage unit,
The sensed object property information
A signal transmitted by the laser transmitter is reflected from the object and includes an intensity of reflection of the signal received by the laser receiver,
The control unit divides the characteristic information of the object into a first category composed of concrete or an opaque material, a second category composed of translucent glass or translucent acrylic, a third category composed of transparent glass or transparent acrylic, using the reflection intensity,
The map storage unit further includes information on a category that categorizes property information of an object.
And the controller is configured to create a map to which the property of the object is applied to reduce the moving speed when the property information of the object disposed in the advancing direction belongs to the second or third category.
The method of claim 1,
The map storage unit
A map storing information about a space in which the robot moves; And
And a object property storage unit configured to store material properties of the objects arranged in the space.
The method of claim 1,
The sensing unit
Receives a first signal transmitted through the glass and reflected from a wall disposed behind the glass and a second signal not partially transmitted through the glass,
The controller generates a map to which the property of the object is applied, correcting the intensity of the signal and the distance of the signal to store the glass and the wall behind the glass in a map in the map storage unit.
The method of claim 1,
The map storage unit stores information of the object by distinguishing according to a category including the object and the strength of the signal of the object,
The robot may further include an interface unit configured to display information of an object stored in the map storage unit differently according to a category including the strength of the signal.
The method of claim 1,
The controller is configured to create a map to which the characteristics of the object are applied to store information about the virtual object not sensed in the map storage unit.
The method of claim 1,
It further includes a functional unit that provides a function to perform the cleaning,
When the function unit is a function for performing cleaning, the function unit reduces the rotational speed of the mop in performing the mop function near the object belonging to the second category or the third category, or the second category or in the month following cleaning function. A robot for creating a map to which the property of the object is applied, which is far from the object belonging to the third category.
The method of claim 1,
The controller of the robot generates a map to which the characteristics of the object are applied to readjust the category according to the characteristic information of the object stored in the map storage unit.
Sensing position information and characteristic information of one or more objects within a sensing range by a sensing unit of a robot;
Identifying, by the controller of the robot, a first object through which the signal of the sensing unit is transmitted and a second object through which the signal of the sensing unit is opaque from the position information and the characteristic information;
Storing, by the controller, in a map storage unit, location information and characteristic information of the first object, and information on a category that categorizes the characteristic information; And
Storing, by the controller, the location information of the second object in the map storage unit;
The sensing unit is a lidar sensor, and includes a laser transmitter, a laser receiver, and a sensing data analyzer,
The sensed object property information
A signal transmitted by the laser transmitter is reflected from the object and includes an intensity of reflection of the signal received by the laser receiver,
The control unit divides the characteristic information of the object into a first category made of concrete or opaque material, a second category made of translucent glass or translucent acrylic, a third category made of transparent glass or transparent acrylic, using the reflection intensity. ; And
The control unit further comprises the step of reducing the moving speed when the property information of the object disposed in the advancing direction belongs to the second category or the third category, creating a map to which the property of the object is applied.
The method of claim 8,
The sensing step
Transmitting, by the laser transmitter, a signal;
Receiving, by the laser receiver, a signal reflected from the first object;
Receiving, by the laser receiver, a signal reflected from a third object disposed behind the first object; And
And transmitting, by the sensing data analysis unit of the robot, the intensity of the reflected signal and the position information of the first object and the third object to the control unit.
The method of claim 9,
Receiving the first signal transmitted through the glass and reflected from a wall disposed behind the glass, and a second signal that does not partially pass through the glass;
And correcting, by the controller, the intensity of the signal and the distance of the signal to store the glass and the wall behind the glass in a map in the map storage.
How to create a map with the properties of an object applied.
The method of claim 9,
The storing of the location information and the characteristic information of the first object by the control unit in the map storage unit
And storing, by the controller, information of the first object in a map storage unit according to a category including a strength of the signal of the first object.
The method of claim 8,
And displaying the first object and the second object differently stored in the map storage unit by the interface unit of the robot.
The method of claim 8,
The control unit further comprises the step of storing information about the virtual object is not sensed in the map storage unit, creating a map to which the characteristics of the object is applied.
The method of claim 8,
When the functional unit of the robot is a function of performing cleaning, the function unit reduces the rotational speed of the mop in performing the mop function near the object belonging to the second category or the third category, or the second in the wall following cleaning function. Further comprising a distance from a category or an object belonging to the third category.
The method of claim 8,
The control unit of the robot further comprises the step of re-adjusting the category according to the characteristic information of the object stored in the map storage unit, creating a map to which the characteristics of the object is applied.

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