KR102350476B1 - Serving robot and robot serving system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a serving robot which is capable of correctly delivering ordered food to a target table by means of autonomous robot driving and is capable of constructing a robot serving system at relatively low costs compared to the existing serving robot, and to a robot serving system using the same. The robot serving system, according to the present invention, is a system for serving food to a table (hereinafter referred to as a target table) that has ordered food. The system comprises: a moving rail extending from a first point to respective points where a plurality of tables are located; a wired guide line installed on the moving rail along a traveling path of the moving rail; and the serving robot. The serving robot includes: a tray on which food can be loaded; a sensor which recognizes the wired guide line; a driving unit which moves the serving robot; and a control unit which controls the driving unit. The first point is configured to correspond to a starting point at which the food is loaded on the serving robot and moved to a point where the target table is located. The serving robot is configured to, when the food is loaded at the first point, move to a point where the target table is located through the moving rail, and to track a traveling path on the moving rail by recognizing the wired guide line.

Description

Serving robot and robot serving system using the same

The present invention relates to a serving robot and a robot serving system using the same, and more particularly, a robot serving system can be built at a considerably lower cost compared to the existing serving robot while being able to accurately deliver food to a target table through an autonomous driving method of the robot. It relates to a serving robot capable of being able to and a robot serving system using the same.

Serving services using robots are expanding. In a service required for a customer in a restaurant, for example, receiving an order for food, and delivering the ordered food to a customer, research on what a robot provides on behalf of a human employee is being actively conducted.

For a robot to provide such a service, it must be able to autonomously drive to a table with a calling customer. Accordingly, autonomous driving may be required for service robots used in restaurants.

On the other hand, in order for the robot to autonomously drive, it is necessary for the robot to grasp its current position while driving and to recognize the surrounding topographical features on its own driving path.

To this end, conventionally, autonomous driving for serving robots is typically implemented in a SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) method.

In the SLAM method, the robot drives autonomously by performing simultaneous localization and map generation (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping, SLAM). Using the sensing means of

However, this SLAM method requires excessive calculation and data processing for the robot, and a number of devices such as sensing means are required for accurate results.

Due to this, the movement speed of the robot in the process of calculating and moving indoor mapping and movement path and recognizing and avoiding surrounding obstacles is inevitably limited, and when there are many customers, the efficiency as a replacement device for serving personnel is reduced.

In addition, since expensive devices such as lidar, UWB, and positioning sensor are required to implement the SLAM method, the price of the serving robot is quite high, and for this reason, there is a limit in the economic burden of introducing it in small stores.

For this reason, the existing serving robots are not specialized enough to serve practically in a restaurant and are very expensive. Robots are not yet commercially available.

On the other hand, in the case of a robot that serves food, due to its characteristics, it should be possible to prevent the problem of the food being damaged, overturned, or overflowed in the process of transporting the food.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0100093 (published on August 28, 2019) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2017-0061355 (published on 06.05.2017) Korean Patent No. 10-1188107 (Registered on September 25, 2012) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1083700 (Registered on Nov. 9, 2011)

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to accurately deliver ordered food to a target table in an autonomous driving manner without a large number of expensive sensing devices and excessive and complicated calculations and data processing. It is to provide a serving robot that can build a robot serving system at a considerably lower cost compared to the serving robot of , and a robot serving system using the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an appropriate running speed while preventing food damage, overturning, and overflow problems by automatically controlling the running speed according to the nature or type of food, and to flexibly control the running speed. It is to provide a serving robot and a robot serving system using the same.

A robot serving system according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a system for a serving robot to serve food to a table (hereinafter referred to as a 'target table') where food is ordered among a plurality of tables provided in a predetermined space, a moving rail extending from a first point to each point at which the plurality of tables are located; a wired guide line installed on the moving rail along the traveling path of the moving rail; and a tray on which the food can be loaded, a sensor for recognizing the wired induction line, a driving unit for moving the serving robot, and a control unit for controlling the driving unit.

And, the first point is configured to correspond to a starting point for moving to a point where the food is loaded on the serving robot and the target table is located.

And, when the food is loaded at the first point, the serving robot is configured to move to a point where the target table is located through the moving rail, and to track the travel route on the moving rail by recognizing the wired guide line. is composed

Robot serving according to the present invention for achieving the above object, a tray on which the food can be loaded; a sensor for recognizing the wired induction line; a driving unit for moving the serving robot; a vibration accelerometer that excites a tray on which the food (hereinafter, referred to as 'first food') is loaded and measures a vibration frequency generated according to the vibration of the tray; and a control unit for controlling the driving unit.

In addition, the control unit of the serving robot derives the maximum allowable running speed when transporting the first food based on the vibration frequency measured by the vibration accelerometer, and controls the driving unit to determine the running speed of the serving robot from the derived It is configured to limit below the maximum driving speed.

According to the serving robot according to the present invention and the robot serving system using the same, it is possible to build a robot autonomous driving type serving system at a considerably lower cost than the existing serving robot, and to deliver food without restriction of movement even in a small store This has the effect of introducing a robot serving system optimized for small stores such as PC rooms and small restaurants.

According to the serving robot and the robot serving system using the same according to the present invention, by automatically controlling the running speed according to the nature or type of food, it is possible to prevent food damage, overturning, and overflow problems while providing an appropriate running speed, It has the advantage of maximizing the serving efficiency as the driving speed can be flexibly controlled.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a serving robot according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the serving robot according to the present invention.
Figure 3 (a), (b) is a lower side view showing the two-axis wheel structure and the four-axis wheel structure of the driving unit according to the present invention.
Figure 4 is a plan view showing a moving rail arrangement structure according to an embodiment of the robot serving system according to the present invention.
5 is a partial enlarged view showing the serving robot waiting at the first point in the moving rail of FIG.
6 is a schematic diagram showing a small-scale store in which a robot serving system according to an embodiment of the present invention is constructed.
7 is a plan view showing a moving rail arrangement structure according to another embodiment of the robot serving system according to the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a robot serving process of the robot serving system according to the present invention.

The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, in this specification, "on or on top of" means to be located above or below the target part, which does not necessarily mean to be located above with respect to the direction of gravity. That is, the term "on or on top of" referred to in the present specification includes not only a case located above or below the target part, but also a case located in front or behind the target part.

Also, when a part of a region, plate, etc. is said to be “on or on” another part, it is not only when another part is in contact with or spaced “on or on” another part, but also when another part is in between. Including cases where there is

In addition, in this specification, when a component is referred to as “connected” or “connected” with another component, the component may be directly connected or directly connected to the other component, but in particular It should be understood that, unless there is a description to the contrary, it may be connected or connected through another element in the middle.

Also, in this specification, terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments, advantages and features of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a serving robot according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the serving robot according to the present invention, Figures 3 (a), (b) are two-axis wheels of the driving unit according to the present invention It is a lower side view showing the structure and the four-axis wheel structure, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the moving rail arrangement structure according to an embodiment of the robot serving system according to the present invention, and FIG. 5 is the first point on the moving rail of FIG. It is a partially enlarged view showing a serving robot waiting in the , and FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a small store in which a robot serving system according to an embodiment of the present invention is constructed.

1 to 6, the robot serving system using the serving robot according to the present invention includes a serving space, a moving rail 200, a wired induction line 300, an identification tag 400, and a serving robot 100. do.

The serving space is a space where food is served, and a plurality of tables 1 for ordering and eating food are provided. For example, the serving space may be a PC room, a general restaurant, an untact room, and the like.

A customer can order food through an electronic menu board, such as a tablet menu provided on the table 1 or a menu output on a monitor by a PC program. And, when an order is entered through the electronic menu board, the corresponding order information is transmitted to a remote manager device, and the manager device receiving the order information outputs table information and menu information that caused the order to the outside.

The moving rail 200 is a traveling path for the serving robot 100 provided in the serving space to move to the destination. That is, when food is ordered from a specific table among a plurality of tables 1 in the serving space, the serving robot 100 moves along the moving rail 200 with the prepared food loaded to the point where the table is located. Upon arrival, the serving of the ordered food is completed, and thereafter, it moves along the moving rail 200 again to return to the original position.

Hereinafter, a table in which food is ordered among a plurality of tables 1 in the serving space will be referred to as a 'target table'. In addition, the 'table for ordering food' may be a table used by a customer who has ordered food or a table designated as a delivery point for ordered food.

The moving rail 200 is configured to be connected to each point at which a plurality of tables 1 are located with the first point P1 as a starting point. Here, the 'first point (P1)' corresponds to a starting point for moving to a point where the serving robot 100 is loaded with food and the target table is located. Also, the first point P1 may be a waiting place where the serving robot 100 waits before delivering the food ordered by the customer to the target table.

According to an embodiment, the moving rail 200 may include a single moving rail 210 , a branch point B1 and branch rails 220 and 230 as shown in FIG. 4 .

The single moving rail 210 is a moving rail including the above-described first point P1 and may be formed in a structure extending in a straight line direction, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 .

The branching point B1 refers to a branching point from a single moving rail 210 to a plurality of moving rails. Hereinafter, the moving rail branching from the single moving rail 210 will be referred to as a 'branching rail'.

In the case of the embodiment of Fig. 4, reference numeral '210' corresponds to a single moving rail including the serving robot starting point (ie, the first point). In addition, the single moving rail 210 is configured to be divided into the first branch rail 220 and the second branch rail 230 at the first branch point B1.

In this case, the first branch rail 220 extends in a first direction, and the second branch rail 230 is configured to branch and extend in a second direction different from the first direction. For reference, in the case of the embodiment of Fig. 4, the first branch rail 220 extends in the same linear direction as the traveling direction of the single moving rail 210, and the second branch rail 230 is directed to tables located in the first area. direction, that is, configured to extend in a direction orthogonal to the traveling direction of the single moving rail 210 .

On the other hand, when passing the first branch point B1, the first branch rail 220 functions as another single moving rail again, and when moving a predetermined distance from the first branch rail 220, a plurality of moving rails Another branching point (hereinafter, 'second branching point (B1)') branching to is provided.

In addition, the first branch rail 220 is configured to branch and extend from the second branch point B1 to the third branch rail 240 and the fourth branch rail 250 . For reference, in the case of the embodiment of Fig. 4, the third branch rail 240 extends in the same direction as the first branch rail 220, and the fourth branch rail 250 is directed toward the tables located in the second region, that is, It was configured to extend in a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the third branch rail 240 .

In this way, the moving rail 200 of the present invention is branched from a single moving rail into a plurality of moving rails, and by branching and extending from the branched moving rail to a plurality of moving rails, the first point P1 (that is, , service robot starting point or waiting place) can be connected to all tables in multiple areas.

7 is a plan view showing a moving rail arrangement structure according to another embodiment of the robot serving system according to the present invention.

According to another embodiment, the moving rail may include a first moving rail 260 , a corner point C1 and a second moving rail 270 as shown in FIG. 7 .

The first moving rail 260 corresponds to a single moving rail that includes the serving robot starting point (ie, the first point P1) and extends in the first direction. And, the second moving rail 270 corresponds to a single moving rail extending in a second direction different from the first direction at the corner point C1.

Accordingly, according to the embodiment of FIG. 7 , the moving rail forms a traveling path toward the first direction, and forms a traveling path in the direction switched to the second direction at the corner point C1. For reference, in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 7 , the second moving rail 270 is configured to extend in a direction toward the tables located in the first ′ region, that is, in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the first moving rail 260 .

The wired guide line 300 is a means for guiding the traveling path of the serving robot 100 , and is installed on the moving rail 200 along the moving path of the moving rail 200 .

According to one embodiment, the wired induction line 300 may be formed in a magnetic induction method, and in this case, the wired induction line 300 is a magnetic strip or a movable rail 200 embedded in the movable rail 200 . It may be configured in the form of a magnetic tape attached to one surface.

The identification tag 400 is a configuration in which unique identification information is recorded in the corresponding tag, and the corresponding unique identification information is read by the identification tag reader mounted on the serving robot 100 .

The identification tag 400 guides the serving robot 100 to the moving rail connected to the point where the target table is located among a plurality of moving rails diverging from the single moving rail when the serving robot 100 enters the aforementioned branching point while driving along a single moving rail. is a means to

On the other hand, when the moving rail 200 includes the aforementioned corner point C1 , the identification tag 400 enters the aforementioned corner point C1 while the serving robot 100 is driving along the moving rail 200 . When doing so, it also performs a function of guiding which direction to change the driving direction.

In addition, the identification tag 400 performs a function of guiding the serving robot 100 to stop running when the serving robot 100 reaches a point corresponding to the target table while moving along the moving rail 200 . In this way, when the serving robot 100 while driving stops at the target table position through the guidance of the identification tag 400 , the customer who ordered the corresponding food takes the ordered food loaded in the serving robot 100 , so that robot serving is performed. is done

Accordingly, the identification tag 400 is installed at the aforementioned branch points B1 and B2 of the moving rail 200, and when the moving rail 200 includes the aforementioned corner point C1, the corresponding corner point C1 ), and is also installed at each point on the moving rail 200 corresponding to each point where a plurality of tables 1 are located.

The identification tag 400 may be an RFID tag, and in this case, the serving robot 100 is equipped with an RFID reader capable of reading the RFID tag.

As another example, the identification tag 400 may be configured in the form of a barcode, and in this case, the serving robot 100 is equipped with a barcode reader capable of reading the barcode.

Meanwhile, a method of guiding the driving route of the serving robot 100 using the identification tag 400 will be described in detail in the serving robot section.

The serving robot 100 is a device for serving food by moving to a table where food is ordered (hereinafter, referred to as a 'target table') among a plurality of tables provided in the serving space.

The serving robot 100 includes a body 130 , a tray 110 , a sensor 141 , a driving unit 140 , a supporter 120 , an identification tag reader (not shown) and a control unit.

The tray 110 of the serving robot 100 is a configuration in which food ordered by a customer is loaded, and as long as it is a form in which a container containing food can be placed, its shape and structure do not need to be particularly limited. For example, the tray 110 may be configured in the form of a tray as shown in FIG. 1 .

A first fixing means made of a magnet or a metal material may be further installed in the tray 110 so that a container in which food is stored can be attached by magnetic force.

In this case, the second fixing means made of a magnet or metal is also attached to the lower end of the container in which the food is placed. When a container containing food is placed on the tray 110 , the second fixing means is attached to the first fixing means by magnetic force, so that the food container can be firmly fixed on the tray 110 , and accordingly, the It is possible to prevent the food container from being overturned or separated due to driving.

In addition, since the food container is firmly fixed on the tray 110 by the magnetic force as described above, it is possible to accurately and easily transmit the excitation force to the food container at all times when measuring a natural frequency, which will be described later.

On the other hand, the tray 110 may be sealed from the outside by the cover 150 provided with an inner space. That is, when food is placed on the tray 110 and then the cover 150 is covered on the tray 110 , the food placed on the tray 110 is accommodated in the cover 150 , and foreign substances such as the like are first introduced in the transport process. can be prevented from becoming

The sensor 141 of the serving robot 100 is a sensing means for detecting the wired induction line 300 installed on the moving rail 200 , and is installed in the lower case 145 constituting the driving unit 140 or the body 130 . ) can be installed.

For example, when the wired induction line 300 is configured in a magnetic induction method such as a magnetic tape or a magnetic strip, the sensor 141 of the serving robot 100 is a hole capable of detecting the size and direction of a magnetic field or line of magnetic force. It may be configured as a magnetic sensor including an element or a magnetoresistive element.

In this case, a plurality of sensors 141 may be installed, and a plurality of magnetic sensors 141 detect the position of a magnet installed on the bottom surface of the moving rail 200, so that the serving robot 100 is connected to the wired induction line 300 ) to guide you along the way.

For example, the sensor 141 transmits the magnetic sensing value detected by each Hall element and the current position information of the serving robot 100 to the control unit, in which six Hall elements are arranged at intervals of 15 mm, and the control unit transmits the plurality of sensing values. The serving robot 100 can run along the moving rail 200 by setting the driving route using the steerable driving path and controlling the driving unit 140 based on the setting.

That is, the movement form of the serving robot 100 is determined at the corresponding position through the wired induction line 300 installed on the moving path of the moving rail 200, so that the serving robot follows the moving rail 200 without a complicated calculation process ( 100) can be realized.

The driving unit 140 of the serving robot 100 includes a wheel 143 and a motor (not shown) as a configuration for moving the serving robot 100 , and these wheels 143 and the motor are inside the lower case 145 . can be installed on

The wheel 143 may be a 2-axis wheel or a 4-axis wheel. The motor is connected to the battery to receive power, and is a driving device that causes rotation of the wheel 143 through a control signal by the controller and controls the running speed.

The body 130 of the serving robot 100 is a configuration that supports the components constituting the serving robot 100, such as the driving unit 140, the tray 110, etc., for example, having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as in the embodiment of FIG. It can be formed in the form of an enclosure.

The supporter 120 of the serving robot 100 is composed of a plate body, and electric and electronic devices such as a PCB, a battery, and an identification tag reader are mounted therein. The supporter 120 may be installed and fixed in a structure supported by the body 130 on the upper portion of the body 130 .

The identification tag reader of the serving robot 100 is a configuration for reading the identification tag information installed at the branch points (B1, B2), the corner points (C1), the target table points, etc. of the above-described moving rail 200, for example, identification When the tag 400 is an RFID tag, the identification tag reader consists of an RFID reader capable of reading the RFID tag, and this RFID reader may be installed in the supporter 120 or the body 130 .

When the identification tag reader reads the identification tag 400 attached to the moving rail 200, the identification tag read information is transmitted to the control unit.

The control unit of the serving robot 100 determines the traveling direction and the traveling speed of the serving robot 100 , and is a processing device for controlling the driving unit 140 based on this, for example, may be provided in the form of a microcontroller (MCU).

8 is a flowchart illustrating a robot serving process of the robot serving system according to the present invention. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 , a processing method in which the control unit determines the traveling route of the serving robot 100 and a processing method in which the traveling speed is determined will be described in detail.

(1) Processing method for determining the driving route of the serving robot

The serving robot 100 is basically configured to move along the moving rail 200 by tracking the driving route by detecting the wired induction line 300 installed on the moving rail 200 through the sensor 141 .

However, when the serving robot 100 travels along the aforementioned single moving rail and enters the aforementioned branching point, it branches from the single moving rail to a plurality of moving rails, so the driving path that the serving robot 100 can proceed is also divided into plural. In this case, the serving robot 100 should select any one of the plurality of driving paths, and the control unit is configured to determine the driving path by using the identification tag read information.

For example, it is assumed that the moving rail 200 has a structure as shown in FIG. 4 . In this case, when the serving robot 100 loads the ordered food from the first point P1 and departs, it enters the first branch point B1 while moving in the straight direction on the single moving rail 210 .

At this time, the serving robot 100 recognizes the RFID tag 400 installed at the first branch point B1 through the RFID reader and reads the identification information contained in the tag. Then, as a result of the controller reading the RFID tag, the second branch rail 230 of the plurality of branch rails (ie, the first branch rail 220 and the second branch rail 230) travels to the target table. When the branch rail corresponding to the path is determined, the serving robot 100 traveling in the traveling direction (hereinafter referred to as 'first direction') of the single moving rail 210 moves in the traveling direction of the second branch rail 230 ( Hereinafter, the driving unit 140 is controlled so as to be driven in the 'second direction') to change the moving direction of the serving robot 100 from the first direction to the second direction.

Thereafter, the serving robot 100 whose movement direction is switched in the second direction moves along the traveling direction (ie, the second direction) of the second branch rail 230 , and in this second direction movement process, the corresponding moving rail The identification tags 400 attached to the 200 are read out.

And, in the process of reading the identification tag, when identification tag information corresponding to a point where the target table is located is read, driving is configured to stop.

That is, when food ordered to the serving robot 100 is loaded and information on the target table is input, identification tag linkage information sequentially provided on the path for moving from the first point P1 to the target table is derived. , the serving robot 100 can determine a driving path (ie, a moving rail) connected to the target table among a plurality of driving paths at each branch point using the thus derived identification tag linkage information, and when arriving at the target table position, By stopping the driving, the food can be provided to the orderer.

The identification tag linkage information will be described in detail as follows.

It is assumed that in order to go to the target table 'A', starting from the first point (P1), it is necessary to move along a path in the order of identification tag #1 → identification tag #2 → identification tag #3. In this case, the identification tag association information for the target table 'A' is identification tag path information related to the identification tag list that follows in the order of "first point (P1) → identification tag #1 → identification tag #2 → identification tag #3 " 'A' is written.

And, in the identification tag path information 'A', information on the switching direction when the corresponding identification tag is read is recorded. Here, the 'information on the switching direction' includes both information on direction change such as left/right turns, as well as information on traveling in a straight direction and stopping. In other words, the 'information on the conversion direction' may be information indicating any one of a left turn, a right turn, and a straight line at a junction (or a corner point) in the driving route to the target table, and the target table is located When a point is reached, it may be information instructing to stop driving.

Information instructing a left turn in a 90° left direction when reading identification tag #1, information instructing driving in a straight direction when reading identification tag #2, and information instructing stopping driving when reading identification tag #3 are further recorded.

Such identification tag association information may be recorded and stored in a memory built in the serving robot 100 .

When the serving robot 100 arrives at the target table location, a flashing lamp (eg, an LED lamp) installed on the table is turned on, or the serving robot 100 arrival signal is displayed visually or through the food ordering program of the PC used by the customer. It may be configured to output aurally.

As such, when the serving robot 100 is stopped, the customer who ordered the corresponding food takes the food ordered loaded in the serving robot 100, thereby completing the robot serving. Then, when the customer who has been provided with food presses the serving completion button installed on the serving robot 100, the serving robot 100 moves from the first point P1 to the target table in the reverse order of the travel route. By moving and returning to the original position (ie, the first point P1), it is placed on standby for another serving. On the other hand, it goes without saying that the 'serving complete button' may be configured as a touch button on a touch screen or as an information input means such as a physical button.

If, as in the embodiment of FIG. 7 , the moving rail 200 is installed as a single moving rail 260 and 270 , and its travel path includes a corner point C1 that is changed from the first direction to the second direction. , the serving robot 100 reads the identification tag installed at the corresponding corner point C1 when entering the corner point C1 while moving in the first direction on the first moving rail 260 .

And, the control unit is configured to control the driving unit 140 according to the read identification tag information to change the moving direction of the serving robot 100 to the second direction (ie, the second moving rail 270 side direction). .

(2) Processing method for determining the running speed of the serving robot

Unlike the existing industrial transport robot, the serving robot should prevent the food loaded in the serving robot 100 from being deformed or liquid food contained in a container such as a cup overflowing or falling out of the container due to its acceleration or high speed. do.

The easiest way to prevent this problem is to set the running speed of the serving robot 100 very slowly. However, if the running speed of the serving robot 100 is minimized, the serving time is delayed and the table rotation speed is slowed, so the intrinsic value of the serving robot may be reduced.

In order to solve this problem, the serving robot 100 according to the present invention is configured to control the speed of the serving robot 100 based on the determination of the nature or type of food loaded on the tray 110 . That is, since the transported material of the serving robot 100 is food, it is configured to limit the maximum running speed of the serving robot 100 according to the container and contents.

First, a container containing food is placed on the tray 110 and a serving start is inputted. The input of serving start includes input of target table information to which the corresponding food will be delivered.

When a serving start is input, the control unit of the serving robot 100 excites the tray 110 at high frequency through a vibration accelerometer (not shown) mounted on the serving robot 100 .

At this time, the vibration frequency band is different depending on the type or nature of the food loaded on the tray 110 . After measuring the vibration frequency generated according to the excitation of the tray 110 , the control unit measures the vibration frequency value in this way is used to derive the maximum running speed according to the type or nature of the food.

To this end, the maximum driving speed information according to the vibration frequency band may be recorded and stored in the memory mounted on the serving robot 100 in the form of a look-up table.

For example, in the lookup table, when the measured vibration frequency is included in the band of the first range, the food is regarded as a drink in a cup, and the maximum allowable speed is set to 3 km/h, and the measured vibration frequency is in the band of the second range. If included in the history, the food is considered as noodles in a pot, and the maximum allowable speed is set at 5 km/h. Therefore, the maximum allowable speed may be set to 4 km/h.

Therefore, for example, if it is assumed that the customer orders ramen and the ramen is served in a pot, the manager loads the pot with ramen on the tray 110 of the serving robot 100 and then serves with target table information. Enter start. For reference, the 'input of starting serving' may be performed using a touch screen installed in the serving robot 100 or may be performed through a manager PC connected to the serving robot 100 by wireless communication.

Upon receiving the serving start input, the control unit excites the tray 110 through the vibration accelerometer and then measures the vibration frequency generated accordingly (S10).

Then, the control unit compares the measured vibration frequency with the lookup table to derive the maximum traveling speed matching the measured vibration frequency (S20). Here, the 'maximum running speed' means the maximum allowable speed when the serving robot 100 that transports the food is driven.

Then, the controller generates movement of the serving robot 100 and controls the driving unit 140 to maintain the running speed of the serving robot 100 below the maximum running speed derived in step 'S20' (S30). That is, the controller controls the driving unit 140 to limit the running speed of the serving robot 100 so as not to exceed the maximum running speed derived in step 'S20'.

As an extended embodiment, the serving robot 100 of the present invention may be configured to control the maximum running speed by using weight information as an additional variable in addition to the above-described vibration frequency. In this case, the serving robot 100 is further provided with a weight sensor (not shown) for detecting the weight of the food placed on the tray 110 .

Among foods, cooked foods such as ramen, hot dogs, and dumplings have a significant difference in weight compared to confectionery (ie, confectionery is relatively light) and there is a risk of content overflow. There is no need to specifically limit the running speed of the serving robot 100 because there is no risk of overflowing the contents.

Therefore, when the weight of the food measured by the weight sensor is less than or equal to the threshold value, the controller regards the food as confectionery, and does not perform the above-described process of excitation with the tray 110 and measuring the vibration frequency according to the vibration frequency of the serving robot 100 . The maximum driving speed is not limited, however, it may be configured to freely control the speed according to the situation.

If the weight of the food measured by the weight sensor exceeds the threshold, the control unit limits the maximum traveling speed by measuring the vibration frequency according to the loaded food through the aforementioned vibration accelerometer.

Here, the 'threshold' may be set within the average weight range of conventional bagged confectionery or paper box confectionery.

According to the above-described serving robot and the serving robot system using the same, it is possible to accurately deliver the ordered food to the target table in an autonomous driving manner without a large number of expensive sensing devices, excessive and complex calculations and data processing, and significantly more compared to the existing serving robot. It became possible to build a robot serving system at a low cost.

In particular, according to the above-described method for determining the running speed of the serving robot, by automatically controlling the running speed according to the nature or type of food, it is possible to prevent food damage, overturning, and overflow problems while providing an appropriate running speed, If a weight sensor is further used, the driving speed can be flexibly controlled, thereby maximizing the serving efficiency.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated using specific terms, but such terms are only for clearly describing the present invention, and the embodiments and described terms of the present invention are the spirit and scope of the following claims. It is obvious that various changes and changes can be made without departing from it. Such modified embodiments should not be separately understood from the spirit and scope of the present invention, but should be considered to fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

100: serving robot 110: tray
120: supporter 130: body
140: driving unit 141: sensor
143: wheel 145: lower case
150: cover 200: moving rail
300: wired induction line 400: identification tag
P1: first point B1: first branch point
B2: 2nd branch point C1: Corner point

Claims (16)

A system for a serving robot to serve food to a table where food is ordered from among a plurality of tables provided in a predetermined space (hereinafter referred to as a 'target table'), the system comprising:
a moving rail extending from a first point to each point where the plurality of tables are located; a wired guide line installed on the moving rail along the traveling path of the moving rail; and the serving robot including a tray on which the food can be loaded, a sensor for recognizing the wired induction line, a driving unit for moving the serving robot, and a control unit for controlling the driving unit; includes,
The first point is
It is a starting point for moving to a point where the food is loaded on the serving robot and the target table is located,
The serving robot is
When the food is loaded at the first point, it is configured to move to a point where the target table is located through the moving rail,
It is configured to track the traveling route on the moving rail by recognizing the wired guidance line,
The serving robot is
a vibration accelerometer that excites a tray on which the food (hereinafter, referred to as 'first food') is loaded and measures a vibration frequency generated according to the vibration of the tray; and a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the first food loaded on the tray,
The control unit is
based on the vibration frequency measured by the vibration accelerometer, derive a maximum traveling speed during transport of the first food;
By controlling the driving unit to limit the running speed of the serving robot not to exceed the maximum running speed,
When the weight of the food measured through the weight sensor is less than or equal to a threshold, the vibration frequency is not measured, and the maximum running speed is not limited when the first food is transported,
When the weight of the food measured through the weight sensor exceeds a threshold, the vibration frequency is measured to limit the maximum running speed when the first food is transported.
According to claim 1,
The moving rail is
Including a branching point branching from a single moving rail to a plurality of moving rails,
an identification tag installed at the branch point and having unique identification information recorded therein; and
Further comprising; an identification tag reader installed in the serving robot to read the identification tag;
The serving robot is
Reading the identification tag installed at the junction when entering the junction while moving on the single moving rail,
A robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that it is configured to determine any one of the plurality of travel routes along the plurality of moving rails based on the read information of the identification tag.
3. The method of claim 2,
The single moving rail is a moving rail extending in a linear direction,
The plurality of moving rails branched from the single moving rail,
a first moving rail extending in a first direction from the single moving rail; and
Including; a second moving rail extending in the second direction from the single moving rail;
The serving robot is
As a result of reading the identification tag by entering the junction while moving in the straight direction on the single moving rail, if the first moving rail corresponds to the travel route for going to the target table, the driving unit is controlled to serve A robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that the moving direction of the robot is changed to the first direction.
4. The method of claim 3,
The second direction is the same direction as the direction in which the single moving rail extends,
The serving robot is
As a result of reading the identification tag by entering the junction while moving in the straight direction on the single moving rail, if the second moving rail corresponds to the travel route for going to the target table, the second moving rail moves straight ahead without changing direction. A robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that it is configured to move.
According to claim 1,
The moving rail is
Including a corner point where the travel path is changed from the first direction to the second direction,
an identification tag installed at the corner and recorded with unique identification information; and
Further comprising; an identification tag reader installed in the serving robot to read the identification tag;
The serving robot is
Reading the identification tag installed at the corner when entering the corner while moving in the first direction on the moving rail,
A robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that the moving direction of the serving robot is changed to the second direction by controlling the driving unit according to the read information of the identification tag.
5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The serving robot is
Further comprising a memory in which the association information of the identification tag is recorded,
Linkage information of the identification tag,
identification tag path information related to a list of identification tags installed on a path from the first point to a point where the target table is located; and
and information on a switching direction when reading each identification tag included in the identification tag path information;
The information about the switching direction,
It includes information indicating any one of a left turn, a right turn and a straight forward direction at the junction,
The control unit is
A robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that it is configured to determine any one of the plurality of travel routes along the plurality of moving rails by using the linkage information of the identification tag.
6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
Further comprising an identification tag (hereinafter referred to as a 'destination identification tag') installed at each point on the moving rail corresponding to each point where the plurality of tables are located,
The serving robot is
Reading the destination identification tag installed on the driving route while moving along the moving rail,
As a result of reading the destination identification tag, when the identification tag information corresponding to the point where the target table is located is read, the robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that the driving is stopped.
6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
The identification tag is an RFID tag,
The identification tag reader is a robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that the RFID reader.
According to claim 1,
The wire guide line includes a magnetic strip embedded in the moving rail or a magnetic tape attached to one surface of the moving rail,
The sensor is a robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that it comprises a magnetic sensor for detecting the magnetism of the magnetic strip or magnetic tape.
According to claim 1,
The serving robot is
Further comprising information input means for receiving a command for instructing a departure for serving, information on the target table, and a command to return to the original position upon completion of serving of the food,
When an original position return command is inputted through the information input means, it is configured to return to the first point by moving in the reverse order of the driving route traveled from the first point until arriving at the target table. A robot serving system using a serving robot.
delete According to claim 1,
The serving robot is
Further comprising a memory in which the maximum driving speed information according to the vibration frequency band is recorded in the form of a lookup table,
The control unit is
A robot serving system using a serving robot, characterized in that the vibration frequency measured by the vibration accelerometer is compared with the lookup table to derive the maximum running speed matching the measured vibration frequency.
delete Based on a moving rail extending from the first point to each point where a plurality of tables are located, and a wired guide line installed on the moving rail along the traveling path of the moving rail, the plurality of the plurality of tables provided in a predetermined space A serving robot for delivering food to a table where food is ordered (hereinafter referred to as a 'target table') among tables, the serving robot comprising:
a tray on which the food can be loaded; a sensor for recognizing the wired induction line; a driving unit for moving the serving robot; a vibration accelerometer that excites a tray on which the food (hereinafter, referred to as 'first food') is loaded and measures a vibration frequency generated according to the vibration of the tray; a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the first food loaded on the tray; and a control unit for controlling the driving unit,
When the food is loaded at the first point, it is configured to move to a point where the target table is located through the moving rail,
It is configured to track the traveling route on the moving rail by recognizing the wired guidance line,
The control unit is
based on the vibration frequency measured by the vibration accelerometer, derive a maximum traveling speed during transport of the first food;
By controlling the driving unit to limit the running speed of the serving robot not to exceed the maximum running speed,
When the weight of the food measured through the weight sensor is less than or equal to a threshold, the vibration frequency is not measured, and the maximum running speed is not limited when the first food is transported,
When the weight of the food measured through the weight sensor exceeds a threshold value, the serving robot measures the vibration frequency to limit the maximum running speed when the first food is transported.
15. The method of claim 14,
The serving robot is
Further comprising a memory in which the maximum driving speed information according to the vibration frequency band is recorded in the form of a lookup table,
The control unit is
Comparing the vibration frequency measured by the vibration accelerometer with the look-up table, the serving robot, characterized in that deriving the maximum running speed matching the measured vibration frequency.
15. The method of claim 14,
The serving robot is
Further comprising information input means for receiving a command for instructing a start for serving, information on the target table, and a command to return to the original position upon completion of serving of the first food,
When an original position return command is inputted through the information input means, it is configured to return to the first point by moving in the reverse order of the driving route traveled from the first point until arriving at the target table. Serving robot.

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