KR102358484B1 - Mobile robot path guide device in complex area and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to the driving of a mobile robot, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for guiding a route of the mobile robot in a complex area. To this end, a recognition means mounted on the mobile robot 100 capable of running along the driving path 200 and recognizing the pedestrian 220 on the driving path 200 ; a direction display unit 70 for displaying the driving direction of the mobile robot 100 to the pedestrian 220 on the driving route 200 based on the recognition result of the recognition means; and an intermittent driving unit that intermittently runs in the driving direction; including, a path guidance of a mobile robot in a complex area, characterized in that the pedestrian 220 can secure the driving path 200 by avoiding the driving direction Device

Description

Mobile robot path guide device in complex area and method thereof

The present invention relates to the driving of a mobile robot, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for guiding a route of the mobile robot in a complex area.

In general, mobile robots, automated guided vehicles (AGVs), autonomous vehicles, road guide robots, and service robots (hereinafter referred to as "mobile robots") may encounter unexpected pedestrians on the route while driving. In particular, it is not easy to drive a mobile robot in a situation where a large number of pedestrians are mixed and moving continuously, such as in airports, shopping centers, public buildings, universities, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "complex areas").

Conventional mobile robots running in such complex areas had to stop and wait until a travel route of a predetermined distance was secured. Therefore, the mobile robot had to repeatedly run and stop for a while. In particular, for a large number of pedestrians, there was no interaction with the mobile robot or only the presence of the mobile robot was notified by sound or warning light.

In particular, from the standpoint of many pedestrians, the path of the mobile robot could not be known, and they did not know how much it intersects with their own movement. This is because, in the human-to-human intersection, the other's direction could be detected through the other's facial expressions, hand gestures, or gestures. When a human-robot crosses during movement, this communication method does not work, so pedestrians would stop and wait or move faster to avoid the front of the mobile robot.

The driving method of these mobile robots could lead to collisions with pedestrians and serious injuries. In addition, when the mobile robot is a service robot (eg, a navigation robot, etc.), there is a disadvantage in that it cannot perform its original function and stays in place for a long time.

1. Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0054879 (a method for generating a collision avoidance path of a vehicle-type mobile robot and a parking assistance system using the same), 2. Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2005-0097306 (a method for avoiding collision of a multi-object robot using an extended collision map and a computer-readable recording medium recording the method).

Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide smooth and safe avoidance by guiding in advance the driving direction or driving route of the mobile robot to a complex area in which a large number of pedestrians move. It is to provide an apparatus and method for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area that enables this to be achieved.

However, the technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned are clearly to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. can be understood

Recognition means mounted on the mobile robot 100 capable of running along the driving path 200 and recognizing the pedestrian 220 on the driving path 200 in order to achieve the above technical task; a direction display unit 70 for displaying the driving direction of the mobile robot 100 to the pedestrian 220 on the driving route 200 based on the recognition result of the recognition means; and an intermittent driving unit that intermittently runs in the driving direction; including, a path guidance of a mobile robot in a complex area, characterized in that the pedestrian 220 can secure the driving path 200 by avoiding the driving direction A device is provided.

Also, the recognition means may recognize the position and number of the pedestrian 220 .

In addition, it may further include a speaker 90 for outputting a guide voice related to the driving direction.

In addition, when the direction display unit 70 displays the driving direction based on the recognition result of the recognition means, it further includes an expression display unit 60 capable of displaying a preset expression.

In addition, the intermittent traveling unit may intermittently travel within a range of 50 cm or may reciprocate.

The object of the present invention as described above is, as another category, the step of recognizing the plurality of pedestrians 220 on the driving path 200 by the recognition means while the mobile robot 100 is driving along the driving path 200 (S100) ); Based on the recognition result of the recognition means, the direction display unit 70 displaying the driving direction of the mobile robot 100 to the pedestrian 220 on the driving route 200 (S120); Intermittent running in the driving direction step (S140); and a step (S160) of the driving unit 170 traveling along the driving path 200, characterized in that the driving path 200 can be secured by the pedestrian 220 seeing and avoiding the driving direction It can also be achieved by the route guidance method of the mobile robot in a complex area.

In addition, the recognition step ( S100 ) recognizes the position and number of pedestrians 220 , and when the number of pedestrians 220 is greater than or equal to a reference value, it is determined as a complex area.

In addition, the step of displaying the driving direction (S120) may further include a step (S125) of the speaker 90 outputting a guide voice regarding the driving direction.

In addition, in the displaying step (S120) of the driving direction, when the direction display unit 70 displays the driving direction based on the recognition result of the recognition means, the facial expression display unit 60 displays a preset facial expression.

Also, the intermittent driving step S140 may be performed for a predetermined time or for a predetermined distance.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the mobile robot 100 drives between pedestrians in a complex area in which a plurality of pedestrians 220 move irregularly, the moving direction or the driving route of the mobile robot is displayed and guided in advance to ensure smooth and smooth operation. Safe avoidance and driving can be achieved.

That is, the pedestrian can predict the driving direction or route of the mobile robot in advance, so that the pedestrian can modify his or her own movement.

However, the effects obtainable in the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below. will be able

The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical spirit of the present invention together with the detailed description of the present invention to be described later, so that the present invention is described in such drawings It should not be construed as being limited only to
1 is a schematic diagram showing a state before a mobile robot passes through a complex area according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a path is secured so that the mobile robot can pass through a complex area according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5A is an example of the expression display unit 60 and the direction display unit 70 according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
5B is an example of the expression display unit 60 and the direction display unit 70 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily carry out the present invention. However, since the description of the present invention is merely an embodiment for structural or functional description, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiment described in the text. That is, since the embodiment may have various changes and may have various forms, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention includes equivalents capable of realizing the technical idea. In addition, since the object or effect presented in the present invention does not mean that a specific embodiment should include all of them or only such effects, it should not be understood that the scope of the present invention is limited thereby.

The meaning of the terms described in the present invention should be understood as follows.

Terms such as “first” and “second” are for distinguishing one component from another, and the scope of rights should not be limited by these terms. For example, a first component may be termed a second component, and similarly, a second component may also be termed a first component. When a component is referred to as “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected to the other component, but it should be understood that other components may exist in between. On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a certain element is "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle. Meanwhile, other expressions describing the relationship between elements, that is, "between" and "between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to", etc., should be interpreted similarly.

The singular expression is to be understood to include the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, and terms such as "comprises" or "have" refer to the specified feature, number, step, action, component, part or these It is intended to indicate that a combination exists, and it is to be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the existence or addition of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

All terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Terms defined in the dictionary should be interpreted as being consistent with the meaning of the context of the related art, and cannot be interpreted as having an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

embodiment composition

Hereinafter, the configuration of the preferred embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a state before the mobile robot passes through a complex area according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a path secured so that the mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present invention can pass through the complex area. It is a schematic diagram showing the state of being

In the present invention, "complex area" refers to an area in which a plurality of mixed pedestrians cross-moving along their own movement lines, and may be an airport, a shopping center, a public building, a university, a hospital, or the like.

And, the mobile robot 100 of the present invention includes a mobile robot, an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), an unmanned guided vehicle (AGV), an autonomous vehicle, a humanoid robot, a service guide robot, etc. It is a comprehensive concept.

1 and 2 , the mobile robot 100 moves along a given driving path 200 . In this case, the driving route 200 may be a predetermined route, or may be an arbitrary route or a selected route between a starting point and a destination.

However, as shown in FIG. 1 , the mobile robot 100 cannot continuously drive because there are a plurality of pedestrians 220 in front. As shown in FIG. 2 , the pedestrian 220 avoids 260 and the path 240 secured in front of the mobile robot 200 must be deployed to enable driving.

3 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3 , the head 120 of the mobile robot 100 is rotatable left and right or up and down, and includes a pair of cameras 140 in front. Such a pair of cameras 140 may give a pupil-like feeling and may indicate a gaze direction according to the movement of the camera 140 under the control of the expression display unit 60 .

The proximity sensor 160 includes a lidar, a radar, and a proximity sensor in a narrow sense, and may detect an obstacle or a plurality of pedestrians 220 on the driving path 200 . This proximity sensor 160 may be used to confirm that there is no pedestrian 220 on the secured path 240 .

The driving unit 170 is a component for the movement of the mobile robot 100 and may be a wheel, a caterpillar, a bipedal, or a quadrupedal leg. The driving unit 170 can steer, start, stop, and the like on the driving route 200 .

The display 80 may be an LCD touch panel, and may display an operation state of the mobile robot 100 or receive a command, and may display a driving direction in advance according to an instruction of the direction display unit 70 .

The expression display unit 60 is a component that can rotate the camera 140 up, down, left and right, and may be implemented as a servo motor, a stepping motor, or the like. As shown in FIG. 5B , the expression display unit 60 may be implemented in a dot matrix form in which various icons can be displayed.

The control unit 50 is connected to the expression display unit 60 , the direction display unit 70 , the camera 140 , the driving unit 170 , the proximity sensor 160 , the display 80 , and a microcomputer, CPU (central control unit) etc. can be In the control unit 50, a program of recognition means for recognizing a pedestrian, a map related to a route, and a navigation program are installed and executed.

embodiment movement

Hereinafter, the operation of the preferred embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5A is an example of the expression display unit 60 and the direction display unit 70 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. , Figure 5b is an example of the expression display unit 60 and the direction display unit 70 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4 , while the mobile robot 100 is driving along the driving path 200 , the recognition means recognizes the plurality of pedestrians 220 on the driving path 200 ( S100 ). The recognition means is made by reading the image captured by the camera 140 to the controller 50 to read the pedestrian 220 , or by transmitting a detection signal of the proximity sensor 160 to the controller 50 .

Then, the controller 50 recognizes the position and number of the pedestrian 220 from the image captured by the camera 140, and if the number of the pedestrian 220 is equal to or greater than a reference value (eg, 3 or more), it is determined as a complex area. do.

Then, based on the recognition result of the recognition means, the direction display unit 70 displays the driving direction of the mobile robot 100 to the pedestrian 220 on the driving route 200 (S120).

For example, FIG. 5A is an example of a case in which the traveling direction is a left direction. As shown in FIG. 5A , the expression display unit 60 may deflect the camera 140 to the left to produce as if the pupils point to the left. Also, the direction display unit 70 may display a left arrow on the display 80 to intuitively guide that the mobile robot 100 will move to the left.

5B is an example of a case in which the traveling direction is a right direction. As shown in FIG. 5B , the expression display unit 60 may be a dot matrix capable of displaying various icons (eg, ^^, > <, @.@, < <, > >, etc.). The expression display unit 60 may display a friendly impression, a sorry impression, an impression to be careful, an impression that it is dangerous, and the like. Also, the direction display unit 70 may display a right arrow on the display 80 to intuitively guide that the mobile robot 100 will move to the right.

Simultaneously with the driving direction display step (S120), the control unit 50 outputs a pre-recorded guidance voice regarding the driving direction through the speaker 90 (eg, go straight, move left, turn right, etc.) do (S125).

Then, the intermittent driving unit controls the driving unit 170 to perform intermittent driving in the driving direction (S140). Intermittent driving refers to a method of stopping and driving while repeatedly standing on the travel route 200 for a predetermined time (eg, 1 second to 5 seconds) or for a predetermined distance (10 cm to 50 cm). Intermittent running may be implemented by the control unit 50 instructing the running unit 170 with a predetermined intermittent running pattern. Such intermittent driving has an effect of inducing avoidance of the pedestrian 220 in front. That is, the plurality of pedestrians 220 have the recognition that they should get out of the way through the intermittent driving of the mobile robot 100 .

When the forward path is secured 240 through intermittent driving, the driving unit 170 travels along the driving path 200 (S160). When the pedestrian 220 is met again while driving along the secured path 240 , the above-described steps are repeated to secure the path.

The detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed as described above is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and practice the present invention. Although the above has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, those skilled in the art can use each configuration described in the above-described embodiments in a way in combination with each other. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the present invention. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects but as exemplary. The scope of the present invention should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the equivalent scope of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention. The present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. In addition, claims that are not explicitly cited in the claims may be combined to form an embodiment, or may be included as new claims by amendment after filing.

50: control unit;
60: expression display unit,
70: direction display unit,
80: display;
85: arrow,
90: speaker,
100: mobile robot,
120: head,
140: camera,
160: proximity sensor,
170: driving part,
180: gaze direction,
200: driving route,
220: pedestrian;
240: secured path,
260: pedestrian avoidance direction.

Claims (11)

Recognition means mounted on the mobile robot 100 capable of running along the driving path 200 and recognizing the position and number of the pedestrian 220 on the driving path 200;
When the number of pedestrians 220 recognized by the recognition means is greater than or equal to a reference value, it is determined as a complex area, and a direction display unit that displays the driving direction of the mobile robot 100 to the pedestrian 220 on the driving route 200 (70);
An intermittent running unit that intermittently reciprocates within a range of 50 cm with respect to the running direction; and
When the direction display unit 70 displays the driving direction based on the recognition result of the recognition means, the facial expression display unit 60 is associated with the driving direction and can display a preset facial expression. A path guidance device for a mobile robot in a complex area, characterized in that the pedestrian 220 sees and avoids the driving direction and the expression so that the driving path 200 can be secured. delete The method of claim 1,
The apparatus for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area, characterized in that it further comprises a speaker (90) for outputting a guide voice regarding the driving direction. delete delete delete While the mobile robot 100 is driving along the driving path 200, the recognition means recognizes a plurality of pedestrians 220 on the driving path 200, and if the number of pedestrians 220 is greater than or equal to a reference value, it is determined as a complex area to (S100);
based on the recognition result of the recognition means, displaying, by the direction display unit 70, the driving direction of the mobile robot 100 to the pedestrian 220 on the driving route 200 (S120);
The intermittent driving unit intermittently reciprocates within a range of 50 cm in the driving direction for a predetermined time (S140); and
Including; step (S160) of the driving unit 170 traveling along the driving path 200;
In the displaying step (S120) of the driving direction, when the direction display unit 70 displays the driving direction based on the recognition result of the recognition means, the expression display unit 60 is associated with the driving direction and is preset in advance. A method for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area, characterized in that by displaying a facial expression, the driving route 200 can be secured by the pedestrian 220 seeing and avoiding the driving direction and the facial expression. delete 8. The method of claim 7,
The method for guiding a route of a mobile robot in a complex area, characterized in that the displaying step (S120) of the driving direction further includes the step (S125) of the speaker (90) outputting a guide voice about the driving direction.

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