KR102484732B1 - Control system and control method for movement between floors of autonomous mobile robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention wirelessly communicates with the self-driving robot and transmits an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information received from the autonomous robot to the elevator control module through LTE wireless communication network; A floor detection module installed in a hoistway or an elevator to detect a current floor where the elevator is currently located and transmit current floor information to the elevator control module in real time; An elevator control module installed in the elevator and electrically connected to the floor button of the control board of the elevator and the open button of the elevator door to control floor selection and door opening; And wirelessly transmits an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information to the central server, and a sensor unit for detecting obstacles is installed to avoid obstacles set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit of the self-driving robot. Provided is a control system and control method for inter-floor movement of an autonomous robot including an autonomous robot that travels by itself with coordinates.

Description

Inter-floor movement control system and control method of autonomous driving robots

The present invention relates to a control system and method for a self-driving robot, and more particularly, since the self-driving robot autonomously moves between floors through an elevator and does not use a CRT monitoring panel, it is universal regardless of the elevator manufacturer. It relates to an inter-floor movement control system and control method of an autonomous robot that can be installed and operated as

In general, a robot is a machine that automatically processes or operates a given task based on an assigned ability, and is used in everyday life as well as industrial, medical, subsea, and space applications.

AGV (Autonomous Guided Vehicle) is a robot's self-driving technology. The robot moves along a planned path, the server monitors the robot's movement in real time, and it can plan and manage in advance to prevent the robot from colliding with obstacles or overlapping paths. there is.

In this way, due to the recent development of self-driving technology, automatic control technology using sensors, and wireless communication technology, self-driving robots have been developed that can identify surrounding environments such as obstacles using sensors and efficiently cope with situations while driving. , These self-driving robots are already being used in hospitals, libraries, shopping malls, cafes, restaurants, hotels, public institutions, offices, research institutes, factories, and distribution centers.

In particular, medical institutions such as hospitals carry and deliver items such as blood and urine samples for examination and diagnosis, medicines, surgical tools, medical instruments, sanitary products, nursing products, and patient products to a specific location. Self-driving robots are being used.

As basic technologies applied to such self-driving robots, there are technologies such as mapping, localization, route planning, obstacle avoidance, sensing and driving control.

Mapping includes a technology for creating a map of the surroundings of an autonomous robot while autonomously driving, or a technology for bringing in and managing a map that has already been produced. For example, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) for estimating the current location by making a map of the surrounding environment without external help with a sensor mounted on the robot while an autonomous robot navigates in an unknown environment or by matching the surrounding environment with a previously stored map. ) or CML (Concurrent Mapping and Localization) techniques may be applied.

Localization is a technique for the self-driving robot to recognize the surrounding environment and estimate its own position, and for example, GPS coordinates, sensing values of an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and SLAM technology may be applied.

Path planning is a technology for setting a path for autonomous driving of an autonomous robot, and various algorithms for finding a Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) path can be used.

Obstacle avoidance is a technology for avoiding obstacles such as unplanned objects or people while the self-driving robot autonomously travels along a path set according to a path plan.

For sensing, information required for mapping, localization, route planning, obstacle avoidance, etc. It is a technique to

Driving control is a technology that moves or moves an autonomous robot by controlling wheels, legs, arms, etc. installed in the autonomous robot to follow route planning, avoid obstacles, or deliver goods.

As a prior art related to this, in Patent Document 1, a mobile robot wirelessly communicates with the human-robot interface device 100 installed on each floor of a building, and upon request of the mobile robot, the human-robot interface device controls the up EV button and the down EV button. The elevator is called by manipulation, and the mobile robot riding the elevator recognizes the destination floor with the height value measured by itself and gets off, so that the elevator moves between floors in the building. In particular, external commands provided from the outside or elevator functions are performed. A system in which the movement between floors of a building is performed only by its own control without being linked to the system is disclosed.

However, the prior art described above requires a plurality of separate control devices to be installed on each floor of the building, so the work is cumbersome and costly. For this, there is a problem that each elevator manufacturer must consult in advance, and each elevator manufacturer must meet different standards.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1523268 (published on May 20, 2015)

The present invention has been devised to solve all of the above-mentioned problems, and enables an autonomous robot to move between floors through an elevator, avoids obstacles and communicates with users while moving between floors, while autonomously waiting, boarding, and getting off the autonomous robot. It is stable, does not cause inconvenience to users, prevents collisions with obstacles, and does not use a CRT monitoring panel, so it can be installed and operated universally and easily regardless of the manufacturer of the elevator, and communication between the autonomous robot and the elevator inside and outside. This can be done smoothly, and the floor detection module detects the current floor of the elevator and transmits it to the elevator control module in real time, so the autonomous robot can accurately move to the target floor. An object of the present invention is to provide an inter-floor movement control system and control method of an autonomous robot capable of efficiently moving between floors by controlling floor selection and door opening while communicating with the autonomous robot.

The present invention wirelessly communicates with the self-driving robot and transmits an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information received from the autonomous robot to the elevator control module through LTE wireless communication network; A floor detection module installed in a hoistway or an elevator to detect a current floor where the elevator is currently located and transmit current floor information to the elevator control module in real time; It is installed in the elevator and is electrically connected to the floor button provided on the control board of the elevator and the elevator door open button to control floor selection and elevator door opening. After receiving it through wireless communication, control the floor button on the control board to press the departure or target floor, receive the current floor information from the floor detection module in real time, and when the target floor arrives, the self-driving robot rides the elevator to the target floor An elevator control module that wirelessly transmits an arrival signal indicating arrival at the elevator; And wirelessly transmits an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information to the central server, and a sensor unit for detecting obstacles is installed to avoid obstacles set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit of the self-driving robot. Provided is an inter-floor movement control system for an autonomous robot including an autonomous robot that travels by itself with coordinates.

In addition, the present invention (a) after the autonomous robot moves to the coordinates of the waiting point in front of the elevator door set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit of the autonomous robot and waits, including departure floor information and target floor information Transmitting an elevator call signal to a central server through wireless communication; (b) transmitting, by the central server, an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information through wireless communication to an elevator control module installed in the elevator through an LTE wireless communication network; (c) pressing the departure floor by the elevator control module controlling the floor button of the control board of the elevator electrically connected to the elevator control module; (d) When the elevator arrives at the departure floor, the self-driving robot checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit that detects the obstacle. step; (e) pressing a target floor by the elevator control module controlling a floor button on a control board of the elevator electrically connected to the elevator control module; (f) The elevator control module receives real-time information on the current floor where the elevator is currently located from the floor detection module installed in the elevator or the elevator, and when the elevator arrives at the target floor, the autonomous driving robot rides the elevator. wirelessly transmitting an arrival signal indicating arrival at the floor; and (g) the self-driving robot checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit, and when the elevator door is open, gets off the elevator and travels toward the coordinates of the target point set on the driving environment map. Provides a control method.

According to the present invention, it is possible to move the self-driving robot between floors through an elevator, and while avoiding obstacles and communicating with users during inter-floor movement, standby, boarding and disembarkation of the self-driving robot are made autonomously and stably without causing inconvenience to users. Collision accidents with obstacles are prevented, and since a CRT monitoring panel is not used, it can be installed and operated universally and easily regardless of the elevator manufacturer. The current floor of the elevator is detected and transmitted to the elevator control module in real time, so the self-driving robot can accurately move to the target floor. There is an effect that efficient inter-floor movement can be achieved by controlling the opening.

1A and 1B are block diagrams of an inter-floor movement control system of an autonomous robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 and 3 are schematic diagrams of an inter-floor movement control system of an autonomous robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart of a method for controlling inter-floor movement of an autonomous robot according to the present invention.
5 is a diagram showing an example of waiting in front of an elevator door of an autonomous driving robot according to the present invention.
6 is a diagram showing an example when the self-driving robot according to the present invention gets inside the elevator.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the specific contents for implementing the inter-floor movement control system and control method of the autonomous driving robot according to the present invention will be described in detail, focusing on embodiments.

First, the inter-floor movement control system of the self-driving robot according to the present invention enables the self-driving robot to move between floors indoors through an elevator (elevator car), avoids obstacles on its own when moving between floors, and communicates with users while waiting for the self-driving robot. Boarding and getting off is autonomously controlled, and referring to FIG. 1A , it includes a central server 100, a floor detection module 300, an elevator control module 400, and an autonomous robot 500.

The central server 100 wirelessly communicates with the self-driving robot 500 through the wireless communication unit 110, and the elevator calling unit 120 includes starting floor information and target floor information received from the autonomous driving robot 500. The elevator call signal is transmitted to the elevator control module 400 through wireless communication through the LTE wireless communication network.

However, since the hoistway (P), which is a vertical passage through which the elevator (EV) moves, is a space sealed with concrete or the like, radio waves may not pass through well with the outside, so wireless communication through the LTE wireless communication network may not be smooth. (P) A wireless communication repeater 200 installed by a mobile communication company inside or in an elevator (EV) may be further provided. The wireless communication repeater 200 is provided by a mobile communication company and relays wireless communication between the external central server 100 and the elevator control module 400 installed in the elevator (EV) through the LTE wireless communication network.

The floor detection module 300 is installed in the hoistway P or the elevator EV and detects the current floor where the elevator EV moving up and down inside the hoistway P is currently located and transmits current floor information to the elevator control module 400. transmitted in real time.

Referring to FIG. 2 as an embodiment, the floor detection module 300 includes a position sensor 310 such as an optical sensor or a magnetic sensor installed in the elevator EV while the elevator EV ascends or descends along the hoistway P. While detecting the shielding plate 320 installed for each floor of the hoistway P, the current floor may be sensed by increasing or decreasing the number of detections by 1.

Referring to FIG. 3 as another embodiment, the floor detection module 300 measures the distance to the elevator EV at the lower side by the distance measurement sensor 330 such as a laser sensor installed at the upper end of the hoistway P, and The current floor may be detected by comparing with stored distance information to each floor. At this time, it is preferable that the distance measurement sensor 330 wirelessly communicates with the elevator control module 400 in a UWB (Ultra Wide Band) method. UWB has a wide coverage with a maximum transmission distance of 1 km, so the transmission distance is greatly expanded, but power consumption is low, so it is a communication method suitable for the vertical passage, the hoistway (P).

The elevator control module 400 is installed on the outer upper part of the elevator (EV) to be in communication with the inside of the elevator, and moves up and down together with the elevator (EV), and the floor buttons provided on the control board (C) installed inside the elevator (EV) and It is electrically connected to the open button of the elevator door to control floor selection and opening of the elevator door.

To this end, the elevator control module 400 includes an LTE wireless communication unit 410, a short range wireless communication unit 420, and an elevator control unit 440, and may further include a UWB wireless communication unit 430.

The LTE wireless communication unit 410 has a USIM card inserted into the slot and receives departure floor information and target floor information from the central server 100 through wireless communication through the LTE wireless communication network of the mobile carrier. A USIM card contains the identification information of a wireless communication line subscriber, pays the mobile carrier for data usage in advance or later, and after receiving authentication from the mobile carrier, is connected to the mobile carrier's LTE wireless communication network and wireless Data can be sent and received through communication.

The short-range wireless communication unit 420 communicates with the floor sensing module 300 or the self-driving robot 500 as a short-range wireless communication means such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. For example, when the self-driving robot 500 gets on the elevator (EV), the short-distance wireless communication unit 420 wirelessly receives the current floor information from the floor detection module 300 in real time, so that the elevator (EV) arrives at the target floor. An arrival signal indicating arrival at the target floor is wirelessly transmitted to the self-driving robot 500 boarding the EV so that the autonomous robot 500 can get off at the target floor. In addition, in this process, when the self-driving robot 500 completes boarding or getting off the elevator (EV), the self-driving robot 500 sends a boarding completion signal or alighting completion signal to the short-range wireless communication unit 420 of the elevator control module 400. transmits wirelessly.

When the floor detection module 300 is the distance measurement sensor 330, the UWB wireless communication unit 430 communicates with the distance measurement sensor 330 using a UWB method to receive current floor information in real time.

The elevator control unit 440 controls the floor button provided on the control board C installed inside the elevator EV and the open button of the elevator door to select the starting floor or the target floor so that the elevator EV is It stops at the starting floor or the target floor so that the self-driving robot 500 can board or get off the elevator (EV). To this end, each floor button provided in the elevator control unit 430 and the control board C and the elevator door open button are individually connected by signal lines to select a floor and open the elevator door.

In addition, the elevator control unit 440 operates the elevator (EV) so that the open button of the elevator door lights up until the short-range wireless communication unit 420 wirelessly receives a boarding completion signal or alighting completion signal from the autonomous driving robot 500. By controlling the open button of the control board C, the self-driving robot 500 can stably get on or off without being interfered with by the elevator door.

The self-driving robot 500 is installed with a sensor unit 550 to safely deliver an item to a recipient by driving to a target point indoors while avoiding obstacles by itself. While avoiding, drive to the target point such as the treatment room, emergency room, blood collection room, injection room, operating room, etc. for examination and diagnosis such as blood and urine specimens, medicines, surgical tools, medical instruments, sanitary products, nursing products, patient products, etc. of goods can be transported and safely delivered to the user.

To this end, the self-driving robot 500 may include a body unit 510, a driving unit 520, a communication unit 530, a map storage unit 540, a sensor unit 550, and a control unit 560. there is.

As an example, the main body portion 510 may be formed in a substantially round cylinder shape, and a storage portion (not shown) for storing goods is formed therein, and a light is installed inside or outside so as to be visible from the outside. It is well visible, and only the body part 510 is provided to be able to rotate 360 degrees with respect to the lower running part 520, so that the direction can be easily changed.

The driving part 520 is formed below the main body part 510, and driving indoors can be achieved by driving wheels by a driving means (not shown) such as a motor.

The communication unit 530 communicates with the central server 100 or the elevator control module 400 through short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth or wifi.

At this time, the communication unit 530 may include an LTE wireless communication function. For example, a USIM card is inserted into a slot and an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information is transmitted to the central server 100. It can be transmitted by wireless communication through the LTE wireless communication network of mobile telecommunication companies. A USIM card contains the identification information of a wireless communication line subscriber, pays the mobile carrier for data usage in advance or later, and after receiving authentication from the mobile carrier, is connected to the mobile carrier's LTE wireless communication network and wireless Data can be sent and received through communication.

The map storage unit 540 stores a driving environment map in a building, and coordinates such as a waiting point in front of an elevator door, a boarding point inside the elevator, and an indoor target point are set in the driving environment map.

The sensor unit 550 is a sensor installed in front or rear of the main body unit 510 to detect obstacles using laser, ultrasonic waves, etc., while avoiding obstacles such as people or objects using the sensor unit 550. The self-driving robot 500 can drive by itself at the coordinates set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit 540 .

That is, the sensor unit 550 detects an obstacle such as an unplanned object or person while the self-driving robot 500 autonomously travels along a path set according to a path plan, and transmits the detected obstacle to the control unit 560, and the control unit 560 ) can safely transport and deliver goods to the right place at the right time without contamination by controlling necessary for obstacle avoidance. Since the control using the sensor unit 550 of the self-driving robot 500 is already known and widely applied, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The control unit 560 controls the driving means to move or return to the coordinates set in the driving environment map of the map storage unit 540 while avoiding the obstacle detected by the sensor unit 550. For example, SLAM may be applied when the autonomous robot 500 moves on the same floor. SLAM uses feature point information extracted from a ceiling image or wall image in an indoor environment where an autonomous robot is driving, and map information in which this information is stored in advance, so that the autonomous robot can determine its current location and reach the target point. It is a technology that moves by measuring the distance of

In addition, the self-driving robot 500 is installed in the main body 510 and recognizes the user's biometric information by a biometric information recognition means including a single function or a plurality of functions selected from fingerprint authentication, face authentication, iris authentication, and finger vein authentication. The biometric information recognition unit 570 and the RFID card installed in the body unit 510 and storing the user's identification information when sending or receiving an item approach within the recognition range, communication is made to read the user's identification information An RFID recognition unit 580 may be further included.

When an item is put into the storage unit of the self-driving robot 500 and sent or received, the biometric information authentication unit 570 recognizes the sender's and recipient's biometric information, and transmits it to the central server 100 through the communication unit 530. The central server 100 compares the database 130 storing the biometric information of users who have the right to use the product with the biometric information of the sender or recipient and the biometric information stored in the database, and performs a security authentication procedure to determine whether they match. It may include a user authentication unit 140 that derives an authentication result of approval or refusal for opening the door of the storage unit, and a history information storage unit 150 that stores history information about sending or receiving goods. When the communication unit 530 of the self-driving robot 500 receives the authentication result of approval from the central server 100, the control unit 560 unlocks the locking device (not shown) of the storage unit door to open the storage unit door. When receiving an authentication result of refusal from the central server 100, the control unit 560 maintains the lock of the locking device of the compartment door and controls the compartment door not to be opened. In this way, the user is authenticated through biometric information recognition, and the door of the compartment is interlocked and controlled according to the authentication result, so that only the person with the right to use the product can insert or withdraw the product, preventing the loss of the product and preventing the loss of the product. security can be maintained.

In addition, the self-driving robot 500 recognizes the RFID card of the sender or receiver when sending or receiving an article by putting an article in the storage unit, and transmits the user's identification information to the central server 100 through the communication unit 530 when read. And, when the user authentication unit 140 of the central server 100 authenticates the user and determines that the user has the right to use, and the communication unit 530 receives the authentication result of approval, the control unit 560 locks the door of the storage unit When the door of the compartment is unlocked and the door of the compartment is opened, and the user authentication unit 140 of the central server 100 determines that the user does not have the right to use, and the communication unit 530 receives an authentication result of rejection, the control unit ( 560) maintains the locking of the locking device of the storage compartment door so that the storage compartment door cannot be opened, whereby the user is security-certified through RFID card recognition, and the storage compartment door is interlocked and opened and closed according to the authentication result, password There is no risk of exposure, and only the person with the right to use the item can withdraw or withdraw the item, preventing loss of the item and maintaining security for psychotropic drugs.

On the other hand, in the prior art, there was an inconvenience in that the sender and the recipient had to write in handwriting or on a PC in the sending ledger and the receiving ledger for tracking and managing the goods, but the history information storage unit 150 of the central server 100 recognizes the biometric information. or when recognizing an RFID card, history information on transmission and reception of a specific item carried by the self-driving robot 500 is stored and managed, so history management can be automatically and conveniently performed. For example, the history may include the date and time of transmission, the date and time of reception, the sender, and the recipient.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a method for controlling movement between floors of an autonomous robot according to the present invention will be described in detail, focusing on embodiments.

First, referring to FIG. 4 , a step (S00) of inputting departure floor information, target floor information, and target point coordinates to the self-driving robot 500 through an input means may be performed. However, if the above information and coordinates are already determined, step S00 may be omitted.

In addition, the self-driving robot 500 moves to the coordinates of the waiting point (S1) in front of the elevator door set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit 540 of the self-driving robot 500 and waits, and then receives the departure floor information and Transmitting the elevator call signal including the target floor information to the central server 100 through wireless communication (S10) is performed. At this time, the standby point S1 is set as coordinates on the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit 540 without using a separate mark for recognition.

Referring to FIG. 5 , in step S10, first, the self-driving robot 500 to which the starting floor information and the target floor information are input is set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit 540 of the autonomous driving robot 500. After moving toward the coordinates of the waiting point (S1) in front of the elevator door, the self-driving robot 500 detects whether or not there is an obstacle at the coordinates of the waiting point (S1) through the sensor unit 550, and in FIG. 5 (a) ), if there are no obstacles at the coordinates of the waiting point (S1), move to the coordinates of the waiting point (S1), wait, and transmit an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information to the central server 100 through wireless communication. do.

When the sensor unit 550 detects an obstacle at the coordinates of the waiting point S1, the controller 560 externally outputs a voice guide requesting a positional movement of the obstacle.

When the self-driving robot 500 does not detect an obstacle at the coordinates of the waiting point S1 in the sensor unit 550 after outputting voice guidance, the self-driving robot 500 sets the standby point S1 as shown in FIG. 5 (a). After arriving at the coordinates and waiting, an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information is transmitted to the central server 100 through wireless communication.

In addition, when the self-driving robot 500 continues to detect obstacles at the coordinates of the waiting point S1 in the sensor unit 550 after outputting voice guidance, the self-driving robot 500 is in front of the elevator door as shown in FIG. 5 (b). After moving to a point adjacent to the empty waiting point (S1) and waiting, an elevator call signal including starting floor information and target floor information is transmitted to the central server 100 through wireless communication.

However, after the self-driving robot 500 outputs voice guidance, when the sensor unit 550 detects that there is no empty space to wait in front of the elevator door due to an obstacle, as shown in FIG. The driving robot 500 gives up riding the elevator and does not transmit an elevator call signal to the central server 100 and moves to the coordinates of the waiting point S1 when there is no obstacle at the coordinates of the waiting point S1 and sends the elevator to the central server 100. The call signal is transmitted wirelessly.

Next, the central server 100 transmits the elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information to the elevator control module 400 installed in the elevator (EV) by wireless communication through the LTE wireless communication network (S20) , and at this time, the wireless communication repeater 200 may relay the communication depending on the case.

Then, the elevator control module 400 selects and presses the floor button of the control board C of the elevator (EV) electrically connected to the elevator control module 400 to light up the departure floor (S30) do

In the step S30, after the elevator control module 400 wirelessly receives an elevator call signal from the central server 100, the self-driving robot 500 determines the ascending direction from the starting floor information and the target floor information. When the ascending direction of the elevator (500) and the ascending direction of the elevator (EV) are the same, and the current floor of the elevator (EV) is ascending toward the departure floor, the elevator control module 400 controls the control board (C) of the elevator (EV). ), select and press the floor button so that the light on the departure floor comes on.

However, if the elevation direction of the self-driving robot 500 is opposite to that of the elevator (EV), or if the current floor of the elevator (EV) is moving away from the departure floor even if both elevation directions are the same, the elevator control module (400) ) After waiting for a while, the control board of the elevator (EV) when the elevation direction of the self-driving robot 500 and the elevation direction of the elevator (EV) are the same and the current floor of the elevator (EV) is moving toward the departure floor. Control the floor button in (C) to press the starting floor.

Next, when the elevator (EV) arrives at the departure floor, the self-driving robot 500 checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit 550 that detects the obstacle, and if the elevator door is open, the elevator (set in the driving environment map) EV) The boarding step (S40) is performed by moving to the coordinates of the internal boarding point (S2).

In step S40, when the self-driving robot 500 finishes boarding the elevator (EV), it wirelessly transmits a boarding completion signal to the elevator control module 400, and the elevator control module 400 gets on from the self-driving robot 500. By controlling the open button of the control board (C) of the elevator (EV) to press the open button of the elevator door until the completion signal is received wirelessly, the self-driving robot 500 can stably board without being interfered with by the elevator door. can

In addition, referring to FIG. 6, in step S40, when the elevator (EV) arrives at the departure floor as shown in (a) of FIG. Then, when the elevator door is opened as shown in (b) of FIG. 6, the self-driving robot 500 reaches the coordinates of the boarding point S2 inside the elevator (EV) through the sensor unit 550 as shown in (c) of FIG. It starts to detect whether an obstacle exists, and when an obstacle is detected at the boarding point S2 as shown in FIG. After outputting this voice guidance, when the sensor unit 550 does not detect an obstacle at the coordinates of the boarding point S2, the self-driving robot 500 moves to the coordinates of the boarding point S2 as shown in FIG. Then, a boarding completion signal is wirelessly transmitted to the elevator control module 400 so that the elevator door is closed, and the elevator (EV) picks up the self-driving robot 500 and departs to the target floor.

In addition, if the sensor unit 550 continues to detect obstacles at the boarding point S2 coordinates even after the autonomous robot 500 outputs voice guidance, as shown in FIG. ) After moving to a point adjacent to the boarding point (S2) that is empty inside, boarding, and then wirelessly transmitting a boarding completion signal to the elevator control module 400, the elevator door is closed, and the elevator (EV) drives the autonomous robot 500. Pick it up and go to the target floor.

However, as shown in (e) of FIG. 6, when the sensor unit 550 detects that there is no empty space for the self-driving robot 500 to board due to an obstacle inside the elevator, the self-driving robot 500 moves to the elevator. (EV) gives up boarding and wirelessly transmits a boarding abandonment signal to the elevator control module 400, so the elevator door closes and the elevator starts excluding the autonomous robot 500, and then the autonomous robot 500 The elevator call signal is retransmitted to the central server 100 wirelessly.

In addition, in step S40, the elevator control module 400 determines the ascending direction of the self-driving robot 500 from the starting floor information and the target floor information wirelessly received through the central server 100, but When the lift direction is the same as the lift direction of the elevator (EV), when the elevator door is opened, a boarding permission signal is wirelessly transmitted to the self-driving robot 500 to guide the self-driving robot 500 to board.

However, when the lift direction of the self-driving robot 500 is opposite to that of the elevator (EV), a boarding prohibition signal is wirelessly transmitted to the self-driving robot 500 when the elevator door is opened so that the self-driving robot 500 does not board. Later, when both ascending and descending directions are the same, a boarding permission signal is wirelessly transmitted to the autonomous robot 500 when re-arriving at the departure floor.

When the self-driving robot 500 gets inside the elevator (EV) in step S40, the elevator control module 400 presses the floor button on the control board C of the elevator (EV) electrically connected to the elevator control module 400. A step (S50) of pressing the target layer by controlling is performed.

In addition, the elevator control module 400 receives, in real time, information on the current floor, which detects the current floor where the elevator (EV) is located, from the floor detection module 200 installed in the elevator (P) or the elevator (EV), and the elevator ( When the EV arrives at the target floor, the self-driving robot 500 on the elevator (EV) wirelessly transmits an arrival signal indicating that it has arrived at the target floor (S60).

Next, the self-driving robot 500 checks whether the elevator door is open through the sensor unit 550, and when the elevator door is open, the autonomous robot 500 gets off the elevator (EV) and follows the route set according to the route plan set in the driving environment map. A step (S70) of driving toward the coordinates of the target point is performed.

In step S70, when the self-driving robot 500 finishes getting off the elevator (EV), it wirelessly transmits a getting-off completion signal to the elevator control module 400, and the elevator control module 400 completes getting off the autonomous robot 500. By controlling the open button of the control board (C) of the elevator (EV) to press the open button of the elevator door until a signal is received wirelessly, the self-driving robot 500 can safely get off without being interfered with by the elevator door. there is.

Then, when the self-driving robot 500 gets off the elevator (EV) and autonomously travels to reach the coordinates of the target point, as described above, the recipient recognizes the biometric information or the RFID card and approves it from the central server 100. After receiving the authentication result wirelessly, unlocking the door of the storage unit and withdrawing the product may be performed (S80). After performing the step S80, the self-driving robot 100 returns to the coordinates of the starting point of the starting floor by moving between floors and autonomously driving through the processes described above.

On the other hand, when the self-driving robot 500 gets on or off the elevator (EV) and wirelessly transmits a boarding completion signal or alighting completion signal to the elevator control module 400, the elevator control module 400 completes boarding through the LTE wireless communication network. A signal or alighting completion signal is wirelessly transmitted to the central server 100, and the central server 100 transmits text messages to the electronic devices of the sender and the receiver of the goods stored inside the autonomous driving robot 500 so that the autonomous driving robot ( 500) may frequently check and confirm the delivery status of goods.

Eventually, the inter-floor movement control system and control method of the self-driving robot enable the self-driving robot to move between floors through the elevator, avoid obstacles during inter-floor movement and communicate with users while autonomously stable standby, boarding and disembarkation of the self-driving robot. It does not cause inconvenience to users, prevents collisions with obstacles, and since it does not use a CRT monitoring panel, it can be installed and operated universally and easily regardless of the elevator manufacturer. Since the floor detection module detects the current floor of the elevator and transmits it to the elevator control module in real time, the self-driving robot can accurately move to the target floor, and the elevator control module installed in the elevator is the central server, the floor detection module, and the autonomous driving robot. Efficient movement between floors can be achieved by controlling floor selection and door opening while communicating with the driving robot.

The above embodiment in the present invention is an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Anything having substantially the same configuration as the technical concept described in the claims of the present invention and achieving the same operational effect is included in the technical scope of the present invention.

100. Central server 110. Wireless communication unit
120. Elevator call unit 130. Database
140. User authentication unit 150. History information storage unit
200. Wireless communication repeater 300. Floor detection module
310. Position sensor 320. Shielding plate
330. Distance measurement sensor 400. Elevator control module
410. LTE wireless communication unit 420. Short-range wireless communication unit
430. UWB wireless communication unit 440. Elevator control unit
500. Self-driving robot 510. Body part
520. Driving part 530. Communication part
540. Map storage unit 550. Sensor unit
560. Control unit 570. Biometric information recognition unit
580. RFID recognition unit EV. lift
C. Control board P. Hoistway
S1. Waiting point S2. boarding point
B. Obstacles

Claims (8)

A central server that wirelessly communicates with the self-driving robot and transmits an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information received from the autonomous robot to the elevator control module through wireless communication through an LTE wireless communication network; A floor detection module installed in a hoistway or an elevator to detect a current floor where the elevator is currently located and transmit current floor information to the elevator control module in real time; It is installed in the elevator and is electrically connected to the floor button provided on the control board of the elevator and the elevator door open button to control floor selection and elevator door opening. After receiving it through wireless communication, control the floor button on the control board to press the departure or target floor, receive the current floor information from the floor detection module in real time, and when the target floor arrives, the self-driving robot rides the elevator to the target floor An elevator control module that wirelessly transmits an arrival signal indicating arrival at the elevator; And wirelessly transmits an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information to the central server, and a sensor unit for detecting obstacles is installed to avoid obstacles set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit of the self-driving robot. Including self-driving robots that travel by themselves with coordinates,
After the self-driving robot moves toward the coordinates of the waiting point in front of the elevator door set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit, if the autonomous robot detects an obstacle at the coordinates of the waiting point in the sensor unit, it moves to the obstacle. The requested voice guidance is output to the outside, and after the self-driving robot outputs the voice guidance, if an obstacle is not detected at the coordinates of the waiting point in the sensor unit, the self-driving robot moves to the coordinates of the waiting point and waits. If an elevator call signal containing information is transmitted wirelessly to the central server, or if an obstacle is continuously detected in the coordinates of the waiting point in the sensor unit after the self-driving robot outputs voice guidance, the self-driving robot moves to an adjacent point in front of an empty elevator door. After waiting, the elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information is wirelessly transmitted to the central server, or when the autonomous robot detects that there is no empty space to wait due to an obstacle in front of the elevator door in the sensor unit, the autonomous robot gives up boarding and does not transmit an elevator call signal to the central server,
When the elevator arrives at the departure floor, the self-driving robot checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit, and when the elevator door is open, the self-driving robot requests a positional movement to the obstacle when the sensor unit detects an obstacle in the coordinates of the boarding point. After the self-driving robot outputs the voice guidance, if an obstacle is not detected at the coordinates of the boarding point in the sensor unit, the self-driving robot moves to the coordinates of the boarding point, boards it, and signals the completion of boarding to the elevator control module. is transmitted wirelessly, or if an obstacle is continuously detected in the coordinates of the boarding point in the sensor unit after the self-driving robot outputs voice guidance, the self-driving robot moves to an adjacent point inside the empty elevator, boards it, and sends a boarding completion signal to the elevator control module. Wireless transmission, or when the sensor unit detects that there is no empty space to board due to an obstacle inside the elevator, the autonomous robot gives up boarding and wirelessly transmits a boarding abandonment signal to the elevator control module. Inter-floor movement control system of autonomous driving robot.
According to claim 1,
The floor detection module detects the current floor by increasing or decreasing the number of detections by 1 while the position sensor installed in the elevator detects the shield plate installed for each floor of the hoistway while the elevator ascends or descends.
An inter-floor movement control system for an autonomous robot, characterized in that a distance measuring sensor installed at the upper end of the hoistway measures the distance to the lower elevator and then detects the current floor in comparison with previously stored distance information to each floor.
According to claim 1,
When the self-driving robot completes boarding or getting off the elevator, it wirelessly transmits a boarding completion signal or alighting completion signal to the elevator control module, and the elevator control module operates the elevator door until it wirelessly receives a boarding completion signal or alighting completion signal from the autonomous robot. An inter-floor movement control system of an autonomous robot, characterized in that for controlling the open button of the control board of the elevator to press the open button of the.
(a) After the self-driving robot moves to the coordinates of the waiting point in front of the elevator door set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit of the self-driving robot and waits, the elevator call signal containing the departure floor information and the target floor information is sent to the center transmitting to the server by wireless communication; (b) transmitting, by the central server, an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information through wireless communication to an elevator control module installed in the elevator through an LTE wireless communication network; (c) pressing the departure floor by the elevator control module controlling the floor button of the control board of the elevator electrically connected to the elevator control module; (d) When the elevator arrives at the departure floor, the self-driving robot checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit that detects the obstacle. step; (e) pressing a target floor by the elevator control module controlling a floor button on a control board of the elevator electrically connected to the elevator control module; (f) The elevator control module receives real-time information on the current floor where the elevator is currently located from the floor detection module installed in the elevator or the elevator, and when the elevator arrives at the target floor, the autonomous driving robot rides the elevator. wirelessly transmitting an arrival signal indicating arrival at the floor; And (g) the autonomous driving robot checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit, and when the elevator door is open, getting off the elevator and driving toward the coordinates of the target point set on the driving environment map,
In the step (a), the self-driving robot to which the starting floor information and the target floor information are input moves toward the coordinates of the waiting point in front of the elevator door set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit of the self-driving robot; outputting a voice guide requesting a location change to the obstacle when the autonomous robot detects an obstacle at the coordinates of the waiting point in the sensor unit; And if the sensor unit does not detect an obstacle at the coordinates of the waiting point after the autonomous robot outputs the voice guidance, the self-driving robot moves to the coordinates of the waiting point, waits, and sends an elevator call signal containing departure and target floor information to the center. If an obstacle is continuously detected in the coordinates of the waiting point in the sensor unit after sending it to the server via wireless communication or after the autonomous robot outputs voice guidance, the autonomous robot moves to an adjacent point in front of an empty elevator door, waits, and displays information on the departure floor. When an elevator call signal containing target floor information is transmitted to the central server via wireless communication, or when the sensor unit detects that there is no empty space to wait in front of the elevator door due to an obstacle, the self-driving robot gives up boarding and Including the step of not transmitting the elevator call signal to the central server,
In the step (d), when the elevator arrives at the departure floor, the self-driving robot checks whether the elevator door is opened in the sensor unit; When the elevator door is opened, when the autonomous robot detects an obstacle at the coordinates of the boarding point in the sensor unit, outputting a voice guide requesting a positional movement to the outside of the obstacle; and when the sensor unit does not detect an obstacle at the coordinates of the boarding point after the autonomous robot outputs voice guidance, the autonomous robot moves to the coordinates of the boarding point, gets on board, and wirelessly transmits a boarding completion signal to the elevator control module. After outputting this voice guidance, if the sensor unit continues to detect an obstacle at the coordinates of the boarding point, the self-driving robot moves to an adjacent point inside the empty elevator, boards it, and wirelessly transmits a boarding completion signal to the elevator control module, or the self-driving robot A method for controlling interfloor movement of an autonomous robot, comprising the step of giving up boarding and wirelessly transmitting a boarding abandon signal to an elevator control module when the sensor unit detects that there is no empty space to board due to an obstacle inside the elevator. .
(a) After the self-driving robot moves to the coordinates of the waiting point in front of the elevator door set in the driving environment map stored in the map storage unit of the self-driving robot and waits, the elevator call signal containing the departure floor information and the target floor information is sent to the center transmitting to the server by wireless communication; (b) transmitting, by the central server, an elevator call signal including departure floor information and target floor information through wireless communication to an elevator control module installed in the elevator through an LTE wireless communication network; (c) pressing the departure floor by the elevator control module controlling the floor button of the control board of the elevator electrically connected to the elevator control module; (d) When the elevator arrives at the departure floor, the self-driving robot checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit that detects the obstacle. step; (e) pressing a target floor by the elevator control module controlling a floor button on a control board of the elevator electrically connected to the elevator control module; (f) The elevator control module receives real-time information on the current floor where the elevator is currently located from the floor detection module installed in the elevator or the elevator, and when the elevator arrives at the target floor, the autonomous driving robot rides the elevator. wirelessly transmitting an arrival signal indicating arrival at the floor; And (g) the autonomous driving robot checks whether the elevator door is open in the sensor unit, and when the elevator door is open, getting off the elevator and driving toward the coordinates of the target point set on the driving environment map,
In step (c), after the elevator control module wirelessly receives the elevator call signal, the self-driving robot's ascending direction is determined from the starting floor information and the target floor information. is the same, and if the current floor of the elevator is moving toward the departure floor, the elevator control module controls the floor button on the control board of the elevator to press the departure floor, (c2) the self-driving robot's elevation direction and the elevator's elevation. Even if the direction is opposite or the same, if the current floor of the elevator is moving away from the departure floor, the elevator control module waits and presses the departure floor by controlling the floor button on the control board of the elevator when the condition of (c1) is met,
In step (d), the elevator control module determines the ascending and descending directions of the self-driving robot from the starting floor information and the target floor information. A method for controlling interfloor movement of an autonomous robot, characterized by wirelessly transmitting to the driving robot, and wirelessly transmitting a boarding prohibition signal to the autonomous driving robot when the elevator door is opened when the lifting direction of the autonomous robot and the elevator are opposite.
According to claim 4 or 5,
In step (d), when the self-driving robot finishes boarding the elevator, it wirelessly transmits a boarding completion signal to the elevator control module, and the elevator control module holds the open button of the elevator door until it wirelessly receives the boarding completion signal from the autonomous driving robot. Control the open button on the control board of the elevator to be pressed,
In step (g), when the self-driving robot finishes getting off the elevator, it wirelessly transmits a getting off completion signal to the elevator control module, and the elevator control module holds the open button of the elevator door until it wirelessly receives the getting off completion signal from the autonomous driving robot. A method for controlling interfloor movement of an autonomous robot, characterized in that by controlling the open button of the control board of the elevator to be pressed.
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